Split (1)

train · 3.15k rows

text stringlengths 24 5.93k
Joby Talbot. Joby Talbot (born 25 August 1971) is a British composer.[1] He has written for a wide variety of purposes, with a broad range of styles, including instrumental and vocal concert music, film and television scores, pop arrangements and works for dance.[2] He is known, to sometimes disparate audiences, for quite different works. Prominent compositions include the a cappella choral works The Wishing Tree (2002) and Path of Miracles (2005); orchestral works Sneaker Wave (2004), Tide Harmonic (2009), Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity (2012) and Meniscus (2012); the theme and score for the popular BBC Two comedy series The League of Gentlemen (1999–2002); silent film scores The Lodger (1999) and The Dying Swan (2002) for the British Film Institute; film scores The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Son of Rambow (2007) and Penelope (2008).[3] Works for dance include shorter works Chroma (2006), Genus (2007), Fools Paradise (2007), and Chamber Symphony (2012); and four full-length narrative ballet scores, commissioned by The Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and The Australian Ballet, Alices Adventures in Wonderland (2011, revived 2012 and 2013), The Winters Tale (2014), Like Water for Chocolate (2022),[3] and Oscar (2024).[4] Talbot premiered his first opera in January 2015 with Dallas Opera, a one-act work entitled Everest to a libretto by Gene Scheer, which follows three of the climbers involved in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.[5]
The Royal Ballet. The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in 1931 by Dame Ninette de Valois.[1] It became the resident ballet company of the Royal Opera House in 1946, and has purpose-built facilities within these premises.[1] It was granted a royal charter in 1956, becoming recognised as Britains flagship ballet company. The Royal Ballet was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and continues to be one of the worlds most famous ballet companies to this day, generally noted for its artistic and creative values. The company employs approximately 100 dancers. The official associate school of the company is the Royal Ballet School, and it also has a sister company, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, which operates independently. The Prima ballerina assoluta of the Royal Ballet is the late Dame Margot Fonteyn. Ninette de Valois, an Irish-born dancer founded the Academy of Choreographic Art, in 1926, a dance school for girls.[2] Her intention was to form a repertory ballet company and school, leading her to collaborate with the English theatrical producer and theatre owner Lilian Baylis. Baylis owned the Old Vic and Sadlers Wells theatres and in 1925 she engaged de Valois to stage dance performances at both venues. Sadlers Wells reopened in 1931 and the Vic-Wells Ballet and Vic-Wells Ballet School were established in premises at the theatre. These would become the predecessors of todays Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School. Prior to her return to Britain, Ninette de Valois had been a member of the Ballets Russes, one of the most renowned and influential ballet companies of the 20th century. The company disbanded in 1929 following the death of its founder Serge Diaghilev. When de Valois formed the Vic-Wells Ballet, she employed some of the companys former stars, including Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, who joined as Principal dancers, and Tamara Karsavina, who worked with the company as an advisor. The Founder Musical Director was the conductor and composer Constant Lambert who had considerable artistic as well as musical influence over the early years of the company.[3] The long-term pianist and accompanist (from the 1930s until her death in 1974) was Hilda Gaunt.
Emperor Nintoku. Emperor Nintoku (仁徳天皇, Nintoku-tennō), also known as Ohosazaki no Sumeramikoto (大鷦鷯天皇) was the 16th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.[3][4][5] Due to his reputation for goodness derived from depictions in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, he is sometimes referred to as the Saint Emperor (聖帝, Hijiri-no-mikado). While his existence is generally accepted as fact, no firm dates can be assigned to Nintokus life or reign. He is traditionally considered to have reigned from 313 to 399,[6] although these dates are doubted by scholars.[7] The Japanese have traditionally accepted Nintokus historical existence, and a mausoleum (misasagi) for Nintoku is currently maintained. The following information available is taken from the pseudo-historical Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, which are collectively known as Kiki (記紀) or Japanese chronicles. These chronicles include legends and myths, as well as potential historical facts that have since been exaggerated and/or distorted over time. The Kiki states that Nintoku was born to Nakatsuhime no Mikoto (仲姫命) sometime in 290 AD, and was given the name Ohosazaki no Mikoto (大鷦鷯尊).[2] According to the Nihon Shoki, he was the fourth son of Emperor Ōjin.[8] Nintoku is regarded by historians as a ruler during the early 5th century[9] whose existence is generally accepted as fact without attributing all of the things he allegedly accomplished.[7] Nintokus contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi (治天下大王), meaning the great king who rules all under heaven. Alternatively, Nintoku might have been referred to as ヤマト大王/大君 or the Great King of Yamato. The name Nintoku also might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to him, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki.[10][11] Although the Nihon Shoki states that Nintoku ruled from 313 to 399, research suggests those dates are likely inaccurate.[12] William George Aston notes that if they were factual, Nintoku would be 312 years old in his 78th year of reign assuming that the traditional accounts are correct.[13] Outside of the Kiki, the reign of Emperor Kinmei[a] (c. 509 – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography has been able to assign verifiable dates.[14] The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not confirmed as traditional though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu[b] between 737 and 806 AD.[10]
Libya. Libya,[b] officially the State of Libya,[c] is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. With an area of almost 1.8 million km2 (700,000 sq mi), Libya is the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world.[10] The country claims 32,000 square kilometres of southeastern Algeria, south of the Libyan town of Ghat.[1][11] The capital and largest city is Tripoli, located in the northwest and contains over a million of Libyas 7 million people.[12] Libya has been inhabited by Berbers since the late Bronze Age as descendants from Iberomaurusian and Capsian cultures. In classical antiquity, the Phoenicians established city-states and trading posts in western Libya, while several Greek cities were established in the East. Parts of Libya were variously ruled by Carthaginians, Numidians, Persians, and Greeks before the entire region becoming a part of the Roman Empire. Libya was an early centre of Christianity. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area of Libya was mostly occupied by the Vandals until the 7th century when invasions brought Islam to the region. From then on, centuries of Arab migration to the Maghreb shifted the demographic scope of Libya in favour of Arabs. In the 16th century, the Spanish Empire and the Knights of St John occupied Tripoli until Ottoman rule began in 1551. Libya was involved in the Barbary Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ottoman rule continued until the Italo-Turkish War in 1911, which resulted in Italy occupying Libya and establishing two colonies: Italian Tripolitania and Italian Cyrenaica, later unified in the Italian Libya colony from 1934 to 1943.[13] During World War II, Libya was an area of warfare in the North African Campaign. The Italian population then went into decline and Libya became independent as a kingdom in 1951. A bloodless military coup in 1969, initiated by a coalition led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, overthrew King Idris I and created a republic. Gaddafi was often described by critics as a dictator, and was one of the worlds longest serving non-royal leaders. He ruled for 42 years until being overthrown and killed in the 2011 civil war, which was part of the wider Arab Spring, with authority transferred to the National Transitional Council then to the elected General National Congress. Since 2011, Libya has been involved in a political and humanitarian crisis, and by 2014, two rival authorities claimed to govern Libya, which led to a second civil war, with parts of Libya split between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments as well as various tribal and Islamist militias. The two main warring sides signed a permanent ceasefire in 2020, and a unity government took authority to plan for democratic elections, though political rivalries continue to delay this.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] In March 2022, the House of Representatives ceased recognising the Government of National Unity and proclaimed an alternative government, the Government of National Stability (GNS). Both governments have been functioning simultaneously since then, which has led to dual power in Libya. The international community continues to recognise the unity government as the legitimate government of the country. Libya is a developing country ranking 115th by HDI, and has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves in the world. Libya has the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions per person in Africa, but has made little progress toward developing climate commitments. Libya is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and OPEC. The countrys official religion is Islam, with 96.6% of the Libyan population being Sunni Muslims.[1] The official language of Libya is Arabic, with vernacular Libyan Arabic being spoken most widely. The majority of Libyas population is Arab.[22][23][24]
Mozu Tombs. The Mozu Tombs (百舌鳥古墳群, Mozu kofungun) are a group of kofun (Japanese: 古墳)—megalithic tombs—in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Originally consisting of more than 100 tombs, fewer than 50% of the key-hole, round, and rectangular tombs remain.[1][2] The Daisenryo Kofun (大仙陵古墳, Daisenryō kofun),[3] the largest kofun in Japan, is believed to have been constructed over a period of 20 years in the mid 5th century during the Kofun Period. While it cannot be accurately confirmed, it is commonly accepted that the tomb was built for the late Emperor Nintoku.[4] The Imperial Household Agency of Japan treats it as such. The Mozu Kofun Cluster is located in the city of Sakai which is within Osaka Prefecture. The tumuli are built on a plateau overlooking Osaka Bay near the ancient coastline and are distributed in a range of about four kilometers from east-to-west and north-to-south.The Furuichi Kofun Cluster is located in nearby Habikino and Fujiidera cities.[5] In the Japanese archipelago, more than 20,000 tumuli (kofun), which are mounds of earth and stones erected over graves of the ruling class, were built between the later part of the 3rd century and the 6th century.[6] It was the peak period of building such mounds.[5] They represent a cultural tradition which is an expression of forms, and design of the kofun of the sociopolitical hierarchical order and the link that was prevalent during that period between regions. This period is termed as the Kofun Period.[6] The most prominent imperial mausolea in this cluster of tumuli are those of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Richū.[7] There are 44 burial mounds in the Mozu cluster, including those that are partially destroyed.[8] Of these, 19 have been designated as national historic sites,[9][10] and separately, the Imperial Household Agency has ruled three to be Imperial mausoleums, two to be Tomb Reference Sites, and 18 to be baichō, or ancillary mausoleums connected with an Imperial mausoleum.[11] There used to be more than 100 burial mounds, but due to the rapid development of residential land after World War II, more than half of the burial mounds were destroyed.[8]
Egypt. Egypt (Arabic: مصر, romanized: Miṣr, pronounced [mɪsˤr] ⓘ, Egyptian Arabic: [mɑsˤr]), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Palestine (Gaza Strip) and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west; the Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital, largest city, and leading cultural center, while Alexandria is the second-largest city and an important hub of industry and tourism.[21] With over 107 million inhabitants, Egypt is the third-most populous country in Africa and 15th-most populated in the world. Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country, tracing its heritage along the Nile Delta back to the 6th–4th millennia BCE. Considered a cradle of civilisation, Ancient Egypt saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government.[22] Egypt was an early and important centre of Christianity, later adopting Islam from the seventh century onwards. Alexandria, Egypt’s former capital and currently second largest city, was a hub of global knowledge through its Library. Cairo became the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in the tenth century and of the subsequent Mamluk Sultanate in the 13th century. Egypt then became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517, until its local ruler Muhammad Ali established modern Egypt as an autonomous Khedivate in 1867. The country was then occupied by the British Empire along with Sudan and gained independence in 1922 as a monarchy. Following the 1952 revolution, Egypt declared itself a republic. Between 1958 and 1961 Egypt merged with Syria to form the United Arab Republic. Egypt fought several armed conflicts with Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, and occupied the Gaza Strip intermittently until 1967. In 1978, Egypt signed the Camp David Accords, which recognised Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from the occupied Sinai. After the Arab Spring, which led to the 2011 Egyptian revolution and overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the country faced a protracted period of political unrest; its first democratic election in 2012 resulted in the short-lived, Muslim Brotherhood-aligned government of Mohamed Morsi, which was overthrown by the military after mass protests in 2013. The current government is a semi-presidential republic led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was elected in 2014 but is widely regarded as authoritarian.[23] Egypt is a developing country with the second-largest economy in Africa. It is considered to be a regional power in the Middle East, North Africa and the Muslim world, and a middle power worldwide. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is official language. Egypt is a founding member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, World Youth Forum, and a member of BRICS.[1][24][25]
Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, which are known collectively as the Royal Ballet and Opera. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there. The current building is the third theatre on the site, following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856 to previous buildings.[2] The façade, foyer, and auditorium date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The main auditorium seats 2,256 people, making it the third largest in London, and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 14.80 metres (48 ft 7 in) wide, with the stage of the same depth and 12.20 metres (40 ft 0 in) high. The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building.[3]
Jack Murphy (writer). Jack Murphy is a lyricist and composer. He has written the lyrics to several international musicals, such as Death Note: The Musical and The Civil War, the latter of which garnered him a Tony Nomination for Best Score.[1] He has collaborated with composer Frank Wildhorn on many projects. This musical theatre related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This article on a songwriter is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Mozu Tombs. The Mozu Tombs (百舌鳥古墳群, Mozu kofungun) are a group of kofun (Japanese: 古墳)—megalithic tombs—in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Originally consisting of more than 100 tombs, fewer than 50% of the key-hole, round, and rectangular tombs remain.[1][2] The Daisenryo Kofun (大仙陵古墳, Daisenryō kofun),[3] the largest kofun in Japan, is believed to have been constructed over a period of 20 years in the mid 5th century during the Kofun Period. While it cannot be accurately confirmed, it is commonly accepted that the tomb was built for the late Emperor Nintoku.[4] The Imperial Household Agency of Japan treats it as such. The Mozu Kofun Cluster is located in the city of Sakai which is within Osaka Prefecture. The tumuli are built on a plateau overlooking Osaka Bay near the ancient coastline and are distributed in a range of about four kilometers from east-to-west and north-to-south.The Furuichi Kofun Cluster is located in nearby Habikino and Fujiidera cities.[5] In the Japanese archipelago, more than 20,000 tumuli (kofun), which are mounds of earth and stones erected over graves of the ruling class, were built between the later part of the 3rd century and the 6th century.[6] It was the peak period of building such mounds.[5] They represent a cultural tradition which is an expression of forms, and design of the kofun of the sociopolitical hierarchical order and the link that was prevalent during that period between regions. This period is termed as the Kofun Period.[6] The most prominent imperial mausolea in this cluster of tumuli are those of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Richū.[7] There are 44 burial mounds in the Mozu cluster, including those that are partially destroyed.[8] Of these, 19 have been designated as national historic sites,[9][10] and separately, the Imperial Household Agency has ruled three to be Imperial mausoleums, two to be Tomb Reference Sites, and 18 to be baichō, or ancillary mausoleums connected with an Imperial mausoleum.[11] There used to be more than 100 burial mounds, but due to the rapid development of residential land after World War II, more than half of the burial mounds were destroyed.[8]
Sakai. Sakai (堺市, Sakai-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [saꜜ.kai, sa.kaꜜi.ɕi][2]) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its kofun, keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The kofun in Sakai include the largest grave in the world by area, Daisen Kofun. Once known for swords, Sakai is now famous for the quality of its cutlery. As of 1 January 2022[update], the city had an estimated population of 819,965,[3] making it the fourteenth most populous city in Japan (excluding Tokyo). Sakai is located in southern Osaka Prefecture, on the edge of Osaka Bay and directly south of the city of Osaka. Osaka Prefecture Sakai has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakai is 16.5 °C (61.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,232.9 mm (48.54 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.6 °C (83.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.6 °C (42.1 °F).[4]
Toraijin. Toraijin (Japanese: 渡来人, とらいじん) refers to the people who came to Japan from mainland Asia in ancient times, as well as their descendants.[2][3] Up until the 1960s, these people were commonly called the Kikajin, meaning naturalized people, but beginning in the 1970s, the term was replaced by Toraijin, meaning people who have crossed over as not all those who came to Japan became naturalized.[4] They arrived in Japan as early as the Jōmon period or Yayoi period, and their arrival became more significant from the end of the 4th century (Kofun period) to the late 7th century (Asuka period). During these periods, they introduced Confucianism, Buddhism, Chinese characters (Kanbun/Kanji), medicine, lunar calendar, and cultural practices such as Sue ware production and weaving to Japan. They were favored by the Yamato Imperial Court, and many were appointed to government positions.[3][2] Historical records and archaeological data provide strong support for continued population movements from the continent to the Japanese archipelago via the southern Korean peninsula from 800 BCE to 600 AD.[5][4] The Toraijins arrived in the archipelago in multiples waves. In the initial wave starting approximately three thousand years ago, the Toraijins introduced wet-rice farming to the archipelago, where the indigenous Jōmon people were engaged in subsistence based primarily on fishing, hunting, and gathering. During the middle-Yayoi period from approximately 350 BCE to 50 CE, Toraijins arrived with bronze technology. 20th century anthropologists such as Torii Ryūzō stated that the Stone Age in Japan and that in Korea are very similar. The similarities are so outstanding that we can say their relationship was like that of cousins, if not of a parent and child, or siblings in his book Yūshi izen no Nihon (有史以前の日本/Japan before History)[6] highlighting a close connection between the Japanese and the Koreans even during the prehistoric periods due to the major overlap of immigrants. During the formative 5th and 6th centuries, they brought horse breeding and horse driven transportation, stoneware pottery, high temperature iron-working, advanced iron tool manufacturing, and their Chinese-based writing system. In addition to technological and cultural contributions, Toraijins also brought the ideologies of Confucianism and Buddhism from the mainland, which were critical to the state formation and socio-cultural changes during the Kofun period and Asuka period. According to modern Japanese researchers, in each major epoch in Japanese history, Toraijins arriving from the Korean peninsula acted as transmitters and transplanters of advanced continental technology and culture to the Japanese archipelago, just as the population groups on the Korean peninsula experienced similar transformations with the arrival of millet and rice agriculture, bronze and iron objects and technologies, and culture and religion from further west and north in the continent.[4]
Frank Wildhorn. Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical Jekyll & Hyde ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song Where Do Broken Hearts Go for Whitney Houston. Wildhorn was born in Harlem and spent his childhood in Queens before moving to Hollywood, Florida, at age 14. Soon after he taught himself how to play the piano, Wildhorn realized he wanted to compose music. During high school, he played in and wrote for various bands, ranging from rock and roll to Rhythm and blues to jazz. He attended Miami-Dade College for two years before transferring to the University of Southern California, where he studied history and philosophy. He started writing Jekyll & Hyde with Steve Cuden, who was working at USC when Frank was a student. He is Jewish.[1] In the popular music arena, Wildhorn has worked with such artists as Stacy Lattisaw, Natalie Cole, Kenny Rogers, Trisha Yearwood, Tracy Lawrence, Trace Adkins, Patti LaBelle, Dennis DeYoung, and Linda Eder, to whom he was married. His Where Do Broken Hearts Go was an international number one hit for Whitney Houston in 1988. Wildhorn is Creative Director of Atlantic Theatre, an Atlantic Records division that develops new American musicals. In 2005, he co-founded GlobalVision Records with long-time collaborator Jeremy Roberts. GlobalVision releases include a new concept recording of Dracula, the Musical and a new studio recording of Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection. In 1999, Wildhorn had three shows running simultaneously on Broadway: Jekyll & Hyde at the Plymouth Theatre, The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Minskoff Theatre, and The Civil War at the St. James Theatre; however, all three shows closed without making a profit, for a total loss approaching $20 million.[2] In 2004, he collaborated with Don Black and Christopher Hampton on a musical based on Dracula.
