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Latex, also known as rubber, is a natural polymer. It is taken from the milky sap of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. Today, much of the natural latex comes from Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Polymers made from artificial latex are called "synthetic rubber." Properties Elasticity High mechanical resistance Non-adherent Electrical insulator Chemical resistance Insoluble in organic solvents Vulcanization makes rubber useful in many products: Tires Shoe soles Flexible tubes Gloves Raincoats Bed mattresses Natural materials Polymers
A drum is a musical instrument that is played with the hands using a drum stick (a stick for hitting a drum). A collection of drums and cymbals is called a drum kit, or drum set. Drums are used to keep a steady beat in a song. They give music of many kinds a sense of feeling. For example, to make a song to be slow or fast, the drums play slower or faster. A drum is a percussion instrument, which means it makes a noise by being hit. There are many types such as cymbals and bells; even a simple piece of wood can be used as a percussion instrument. The drum kit is a group of drums & cymbals to make beats for music. Drum kits are used in most types of popular music, including rock, jazz, country, blues, and many others. Acoustic Drum Acoustic drum kit is a set of drums and cymbals designed to be played as one instrument. A standard drum kit is made from a bass drum, snare drum, set of tom toms, hi hat cymbals, a ride cymbal and a crash cymbal. The sound is produced by striking the drums or cymbals with a drum stick or mallet. Electric Drum Electric drum kit is essentially a collection of sample pads set up in the same way as an acoustic drum kit. The pads themselves are designed to produce little acoustic sound, other than the dead sound of the wooden drum sticks hitting rubber. The drum kit has to be plugged into an amplifier, speaker, or pair of headphones to be heard, which makes them ideal for practice when volume has to be kept to a minimum. Unlike acoustic drums, it is incredibly easy and quick to record electronic drums. There are two main ways to record audio from an electronic kit - Using a USB cable or Using an audio interface. Related pages Cymbal References
Galician might mean: Something related to the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain) Galician language
Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred temples of Hinduism. It is in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. It is the temple of the Hindu god Shiva. Hindu temples Nepal
Invasion is a word that comes from Latin. Originally, it meant that something goes in (as in military occupation) of a foreign territory. So far, the following uses are known: Military: Getting troops to take control of enemy territory. Often a state invades another to start a war, but invasions can happen anytime during war. Others: Sometimes, biologists speak about an invasive species. There might be locust swarms invading, or that some algae spread far more rapidly in new territory. One of many examples is the importing of rabbits to Australia. As they had no enemies, they did what rabbits do best. They multiplied. To get rid of them, people then thought about importing foxes as well. In psychology invasion is a state where the unconsciousness is a ruler (by C.G.Jung). Military Biology
The olive tree is a small tree. Its scientific name is Olea europaea. A long time ago, it came from the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean, from Syria and the maritime (next to the sea) parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. It has been farmed for a very long time. The Ancient Greeks were farming it. They spread the trees to the western part of the Mediterranean. Olive trees like soil with lots of chalk in it. They grow best on limestone slopes and crags in coastal climate. Overview The Wild Olive is a small tree or shrub that grows up to 8–15 m tall with thorny branches. The leaves are opposite, 4–10 cm long and 1–3 cm wide. The leaves have a dark greyish-green color above and are pale with whitish scales below. The small white flowers, with calyx and corolla divided into four parts, two stamens and bifid stigma, are mostly on the last year's wood, in racemes coming up from the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a small drupe 1–2 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars. Uses Today, olive trees are grown for the following reasons: The fruit of the tree is used: For cooking. Directly from the tree the olive does not taste very good (it tastes very bitter). It is put into some liquid that makes it less bitter. When this is done, it can be used in many recipes of Mediterranean cooking. To make olive oil, a very important vegetable oil. The wood of the tree is very hard. It is used to make furniture or articles of everyday use. The leaves of the tree have some medical uses. It is said that the leaves have a calming effect. They are good for people going to sleep. They are also good for the immune system and to bring down high levels of cholesterol. The oil is good for the cardiovascular system (the heart, and the arteries, etc.) and the circulation of fat in the body. The numbers behind In total, about 17.3 million tons of olives are produced every year. 60% of all olive trees are in the European Union. The top producers are: Cultural significance Very probably, the first olive trees were grown in Syria. From there they spread rapidly. In Ancient Greece, the tree was considered to be holy. Some city states (polis) like Athens punished people for cutting down olive trees. The branches in the flag of the United Nations are those of an olive tree. In Christianity, the olive tree can be a sign of peace, because according to the Bible, a dove brought an olive branch to Noah to show that the flood was over. The olive tree is the National tree of Palestine. References Other websites Olive at Plants for a Future International Olive Oil Council Includes studies on health benefits The California Olive Oil Council Resource portal for olive oil Olive Oil Times Information about growing olive trees The history and gastronomy of the olive and olive oil in Spain Trees Oleaceae
Hello is a greeting in the English language. It is common between two people in a non-formal (informal) setting, but can also be used in a formal setting. There are also many other ways of saying "hello", for example a wave of the hand, a salute or a bow (both very formal), a handshake (a little formal) or a high five (very informal). Saying "hello" is a sign of politeness, especially when it is said in a friendly way. "Hello" was first used in writing in about 1833. Many people say "Hello" when they answer a phone call. Other greetings like "hello" include; Hi, Hallo, Hiya, Howdy, Hey, Howya, 'Sup, Yo, 'Yello, Herro, Greetings, Good day, What's poppin', G'day mate, Top of the mornin' to you, Ay up, what's up mate and many more. People then often say "goodbye" when they leave each other. "Goodbye" is a shortened version of the religious farewell expression "God be with ye", which indicates the user's religious belief, usually in a single god. Similar expressions exist in other languages such as: adieu, adieus, adieux, adios. These terms also possess religious undertones as they are derived from the Latin word "deus", meaning "god". This of course does not always mean they are religious. Human communication Messaging
Annexation (Latin: ad "to" and nexus "joining") is the one-sided forceful takeover of one state's territory by another. Related pages Anschluss (World War II, Austria merged to Nazi Germany) Republic of Texas annexed to United States References Politics International law
Manchuria (Northeast China) is the homeland of the Manchu people. To the Chinese, the region is simply known as the Northeast (Chinese: 东北, Dōngbĕi). Manchuria is made up of China's three northeastern most provinces: Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Parts of Manchuria were annexed by the Russian Empire in the past, and they are now ruled by Russia. The name “Manchuria” comes from a Japanese version of the Chinese word Manzhou (). History In the early history, Manchuria was under the control of many Chinese kingdoms. Later, the Manchu people formed their own empire called Jurchen. They eventually invaded China and founded the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Although the Manchus, who at the time ruled China, signed a treaty with Russia, the Russians took advantage of the weak Qing government and annexed the part that touches the Pacific Ocean, where the modern Chinese city of Dalian stands today. Japan then attacked the Russians to take this important piece of land. Later, Japan invaded the Chinese part of Manchuria too (see Manchukuo). This eventually led to World War II. After the war, Manchuria was handed over to China by the Soviet Union. Geography Manchuria is in north-east China and the Russian Far East. The land has rocks, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. The weather is very extreme. It is very hot and humid in the summer, and is very cold and dry in the winter. Russia People's Republic of China
Tuva Republic is one of 85 federal subjects of Russia. Another way to spell its name is Tyva. It is in south Siberia. It is grouped and governed as part of Siberian Federal District. The Siberian Federal District contains nine other federal subjects too. Tuva also shares an international border with Mongolia. History During the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Tuva was part of the province of Mongolia. From 1921 to 1944, Tuva was a separate country called Tannu-Tuva. In 1944, it joined the Soviet Union. In 1991, it continued to be part of Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Geography and climate Kyzyl is the capital city of Tuva. The name means red in Tuvan. Tuvans say that Kyzyl is the exact center of Asia. And there is a monument to the Center of Asia in the capital. But others think that Kyzyl is not the exact center of Asia. Nevertheless, Tuva is in Central Asia. And Tuvan culture is similar to the culture of their neighbors in other Central Asian countries. Tuva is in a mountain basin between the Sayan Mountains and the Tannu-Ola Mountains. In the east, Tuva has forests. In the west, the land is drier. The average temperature in January is −32 °C (−25.6 °F). The average temperature in July is +18 °C (64.4 °F). Demographics Tuva's population at the end of the Soviet Union stayed about the same for some time, according to data. It is currently increasing again. A little bit more than half of the population live in cities and towns. Most of the people that live in cities and towns live in Kyzyl. Ethnic Tuvans make up the most of the population. Most ethnic Tuvans practice a religion that is mixed with Tibetan Buddhism and Shamanism, which is a belief that worships spirits and nature. Language Tuvans speak their own language, which is called Tuvan. It is a Turkic language. And it is related to Turkish. Before Tuva joined the Soviet Union, the Tuvan language used the Roman alphabet, which is the same alphabet that English uses. Since Tuva joined the Soviet Union, they have used the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the same alphabet that Russian uses. Because Tuva is part of Russia, Tuvans also learn to speak Russian. Culture Before they joined the Soviet Union, Tuvans were nomadic people. They traveled on horses. Therefore, horses were very important in Tuvan culture. Tuvan art often shows horses. And many Tuvan songs are about horses. Tuvans lived in yurts (round, felt covered houses that are easy to take apart and carry). Even today, a few Tuvans are nomads. Ethnically they are Mongols. Tuvans are famous for their throat singing. Throat singing is a very old art. And it is very special because a throat singer can sing two or more notes at the same time. Throat singers imitate the sounds of nature. They can sound like a bird or like the howling wind. One style of throat singing has a rhythm like a horse trotting. For many centuries only men were allowed to be throat singers. But now women are throat singers too. Singing more than one note at the same time is sometimes called overtone singing. Tannu-Tuva was also famous for its colorful and unusual postage stamps. Some were triangles. Many showed interesting pictures of life in Tuva. References Further reading Nomads of Eurasia, the National History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., 1989. Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond by Ted Levin, Indiana University Press, January 11, 2006. The Postal History and Stamps of Tuva by S. M. Blekhman. English edition published by Scientific Consulting Services International, 1997. Other websites News of Tuva Friends of Tuva Demonstrations of Tuvan throat singing styles Picture of Kongar-ool Ondar at the Monument to the Center of Asia in Kyzyl Republics of Russia Siberia Federal subjects of Russia
Senkaku Islands, also called , Diaoyu Dao Islands () and Tiaoyutai Islands (), are uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The group of islands, islets and rocks is east of mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands. The islands are about 200km from Taiwan, and about 300 km from Okinawa. Dispute Control over these islands and rocks is disputed. The dispute issues are complex. The Japanese government describes the islands as part of Japan. The islands are also described as part of China. There are conflicts in the positions of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). The PRC and ROC have a shared history. The United States occupied the islands from 1945 to 1972 when they reverted to Japan. The official US position is neutral in a dispute among Japan, China and Taiwan. Related pages Provinces of Japan Prefectures of Japan List of regions of Japan List of islands of Japan References Other websites Japan, "The Basic view on the Sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands", Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs China, "China's Diaoyu Islands Sovereignty is Undeniable", People's Daily Taiwan, "ROC (Taiwan) Government Reaffirms Sovereignty over Diaoyutai Islands", Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islands of Japan Islands of China Islands of Taiwan Territorial disputes Ryukyu Islands Uninhabited islands
There were two wars known as the Sino-Japanese War (between China and Japan): The First Sino-Japanese War happened from 1894 to 1895, about control of Korea. The Second Sino-Japanese War happened from 1931 (more strongly starting in 1937) to 1945. After 1941, it was part of World War II.
World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering (meeting) of young Catholic people. It was created by Pope John Paul II in 1984 "to consolidate the ordinary youth ministry by offering new encouragement for commitment, objectives which foster ever greater involvement and participation"[1]. In other words, the Pope wanted young Catholics to come together, and work together. The day is celebrated around the world every year, and every two or three years, a gathering is held at a different place. Thousands of people (including young people) from many countries go to this celebration. Because of World Youth Day, many young people are more likely to work together around the world. The last World Youth Day celebration was held in 2005, in Cologne, Germany, the country in which Pope Benedict XVI was born in. About 1,200,000 attended the event. In 2008 World Youth Day was held in Sydney, Australia and in 2011 in Madrid,Spain and in 2013 in Rio,Brazil Roman Catholicism
Carl XVI Gustaf (born 30 April 1946) is the king of Sweden. He became king or as he himself wrote; "knug", on 15 September 1973. He is married to Silvia Sommerlath who is half German, half Brazilian. With her he has three children: Princess Victoria of Sweden Prince Carl Philip of Sweden Princess Madeleine of Sweden Internationally King Carl XVI Gustav is best known for presenting the Nobel Prizes every year. Kings and Queens of Sweden 1946 births Living people Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Current national leaders
Age of Empires III is a 2005 computer game made by the company Ensemble Studios. It is published by Microsoft. It is the third game of the Age of Empires games, and has better graphics than the ones before it. It is a real-time strategy game. The plot is from 1500 to 1860. An expansion pack, Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs, was released for the game on October 17, 2006. The second expansion, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, was released on October 23, 2007. ''Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition was announced on August 21, 2017, and it is still in development. Compatibility The game is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. The game is available on Steam. Requirements CPU: should be above 1.4 GHz Memory: 256 MB RAM Graphics: 64 MB video card 2 GB free space on the harddisk. The expansions require additional free space. Real-time strategy video games 2005 video games
The Bank of China Tower (BOC Tower, 中銀大廈) is one of the most well known skyscrapers in the central parts of Hong Kong. In the tower, the Bank of China has their offices. The tower was designed by the architect I. M. Pei and is 315 meters high. On the tower there are two masts that are 369 meters (1209 feet) high. Photo Gallery Related pages List of tallest buildings in the world Other websites Emporis.com - Bank of China Tower SkycraperPage.com – Bank of China Tower Skyscrapers in China Buildings and structures in Hong Kong I. M. Pei buildings 1990 establishments in Asia 1990s establishments in China
Ulaanbaatar, or Ulan Bator, is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city is an independent municipality not part of any provinces, and its population as of 2008 is just over 1 million. Located in the north central part of the country, the city is at an elevation of about 1310 m in a valley on the Tuul River. The city is the country's center for culture, industry and finance, and since it is more than 13 times bigger than the second largest city in Mongolia, Erdenet, it is the country's primate city. Ulaanbaatar is connected by highway to all the major towns in Mongolia and by rail to the Trans-Siberian Railway and Chinese railroad network. The city was founded in 1639 as a Buddhist monastery center and, in the 20th century, grew into a major manufacturing center. Names Ulaanbaatar has had many names in its history. From 1639–1706, it was known as Örgöö (Mongolian: Өргөө, residence), and from 1706–1911 as Ikh Khüree (Mongolian: Их = "great", Хүрээ = "camp"), Da Khüree or simply Khüree. Upon independence in 1911,the city's name changed to Niislel Khüree (Mongolian: Нийслэл = "capital", Хүрээ = "camp"). When the city became the capital of the new Mongolian People's Republic in 1924, its name was changed to Ulaanbaatar, literally "red hero", in honour of Mongolia's national hero Damdin Sükhbaatar, that liberated Mongolia from Ungern von Sternberg's troops and Chinese occupation with the Soviet Red Army. In Europe and North America, Ulaanbaatar was generally known as Urga (from Örgöö) or sometimes Kuren (from Khüree) or Kulun (from 庫倫, the Chinese transcription of Khüree) before 1924. Geography Ulaanbaatar is at about 1350 meters (4430 ft) above sea level. For this high elevation, and for the high latitude, and location hundreds of kilometres from any coast, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest national capital in the world, with a subarctic climate. History Most important events: - 1639: The city was Founded. - 1778: the city settled for good at its current location, near the confluence of the Selbe and Tuul rivers and beneath Bogd Khan Uul, back then also on the caravan route from Beijing to Kyakhta. - 1911: Mongolian leaders in Ikh Khüree for Naadam met in secret and resolved upon independence from China for their country. On December 29, 1911, the Bogd Khan was declared ruler of an independent Mongolia. - 1919: the city was occupied by Chinese troops - 1921: the city has been controlled first by Baron Ungern's Whites Soldateska, and in July to the Soviet-supported Mongolian troops controlled by Sükhbaatar. - October 29, 1924: the town was renamed to Ulaanbaatar ("red hero") in honour of Sükhbaatar. - 1956: The Transmongolian Railway, connecting Ulaanbaatar with Moscow and Beijing, was completed. - Many of the temples and monasteries of pre-socialist were destroyed following the anti-religious purges of the late 1930s. - After the growth of 1990 many buildings as, cinemas, shops were built. Now the biggest cinema is Urguu and Tengis cinema. Main shopping district is 3rd and 4th distirict. - 2008, Ulaanbaatar was the scene of riots after the opposition Mongolian Democratic Party protested its defeat by the MPRP in parliamentary elections. Administration and subdivisions Ulaanbaatar is divided into nine districts (Düüregs): Baganuur, Bagakhangai, Bayangol, Bayanzürkh, Chingeltei, Khan Uul, Nalaikh, Songino Khairkhan, and Sükhbaatar. Each district is subdivided into Khoroos. The capital is governed by a city council (the Citizen's Representatives Hural) with forty members, elected every four years. The city council appoints the mayor. Ulaanbaatar is governed as an independent first-level subdivision of Mongolia, separate from Töv Aimag, the province that surrounds Ulaanbaatar. Education Ulaanbaatar has several major universities: National University of Mongolia Science and Technological University of Mongolia Mongolian University of Life Sciences University of Health and Medical Science Pedagogical University University of Art and Culture. And a big library, The National Library of Mongolia. Important places Most important places in Ulaanbaatar: The Choijin Lama Monastery, a Buddhist monastery that was completed in 1908. It escaped the destruction of Mongolian monasteries when it was turned into a museum in 1942. The Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monastery, which dates to the 19th century. Its most famous attraction is a 26.5-meter-high golden statue of Migjid Janraisig. Choijin Lama Monastery and Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monastery are two of the very few in Mongolia to escape the destruction of Mongolian monasteries under Khorloogiin Choibalsan. Ulaanbaatar has several museums dedicated to Mongolian history and culture. The Natural History Museum features many dinosaur fossils and meteorites found in Mongolia. The National Museum of Mongolian History. The Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts contains a large collection of Mongolian art, including works of the 17th century sculptor/artist Zanabazar, as well as Mongolia's most famous painting, One Day In Mongolia by B. Sharav. The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan remains as a museum of the last king of Mongolia (1911-1924). The Ulaanbaatar Opera House hosts concerts and musical performances. Sükhbaatar Square, in the government district, is the center of Ulaanbaatar. In the middle of Sükhbaatar Square, there is a statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar on horseback. The Zaisan Memorial, a memorial to Russian soldiers killed in World War II, sits on a hill south of the city. National Sports Stadium is the main sporting venue. The Naadam festival is held here every July. The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. Symbols The official symbol of Ulaanbaatar is the , a mythical bird in both Buddhist and Hindu mythology called Khan Garuda or Khangar'd by Mongols. Flag The city’s flag is sky blue with the arms in the center. Sister cities Seoul, South Korea Moscow, Russian Federation Denver, Colorado, USA Sapporo, Japan Taipei, Taiwan Hohhot, People's Republic of China References Cities in Mongolia Capital cities in Asia 1639 establishments 17th-century establishments in Asia Establishments in Mongolia
Pyŏngyang (평양 직할시 in hangul, 平壤直轄市 in hanja) is the capital and biggest city in North Korea. The government does not want people from outside the country to know anything about North Korea, so Pyongyang is one of the few places in North Korea that people from other countries can travel to. Entry Pyongyang is a closed city meaning that North Koreans can't just go there. They must apply for a permit or be high up in the military. It is the most advanced city in the country which allows tourists to go there. Pyongyang does not really show what North Korea is really like, because the government uses it to pretend to tourists that the country is not poor. The city is kept very clean and littering is strictly not allowed. The city is home to the DPRK's only fast food restaurant which only the most privileged North Koreans go to (a meal would be worth around a weeks wages for the average person there). Many shops there have plastic food on display in the windows to make tourists think that there is lots of food in the country when in fact, food is scarce. Attractions The city has lots of nice attractions like the statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il at Mansudae hill. The Juche tower is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the country, towering over the Taedong River across from Kim Il-Sung square. It also has the world's deepest subway system. Pyongyang has many large parks and wide avenues as well as the largest sports stadium in the world, the Rungrado May Day Stadium. The city is also the location of the embalmed bodies of the two leaders, Il-Sung and Jong-Il in the Kumsusan Palace of the sun. Pyongyang is home to the 105-story hotel, Ryugyong Hotel. The construction started in 1987 and the exterior was completed twenty-four years later in 2011. It was originally intended as a propaganda device to make North Korea look wealthy when a South Korean recently built the world's then-tallest building. The hotel to this day remains empty and unopened. The population of Pyongyang is 3,255,388.
