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29165 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren | Siren | This article is about mythological creatures. For the noise-making siren see siren (noisemaker)
A siren is a creature in Greek mythology. The sirens were living on an island surrounded by rocks. sirens also have a mermaid form where they still sing but they hit the boat to sink it that way and sirens have a human form Sailors would try to go to them because of their singing, and their ships would get destroyed on the rocks, and they would drown.
Originally they looked like bird-women, but in modern time they are often shown to look like fish-women or mermaids. Many people said they were Naiads (spirits of the sea).
They also appear in Homer's Odyssey. There Odysseus and his ship have to pass the siren's island. Odysseus tells his men to put wax in their ears, so they will not hear the song of the sirens. He also tells his men to bind him to the ship's mast, so he cannot go to the sirens when he hears their song. When Odysseus and his men pass the Sirens, Odysseus wants to go towards them, but his men pull the rope tighter to hold him down. His men can then look at Odysseus and see when he cannot hear the sirens anymore, because he is calm again. Then they can take the wax out of their ears, and free Odysseus.
Greek legendary creatures
et:Sireenid |
29166 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirens%20%28movie%29 | Sirens (movie) | Sirens is a 1994 movie that had many famous models in it. The famous models were Elle Macpherson, Portia de Rossi and Kate Fischer. The three models are in the movie without clothing. Some of them do sex scenes. The models had to gain weight do the movie.
The Story
Sirens is based on the true story of the life of Norman Lindsay. He was an artist who made many beautiful pictures that were very rude and sexy. Many people thought that his pictures were wrong.
The movie stars Sam Neill as Norman Lindsay. Hugh Grant is the main character who comes with his wife Tara Fitzgerald to see what Norman Lindsay is like.
1994 movies
English-language movies |
29167 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua | Aqua | Aqua is the Latin word for water. It is sometimes as a prefix (such as aquaculture). It can also mean:
Aqua is also used by web site designers as a different name for the web colour cyan; aqua is also used for aquamarine by graphic designers and interior designers.
Aqua (Chicago), a skyscraper in Chicago. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world.
Aqua (band), a band from Denmark |
29168 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender | Lavender | This article is about the plant. For the colour see Lavender (color).
Lavender is a type of plant found on almost all continents. It has a purplish colour. It has a colour named after it, called lavender. Its Latin and scientific name is Lavandula.
Use in gardens
Lavenders are very popular among gardeners. Sometimes their petals are dried and sealed in pouches for good scent, and sometimes put inside clothes to prevent moths, who can damage the clothes.
Use in food
Lavenders are also used in cake decorating, because the flowers can become candied. Sometimes they are used in flavoring baked goods and chocolate desserts, and sometimes they use it to make a very delicious "lavender sugar". Lavender flowers are also used to make tea. The French make lavender syrup, which is used to make lavender scones and lavender marshmallows.
Medicine
Lavender is sometimes put in medicine, and sometimes to prevent infection. Lavender oil was used in World War I to disinfect walls and floors of a hospital. As the folk wisdom says, lavender oil is also helpful to headaches when rubbed on your temple, and lavender tea helps you relax before bed time. Lavender is also helpful when applied to insect bites. There is a general lack of real knowledge about its effects.
Other uses
Sometimes, dried petals of lavender are used to throw confetti at a wedding. It is also used for lavender theme wedding decoration where the flowers are put in the vases and kept on the venue table.
References
Lamiaceae
Herbs |
29169 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.%20Gallen | St. Gallen | St. Gallen is a city in the eastern part of Switzerland. It is near Lake Constance. St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen. The city was founded as a monastery by the Irish monk Gallus in the 7th century. In the Middle Ages a city grew around the monastery. The role of the monastery (and the city) was very important in the Middle Ages. One of the three remaining manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied are from the monastery of St.Gallen. Today, the monastery, with its library, and parts of the old town are classed as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
The city is about 675 meters above sea level and is in a part of Switzerland with many hills. As of 2004, about 70,000 people lived in the city. The urban area has about 100,000 to 120,000 people.
In the 18th and 19th century the city became known for its embroideries, which are still very well-known. Every four years, there is the St.Galler Kinderfest (Children's festival). This is a large representation of the primary (and some secondary) schools in the city. It's usually in early summer.
The city also has an university, which is known for its courses in economics, and (to a lesser extent), law.
In Switzerland, the city is also known for St.Galler Bratwurst, and a fair centered around agriculture, held once a year, in autumn. That fair is called OLMA (Ostschweizerische Land- und Milchwirtschaftsausstellung, roughly translates to Exhibition of agriculture and milk economics of eastern Switzerland).
In early summer there is also an open-air rock festival. Its called Open-Air St.Gallen, and held in a valley, near the river. Since the weather is not always as good, in many years it's a battle with the mud.
Other websites
Official website of the city of St.Gallen
Imperial free cities |
29171 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones | Jones | Jones may refer to:
People
Jones is a common family name:
Christopher Jones (Mayflower Captain)
Davy Jones (actor), a British singer and actor
James Earl Jones, an American actor and voice artist
Jim Jones, leader of a sect
John Paul Jones (musician) bassist for the rock band, Led Zeppelin
Shirley Jones, an American actress and singer
Terry Jones, member of Monty Python
Tom Jones (singer), a famous Welsh singer
Fictional characters
Jones, a cat in 1979 movie Alien by Ridley Scott and its sequel Aliens
Jones, a character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Indiana Jones, an archaeologist and adventurer |
29172 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollyoaks | Hollyoaks | Hollyoaks is a British television teen soap opera. It was first broadcast on 23 October 1995, on Channel 4. There is a new episode every weekday. It is set in Chester and is mostly filmed in Liverpool on Abbey Road.
Since 1995, the cast has expanded from just seven major characters to approximately 50 cast members. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill. It is the only British soap that uses incidental music.
Hollyoaks was the first British television programme to tackle the issue of gay domestic violence. Its first character with gender identity disorder, a trans man called Jason Costello, was in the show August 2010 to December 2011. In 2014 Hollyoaks introduced a new transgender character called Blessing Chambers.
Other websites
1995 establishments in the United Kingdom
1995 television series debuts
1990s British drama television series
1990s British television series debuts
1990s soap operas
1990s teen television series
2000s British drama television series
2000s soap operas
2000s teen television series
2010s British drama television series
2010s soap operas
2010s teen television series
British soap operas
British teen television series
Chester
British teen drama television series
English-language television programs |
29176 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse%20%28band%29 | Muse (band) | Muse are an English alternative rock trio. They began in Teignmouth in 1994, consisting of Matthew Bellamy (guitar, piano, vocals), Chris Wolstenholme (bass and background vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums). They are sub-classified as mainly progressive rock, and play music with melody and fast tempo. However, they also play a great number of other styles of music, especially on their older albums like Showbiz. Their albums, Black Holes and Revelations, Absolution and The Resistance, have been successful in the United States, the United Kingdom and most western countries of the world.