Takamatsu Castle (Sanuki). Takamatsu Castle (高松城, Takamatsu-jō) is a Japanese castle located in central Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is also called Tamamo Castle (玉藻城, Tamamo-jō), literally seaweed castle, for its seawater moats. The castle was headquarters of the Takamatsu Domain, which ruled eastern Sanuki Province (modern-day Kagawa) from 1588 to 1869. It is now a park. The castle site has been a National Historic Site since 1955.[1] This castle is one of three in Japan to use seawater moats, along with Imabari Castle in Ehime Prefecture and Nakatsu Castle in Ōita Prefecture. Takamatsu Castle is located on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, in front of Takamatsu port. Following the conquest of Shikoku during the Sengoku period by the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he assigned his general Ikoma Chikamasa as ruler of all of Sanuki.[2] This area was of critical strategic importance, as the Chugoku region on the opposite shores of Honshu was controlled by the Mōri and their allies, all of whom were enemies of the Toyotomi government, and it was economically critical to keep the sea lanes open. The Ikoma first established their stronghold at Hiketa Castle, but it was inconveniently located near the eastern border of Sanuki, and therefore in 1588 Ikoma Chikamasa selected a more central location for a new castle, which was completed by 1590. Takamatsu Castle was a sea castle in that was situated directly on the coast, so that the ocean formed one side of its natural defenses. The castle covered an area of 400 by 200 meters. The inner bailey, which contained the three-story tenshu was only 50 by 20 meters, and could be reached only by bridge. It was surrounded by a concentric series of enclosures, each protected by stone walls, water moats and masugata-style compound gates. Due to the small size of the castle, the Ikoma clan used Marugame Castle as their primary stronghold for a time, but were forced to return to Takamatsu Castle after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the reduction in their territories by the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1640, the Ikoma were demoted and transferred to the much smaller Yashima Domain in Dewa Province. In 1642, the domain was awarded to a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan from Shimodate Domain in Hitachi Province.[2] The Matsudaira rebuilt Matsuyama Castle, adding a new five-story tenshu. The Matsudaira ruled from this location until the Meiji restoration. In 1868, the castle was turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army, which used the grounds to 1874. The tenshu was destroyed in 1884 due to aging, and many other castle structures were demolished. The following year the castle was returned to the Matsudaira family, who sold off more of the grounds and rebuilt a luxurious villa in the inner ring.[2][3] The castle was extensively damaged in air raids during World War II, and the Sakuragomon gate in the San-no-maru enclosure burned down (it was rebuilt in 2022). In 1947, under the former National Treasures Preservation Law, four surviving buildings, the Kita-no-Maru Tsukimi Yagura, the Kita-no-Maru Mizute Gomon, the Kita-no-Maru Watari Yagura, and the Higashi-No-Maru Ushitora Yagura were designated as national treasures. This designation was changed to that of National Important Cultural Properties in 1950 and the castle grounds opened to the public in 1955.[2] Takamatsu Castle was listed as one of Japans Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.[4]
Osaka. Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市, Hepburn: Ōsaka-shi; pronounced [oː.sa.kaꜜ.ɕi]; commonly just 大阪, Ōsaka [oː.sa.ka] ⓘ) is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 million in 2020, it is the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan[3] and the 10th-largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants.[2] Ōsaka was traditionally considered Japans economic hub. By the Kofun period (300–538) it had developed into an important regional port, and in the 7th and 8th centuries, it served briefly as the imperial capital. Osaka continued to flourish during the Edo period (1603–1867) and became known as a center of Japanese culture. Following the Meiji Restoration, Osaka greatly expanded in size and underwent rapid industrialization. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by the 1900s, Osaka was the industrial hub in the Meiji and Taishō eras. Osaka made noted contributions to redevelopment, urban planning and zoning standards in the postwar period, and the city developed rapidly as one of the major financial centers in the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area. Osaka is a major financial center of Japan, and it is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in Japan. The city is home to the Osaka Exchange as well as the headquarters of multinational electronics corporations such as Panasonic and Sharp. Osaka is an international center of research and development and is represented by several major universities, notably Osaka University, Osaka Metropolitan University, and Kansai University. Famous landmarks in the city include Osaka Castle, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Dōtonbori, Tsūtenkaku in Shinsekai, Tennōji Park, Abeno Harukas, Sumiyoshi Taisha Grand Shrine, and Shitennō-ji, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. Ōsaka means large hill or large slope. It is unclear when this name gained prominence over Naniwa, but the oldest written evidence for the name dates back to 1496.[4][5]
Japan National Route 11. National Route 11 (国道11号, Kokudō Jūichi-gō) is a Japanese highway on the island of Shikoku. The most important artery in Shikoku, it originates at the intersection with Routes 28, 55 and 195 in the prefectural capital of Tokushima (Tokushima Prefecture) and terminates at the intersection with Routes 33, 56, 317, 379, 440 and 494 in Matsuyama (the capital of Ehime Prefecture). Between the terminals, it passes through Naruto (Tokushima Prefecture) and Takamatsu (the capital of Kagawa Prefecture), as well as other regional population centers. Route 11 measures 239.4 km in length.[2] This article relating to the roads and highways in Japan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Takamatsu (disambiguation). Takamatsu may refer to:
Ritsurin Garden. Ritsurin Garden (栗林公園, Ritsurin Kōen) is a large, historic garden in Takamatsu, Japan. It was completed in 1745 as a private strolling garden and villa for the local feudal lords, and opened to the public in 1875.[1] Ritsurin is one of the largest strolling gardens in Japan,[2] and a major tourist attraction for Kagawa Prefecture.[3] Ritsurin Garden lies in a former river bed on the east side of Mt. Shiun. Numerous ponds and small artificial hills dot the garden. The southern portion is in traditional Japanese style, with historic teahouses and numerous shaped pine trees. After becoming a public garden in 1875, the north portion underwent Western-style redesigns, and a large museum (currently the multipurpose Commerce and Industry Promotion Hall) and folk craft galleries were built in the center of the garden. For a time, the garden even housed a zoo and swimming pool, since closed and removed.[4][5] The buildings in the garden date back to the early 17th century. In 1625, the feudal lord of Takamatsu in Sanuki Province, Ikoma Takatoshi, began construction of Ritsurin, specifically the building of a garden around the South Pond using the beautiful greenery of Mt. Shiun (Purple Cloud Mountain) as a backdrop. After Matsudaira Yorishige took control of the province, he continued the gardens construction. Work was completed by the Fifth Lord Yoritaka in 1745 after 100 years of improvements and extensions made by successive lords. The new Meiji government came to power in 1868 and requisitioned the garden. Despite an initial proposal to build a silk mill, Ritsurin was designated a prefectural garden and opened to the public on 16 March 1875.[4] In 1953, the garden was designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. The garden covers 750,000 square meters.[6] Among the features of the garden are:
Arab (disambiguation). An Arab is a member of the Arabic speaking nations in the Middle East and North Africa. It can also refer to someone who has citizenship of another country but is of Arab descent. Arab, Arabic, Ərəb or Arap may also refer to:
Sanin Kaigan Geopark. The Sanin Kaigan Geopark (山陰海岸ジオパーク) is a geopark in Japan. The area was declared a Japanese Geopark in 2008, and a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2010. The underlying themes of the geopark are geological features, the natural environment, peoples lives, and the formation of the Sea of Japan. This geologically diverse area contains records of the process from when Japan was part of the Asian continent to its present-day formation of the Sea of Japan. Peoples lives are also diverse in this area because of its geodiversity.[1] The Sanin Kaigan Geopark is located to the northwest of Osaka and Kyoto and consists of Kyotango in Kyoto Prefecture, Toyooka, Kami, and Shinonsen in Hyōgo Prefecture, Iwami, and a major part of Tottori in Tottori Prefecture. The geopark has an area of 2,458.44 square kilometers.[2] The geopark includes sites that relate to the surrounding geomorphology and geology. Examples include the rice terraces and Tajima cattle grazing areas located on the gentle slopes formed by landslides, red snow crabs and other fishery products from the Sea of Japan, the Oriental white stork habitat in the Toyooka Basin, the local handbag manufacturing industry, onsen (hot springs), and the cultivation of melons and Chinese shallots in the sand dunes. One of the major geosites is Genbudo Cave formed in Quaternary basalt, located in Toyooka City. This site is internationally significant, as it is where reversed geomagnetic polarity was first proposed and in respect of its importance in this regard, Genbudo Cave was included by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in its assemblage of 100 geological heritage sites around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.[3] 35°35′17″N 134°48′15″E / 35.5880°N 134.8043°E / 35.5880; 134.8043
Osaka Prefecture. Osaka Prefecture (大阪府, Ōsaka-fu; pronounced [oː.sa.ka, oː.sa.kaꜜ.ɸɯ][2]) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu.[3] Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 (as of 1 April 2022[update]) and has a geographic area of 1,905 square kilometres (736 sq mi). Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara Prefecture to the southeast, and Wakayama Prefecture to the south. Osaka is the capital and largest city of Osaka Prefecture, and the third-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Sakai, Higashiōsaka, and Hirakata.[4] Osaka Prefecture is located on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula, forming the western is open to Osaka Bay. Osaka Prefecture is the third-most-populous prefecture, but by geographic area the second-smallest; at 4,600 inhabitants per square kilometre (12,000/sq mi) it is the second-most densely populated, below only Tokyo. Osaka Prefecture is one of Japans two urban prefectures using the designation fu (府) rather than the standard ken for prefectures, along with Kyoto Prefecture. Osaka Prefecture forms the center of the Keihanshin metropolitan area, the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the worlds most productive regions by GDP. Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the modern-day area of Osaka Prefecture was split between Kawachi, Izumi,[6][7] and Settsu provinces.[8] Osaka Prefecture was created on June 21, 1868, at the very beginning of the Meiji era.[9] During the instigation of Fuhanken Sanchisei in 1868, the prefecture received its suffix fu, designating it as a prefecture. On September 1, 1956, the city of Osaka was promoted to a city designated by government ordinance and thereby divided into 24 wards.[10] Sakai became the second city in the prefecture to be promoted to a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2006, and was divided into seven wards.[11]
Hideto Ōnishi. Hideto Ōnishi (大西秀人, Ōnishi Hideto) is a Japanese politician and the current mayor of Takamatsu, the capital city of Kagawa Prefecture, Japan.[1] This article about a mayor in Japan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Arab world. The Arab world (Arabic: اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ al-ʿālam al-ʿarabī), formally the Arab homeland (اَلْوَطَنُ الْعَرَبِيُّ al-waṭan al-ʿarabī),[7][8][9] also known as the Arab nation (اَلْأُمَّةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ al-ummah al-ʿarabiyyah), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states,[10] comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in the Arab world are ethnically Arab,[11][12] there are also significant populations of other ethnic groups such as Berbers, Kurds, Somalis and Nubians, among other groups.[13] Arabic is used as the lingua franca throughout the Arab world.[14][15][16][17][18][19] The Arab world is at its minimum defined as the 19 states where Arabs form at least a plurality of the population.[20][21] At its maximum it consists of the 22 members of the Arab League, an international organization,[6] which on top of the 19 plurality Arab states also includes the Bantu-speaking Comoros, and the Cushitic-speaking Djibouti and Somalia. The region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Indian Ocean in the southeast.[6] The eastern part of the Arab world is known as the Mashriq, and the western part as the Maghreb.
Iberian. Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: The term Iberian is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the former Kingdom of Iberia, an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli.
Amharic. Amharic[a] is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populations in Ethiopia.[10] The language serves as the official working language of the Ethiopian federal government, and is also the official or working language of several of Ethiopias federal regions.[11] In 2020 in Ethiopia, it had over 33.7 million mother-tongue speakers of which 31 million are ethnically Amhara, and more than 25.1 million second language speakers in 2019, making the total number of speakers over 58.8 million.[12][13] Amharic is the largest, most widely spoken language in Ethiopia, and the most spoken mother-tongue in Ethiopia. Amharic is also the second most widely spoken Semitic language in the world (after Arabic).[14][15] Amharic is written left-to-right using a system that grew out of the Geʽez script.[16] The segmental writing system in which consonant-vowel sequences are written as units is called an abugida (አቡጊዳ).[17] The graphemes are called fidäl (ፊደል), which means script, alphabet, letter, character. There is no universally agreed-upon Romanization of Amharic into Latin script. The Amharic examples in the sections below use one system that is common among linguists specializing in Ethiopian Semitic languages.