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a multinational technology company from the United States that makes and sells software, computer hardware, infrastructure services, and consulting services. IBM is one of the biggest Information Technology companies in the world. IBM has had the most patents of any technology company for many years, and has made many important inventions and discoveries that have improved computers. IBM began in 1911, it was called the "Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company". It was set up by a man named Charles Flint. There were no computers at that time, so IBM made other machines, such as typewriters. In 1924, the company changed its name to International Business Machines (IBM). In 1937, the company's Tabulating Machines were used by the United States government to record information about Americans, so they could make a new law called the Social Security Act. During World War II, IBM made guns for the American army. During the 1960s and 1970s IBM dominated the mainframe computer market. IBM computers were used for American space exploration. From the 1980s starting in 1981 until 2005, IBM made personal computers. In 2005, IBM sold their personal computer manufacturing to a Chinese company called Lenovo. Today, IBM mostly makes software, and some powerful supercomputers. References Other websites American computer hardware manufacturers 1911 establishments Multinational technology companies Companies based in New York
In Abrahamic religions, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic מרים Maryām "Bitter"; (Maryam); Septuagint Greek Μαριαμ, Mariam, Μαρια, Maria; ) was the mother of Jesus. Her story is told in the New Testament of the Bible. Mary in the Bible Christian beliefs about Mary are based on the Bible. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke say that Mary was a young woman who was engaged to be married to a man called Joseph. The Gospel of Luke says that the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to a son. The angel told Mary that she should call her son Jesus. The angel also said that Jesus would save people from their sins. Mary asked the angel how she could be pregnant, since she was a virgin. The angel told her that God had made her pregnant through a miracle. In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.According to the law that Israelites follow, Joseph had the right to divorce Mary publicly, but he did not. In a dream Joseph was told that Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit. At this time, the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, made a law that everyone in the Roman Empire had to pay a tax. Everyone had to go back to the town that their family came from, to have their name put on the tax lists. Joseph came from Bethlehem, which was called The City of David. So Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem. There, she gave birth to the baby, Jesus. She gave birth in an animal shed, because Mary and Joseph could not find a room to stay in. Thirty-three years later, Jesus was killed by crucifixion. Many of Jesus' apostles were scared of the Roman soldiers and ran away. However, Mary stood by the cross and was with Jesus when he died. As he was dying, he told the young disciple John to care for Mary as if she was his own mother, and the words were "Woman, this is your son. This is your mother". On the third day after Jesus' death, Mary went to Jesus' tomb with other women. They saw that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, and his body was gone. An angel told the women that Jesus had risen and was alive (see: Book of John, in end pages). Mary continued to meet with the early church after the Ascension of Jesus. (Acts 1:14) Mary in Islam Giving honor to Mary Mary is given honor in the Christian faith. She is especially honored as "the Mother of God" in the Roman Catholic Church. She is also honored as "Theotokos" (roughly translated as "the one who gave birth to God") in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Christianity, Jesus is thought to be both fully God and fully man. Christians do not worship Mary, because they believe that only God should be worshipped. However, some Christians - mainly Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians- venerate her, which means they pray to her and respect her acceptance of God's will by willingly giving birth to Jesus. Mary is also given honor by Muslim(s) because the Qur'an says that she was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. Muslims honor Jesus as a great prophet. Mary is often called "the Blessed Virgin Mary" by Roman Catholics. There are many feast days which honor the Virgin Mary. For example, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on 8 September remembers her birth. Catholics also celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and Mary as Queen of Heaven on August 22. Christian art often shows the Virgin Mary. Many paintings show Mary with the baby Jesus. These paintings are known as Madonna and Child pictures. Many people who pray through Mary use a prayer called the Hail Mary. The first part of the prayer honors Mary: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." The second part of the prayer asks for Mary's help: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our deaths. Amen." Protestants believe Roman Catholics and Orthodox give Mary too much honor. Related pages Madonna and Child Icon Roman Catholic Church Licheń Stary Our Lady of Guadalupe References 1st-century BC births 1st-century deaths Early Christian saints People from Nazareth
Quake is also a short-form of the word earthquake. Quake is a first-person shooter video game that was released by id Software on July 22, 1996. It is the first game in the popular Quake series of video games. In the game, the player must fight demons and zombies in lots of different places. Quake was the first game that id Software released after they made Doom and Doom 2. It is a very similar game to Doom, but Quake is on a new game engine and has much more advanced technology. For example, Quake lets the player look up and down, lets the player jump, it has fully 3D graphics, and has many more options for multiplayer than Doom had. Quake is famous for its multiplayer, and it was one of the first games where lots of people played multiplayer through the internet. Doom also had online multiplayer through a service called DWANGO, but Quake made playing online more popular than ever before. Tools like QuakeWorld and QuakeSpy made it very easy for players to find other people to play against over the internet. The game's music and sound effects were done by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. Gameplay In the single-player mode of Quake, the player has to get to the end of each level. The player will usually have to find keys or switches to open all the locked doors before they can get to the exit of a level. They will also have to fight lots of monsters that try to kill the player. There are also secret areas and secret levels that the player can find. Secret areas will usually have something that helps the player win the level, like extra health or ammo. The player always has two weapons: the axe and the shotgun. More weapons can be found in the levels, including the nailgun, super nailgun, super shotgun, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and the thunderbolt. The levels are grouped together into different episodes, and each episode has a different setting. Most levels look very Gothic or medieval, but others look more futuristic, like science fiction. There are 6 or 7 levels in each episode, but every episode also has one secret level. There is also one level that is not inside of an episode, which is the final boss level. There are four episodes in the game, and they can be finished in any order the player wants. The player can't get to the final boss without beating all four episodes, though. The game has four difficulty settings: easy, medium, hard, and nightmare. Nightmare difficulty can only be found in a secret area which is on the episode selection level. This secret area can be found in the episode 4 selection room. Quake Series Games Quake Quake II Quake III Arena Quake 4 Quake Champions Shooter video games 1996 video games Sega Saturn games
A kunya (Arabic:كنية) is a name which is honorably given to an Arab mother or father. Kunya is pronounced koon-ya. Parents are called by their kunyas, which consists of abu (father) or umm (mother) followed by the name of their first son or daughter. Their whole name is their name plus their kunya. For example, Umm Ja'far Aminah means "the mother of Ja'far, Aminah." The kunya precedes the personal name. Arabic words and phrases
Wake could mean several things: Funeral, a gathering for a person who has died Wake is another name for a wave in water Wake can mean changing from being asleep to awake
Zen is a Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism was first brought to China from India, by Bodhidharma. It developed in China, into Zen, in the 6th century. From China it spread to Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Zen is a Japanese word translated from the Chinese word Chán, which means "meditation". Zen uses meditation to help practitioners go beyond simply thinking about Zen. The goal in Zen is to attain satori. This Japanese word translates as "enlightenment". The practice also includes using riddles, called Koans. Koans are also designed to help the practitioner not just engage in rational thought. The traditional Japanese place to learn Zen is a Zen monastery. Japanese Zen scholars such as D.T. Suzuki became well known in the West. Suzuki spent over fifty years teaching Zen to the world with a series of books in English. In the 1960s in California, Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, and others promoted the philosophy. From there it spread to many parts of the western world. Zen is now well established outside of Japan and China. Many Zen centers exist in the US and Europe. Zen is now associated with some design styles, like Minimalism. The Japanese gardens found at Zen monasteries in Japan are an example of this style. They are called Zen rock gardens. They are not directly part of the teachings of Zen. Related pages Criticism of Buddhism Zen at War References Buddhism Buddhist terminology
Scots is a West Germanic language. It is sometimes called Lowland Scots or Lallans. It is not Scottish English Ulster Scots is a form of Scots found in the north of Ireland. Scots is very different from the Scottish Gaelic language, which is a Celtic language. There have been disagreements about the linguistic, historical and social status of Scots. Focused broad Scots is at one end of a scale, with Scottish Standard English at the other. Scots is generally regarded as one of the ancient varieties of English, and has its own distinct variants such as Doric. History Origin Northumbrian Old English was established in what is now southeastern Scotland as far as the River Forth by the seventh century. The region was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. Early Scots began to diverge from Northumbrian English in the twelfth and thirteenth century. There was immigration of Scandinavian-influenced Middle English-speakers from the North and Midlands of England. Later influences on the development of Scots were from Romance languages via ecclesiastical and legal Latin, Norman and later Parisian French from the Auld Alliance and Dutch and Middle Low German influences by trade and immigration from the Low Countries. Scots also includes loanwords from contact with Gaelic. 13-14th century From the 13th century, Early Scots spread further into Scotland through the burghs established by King David I. The growth in prestige of Early Scots in the 14th century and the decline of French in Scotland made Scots the prestige dialect in most of eastern Scotland. 17th century From 1610 to the 1690s, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Scots-speaking Lowlanders, about 200,000, settled there. In the core areas of Scots settlement, there were five or six times as many Scots as English settlers. Southern Modern English was adopted as the literary language after 1700, and "Modern Scots" is sometimes used to describe the spoken language after 1700. Related pages Scots Wikipedia References Dialects of English Scotland West Germanic languages
Mathematical analysis is a part of mathematics. It is often shortened to analysis. It looks at functions, sequences and series. These have useful properties and characteristics that can be used in engineering. Mathematical analysis provides a rigorous logical foundation to calculus, which studies continuous functions, differentiation and integration. Mathematical analysis is a short version of its old name "infinitesimal analysis", with some of its key subfields including real analysis, complex analysis, differentiation equation and functional analysis. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Isaac Newton developed most of the basis of mathematical analysis. Parts of mathematical analysis Limits A foundational concept in mathematical analysis is the concept of limit. Limits are used to see what happens very close to things. Limits can also be used to see what happens when things get very big. For example, is never zero, but as n gets bigger, gets closer and closer to zero. The limit of as n gets bigger is zero. This is described by "The limit of as n goes to infinity is zero", and written as . The counterpart would be . When the gets bigger, the limit goes to infinity. It is written as . The fundamental theorem of algebra can be proven from some basic results in complex analysis. It says that every polynomial with real or complex coefficients has a complex root (where a root is a number x satisfying the equation , and some of these roots may be the same). Differential calculus The function is a line. The shows the slope of the function and the shows the position of the function on the ordinate. With two points on the line, it is possible to calculate the slope with: . A function of the form , which is not linear, cannot be calculated like above. It is only possible to calculate the slope by using tangents and secants. The secant passes through two points and when the two points get closer, it turns into a tangent. The new formula is . This is called difference quotient. The gets now closer to . This can be expressed with the following formula: . The result is called derivative or slope of f at the point . Integration The integration is about the calculation of areas. The symbol is read as "the integral of f with respect to x from a to b", and refers to the area between the x-axis, the graph of function f, and the lines x=a and x=b. The is the point where the area should start, and the where the area should ends. Related pages Topics in analysis Calculus Complex analysis Functional analysis Numerical analysis Concepts in analysis Series Sequence Derivative Integral References Mathematical analysis
Locust are the swarming phase of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. Such swarms are usually made of a great number of locusts. They do a lot of damage to the places where they pass, by eating the crops. These are species which breed rapidly under suitable conditions. The migratory locust is the best-known example. They become gregarious and migratory when their populations become dense enough. They form bands as nymphs and swarms as adults. Both the bands and the swarms are nomadic and rapidly strip fields and greatly damage crops. The adults are powerful fliers; they can travel great distances, consuming practically all green material wherever the swarm settles. The origin and apparent extinction of certain species of locust—some of which grew to in length—are unclear. Locusts are edible insects, and are considered a delicacy in some countries. There have been references to their consumption as food throughout history. In the Book of Joel in the Old Testament locust swarms are described as a plague. Related pages Collective animal behavior Orthoptera References Other websites More detailed information on locusts can be found at the pages of the Australian Plague Locust Commission . Orthoptera Agricultural pests
Grasshoppers are insects with long, powerful back legs which they use for jumping. They generally live in dry habitats, such as fields, gardens and meadows, with lots of grass. They are in the suborder Caelifera, which includes locusts. There are 11,000 species, of which 10,000 are in the family Acrididae. To distinguish grasshoppers from bush-crickets or katydids, they are sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper. Species which change colour and behaviour at high population densities are called locusts. Grasshoppers prefer to eat grasses, leaves and cereal crops, but many grasshoppers are omnivorous. Many grasshoppers eat from several host plants in one day, while others stay on one host plant. One of the 8000 species of grasshopper eats only a single species of plant. As food Grasshoppers make good food for some. As an example, in southern Mexico, chapulines (grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium) are often eaten. They are high in protein, minerals and vitamins. They are usually collected at dusk, using lamps or electric lighting, in sweep nets. Sometimes they are placed in water for 24 hours, after which they can be boiled or eaten raw, sun-dried, fried, flavoured with spices, such as garlic, onions, chilli, drenched in lime, and used in soup or as a filling for various dishes. They are abundant in Central and Southern Mexican food and street markets. Related pages Orthoptera Tetrigidae Cricket Katydid Aularches miliaris References Other websites Orthoptera
Olive oil is a vegetable oil. It is made by getting the juice of the fruits of the olive tree. These are called olives. The oil is used in cooking, as well as cosmetics, traditional medicine, and as a fuel for oil lamps. Refined olive oil uses heat and chemicals to get the fat out of the olives. Olive oil quality is defined by some parameters that are measured by chemical analysis. One of the most important is acidity. The highest quality olive oil (Extra-Virgin) must feature an acidity lower than 0.8%. People see it as a healthy addition to their diet because of the high level of monounsaturated fats (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols. Olive oil is popular in Mediterranean countries. It is a big part of the Mediterranean diet as a main fat source. Producers Greece has more than a third of the world's olive trees, and is the top producer of olive oil in the world. References Cooking oils
An oil lamp is a lamp used for lighting by burning oil. Usually, it produces a flame by burning olive oil, or another vegetable oil, or whale oil during the 1700s and 1800s. They burned cleaner, with less smoke, than candles and other sources of light before electricity. The lamps were usually made of pottery or metal or glass. An old story in the 1001 Nights has Aladdin cleaning (rubbing the lamp) and making a Genie appear. Late in the 19th century, those lamps were mostly replaced by kerosene lamps. Other websites Ancient Lamps References Lamps