History
Creation and early EPs
Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard grew up in a small town called Teignmouth in Devon. They were bored there, so they started playing music together. When they were 13 years old, they made a band called Gothic Plague. The band was later called Fixed Penalty. After that, it was called Rocket Baby Dolls. In 1994, while they were called Rocket Baby Dolls, they won a Battle of the Bands competition. During this competition, they broke their instruments, but still won. In 1997, they chose the name Muse. Muse's members did not like Teignmouth. In an interview in 1999, Bellamy said that it was full of people who took drugs, and that it was like a "living hell".
Muse left Teignmouth and met Sawmills Studio owner, Dennis Smith. He liked their work and offered them a contract with his record label, Dangerous Records and put them in the studio with producer Paul Reeve. Muse released their first EP called Muse in 1997. The band went to more band competitions and won several. In 1998, they released their second EP, Muscle Museum. The EP was popular, and Muse toured around Europe and Australia.
Showbiz
Museum was popular enough to get Muse a record contract with Maverick Records in the United States. The band started to work on a new album. They wrote new ones, though, for their next album. The other songs they used were already on their EPs. Muse worked with producers Paul Reeve and John Leckie, who produced Radiohead's album,The Bends.
Muse's first album, Showbiz, came out in 1999. In the United States, Maverick used a large advertising campaign to make Muse more popular. Muse were already popular in the UK, and NME said they were "the first great British guitar band of the 21st century". US magazine Rolling Stone said Showbiz sounded a lot like Radiohead. Matthew Bellamy did not like that comparison, but people would still compare Muse and Radiohead in the future. Other reviewers said the band had a lot of potential after listening to Showbiz.
Origin of Symmetry
In the year 2000, Muse traveled a lot to help sell Showbiz. The highlight of the tour was touring with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters. The band played at over 50 music festivals in Europe, and several in Japan. While they were traveling, the band recorded some songs for their next album. In January 2001, they started working on the rest with producer John Leckie, in Peter Gabriel's studio.
Muse began touring again in May 2005, after finishing the album. They had not released it, but Bellamy told BBC he thought the best way to promote it was to play live music. The band's second album, Origin of Symmetry, was released in June 2001 in the UK. However, it was only released in North America in 2005. The album did not do well on charts, but was popular with critics. NME praised the album for the songs on it being very loud and angry. Allmusic said the album was very loud and sometimes ridiculous because of the instruments and riffs used on it, but that it was still very good.
Nescafé used the song "Feeling Good" from Origin of Symmetry (which was a cover of a Nina Simone song) in an advertisement once. Muse sued Nescafé because they did not agree with how the company did business. They received money from Nescafé after suing. They donated it to Oxfam. Muse almost sued Celine Dion when she tried to use the name Muse as the title of a performance in Las Vegas.
Absolution
Muse's third album was recorded in lots of studios in places like London and Los Angeles. The band were very committed and focused on making quality music, given the fact that they had taken more time to properly record the album. Muse started work in September 2003 with producers Paul Reeve and John Cornfield, and recorded Butterflies and Hurricanes and Blackout. They took a break for Christmas, and then changed their producer to Rich Costey. Most of the album was recorded in 2004. The album's themes included politics, death, and the Apocalypse. The guitar performances on the new album were simpler than on Origin of Symmetry. Bellamy used one brand of guitar for the whole album, and this gave an "immense" sound according to Total Guitar magazine.
To promote Absolution, Muse toured around the UK and North America. During their first show in the United States, in Atlanta, Bellamy hurt his mouth. He had accidentally hit himself with his guitar. Because of this, he needed stitches. The band had to cancel several shows, but kept going with the tour. Muse played at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. After the concert, they said it was "the best gig of our lives". Shortly after the show, however, Howard's father died. While they were very sad that he died, Bellamy said they were happy that Howard's father had been at the concert and had seen the band's "finest moment". In 2005, Muse played four songs at Live 8.
Black Holes & Revelations
In January 2005 Muse finished their world tour with two big concerts in London. Bellamy said they wanted to make new music after this. However, they also wanted to tour the US again. This was because they became popular there for the first time. Costey produced the band's new album, like he did for Absolution. The band recorded their fourth album, Black Holes & Revelations, in a château in the countryside of France, because they did not want to be distracted.
The Resistance
By February 2 2009, Muse had started recording songs for their new album. In an interview, Bellamy said that the album is "all very orchestral". He said it would sound like classical music.
On March 24 2009, Muse's website said that the band would be going on tour after the album is released. They said that they would go to France on this tour, and have two concerts in London. On July 2 2009, the band said that the tour was to start in Finland on October 22 2009. They also said that the tour would end on December 4 2009, in Italy. The 95,000 tickets went on sale at 9:00 am on June 5. They were sold out in under 45 minutes.
On May 22 2009, the website said that the album would be called The Resistance. It also said that one of the songs would be called "United States of Eurasia".
The band's fifth studio album The Resistance was released in September 2009. It is the first Muse album that was produced by the band itself. The album was engineered by Adrian Bushby and mixed by Mark Stent. When it was released, it went to the top of the album charts in 19 countries. It became the band's third number one album in the UK. It reached number 3 on the Billboard 200. Critics praised the album. Most of them praised the ambition, classical music influences and the thirteen-minute, three-part song "Exogenesis: Symphony". It also beat its predecessor Black Holes and Revelations in relative album sales in its debut week in the UK with approximately 148,000 copies sold. The first single "Uprising" was released seven days earlier.
The Resistance Tour started with in Teignmouth, Devon in September 2009. There were two performances in the Wembley Stadium in September 2010. The band also supported U2 for their U2 360° Tour. In the "Breakfast with Muse Concert" held by KROQ, Muse was asked how long they would be on tour. They said that they "will probably be touring until the end of next year." They also said that they would support U2. Then, they would go to a European tour, and afterwards Australia and Asia and return for an long US tour. Muse said it would be the longest US tour to date and would start at about the end of February or March."
Muse's won the O2 Silver Clef Award in London on 2 July 2010 because of their live performance. The award was presented by Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen. Taylor described the band as "probably the greatest live act in the world today," while May said that "this is a magnificent, incredible group."
On 12 July 2010 bassist Chris Wolstenholme told NME magazine that the band would be taking a break after their world tour supporting The Resistance ended. He also stated that the band would begin working for a new album. He said the new album would be released in 2011. On 8 September, frontman Matthew Bellamy, in an interview with NME, said that the music for the band's next studio album would be more "personal". He said it would be better to use smaller venues to perform those songs live.