UNESCO Global Geoparks. UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)[1] that administers the network. The agency was founded in 2004 in partnership with the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). The network was set up to conserve Earths geological heritage, as well as to promote the sustainable research and development by the concerned communities. To implement these goals they adopted the concept of geopark, a term that had already been in use for one of the proposed parks. Geoparks were conceived as single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. As the geopark did not naturally conform to all those requirements, compliance involved considerable work of the country where the geopark was to be located. In essence, the park had to be not only protected, but marketed sustainably to the public. In 2015, the Member States of UNESCO ratified the rebranding to the current name. Since 2015, the application and designation process has been defined by the Statutes and Operational Guidelines of the UGGp.[2] As of April 2023, there were 195 UGGps in 48 countries.[3] There are now GGN member sites situated in five of seven continents, there being none currently in either Antarctica or Australasia. There are not yet (2022) global geoparks in the United States. China is the country with the largest number of global geoparks.[attribution needed] The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) (also known as the Global Network of National Geoparks) is UNESCO assisted network established in 1998. Managed under the bodys Ecological and Earth Sciences Division, the GGN seeks the promotion and conservation of the planets geological heritage, as well as encourages the sustainable research and development by the concerned communities.[4][5][6] Since 2015, its members are officially designated as UNESCO Global Geoparks.[1]
Iberia (disambiguation). Iberia, in its most common meaning, refers to the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. In history, it was also used to refer to anything pertaining to the former Kingdom of Iberia, an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli. Iberia may also refer to:
Government (disambiguation). Government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state. Government may also refer to:
Naskh (script). Naskh[a] is a small, round script of Islamic calligraphy. Naskh is one of the first scripts of Islamic calligraphy to develop, commonly used in writing administrative documents and for transcribing books, including the Qur’an, because of its easy legibility.[1] The Naskh style of writing can be found as early as within the first century of the Islamic calendar.[2] It was established at this time by order of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan due to the presence of defects in the Kufic script.[1] Ibn Muqla is credited with standardizing the Six Pens of Islamic calligraphy, also including thuluth, tawqi’, riqaaʿ, muhaqqaq, and rayhani.[1] These are known as the proportioned scripts (al-khatt al-mansub) or the six scripts (al-aqlam al-sitta).[3] Kufic is commonly believed to predate naskh, but historians have traced the two scripts as coexisting long before their codification by Ibn Muqla,[4] as the two served different purposes.[5] Kufic was used primarily in decoration, while Naskh served for everyday scribal use.[6] The Naskh script is believed to have existed since the first century of the Islamic calendar.[7] The alif is written as a straight stroke, bending to the lower left.[1] Naskh differentiates various sounds through the use of diacritical points, in the form of 1–3 dots above or below the letter, which makes the script more easily legible.[5] Naskh uses a horizontal base line; in situations where one character starts within the tail of the preceding letter, the base line is broken and raised.[8] In sixteenth-century Constantinople, Şeyh Hamdullah (1429–1520) redesigned the structure of naskh, along with the other Six Pens, in order to make the script appear more precise and less heavy.[9]
Gov (disambiguation). Gov or GOV may refer to:
Aramaic. Aramaic (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ארמית, romanized: ˀərāmiṯ; Classical Syriac: ܐܪܡܐܝܬ, romanized: arāmāˀiṯ[a]) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Arabia,[3][4] where it has been continually written and spoken in different varieties[5] for over three thousand years. Aramaic served as a language of public life and administration of ancient kingdoms and empires, particularly the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Neo-Babylonian Empire, and Achaemenid Empire, and also as a language of divine worship and religious study within Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. Several modern varieties of Aramaic are still spoken. The modern eastern branch is spoken by Assyrians, Mandeans, and Mizrahi Jews.[6][7][8][9] Western Aramaic is still spoken by the Muslim and Christian Arameans (Syriacs) in the towns of Maaloula, Bakha and nearby Jubbadin in Syria.[10] Classical varieties are used as liturgical and literary languages in several West Asian churches,[11][12] as well as in Judaism,[13][14] Samaritanism,[15] and Mandaeism.[16] The Aramaic language is now considered endangered, with several varieties used mainly by the older generations.[17] Researchers are working to record and analyze all of the remaining varieties of Neo-Aramaic languages before or in case they become extinct.[18][19] Aramaic belongs to the Northwest group of the Semitic language family, which also includes the mutually intelligible Canaanite languages such as Hebrew, Edomite, Moabite, Ekronite, Sutean, and Phoenician, as well as Amorite and Ugaritic.[20][21] Aramaic varieties are written in the Aramaic alphabet, a descendant of the Phoenician alphabet. The most prominent variant of this alphabet is the Syriac alphabet, used in the ancient city of Edessa.[22] The Aramaic alphabet also became a base for the creation and adaptation of specific writing systems in some other Semitic languages of West Asia, such as the Hebrew alphabet and the Arabic alphabet.[23] Early Aramaic inscriptions date from the 11th century BC, placing it among the earliest languages to be written down.[5] Aramaicist Holger Gzella [de] notes, The linguistic history of Aramaic prior to the appearance of the first textual sources in the ninth century BC remains unknown.[24] Aramaic is also believed by most historians and scholars to have been the primary language spoken by Jesus of Nazareth both for preaching and in everyday life.[25][26] Old Aramaic was the language of the ancient Aramean tribes. By around 1000 BC, the Arameans had a string of kingdoms in what is now part of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and the fringes of southern Mesopotamia (Iraq). Aramaic rose to prominence under the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC), under whose influence Aramaic became a prestige language after being adopted as a lingua franca of the empire by Assyrian kings, and its use was spread throughout Mesopotamia, the Levant and parts of Asia Minor, the Arabian Peninsula, and Ancient Iran under Assyrian rule. At its height, Aramaic was spoken in what is now Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, parts of southeast and south central Turkey, northern parts of the Arabian Peninsula and parts of northwest Iran, as well as the southern Caucasus, having gradually replaced several other related Semitic languages.[27][28][29]
Chūgoku Mountains. Chūgoku Mountains (中国山地, Chūgoku Sanchi) is a mountain range in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. It runs in an east–west direction and stretches approximately 500 km (311 mi) from Hyōgo Prefecture in the east to the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The range also reaches under the Pacific Ocean.[1][2][3] The two tallest mountains in the group are Daisen and Mount Hyōno, which are 1,729 m (5,673 ft) and 1,510 m (4,954 ft), respectively. Many other mountains in the range are also over 1,000 m (3,281 ft), while some of the smaller mountains are less than 500 m (1,640 ft).[1] Granite is the most common stone found among the mountains, much of which has been exposed through erosion. Other than Daisen, most of the mountains run along the border of Tottori and Okayama prefectures and the border of Shimane and Hiroshima prefectures. The mountains form a drainage divide and natural barrier in western Japan between the Sanin Region to the north and the Sanyō Region to the south.[1][2] The Chūgoku Mountains are the source of several rivers in western Japan. All flow either north to the Japan Sea or south to the Inland Sea with the exception of the Gōnokawa River (206 kilometres (128 mi)), which runs along the mountain range in Hiroshima and Shimane prefectures. The Sendai River (52 kilometres (32 mi)), the Tenjin River (32 kilometres (20 mi)), the Hino River (77 kilometres (48 mi)), and the Kando River (82 kilometres (51 mi)) all run steeply from the Chūgoku Mountains to the Japan Sea. The Yoshii River (83 kilometres (52 mi)), the Asahi River (88 kilometres (55 mi)), and the Ōta River (655 kilometres (407 mi)) form a broader alluvial plain to the south of the mountain range and empty in to the Inland Sea.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Dune. A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill.[1] An area with dunes is called a dune system[2][3][4][5] or a dune complex.[6] A large dune complex is called a dune field,[7] while broad, flat regions covered with wind-swept sand or dunes, with little or no vegetation, are called ergs or sand seas.[8][9][10] Dunes occur in different shapes and sizes, but most kinds of dunes are longer on the stoss (upflow) side, where the sand is pushed up the dune, and have a shorter slip face in the lee side.[11] The valley or trough between dunes is called a dune slack.[12] Dunes are most common in desert environments, where the lack of moisture hinders the growth of vegetation that would otherwise interfere with the development of dunes. However, sand deposits are not restricted to deserts, and dunes are also found along sea shores, along streams in semiarid climates, in areas of glacial outwash, and in other areas where poorly cemented sandstone bedrock disintegrates to produce an ample supply of loose sand.[13] Subaqueous dunes can form from the action of water flow (fluvial processes) on sand or gravel beds of rivers, estuaries, and the sea-bed.[14][15] Some coastal areas have one or more sets of dunes running parallel to the shoreline directly inland from the beach. In most cases, the dunes are important in protecting the land against potential ravages by storm waves from the sea.[16] Artificial dunes are sometimes constructed to protect coastal areas.[17][18] The dynamic action of wind and water can sometimes cause dunes to drift, which can have serious consequences. For example, the town of Eucla, Western Australia, had to be relocated in the 1890s because of dune drift.[19] The modern word dune came into English from French around 1790,[20] which in turn came from Middle Dutch dūne.[14]
Executive (government). The executive is the part of the government that executes or enforces the law. It can be organised as a branch of government, as in liberal democracies, or as an organ of the unified state apparatus, as is the case in communist states. The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In democratic countries, the executive often exercises broad influence over national politics, though limitations are often applied to the executive.[1] In political systems based on the separation of powers, government authority is distributed between several branches to prevent power from being concentrated in the hands of a single person or group. To achieve this, each branch is subject to checks by the other branches; in general, the role of the legislature is to pass laws, which are then enforced by the executive, and interpreted by the judiciary. The executive can also be the source of certain types of law or law-derived rules, such as a decree or executive order. In those that use fusion of powers, typically parliamentary systems, such as the United Kingdom, the executive forms the government, and its members generally belong to the political party that controls the legislature. Since the executive requires the support and approval of the legislature, the two bodies are fused together, rather than being independent. The principle of parliamentary sovereignty means powers possessed by the executive are solely dependent on those granted by the legislature, which can also subject its actions to judicial review. However, the executive often has wide-ranging powers stemming from the control of the government bureaucracy, especially in the areas of overall economic or foreign policy. In parliamentary systems, the executive is responsible to the elected legislature, which must maintain the confidence of the legislature or one part of it, if bicameral. In certain circumstances (varying by state), the legislature can express its lack of confidence in the executive, which causes either a change in the governing party or group of parties or a general election. Parliamentary systems have a head of government (who leads the executive, often called ministers) normally distinct from the head of state (who continues through governmental and electoral changes). In the Westminster type of parliamentary system, the principle of separation of powers is not as entrenched as in some others. Members of the executive (ministers), are also members of the legislature, and hence play an important part in both the writing and enforcing of law. In presidential systems, the directly elected head of government appoints the ministers. The ministers can be directly elected by the voters.[2]
Ishikawa Prefecture. Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県, Ishikawa-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [i.ɕi̥.ka.wa, -waꜜ.keɴ][2]) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island.[3] Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the east, Gifu Prefecture to the southeast, and Fukui Prefecture to the south. Kanazawa is the capital and largest city of Ishikawa Prefecture, with other major cities including Hakusan, Komatsu, and Kaga.[4] Ishikawa is located on the Sea of Japan coast and features most of the Noto Peninsula which forms Toyama Bay, one of the largest bays in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture is part of the historic Hokuriku region and formerly an important populated center that contained some of the wealthiest han (domains) of the Japanese feudal era. Ishikawa Prefecture is home to Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Nyotaimori (body sushi), and Kutani ware. Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province, with the seat of the government being located in Mikawa.[5] The political center of Ishikawa was moved to Kanazawa in 1873.[6] The newly formed Ishikawa Prefecture came to be regarded with caution by the national government following the Kioizaka Incident [ja] in 1878, in which 6 shizoku (士族), dissatisfied by the Meiji governments maladministration, suppression of civil rights, and misuse of government property, assassinated Japanese statesman Ōkubo Toshimichi.[7] Concerned about the possibility of a Hokuriku bloc forming in support of the Freedom and Peoples Rights Movement, and thus wanting to weaken the influence of the former Kaga lords, the national government made the decision to divide the prefecture. This took place in two stages, beginning in 1881, when Fukui Prefecture was formed, and ending in 1883 with the formation of Toyama Prefecture.[8]
Kanagawa (disambiguation). The word Kanagawa may refer to:
Aragonese language. Aragonese (/ˌærəɡəˈniːz/ ARR-ə-gə-NEEZ; aragonés [aɾaɣoˈnes] in Aragonese) is a Romance language spoken in several dialects by about 12,000 people as of 2011, in the Pyrenees valleys of Aragon, Spain, primarily in the comarcas of Somontano de Barbastro, Jacetania, Alto Gállego, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza/Ribagorça.[1][2] It is the only modern language which survived from medieval Navarro-Aragonese in a form distinct from Spanish. Historically, people referred to the language as fabla (talk or speech). Native Aragonese people usually refer to it by the names of its local dialects such as cheso (from Valle de Hecho) or patués (from the Benasque Valley). Aragonese, which developed in portions of the Ebro basin, can be traced back to the High Middle Ages. It spread throughout the Pyrenees to areas where languages similar to modern Basque might have been previously spoken. The Kingdom of Aragon (formed by the counties of Aragon, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza) expanded southward from the mountains, pushing the Moors farther south in the Reconquista and spreading the Aragonese language. The union of the Catalan counties and the Kingdom of Aragon which formed the 12th-century Crown of Aragon did not merge the languages of the two territories; Catalan continued to be spoken in the east and Navarro-Aragonese in the west, with the boundaries blurred by dialectal continuity. The Aragonese Reconquista in the south ended with the cession of Murcia by James I of Aragon to the Kingdom of Castile as dowry for an Aragonese princess. The best-known proponent of the Aragonese language was Johan Ferrandez dHeredia, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes at the end of the 14th century. He wrote an extensive catalog of works in Aragonese and translated several works from Greek into Aragonese (the first in medieval Europe).