Conjugations are forms of verbs that are changed to agree with the subject that is doing the action described by the verb. Usually most of the word stays the same, but the endings change. Most conjugation systems follow some sort of pattern within the language. Example: French verb for 'to eat'- "manger" (stem: mang) ("manger" is the Infinitive of the verb. The infinitive is the un-conjugated form of the verb, literally the "to do" something form such as to walk, to play, to eat. In English one does not say "I like eat" one must say "I like to eat". In both English and French ("J'aime manger") the infinitive form of the verb would be used in this case. The pattern here is that the "er" is removed from the verb and replaced with a different ending depending on the subject(who's doing the eating). This pattern is good for many French conjugations, but not all, and in other languages, conjugation patterns are going to be very different. Related pages Declension Other websites conjugation.com All English verbs conjugated in any tense, any form, any voice Conjugation of over 7,000 English verbs. Online Conjugator for 85 different languages Grammar
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 1850 - 14 September 1937) was the first President of Czechoslovakia. He led the country between years 1918 and 1935. He was a scientist, philosopher, pedagog, politician, and journalist. He studied in Brno, Vienna, and Leipzig, and he spoke many languages (Latin, French, Polish, German and English). He worked as a teacher at a university in Prague and Vienna. He had a big persona with huge charisma and he is called "President liberator" and "Daddy". Edvard Beneš was the next president after him. Czechoslovak politicians Presidents of Czechoslovakia 1850 births 1937 deaths
Arachne is a character from Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Idmon of Colophon, in Lydia (Greece). Her father earned his living with dyeing (coloring) cloth. She learned to be a weaver. A weaver makes cloth, or textiles, from single strands. She was good at what she did, and she claimed that her skill was greater than that of Athena. Athena was the young Greek goddess of weaving (amongst other things). Athena appeared to the girl as an old woman, and warned her not to offend the gods. Arachne did not take the advice, she wanted a weaving contest to prove her skill. Athena revealed herself, and let the contest begin. Athena wove her scene where she won over Poseidon, the god of the sea. Arachne wove scenes about Zeus being unfaithful, with different women: Leda, Europa, and Danae. Athena saw Arachne's work was without error, but she did not like the subject of Arachne's weaving. Athena lost her temper, and destroyed what Arachne had created. She also hit Arachne on the head. Arachne then realized what she had done. She ran away and hanged herself. Athena however had pity with Arachne, so before Arachne was dead, she changed the rope into a cobweb, and Arachne into a spider. Ovid tells the story in Metamorphoses. Book 6, 5-54, 129-145. The story is typical of tragedy in Ancient Greek theatre, where pride in thinking oneself better than the gods – ὕβρις (hubris) – brings punishment from the gods. The Greek word for spider is arachne (αραχνη), from which derive the mythological woman's name, the class name Arachnida in biology, and the name for fear of spiders, arachnophobia. Other websites Arache E-Text at Project Gutenberg People in Greek mythology
Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders. It is a very common phobia - many people suffer from it. People who have it often feel uncomfortable in areas where there may be spiders. The usual way of treating this is using behaviour therapy. People will be confronted with spiders; they may be required to touch spiders as big as a tarantula. Phobias Spiders
A phobia (from the ) is a strong fear about a specific thing or situation. In psychology, phobia is considered an anxiety disorder. Phobia is different than just being scared of something. The fear is so strong that it affects, and often damages, the sufferer's life. For example, the person will usually do everything they can to avoid the thing they fear. If they cannot avoid that thing, they will suffer from very strong anxiety which can damage their social relationships, their ability to work, and other areas of their everyday life. There are two basic types of phobias: specific phobias and social phobias. People with specific phobias fear a certain thing, for example spiders (this is called arachnophobia) or high places (acrophobia). People with social phobias fear social situations (for example speaking in public, being in crowded areas, or being around other people). Difference between phobia and fear Fear is a normal human emotion. A phobia is different from normal fear in many ways: With phobias, a person fears something which is not really dangerous, or which is not anywhere near as dangerous as the person believes it is. For example, many humans fear spiders. However, a person with a phobia of spiders might panic when even thinking about a spider, refuse to leave home because they are too afraid of seeing a spider, or spend hours of each day making sure there are no spiders in their home. People with phobias realize that their anxiety is much more severe than normal fear would be. Phobia lasts much longer than regular fear. For example, a person with a phobia of spiders might continue to feel severe anxiety for hours after seeing a spider. When a person feels normal fear, their fear does not damage their life. Phobias cause problems in sufferers' daily lives. For example, they may damage important relationships or make it difficult for the person to work. People with social phobias may avoid being with other people or meeting new people. It is hard to tell how many people suffer from phobias. Researchers think that between 5 and 13 percent of people seem to have a phobia. Women suffer from phobias about twice as often as men. Fears in children Every child is afraid of something. For most children, these fears eventually disappear. Normal fears in children include: 0–2 years - loud noises; strange people; being away from their parents 3–6 years - imaginary things, for example ghosts and monsters; the dark; strange sounds 7–16 years - more realistic fears, for example school performance, injury, illness, death, and disaster These fears would only be called phobias if they caused problems in the child's daily life, or if they caused the child to suffer from severe anxiety or emotional distress. Causes and risk factors Causes and risk factors phobias is very. Caused It can be caused by: phobia occurs mostly in childhood innate fear traumatic event (assault, assault witness, injury ...) hear about the possible danger (someone attacked animal; hear about a natural disaster ...) Risk factors family influence and culture psychological personality disorder a characteristic trait persons with a susceptible nature are more prone to phobias parents' lack of interest gender women are more prone to phobias Types of phobias Specific phobias also psychological phobias. These include hundreds of types phobias. Some: Aichmophobia - fear of sharp objects (like scissors or needles) Bacillophobia - fear of bacteria Claustrophobia - fear of small, closed-in spaces Necrophobia - fear of death Pharmacophobia - fear of medications Taphophobia - fear of being buried alive Blood-Injection-Injury phobias Zoophobias - fear of one, several, or all animals. Specific phobias of animals include Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), Cynophobia (fear of dogs), Entomophobia (fear of insects), Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), and Scoleciphobia (fear of worms) Social phobias Sociophobia - fear of people and/or social situations Glossophobia – fear of speaking in public Symptoms When a person with a phobia is exposed to their fear (encounters with the stimulus, think of it, sees the object of fear in the picture...) occur at these physical and psychological symptoms. Intensity depends on the degree of fear. Psychological symptoms Psychological symptoms are symptoms that take place within a human. These include the: anxiety up to panic want to run away shaking or tremors fear that the loss of their control, or to drive crazy fear of death fear of loss of consciousness nervousness, restlessness Physical symptoms difficulty breathing, shortness of breath heart beat, increased heart rate shaking or tremors more sweating malaise, feeling sick weakness up to fainting rush hot or cold dry mouth pain or spin head a need to go to the toilet Treatment There are different ways to help people with phobias. There is treatment available; it focuses on making the patient less sensitive to the fear they suffer from, or showing him or her how the cycle of fear works. There is also medication available (mostly sedatives) that help people cope. Finally there are self-help groups. Related pages List of phobias References Other websites Phobias and Fears - Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help Page with more types and descriptions phobias Phobias and anxiety disorders (czech)
John le Carré (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020) was an English novelist. He was born in Poole, Dorset. He wrote many spy novels. The name is a pseudonym. His real name was David John Moore Cornwell. Le Carré graduated from Lincoln College, Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Le Carré died from pneumonia at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, England on 12 December 2020, at age 89. His works Novels Call for the Dead (1961), A Murder of Quality (1962), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), The Looking Glass War (1965), A Small Town in Germany (1968), The Naïve and Sentimental Lover (1971), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), The Honourable Schoolboy (1977), Smiley's People (1979), The Little Drummer Girl (1983), A Perfect Spy (1986), The Russia House (1989), The Secret Pilgrim (1990), The Night Manager (1993), Our Game (1995), The Tailor of Panama (1996), Single & Single (1999), The Constant Gardener (2001), Absolute Friends (2003), The Mission Song (2006), A Most Wanted Man (2008), Our Kind of Traitor (2010), A Delicate Truth (2013), A Legacy of Spies (2017), Non-fiction The Good Soldier (1991), collected in Granta 35: The Unbearable Peace The United States Has Gone Mad (2003), collected in Not One More Death (2006), Afterword (2014), an essay on Kim Philby, published in A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016) Short stories "Dare I Weep, Dare I Mourn?" (1967), in The Saturday Evening Post, 28 January 1967. "What Ritual is Being Observed Tonight?" (1968), in the Saturday Evening Post, 2 November 1968. "The Writer and The Horse" (1968), in The Savile Club Centenary Magazine and later The Argosy (and The Saturday Review under the title A Writer and A Gentleman). "The King Who Never Spoke" (2009), in Ox-Tales: Fire, 2 July 2009. Omnibus The Incongruous Spy (1964), containing Call for the Dead and A Murder of Quality The Quest for Karla (1982), containing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People (republished in 1995 as Smiley Versus Karla in the UK; and John Le Carré: Three Complete Novels in the U.S.), Screenplays End of the Line (1970), broadcast 29 June 1970 A Murder of Quality (1991) The Tailor of Panama (2001), with John Boorman and Andrew Davies Executive producer The Tailor of Panama (2001) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) A Most Wanted Man (2014) The Night Manager (2016) Our Kind of Traitor (2016) Actor The Little Drummer Girl (1984), as David Cornwell Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), as John le Carré A Most Wanted Man (2014) Our Kind of Traitor (2016) The Night Manager (2016), as David Cornwell References Other websites John le Carré homepage John le Carré biography on Books and Writers 1989 NPR Interview of le Carré 1931 births 2020 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford Deaths from pneumonia English novelists Infectious disease deaths in England Pen names People from Poole Writers from Dorset
A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a disease which spreads by having sex. STDs can spread through oral sex or anal sex, or when two people's genitals touch. Today, STDs are usually called sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In the past, they were called venereal diseases (VD). STDs can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Examples of the most common STDs are listed on this page. The common list for desises are: Klamydia, Std’s, Herpes, HIV, gudny Types of STDs STDs caused by viruses Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) HIV causes the immune system - the system in the body that is supposed to fight off infection - to not work as well as it should. This makes people with HIV more likely to get infections and some other diseases, like some cancers. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Human papillomavirus (HPV) There are about 40 different kinds of HPV that can be spread through sex and affect the anus and genitals. Examples of diseases that HPV can cause include: Genital warts Cancers of the anus, vagina, penis, mouth, or throat Cervical cancer (over 70% of cervical cancers - 7 cases out of every 10 - are caused by HPV) Hepatitis viruses Hepatitis is an infection of the liver. There are three common types of hepatitis: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Hepatitis A causes a short-term liver infection. It can be spread by having sex, though this is not the most common way to get hepatitis A. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C cause much more serious, long-lasting liver problems. Both can cause very bad liver disease, like cirrhosis, and death. They are more likely than hepatitis A to be spread by having sex. Herpex simplex virus The herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes genital herpes. Genital herpes can cause painful blisters on the genitals and anus. Herpes can also cause sores on the mouth. There is no cure for herpes. STDs caused by bacteria Chlamydia Chlamydia is one of the common STDs in the world. In humans, it is the most common STD caused by bacteria. In the United States alone, about 2.8 million more people get chlamydia infection every year. If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause serious problems, like diseases of the genitals and eyes. It can even cause blindness. Chlamydia can also cause permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system if it is not treated. Gonorrhea Gonorrhea can infect the genitals, rectum, mouth, throat, and eyes. In bad cases, it can spread through the blood to infect the body's joints. In the worst cases, it can spread through the blood and infect the heart (causing endocarditis, an infection of the heart's valves) or the spinal cord (causing meningitis). Syphilis Syphilis can cause many serious problems if it is not treated. It makes a person much more likely to get HIV, because it causes sores on the genitals that make it easier for HIV (and other STDs) to get spread. After a few years, if people with syphilis do not get treated, they can have serious problems with the organs in their body. Eventually - without treatment - syphilis infects the brain and causes death. STDs caused by parasites Trichomoniasis Trichomoniasis is the most common STD in the world that is not caused by a virus. It can cause inflammation swelling of the vagina (vaginitis, urethra (urethritis), or penis. It can also cause more serious problems. If it is not treated, it can cause permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system. It can also cause prostate cancer, and makes a woman more likely to give birth to a premature baby. Prevention The only way for a person to be sure they will not get an STI is for that person not to have sex. This includes sex of any kind. There are some things that a person can do to make it less likely to get an STI: Practice safer sex. Use condoms and other forms of birth control Stay with one sexual partner who has tested negative for STDs Do not have sex with anyone until you are both tested for STDs Get the vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B Other websites Types of STDs (STIs) (in simple English) Sexually Transmitted Infections (from NHS Choices) Sexually Transmitted Infections (from Charlies ) References
The Atacama Desert is a desert. It is on the Tropic of Capricorn in northern Chile, and is one of the driest places on earth. In some places, less than an inch (25mm) of rain falls every ten years. Only one of the rivers from the Andes mountains reaches the ocean through the desert. The rest disappear into the dry soil. The Atacama is a desert not because mountains make a rain shadow, but because the ocean does. The water on the west part of Chile is quite cold, because it came from Antarctica. Moisture cannot stay in the cold air above the cold water, so mainly fog reaches the land, but very little rain. The people of Chile have learned how to get water from the fog to help them live. They "harvest" the clouds by putting up plastic sheets with pans underneath. The fog collects on the plastic and drips into the pans, giving the people water for crops and drinking. In parts of this desert it has not rained for over 400 years. Even though the Atacama is the driest place in the world that does not mean it is the hottest. The Atacama Desert is actually a really cold place with temperatures ranging from 0 to 30 degrees. Three countries fought the War of the Pacific in the 1880s for control of the desert. They both wanted its Sodium nitrate mines. Chile won. The oldest known artificially prepared mummies come from this desert. They are called the Chinchorro mummies. References Deserts Geography of Chile
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a spin-off organisation from the United Nations. It was created as an autonomous (self-governing) organization on July 29, 1957. The organization is intended to monitor and promote the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy with protection from harmful radiation and, also, to prevent the use of this energy to build nuclear weapons. International Atomic Energy Agency and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 7 October 2005 for their role in trying to prevent the invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition of troops. The IAEA has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Additional facilities are in Seibersdorf (near Vienna), Monaco, Toronto, and Tokyo. References International organizations Nuclear energy 1957 establishments
Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. King Alfonso VI of Castile establishes the Latin liturgy in Catholic church in place of the Mozarabic rite. Ísleifur Gissurarson, the first bishop in Iceland, dies while giving mass in Skálholt church. Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, builds Devizes castle.
Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American movie critic. Ebert's reviews appear in newspapers such as the Chicago Sun-Times from April 3, 1967 until his death. Ebert was born on June 18, 1942 in Urbana, Illinois to a Catholic family. Ebert and Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel helped make nationally-televised movie reviewing popular. They co-hosted the PBS show Sneak Previews. It was followed by At the Movies which made both of them popular across the country. The two fought and made jokes while talking about movies. They created and trademarked the phrase "Two Thumbs Up," used when both hosts thought the same movie was very good. After Siskel died in 1999, Ebert continued hosting the show with various co-hosts and then, starting in 2000, with Richard Roeper. Ebert lived with thyroid cancer since its diagnosis in 2002. He continued to publish his reviews both online and in print until April 2, 2013. Just two days later, on April 4, 2013, Ebert died from the disease in Chicago, Illinois. He was 70 years old. Early life Ebert was born Roger Joseph Ebert on June 18, 1942 in Urbana, Illinois. His parents were Annabel (née Stumm) and Walter H. Ebert. His ancestry was German, Dutch, and Irish. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending St. Mary's elementary school and serving as an altarboy in Urbana. Ebert studied at Urbana High School, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ebert was raised in Chicago, Illinois. Career Ebert began his professional critic career in 1967, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times. That same year, Ebert's first book, a history of the University of Illinois titled Illini Century: One Hundred Years of Campus Life, was published by the University's press. In 1969, his review of Night of the Living Dead was published in Reader's Digest. Working with Russ Meyer Ebert co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 Russ Meyer movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and likes to joke about being responsible for the movie, which was poorly received on its release but is now regarded as a cult classic. Ebert and Meyer also made Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens, Up!, and others, and were involved in the ill-fated Sex Pistols movie Who Killed Bambi? In April 2010, Ebert posted his screenplay of Who Killed Bambi? aka Anarchy in the UK on his blog. From the 1970s, Ebert worked for the University of Chicago as a guest lecturer, teaching a night class on movies. His fall 2005 class was on the works of the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Working with Gene Siskel In 1975, Ebert and Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune began co-hosting a weekly movie review television show, Sneak Previews, which was locally produced by the Chicago public broadcasting station WTTW. The show was picked up by PBS in 1978 for national distribution. In 1982, the critics moved to a television program named At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and in 1986 they left to create Siskel & Ebert & The Movies with Buena Vista Television (part of the Walt Disney Company). The duo was known for their "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries. When Siskel died in 1999, the producers retitled the show Roger Ebert & the Movies with rotating co-hosts. In September 2000, fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper became the permanent co-host and the show was renamed At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper. Television show Ebert was the co-host of the television show Ebert and Roeper (originally Siskel and Ebert), where he and another critic, originally Gene Siskel (1946-1999) and after Siskel's death, Richard Roeper, appear in and talk about new movies. His name stayed in the title, but Ebert did not appear on the show after mid-2006, because of problems after surgery for thyroid cancer which left him unable to speak. Ebert ended his association with the show in July 2008, but in February 2009 he said that he and Roeper would continue their work on a new show. Ebert was on a show called, Ebert Presents at the Movies, premiered on January 21, 2011, with Ebert appearing in a brief segment called "Roger's Office". On September 13, 2013, it was announced that fellow co-star critic Richard Roeper was to replace Ebert as the main movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Movie taste Ebert said that his favorite movie was Citizen Kane, joking, "That's the official answer", although he liked to keep saying it as "the most important" movie. He kept saying that his real favorite movie was La Dolce Vita. His favorite actor was Robert Mitchum, and his favorite actress was Ingrid Bergman. He expressed his general dislikes for "top ten" lists, and all movie lists in general, but contributed a top ten list to the 2012 Sight and Sound Critics' poll. Listed alphabetically, those movies were 2001: A Space Odyssey; Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Apocalypse Now; Citizen Kane; La Dolce Vita; The General; Raging Bull; Tokyo Story; The Tree of Life; and Vertigo. Ebert compiled "best of the year" movie lists beginning in the 1960s, thereby helping provide an overview of his critical preferences. His top choices were: 1967: Bonnie and Clyde 1968: The Battle of Algiers 1969: Z 1970: Five Easy Pieces 1971: The Last Picture Show 1972: The Godfather 1973: Cries and Whispers 1974: Scenes from a Marriage 1975: Nashville 1976: Small Change 1977: 3 Women 1978: An Unmarried Woman 1979: Apocalypse Now 1980: The Black Stallion 1981: My Dinner with Andre 1982: Sophie's Choice 1983: The Right Stuff 1984: Amadeus 1985: The Color Purple 1986: Platoon 1987: House of Games 1988: Mississippi Burning 1989: Do the Right Thing 1990: Goodfellas 1991: JFK 1992: Malcolm X 1993: Schindler's List 1994: Hoop Dreams 1995: Leaving Las Vegas 1996: Fargo 1997: Eve's Bayou 1998: Dark City 1999: Being John Malkovich 2000: Almost Famous 2001: Monster's Ball 2002: Minority Report 2003: Monster 2004: Million Dollar Baby 2005: Crash 2006: Pan's Labyrinth 2007: Juno 2008: Synecdoche, New York 2009: The Hurt Locker 2010: The Social Network 2011: A Separation 2012: Argo Ebert revisited and sometimes revised his opinions. After ranking E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial third on his 1982 list, it was the only movie from that year to appear on his later "Best Films of the 1980s" list (where it also ranked third). He made similar revaluations of 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, and 1985's Ran. The Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), and Pulp Fiction originally ranked second and third on Ebert's 1994 list; both were included on his "Best Films of the 1990s" list, but their order had reversed. Awards and honors In 1975 Ebert became the first movie critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. In 2005, Ebert became the first movie critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ebert's home town of Champaign, Illinois are trying to raise money for a statue in Ebert's honor. In July 2014, a documentary about Ebert's life, Life Itself, was released to very positive reviews. Personal life Ebert was married to Chaz Hammelsmith from July 18, 1992 until his death in 2013. They had no children. Ebert lived with Chaz in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. He was a supporter for the Democratic Party. Ebert was an agnostic. On April 25, 2011, he accomplished one of his long-time goals: winning one of the weekly caption contests in The New Yorker after more than 100 tries. Ebert's personal net worth was U.S. $9 million. Cancer In early 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. In February, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital successfully removed the cancer with clean margins. He later underwent surgery in 2003 for cancer in his salivary gland, and in December of that year, underwent a four-week follow-up course of radiation to his salivary glands, which altered his voice slightly. Ebert continued to be a dedicated critic of film, not missing a single opening while undergoing treatment. The cancer would eventually lead Ebert to be left in a wheelchair and unable to speak after having the total of three surgeries. Later on, experts created a translator that allowed Ebert to speak whatever he typed. He called his machine "Sir Olivier," because he thought its voice sounded like actor Laurence Olivier. Falls On April 18, 2008, it was announced that Ebert had fractured his hip in a fall, a result of the weakening of his body following the unsuccessful tissue transplants, and had undergone surgery to repair it. In December 2012, Ebert was hospitalized with a fractured hip, which his wife Chaz jokingly blamed on "tricky disco dance moves". Death On April 4, 2013, Ebert died of cancer at age 70 at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His wife Chaz said that "We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he [Ebert] looked at us, smiled, and passed away." He battled cancer for 11 years. The closing sentence on his final blog post, two days before his death, said, "So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies." Funeral Hundreds attended including Pat Quinn, Rahm Emanuel, and Richard Roeper in the April 8, 2013 funeral Mass held at Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, where Ebert was celebrated as a film critic, newspaperman, advocate for social justice, husband and father. In his eulogy, the Rev. John F. Costello sought to dispel the notion that Ebert was an either non-believer, or agnostic, by invoking the movie The Hours and its observations on lives cut short; and saying that Ebert, raised Catholic, wrestled with "the mystery of faith" not as someone who rejected God but, rather, as someone forever seeking further understanding. Father Michael Pfleger concluded the service with: "the balconies of heaven are filled with angels singing `thumbs up.'" Ebert was later buried at the Graceland Cemetery in Chicago's north side. A 2-hour-and-45-minute public tribute, entitled Roger Ebert: A Celebration of Life, was held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at the Chicago Theatre. It featured in-person remembrances, video testimonials, video and film clips, gospel choirs, and was, according to the Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro, "a laughter- and sorrow-filled send-off from the entertainment and media worlds." Reactions Ebert's death prompted wide reaction from celebrities both in and out of the entertainment industry. President Barack Obama wrote, "Roger was the movies ... [he could capture] the unique power of the movies to take us somewhere magical ... The movies won't be the same without Roger". Robert Redford called Ebert "one of the great champions of freedom of artistic expression" and said "His personal passion for cinema was boundless, and that is sure to be his legacy for generations to come." Oprah Winfrey called Ebert's death the "end of an era", as did Steven Spielberg, who also said that Ebert's "reviews went far deeper than simply thumbs up or thumbs down. He wrote with passion through a real knowledge of film and film history, and in doing so, helped many movies find their audiences... [he] put television criticism on the map". References Other websites Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival Archive of American Television interview Siskel & Ebert's classic shows (1975–1999) Speech: Remaking My Voice (2011) Burials at Graceland Cemetery American agnostics American historians American journalists Screenwriters from Illinois Cancer deaths in Chicago Democrats (United States) Movie critics from Chicago People from Urbana, Illinois Pulitzer Prize winners Television personalities from Chicago Webby Award winners Writers from Chicago Deaths from thyroid cancer 1942 births 2013 deaths Former Roman Catholics
Seibersdorf is a village in Lower Austria, Austria. As of 2001, about 1200 people lived there. It is close to Vienna, and mostly known for the research centre of the International Atomic Energy Agency. References Other websites Website of the village (German) Settlements in Lower Austria
The Russian Revolution was a series of revolutions in the Russian Empire during 1917. The events destroyed the Tsarist autocracy, and helped to create the Soviet Union. The first revolution was on 8 March 1917, but in Russia it was recorded as 28 February 1917. This happened because Russia still used the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, which is what we use for measuring dates today. After the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to step down and was replaced with a socialist provisional government. This government was meant to rule for a short time until the country became stable again. The second revolution, the October Revolution, was in October of the Julian calendar. Communist Bolsheviks replaced the provisional government, and created the Soviet Union. The royal family was put under house arrest, but later shot and killed. The term Red October is used to describe the events of this month. Background Of The Revolution During the 1890s, improvements in Russian industry put more jobs in cities. This made the cities larger as people moved there. The workers in the cities, with increasing levels of education, began to develop an interest in politics and the creation of political parties in order to try and change their lives for the better. The conditions that they lived and worked in were horrible. Poor people from other parts of the Russian Empire, like Poland and Ukraine, also created their own parties to try and stop the Russians oppressing them. This added to the people's anger, and after the Tsar's guards fired at a peaceful protest of workers, a rebellion began. It did not really change anything, but it meant that Nicholas promised to create an elected Parliament, or Duma. The Duma was elected for the first time in March 1906. However, there were both left-wing and right-wing opponents to it, including socialists and people who were very loyal to the Tsar. There were also arguments over whether or not to take power from the Tsar and give it to more ordinary people. Nicholas eventually stopped the Duma three times, and because that meant they could not say anything against Nicholas, people became angry. In 1914, Russia joined World War I. At first, people thought this was a good decision, and the country was united by patriotism. But there were huge problems with supplies, and by 1915 many soldiers were being sent to fight without any guns. Communication was bad, and Army officers argued a lot. That meant that they did not make plans well. The soldiers became unhappy, and over 3,000,000 Russians died. St. Petersburg was also renamed to Petrograd by the tsar in 1914 because he thought St. Petersburg sounds too German, especially for a capital. In 1915, the Tsar took personal control of the Russian Army, and moved to the Army headquarters. This was a mistake. Not only did he not improve the situation, he began to be blamed for it. The fact that he was not near the government also meant that his wife Queen Alexandra was left in charge. Whenever the Duma tried to warn her that the people were angry, she would say they were lying, so she would ignore them. She even ignored a report by the secret police, the Okhrana, which said that a revolution might happen if things did not get better for ordinary people. The February Revolution The first revolution began with a series of strikes in early February 1917. People in food queues in Petrograd, began a demonstration. They were joined by thousands of women, who left the fabrics factories where they worked. The strike spread through the capital. By February 25, most of St. Petersburg's factories had to close. On the evening of February 25, Nicholas II sent the chief of the army in Petrograd a telegram. It told him to use his soldiers to stop the strikes. The army chief did that, but the soldiers joined the workers instead of stopping them. The police also joined them. The government's power collapsed. On March 15, Nicholas abdicated. The control of Russia was given to a socialist provisional (temporary) government. Conditions from February to October After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government was challenged by a large group of workers in St. Petersburg - the Petrograd Soviet. The Government leader, Alexander Kerensky, tried to improve things by allowing freedom of speech and letting political prisoners go, but people were becoming more unhappy. There was not enough food. Wages went down. The national debt grew to 10 million rubles. Vladimir Lenin arrived in Petrograd in April 1917. He was a Communist while the provisional government was Socialist. He had been exiled to Switzerland by the Tsar, but the Provisional Government had allowed him to come back. He began to lead a Communist group called the Bolsheviks. In July, the Bolsheviks spent four days demonstrating against the Government. The military attacked them. Lenin was forced to escape to Finland until August, when the Bolsheviks were asked to help defend the government against a takeover by the army. The result of this was that their reputation improved. The government gave them weapons. The Provisional Government's reputation kept getting worse as time went on. The Bolsheviks' reputation got better because they refused to work with them until both sides could compromise. October Revolution On October 10, the Bolshevik's Central Committee voted to start a revolution. One began in Estonia on October 23. Another started in St. Petersburg two days later. This time the revolution was mostly peaceful. The Bolsheviks' Red Army took over many government buildings without a fight - only two people were killed. It ended with the takeover of the Tsar's old Winter Palace on the morning of October 26, when the Provisional Government was arrested. The Soviets took power and formed a Congress (a new Government) which began on October 25. Some members who were not Bolsheviks walked out during its first few meetings, but this made little difference to its decisions. The people who left were taunted by Leon Trotsky on their way out. He told them to go "where you belong... the dustbin of history!" All parties who opposed the Bolsheviks were eventually broken up, and their leaders were arrested. The Congress began to get rid of private property. This meant that all land and money was to be owned by the people, and control of factories was given to their workers. The Aftermath Several countries that had been in the Russian Empire before the Revolution, such as Estonia and the Ukraine, had been asking for independence since February. As the new government formed they declared independence, and were allowed it. In Russia, the revolution was severely challenged by countries that were not Communist and by the invading White Armies. In July 1918, countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France sent more than 15 armies to fight the Bolsheviks. The ex-Tsar and his family were shot to stop them from being freed by the White Armies. In order to win the war, Lenin began a plan to divert food and supplies to the Communist Army. The plan worked. The Bolsheviks won the war, but the lack of food meant that between 3 and 10 million people died of hunger. The Third Russian Revolution was an anarchist revolution against the Bolsheviks and the White Army. It lasted from 1918 to 1922. Some European countries recognized the Soviet Union as a proper country in the early 1920s. The United States refused to until 1933. Related pages Islamic Revolution References 1917 in Russia
Baguettes are long thin loaves of bread popular in France, but now common in many other countries. Usually, they are made of white bread. Baguettes usually have a hard crust on the outside but soft white bread on the inside. French traditions say that bread may only contain the following four things: flour, water, yeast and salt. Anything containing more than those things must not be called bread. A baguette is about 5-6 cm wide, 3 to 4 cm high, and about 65 cm long. Such a baguette usually weighs about 250 grams. It is common to dip the bread into olive oil when it is eaten. History The baguette is thought as to have come from France, but it actually came from Vienna. In the middle of the nineteenth century, steam ovens had just been brought into use. This allowed loaves to be made with a crispy crust and the white centre, similar to today's baguettes. Later, in 1920, a law was passed that did not let bakers work before 4am. This made it impossible to make a larger loaf in time for their customers' breakfasts. The longer, thinner baguette helped solve this problem because it could be prepared and baked much faster. However, since the French had been making long thin loaves for a long time, what exactly was invented in 1920? It seems to be just the use of the word "baguette" for those thin loaves. Description Outside France, the baguette is also called a 'French stick'. It is a loaf of bread, up to a metre long but only about four to five centimetres in diameter. The baguette is a symbol of France. Baguettes are eaten as a sandwich cut in half lengthwise. They are also eaten for breakfast (usually with jam or chocolate spread). A loaf the same length as a baguette but thicker (about 8-10 centimetres diameter) is known as 'pain'. A thin version of the baguette is called 'ficelle'. Even in France there is a difference between a traditional baguette and a 'supermarket' baguette. Baguette has the same texture as the Greek bread Tsoureki. References Breads
A barometer is an instrument used to measure air pressure. The barometer measures air pressure in various kinds of units including hectopascals (hPa). There are various types of barometers such as the water barometer, aneroid barometer, and the mercury barometer. The mercury barometer, the earliest barometer, was created by an Italian mathematician named Evangelista Torricelli in 1643. They are used for measuring altitude, or height above the ground, such as the height of a mountain, and they were often used to measure altitude aboard a hot air balloon. Barometers are also used in modern aviation. Miners sometimes use them to determine the depth of a mine. The most used purpose of the barometer was measuring air pressure. This helps meteorologists in predicting weather. A barograph is a device which records barometric readings on paper. Weather Weather instruments Measuring tools
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish telecommunications company with its main office in Espoo, a suburb of Helsinki. History The company began in 1865 as a wood pulp mill in Finland and began making paper. The paper was sold to Russia, the UK, and France. The company merged with the Finnish Rubber Company which wanted to use its hydroelectricity plant. After World War Two, Nokia bought a large part of the Finnish Cable Works. In 1967 the three companies joined to form the Nokia Group. They began making electronic products, and for a few years early in the 21st century were the world's biggest maker of mobile phones. Some of its phones, such as the Nokia 1100 and 1110, have sold over 250 million units around the world, and a few others, like the Nokia 3210 and Nokia 3310, sold more than 100 million units. Timeline In 2011, Nokia and Microsoft began a partnership which created Nokia Lumia, a series of smartphones that use the Windows Phone operating system and was meant to replace Symbian as the OS on Nokia's smartphones. Not many of these phones were sold and because of this, Nokia was losing money. Finally, in 2013, Microsoft bought out Nokia's mobile phone business, which became a division of Microsoft called Microsoft Mobile. Microsoft continued to make feature phones with the Nokia brand, but began using the Microsoft brand for its Lumia smartphones. Nokia's other phones, including the Nokia X which used Android, were discontinued, or no longer made. Nokia also bought the mapping company Navteq in 2011, and changed its name to HERE. Its apps were first available only on Windows Phone as part of the company's deal with Microsoft, but they later became available for Android and iOS. HERE was sold to Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler in 2015. Also in 2011, Nokia started a music streaming service called MixRadio. It became part of Microsoft Mobile in 2014, was sold to a Japanese company in 2015, and was eventually shut down in 2016. In 2013, Nokia bought out the share of its telecommunications division that was held by Siemens of Germany, and this division is now known as Nokia Networks. The French company Alcatel-Lucent was bought by Nokia and merged into Nokia Networks early in 2016, which also included taking over the famous Bell Labs. Microsoft Mobile sold its feature phone business to HMD Global in 2016, which is licensing the Nokia brand for its own phones. They include the Android-based Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6, and a new version of the popular Nokia 3310 made in 2000. References 1865 establishments in Europe Electronics companies Companies of Finland Telephone companies of Europe 1860s establishments in Finland Mobile phone companies