On 12 September 2010, Muse won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects. It was for the promo for "Uprising". On 21 November, Muse won American Music Award for Favorite Artist in the Alternative Rock Music Category. On 2 December, it was announced that Muse had been nominated for three awards for the 53rd Grammy Awards. It was nominated for Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals - ("Resistance"); Best Rock Song - ("Resistance"), and Best Rock Album: (The Resistance). Muse was named the Billboard Alternative and Rock artist for 2010. This was because its songs, "Uprising", "Resistance" and "Undisclosed Desires" reached first, sixth and 49th on the year end Alternative Song chart respectively. At the 53rd Grammy Awards on 13 February 2011, Muse won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for The Resistance.
Musical style
Muse are an alternative rock band. They are often called space rock and progressive rock bands. Their music also mixes elements from different genres. These genres are electronic music, hard rock, classical music and rock opera. The band was described as a "trashy three-piece" by Matthew Bellamy on the BBC during 2002.
Dominic Howard said that he was a little confused by the progressive rock label that muse fell under, because "[He would] associate (the progressive rock label) it with 10-minute guitar solos." He added: "A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles — and when I see that I think it's great."
Band members
Official members
Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, programming
Christopher Wolstenholme – bass, backing vocals, synthesizers, upright bass, synth bass
Dominic Howard – drums, percussion, synthesizers, programming
Touring musicians
Morgan Nicholls – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion, guitar, bass (2004, 2006–present)
Dan "The Trumpet Man" Newell – trumpet on "City of Delusion" and "Knights of Cydonia" (2006–2008)
Alessandro Cortini – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion (2009)
Discography
Showbiz (1999)
Origin of Symmetry (2001)
Absolution (2003)
Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
The Resistance (2009)
The 2nd Law (2012)
Drones (2015)
Simulation Theory (2018)
References
Other websites
Official muse site
A wiki for the band muse
1994 establishments in England
1990s British music groups
2000s British music groups
2010s British music groups
Alternative rock bands
Devon
English rock bands
Musical groups established in 1994
Musical trios
Progressive rock bands
Warner Bros. Records artists |
29179 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology | Astrology | Astrology is the belief the positions of the stars and movements of the planets of the Solar System, and also asteroids and other stars, but not as much, have an influence on the events, lives, and behavior of people.
An astrologer looks at the planets' positions and tries to understand a person's character or tries to predict the future. Modern astrologers see astrology as a symbolic language. It is also seen as an art, or a kind of divination.
Astrology and astronomy started out as the same thing, but today they are very different.
Newspapers and websites often print or post horoscopes. These horoscopes claim to predict a persons future based on their birth sign.
Astrological signs (in Western Astrology)
A person's astrological sign (usually referring to Sun sign) is based on their birthday. A list of astrological signs is below.
Arabian astrology
References
Other websites
Talk with astrologer: know Is astrology science or not?
Astrology & Science: The Scientific Exploration of Astrology.
– which also discusses ascension and declination errors in different systems of astrology |
29180 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre%20of%20ancient%20Greece | Theatre of ancient Greece | The theatre of ancient Greece was at its best from 550 BC to 220 BC. It was the beginning of modern western theatre, and some ancient Greek plays are still performed today. They invented the genres of tragedy (late 6th century BC), comedy (486 BC) and satyr plays.
The city-state of Athens was a great cultural, political and military power during this period. Drama was at its centre. Theatre was part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honoured the god Dionysus. In the Dionysia, the playwrights presented their work to an audience. It was a competition, with a winner and prizes. These two main genres were never mixed: they each had their own typical structure. Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote their way of life.
Only men were allowed as actors. The chorus were men, as were the actors. Technically, they had to be citizens of Athens, which only applied to free-born men plus a few special cases. The actors wore masks, so that the people would know which persona (character) the actor played.
The best known writers of plays are Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides for tragedies, and Aristophanes for comedies.
Origins
Some think early Greek religion and theatre were influenced by Central Asian shamanistic practices. A large number of Orphic graffiti discovered in Olbia seems to show that the colony was a major point of contact. Eli Rozik points out that the shaman can be seen as an early type of actor influencing the rituals of early Greek theatre.
Greek tragedy as we know it was made in Athens some years before 532 BC, when Thespis was the earliest recorded playwright. He won the first theatrical contest held at Athens, so he was the leader of the dithyrambs performed in and around Attica. Dithyrambs were ancient hymns sung in praise of the god of wine and fertility, Dionysus. They had a wild and ecstatic nature.
By Thespis' time the dithyramb had evolved far away from its cult roots. It had become a narrative, ballad-like genre. Because of this Thespis is often called the "Father of Tragedy". The statesman Solon is said to have created poems in which characters speak with their own voice. Spoken recitations, known as rhapsodes, of Homer's epics were popular in festivals before 534 BC. Thespis's contribution to drama is unclear, but his name is remembered in the common term for performer—a 'thespian'.
The dramatic performances were important to the Athenians – this is made clear by the Dionysian festival. This was organized perhaps to foster loyalty among the tribes of Attica. These had been recently created by Cleisthenes, who founded Greek democracy. The festival was created roughly around 508 BC.
Phrynichus was the first poet known to use a historical subject – his Fall of Miletus, 493, told the fate of the town of Miletus after it was conquered by the Persians. He is also thought to be the first to use female characters (though not female performers).
Until the Hellenistic period, all tragedies were unique pieces written in honour of Dionysus and played only once, so that today we only have the pieces that were still remembered well enough to have been repeated when repetition of old tragedies became fashion.
Classical period
After the Great Destruction of Athens by the Persian Empire in 480 BC, the town and acropolis were rebuilt, and theatre became an even more major part of Athenian culture and civic pride. The centre-piece was the competition between three tragic playwrights at the Theatre of Dionysus, twice a year. Each submitted three tragedies, plus a satyr play (a comic, burlesque version of a mythological subject). From 486 BC, each playwright also submitted a comedy. Aristotle claimed that Aeschylus added the second actor, and that Sophocles introduced the third. Apparently the Greek playwrights never used more than three actors.
Tragedy and comedy were viewed as completely separate genres, and no plays ever merged aspects of the two. Satyr's plays dealt with the mythological subject matter of the tragedies, but in a purely comedic manner. However, as they were written over a century after the Athenian Golden Age, it is not known whether dramatists such as Sophocles and Euripides would have thought about their plays in the same terms.
Hellenistic period
The power of Athens declined following its defeat in the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans. From that time on, the theatre started performing old tragedies again. Although its theatrical traditions seem to have lost their vitality, Greek theatre continued into the Hellenistic period (the period following Alexander the Great's conquests in the fourth century BC). The main Hellenistic theatrical form was not tragedy but 'New Comedy', comic episodes about the lives of ordinary citizens. The only playwright from the period whose work has survived is Menander. One of New Comedy's most important contributions was its influence on Roman comedy, an influence that can be seen in the surviving works of Plautus and Terence.
Buildings and performances
The plays originally had a chorus of up to 50 people, who performed the plays in verse accompanied by music, beginning in the morning and lasting until the evening.