Asturian language. Asturian (/æˈstʊəriən/; asturianu [astuˈɾjanʊ])[4][5] is a West Iberian Romance language spoken in the Principality of Asturias, Spain.[6] Asturian is part of a wider linguistic group, the Asturleonese languages. The number of speakers is estimated at 100,000 (native) and 450,000 (second language).[7] The dialects of the Astur-Leonese language family are traditionally classified in three groups: Western, Central, and Eastern. For historical and demographic reasons, the standard is based on Central Asturian. Asturian has a distinct grammar, dictionary, and orthography. It is regulated by the Academy of the Asturian Language. Although it is not an official language of Spain,[8] it is protected under the Statute of Autonomy of Asturias and is an elective language in schools.[9] For much of its history, the language has been ignored or subjected to repeated challenges to its status as a language variety due to its lack of official status.[10] Asturian is the historical language of Asturias, portions of the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora and the area surrounding Miranda do Douro in northeastern Portugal.[11] Like the other Romance languages of the Iberian peninsula, it evolved from Vulgar Latin during the early Middle Ages. Asturian was closely linked with the Kingdom of Asturias (718–910) and the ensuing Leonese kingdom. The language had contributions from pre-Roman languages spoken by the Astures, an Iberian Celtic tribe, and the post-Roman Germanic languages of the Visigoths and Suebians. The transition from Latin to Asturian was slow and gradual; for a long time they co-existed in a diglossic relationship, first in the Kingdom of Asturias and later in that of Asturias and Leon. During the 12th, 13th and part of the 14th centuries Astur-Leonese was used in the kingdoms official documents, with many examples of agreements, donations, wills and commercial contracts from that period onwards. Although there are no extant literary works written in Asturian from this period, some books (such as the Llibru dAlexandre and the 1155 Fueru dAvilés)[12][13] had Asturian sources. Castilian Spanish arrived in the area during the 14th century, when the central administration sent emissaries and functionaries to political and ecclesiastical offices. Asturian codification of the Astur-Leonese spoken in the Asturian Autonomous Community became a modern language with the founding of the Academy of the Asturian Language (Academia Asturiana de la Llingua) in 1980. The Leonese dialects and Mirandese are linguistically close to Asturian. Efforts have been made since the end of the Francoist period in 1975 to protect and promote Asturian.[14] In 1994 there were 100,000 native speakers and 450,000[15][better source needed] second-language speakers able to speak (or understand) Asturian.[16] However, the language is endangered: there has been a steep decline in the number of speakers over the last century. Law 1/93 of 23 March 1993 on the Use and Promotion of the Asturian Language addressed the issue, and according to article four of the Asturias Statute of Autonomy:[4] The Asturian language will enjoy protection. Its use, teaching and diffusion in the media will be furthered, whilst its local dialects and voluntary apprenticeship will always be respected.
Kanazawa. Kanazawa (金沢市, Kanazawa-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [ka.naꜜ.(d)za.wa, ka.na.(d)za.waꜜ.ɕi][1]) is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. As of 1 January 2018[update], the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the city was 468.64 square kilometres (180.94 sq mi). The name Kanazawa (金沢, 金澤), which literally means marsh of gold, is said to derive from the legend of the peasant Imohori Togoro (literally Togoro Potato-digger), who was digging for potatoes when flakes of gold washed up. The well in the grounds of Kenroku-en is known as Kinjo Reitaku (金城麗澤) to acknowledge these roots. The area where Kanazawa is was originally known as Ishiura, whose name is preserved at the Ishiura Shrine near Kenrokuen. The area around Kanazawa was part of ancient Kaga Province. During the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), as the power of the central shōguns in Kyoto was waning, Kaga Province came under the control of the Ikkō-ikki, followers of the teachings of priest Rennyo, of the Jōdo Shinshū sect, who displaced the official governors of the province, the Togashi clan, and established a kind of theocratic republic later known as The Peasants Kingdom. Their principal stronghold was the Kanazawa Gobo, on the tip of the Kodatsuno Ridge. Backed by high hills and flanked on two sides by rivers, it was a natural fortress, around which a castle town developed. This was the start of what would become the city of Kanazawa. In 1580, during the Sengoku period (1467 to 1615), Oda Nobunaga sent Shibata Katsuie, and his general Sakuma Morimasa, to conquer the Kaga Ikko-ikki.[3] After overthrowing the Peasants Kingdom, Morimasa was awarded the province as his fief. However, after the assassination of Oda Nobunaga in 1582, he was displaced by Maeda Toshiie, who founded Kaga Domain. At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Maeda sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu and thus was able to further enlarge his holdings to a massive 1.2 million koku — by far the largest feudal domain within the Tokugawa shogunate. The Maeda clan continued to rule Kaga Domain from Kanazawa Castle through the end of the Edo period.
Parliamentary system. A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support (confidence) of a majority of the legislature, to which they are held accountable. This head of government is usually, but not always, distinct from a ceremonial head of state. This is in contrast to a presidential system, which features a president who is not fully accountable to the legislature, and cannot be replaced by a simple majority vote. Countries with parliamentary systems may be constitutional monarchies, where a monarch is the head of state while the head of government is almost always a member of parliament, or parliamentary republics, where a mostly ceremonial president is the head of state while the head of government is from the legislature. In a few countries, the head of government is also head of state but is elected by the legislature. In bicameral parliaments, the head of government is generally, though not always, a member of the lower house. Parliamentary democracy is the predominant form of government in the European Union, Oceania, and throughout the former British Empire, with other users scattered throughout Africa and Asia. A similar system, called a council–manager government, is used by many local governments in the United States. The first parliaments date back to Europe in the Middle Ages. The earliest example of a parliament is disputed, especially depending how the term is defined.
Parliamentary republics with an executive president. A parliamentary republic with an executive president, is a form of parliamentary democracy in which the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature to which it is held accountable, but is characterized by a combined head of state–head of government in the form of an executive president who carries out the functions of the head of state. This is in contrast to other parliamentary systems where the executive is separate from the head of state, and a presidential system where the executive is separate from the legislature. The president is typically elected by the legislature and must maintain its confidence to remain in office, for which purpose they may be required to hold a seat.
Minato Mirai 21. Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい21, Minato Mirai Nijūichi), often known as simply Minato Mirai and abbreviated as MM (used on the Minatomirai Line station numbering; e.g. “MM 1”) is the central business district of Yokohama, Japan. Initially developed in the 1980s, Minato Mirai 21 was designed as a large master-planned development and new urban center planned to connect Yokohamas traditionally important areas and commercial centers of Kannai and the Yokohama Station area. Today, Minato Mirai is a major center for business, shopping, and tourism, attracting visitors and businesspersons throughout the Greater Tokyo Area. The business district is host to several major hotels, office towers including the Yokohama Landmark Tower, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center, art museums, and numerous cafés and shops in shopping centers and along its central pedestrian mall. The area continues to be developed as originally envisioned in the 1980s. Minato Mirai 21 was originally proposed as one of Yokohamas six major development plans by the mayor of Yokohama, Ichio Asukata, in 1965. After several assessments and review sessions, actual construction started in 1983. The area where it is located was once known as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Yokohama shipyard and the Japanese National Railways classification yard, Takashima wharf and Shinko wharf of Port of Yokohama. Conducted as an urban renewal and reclaimed land project, the port and industrial areas once divided the two city centers of Kannai and the Yokohama Station area. With the development of Minato Mirai 21, the two city centers were linked and now form part of the business and central core of Yokohama. The name Minato Mirai 21 was selected by a public opinion poll. Translated literally as Port Future 21, it means Port of the Future in the 21st century. The area is now flourishing as one of the newest urban business districts in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area, symbolized by Landmark Tower, Japans third tallest skyscraper, the three Queens Square Towers, which contain a large shopping mall, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center, the Intercontinental Hotel, the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel, and more. Next to Landmark Tower is the Yokohama Museum of Art. The area is an important business center, with Nissan Motors, JGC Corporation, Chiyoda Corporation and other major corporations locating their headquarters and branches in the Minato Mirai area. Today, about 79,000 people work in Minato Mirai 21.
Tottori (city). Tottori (鳥取市, Tottori-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [tot.to.ɾʲi, tot.to.ɾʲiꜜ.ɕi][2]) is the capital and the largest city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. As of 30 November 2022[update], the city had an estimated population of 183,383 in 81,732 households and a population density of 240 persons per km2.[3] The total area of the city is 765.31 square kilometres (295.49 sq mi). Most of the city is within the Sanin Kaigan Geopark.[4] The city of Tottori is located in the east of the prefecture at the foot of the Chūgoku Mountains at the mouth of the Sendai River. While it is about 300 km by road to Hiroshima city, which is the regional hub of the Chūgoku region, it is only 180 km from Kobe, 190 km from Osaka, and 220 km from Kyoto. Within Japan the city is best known for the Tottori Sand Dunes which are a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from outside the prefecture. The sand dunes are also important as a centre for research into arid agriculture, hosting Tottori Universitys Arid Land Research Center. Hyōgo Prefecture Okayama Prefecture
Polyarchy. In political science, the term polyarchy (poly many, arkhe rule)[1] was used by Robert Dahl to describe a form of government in which power is invested in multiple people. It takes the form of neither a dictatorship nor a democracy.[2] This form of government was first implemented in the United States and France and gradually adopted by other countries. Polyarchy is different from democracy, according to Dahl, because the fundamental democratic principle is the continuing responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens, considered as political equals with unimpaired opportunities.[2] A polyarchy is a form of government that has certain procedures that are necessary conditions for following the democratic principle.[3][4] In semblance, the word polycracy describes the same form of government,[5] although from a slightly different premise: a polycracy is a society ruled by more than one person, as opposed to a monocracy. The word derives from Greek poly (many) and kratos (rule or strength). Dahls original theory of polyarchal democracy is in his 1956 book A Preface to Democratic Theory. His theory evolved over the decades, and the description in later writings is somewhat different. Dahl argues that democracy is an ideal type that no country has ever achieved.[6] For Dahl, democracy is a system that is completely responsive to all its citizens,[6] and the closest to the democratic ideal any country has come is polyarchy.[6] In the book, Dahl gives eight conditions that measure the extent to which majority rule is in effect in an organization. These are (p. 84):
Port of Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama (横浜港, Yokohama-kō) is operated by the Port and Harbor Bureau of the City of Yokohama in Japan. It opens onto Tokyo Bay. The port is located at a latitude of 35.27–00°N and a longitude of 139.38–46°E. To the south lies the Port of Yokosuka; to the north, the ports of Kawasaki and Tokyo. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858 specified Kanagawa as an open port. The Port of Yokohama formally opened to foreign trade on the 2nd of June 1859. The port grew rapidly through the Meiji and Taisho periods as a center for raw silk export and technology import. Yokohama Port has ten major piers. Honmoku Pier is the ports core facility with 24 berths including 14 container berths.[1] Osanbashi Pier handles passenger traffic including cruises, and has customs, immigration and quarantine facilities for international travel.[2] Detamachi, the banana pier, is outfitted for receiving fresh fruits and vegetables.[3] Daikoku Pier, on an artificial island measuring 321 hectares, is equipped with container logistics facilities including seven container berths and houses a million square meters of warehouse space at the Yokohama Port Cargo Center.[4] At Minami Honmoku, the newest facility to be developed, there are two 350 meter operational berths with a depth of 16 meters capable of handling larger post Panamax container ships with 6 mega container cranes for 22 lines of containers. Additional berths are under construction for larger ships in dimensions equal to or exceeding the size of a Mærsk E-class container ship.
Portuguese language. Portuguese (endonym: português or língua portuguesa) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family originating from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is spoken chiefly in Brazil, Portugal, and several countries in Africa, as well as by immigrants in North America, Europe, and South America. With approximately 267 million speakers, it is listed as the fifth-most spoken native language. Portuguese-speaking people or nations are known as Lusophone (lusófono). As the result of expansion during colonial times, a cultural presence of Portuguese speakers is also found around the world. Portuguese is part of the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia and the County of Portugal, and has kept some Celtic phonology.[7][8] Portuguese language structure reflects its Latin roots and centuries of outside influences. These are seen in phonology, orthography, grammar, and vocabulary. Phonologically, Portuguese has a rich system of nasal vowels, complex consonant variations, and different types of guttural R and other sounds in European and Brazilian varieties. Its spelling, based like English on the Latin alphabet, is largely phonemic but is influenced by etymology and tradition. Recent spelling reforms attempted to create a unified spelling for the Portuguese language across all countries that use it. Portuguese grammar retains many Latin verb forms and has some unique features such as the future subjunctive and the personal infinitive. The vocabulary is derived mostly from Latin but also includes numerous loanwords [pt] from Celtic, Germanic, Arabic, African, Amerindian, and Asian languages, resulting from historical contact including wars, trade, and colonization. There is significant variation in dialects of Portuguese worldwide, with two primary standardized varieties: European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, each one having numerous regional accents and subdialects. African and Asian varieties generally follow the European written standard, though they often have different phonological, lexical, and sometimes syntactic features. While there is broad mutual intelligibility among varieties, variation is seen mostly in speech patterns and vocabulary, with some regional differences in grammar.