Research is a way of looking for new information, new understanding, and new facts. A person who does research is called a researcher. Some researchers work in academia. Other researchers work for businesses, for organisations, or for the government. Research is often used for solving problems or increasing available knowledge. This can be done by testing theories and making observations. Research usually prefers to be systematic, organised, and objective. Research is used in many different fields of study such as science, mathematics, and the humanities. Academic research Researchers take part in field or laboratory experiments, reading relevant books, journals or websites, taking notes and making conclusions. Teaching and lecturing is only part of the job of a professor or researcher. When they are not directly teaching classes they are often working on academic research. Learning institutions can vary widely in what they expect from members of their faculty. Most expect faculty members to set up their own laboratories. They hire their own lab employees and obtain their own funding, often from more than one source. Academic researchers often compete for grants to fund research at their own university. The more money researchers can attract, the higher the prestige of that university. Scientific research The scientific method is the usual way of doing this kind of research. It is meant to improve understanding of biology, engineering, physics, chemistry and many other fields. With this kind of research, scientists can understand the world, and discover useful things. Money for research comes from governments, private corporations, and charities. Some of these organizations combine research and development of new products and ways of doing their work. Some basic principles of research Any research should be: Systematic: from a hypothesis or working objective, researchers gather data according to a scheme set out in advance. They use the data to change ideas or add new knowledge to that already existing. The approach used in research is the scientific method. Organized: members of a research group use the same definitions, standards and principles. This is part of the detailed plan. Objective: conclusions from research must be based on observed and measured facts, not on subjective impressions. The conclusions should be unbiased. Basic activities at research process Studying available information on the subject. Physical or computer modeling. Measuring the phenomena. Comparing the obtained results. Interpreting the results with the current knowledge, considering the variables which might have influenced the result. Types of research Basic research, also called fundamental research or pure research, aims to understand nature. Applied research aims at using the new knowledge to do something. Publishing Research must be published so the world can learn from it. Nature, Science and Proceedings of the Royal Society, are general scientific journals. Many special journals are published. Research must pass the peer review process in order to be published. References
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (Exposition) or E3 , first held in 1995, is one of the biggest conferences for video games. Every year in late May or early June, game developers and other professional people gather to show new video games, computer hardware, and features. It is only open to people who have been invited and people visiting must be over eighteen years old. In 2019, personal information of more than 6000 people were leaked. As a result, people were harassed. Official website References Video game events 1995 establishments
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is a province of Canada. It is the smallest of Canada's ten provinces. Most of the people on Prince Edward Island speak English. Prince Edward Island was named for the son of King George lll of Britain, and it joined the Dominion of Canada in 1873. This province is long and 4 to 60 kilometers (2.5 to 37 miles) wide. The capital, and also the largest city, is Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island is known for being the location for novels written by Lucy Maud Montgomery including Anne of Green Gables. It is also important for being the "Birthplace of Confederation", because the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 was in Prince Edward Island. Government and politics The government of Prince Edward Island is a parliamentary government, with a constitutial monarchy. The monarch (king or queen) right now is Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the monarch for the rest of Canada. The person who represents the Queen is called the Lieutenant Governor. References Other websites Prince Edward Island 1873 establishments in Canada Provinces and territories of Canada
An antigen is a molecule on the outside of a pathogen (a "germ"). It causes the production of antibodies which stick to the invading virus or bacterium. This is an immune response. Antigens are usually a protein on the outside of a bacterium or virus. It gets recognized by the adaptive immune system as foreign, and this stimulates the production of antibodies. The antibodies combine with the antigens and make the invading virus or bacterium ineffective. Antigens stimulate the production of antibodies: they do not produce them directly. Vaccines for the seasonal flu virus is a common example. The body system is normally tolerant of its own molecules, which don't trigger an attack. Autoimmune diseases are caused when this safeguard fails. The first time that a new antigen comes into contact with the body the response of the immune system will be a complete immune response. During this first response, the antigen will cause antibodies to be made. The next time the same antigen contacts the body, a full-scale immune response is not needed as the body already has a specific antibody available instantly for that antigen. Vaccinations usually contain dead bacteria or antigen so the antibodies can recognise it later and make antibodies faster. Terminology Epitope – the distinct surface features of an antigen. Allergen – A substance capable of causing an allergic reaction. The (detrimental) reaction may result after exposure via ingestion, inhalation, injection, or contact with skin. Superantigen – A class of antigens that cause non-specific activation of T-cells, resulting in polyclonal T-cell activation and massive cytokine release. Tolerogen – A substance that invokes a specific immune non-responsiveness due to its molecular form. If its molecular form is changed, a tolerogen can become an immunogen. Immunoglobulin-binding protein – proteins that stick to antigens, for example the B-cell antigen receptor complex. T-dependent antigen – Antigens that require the assistance of T cells to induce the formation of specific antibodies. T-independent antigen – Antigens that stimulate B cells directly. Immunodominant antigens – Antigens that dominate (over all others from a pathogen) in their ability to produce an immune response. References Immunology
Chaos is when something unpredictable or random happens. It may refer to several different things: Chaos magic, a branch of occultism Chaos (mythology), the concept in classical creation stories Randomness, a lack of intelligible pattern or combination Chaos theory, a branch of mathematics and physics Chaos (genus), a type of giant amoeba 19521 Chaos, a Trans-Neptunian Kuiper belt object in space K-os, Canadian musician Chaos an American hip hop Recoring artist Related pages Anarchy Confusion Disorder Order
Information entropy is a concept from information theory. It tells how much information there is in an event. In general, the more certain or deterministic the event is, the less information it will contain. More clearly stated, information is an increase in uncertainty or entropy. The concept of information entropy was created by mathematician Claude Shannon. Information and its relationship to entropy can be modeled by:R = H(x) - Hy(x)"The conditional entropy Hy(x) will, for convenience, be called the equivocation. It measures the average ambiguity of the received signal." The "average ambiguity" or Hy(x) meaning uncertainty or entropy. H(x) represents information. R is the received signal. It has applications in many areas, including lossless data compression, statistical inference, cryptography, and sometimes in other disciplines as biology, physics or machine learning. The information gain is a measure of the probability with which a certain result is expected to happen. In the context of a coin flip, with a 50-50 probability, the entropy is the highest value of 1. It does not involve information gain because it does not incline towards a specific result more than the other. If there is a 100-0 probability that a result will occur, the entropy is 0. Example Let's look at an example. If someone is told something they already know, the information they get is very small. It will be pointless for them to be told something they already know. This information would have very low entropy. If they were told about something they knew little about, they would get much new information. This information would be very valuable to them. They would learn something. This information would have high entropy. Related pages Entropy (Information Theory) Mutual information Thermodynamic entropy Entropy Claude Shannon References Other websites Information is not entropy, ! - a discussion of the use of the terms "information" and "entropy". I'm confused: how could information equal entropy? - a similar discussion on the bionet.info-theory FAQ. Java "entropy pool" for cryptographically-secure unguessable random numbers Description of information entropy from Tools for thought' by Howard Rheingold An intuitive guide to the concept of entropy arising in various sectors of science – a wikibook on the interpretation of the concept of entropy. Theoretical computer science
The Spice Girls are a British girl group. The group formed in 1994. The group has five members. Each member uses a nickname initially given to them: Melanie Chisholm ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Melanie Brown ("Scary Spice"), Victoria Beckham (née Adams) ("Posh Spice"), and Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice") . They were signed to Virgin Records. The Spice Girls released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996. It hit number-one in more than 30 countries. The song helped make the group as a global phenomenon. The group is credited for starting the trend of commercial success of teen pop in the late 1990s. Their debut album, Spice, sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. It is the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They have sold over 75 million records worldwide. This makes them the best-selling female group of all time. It also makes them the most successful British band since the Beatles. The group released three albums: Spice in 1996, Spice World in 1997 and Forever in 2000. The Spice Girls starred in Spiceworld: The Movie, which was released in December 1997. The members reunited in 2007. They released a Greatest Hits album in November and said a world tour would start in December. On 1 February 2008, the group said that they would be ending the tour early. In 2012, they reunited again to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. References 1994 establishments in England 1990s British music groups 2000s British music groups British girl groups English pop music groups Musical groups established in 1994 Musical quintets Musical groups disestablished in 2008 2008 disestablishments in England
Traffic cones (also called road cones, safety cones or pylons) are cone-shaped markers, usually made from plastic, that are put on roads to temporarily redirect car traffic in a safe manner. Uses Traffic cones are usually placed around construction sites or roadside accidents. As well, many utility companies such as telephone companies and electric companies place cones on the road when utility workers are working on or near the road. Cones are also used by driving schools to set up tests of turning and parking skills. They have many other uses including bike training, fun and for personal use like reserving parking spaces. Features Traffic cones are easily movable and about 60 cm (24 inches) tall. Traffic cones come in many different colors, with orange, yellow and red being the most common colors. Many types of traffic cones have reflective strips or stripes of reflective paint, so that the cones are easier to see at night. History Traffic cones were invented in 1914 by Charles P. Rudabaker. The first cones were made of concrete. In the 2000s, most cones are made of brightly-colored plastic. Other websites The Traffic Cone Preservation Society Orange Cones -- Kibo's collection of photographs of cones in unusual places Automated Traffic Cone Placement-Retrieval Trailer Safety Traffic signs
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer of crime stories. Her books are very famous all over the world, and she sold more than 4 billion books around the world. Only William Shakespeare has sold more books. Also, her books are written in more languages than any other writer's books. People can read them in 103 different languages. Her stories are about murders and finding out who did them. It is hard to find that person. There is a detective who tries to catch the bad person. People like reading her books because they can try to find the answer, too. Reading these books is like playing a game. The most well-known characters in her books are Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Miss Marple is an old English lady, and she talks to everyone. People do not think she is smart, but she always finds the bad person. She uses logic to find out who is guilty of the murder. Hercule Poirot is a strange man, a private detective from Belgium who lives in London. He likes to find out who did the murder by thinking about all the evidence. The stories of Poirot and Miss Marple were made into many TV shows and movies. Christie also wrote plays. One of them is called The Mousetrap, and it started over 60 years ago. It remains the world's longest-running play. Christie was born in Torquay in Devon, England. She did not go to school. She had lessons from her mother at home. Her mother thought children should not learn to read until they were eight years old. But Christie learned how to read by herself when she was four. She read many books, so she learned to become a good writer. She later became a very good pianist and singer, too. She was married twice; she had a daughter called Rosalind Hicks. She worked in a hospital and in a pharmacy during World War I. She also wrote romance novels and plays. They were very successful too. In 1971, she was honoured by the Queen with the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Christie died on 12 January 1976 at age 85 from natural causes at her Winterbrook House in the north of Cholsey parish, adjoining Wallingford in Oxfordshire (formerly part of Berkshire). She is buried in the nearby churchyard of St Mary's, Cholsey. The Guinness Book of World Records ranks Christie as the best-selling novelist ever. Her novels have sold about 4 billion copies. Her works are the world's most-widely published books after those of William Shakespeare and the Bible. Her books have been translated into at least 103 languages. Christie's best-selling novel is And Then There Were None. It has sold 100 million copies. It is the world's best-selling mystery novel. References 1890 births 1976 deaths Deaths from natural causes English novelists Writers from Devon Torquay
Motion referes to any physical movement or change in position or place Science Motion (physics), any physical movement or change in position or place Brownian motion Circular motion Equation of motion Perpetual motion Motion perception Motion sickness Glacial motion Polar motion Astronomy Diurnal motion Proper motion Law and politics Motion (legal), in law Motion (democracy), a formal step to introduce a matter for consideration by a group Popular culture Motion (album), an album by the Cinematic Orchestra Motion, the two female disco dance performers working with Deney Terrio Technology Motion control Motion detection and motion detector Motion graphic Apple Motion, motion graphic software by Apple Computer Motion planning, in robotics Motion simulator Valve gear, a part of a steam locomotive Cinematography Full motion video Motion blur Motion capture Motion picture Stop motion Slow motion People Andrew Motion, poet laureate Basic English 850 words
MB, Mb, mB or mb may mean: Megabit (1,000,000 bits), preferred symbols Mb Megabyte (1,000,000 bytes), preferred symbol MB Mebibyte (220 = 1,048,576 bytes), preferred symbol MiB MB may mean: Bachelor of Medicine, an academic degree (Latin Medicinae Baccleureus) MacBook, an Apple Computer Manitoba (Canadian Province/Territory Code) Maribor, a city in Slovenia Martinique: FIPS PUB 10-4 territory code Medal of Bravery (Canadian decoration post-nominal letters) Mercedes-Benz, a German brand of automobiles, buses, coaches and trucks Motherboard Mb may mean: Myoglobin, a type of protein chain mb may mean: Millibar, a unit of pressure. Sometimes written as mBar.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma, September 21, 1909 – April 27, 1972) was an African political leader. He was well known as the first Prime Minister, then President, of Ghana. He imagined a united Africa. On March 6, 1957, after ten years of campaigning for Ghanaian independence, Nkrumah was elected President and Ghana gained independence from British rule. Early life and activism Nkrumah was born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma in Nkroful, a town in Gold Coast (the British colony that was to become Ghana) to Kofi Ngonloma, a goldsmith, and Elizabeth Nyaniba, a salesperson, who he saw as a great inspiration. Education He attended Elementary School at Half Assini where his father worked as a goldsmith. A German priest called George Fischer influenced his education. He went to a school for teachers in Accra, then became a teacher himself. In 1935 he went to Lincoln University in the United States. He learned more about Communism. His education continued at the University of Pennsylvania, from 1939 to 1943. In 1945 he went to London and organized an international conference for African freedom. At that time he changed his name to "Kwame". President of Ghana Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast and founded the Convention People's Party. He was elected Prime Minister. When Ghana became independent from England, Nkrumah was its first president. He created the flag of Ghana. He required all children to attend school. More women attended school and took jobs. For electricity, Nkrumah ordered the building of a hydroelectric dam known as the "Akosombo Dam" and a nuclear power plant. The military and police forced Nkrumah from power on February 24, 1966. Exile and death After his overthrow, Kwame Nkrumah lived out his life in Conakry, Guinea. Diagnosed with prostate cancer, in August 1971 he flew to Romania for treatment. He died in Bucharest, Romania, on 27 April 1972 at the age of 62. Timeline 1930: Obtained Teacher's Certificate from the Prince of Wales’ College at Achimota (Formerly Government Training College, Accra) 1931: Teacher, Roman Catholic School, Elmina (Central Region) and later, Head teacher, Roman Catholic junior School Axim (Western Region) 1932: Teacher, Roman Catholic Seminary, Amisano (Central Region) 1935: Entered Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, USA. 1939: Earned a BA (Lincoln University), USA 1942: Earned a BA (Theology), Lincoln University, USA 1943: M.Sc. Education, MA Philosophy, and completed course work / preliminary examination for a Ph. D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania, USA 1939 - 1945: Combined studies with part-time lectureship in Negro History. (During this period, he helped to found the African Studies Association and the African Students Association of America and Canada.) 1945: Voted "Most Outstanding Professor-Of-The-Year by "The Lincolnian" 1945 (May): Arrived in London with the aim of studying Law and completing thesis for a Doctorate but met George Padmore. The two as Co-Political Secretaries helped to organize the Sixth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England. After the Congress, Nkrumah continued work for de-colonization of Africa and became Vice-President of West African Students Union. He was also leader of "The Circle", the secret organization dedicated to the unity and independence of West Africa, in its struggle to create and maintain a Union of African Socialist Republics 1947: Wrote his first book, "Towards Colonial Freedom" 1947: (December): Returned to Gold Coast and became General Secretary of United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) 1948: Detained with Executive Members of UGCC known later as the "Big Six" following disturbances in the colony. 1948: (September): Established the "Accra Evening News which appeared on the news-stands the same day that he was dismissed as General Secretary of UGCC. 1949 (June): Formed Convention Peoples Party (CPP) with the Committee on Youth Organization (CYO). 1949 (December): Declared Positive Action to demand Independence. 1950 (January): Arrested, following riots resulting from declaration of Positive Action 1951 (February): Won the election while in prison with a vote of 22,780 from the 23,122 ballots cast, to take the Accra Central seat. He was released later from prison in the same month to form new Government. 1956: Won the elections leading to independence. 1957: (6 March): Declared Ghana's Independence 1958 (April): Convened Conference of the existing independent African States (Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Morocco and Liberia). In December, He held an All-African Peoples Conference in Accra, the first Pan-African conference to be held on African soil. He took the first step towards African Unification by signing an agreement with Sekou Toure to unite Ghana and Guinea. 1958: Married Helena Ritz Fathia, an Egyptian Coptic and relative of President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt.Had three children with her - Gokeh, Sarmiah Yarba, and Sekou Ritz 1960: Declared Ghana a Republic. 1961: Nkrumah extended the Ghana - Guinea union to include Mali under Modibo Keita. 1962 (August): Target of an assassination attempt at Kulungugu in the Northern Region of Ghana. 1963 (May): Nkrumah organized a conference of the 32 independent African States in Addis Ababa. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was formed at this conference with the purpose of working for the Unity, Freedom and Prosperity of the people of Africa. 1964: Established Ghana as a One Party State with himself as Life President. 1965: Nkrumah published his book "Neocolonialism". In this book he showed how foreign companies and governments were enriching themselves at the expense of the African people. This book drew harsh protest from the US government and consequently withdrew its economic aid of $35m previously earmarked for Ghana. 1966 (February 24th): Overthrown in a Military Coup d'état while on trip to Hanoi, North Vietnam. He left for Conakry, Guinea on being told of the overthrow. He lived in Conakry as Co–President of Guinea. 1971 (August): Flew to Romania for treatment for his prostate cancer. 1972 (April 27th): Died of cancer in Bucharest, Romania. 1972 (7 July): Buried in Ghana. Written works The Osagyefo, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah authored over 20 books and publications. He was a lead authority on the Political theory and Practical Pan-Africanism. References Other websites A list of Nkrumah's publications 1909 births 1972 deaths Presidents of Ghana Prime ministers Pan-Africanists Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Writers
Diego Velázquez (baptized 6 June 1599 – 6 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. Diego Velázquez had a hard life. He got married when he was eighteen. With his wife, he had two daughters. He died at the age of 61 after having painted many paintings, including Las Meninas. 1599 births 1660 deaths Spanish painters