The performance space was a simple semi-circular space, the orchestra, where the chorus danced and sang. The orchestra was on a flattened terrace at the foot of a hill, the slope of which produced a natural theatron, (watching place). Later, the term "theatre" came to be applied to the whole area of theatron, orchestra, and skené (scene).
The theatres were made very large. Audiences might have up to fourteen thousand people. Actors' voices needed to be heard throughout the theatre, including the very top row of seats. The Greeks' understanding of acoustics compares well with the current state of the art.
In 465 BC, the playwrights began using a backdrop or scenic wall, which hung or stood behind the orchestra, which also served as an area where actors could change their costumes. It was known as the skênê (scene). In 425 BC a stone scene wall, called a paraskenia, became a common supplement to skênê in the theatres. The proskenion ("in front of the scene") was columned, and was similar to the modern day proscenium.
Greek theatres also had entrances for the actors and chorus members called parodoi. They were tall arches that opened onto the orchestra, through which the performers entered. By the end of the 5th century BC, around the time of the Peloponnesian War, the skênê, the back wall, was two stories high. Some theatres also had a raised speaking place on the orchestra called the logeion.
Scenic elements
There were several scenic elements commonly used in Greek theatre:
makhina, a crane that gave the impression of a flying actor (thus, deus ex machina, meaning, 'the god from the machine').
ekkyklema, a wheeled wagon used to bring dead characters for the audience to see
trap doors, or similar openings in the ground to lift people onto the stage
Pinakes, pictures hung to create scenery
Thyromata, more complex pictures built into the second-level scene (3rd level from ground)
Phallic props were used for satyr plays, symbolising fertility in honor of Dionysus.
Greek chorus
Although in the early days the chorus was much larger, the numbers settled down to 12 or 15 in tragedies and 24 in comedies. They usually play a group character, such as 'the old men of Argos'. The chorus offers background information, summaries and comments. In many of these plays, the chorus expresses to the audience what the main characters cannot say, such as their hidden fears or secrets.
The chorus might sing, or might speak in unison (say the same thing together). The chorus made up for the fact that there were only one, two or three actors, who played several parts each (changing masks).
Before the introduction of several actors by Aeschylus, the Greek chorus was the main performer opposite a solitary actor. The importance of the chorus declined after the 5th century BC, when the chorus began to be separated from the dramatic action. Later dramatists depended less on the chorus.
Masks
The mask is known to have been used since the time of Aeschylus in the 6th century AD. It is one of the typical things they did in classical Greek theatre. Masks were also used in the worship of Dionysius, and that is probably how the tradition started.
Most of the evidence comes from a few vase paintings of the 5th century BC which depict actors preparing for a Satyr play. No physical evidence survived: the masks were made of organic materials. They were not considered permanent objects, and were dedicated to the altar of Dionysus after performances. There are, however, examples of statues of actors carrying a mask in hand.
Masks were made for the actors and for the chorus, who help the audience know what a character is thinking. The chorus all wear the same mask, because they represent the same character.
Mask functions
In a large open-air theatre, like the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, the masks brought the characters' face closer to the audience, as they had exaggerated features and expressions. An actor could appear and reappear in different roles, since the audience did not identify the actor with one character. Their variations help the audience to distinguish sex, age, and social status. Also, they could show a change in a character’s appearance, for example, Oedipus after blinding himself.p70 Unique masks were also create characters and events in a play, such as The Furies in Aeschylus’ Eumenides and Pentheus and Cadmus in Euripides’ The Bacchae. Worn by the chorus, the masks created a sense of unity and uniformity, a sort of multi-voiced persona or single organism.
References
Ancient Greece
Theater |
29183 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles | Sophocles | Sophocles (497 BC, 496 BC, or 495 BC – 406 BC) was an Ancient Greek writer who wrote over 100 plays, according to the Suda. Only seven of his tragedies have survived complete. Sophocles was the second of the three greatest Ancient Greek writers of tragedies, the others were Aeschylus and Euripides.
The most famous of Sophocles' tragedies are those about Oedipus and Antigone: these are often called the Theban plays. Each play was a part of different tetralogy (set of four), the other members of which are now lost.
Life
Sophocles, the son of Sophillus, was a rich member of the rural community of Colonus Hippius in Attica. This was the setting for his plays. He was probably born there. His birth took place a few years before the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC: the exact year is unclear, although 497/6 is perhaps most likely. Sophocles' first great play was in 468 BC when he took first prize in the Dionysia theatre competition ahead of Aeschylus.
Surviving plays
The Theban plays (the Oedipus Cycle):
Antigone
Oedipus the King (Oedipus Tyrannos (Greek) or Oedipus Rex (Latin)
Oedipus at Colonos
Ajax
The Trachiniae
Electra
Philoctetes
The Oedipus story
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the main character.
Oedipus' death as a child is planned by his parents, Laius and Jocasta, to stop him fulfilling a prophecy. A servant passes the infant on to a childless couple, who adopt him. They did not know his history.
Oedipus eventually learns of the Delphic Oracle's prophecy of him. It was: he would kill his father and marry his mother. He thought this meant his adopted parents. He flees to avoid his fate. Oedipus meets a man at a crossroads accompanied by servants. Oedipus and the man fight, and Oedipus kills the man. This man was his father, Laius, not that anyone apart from the gods knew this at the time.
Oedipus becomes the ruler of Thebes after solving the riddle of the sphinx. In the process, he marries the widowed Queen, his mother Jocasta. Thus the stage is set for horrors. When the truth comes out, Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes. The children are left to sort out the results for themselves.
In Oedipus at Colonus, the banished Oedipus and his daughters Antigone and Ismene arrive at the town of Colonus where they encounter Theseus, King of Athens. Oedipus dies and trouble begins between his sons Polyneices and Eteocles.
In Antigone the protagonist is Oedipus' daughter. The king, Creon, has forbidden the burial of Polyneices as a traitor to the city. Antigone is faced with a choice: allow her brother Polyneices' body to remain unburied, outside the city walls. There it would be exposed to the ravages of wild animals. Or, she could bury him and face death. Antigone decides to bury his body and face the results of her actions.
Creon sentences her to death. Eventually, Creon is convinced to free Antigone from her punishment, but his decision comes too late. Antigone has committed suicide. Her death leads to the suicide of two others close to King Creon: his son, Haemon, who was going to marry Antigone, and the queen, who commits suicide after losing her only surviving son.
Running through such tragedies is the theme of fate, which cannot be avoided. A forbidden act is committed in innocence, and the consequences follow remorselessly.
Related pages
Theatre of Ancient Greece
References
Sophocles |
29185 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black%20pepper | Black pepper | Black pepper is a plant that grows in the tropics, especially in India. The plant is a perennial vine that bears flowers. People cultivate the plant for its fruit, the peppercorn. The peppercorn can be used as a spice or condiment. Usually, it makes things hot.