Direct democracy. Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate directly decides on policy initiatives, without elected representatives as proxies, as opposed to the representative democracy model which occurs in the majority of established democracies. The theory and practice of direct democracy and participation as its common characteristic constituted the core of the work of many theorists, philosophers, politicians, and social critics, among whom the most important are Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and G.D.H. Cole.[1] In direct democracy the people decide on policies without any intermediary or representative, whereas in a representative democracy people vote for representatives who then enact policy initiatives.[2] Depending on the particular system in use, direct democracy might entail passing executive decisions, the use of sortition, making laws, directly electing or dismissing officials, and conducting trials. Two leading forms of direct democracy are participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. Semi-direct democracies, in which representatives administer day-to-day governance, but the citizens remain the sovereign, allow for three forms of popular action: referendum (plebiscite), initiative, and recall. The first two forms—referendums and initiatives—are examples of direct legislation.[3] As of 2019[update], thirty countries allowed for referendums initiated by the population on the national level.[4] A compulsory referendum subjects the legislation drafted by political elites to a binding popular vote. This is the most common form of direct legislation. A popular referendum empowers citizens to make a petition that calls existing legislation to a vote by the citizens. Institutions specify the timeframe for a valid petition and the number of signatures required and may require signatures from diverse communities to protect minority interests.[3] This form of direct democracy effectively grants the voting public a veto on laws adopted by the elected legislature, as in Switzerland.[5][6][7][8] A citizen-initiated referendum, also called an initiative, empowers members of the general public to propose, by petition, specific statutory measures or constitutional reforms to the government and, as with other referendums, the vote may be binding or simply advisory. Initiatives may be direct or indirect: with the direct initiative, a successful proposition is placed directly on the ballot to be subject to vote (as exemplified by Californias system).[3] With an indirect initiative, a successful proposition is first presented to the legislature for their consideration; however, if no acceptable action is taken after a designated period of time, the proposition moves to direct popular vote. Constitutional amendments in Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Uruguay goes through such a form of indirect initiative.[3] A deliberative referendum is a referendum that increases public deliberation through purposeful institutional design. Power of recall gives the public the power to remove elected officials from office before the end of their designated standard term of office.[9]
Parliamentary republic. A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number of variations of parliamentary republics. Most have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the head of government holding real power and the head of state being a ceremonial position, similar to constitutional monarchies. In some countries the head of state has reserve powers to use at their discretion as a non-partisan referee of the political process.[1][2] Some have combined the roles of head of state and head of government, much like presidential systems, but with a dependency upon parliamentary confidence. In general, parliamentary republics grant the highest sovereign powers to the parliament. In contrast to republics operating under either the presidential system or the semi-presidential system, the head of state usually does not have executive powers as an executive president would (some may have reserve powers or a bit more influence beyond that), because many of those powers have been granted to a head of government (usually called a prime minister).[1][2][clarification needed] However, in a parliamentary republic with a head of state whose tenure is dependent on parliament, the head of government and head of state can form one office (as in Botswana, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and South Africa), but the president is still selected in much the same way as the prime minister is in most Westminster systems. This usually means that they are the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in parliament. In some cases, the president can legally have executive powers granted to them to undertake the day-to-day running of government (as in Iceland) but by convention they either do not use these powers or they use them only to give effect to the advice of the parliament or head of government. Some parliamentary republics could therefore be seen as following the semi-presidential system but operating under a parliamentary system. Typically, parliamentary republics are states that were previously constitutional monarchies with a parliamentary system.[3]
Sortition. Condorcet methods Positional voting Cardinal voting Quota-remainder methods
Group polarization. In social psychology, group polarization refers to the tendency for a group to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. These more extreme decisions are towards greater risk if individuals initial tendencies are to be risky and towards greater caution if individuals initial tendencies are to be cautious.[1] The phenomenon also holds that a groups attitude toward a situation may change in the sense that the individuals initial attitudes have strengthened and intensified after group discussion, a phenomenon known as attitude polarization.[2] Group polarization is an important phenomenon in social psychology and is observable in many social contexts. For example, a group of women who hold moderately feminist views tend to demonstrate heightened pro-feminist beliefs following group discussion.[3] Similarly, studies have shown that after deliberating together, mock jury members often decided on punitive damage awards that were either larger or smaller than the amount any individual juror had favored prior to deliberation.[4] The studies indicated that when the jurors favored a relatively low award, discussion would lead to an even more lenient result, while if the jury was inclined to impose a stiff penalty, discussion would make it even harsher.[5] Moreover, in recent years, the Internet and online social media have also presented opportunities to observe group polarization and compile new research. Psychologists have found that social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter demonstrate that group polarization can occur even when a group is not physically together. As long as the group of individuals begins with the same fundamental opinion on the topic and a consistent dialogue is kept going, group polarization can occur.[6] Research has suggested that well-established groups suffer less from polarization, as do groups discussing problems that are well known to them. However, in situations where groups are somewhat newly formed and tasks are new, group polarization can demonstrate a more profound influence on decision-making.[7] Attitude polarization, also known as belief polarization and the polarization effect, is a phenomenon in which a disagreement becomes more extreme as the different parties consider evidence on the issue. It is one of the effects of confirmation bias: the tendency of people to search for and interpret evidence selectively, to reinforce their current beliefs or attitudes.[8] When people encounter ambiguous evidence, this bias can potentially result in each of them interpreting it as in support of their existing attitudes, widening rather than narrowing the disagreement between them.[9] The effect is observed with issues that activate emotions, such as political hot-button issues.[10] For most issues, new evidence does not produce a polarization effect.[11] For those issues where polarization is found, mere thinking about the issue, without contemplating new evidence, produces the effect.[11] Social comparison processes have also been invoked as an explanation for the effect, which is increased by settings in which people repeat and validate each others statements.[12] This apparent tendency is of interest not only to psychologists, but also to sociologists[13] and philosophers.[14]
English-speaking world. The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English,[1][2] making it the largest language by number of speakers, the third largest language by number of native speakers and the most widespread language geographically. The countries in which English is the native language of most people are sometimes termed the Anglosphere. Speakers of English are called Anglophones. Early Medieval England was the birthplace of the English language; the modern form of the language has been spread around the world since the 17th century, first by the worldwide influence of England and later the United Kingdom, and then by that of the United States. Through all types of printed and electronic media of these countries, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional fields, such as science, navigation and law.[3] The United States and India have the most total English speakers, with 306 million and 129 million,[4] respectively. These are followed by the United Kingdom (68 million), and Nigeria (60 million).[5] As of 2022, there were about 400 million native speakers of English.[6] Including people who speak English as a second language, estimates of the total number of Anglophones vary from 1.5 billion to 2 billion.[2] David Crystal calculated in 2003 that non-native speakers outnumbered native speakers by a ratio of three to one.[7] Besides the major varieties of English—American, British, Canadian, Australian, Irish, New Zealand English—and their sub-varieties, countries such as South Africa, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago also have millions of native speakers of dialect continua ranging from English-based creole languages to Standard English. Other countries and territories, such as Ghana, also use English as their primary official language even though it is not the native language of most of the people. English holds official status in numerous countries within the Commonwealth of Nations.[8]
Presidential system. A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system)[1][2] is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled president) heads an executive branch that derives its authority and legitimacy from a source that is separate from the legislative branch. The system was popularized by its inclusion in the Constitution of the United States.[3] This head of government is often also the head of state. In a presidential system, the head of government is directly or indirectly elected by a group of citizens and is not responsible to the legislature, and the legislature cannot dismiss the president except in extraordinary cases. A presidential system contrasts with a parliamentary system, where the head of government (usually called a prime minister) derives their power from the confidence of an elected legislature, which can dismiss the prime minister with a simple majority. Not all presidential systems use the title of president. Likewise, the title is sometimes used by other systems. It originated from a time when such a person personally presided over the governing body, as with the President of the Continental Congress in the early United States, before the executive function being split into a separate branch of government. Presidents may also use it in semi-presidential systems. Heads of state of parliamentary republics, largely ceremonial in most cases, are called presidents. Dictators or leaders of one-party states, whether popularly elected or not, are also often called presidents. The presidential system is the most common form of government in the Americas and is also frequently found in Sub-Saharan Africa (along with semi-presidential hybrid systems). By contrast, there are very few presidential republics in Europe (with Cyprus and Turkey being the only examples). In Asia, the system is used by South Korea, Syria, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The presidential system has its roots in the governance of the British colonies of the 17th century in what is now the United States. The Pilgrims, permitted to govern themselves in Plymouth Colony, established a system that utilized an independent executive branch. Each year, a governor was chosen by the colonial legislature, as well as several assistants, analogous to modern-day cabinets. Additional executive officials such as constables and messengers were then appointed.[4] At the same time, the British Isles underwent a brief period of republicanism as the Protectorate, during which the Lord Protector served as an executive leader similar to a president.[5]
Liberal democracy. Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy,[1] or substantive democracy,[2] is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal democracy are: elections between or among multiple distinct political parties; a separation of powers into different branches of government; the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society; a market economy with private property; universal suffrage; and the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and political freedoms for all citizens. Substantive democracy refers to substantive rights and substantive laws, which can include substantive equality,[2] the equality of outcome for subgroups in society.[3][4] Liberal democracy emphasizes the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and a system of checks and balances between branches of government. Multi-party systems with at least two persistent, viable political parties are characteristic of liberal democracies. Governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure. To define the system in practice, liberal democracies often draw upon a constitution, either codified or uncodified, to delineate the powers of government and enshrine the social contract. A liberal democracy may take various and mixed constitutional forms: it may be a constitutional monarchy or a republic. It may have a parliamentary system, presidential system, or semi-presidential system. Liberal democracies are contrasted with illiberal democracies and dictatorships. Some liberal democracies, especially those with large populations, use federalism (also known as vertical separation of powers) in order to prevent abuse and increase public input by dividing governing powers between municipal, provincial and national governments. The characteristics of liberal democracies are correlated with increased political stability,[5] lower corruption,[6] better management of resources,[7] and better health indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality.[8] Liberal democracy traces its origins—and its name—to the Age of Enlightenment. The conventional views supporting monarchies and aristocracies were challenged at first by a relatively small group of Enlightenment intellectuals, who believed that human affairs should be guided by reason and principles of liberty and equality. They argued that all people are created equal, that governments exist to serve the people—not vice versa—and that laws should apply to those who govern as well as to the governed (a concept known as rule of law), formulated in Europe as Rechtsstaat. In England, thinkers such as John Locke (1632–1704) argued that all people are created equal, that governments exist to serve the governed, and that laws must apply equally to rulers and citizens alike (a concept later expressed as the rule of law). At the same time, on the European continent, French philosophers developed equally influential theories: Montesquieus The Spirit of the Laws (1748) advanced the doctrine of separation of powers, Rousseaus The Social Contract (1762) articulated the principle of popular sovereignty and the general will, and Voltaire championed freedom of conscience and expression. These ideas were central to the French Revolution and spread widely across Europe and beyond. They also influenced the American Revolution and the broader development of liberal democracy.. After a period of expansion in the second half of the 20th century, liberal democracy became a prevalent political system in the world.[9] Liberal democracy traces its origins—and its name—to 18th-century Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment. At the time, the vast majority of European states were monarchies, with political power held either by the monarch or the aristocracy. The possibility of democracy had not been a seriously considered political theory since classical antiquity and the widely held belief was that democracies would be inherently unstable and chaotic in their policies due to the changing whims of the people. It was further believed that democracy was contrary to human nature, as human beings were seen to be inherently evil, violent and in need of a strong leader to restrain their destructive impulses. Many European monarchs held that their power had been ordained by God and that questioning their right to rule was tantamount to blasphemy.
List of regions of Japan. Japan is often divided into regions, each containing one or more of the countrys 47 prefectures at large. Sometimes, they are referred to as blocs (ブロック, burokku), or regional blocs (地域ブロック, chiiki burokku) as opposed to more granular regional divisions. They are not official administrative units, though they have been used by government officials for statistical and other purposes since 1905. They are widely used in, for example, maps, geography textbooks, and weather reports, and many businesses and institutions use their home regions in their names as well, for example Kyushu National Museum, Kinki Nippon Railway, Chūgoku Bank, and Tōhoku University. One common division groups the prefectures into eight regions. In this arrangement, of the four main islands of Japan, Hokkaidō, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, each form their own region, with Kyūshū also including the Satsunan Islands. The largest island, Honshū, is split into five regions. Okinawa Prefecture is usually considered part of Kyūshū, but it is sometimes treated as its own ninth region. Japan has eight High Courts, but their jurisdictions do not match the typical eight-region geographical division (see #Other regional divisions and Judicial system of Japan for details). This is a list of Japans major islands, traditional regions, and subregions, going from northeast to southwest.[10][11] The eight traditional regions are marked in bold.
Economic democracy. Economic democracy (sometimes called a democratic economy[1][2]) is a socioeconomic philosophy that proposes to shift ownership[3][4][5] and decision-making power from corporate shareholders and corporate managers (such as a board of directors) to a larger group of public stakeholders that includes workers, consumers, suppliers, communities and the broader public. No single definition or approach encompasses economic democracy, but most proponents claim that modern property relations externalize costs, subordinate the general well-being to private profit and deny the polity a democratic voice in economic policy decisions.[6] In addition to these moral concerns, economic democracy makes practical claims, such as that it can compensate for capitalisms inherent effective demand gap.[7] Proponents of economic democracy generally argue that modern capitalism periodically results in economic crises, characterized by deficiency of effective demand; as society is unable to earn enough income to purchase its own production output. Corporate monopoly of common resources typically creates artificial scarcity, resulting in socio-economic imbalances that restrict workers from access to economic opportunity and diminish consumer purchasing power.[8] Economic democracy has been proposed as a component of larger socioeconomic ideologies, as a stand-alone theory and as a variety of reform agendas. For example, as a means to securing full economic rights, it opens a path to full political rights, defined as including the former.[6] Both market and non-market theories of economic democracy have been proposed. As a reform agenda, supporting theories and real-world examples can include decentralization, democratic cooperatives, public banking, fair trade and the regionalization of food production and currency. According to many analysts, deficiency of effective demand is the most fundamental economic problem. That is, modern society does not earn enough income to purchase its output. For example, economic geographer David Harvey claims, Workers spending their wages is one source of effective demand, but the total wage bill is always less than the total capital in circulation (otherwise there would be no profit), so the purchase of wage goods that sustain daily life (even with a suburban lifestyle) is never sufficient for the profitable sale of the total output.[7] In the Georgist view of any economic system, wealth includes all material things produced by labor for the satisfaction of human desires and having exchange value. Land, labor and capital are generally considered the essential factors in producing wealth. Land includes all natural opportunities and forces. Labor includes all human exertion. Capital includes the portion of wealth devoted to producing more wealth. While the income of any individual might include proceeds from any combination of these three sources—land, labor and capital are generally considered mutually exclusive factors in economic models of the production and distribution of wealth. According to Henry George: People seek to satisfy their desires with the least exertion.[8] Human beings interact with nature to produce goods and services that other human beings need or desire. The laws and customs that govern the relationships among these entities constitute the economic structure of a given society.
Australian English. Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the countrys common language and de facto national language. While Australia has no official language, English is the first language of the majority of the population, and has been entrenched as the de facto national language since the onset of British settlement, being the only language spoken in the home for 72% of Australians in 2021.[5] It is also the main language used in compulsory education, as well as federal, state and territorial legislatures and courts. Australian English began to diverge from British and Hiberno-English after the First Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales in 1788. Australian English arose from a dialectal melting pot created by the intermingling of early settlers who were from a variety of dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland,[6] though its most significant influences were the dialects of South East England.[7] By the 1820s, the native-born colonists speech was recognisably distinct from speakers in Britain and Ireland.[8] Australian English differs from other varieties in its phonology, pronunciation, lexicon, idiom, grammar and spelling.[9] Australian English is relatively consistent across the continent, although it encompasses numerous regional and sociocultural varieties. General Australian describes the de facto standard dialect, which is perceived to be free of pronounced regional or sociocultural markers and is often used in the media. Similar to early American English, Australian English passed through a process of extensive dialect levelling and mixing which produced a relatively homogeneous new variety of English which was easily understood by all.[6]
Federal Union (disambiguation). A federal union is a political system of government. Federal Union may also refer to a number of political movements:
New Zealand English. New Zealand English (NZE) is the variant of the English language spoken and written by most English-speaking New Zealanders.[3] Its language code in ISO and Internet standards is en-NZ.[4] It is the first language of the majority of the population. The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and become distinctive only in the last 150 years.[2] The variety of English that had the biggest influence on the development of New Zealand English was Australian English, itself derived from Southeastern England English, with considerable influence from Scottish and Hiberno-English, and with lesser influences the British prestige accent Received Pronunciation (RP) and American English. An important source of vocabulary is the Māori language of the indigenous people of New Zealand, whose contribution distinguishes New Zealand English from other varieties.[5] Non-rhotic New Zealand English is most similar to Australian English in pronunciation, but has key differences.[6] A prominent difference is the realisation of /ɪ/ (the KIT vowel): in New Zealand English this is pronounced as a schwa. New Zealand English has several increasingly distinct varieties, and while most New Zealanders speak non-rhotic English, rhoticity is increasing quickly, especially among Pasifika and Māori in Auckland and the upper North Island.[7][failed verification] The first dictionary with entries documenting New Zealand English was probably the Heinemann New Zealand Dictionary published in 1979.[8] Edited by Harry Orsman (1928–2002), it is a 1,337-page book with information relating to the usage and pronunciation of terms that were widely accepted throughout the English-speaking world, and those peculiar to New Zealand. It includes a one-page list of the approximate date of entry into common parlance of the many terms found in New Zealand English but not elsewhere, such as haka (1827), boohai (1920), and bach (1905). A second edition was published in 1989 with the cover subtitle The first dictionary of New Zealand English and New Zealand pronunciation. A third edition, edited by Nelson Wattie, was published as The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand English by Reed Publishing in 2001.[8]
Federation (disambiguation). A federation is a state governed under the system of federalism. Federation may also refer to:
American and British English spelling differences. Despite the various English dialects spoken from country to country and within different regions of the same country, there are only slight regional variations in English orthography, the two most notable variations being British and American spelling. Many of the differences between American and British or Commonwealth English date back to a time before spelling standards were developed. For instance, some spellings seen as American today were once commonly used in Britain, and some spellings seen as British were once commonly used in the United States. A British standard began to emerge following the 1755 publication of Samuel Johnsons A Dictionary of the English Language, and an American standard started following the work of Noah Webster and, in particular, his An American Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1828.[1] Websters efforts at spelling reform were effective in his native country, resulting in certain well-known patterns of spelling differences between the American and British varieties of English. However, English-language spelling reform has rarely been adopted otherwise. As a result, modern English orthography varies only minimally between countries and is far from phonemic in any country. In the early 18th century, English spelling was inconsistent. These differences became noticeable after the publication of influential dictionaries. Todays British English spellings mostly follow Johnsons A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), while many American English spellings follow Websters An American Dictionary of the English Language (ADEL, Websters Dictionary, 1828).[2]
Federated state. A federated state (also state, province, region, canton, land, governorate, oblast, emirate, or country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation.[1] A federated state does not have international sovereignty since powers are divided between the other federated states and the federal government. Unlike international sovereign states, which have what is often referred to as Westphalian sovereignty (such as exercised by their federal government), federated states operate under their domestic or federal law with relation to the rest of the world. Federated states do not have automatic standing as entities of international law. Instead, the federal union (federation) as a single entity is the sovereign state for purposes of international law.[2] Depending on the constitutional structure of a particular federation, a federated state can hold various degrees of legislative, judicial, and administrative jurisdiction over a defined geographic territory and is a form of regional government. A federated state may nonetheless establish offices internationally, for example, to promote trade or tourism, while still operating only within the trade policy or other applicable law of their federation, and their host country. They also may enter into international regional agreements under the laws of their federation and state, such as to protect a cross-border resource like water or other shared matters. In some cases, a federation is created from the union of political entities that are either independent or dependent territories of another sovereign entity (most commonly a colonial power).[A] In other cases, federated states have been created out of the administrative divisions of previously unitary states.[B] Once a federal constitution is formed, the rules governing the relationship between federal and regional powers become part of the countrys constitutional law and not international law. In countries with federal constitutions, there is a division of power between the central government and the component states. These entities – states, provinces, counties, cantons, Länder, etc. – are partially self-governing and are afforded a degree of constitutionally guaranteed autonomy that varies substantially from one federation to another.[C] Depending on the form the decentralization of powers takes, a federated states legislative powers may or may not be overruled or vetoed by the federal government. Laws governing the relationship between federal and regional powers can be amended through the national or federal constitution, and, if they exist, state constitutions as well. In terms of internal politics, federated states can have republican or monarchical forms of government. Those of republican form (federated republics) are usually called states (like states of the US) or republics (like republics in the former USSR).