Kinshasa is the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (once called Zaire). It is the third largest city in the continent of Africa (after Lagos and Cairo). About eleven million people live there. Kinshasa is also a province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is on one side of the Congo river, and Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, is on the other side. Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the nearest country capitals in the world. Henry Morton Stanley founded (started) the town in 1881 and called it Léopoldville (after King Léopold II of Belgium, who controlled the Congo Free State, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), next to a village called Nshasa or Kinshasa. The city was originally private property (not public). The post developed successfully as the first navigable port on the Congo River above Livingstone Falls, a series of rapids over 300 kilometres (190 mi) below Leopoldville. At first, all goods arriving by sea or being sent by sea had to be carried by porters between Léopoldville and Matadi. Later a railway went around the falls. Léopoldville changed its name to Kinshasa in 1966. References Settlements in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Capital cities in Africa
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. It is near the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is made up of nearly 2900 coral reefs and over 600 islands. It is 327,800 km2 big and 2600 km long. It has been listed an important World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure made by living things. It can be seen from outer space. The Reefs are threatened. The biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef today is coral bleaching caused by high sea water temperatures as a result of global warming. During 2016, the worst die-off ever recorded occurred, due to seas warming around the Great Barrier Reef. Two-thirds of a 700-km (435 miles) stretch of coral in nine months were killed. Geology The Reef Research Centre has found the remains of coral that are half a million years old. Corals have been growing in the region for as long as 25 million years. The corals have not always formed coral reefs. It is difficult to work out the age of the Great Barrier Reef. This is because of the way a reef can grow and shrink as the sea level changes. A coral reef can grow in diameter, that is how wide they are, from 1 to 2 cm per year. They can also grow upwards from 1 to 15 cm per year. Coral can not grow if the water is too deep (150 metres or more) because it needs light from the sun. They cannot grow out of the water (above sea level). The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Institute of Marine Science say the current, living reef started growing about 20,000 years ago. It started to grow on an older reef. This makes the beginning of the reef duringay. The land that forms the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef was a coastal plain. The plain had some large hills. Some of these hills were parts of older reefs. From 20,000 years ago until 6,000 years the sea level began to rise. As it rose, the corals could grow higher on the hills of the coastal plain. 13,000 years ago the sea level was 60 metres lower than the present day. Corals began to grow around the hills of the coastal plain. These became continental islands. As the sea level rose higher, most of these continental islands were covered by water. The corals could then grow over the hills. This formed the present cays and reefs. Sea level on the Great Barrier Reef has not risen much in the last 6,000 years. The CRC Reef Research Centre has worked out that the present, living reef is 6,000 to 8,000 years old. The remains of a very old barrier reef has been found in the Kimberley area. This is in the northern part of Western Australia. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 different areas. These are called bioregions. Each bioregion has its own special plants and animals. There are 30 reef bioregions, and 40 are non-reef bioregions. In the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, there are ribbon reefs and deltaic reefs. These kinds of reef do not exist in the rest of the Great Barrier Reef system. Ecology The Great Barrier Reef has 1,500 species of fish, and many other animals, algae, and corals. This includes many vulnerable or endangered species. Some of these exist only on this reef system. Mammals Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been seen in the Great Barrier Reef. This includes the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the humpback whale. Most of the population of the dugongs live there. Turtles and Dugongs Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed. These are the green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and the olive ridley. There are two different groups of green sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef. One group lives in the northern part of the reef and the other in the south. Fifteen species of seagrass attract the dugongs and turtles. They also provide a food and shelter for fish. The most common kinds of seagrasses are Halophila and Halodule. Other sea animals Saltwater Crocodiles live in mangrove and salt marshes on the coast near the reef. No crocodile nests have been found on the reef. The salt water crocodiles on the reef travel long distances. There are not many living around the reef. Around 125 species of shark, stingray, skates or chimaera live on the reef. About 5,000 species of mollusc live on the reef. These include the giant clam, nudibranchs and cone snails. Forty-nine species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse have been found. Seven species of frogs live on the islands. Also, the Moray eel lives on the bottom, preying on fish. Birds 215 species of birds come to the reef or nest or roost on the islands. This includes 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds. These include the white-bellied sea eagle and roseate tern. Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the Great Barrier Reef. About 1.7 million birds use the sites to breed. Plants The islands of the Great Barrier Reef have 2,195 known plant species. Three of these do not live anywhere else. The northern islands have 300-350 plants which are woody. The southern islands have 200 plants which are herbaceous. The Whitsunday region has the most plant species placing at 1,141. The plant species are mostly spread by fish Sea snakes Seventeen types of sea snake live on the Great Barrier Reef. They take about 4 years to become old enough to breed. They usually live on the sea floor. They live in warm waters up to deep. They are more common in the southern part of the reef. Fish, ascidians and bryozoans More than 1,500 species of fish live on the reef. These include the clownfish, red bass, red-throat emperor, and several types of snapper and coral trout. There are at least 330 species of sea squirts (ascidians) on the reef. These vary in size from 1 mm-10 cm in diameter. Between 300 and 500 species of bryozoans live on the reef system. These are small water animals that look like moss, or branches Corals Four hundred species of corals, both hard corals and soft corals live on the reef. Most of these spawn, releasing thousands of eggs, in huge events. This spawning is controlled by the rising sea temperatures. This happens in spring, summer and some parts of autumn, as part of the moons lunar cycle, and the day/night diurnal cycle. Reefs in the inner Great Barrier Reef spawn during the week after the full moon in October. Outer reefs spawn in November and December. The common soft corals on the Great Barrier Reef belong to 36 different types. Five hundred species of marine algae or seaweed live on the reef. This includes thirteen types of Halimeda. These deposit chalky (calcareous) mounds up to 100 metres wide. They have mini-ecosystems on their surface which have been compared to rainforest cover. Climate change A new report, the Reef Outlook Report, says that climate change will cause huge damage to the reef. The report was written by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Warmer and more acidic water around the coral reef will slow down calcification, which is how the coral grows and becomes strong. The corals will become bleached (lose their colours) and many species that live on and around the reef will be in danger. The Australian government has already spent AU$325 million to improve the health of the reef in the last two years. Other dangers The Reef Outlook Report also warned of other dangers to the reef. These included poor quality water running into the sea from the mainland. This water is polluted with farm insecticides and rubbish from nearby towns. The increasing amount of development on the coast is destroying natural marine and coastal habitats. There is also some damage from fishing. Related pages List of World Heritage Sites in Australia References Further reading Other websites Great Barrier Reef website How the Great Barrier Reef Works World heritage listing for Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority CRC Reef Research Centre Great Barrier Reef (World Wildlife Fund) Dive into the Great Barrier Reef from National Geographic Reef Outlook Report 2009 Great Barrier Reef,AUSTRALIA World Heritage Sites in Australia National parks in Australia Reefs Geography of Queensland Ecoregions Australian National Heritage List Protected areas of Queensland
The Missouri Compromise, also called the Compromise of 1820, was a plan proposed by Henry Clay of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was signed by President James Monroe and passed in 1820. The agreement was between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups in the United States Congress, mostly about the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It admitted Missouri as a slave state to please the South and it also admitted Maine as a free state to please the North. It kept the balance of power in the United States Senate between the free states and slave states. The plan also called for slavery to be banned from the Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36 degrees 30' north (also known as the Missouri Compromise Line), except inside the borders of the proposed state of Missouri. Before the agreement, the House of Representatives had refused to accept this compromise and a conference committee was appointed. The United States Senate refused to concur in the amendment, and the whole measure was lost. During the following session (1819-1820), the House passed a similar bill with an amendment, created on January 26, 1820 by John W. Taylor of New York, allowing Missouri into the union as a slave state. In December, the question had been complicated by the admission in of Alabama, a slave state, making the number of slave and free states the same. Also, there was a bill in passage through the House (January 3, 1820) to admit Maine as a free state. The Senate decided to connect the two measures. It passed a bill for the admission of Maine with an amendment allowing the people of Missouri to make a state constitution. Before the bill returned to the House, a second amendment was adopted on the motion of Jesse B. Thomas of Illinois, excluding slavery from the Missouri Territory north of the parallel 36°30' north (the southern boundary of Missouri), except within the limits of the proposed state of Missouri. 1820 in the United States 19th century in Missouri Slavery in the United States Origins of the American Civil War
A peafowl is a bird of the Phasianide family. It is a relative of the pheasant. There are two species of peafowl: the Asiatic peafowl (Pavo) or the Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis). The Congo peafowl is the only member of the pheasant family that originated outside Asia. The male peafowl can have up to 150 brightly colored feathers on its tail coverts. For centuries peafowl have been admired for their beauty and hunted for their meat. Recently peacocks have become more popular in parks and gardens.Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails. Distinctive Tail Feathers. Male peafowl Appearance The male peafowls (called peacocks) have long, colorful feathers. Female peafowls (called peahens) have shorter, brown feathers. Male peafowl were initially called poococks, but this name was replaced as it was offensive to the LGBT community. Habits Eating habits They like to eat any kind of green shoots (flowers, veggies, grass etc.) as well as wheat, cracked corn or wild game feed. They can handle freezing temperatures as long as they have a dry perch that is out of the wind and weather. Dry dog and cat chows make excellent winter feed for peafowl, who are omnivores, eating insects, small snakes, lizards, grain, as well as many varieties of greens. They are particularly fond of petunias and similar pot plants, leaving nothing but a small green circle where the stem once emerged from the soil. The birds will learn to come to a specific place at specific times of day to be fed, and a regular light feeding during summer adapts them to coming to the feeding place in winter. Origin The peafowl is native to southeast Asia, including India and Pakistan. They were brought to Europe long ago, and can acclimatize to colder areas. Mating The very long, elegant and colorful plumage of the male birds, peacocks, is grown over the winter months so that they are ready for the early spring mating season, during which each male establishes a territory. The male calls to the females to come and admire his dance. He displays a rustling of tail quills which hold up the fanned back plumes (= tail feathers) as he stamps and turns. The summoning call is loud, repeated, happens sometimes at night, and sounds, to some people, like a woman screaming. Often it is tri-syllabic, mi-fa-sol. Once the mating season is over, the tail feathers are naturally shed. The peacock's display is a classic example of sexual selection. Female peafowl The female birds, peahens, are soft brown and gray with white chests and bellies and some light green on the neck, the colors blending so well with weeds and grasses that when the female is nesting on the ground, she is almost invisible. Mothering The hen teaches her chicks what to eat by putting her beak down at a chosen bug, grain, seed, or leaf and making a throaty "grock" sound. The chick put its beak against the mother's, follows the beak to the tip, and eats whatever it points at. The chicks can learn what to eat from a hen of another species, but, unlike baby chickens, peachicks need to be shown what to eat. Chicks hatched in a hatchery can starve to death if there is no hen to teach them what to eat. In addition to the "eat this" sound, the female has a particular call for a missing chick, a "where are you," "hoo-hah" call, two toned, high then low, mi-do, mi-do. When a chick is missing, this call can go on for hours. Reproduction She lays from two to six eggs in the spring time and, once all are laid, sits on the eggs for about thirty days to hatch them, leaving the nest once or twice a day to feed and drink. Often the female will utter a shrieked "trouble" call, a quickly repeated "cuk, cuk, cuk, cuk" when she leaves the nest, to attract predators away from it. Chicks Once the chicks are hatched, the mother leads them away from the broken eggs, as the smell of the eggs attracts predators. They are able to flutter a little within hours, and in a few days can fly up into sheltering trees by going first to lower branches and working their way higher, preferring high, protected branches. The chicks roost on either side of the peahen, and she extends her wings to cover them during the night, thus protecting them from rain, hail, and visits from owls. They begin to grow their "crowns" when they are only a few weeks old and it takes about a year for them to reach full size, though it may take three years to reach breeding age. Both males and females are hatched with the same plumage; nine to twelve months after hatching, the males' necks begin to turn peacock blue, and their splendid plumage takes about four years to reach full size. References Birds
A Manager is a person who manages or is in charge of something. Managers can control departments in companies, or guide the people who work for them. Managers must often make decisions about things. According to Henri Fayol, a French management theorist, managers must be able to do: planning organizing leading co-ordinating controlling The manager is responsible for overseeing and leading the work of a group of people in many instances. The manager is also responsible for planning and maintaining work systems, procedures, and policies that enable and encourage the optimum performance of its people and other resources within a business unit. Sources Basic English 850 words Management Occupations Other definition given by Peter. F. Drucker, "every job should be designed as an integrated set of operations which are varied enough to reduce boredom. A manager must create a climate which brings in and maintain satisfaction and discipline among the people. "
The dachshund is a breed of dog. It is usually short (small in height), but long from front to back and with short legs. “Dachshund” is a German word that is used in English, and it means “badger dog.” (In German, dachshunds are called Dackel or Teckel.) The breed was developed to use its sense of smell to find, chase, and hunt badgers and other animals that live in holes. A dachshund has a long, narrow body, so it is sometimes called a wiener dog, hot dog, or sausage dog. Some owners believe that using such terms is disrespectful, and may take offense. Appearance (looks) Today, dachshunds have crooked legs, loose skin, and a barrel-like chest. Over time, breeders selected dogs so that those features would appear in puppies. That way, dachshunds could do a better job of burrowing into tight spaces. Another feature is a long tail. The coat or fur of a dachshund comes in three kinds – smooth or short-haired, long-haired, and wire-haired. The wire-haired dachshund usually is shorter front to back than the other two. Size A fully-grown dachshund weighs between 16 and 28 lb. (7 to 12.7 kg), while the miniature dachshund may weigh less than 11 lb. (5 kg). The writer H. L. Mencken said that “A dachshund is a half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long.” Coat and color Dachshund fur comes in many colours. The colors that are most common are red (a brown color that looks a little reddish) and black-and-tan (black body with brown parts). There are solid black and solid chocolate-brown dachshunds. Many people think those dachshunds are handsome, but the colors are not standard or official – that is, you cannot enter those dogs in some dog shows. Temperament (mood or emotions) Dachshunds are playful, fun dogs. People know that dachshunds like to chase small animals and birds, and when they chase those animals they do it ferociously (without fear and very intensely). Many dachshunds are strong-headed or stubborn, and that means they can be hard to train. However; if trained in proper way and at an early age, these dogs can be a good family dogs. These dogs should be trained for socialization and obedience. Dachshunds are often very loyal to their owners (devoted to their owners, or very interested in their owners). In fact, they can be much more loyal than other kinds of dogs. But wire-haired dachshunds often do not show that kind of loyalty to their owners. People know that dachshunds have deep and tender eyes, and that dachshunds have many facial expressions (dachshunds can communicate just with the look on their faces). Health Dachshunds often have spinal problems, that is, their backbone can become injured. That is because of the dog’s very long spinal column and short rib cage. The problems are usually hereditary (genetic), that is, they are passed down from parent dogs to puppies. A dachshund that is obese (fat) can have a higher risk of getting injured. That is because the extra weight puts more strain on the backbone (vertebrae). To prevent injury, dachshunds should not climb stairs or jump unless they really have to. It is also important to hold the dog the right way – by holding up the front and the rear parts of the body at all times. History Some people have wondered if dachshunds go back to ancient Egypt. People have found drawings and engravings from ancient Egypt that show hunting dogs with short legs. But the dachshund of today was bred in Europe, and it has parts of German, French, and English hounds and terriers. Kings and queens all over Europe have had dachshunds. Queen Victoria especially liked dachshunds. Other websites Dachshund Club of America, Inc. National Dachshund Council (of Australia) South African Dachshund Club The Dachshund Club (UK) Dachshund Club of Russia DataBase "Dachshund of the World" Dachshund
Karachi () is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. Until 1958, it was also the capital of Pakistan. It is also called the City of Lights. It is also one of the world's biggest megacities. In 2017, there are about 17.63 million people who live in Karachi. It is the largest city in the Muslim world. Karachi has many names including "Mai Kolachi Jo Goth" and "Karatishi". A native of Karachi is called a Karachiite. Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), who was the founder of Pakistan, was born and buried in Karachi. Karachi has two important regional seaports. Karachi also makes the largest share of Pakistan's GDP and national revenue. Karachi has five districts: District South, District East, District West, District Central, and District Malir. The city is the financial and commercial center of Pakistan. Karachi has 26 universities including the University of Karachi. It is home to the National Stadium, which hosts many cricket games, and several other sports complexes. The city has several long sandy beaches including Clifton/Kemari beach and Sandspit beach. Clifton beach suffered from an oil spillage but the beach was cleaned. Karachi has Pakistan's first nuclear site, KANUP in 1952 from Canada. Karachi hosted the first ever night hockey match between India and Pakistan in 1986 at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium. Karachi has many large and small shopping areas including the Saddar area in downtown Karachi. Karachi also has a number of large modern shopping malls. The city has a modern international airport (Jinnah International Airport) and two large shipping ports, the Port of Karachi and Port Qasim. Karachi is linked by railway to the rest of Pakistan. Karachi has a hot desert climate (BWh in the Koeppen climate classification). Related pages Islamabad Lahore Peshawar Quetta References Cities in Pakistan Settlements in Sindh Capital of Pakistan
Transliteration is a conversion of a text from one script to another. It swaps letters (thus trans- + liter-) in predictable ways (such as α → a, д → d, χ → ch, ն → n or æ → ae. Transliteration is not about the sounds of the original. It is about the type or written characters, mostly the letters. Example: the name for Russia in Cyrillic script, "", is usually transliterated as "Rossiya". So, 'сс' is transliterated as 'ss', but pronounced /s/. Transliteration typically goes grapheme to grapheme. Most transliteration systems are one-to-one, so a reader who knows the system can reconstruct the original spelling. Transliteration is opposed to transcription, which maps the sounds of one language into a writing system. Related pages Romanization Diacritic Romanization of Bulgarian Other websites Unicode Translit Ru/En Online Russian-English Transliteration References Language Romanization
Taoism or Daoism is a type of belief, or a way of thinking about life. It is at least 2,500 years old and it comes from China. Taoism is now said to be a philosophy. Tao (or Dao, ) is the name of the force or the "Way" that Taoists believe makes everything in the world. Taoists think that words cannot be used to correctly describe Tao. The very first line of the Dào Dé Jīng (), the most important text in Taoism, says "the Way that can be explained in words is not the true Way." There are many other sacred writings by the teachers of Taoism. Instead of spending a lot of time trying to explain what the Tao is, Taoists focus on living a simple and balanced life in harmony with nature. This is one of the most important principles in Taoism. Taoists also believe that conflict is not good and that if you have a problem with something, it is better to find a way around it. History Taoism first showed up in writing in China about 2500 years ago. People do not always write about their religions at first, so this religion may be much older. Some important people of the history of Taoism are: Laozi, or Lao Tzu (). He is assumed to have written Tao Te Ching. Zhuangzi, or Chuang Tzu (). Like Lao Tzu, his sayings and stories are today put together as a book, and translated into English and other languages. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor, ). He is assumed to have been the first Taoist, but nobody knows for sure if he was a real person or not. Beliefs and practices People who follow this religion believe that doing something with words, thoughts, symbolic actions, etc. can make things in the real world change. That idea is hard to understand. Here is an example: There is an old story that says China was once covered by a flood. The world was saved from the flood by 禹 Yǔ, who had only one leg that worked. Yǔ went to different parts of China in a special order, and he dug ditches to let the flood water go into the ocean. When something very bad happens in the world, a Daoist priest can go to the Daoist temple and act out what Yǔ did, and just doing that will make the world get fixed. Daoist priests do many other things. For instance, they can use fire and noise to scare demons away. They can do things to cure sickness. They can perform funerals and help keep the new ghosts safe from harm. In Taoism it is assumed that opposites rely on each other to exist. For example, big and small. Or, Light and dark. Other websites