There are several different plants called Pepper, all are in the Piper genus of Piperaceae.
From the 16th century onwards, people used the word pepper to also refer to the Chili peppers, which come from a completely unrelated plant. It was also called black gold in older times.
Culinary uses
Pepper is one of the most common spices used around the world. It is very common in European cuisine, and has been known and traded for a very long time. Very often, the peppercorns are ground, and the powder is used to make things taste hot. They get their heat from a chemical called piperine unlike other peppers that get it from capsaicin.
Medical uses
Like all eastern spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a medicine. Long pepper, being stronger, was often the preferred medication, but both were used.
Black peppercorns are mentioned in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicine in India. The 5th century Syriac Book of Medicines prescribes pepper (or perhaps long pepper) for illnesses such as constipation, diarrhea, earache, gangrene, heart disease, hernia, hoarseness, indigestion, insect bites, insomnia, joint pain, liver problems, lung disease, oral abscesses, sunburn, tooth decay, and toothaches. Various sources from the 5th century onward also say pepper is good to treat eye problems. Often special ointments made with pepper have to be applied directly to the eye. There is no current medical evidence that any of these treatments has any benefit; pepper applied directly to the eye would be quite uncomfortable and possibly damaging.
For a long time, people believed pepper is the cause for sneezing; this is still believed true today. Some sources say that piperine irritates the nostrils, which will cause the sneezing; some say that it is just the effect of the fine dust in ground pepper, and some say that pepper is not in fact a very effective sneeze-producer at all. Few if any controlled studies have been carried out to answer the question.
Pepper can irritate the intestines. It is therefore eliminated from the diet of patients having abdominal surgery and ulcers. The replacement is usually called a bland diet.
Pepper contains small amounts of safrole, a carcinogenic compound.
References
Other websites
Nutritional benefits of Black Pepper
Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
Plant Cultures: History and botany of black pepper in South Asia
Piperales
Spices |
29187 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili%20pepper | Chili pepper | Chili pepper (not to be confused with the country called Chile) is the fruit of a series of plants called Capsicum (nightshade family). Chilis are now grown all over the world, but originally, they came from Mexico. They are used as spices or as vegetables, and also have some use in medicine.
Chili peppers are completely unrelated to the Piperaceae genus, which Black pepper is from.
History
Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least 7500 BCE. Chili peppers were domesticated over 6000 years ago in Mexico. Since then, chili peppers could be farmed throughout all of Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America.
Spelling
The word "chili" is spelled differently in different countries. They can be spelled as chili, chilli, and chile.
Chili is widely used in the United States and Canada.
Chilli is widely used in other English-speaking countries.
Chile is the most common Spanish spelling in Mexico and several other Latin American countries.
References
Capsicum
Spices
Vegetables |
29192 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeschylus | Aeschylus | Aeschylus (525 BC – 456 BC) was an Ancient Greek poet and writer. He wrote about 70–90 plays. Only six of his tragedies have survived complete. Aeschylus was the earliest of the three greatest Greek writers of tragedians. The two others were Sophocles and Euripides.
Aristotle said that Aeschylus added more characters into his plays. His characters spoke to each other and not just to the chorus. This made it easier to create drama between the characters.
One of his plays, The Persians, was about the Persian invasion of Greece. Aeschylus had fought in this war. People studying Greek history use his play as an important source of information. The war was so important to the Greeks and to Aeschylus, that the writing on his grave only talks about his part in the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon. There is nothing about the plays he wrote.
Early life
Aeschylus was born about the year 525 BC in a small town called Eleusis, which is about 27 kilometers northwest of Athens. The date is based on counting back forty years from his first victory in the Great Dionysia. His family was rich, and his father, Euphorion, was a member of the Eupatridae, the ancient nobility of Attica. Pausanias wrote that Aeschylus worked in a vineyard until the god Dionysus visited him in his sleep. The god ordered him to write the first tragedies. His first play was performed in 499 BC, when he was only 26 years old.
The Persian wars
In 490 BC the Persian army, led by Darius, landed in Greece and tried to take it over. Aeschylus, and his brother Cynegeirus, joined the army from Athens and fought against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians were able to defeat the much bigger Persian army. This battle, which stopped Darius, was celebrated across the city-states of Greece. Cynegeirus died in the battle. In 480 BC, Xerxes I of Persia tried to capture Greece. Aeschylus fought against them at the Battle of Salamis and at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. His oldest surviving play The Persians, performed in 472 BC, is set during the Battle of Salamis. This play won first prize at the Dionysia.
The Eleusinian Mysteries
Aeschylus was one of many Greeks who joined the Eleusinian Mysteries. This was the religious cult of Demeter, and based in his home town of Eleusis. Members of the group learned mystical and secret knowledge. Members were sworn under the penalty of death not to say anything about the Mysteries to anyone. Aristotle wrote that some people thought that Aeschylus had shown some of the cult's secrets on stage. Other writers said that an angry mob tried to kill Aeschylus on the spot, but he ran away. Later, Aeschylus said he did not know that he had shown any of the secrets. He was saved from death only because of his brave service in the Persian Wars.
Later life
Aeschylus made two trips to Sicily in the 470s BC. He was invited by Hieron, tyrant of Syracuse, a big Greek city on the east side of the island. On one of these trips he wrote The Women of Aetna, in honor of the city founded by Hieron. He also restaged his Persians. By 473 BC, Aeschylus was the yearly favorite in the Dionysia, winning first prize in nearly every competition. In 458 BC, he returned to Sicily for the last time, visiting the city of Gela where he died in 456 or 455 BC. It is said that he was killed by a tortoise which fell out of the sky after it was dropped by an eagle. This story is probably only a legend. Aeschylus' work was so respected by the Athenians that after his death, his were the only tragedies allowed to be restaged in future competitions. His sons Euphorion and Euæon, and his nephew Philocles, all wrote plays as well.
The plays
Greek drama began with festivals for the gods, mainly Dionysus, the god of wine. During Aeschylus' lifetime, dramatic competitions became part of the city's Dionysia in the spring. The festival began with an opening procession, then a competition of boys singing dithyrambs, and finally two dramatic competitions. The first competition was for three playwrights each presenting three tragic plays, followed by a shorter comedy. A second competition of five comedic playwrights followed, and winners of both competitions were chosen by a group of judges.
Aeschylus took part in many of these competitions in his lifetime. Only six tragedies have survived intact: The Persians, Seven against Thebes, The Suppliants, and the trilogy known as The Oresteia, consisting of the three tragedies Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides. There is also the play Prometheus Bound, but this was probably written by someone else. All of the surviving plays won first prize at the City Dionysia. One book, the Alexandrian Life of Aeschylus, said that he won the first prize at the City Dionysia 13 times. Sophocles' won 18 times out of his 120 plays, and Euripides only had five wins out of about 90 plays.