Confederation. A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action.[1] Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defence, foreign relations, internal trade or currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all its members. Confederalism represents a main form of intergovernmentalism, defined as any form of interaction around states that takes place on the basis of sovereign independence or government. The nature of the relationship among the member states constituting a confederation varies considerably. Likewise, the relationship between the member states and the general government and their distribution of powers varies. Some looser confederations are similar to international organisations while other confederations with stricter rules may resemble federal systems. These elements of such confederations, the international organization and federalist perspective, has been combined as supranational unions. Since the member states of a confederation retain their sovereignty, they have an implicit right of secession. The political philosopher Emmerich de Vattel said: Several sovereign and independent states may unite themselves together by a perpetual confederacy without each, in particular, ceasing to be a perfect state.... The deliberations in common will offer no violence to the sovereignty of each member.[2] Under a confederation, compared to a federal state, the central authority is relatively weak.[3] Decisions made by the general government in a unicameral legislature, a council of the member states, require subsequent implementation by the member states to take effect; they are not laws acting directly upon the individual but have more the character of interstate agreements.[4] Also, decision-making in the general government usually proceeds by consensus (unanimity), not by the majority. Historically, those features limit the unions effectiveness. Hence, political pressure tends to build over time for the transition to a federal system of government, as in the American, Swiss and German cases of regional integration.
Ideology. An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge,[1][2] in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones.[3] Formerly applied primarily to economic, political, or religious theories and policies, in a tradition going back to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, more recent use treats the term as mainly condemnatory.[4] The term was coined by Antoine Destutt de Tracy, a French Enlightenment aristocrat and philosopher, who conceived it in 1796 as the science of ideas to develop a rational system of ideas to oppose the irrational impulses of the mob. In political science, the term is used in a descriptive sense to refer to political belief systems.[4] The term ideology originates from French idéologie, itself coined from combining Greek: idéā (ἰδέα, notion, pattern; close to the Lockean sense of idea) and -logíā (-λογῐ́ᾱ, the study of). An ideologue is someone who strongly believes in an ideology. The term carries negative connotations, often referring to someone who is blindly partisan, zealous, or fanatical in their beliefs. The term ideology and the system of ideas associated with it were developed in 1796 by Antoine Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836), who crystallised his ideas while in prison (November 1793 to October 1794) pending trial during the Reign of Terror of c. 1793 to July 1794. While imprisoned he read the works of Locke and Étienne Bonnot de Condillac.[5]
Akita Prefecture. Akita Prefecture (秋田県, Akita-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [aꜜ.kʲi̥.ta, a.kʲi̥.taꜜ.keɴ][2]) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.[3] Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographic area is 11,637 km2 (4,493 sq mi). Akita Prefecture is bordered by Aomori Prefecture to the north, Iwate Prefecture to the east, Miyagi Prefecture to the southeast, and Yamagata Prefecture to the south. Akita is the capital and largest city of Akita Prefecture. Other major cities include Yokote, Daisen, and Yurihonjō.[4] Akita Prefecture is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan and extends east to the Ōu Mountains, the longest mountain range in Japan, at the border with Iwate Prefecture. Akita Prefecture formed the northern half of the historic Dewa Province with Yamagata Prefecture. The region of Akita was created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu.[5] Separated from the principal Japanese centres of commerce, politics, and population by several hundred kilometres and by the Ōu and Dewa mountain ranges to the east, Akita remained largely isolated from Japanese society until after the year 600. Akita was a region of hunter-gatherers and principally nomadic tribes.[citation needed]
Akita (city). Akita (秋田市, Akita-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [aꜜ.kʲi̥.ta, a.kʲi̥.taꜜ.ɕi][1]) is the capital and most populous city of Akita Prefecture, Japan, and has been designated a core city since 1 April 1997. As of 1 August 2023[update], the city has an estimated population of 300,502 persons in 136,628 households[2] and a population density of 332 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 906.07 square kilometres (349.84 sq mi). The area of present-day Akita was part of ancient Dewa Province, and has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Jizōden ruins within the city limits are a major archaeological site with artifacts from the Japanese Paleolithic period through the Jōmon and Yayoi periods. During the Nara period, the imperial court established Akita Castle in 733 AD to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. The area was ruled by a succession of local samurai clans in the Sengoku period, before coming under the control of the Satake clan of Kubota Domain during the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, a castle town developed around Kubota Castle. With the start of the Meiji period, Kubota Domain was abolished, and its castle town divided into the towns of Akita and Kubota. Akita Prefecture was established in 1871, and Shima Yoshitake was named the first governor. Ancient Akita District was divided into Kitaakita and Minamiakita Districts in 1878. Most of Akita town burned down in a great fire on 30 April 1886. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on 1 April 1889, the city of Akita was officially established, including former Kubota and Akita towns. The port area was separated into Tsuchizaki-Minato Town, which became part of Minamiakita District. The first city hall was located inside the former Minamiakita District office. In September 1898, the Imperial Japanese Armys 17th Infantry Regiment was based in Akita. The first public library was opened in 1898, electrification of Tsuchizaki began in 1901, and Akita Station was opened in 1902, as well as running water and telephone services in 1907. The Taishō period brought further development to Akita with Nippon Oil Corporation developing the nearby Kurokawa Oil Fields in 1914, and a branch of the Bank of Japan opening in Akita in 1917.
Tottori Castle. Tottori Castle (鳥取城, Tottori-jō) was a Japanese castle located in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture in the Sanin Region of western Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1957 with the area under protection expanded in 1987. The Historical Site designation also includes the Taikōganaru (太閤ヶ平) fortification erected by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the 1581 Siege of Tottori.[1] Tottori Castle was constructed in Inaba Province during the Sengoku period as a yamashiro (mountain castle) built into the mountain itself, using natural obstacles and defenses to a greater extent than man-made walls. The castle is located to the north the center of modern Tottori on Mount Kyusho, which has steep slopes.[2] It is claimed that in the late 12th century, following the Genpei War, the new Shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo granted the position of shugo of Inaba Province to Nasu no Yoichi, the hero of the Battle of Yashima. Nasu lost the castle soon afterwards to Kajiwara Kagetoki in a hunting competition. However, the castle in its present form was constructed by the Yamana clan from 1532 to 1555. In the early Muromachi period, the Yamana once held the position of shugo over most of the Sanin and the Sanyō region, but their hold over Inaba Province itself was weak following the Onin War and the castle was built to counter the increasingly aggressive Amago clan from Izumo, who had seized neighboring Hōki Province from the Yamana and who were now threatening their home province of Tajima. The Amago were defeated by the Mōri clan of Aki Province in 1566 and Inaba Province became a battleground between the Mōri, the remnants of the Amago, and the waning power of the Yamana, who under , Yamana Toyokuni moved clans main stronghold to Tottori castle from Tenjinyama castle in 1573.[3] The castle fell to the Mōri in 1575; however, by seizing Inaba and parts of Harima Province, the Mōri came into conflict with the rapidly increasing power of Oda Nobunaga. In 1577, Nobunaga dispatched an army under Hashiba Hideyoshi to conquer the Mōri. Hideyoshis campaign took several years. In 1577 he first had to suppress revolts at Miki Castle in Harima and Arioka Castle in Settsu Province; he completed his conquest of Tajima Province (with its silver mines) in 1580 and Harima Province in 1581, and persuaded the Nanjō clan (who controlled Hōki Province) and Ukita Naoie (who controlled Mimasaka and Bizen Provinces to defect from the Mōri. In 1581 the Mōri responded by appointing Kikkawa Tsuneie to Tottori Castle with an army of 3000 men. Rather than attack the reputedly impregnable Tottori Castle by frontal assault, Hideyoshi opted for siege warfare. He purchased all available rice and other foodstuffs in Inaba Province for very high prices. He also built a semi-circular 12-kilometer long encampment called the Taikoganaru (太閤ヶ平) on three sides of the castle to isolate it from the town and any supplies or reinforcement. With little food and no hope of reinforcement, the castle surrendered after three months and Kikkawa Tsuneie was forced to commit seppuku. After taking the castle without damage, Hideyoshi assigned it to his general, Miyabe Keihin. However, after his death and the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu reassigned the castle to Ikeda Mitsumasa in 1616. As daimyō of Tottori Domain, which ruled both Inaba and Hōki Provinces, Ikeda Mitsumasa greatly expanded upon and rebuilt Tottori Castle with stone walls and water moats. The mountain areas of the castle, including its original inner bailey were abandoned, but at the lower levels a three-story tenshu was constructed. The castle remained in the hands of a branch of the Ikeda clan to the end of the Edo Period.
Shimane Prefecture. Shimane Prefecture (島根県, Shimane-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [ɕiꜜ.ma.ne, ɕi.ma.neꜜ.keɴ][2]) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.[3] Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east. Matsue is the capital and largest city of Shimane Prefecture, with other major cities including Izumo, Hamada, and Masuda.[4] Shimane Prefecture contains the majority of the Lake Shinji-Nakaumi metropolitan area centered on Matsue, and with a population of approximately 600,000 is Japans third-largest metropolitan area on the Sea of Japan coast after Niigata and Greater Kanazawa. Shimane Prefecture is bounded by the Sea of Japan coastline on the north, where two-thirds of the population live, and the Chūgoku Mountains on the south. Shimane Prefecture governs the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan which juridically includes the disputed Liancourt Rocks (竹島, Takeshima). Shimane Prefecture is home to Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, and the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle. The history of Shimane starts with Japanese mythology. The Shinto god Ōkuninushi was believed to live in Izumo, an old province in Shimane. Izumo Shrine, which is in the city of Izumo, honors the god.[5] At that time, the current Shimane prefecture was divided into three parts: Iwami, Izumo, and Oki.[6] That lasted until the abolition of the han system took place in 1871. During the Nara period, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro wrote a poem on Shimanes nature when he was sent as the Royal governor.[7] Later on in the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the Kamakura shogunate forced emperors Go-Toba and Godaigo into exile in Oki. Emperor Go-Daigo later escaped from Oki and began rallying supporters against the shogunate, which proved successful.[8]
Köppen climate classification. The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (arid), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, Af indicates a tropical rainforest climate. The system assigns a temperature subgroup for all groups other than those in the A group, indicated by the third letter for climates in B, C, D, and the second letter for climates in E. Other examples include: Cfb indicating an oceanic climate with warm summers as indicated by the ending b., while Dwb indicates a semi-monsoonal continental climate, also with warm summers. Climates are classified based on specific criteria unique to each climate type.[1] The Köppen climate classification is the most widely used climate classification scheme.[2] It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884,[3][4] with several later modifications by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936.[5][6] Later, German climatologist Rudolf Geiger (1894–1981) introduced some changes to the classification system in 1954 and 1961, which is thus sometimes called the Köppen–Geiger climate classification.[7][8] As Köppen designed the system based on his experience as a botanist, his main climate groups represent a classification by vegetation type. In addition to identifying climates, the system can be used to analyze ecosystem conditions and identify the main types of vegetation within climates. Due to its association with the plant life of a given region, the system is useful in predicting future changes of plant life within that region.[9] The Köppen climate classification system was modified further within the Trewartha climate classification system in 1966 (revised in 1980). The Trewartha system sought to create a more refined middle latitude climate zone, which was one of the criticisms of the Köppen system (the climate group C was too general).[10]: 200–201
Blue-and-white flycatcher. The blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana) is a migratory songbird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species is also known as the Japanese flycatcher. It breeds in Japan, Korea, and in parts of north eastern China and the Russian Far East. It winters in South East Asia, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo. This species has been recorded as a vagrant from the Sinharaja Rainforest in Sri Lanka in 2014. The species was first described in 1829 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the Binomial name Muscicapa cyanomelana. It is now located in the genus Cyanoptila alongside Zappeys flycatcher, which used to be conspecific with this taxon.[2] The genus name comes from ancient Greek: kuanos meaning dark-blue; and ptilon – plumage. The specific cyanomelana also comes from kuanos, paired with melas, melanos meaning dark, black.[3] Two recognized subspecies:[4][5]
Sea of Japan. The Sea of Japan (see below for other names) is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean.[1] This isolation also affects faunal diversity and salinity, both of which are lower than in the open ocean. The sea has no large islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and the Pacific Ocean. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1%. The seawater has an elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region. The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies. Sea of Japan is the dominant term used in English for the sea. The sea is called Nihon kai (日本海, literally Japan Sea) in Japan, Rìběn hǎi (日本海, Japan Sea) or originally Jīng hǎi (鲸海, Whale Sea) in China,[2] Yaponskoye more (Японское море, Japanese Sea) in Russia, Chosŏn Tonghae (조선동해, literally Korean East Sea) in North Korea, and Donghae (동해, literally East Sea) in South Korea. The naming of the sea is the subject of an ongoing dispute. Japan uses the name “Sea of Japan” and asserts that it has been the internationally accepted term since the early 19th century.[3] In contrast, South Korea contends that the “East Sea” was historically used before Japanese colonial rule,[4][5] and officially requests that it be used alongside “Sea of Japan”. North Korea advocates for the name “East Sea of Korea”.[6]
Humid subtropical climate. A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical-temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° and are located poleward from adjacent tropical climates, and equatorward from either humid continental (in North America and Asia) or oceanic climates (in other continents). It is also known as warm temperate climate in some climate classifications.[1] Under the Köppen climate classification, Cfa and Cwa climates are either described as humid subtropical climates or warm temperate climates. This climate features mean temperature in the coldest month between −3 °C (27 °F) (or 0 °C (32 °F)) and 18 °C (64 °F) and mean temperature in the warmest month 22 °C (72 °F) or higher. However, while some climatologists have opted to describe this climate type as a humid subtropical climate,[2] Köppen himself never used this term. The humid subtropical climate classification was officially created under the Trewartha climate classification.[3] In this classification, climates are termed humid subtropical when they have at least 8 months with a mean temperature above 10 °C (50 °F). While many subtropical climates tend to be located at or near coastal locations, in some cases, they extend inland, most notably in China and the United States,[citation needed] where they exhibit more pronounced seasonal variations and sharper contrasts between summer and winter, as part of a gradient between the hotter tropical climates of the southern coasts and the colder continental climates to the north and further inland. As such, the climate can be said to exhibit somewhat different features depending on whether it is found inland, or in a maritime position. In a humid subtropical climate, summers are typically long, hot and humid. A deep current of tropical air dominates the humid subtropics at the time of high sun, and daily intense (but brief) convective thundershowers are common. Monthly mean temperatures in winter may be mild or slightly above freezing.[4][5] Rainfall often shows a summer peak especially where storms reaching the level of monsoons are well developed, as in Southeast Asia and South Asia.[6] Other areas have a more uniform or varying rainfall cycles but consistently lack any predictably dry summer months unlike Mediterranean climates (which lie at similar latitudes but, in most continents, on opposite coasts). Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms that build up due to the intense surface heating and strong subtropical sun angle. Weak tropical lows that move in from adjacent warm tropical oceans, as well as occasional tropical cyclones often contribute to summer seasonal rainfall peaks. Winter rainfall (and occasional snowfall, especially near the poleward margins) is often associated with large storms in the westerlies that have fronts that reach down into subtropical latitudes.