An adjustment is when something is changed in a small way. This is usually to make it better. The word can be used as a verb, as in "Bill needs to adjust his tie". Examples of adjustments: The wrong word is written on a piece of paper. By erasing the word and writing the right one, an adjustment has been made to the paper. A picture hung on a wall is not straight. It can be adjusted by moving it and making it straight. Basic English 850 words
Poverty means not having enough money for basic needs such as food, drinking water, shelter, or toiletries. Many people in different countries live in poverty, especially in developing areas of West and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and some parts of Asia. There are different ways to measure poverty. The World Bank says that extreme poverty is when someone has less than US$1 a day to live on (that dollar is an ideal one). It has been changed to rule out certain effects such as inflation, meaning that prices of things rise higher than what a person is paid, and other price level differences. Moderate poverty is when people have to live on less than $2 a day. In the year 2001, 1.1 billion people were seen as extremely poor, and 2.7 billion were seen as moderately poor. In the developed world this does not apply. There, many people are seen as the working poor. They have a job, but do not earn enough money for basic things such as food and a home. In most developed countries, people without jobs receive money from the government, but this is often less than what they need for a comfortable life. There are different ways to tell if a country is rich or poor. The Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, and Human Development Index, or HDI, are two of those measures. Gross Domestic Product is the money made from trade from inside the country. HDI, meaning the Human Development Index is a different matter. It is determined by life expectancy and adult literacy rates. Places in Africa like Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Mali are the poorest, with Sierra Leone having the lowest HDI ranking in the world. Poverty is a hurdle in the way of a country's progress. One way of helping lower poverty is by educating poor people so that they can start contributing to a nation's economic development. Education teaches the poor about their rights and may show them the path to become an important part of the growth and expansion of the country. Vienna Declaration also tells this fact. One of the most important things that is needed to make a country richer is for the Government to want to help poor people do better. Without this, it is hard for people to become better off. “The poor are starving and their hunger keeps them in poverty.” a quote from Nathan Jones Related pages Corruption Constitution Constitutional economics Feminization of poverty Homelessness Overpopulation Poverty line Make Poverty History Right to an adequate standard of living Social issue World Poverty and Human Rights
A course could mean: A way or path, like in racing The direction a ship or other vehicle is moving A class taught at a school
The British Empire was made up of the colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories which were controlled by the United Kingdom. It began with the overseas colonies and trading posts set up by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history, and the world's most powerful superpower for more than a century. Slavery was used by European powers in the Americas, Britain included. Millions of black people were captured from Africa and forced to work in colonies of European empires. However, England was the first of the European powers to ban slavery, and used the Royal Navy to reinforce its ban. By 1922, more than 458 million people lived in the British Empire, which was more than one fifth of the world's population at that time. The empire was larger than , almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area.p15 Since it was so large, the British Empire has left a large legal, linguistic and cultural heritage. Like the Spanish Empire before it, the British Empire was often said to be "the empire on which the sun never sets" because it was so large that the sun was always shining somewhere in the empire. The Empire controlled land on every inhabited continent. England, France, and the Netherlands began to make colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia.p2 England fought and won some wars in the 17th and 18th centuries against the Netherlands and France. After these wars, England (and then, after the union between England and Scotland in 1707, Great Britain) became the main colonial power in North America and India. When Britain gave Hong Kong back to China on 1 July 1997, it marked the effective end of the British Empire. Britain still has some overseas territories. New empire When the Thirteen Colonies became independent in the American War of Independence, the British Empire lost some of its oldest and most important colonies. But it kept colonies in what are now Canada and Florida, as well as the Caribbean. It still had colonies and businesses in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific too. After defeating Napoleonic France in 1815, Britain became the world's only superpower for more than a century. The empire became even larger. The empire continued to expand during the 19th century. The empire would force the Chinese to give them the island of Hong Kong following the Opium Wars during the middle of the 19th century. During the Scramble for Africa, Britain gained much of Africa, especially in the south. By the start of the 20th century, the economies of Germany and the United States had begun catching up to Britain, especially in their industrialisation. Britain allowed Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to be "self-governing dominions" by the time of the First World War. They could create their own laws in most matters, and became independent countries in 1931. The First World War weakened Europe. Though the British Empire had been the most powerful economy before the war, it was quickly surpassed by the United States as the greatest industrial power after the war. In the Second World War, Japan took the colonies of Britain and other European countries in South-East Asia. The allies eventually defeated Japan and took back their colonies, but Britain's prestige in Asia was damaged. This caused the empire to decline more quickly. The British Raj included the whole of the Indian subcontinent. The independence of the two states of India and Pakistan in 1947 was the first and most important step in decolonisation. In the following decade, Britain also gave independence to most of the territories of the British Empire. While doing this, the colonial government hid and destroyed many documents about the empire that they thought might get them in trouble. After the UK transferred Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the British Empire was essentially over. However, Britain still controls some overseas territories. After they were given independence, many countries which used to be British colonies joined the Commonwealth of Nations. Fifteen Commonwealth countries have the same head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, and are Commonwealth realms. Abolition of slavery The Slavery Abolition Act abolished slavery in the British Empire on 1 August 1834. In the territories administered by the East India Company and Ceylon, slavery was ended in 1844. Parliamentary reform in 1832 saw the influence of the East India Company decline. Under the 1833 Act, slaves were granted full emancipation after a period of four to six years of "apprenticeship". Facing further opposition from abolitionists, the apprenticeship system was abolished in 1838. The British government compensated slave-owners. References Other websites British Empire -Citizendium History of Pakistan History of Canada British India
Chimbote is the largest city in the Ancash Region of Peru. The city has over 400,000 residents. It is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the people of Chimbote catch fish, or work with seafood in some way. The city catches more fish than any other place in Peru. Chimbote is known for its good version of the national dish of Peru, ceviche. Chimbote is also the hometown of the former president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo. Cities in Peru
A tram (tramcar, trolley, or streetcar) is a passenger vehicle that is like a light train. It carries people to places within a city. Because a single tram can carry many people at the same time, riding on a tram instead of driving a car is a good way to help prevent pollution and stop the roads getting too busy. The word tram is used mainly outside North America, while within North America these vehicles are called streetcars or trolleys as they run mainly on streets. More modern and larger trams manufactured since the 1970s, such as the one in the second picture from Warsaw, are called light rail vehicles. These vehicles are bigger because they are very often made of two or more parts, with a bendy section in the middle which works like a human joint. In railway jargon, these types of vehicles are called "articulated". These may sometimes have their own right-of-way instead of traveling on the street and their stops are usually farther apart than the stops of trams so that they can travel faster. On Market Street in San Francisco, vintage streetcars from the 1910s through the 1940s, called "historic streetcars" (the F Market line), that travel on the street are a popular tourist attraction. Another city whose trams are highly used by tourists is Hong Kong, because here the trams have two floors which is very rare in the world. The largest tram networks in the world are in: Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, Moscow and Vienna. History Trams first came into use in the 1890s, when they replaced horsecars--streetcars drawn by horses. In the 1910s to 1930s, in many metropolitan areas in North America, there were special bigger and longer streetcars that traveled long distances to distant suburbs on what were called interurban lines. These streetcar lines sometimes had "dedicated tracks" with their own right-of-way (land surrounding the tracks) and made fewer local stops. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, in the United States, there was a conspiracy by Standard Oil, General Motors, and Firestone Rubber. They formed a company called National City Lines to buy streetcar systems, tear up the tracks, and replace them with buses in almost all the cities in North America. They did this so they could make bigger profits by selling more oil, buses, cars and rubber tires. Because of this, it was necessary to spend hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds in the 1980s and 1990s to reconstruct the streetcar systems as light rail systems using light rail vehicles. This conspiracy is somewhat referred to in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Related pages Light rail Rapid transit Subway References Rolling stock
Fast food is the term for a kind of food that people eat from a restaurant, cafe or take-out where food is prepared and served quickly. It is mass-produced food. It is often pre-prepared and delivered to the shop ready for frying or boiling. There is a strong priority on "speed of service". The restaurants that sell fast food are called "fast food shops" or "fast-food restaurants". Some of the more common fast food restaurants are McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Culver's, Taco Bell, and KFC. All these chains have a limited short menu and serve the same kind of food in all their outlets. The shops are subcontracted by the supplying company and tied absolutely by contract to that single supplier. However, the same kind of criticism could be (and is) directed at some other kinds of restaurants. The problem is seen by many critics as being one of over-eating, rather than one of the specific food types. Criticism Fast food is often considered unhealthy due to it being loaded with calories, sodium, and unhealthy fat—often enough in one meal for an entire day. It also tends to be low in nutrients and almost totally lacking in fruit, vegetables, and fiber. Eating too much fast food can cause a human to have poor quality health which is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression, digestive issues, heart disease, and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early death. References
Ford can mean more than one thing: Henry Ford, U.S. inventor; or other members of his family Ford Motor Company, car company started by Henry Ford; and the cars and trucks it makes Gerald Ford, former U.S. President Harrison Ford, U.S. actor ford, a safe, shallow place to get to the other side of a river
Scott Joplin was an American ragtime musician and composer. He is widely considered the greatest ragtime composer of all time. Early life Joplin was African-American and born in the U.S. state of Texas sometime between June 1867 and January 1868 and grew up in Texarkana, Texas. His relatives were railroad workers. His father wanted him to find work that would pay. His mother said he should learn music. Even though he was from Texas, most of his pieces were written when he was in Missouri and New York City. Musical career Joplin is most well known for writing piano pieces called rags. His music became popular again in the 1970s, with the album Scott Joplin: Piano Rags, performed by Joshua Rifkin, from Nonesuch Records. He may be most commonly known now by the Marvin Hamlisch adaptation of his composition The Entertainer (1902) which was used in the 1973 movie The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. His best-known song while he was alive was Maple Leaf Rag (1899). Other rags he wrote were The Ragtime Dance (1906) and Magnetic Rag (1914). Scott Joplin wrote more than 40 piano rags, but he also wrote two operas; A Guest of Honor and Treemonisha. A Guest of Honor was performed in Joplin's lifetime, but since then the music has been lost. Treemonisha was never performed while Joplin was alive, but it has been performed since then. Joplin also wrote a symphony, but the music has been lost. Death Joplin died of syphilis in New York City on April 1, 1917. References Bibliography Gildo De Stefano, Ragtime, jazz & dintorni. Preface by Amiri Baraka. SUGARCO Editions, Milano 2007 1867 births 1917 deaths 20th-century American composers African American musicians American pianists Deaths from infectious disease Musicians from Texas
Propane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an alkane with three carbon atoms. It is used in fuels. It begins to burn very quickly. Its melting temperature is −187.7 °C; its boiling temperature is −42 °C; its density is 1.83 g/l. Propane is extracted from natural gasoline or from petroleum. Sources 3
The flag of Japan shows a red sun (rising sun) in the middle of a white field. It is called "Nisshoki" (日章旗) formally in Japan. But Japanese people usually call it "Hinomaru" (日の丸) which means "circle of the sun". The Japanese navy uses the other flag; the sun has rays. This flag represents the heat of the sun. Its colours are red and white. Japanese culture Japan, Flag of
Nationalism is a way of thinking that says that some groups of humans, such as ethnic groups, should be free to rule themselves. Nationalists think that the best way to make this happen and avoid control or oppression by others is for each group to have their own nation. Some nationalists think this is the best way to save small and weak groups threatened by the mixing of ethnic groups. The other definition of nationalism is the 'identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations. Nationalism may refer to a state of the mind in respect of socio political phenomenon arising from it's consciousness shared by people (national) of a particular country or territory. The opposite of nationalism is Internationalism and anti-nationalism. In left-right politics Many early socialists were also nationalists. The earliest forms of nationalism had lots of socialist features. In this period, political thinkers who thought that ethnic groups should not be oppressed by other ethnic groups thought also that 'normal folk', the backbone of society, like workers and peasants, should not be oppressed by higher social classes like rich people. They also thought that it is wrong for somebody to live in great welfare that is made of the hard work of others, or the oppression of others. The ideology is that the social classes should work together and have a common goal that aims for the good of everyone. These goals can be called "national interest". National interest is ideal and not always easy to find. There are different ways to reach national interest, for example politics. Nationalists started to support normal people, especially peasants, who were seen as uncorrupted, gallant, and fair, unlike high classes. For example, normal folks often had more original and local ethnic culture than the high classes, whose culture was seen more rootless. National Romanticism was based much on the ideal of uncorrupt folk. Socialism Socialism and nationalism grew together. But they have also been placed in opposition in some theories. The most known opposition between these ideologies was with the Soviet Union. The Soviet propaganda made nationalism an insult word that was linked with opposed ideologies like capitalism, liberalism, imperialism or fascism. Still, even in the Soviet Union and other communist or socialist countries, there was nationalism in great measure (even if it was not called with that name). The most capitalist countries like United States were patriotic rather than nationalist. The Nordic countries, which were among the most pure nation-states (countries that follow nationalist principle), were not very capitalist or rightist; they were built on the social democratic idea, which is left. Only after Nordic countries became more multicultural did their politics become more rightist. Today nationalism does not have a common stand on those fields of politics that are outside of its basic goals, like left-right politics. However nationalism can be a part of bigger political ideology or agenda that can be leftist or rightist or something outside that classification. Nationalism is still usually connected to goals that resist strong hierarchy between social class different people in society. Nationalist people are usually more or less against the strongest forms of capitalism, which they think gives too much power to rich people and big companies. Nationalism and imperialism Nationalism had an important role in ending the colonial rule. Nationalism spread to colonies and made their people desire independence. Nationalism also made the people in metropolitan states (countries that colonized others) accept more the desire of other people to rule themselves. However nationalists think that the end of colonization of Africa was not done well. They think that there would not be so many conflicts in Africa if African nations had built in a nationalist way (so that every ethnic group is its own nation). After the imperialists left their African colonies, the new nations were built with borders that were not the same as the ethnic borders. New nations became nations with many ethnic groups, which do not want to or cannot live peacefully in the same society with the others. Related pages Patriotism White nationalism References
Drought is a continuous period of dry weather, when an area gets less than its normal amount of rain, over months or even years. Crops and other plants need water to grow, and animals need it to live. Droughts can become dangerous to people and other land animals; causing famine and even creating deserts. The word "drought" comes from the Old English drugað, drugoð "drought, dryness, desert," from Proto-Germanic drugothaz, from Germanic root dreug- "dry" (cf high/height) with *-itho, Germanic suffix for forming abstract nouns (see -th (2)). A drought is a natural event, caused by other weather events like El Niño and high-pressure systems. Drought can also be triggered by deforestation (people cutting down forests), by global warming, and by diverting rivers or emptying lakes. Drought is a natural disaster which usually takes place slowly. It is often difficult to decide when a drought started and sometimes when it ends too. Its effects often build up slowly over a long period of time and may last from months to years after rain resumes. Many people die every year in famines due to drought in subsistence farming areas. Conflicts can result from drought conditions. References Related pages Water scarcity
Deafness is when someone cannot hear at all, or cannot hear well. Deafness is also known as 'hearing loss'. There were many famous people who were deaf, such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Helen Keller. Definition A person is considered to be deaf if they cannot hear the same range of sounds as a person with normal hearing ability. People that cannot hear any sounds are also deaf. People who are partially deaf may hear some sounds and may hear words. People who cannot hear and understand words well are 'hard of hearing'. And people who cannot hear and speak are called "deaf-mute". Things that help deaf people Hearing aid, which helps a deaf person to hear sounds. Teletypewriter (TTY), a machine that allows a deaf person to communicate with people. Sign language, a language which allows a deaf person to have a conversation with someone else. Hearing dog, a dog that has been trained to hear sounds and help a deaf person. Causes There are different causes of deafness: Age: Many people hear less well as they get older. Few lose all hearing, and when they do, there is a specific reason. Exposure to noise: Being in a noisy environment for a long time may damage ears and cause hearing loss. Genetic conditions: There may be a history of deafness in the family. If the mother and/or father are deaf, their child will have a strong chance of being deaf. Diseases: Certain diseases may cause deafness. Drugs: Certain drugs may cause changes to hearing, including deafness. Chemicals: Certain chemicals can damage the ear. Natural: People are occasionally born deaf. Sometimes there is no explanation why they are deaf. Categories of deafness Generally, there are two views of deafness: Medical view: the effects of deafness and measuring type and how much of loss (as seen in categories below). Sign language in deaf culture: includes people who use sign language to communicate and are part of group of people who share life experiences. Referring to people of the cultural group the phrase "Deaf people" is used and deaf is capitalized (as shown previously). A person using the medical view would write "people who are deaf". These categories may overlap. Unilateral hearing loss – loss of hearing in one ear only Pre-lingual deafness – deafness at birth or deafness that started before language is learned Peri-lingual deafness – deafness that started while learning a first language Post-lingual deafness – deafness that started after a language has been learned Partial loss of hearing – limited hearing loss Progressive hearing loss – hearing loss that becomes worse as time passes Profound hearing loss – complete or near-complete hearing loss Tone deaf – not able to hear differences in relative pitch (in music) Tinnitus – hearing damage that causes high pitched ringing. This makes it so that the person cannot hear other sounds Conductive – hearing loss caused by sound being blocked from going into ears Sensorineural – hearing loss caused by hair cells in ears being damaged Other websites Disability Hearing Health problems sl:Slušna prizadetost#Okvara sluha