The Persians (Persai) (472 BC)
Seven Against Thebes (Hepta epi Thebas) (467 BC)
The Suppliants (Hiketides) (463 BC?)
Oresteia a series of three plays (458 BC)
Agamemnon
The Libation Bearers (Choephoroi)
The Eumenides
Influence on Greek drama and culture
When Aeschylus first began writing, the theatre was new. Some playwrights like Thespis had made the cast bigger to include an actor who was able to talk with the chorus. Aeschylus added a second actor, allowing for more drama; and the chorus became less important. He is said to have been the first to use skenographia, or scene-decoration, though Aristotle said the first person was Sophocles. Aeschylus also added more details to the costumes, and had his actors wear platform boots, called cothurni, to help the audience see them better. When they walked on stage in the first performance of the Eumenides, the chorus of Furies were so frightening in looks that they made young children faint, old men urinate, and pregnant women go into labor.
His plays were written in the strict style of Greek drama. They were in verse and no violence could be performed on stage. The plays had to be set away from normal life in Athens, either by telling stories about the gods or by being set, like The Persians, in a far-away place. Aeschylus' work has a strong moral and religious emphasis. The Oresteia plays were about man's position in the universe in relation to the gods, the laws of the gods, and punishment from the gods.
Fifty years after Aeschylus' death, the comic playwright Aristophanes praised him in The Frogs. Aeschylus is a character in the play and says that his Seven against Thebes "made everyone watching it to love being warlike" (line 1022); with his Persians, he says he "taught the Athenians to desire always to defeat their enemies" (line 1026–7). He says that his plays helped the Athenians to be brave and virtuous (line 1039ff).
Relevant pages
Theatre of Ancient Greece
Notes
References
Bates, Alfred 1906. The Drama: its history, literature, and influence on civilization. vol 1, London, Historical Publishing Company.
.
.
.
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—(2002). Greek Drama and Dramatists. London: Routledge Press.
Æschylus. Aeschylus I: Oresteia. Transl. Richmond Lattimore. 8th ed, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1960. 1-31.
Ancient Greek writers
525 BC births
456 BC deaths |
29194 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euripides | Euripides | Euripides (c. 480 BC–406 BC) was an Ancient Greek writer from Athens who wrote about 90 plays. Only 18 of his tragedies have survived complete, more than all other surviving ancient Greek tragedies put together. A nineteenth play, Rhesus is sometimes thought to be by Euripides, but not all classicists agree on this.
Euripides was the last of the three greatest Ancient Greek writers of tragedies, the others being Aeschylus and Sophocles.
Surviving plays
Alcestis (439 BC, second prize)
Medea (431 BC, third prize)
Heracleidae (c. 430 BC)
Hippolytus (428 BC, first prize)
Andromache (c. 425 BC)
Hecuba (c. 424 BC)
The Suppliants (c. 423 BC)
Electra (c. 420 BC)
Heracles (c. 416 BC)
Trojan Women (415 BC, second prize)
Iphigeneia in Tauris (c. 414 BC)
Ion (c. 414 BC)
Helen (412 BC)
Phoenician Women (c. 410 BC)
Orestes (408 BC)
Bacchae and Iphigeneia at Aulis (405 BC, posthumous)
Cyclops (408 BC)
Related pages
Theatre of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek writers
480s BC births
406 BC deaths |
29196 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chard | Chard | Chard (also known as Swiss chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, or mangold) is a vegetable. It is in the same family as spinach, Amaranthaceae.
References
Amaranthaceae
Leaf vegetables |
29203 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-life%20%28element%29 | Half-life (element) | This article is about the property of radioactive elements. For the video game, see Half-Life (video game).
The half-life of a substance is the time it takes for half of the substance to decay. The word "half-life" was first used when talking about radioactive elements where the number of atoms get smaller over time by changing into different atoms. It is now used in many other situations where something declines exponentially, like the time it takes for a drug in the body to be half gone. A Geiger-Muller detector can be used to measure the radioactive half-life; it is the time when the activity is half of the original.
Half-life depends on probability because the atoms decay at a random time. Half-life is the expected time when half the number of atoms have decayed, on average. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years. Taking one atom of carbon-14, this will either have decayed after 5,730 years, or it will not. But if this experiment is repeated again and again, it will be seen that the atom decays within the half life 50% of the time.
Radioactive isotopes are atoms that have unstable nuclei, meaning that the nucleus of each atom will decay after enough time has passed. Their nuclei are unstable because the arrangement of protons and neutrons in them are unsteady. This decay, which means they change into completely different types of atoms. This is known as radioactive decay. When they decay, they release particles such as alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays. Sometimes they decay by fission, which means to break into pieces, to make smaller nuclei. For example, a radioactive carbon-14 atom releases a beta particle to become nitrogen-14. As an example of fission decay, a fermium-256 atom can split into xenon-140 and palladium-112 atoms, releasing four neutrons in the process.
For example, uranium-232 has a half-life of about 69 years. Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 88 years. Carbon-14, which is used to find the age of fossils, has a half-life of 5,730 years.
After ten half-lives, about 99.9% of the atoms have decayed into different atoms, so only 0.1% of the original atoms are left, and 99.9% of the radioactivity from the original kind of atom is gone. Some atoms decay into other atoms that are also radioactive, so the remaining radioactivity depends on the type of atom.
Related pages
Biological half-life
Nuclear physics |
29206 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops | Cyclops | A Cyclops (Ancient Greek: Κύκλωψ, Kyklōps; plural Κύκλωπες, Kyklōpes) is a member of a race of giants in Greek mythology, each with a single eye in the center of his forehead.
The most famous of these beings is the cyclops Polyphemus, featured in Homer's Odyssey.
Hesiod
Elder Cyclopes
In Hesiod's Theogony, the Elder Cyclopes – Brontes (Greek: Βρόντης - "thunderer"), Steropes (Greek: Στερόπης - "lightning") and Arges (Greek: Ἄργης - "bright") – were one of three races of beings born to Gaia (Earth) and Ouranos (Sky).
Homer
The Elder Cyclopes are not featured in either of Homer's works. In the Odyssey, Homer describes another race of cyclopes as being the sons of Poseidon, god of the sea. They feature as herdsmen and shepherds with a taste for human flesh. The account is in Book 9 of Homer's Odyssey.
Greek legendary creatures |
29209 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic%20field | Magnetic field | The magnetic field is the area around a magnet in which there is magnetic force. Moving electric charges can make magnetic fields. Magnetic fields can be illustrated by magnetic flux lines. At all times the direction of the magnetic field is shown by the direction of the magnetic flux lines. The strength of a magnet has to do with the spaces between the magnetic flux lines. The closer the flux lines are to each other, the stronger the magnet is. The farther away they are, the weaker. The flux lines can be seen by placing iron filings over a magnet. The iron filings move and arrange into the lines. Magnetic fields give power to other particles that are touching the magnetic field.