List of time zone abbreviations. This is a list of time zone abbreviations. Time zones are often represented by alphabetic abbreviations such as EST, WST, and CST, but these are not part of the international time and date standard ISO 8601 and their use as sole designator for a time zone is discouraged. Such designations can be ambiguous; for example, CST can mean China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), Cuba Standard Time (UTC−05:00), and (North American) Central Standard Time (UTC−06:00), and it is also a widely used variant of ACST (Australian Central Standard Time, UTC+9:30). Such designations predate both ISO 8601 and the internet era; in an earlier era, they were sufficiently unambiguous for many practical uses within a national context (for example, in railway timetables and business correspondence), but their ambiguity explains their deprecation in the internet era, when communications more often cannot rely on implicit geographic context to supply part of the meaning.
Military time zone. The military time zones are a standardized, uniform set of time zones for expressing time across different regions of the world, named after the NATO phonetic alphabet. The Zulu time zone (Z) is equivalent to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and is often referred to as the military time zone. The military time zone system ensures clear communication in a concise manner, and avoids confusion when coordinating across time zones. The Combined Communications-Electronics Board, representing the armed forces of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, publishes the military time zone system as the ACP 121 standard.[1] The armed forces of Austria and many nations in NATO use it.[citation needed] Going east from the prime meridian at Greenwich, letters Alfa[a] to Mike (skipping J, see below) represent the 12 time zones with positive UTC offsets until reaching the international Date Line. Going west from Greenwich, letters November to Yankee represent zones with negative offsets. The letters are typically used in conjunction with military time. For example, 6:00 a.m. in zone UTC−5 is written 0600R and spoken zero six hundred Romeo. The numeric zone description or plus and minus system indicates the correction which must be applied to the time as expressed in order to convert to UTC. For example, the zone description for the Romeo time zone is +5. Therefore, adding 5 hours to 0600R produces the time in UTC, 1100Z.[1] The letter J (Juliet), originally skipped, may be used to indicate the observers local time.[2] The letter L was previously misidentified in some editions of U.S. Army publications, such as FM 5-0,[3] as representing Local time, which conflicted with its established use for the Lima time zone (UTC+11). This error has been rectified in the latest edition of FM 5-0, released in May 2022,[4] which no longer includes this incorrect usage. LT may instead be used to denote local time.
Yin and yang. Model humanity: Main philosophical traditions: Ritual traditions: Devotional traditions:
Jinpūkaku. Jinpūkaku (仁風閣, Jinpūkaku) is a Western-style French Renaissance style residence of the Ikeda clan located in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Jinpūkaku was commissioned in 1906 by the 14th daimyō of the Ikeda clan, Nakahiro Ikeda (1877–1948).[1] The residence was designed by the Meiji period architect Katayama Tōkuma (1854–1917), and covers 1,046 square metres (11,260 sq ft) on a site of 7,200 square metres (78,000 sq ft), and was completed in 1907. Jinpūkaku resembles Tōkumas Nara National Museum (1894) and Akasaka Palace (1909), and cost 43,335 yen to build. Jinpūkaku was built in close proximity to the ruins of Tottori Castle, which was long controlled by the Ikeda clan, and Kōzen-ji, the temple of the Ikeda family. Ikeda ostensibly commissioned Jinpūkaku as a detached residence for the family, but it was likely constructed to house Crown Prince Yoshihito, later Emperor Taishō on his tour of the Sanin Region in 1907, the same year construction on the residence was completed.[2] Ikeda was closely associated with Tōgō Heihachirō (1848–1934), Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, who accompanied the Emperor Taishō on the tour and gave the residence its name. A nameplate with Tōgōs inscription is prominently displayed in the second floor hall of the structure. Jinpūkaku was the first residence in Tottori to be electrified, and as such was a symbol of the progress of the Meiji period to local residents.[3] After the Meiji period Jinpūkaku was used as a welcome hall and public gathering place by the City of Tottori. The structure was significantly damaged in the 1943 Tottori earthquake. The chimneys of the structure protruded through the roof. During the repairs after the earthquake a slate roof was placed on the residence. Jinpūkaku housed the predecessor of the Tottori Prefectural Museum from 1949 until the museum was relocated to its current structure in 1972.[4] The structure was designated as one of the Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 1973, and an extensive renovation was carried out for the following three years. The residence is open to the public, and includes a display of materials related to the Ikeda clan.[5] The site was used as the backdrop for filming one of the major fight scenes in 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin (film).
List of time offsets by U.S. state and territory. This is a list of the time offsets by U.S. states, federal district, and territories. For more about the time zones of the U.S. see time in the United States. Most states are located entirely within one time zone. However, some states are located in two time zones for geographic, socio-political, or economic reasons.
Canada. Canada[a] is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest country by total area, with the longest coastline of any country. Its border with the United States is the longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. With a population of over 41 million, it has widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in its urban areas and large areas being sparsely populated. Canadas capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories resulting in the displacement of Indigenous populations, and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This increased sovereignty was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster, 1931, and culminated in the Canada Act 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The countrys head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is appointed by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the ceremonial head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education and human rights. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.
List of UTC offsets. This is a list of the UTC time offsets, showing the difference in hours and minutes from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), from the westernmost (−12:00) to the easternmost (+14:00). It includes countries and regions that observe them during standard time or year-round. The main purpose of this page is to list the current standard time offsets of different countries, territories and regions. Information on daylight saving time or historical changes in offsets can be found in the individual offset articles (e.g. UTC+01:00) or the country-specific time articles (e.g. Time in Russia). Places that observe daylight saving time (DST) during their respective summer periods are listed only once, at the offset for their winter (usually known as standard) period; see their individual articles for more information. A source for detailed DST and historical information is the tz database. Note that there are many instances of unofficial observation of a different offset (and/or DST) than expected by areas close to borders, usually for economic reasons.[1] In the section names, the letter after the offset is that used in nautical time, with which the UTC offset section overlaps at least partially. Nautical time strictly partitions the globe at 15 degrees, whereas UTC offsets can deviate, for instance according to borders. If present, a dagger (†) indicates the usage of a nautical time zone letter outside of the standard geographic definition of that time zone.
Republic of Ireland. – in Europe (light green & dark grey)– in the European Union (light green) Ireland (Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ⓘ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann),[a] is a country in Northwestern Europe. It consists of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million.[4] Its capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island, with a population of over 1.5 million.[4] The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St Georges Channel to the south-east and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic.[12] The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann; an upper house, Seanad Éireann; and an elected president (Uachtarán) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach (prime minister, lit. chief), elected by the Dáil and appointed by the president, who appoints other government ministers. The Irish Free State was created with Dominion status in 1922, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty. In 1937, a new constitution was adopted, in which the state was named Ireland and effectively became a republic, with an elected non-executive president. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following The Republic of Ireland Act 1948. Ireland became a member of the United Nations in 1955. It joined the European Communities (EC), the predecessor of the European Union (EU), in 1973. The state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the 20th century, but the 1980s and 1990s saw the British and Irish governments working with Northern Irish parties to resolve the conflict that had become known as the Troubles. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Irish government and Northern Irish government have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North/South Ministerial Council created by the Agreement. Ireland is a developed country with a quality of life ranked sixth in the world by the 2024 Human Development Index Report adjusted for inequality.[13] It also ranks highly in healthcare, economic freedom and freedom of the press.[14][15] According to the Global Peace Index, Ireland was the second most peaceful country worldwide in 2024.[16]
Time Zones (album). Time Zones is an album by electronic musician Richard Teitelbaum and saxophonist Anthony Braxton, recorded in 1976 and released on the Freedom label.[1][2][3] The AllMusic review by Brian Olewnick stated: The two had a long and fruitful relationship and these pieces give a good idea why: both possessed probing intelligence that enabled them to dig deep into each others individual musical languages, unearthing surprising common ground as well as acknowledging differences.[4] In JazzTimes, Bill Shoemaker wrote: Teitelbaum is in a class by himself when it comes to improvising with synthesizers. His ability to morph from horn-like voice to viscous texture, to melt between foreground and background, and to incite inspired improvisations from Braxton (especially an alto solo at the end of Crossings, which unravels from desultory lyricism to an eerie reed effect), is thoroughly engaging.[5] All compositions by Richard Teitelbaum.
Time Zone (video game). Time Zone is a multi-disk graphical adventure game written and directed by Roberta Williams for the Apple II. Developed in 1981 and released in 1982 by On-Line Systems (later Sierra Entertainment), the game was shipped with six double-sided floppy disks and contained 1,500 areas (screens) to explore along with 39 scenarios to solve. Produced at a time when most games rarely took up more than one side of a floppy, Time Zone is one of the first games of this magnitude released for home computer systems.[2] Ports were released for Japanese home computers PC-88, PC-98 and FM-7 in 1985. Time Zone allows players to travel through time and across the globe solving puzzles while meeting famous historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Cleopatra, and Julius Caesar. The game has static pictures and a text parser that understands two-word commands. The game used the companys existing Hi-Res Adventures engine. Roberta Williams was the designer and writer, and its development took six months and about ten other people—the first example of the modern video game-development model in which programmers, artists, and designers are separate people in a team larger than a few people—worked on the game for a year. Each of the more than 1,300 locations had its own artwork. The company hoped to release Time Zone before Christmas 1981, but did not do so until March 1982.[3] Because of the games difficulty, Sierra offered a telephone help line that players could call for hints.[4] BYTE wrote The Guinness Book of World Records must be getting ready for a computer game category, if Time Zone is any indication of things to come. Without a doubt, it is the longest adventure game to date.[5] The game received a Certificate of Merit in the category of Best Computer Adventure at the 4th annual Arkie Awards.[6]: 32 Williams brother-in-law and fellow employee, John, later said, It frankly wasnt that good. Time Zone sold poorly; the original retail price of US$99 (equivalent to $323 in 2024) may make it the most expensive computer game in history after inflation.[3] The game was reissued the year of its release as part of the short-lived SierraVentures line.[7][4]
New Zealand. New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa, pronounced [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The countrys varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (Kā Tiritiri o te Moana), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealands capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1769 the British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on and map New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi which paved the way for Britains declaration of sovereignty later that year and the establishment of the Crown Colony of New Zealand in 1841. Subsequently, a series of conflicts between the colonial government and Māori tribes resulted in the alienation and confiscation of large amounts of Māori land. New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealands population of around 5.3 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pasifika. Reflecting this, New Zealands culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers but has recently broadened from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with the local dialect of English being dominant. A developed country, New Zealand was the first to introduce a minimum wage and give women the right to vote. It ranks very highly in international measures of quality of life and human rights and has one of the lowest levels of perceived corruption in the world. It retains visible levels of inequality, including structural disparities between its Māori and European populations. New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. The service sector dominates the countrys economy, followed by the industrial sector, and agriculture; international tourism is also a significant source of revenue. New Zealand and Australia have a strong relationship and are considered to share a strong Trans-Tasman identity, stemming from centuries of British colonisation. The country is part of multiple international organizations and forums. Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected, unicameral Parliament, while executive political power is exercised by the Government, led by the prime minister, currently Christopher Luxon. Charles III is the countrys king and is represented by the governor-general, Cindy Kiro. New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes. The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing states in free association with New Zealand); and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealands territorial claim in Antarctica.
List of cities in Japan. This is a list of cities in Japan sorted by prefecture and within prefecture by founding date. The list is also sortable by population, area, density and foundation date. Most large cities in Japan are cities designated by government ordinance. Some regionally important cities are designated as core cities. Tokyo is not included on this list, as the City of Tokyo ceased to exist on July 1, 1943. Tokyo now exists as a special metropolis prefecture (都, to), with 23 special wards (with the same status of city) making up the former boundaries of the former city in the eastern half of the prefecture.
List of tz database time zones. This is a list of time zones from release 2025b of the tz database.[2] Standard Time (SDT) and Daylight Saving Time (DST) offsets from UTC in hours and minutes. For zones in which Daylight Saving is not observed, the DST offset shown in this table is a simple duplication of the SDT offset. The UTC offsets are based on the current or upcoming database rules. This table does not attempt to document any of the historical data which resides in the database. In Ireland, what Irish law designates as standard time is observed during the summer, with clocks turned one hour ahead of UTC.[3][4] The SDT column shows the offset from UTC during the winter, even in Ireland, where thats referred to as winter time, and the DST column shows the offset from UTC during the summer, even in Ireland, where thats referred to as standard time. Time zone abbreviations for both Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time are shown exactly as they appear in the database. See strftime and its %Z field. Some of zone records use 3 or 4 letter abbreviations that are tied to physical time zones, others use numeric UTC offsets.
Afrika Bambaataa. Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (/ˌæfrɪkə bæmˈbɑːtə/),[2][3] is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer.[4][3] He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture.[5] Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.[1] Through his co-opting of his street gang Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented organization Universal Zulu Nation, he has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world.[6] In May 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of the Universal Zulu Nation due to multiple allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s.[7] Born Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants,[8] Bambaataa grew up in the Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mothers extensive and eclectic record collection.[5] Gangs in the area became the law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf.[5] Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades. He quickly rose to the position of warlord in one of the divisions. As warlord, it was his job to build ranks and expand the turf of the young Spades. He was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gangs, and their members. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.[5]
Timezone (video arcades). Timezone is an international chain of family entertainment centres and amusement arcade centres based in Australia. It is owned and operated by The Entertainment and Education Group (TEEG). Outside of Australia, Timezone is currently operating in India, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In 1958, Malcolm Steinbergs father gave him 21 pinball machines. In Perth, the 18-year-old struck deals to place the pinballs in fish and chip shops and milk bars in exchange for half the earnings.[1] Steinbergs company Leisure & Allied Industries (LAI), which manufactured and imported arcade games, entered the video game retail market in the early 1970s with its first two stores, Blue Pumpernickel and Crystal Palace. In 1978, Steinberg opened the first Timezone — his first arcade — on Murray Street, Perth. He also relaunched the stores under the new brand. Timezone was successful, reaching a peak of eight stores in Western Australia.[2][3] Timezone began to expand outside the state in the early 1980s. From 1989 to 1991, LAI opened 25 locations.[2]
Standard time (manufacturing). In industrial engineering, the standard time is the time required by an average skilled operator, working at a normal pace, to perform a specified task using a prescribed method.[1] It includes appropriate allowances to allow the person to recover from fatigue and, where necessary, an additional allowance to cover contingent elements which may occur but have not been observed. Standard time = normal time + allowance Where; Normal time = average time × rating factor (take rating factor between 1.1 and 1.2) Time times for all operations are known.