The Liver birds are two large and famous bronze metal birds on top of a building - the Liver Building - in the city of Liverpool, England. The building has the offices of an insurance organization. The birds are symbol of the city, although no birds really look like this. The sound of the end of the word "liver" in the name of the bird is like "driver" not "river". The start of the word Liverpool ("liver") sounds like the word "river". This is a funny play on words. There is also a British television sitcom with the same name that is about two young women who share a flat in Liverpool. The play on words is increased by a second British slang meaning of the word "bird" to mean young woman. Many people in Liverpool (known as Liverpudlians) are proud of their city and of the Liver birds. There is a story that the birds will come alive if a truly pure woman walks between them. This will never happen! This is an example of the humor of the local people. Liverpool, Merseyside Sculptures
A demonstration can mean an event where people do something to let others know what they think and to try to change their point of view. It is one kind of protest. Examples of demonstrations include marches, where people walk together, and rallies, where people gather in one place. During a demonstration, the people who are part of it, called demonstrators, may display placards or other symbols that are easy to see, especially when the protests are being shown on mass media such as news, television, or social networks. Demonstrations are often made against a government if they do something the people do not want. Because they are meant for many people to be a part of, they are usually considered more successful if more people take part. Demonstration is permitted by international human rights law as the freedom of assembly if done peacefully (meaning there is no violence). However, demonstrations can get out of control and even turn into a riot. Another meaning A demonstration can also mean when someone shows how to do something, or in what ways a thing can be used. Salespeople often demonstrate things like computers, cars, and televisions to customers so they can make sure the customer sees all the features of the item. "Demo" is short for demonstration, and people often use it to describe this meaning of the word. References Social sciences
The Chartists were people who wanted to get more rights for working class people in the mid-19th century. They were called Chartists because they wrote their main aims down in the People's Charter of 1838. Other websites The-six-points from CHARTIST ANCESTORS Punch Series on "Great Chartest Demonstrations" Illustrated London News, April 15th, 1848 Spartacus index on Chartism 19th century in the United Kingdom
A movie theater or movie theatre, is a place where movies are shown on a big screen. People or "patrons" (the audience) watch movies, usually in chairs inside an auditorium. The movie is projected with a movie projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium while the dialogue, sounds and music are played through a number of wall-mounted speakers. A movie theatre is sometimes called a cinema. A theatre with multiple screens commonly is called a "multi-plex" or "mega-plex" (if more than 10 screens). Movie theatres have comfortable chairs. There are different types of formats of a movie theatre. The first movie theatre was opened to the public on April 23, 1896, in Koster and Bial's Music Hall on 34th Street in New York City. The oldest movie theatre in the world, which is still in action today is the Kino Pionier (opened 1907) in Szczecin, Poland. Movie theatres make money from not only movie tickets but from concessions which sell food and drinks (popcorn, candy, soft drinks, etc.). In recent years with the increase of movie rental costs, theatres have become more and more creative about how they make money. New theatres being built include restaurants, party rooms, conference rooms, arcades and more. Movie industry
Events April 5 – Signing of the Treaty of Westminster, ending the First Anglo-Dutch War. June 3 – Louis XIV of France crowned at Rheims June 6 – Charles X succeeds his cousin Christina to the Swedish throne. After her abdication on June 5, Christina now the former reigning queen of a Protestant nation, secretly converts to Catholicism. September 3 – In the Rump Parliament, the republican party questions Cromwell's pre-eminence September 12 – Oliver Cromwell orders the exclusion of the members of Parliament who are hostile to him. October 12 – Carel Fabritius, the most promising student of Rembrandt, dies aged 32 in an explosion at the arsenal at Delft. The Delft Explosion devastates the city in the Netherlands, killing more than 100. October 31 – Ferdinand Maria, elector of Bavaria is crowned. His absolutistic style of leadership becomes a benchmark for the rest of Germany November 23 – French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense mystical vision that marks him for life. Death of An Calbhach mac Aodha O Conchobhair Donn, last inaugurated King of Connacht (inaugurated 1643 Twenty-three Jewish refugees from Brazil settle in New Amsterdam, forming the nucleus of what would be the largest urban Jewish community in history, the Jewish community of New York City. The Ukrainian Bogdan Chmielnicki renounces Ukrainian independence and swears allegiance to Tsar Alexis of Russia The Russian Army seizes Smolensk, and war starts between Russia and Poland over Ukraine Otto von Guericke proves the existence of atmospheric pressure
The KLF were a band from England. They made music from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. A lot of the music they made was pop music or dance music. The band members were two men, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. Bill Drummond is a musician, singer, and writer from Scotland. Jimmy Cauty is a musician and artist from England. Sometimes they used the names The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The JAMs and The Timelords as their band name, instead. The KLF adopted the philosophy based on the series of the esoteric novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Musical groups from London English hip hop bands Electronic music bands
A monounsaturated fat is a kind of fat found in foods such as nuts, olives, and avocados. They are the main fat in olive oil. The group contrasts with, on the one hand, unsaturated fats. and on the other hand, polyunsaturated fats. In general, these fats are considered to be healthier than others. They have the same amount of energy, but they reduce blood cholesterol levels. This reduces the risk to the heart. Types Omega 7 fatty acids Palmitoleic acid Vaccenic acid Rumenic acid Paullinic acid Omega 9 fatty acids Oleic acid Elaidic acid Mead acid Erucic acid References Lipids
Polyunsaturated fats are fats that are usually found in items like fatty fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Such items are typically found to be liquid at room temperature. Chemistry Polyunsaturated fats are long-chain organic compounds. Their molecules has more than one double bonds. The structure reduces the strength of the forces between molecules. This causes the items to have a lower melting point. This is why the items are usually liquid at room temperature. Types Omega 3 fatty acids Alpha linolenic acid Docosahexanoic acid Eicosapentaenoic acid Omega 6 fatty acids Linoleic acid Arachidonic Acid Gamma linoleic acid Conjugated linoleic acid Related pages Monounsaturated fat Lipids
The North Avenue Irregulars is a 1979 movie starring Edward Hermann, Ruth Buzzi, Steven Franken, and Cliff Osmond. Plot The movie is about a newly installed minister, who entrusts, despite objections by the founding pastors daughter, the churches "sinking fund" money into the hands of a congregate whom he does not even know, with instructions to increase the amount in the fund. The money is bet on a horse race, and upon hearing this, the Pastor gives the shortest sermon in history and begins a pursuit of the money and the organized crime syndicate, amid the hijinx of assorted feminine members of the congregation in a pursuit of the "money trail". 1979 comedy movies English-language movies
Candleshoe is a 1977 Walt Disney Productions live action movie. It stars Jodie Foster as Casey Brown, Helen Hayes as Lady St. Edmund (in her last screen appearance), David Niven as Priory (as well as Colonel Dennis and Mr. Gipping), and Leo McKern as Harry Bundage. Candleshoe is loosely based on the Michael Innes novel Christmas at Candleshoe. Other websites 1977 movies Disney movies Movies based on books
Hikaru Utada (宇多田ヒカル Utada Hikaru, born January 19, 1983 in New York City), is a Japanese and American singer and songwriter. Because she was born in the United States, she can speak English perfectly. She is the only child of the 1970s Enka singer Keiko Fuji. Her first Japanese album, First Love, was very popular. It sold more copies than any other Japanese singer ever. She is also known in the west for singing the theme songs for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II: Simple and Clean and Sanctuary. Early Life When Hikaru was little, she did not want to become a singer. She saw how busy her parents' lives were, and did not want that for herself. When she was 10 years-old, her parents asked her if she wanted to write songs. She did not want to, but tried doing it. She wrote a song called I'll Be Stronger. During this time, Hikaru went to school in New York. Her classmates were not able to say her name right (Hee-ka-roo) so she shortened it to 'Hikki'. 'Hikki' became Hikaru's nickname. Her fans in Japan call her that. The name is not promoted very much in the United States because it sounds too much like 'hickey'. Early career In 1996, Hikaru started to record an album, when she was only 13 years old. It was in English. The album was in the R&B style. It was written all by herself. The album was going to be released on the EMI's record company, but since the company fell apart, it was never sold in the United States. A man called Akira Miyake from Japan heard the album, and wanted to release it there. Hikaru agreed, and the album was released in Japan in 1998. Rise to fame The album sold okay, but it was not until later when Hikaru started to sing Japanese songs that she became famous. Her music still sounded very R&B, but at this point, it sounded more like pop. Her first single, Automatic / Time Will Tell, reached #2 on the single charts in Japan. A while later, after another single, she released her first Japanese album, First Love. This sold a very large amount (over 9 million copies) and became the most sold album by a Japanese singer. Hikaru went on to release two more albums: Distance (2001), and Deep River (2002). In each album, her style changed slightly. Each album was less R&B, and more pop. In 2004, she released an album made up of all her old single songs. She then released an album in English called Exodus. Exodus was released under the record label Island Def-Jam. It was sold in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. She sang, wrote, and made the music for the whole album herself (except for when she got hip-hop producer Timbaland to help her). The album sold many copies in Japan, but it did not sell that well in the United States. However, many famous people and music critics thought that the album was good (for example, Elton John thought it was interesting). Hikaru has started to make new Japanese music again, but continued on making all the music herself. Usually, a singer/songwriter will only write the music and the lyrics, but Hikaru decided she wanted to arrange her songs all by herself as well. She released her new album, Ultra Blue, in mid-2006. Soon after, she went on a tour all across Japan. This is the second time she had ever done this (despite having sung for eight years). Albums Precious (1998) First Love (1999) Distance (2001) Deep River (2002) Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1 (2004) Exodus (2004) Ultra Blue (2006) Heart Station (2008) This Is The One (2009) Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 (2010) Other websites Hikki's Website — Official Japanese Website Pop musicians Japanese singers Japanese songwriters Singers from New York City 1983 births Living people
The Scramble for Africa, also called the Race for Africa was a time in History when there was a large amount of colonial expansion in Africa. It lasted from the 1880s until the start of World War I. Many European countries started colonies in Africa during this time. This is an example of New Imperialism. The last half of the 19th century saw a change in the way countries controlled their colonies. They changed from economic control through mass settlement, to political and military control of the colony's resources This was seen in the fight for the areas that were controlled by European nations. Many people became famous for helping European countries find more land in Africa, These people included the explorers David Livingston, Henry Morton Stanley, and Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza as well as the French politician Jules Ferry. The Berlin Conference (1884 - 1885) tried to end disputes between the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, the German Empire, and other European countries. They agreed that "effective occupation" would be the rule for colonial claims. Laws were made for using direct rule on a colony, backed up by military power. Other reading Maria Petringa, Brazza, A Life for Africa (2006) 19th century in Africa 20th century in Africa Colonialism History of Africa
Events Leipzig becomes a city. England starts to take over Ireland. Births Pope Innocent III Emperor Takakura of Japan Genghis Khan, leader and founder of the Mongol Empire Deaths Eric IX of Sweden Emperor Qinzong of China Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury Leaders Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury (1138–1161) Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162–1170) 1160s
Seaweed is a term used for several kinds of algae that live in the ocean. Red algae, Green algae and Brown algae are commonly considered to be seaweed. Seaweed gets its energy from photosynthesis just as plants do. Ecology Two specific environmental requirements are important in seaweed ecology. These are the presence of seawater (or at least brackish water) and the presence of enough light for photosynthesis. Another common requirement is a place to attach to. As a result, seaweeds are commonly found near the shore. Within that area, they are found more often on rocky shores than on sand or shingle. Seaweeds occupy a wide range of ecological niches. The highest elevation is only wetted by the tops of sea spray, the lowest is several meters deep. In some areas, seaweeds near the shore can extend several miles out to sea. The limit to how much they grow in such cases is based on how much sunlight there is. The deepest living seaweeds are the various kelps. A number of species such as Sargassum have adapted to a fully planktonic niche and are free-floating, depending on gas-filled sacs to stay afloat. Others have adapted to live in tidal rock pools. In this niche seaweeds must withstand rapidly changing temperature and salinity (amount of salt) and even occasional drying. Uses Seaweed has different uses. Sometimes it is farmed or foraged from the wild. Food People living on the coast often eat seaweed, especially those in East Asia, such as Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also used in Belize, Peru, the Canadian Maritimes, Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales, Philippines, and Scotland. Tiwi, Albay residents discovered a new pancit or noodles made from seaweed. These have health benefits. Seaweed is rich in calcium and magnesium and seaweed noodles can be cooked into pancit canton, pancit luglug, spaghetti or carbonara. In Asia, Zicai (紫菜) (in China), gim (in Korea) and nori (in Japan) are sheets of dried Porphyra used in soups or to wrap sushi. Chondrus crispus (commonly known as Irish moss or carrageenan moss) is another red alga used in producing various food additives, along with Kappaphycus and various gigartinoid seaweeds. Porphyra is a red alga used in Wales to make laver. Laverbread, made from oats and the laver, is a popular dish there. Affectionately called "Dulce" in northern Belize, seaweeds are mixed with milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a common beverage. Seaweeds are also harvested or cultivated for the extraction of alginate, agar and carrageenan, gelatinous substances collectively known as hydrocolloids or phycocolloids. Hydrocolloids have attained commercial significance as food additives. The food industry exploits their gelling, water-retention, emulsifying and other physical properties. Agar is used in foods such as confectionery, meat and poultry products, desserts and beverages and moulded foods. Carrageenan is used in salad dressings and sauces, dietetic foods, and as a preservative in meat and fish products, dairy items and baked goods. Medicine Seaweed is a source of iodine, necessary for thyroid function and to prevent goitre. Seaweed extract is used in some diet pills. Other seaweed pills exploit the same effect as gastric banding, expanding in the stomach to make the body feel more full. Other uses Seaweed is currently under consideration as a potential source of bioethanol. Seaweed is an ingredient in some toothpaste, cosmetics and paints. References Algae
A fairy tale is an English language expression for a kind of short story. It has the same meaning as the French expression or , the German word , the Italian , the Polish , the Russian or the Swedish . These stories are not all directly about fairies, but they are different from legends and traditions (which usually say that the stories are true) and directly moral stories. There are usually fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants or gnomes in fairy tales, and usually magic. Fairy tales can also mean unusual happiness (for example, the expression "fairy tale ending", meaning a happy ending, even though not all fairy tales have a happy ending). Also, "fairy tale" can simply mean any unbelievable story. Where demons and witches are seen as real, fairy tales can sometimes be similar to legends, where the story is claimed to be historically true. However, differently from legends and epics, they usually do not specifically mention religion and actual places, people, and events. They also do not say exactly when it happened. Instead, they say that the story happened "once upon a time". Fairy tales are found in oral form (passed on from mouth to mouth) and in literary form (written down). Fairy tales' histories are hard to find. This is because only written fairy tales can be passed on for a long time. Still, literary works show that there have been fairy tales for thousands of years. Many fairy tales today have are based on very old stories that have appeared, though in different ways, in many different cultures around the world. Fairy tales, and works based on from fairy tales, are still written today. At first, fairy tales were for both adults and children, but now children are mostly connected with fairy tales. Examples of traditional old fairy tales are Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and "The Three Little Pigs". There can also be new fairy tales written by an author, like The Little Mermaid or Pinocchio. New fairy tales were for example written by Hans Christian Andersen, James Thurber and Oscar Wilde. Meaning People do not agree what a fairy tale exactly is. Some argue that a story with fairies or other magical beings in the story would make it a fairy tale. However, others have suggested that the expression began when the French expression conte de fées was being translated (it was first used by Madame D'Aulnoy in 1697). Vladimir Propp criticized the difference between "fairy tales" and "animal tales" in his book Morphology of the Folktale. He said that many stories had both fantastic qualities and animals. He suggested that fairy tales could be recognized by their story, but this has been criticized, because the same stories can be found in stories that are not fairy tales. In fact, people such as Stith Thompson point out that there are often more talking animals and magic in fairy tales than fairies. However, just because there is a talking animal in a story does not mean that the story is a fairy tale. Steven Swann Jones said that fairy tales were different from other sorts of folktales because of magic. Davidson and Chaudri say that "transformation (changing)" is the most important part of a fairy tale. Some like to use the German expression Märchen or "wonder tale" instead of fairy tale. For example, in his 1977 edition of The Folktale, Thompson said that fairy tales were "a tale of some length involving a succession of motifs or episodes. It moves in an unreal world without definite locality or definite creatures and is filled with the marvelous. In this never-never land, humble heroes kill adversaries (enemies), succeed to kingdoms and marry princesses." The characters and motifs of fairy tales are simple: princesses and girls taking care of geese; youngest sons and brave princes; ogres, giants, dragons, and trolls; wicked stepmothers and false heroes; fairy godmothers and other magic helpers, often talking horses, or foxes, or birds; rules, and people breaking rules. History Fairy tales were passed down by speaking of it from person to person before writing was developed. Stories were told or acted out dramatically. Because of this, the history of fairy tales is not very clear. The oldest written fairy tales we know are from ancient Egypt, around 1300 BC. There are sometimes fairy tales in written literature in different cultures, such as The Golden Ass, which includes Cupid and Psyche (Roman, 100–200 AD). They show that fairy tales were told from very long ago. References Sources Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson: The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography (Helsinki, 1961) Thompson, Stith, The Folktale. Heidi Anne Heiner, "The Quest for the Earliest Fairy Tales: Searching for the Earliest Versions of European Fairy Tales with Commentary on English Translations" Heidi Anne Heiner, "Fairy Tale Timeline" Other websites oc:Conte
A game show is a reality television program where people play a game for points, with the goal of winning money or prizes. Different game shows use different games. Most test the players' knowledge, skill, or cleverness. Many game shows incorporate some element of chance; for example, in Wheel of Fortune, contestants spin a wheel to determine how much prize money they will get for a correct letter. Some game shows have the contestants compete against other individual contestants; other game shows group contestants into teams. Some game shows have regular people as the contestants. Other game shows have celebrities such as movie actors or musicians as the contestants. Many game shows air on the Game Show Network. The first game shows were on radio. Prizes Game shows often reward people with money, holidays, or cars. These prizes are often given by the people or group of people that give the game show money to run. The people who give the game show money to run are called sponsors. Examples Examples of game shows include: Press Your Luck (1983-1986) Jeopardy! (1964) Wheel of Fortune (1973) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1999) Match Game (1962-1982) Family Feud (1976) Blockbusters The Price is Right (1972) The Weakest Link (2000) Card Sharks Deal or No Deal (2005) Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (2007) Games Television genres
For the game genre, check List of video game genres. A genre (from ) is a style or type of music, literature, movies, or other media. Some genres (styles) are used in more than one form of art or communication. For example, the genres fantasy and science fiction are used in literature, movies, and television. Examples of genres General: comedy, romance, mystery, science fiction Literary (written): fiction, non-fiction, young adult Movie genres: action movie, documentary, film noir Musical: rock and roll, hip hop, pop punk Comedy: black comedy, slapstick, commedia dell'arte Subgenre A subgenre is a subordinate within a genre. Two stories being the same genre can still sometimes differ in subgenre. For example, if a fantasy story has darker and more frightening elements of fantasy, it would belong in the subgenre of dark fantasy; whereas another fantasy story that features magic swords and wizards would belong to the subgenre of sword and sorcery. References
Renee Kristen "Kristy" Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the main character in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has also starred in the movie Flowers in the Attic as well as many movies and television programs. 1969 births Living people American movie actors American television actors Actors from Orange County, California

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