In physics, the magnetic field is a field that passes through space and which makes a magnetic force move electric charges and magnetic dipoles. Magnetic fields are around electric currents, magnetic dipoles, and changing electric fields.
When placed in a magnetic field, magnetic dipoles are in one line with their axes to be parallel with the field lines, as can be seen when iron filings are in the presence of a magnet. Magnetic fields also have their own energy and momentum, with an energy density proportional to the square of the field intensity. The magnetic field is measured in the units of teslas (SI units) or gauss (cgs units).
There are some notable kinds of magnetic field. For the physics of magnetic materials, see magnetism and magnet, and more specifically diamagnetism. For magnetic fields made by changing electric fields, see electromagnetism.
The electric field and the magnetic field are components of the electromagnetic field.
The law of electromagnetism was founded by Michael Faraday.
H-field
Physicists can say that the force and torques between two magnets are caused by magnetic poles repelling or attracting each other. This is like the Coulomb force repelling the same electric charges or attracting opposite electric charges. In this model, a magnetic H-field is produced by magnetic charges that are 'smeared' around each pole. So, the H-field is like the electric field E which starts at a positive electric charge and ends at a negative electric charge. Near the north pole, all H-field lines point away from the north pole (whether inside the magnet or out) while near the south pole (whether inside the magnet or out) all H-field lines point toward the south pole. A north pole, then, feels a force in the direction of the H-field while the force on the south pole is opposite to the H-field.
In the magnetic pole model, the elementary magnetic dipole m is formed by two opposite magnetic poles of pole strength qm separated by a very small distance d, such that m = qm d.
Unfortunately, magnetic poles cannot exist apart from each other. All magnets have north–south pairs which cannot be separated without creating two magnets each having a north–south pair. Also, magnetic poles do not account for magnetism that is produced by electric currents nor the force that a magnetic field applies to moving electric charges.
H-field and magnetic materials
The -field is defined as:
(definition of in SI units)
With this definition, Ampere's law becomes:
where represents the 'free current' enclosed by the loop so that the line integral of does not depend at all on the bound currents. For the differential equivalent of this equation see Maxwell's equations. Ampere's law leads to the boundary condition:
where is the surface free current density.
Similarly, a surface integral of over any closed surface is independent of the free currents and picks out the 'magnetic charges' within that closed surface:
which does not depend on the free currents.
The -field, therefore, can be separated into two independent parts:
where is the applied magnetic field due only to the free currents and is the demagnetizing field due only to the bound currents.
The magnetic -field, therefore, re-factors the bound current in terms of 'magnetic charges'. The field lines loop only around 'free current' and, unlike the magnetic field, begins and ends at near magnetic poles as well.
Related pages
Ferromagnetism
Magnetic flux
Magnetic moment
References
Magnetism |
29210 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forehead | Forehead | The forehead of humans is the flat space of skin above the eyes, between the eyebrows and where your hair starts to grow. It exists to make room for the brain inside the skull.
A doctor or nurse will often touch someone's forehead to check whether or not they have a fever. This is because of the many blood vessels in the head and face.
In ancient Greece individuals with large foreheads were classified as intellectual because of their incredibly large "brain". Nowadays this is not the case.
According to the OED Forehead can be pronounced either 'forhed' or 'forrid'.
'Forrid' used mostly around the Isle of Sheppey area.
Face |
29213 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%20Prescott%20Joule | James Prescott Joule | James Prescott Joule (24 December 1818 – 11 October 1889) was an English physicist, born in Salford, near Manchester. In his time he had great contribution to the world of electricity and thermodynamics. He was best known for discovering Joule's law, which described electric heating by saying the amount of heat produced each second in a conductor by a current of Electricity is proportional to the resistance of a conductor and to the square of the current. The unit for this is joule, equal to one watt-second. Later Joule worked with William Thomson to find out that the temperature of gas falls as gas expands. This principle was then known as the Joule-Thomson effect.
Early life
The son of Benjamin Joule (1784–1858), a wealthy brewer, James Prescott Joule was born in the house next to the Joule Brewery in New Bailey Street, Salford on 24 December 1818. James was tutored at the family home 'Broomhill', Pendlebury, near Salford, until 1834 when he was sent, with his elder brother Benjamin, to study with John Dalton at the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. They only received two years of education in arithmetic and geometry before Dalton was forced to retire because of a stroke.
Kinetic theory
Kinetics is the science of motion. Joule was a pupil of Dalton and it is no surprise that he had learned a firm belief in the atomic theory, even though there were many scientists of his time who were still skeptical. He had also been one of the few people receptive to the work of John Herapath on the kinetic theory of gases. He was further greatly influenced by Peter Ewart's 1813 paper On the measure of moving force.
References
1889 births
1818 deaths
English physicists
People from Salford, Greater Manchester |
29215 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromache | Andromache | Andromache is a person in Greek mythology. She is the wife of Hector of Troy and mother of Astyanax.
After the Trojan War, Neoptolemus took her and Helenus as slaves. Of Neoptolemus she had a child named Molossus. After Neoptolemus died, Andromache married Helenus, and became Queen of Epirus.
People in Greek mythology
Slaves |
29216 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astyanax | Astyanax | Astyanax is a person in Greek mythology. He is the son of Hector of Troy and Andromache. He is killed at the end of the Trojan War by Neoptolemus, so he could not be a new king of Troy, or want revenge.
People in Greek mythology |
29217 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoptolemus | Neoptolemus | Neoptolemos (or Latin Neoptolemus) is a person in Greek mythology. He is an important person in the Trojan War.
Neoptolemus was the son of Achilles and Deidamea. He was needed to win the Trojan War. He killed King Priam and Astyanax, sacrificed Polyxena to his dead father Achilles, and took Helenus and Andromache with him as slaves.
He was later killed by Orestes because he was going to marry Hermione, who Orestes wanted for himself.
People in Greek mythology |
29218 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s%20orbit | Earth's orbit | All planets in our solar system follow an elliptical path. This path is known as an orbit. Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle. If we were to draw the Earth's orbit on a sheet of paper as a perfect circle, the width of the line would be larger than the elliptical path of the Earth.
The Earth's orbit takes about 365 days, this is also called a year. This means that in 365 days (a year) the Earth has gone around the Sun. From this we can find that the orbital speed of the Earth is about through space.
The closest distance Earth is to the Sun, or perihelion, is and the farthest or aphelion is . It takes light (or any other electromagnetic radiation) just over eight minutes to travel from Sun to Earth.
The seasonal changes on Earth are because of the 23.44° axial tilt of its rotation and slightly elliptical path around the Sun.
The orbit varies over long periods of time according to the Milankovitch cycles. These cycles are one of the main causes of climate change.