Local mean time. Local mean time (LMT) is a form of solar time that corrects the variations of local apparent time, forming a uniform time scale at a specific longitude. This measurement of time was used for everyday use during the 19th century before time zones were introduced beginning in the late 19th century; it still has some uses in astronomy and navigation.[1] The difference between local mean time and local apparent time is the equation of time. Local mean time was used from the early 19th century, when local solar time or sundial time was last used until standard time was adopted on various dates in the several countries. Each town or city kept its own meridian, so locations one degree of longitude apart had times four minutes apart.[2] This became a problem in the mid 19th century when railways needed clocks for railway time that were synchronized between stations, while local people needed to match their clock (or the church clock) to the time tables. Standard time means that the same time is used throughout some regional time zone—usually, it is at an offset from Greenwich Mean Time or the local mean time of the capital of the region.
Daylight saving time by country. Daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during part of the year, typically by one hour around spring and summer, so that daylight ends at a later time of the day. As of 2025[update], DST is observed in most of Europe, most of North America and parts of Africa and Asia around the Northern Hemisphere summer, and in parts of South America and Oceania around the Southern Hemisphere summer. It was also formerly observed in other areas. As of 2025[update], the following locations were scheduled to start and end DST at the following times:[1][2] In the table above, the DST start and end times refer to the local time before each change occurs, unless otherwise specified. The shift is the amount of time added at the DST start time and subtracted at the DST end time. For example, in Canada and the United States, when DST starts, the local time changes from 02:00 to 03:00, and when DST ends, the local time changes from 02:00 to 01:00. As the time change depends on the time zone, it does not occur simultaneously in all parts of these countries. Conversely, in almost all parts of Europe that observe DST, the time change occurs simultaneously at 01:00 UTC regardless of their time zone. Morocco, including the portion of Western Sahara that it administers, also observes an annual time change but not related to seasonal daylight. The local time is decreased by one hour on the Sunday before Ramadan at 03:00, and increased by one hour on the Sunday after Ramadan at 02:00 (in 2025, the dates are 23 February and 6 April).
Mad Men season 7. The seventh and final season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on April 13, 2014, and concluded on May 17, 2015, on AMC. The season consists of 14 episodes split into two, seven-episode parts: the first half, titled The Beginning, aired from April 13 to May 25, 2014; and the second half, titled The End of an Era, aired from April 5 to May 17, 2015.[2] The first part of the seventh season was released on Blu-ray/DVD on October 21, 2014,[3] and the second half was released on October 13, 2015.[4] Each episode in the season has a running time of approximately 48 minutes, with the exception of the final two episodes which are 54 and 57 minutes, respectively.[5] The first part of season 7 begins in January 1969, several weeks after the Thanksgiving 1968 ending of season 6, with characters dealing with the dynamics of lives and offices being split between New York and Los Angeles, and ends in July 1969. The second part of season 7 takes place between April and November 1970.[6][7] Both halves received critical acclaim, and based on year-end lists published by television critics, Mad Mens seventh season was the seventh most acclaimed series of 2014 for its first seven episodes, and was the second most acclaimed series of 2015 for its final episodes.[8][9] The seventh season of Mad Men received acclaim. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of 510 critics reviewed the season favorably with an average score of 8.85/10. The sites consensus is: Just in time to rekindle viewers interest, Mad Men gets back on track for one last season, revisiting its steady, deliberate pace and style on its way to a sure-to-be-compelling climax.[27] On Metacritic, the first part of the seventh season scored 85 out of 100 based on 26 reviews; the second part scored 83 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, both indicating universal acclaim.[28][29] For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, the first half of the season was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Jon Hamm was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Christina Hendricks was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Robert Morse was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[30] For the 67th Writers Guild of America Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series and Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner were nominated for Best Episodic Drama for A Days Work.[31]
Adélie Land. Adélie Land (French: Terre Adélie [tɛʁ adeli]) or Adélie Coast[3] is a claimed territory of France located on the continent of Antarctica. It stretches from a portion of the Southern Ocean coastline all the way inland to the South Pole. France has administered it as one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since 1955 and applied the Antarctic Treaty System rules since 1961. Article 4 of the Antarctic Treaty deals with territorial claims, and although it does not renounce or diminish any preexisting claims to sovereignty, it also does not prejudice the position of contracting parties in their recognition or non-recognition of territorial sovereignty. France has had a permanent station in Adélie Land since 9 April 1950. Adélie Land lies between 136° E (near Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12′S 136°11′E / 66.200°S 136.183°E / -66.200; 136.183) and 142° E (near Point Alden at 66°48′S 142°02′E / 66.800°S 142.033°E / -66.800; 142.033), with a shore length of about 350 kilometres (220 mi) and with its inland part extending as a sector of a circle about 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) toward the South Pole. Adélie Land has borders with the Australian Antarctic Territory both on the east and on the west, namely on Clarie Land (part of Wilkes Land) in the west, and George V Land in the east. Additionally, it is the only territory claimed within French Southern and Antarctic Lands that is not an island.[4] Its total land area, mostly covered with glaciers,[3] is estimated to be 432,000 square kilometres (167,000 sq mi).[5] The coast of Adélie Land is known for its katabatic winds which push snow and sea ice away from the coast.[3] In a 1915 Science Magazine volume, it was named the stormiest spot on the face of earth.[6]
Time standard. A time standard is a specification for measuring time: either the rate at which time passes or points in time or both. In modern times, several time specifications have been officially recognized as standards, where formerly they were matters of custom and practice. An example of a kind of time standard can be a time scale, specifying a method for measuring divisions of time. A standard for civil time can specify both time intervals and time-of-day. Standardized time measurements are made using a clock to count periods of some period changes, which may be either the changes of a natural phenomenon or of an artificial machine. Historically, time standards were often based on the Earths rotational period. From the late 18 century to the 19th century it was assumed that the Earths daily rotational rate was constant. Astronomical observations of several kinds, including eclipse records, studied in the 19th century, raised suspicions that the rate at which Earth rotates is gradually slowing and also shows small-scale irregularities, and this was confirmed in the early twentieth century. Time standards based on Earth rotation were replaced (or initially supplemented) for astronomical use from 1952 onwards by an ephemeris time standard based on the Earths orbital period and in practice on the motion of the Moon. The invention in 1955 of the caesium atomic clock has led to the replacement of older and purely astronomical time standards, for most practical purposes, by newer time standards based wholly or partly on atomic time. Various types of second and day are used as the basic time interval for most time scales. Other intervals of time (minutes, hours, and years) are usually defined in terms of these two.
Territorial claims in Antarctica. Seven sovereign states – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom – have made eight territorial claims in Antarctica. These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and study facilities within their respective claimed territories; however, a number of such facilities are located outside of the area claimed by their respective countries of operation, and countries without claims such as Belgium, Spain, China, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa (SANAE), Poland, and the United States have constructed research facilities within the areas claimed by other countries. There are overlaps among the territories claimed by Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom. Spanish Empire 1539–1555 France 1840–present United Kingdom 1908–present New Zealand 1923–present
Standard Time (album). Standard Time is the debut album by former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, released in 1982. The album is mostly a collection of covers aside from one track, Maisie. Its an original song that was recorded with Wings on July 21st, 1978 at Low Ranachan Farm, Campbeltown, Scotland during the Back to the Egg sessions and features Paul McCartney on Rickenbacker bass guitar, Denny Laine and Steve Holley.[1] Maisie would later re-appear in a different version on Jubers 1993 album Naked Guitar as Maise. The album was originally released on vinyl and was unavailable digitally until 2014 when it was re-released on CD in expanded form as part of Jubers book Guitar with Wings.[2]
Winter time (clock lag). Winter time is the practice of shifting the clock behind standard time during winter months, usually −1 hour. It is the opposite of daylight saving time in that the different time is in effect during winter months, rather than the usual case where the different time is in effect during summer months. However, while summer time is widely applied, use of winter time has been and is very rare. Winter time was applied in Czechoslovakia by government ordinance no. 213/1946 Sb. from 1 December 1946 (3:00→2:00) to 23 February 1947 (2:00→3:00), authorized by act 212/1946 Sb., o zimním čase (about the winter time). This simple two-paragraph act, approved on 21 November 1946 and announced on 27 November 1946, authorised the government to implement winter time by ordinance at any time.[1] The government gave as the main reason for this provision the fact that power plants had approximately 10% lack of capacity in peak hours (07:00–08:00 and 16:00–20:00) and winter time should help to spread the load out.[2] The act was never cancelled and it theoretically authorises the government in the successor Czech Republic, as well as in the Slovak Republic, which adopted Czechoslovak law, to implement winter time again at any time. However, the experiment has never been repeated.[3] Namibia used winter time since 1994 until 2017. In this period Namibian Standard Time was UTC+02:00 (derived from South African Standard Time) in summer, and UTC+01:00 (equivalent to West Africa Time) in winter.[4] Winter time began on the first Sunday in April at 03:00, and lasted until the first Sunday in September, 02:00 hours. In the Zambezi Region in the far north-east of Namibia clocks were not changed and remained on Central Africa Time all year round so that during winter time, Namibia spanned two time zones.[5]
Artist. An artist is a person engaged in creating art, or practicing the arts. The most common usage in everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the term is also very widely used in the entertainment business to refer to actors, musicians, singers, dancers and other performers.[1] The French word artiste is sometimes used in English in this context, although this has become old-fashioned. The use of the term artist to describe writers is valid, but less common, and mostly restricted to contexts such as critics reviews;[2] author is generally used instead. While the use of the word artist is common, there is no agreed upon definition of art[3]—this makes the definition of who is and is not an artist indeterminate. Many artist and theorists still debate their interpretation of arts definition.[4] I am only pointing out that my project, like Collingwoods, Osbornes, and others, is metaphysical in nature. I am interested in trying to find out what a work of art is and what it is essentially.
Visualization (graphics). Visualization (or visualisation), also known as graphics visualization, is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since the dawn of humanity. Examples from history include cave paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek geometry, and Leonardo da Vincis revolutionary methods of technical drawing for engineering purposes that actively involve scientific requirements. Visualization today has ever-expanding applications in science, education, engineering (e.g., product visualization), interactive multimedia, medicine, etc. Typical of a visualization application is the field of computer graphics. The invention of computer graphics (and 3D computer graphics) may be the most important development in visualization since the invention of central perspective in the Renaissance period. The development of animation also helped advance visualization. The use of visualization to present information is not a new phenomenon. It has been used in maps, scientific drawings, and data plots for over a thousand years. Examples from cartography include Ptolemys Geographia (2nd century AD), a map of China (1137 AD), and Minards map (1861) of Napoleons invasion of Russia a century and a half ago. Most of the concepts learned in devising these images carry over in a straightforward manner to computer visualization. Edward Tufte has written three critically acclaimed books that explain many of these principles.[1][2][3] Computer graphics has from its beginning been used to study scientific problems. However, in its early days the lack of graphics power often limited its usefulness. The recent emphasis on visualization started in 1987 with the publication of Visualization in Scientific Computing, a special issue of Computer Graphics.[4] Since then, there have been several conferences and workshops, co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society and ACM SIGGRAPH, devoted to the general topic, and special areas in the field, for example volume visualization.
Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design software developed and marketed by Adobe. Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985. Along with Creative Cloud (Adobes shift to a monthly or annual subscription service delivered over the Internet), Illustrator CC was released. The latest version, Illustrator 2025, was released on October 14, 2024, and is the 29th generation in the product line. Adobe Illustrator was reviewed as the best vector graphics editing program in 2021 by PC Magazine.[1] Development of Adobe Illustrator for the Apple Macintosh began in 1985[2] (shipping in January 1987) as Adobes second software product after PostScript. Adobe co-founder and CEO John Warnock created Illustrator in late 1986 to automate many of the manual tasks utilized by his wife, Marva, a graphic designer. It used lines and bézier curves to render infinitely scalable graphics.[3][4] Illustrator was released in early 1987,[5] and became a commercialization of Adobes in-house font development software and PostScript file format. Adobe Illustrator is the companion product of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is primarily geared toward digital photo manipulation and photorealistic styles of computer illustration, while Illustrator provides results in the typesetting and logo graphic areas of design. Early magazine advertisements (featured in graphic design trade magazines such as Communication Arts) referred to the product as the Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator 88, the product name for version 1.6,[6] was released in 1988 and introduced many new tools and features.[7] Byte in 1989 listed Illustrator 88 as among the Distinction winners of the Byte Awards, stating that with it Adobe had pulled ahead of previously industry-dominant competitor Aldus FreeHand.[8]
Sire. Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current.[citation needed] In Belgium, the king is addressed as Sire... in both Dutch and French.[citation needed] The words sire and sir, as well as the French (mon)sieur, the Spanish señor, and the Portuguese senhor, share a common etymological origin, all ultimately being related to the Latin senior. The female equivalent form of address is dame or dam.[1]
Honorific. An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term honorific is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It is also often conflated with systems of honorific speech in linguistics, which are grammatical or morphological ways of encoding the relative social status of speakers. Honorifics can be used as prefixes or suffixes depending on the appropriate occasion and presentation in accordance with style and customs. Typically, honorifics are used as a style in the grammatical third person, and as a form of address in the second person. Some languages have anti-honorific (despective or humilific) first person forms (expressions such as your most humble servant or this unworthy person) whose effect is to enhance the relative honor accorded to the person addressed. The most common honorifics in modern English are usually placed immediately before a persons name. Honorifics used (both as style and as form of address) include, in the case of a man, Mr. (irrespective of marital status), and, in the case of a woman, previously either of two depending on marital status: Miss if unmarried and Mrs. if married, widowed, or divorced; more recently, a third, Ms., became the more prevalent norm, mainly owing to the desire to avoid identifying women by their marital status. Further considerations regarding identifying people by gender currently are raised with varying prevalence and details; in some environments, honorifics such as Mx., Ind. or Misc. may be used so as not to identify people by gender. In some environments, the honorific Mstr. may be used for a boy who has not yet entered adult society; similar to this, Miss may be considered appropriate for a girl but inappropriate for a woman (but unless parallel to Mstr. the reasoning is not explicit). All the above terms but Miss are written as abbreviations—most were originally abbreviations (e.g., from Mister, Mistress), others may be considered as coined to directly parallel them for consistency. Abbreviations that include the initial and final letters (a type of contraction) are typically written in most English dialects (modern U.K. English, Australian English, South African English as examples) without full stops (periods) but in U.S. English and Canadian English always end with a period. Other honorifics may denote the honored persons occupation, for instance Doctor, Esquire, Captain, Coach, Officer, The Reverend (for all Christian clergy) or Father (for a Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, or Anglican Christian priest), Rabbi for Jewish clergy, or Professor.[a] Holders of an academic doctorate, such as a Ph.D., are addressed as Doctor (abbreviated Dr.). Some honorifics act as complete replacements for a name, as Sir or Maam, or Your Honour/Honor. Subordinates will often use honorifics as punctuation before asking a superior a question or after responding to an order: Yes, sir or even Sir, yes, sir.
Democracy (disambiguation). Democracy is a political concept or form of government. Democracy or Democracies may also refer to:

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.