Related links
Earth phase
Spaceship Earth
Notes
Other websites
Earth – Speed through space – about 1 million miles an hour – NASA & (WP discussion)
Orbits
Earth |
29219 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope | Penelope | Penelope is a person in Greek mythology. She is the wife of Odysseus of Ithaca and mother of Telemachus. She became a symbol for the faithful wife.
When her husband Odysseus was on his long journey home, many people thought he was dead. Because of this, many suitors came who wanted to marry Penelope, because then they would own her land and wealth, and become king of Ithaca.
Penelope thinks of several tricks so that she does not have to marry one of the suitors. One trick is that she tells the suitors that she will first weave a cloth for the funeral of Odysseus' father, and when she was finished she would marry one of the suitors. But every night she undoes her weaving again, so that she never finishes it.
When Odysseus finally comes back after twenty years, he and his son Telemachos kill the suitors.
Sources
Richard Heitman 2005. Taking her seriously: Penelope and the plot of Homer's Odyssey. Michigan University Press, Ann Arbor. .
People in Greek mythology |
29223 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia | Anemia | Anemia (U.S. spelling) or anaemia is not having enough red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood.
Types or causes of anemia
Microcytic anemia
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia overall
Hemoglobinopathies—much rarer
Sickle-cell disease (once called sickle-cell anemia)
Thalassemia
Normocytic anemia
Acute blood loss
Anemia of chronic disease
Aplastic anemia (bone marrow failure)
Macrocytic anemia
Megaloblastic anemia due to not having enough of either vitamin B12 or folic acid (or both)
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune problem with the parietal cells of the stomach
Alcoholism
Methotrexate, zidovudine, and other drugs that stop DNA replication. This is the most common cause in nonalcoholic patients.
Dimorphic anemia
Dimorphic anemia means two types of anemia at the same time. For example, macrocytic hypochromic, due to hookworm infestation leading to not enough of both iron and vitamin B12 or folic acid or following a blood transfusion.
Disorders |
29239 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis%2C%20Tennessee | Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis is the second-largest city in the state of Tennessee. The city has a large port on the Mississippi River. It is also well known for blues music and barbecue. The city is also home to FedEx, a leading company that ships packages around the world. Memphis is also known for being the home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley.
Memphis is named for Memphis, Egypt, an ancient capital city of Egypt.
History
The future area of Memphis was first settled by the Mississippian Culture before it was discovered by French and Spanish explorers.
The United States took the land from Spain in 1797, and Andrew Jackson implemented the Indian Removal Act that facilitated the expulsion of the Cherokee from the area, making it available to white settlers. The city was established in 1819. Until the American Civil War, Memphis was a hub of cotton and slave trade. Brutal riots of angry whites against black people took place in 1866, in which 46 African Americans were killed. Yellow fever struck the city in the 1870s, killing a lot of people. The city recovered, and its population more than doubled.
The Memphis sanitation strikes was one of the key movements in the Civil Rights Movement. Musicians such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B.B. King influenced the city's identity as the birthplace of rock and roll.
Geography
Memphis is located east of the Mississippi River. The Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, crosses the city.
Its metropolitan area extends into Arkansas and Mississippi.
Government
Jim Strickland is the Mayor of Memphis.
References
County seats in Tennessee |
29240 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%20%28Eastern%20Persian%29 | Dari (Eastern Persian) | Dari (Fārsī-ye Darī) is a dialect of the Persian language. It is the Persian language as spoken in Afghanistan. It is the second official language of Afghanistan, and is widely used by the government and most media agencies. It is mainly spoken by the Tajiks and other minority groups. A small minority also exists in parts of Pakistan closest to these named regions. It is sometimes called Farsi. People in Afghanistan and Iran who speak Persian can understand each other. The name Dari was given to the Persian language at a very early date.
Historically, Dari was the court language of the Sassanids.
Related pages
Pashto language
Languages of Afghanistan
References
Persian language
Languages of Afghanistan
Languages of Iran
Languages of Pakistan |
29242 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo%20%28series%29 | Halo (series) | Halo is a science fiction shooter video game series. The games are published by Microsoft were made by Bungie Studios from 2001 to 2010 and are now made by 343 Industries.
Halo: Combat Evolved, (November 2001), as well as Halo: Custom Edition made by Gearbox Software.
Halo 2, for Xbox (November 2004 and PC (September 2007)
Halo 3, for Xbox 360 )
Halo Wars, for Xbox 360 (2008)
Halo 3: ODST, for Xbox 360 (2009)
Halo: Reach, for Xbox 360 (2010)
Halo 4, for Xbox 360 (2012)
Halo 5: Guardians, for Xbox One (2015)
Halo Wars 2, for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows (2017)
Halo Infinite, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Microsoft Windows (2021) |
29243 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint | Counterpoint | Counterpoint is the art of composing music by combining different parts (voices) in a way that sounds nice. Music composed like this is called contrapuntal.
If the tune of Twinkle, twinkle little star is played on the piano and then some chords are added, this is harmony, not counterpoint. Instead, if the tune of Twinkle, twinkle little star was played while another melody was played, this would be considered counterpoint.
A different way of playing it would be to start the tune with the right hand. Then, in the second bar (measure), as the fifth note is played, the left hand starts to play the tune an octave lower. This works well for a time, but in the fifth bar (on the word “Up” in the right hand part) it starts to get dissonant (sounding unpleasant), so changes need to made to the left hand to make it sound nicer. This way of writing with a particular number of parts (in this case: two) is called "contrapuntal music".
In that example the left hand imitated the right hand at first. This is called imitation.
If the second part had continued to imitate all the way through the piece it would have been a canon. But “Twinkle, twinkle” does not work well as a canon. One famous canon is by Thomas Tallis. A canon that can be repeated is called a round. This is all contrapuntal music.
Counterpoint does not have to have imitation, although it often does. The important thing is that each part (i.e. each voice) is equally important. It is not one part singing the tune and the rest just accompanying.
Counterpoint does not have to be one note against one note. There can be two or more notes in one part against one in the other e.g. crotchets (quarter notes) in one part and quavers (eighth notes) in another. There is a whole system for this called “species”.
Counterpoint can be varied by inverting it, i.e. putting the top part at the bottom. When music is written so that the parts can be swapped round it is called "invertible counterpoint".
The word “counterpoint” comes from the Latin “punctus contra punctum” meaning “point against point”. The word “point” meant “note”. Several hundred years ago composers found how to write contrapuntal music. They often took a main tune (called a “Cantus Firmus”) and then added one or two or more parts to it. The more parts there were the harder it was to compose because it all had to fit so that it sounded good. Music for several voices written in this way is called polyphonic music. Polyphony was used in all church music in the Renaissance. The greatest composer of polyphony was Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594). Students learning the art of composition today still learn counterpoint by taking Palestrina’s music as their model.
References
Related pages
Fugue
canon (music)
Music
Music theory |
29251 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guided%20by%20Voices | Guided by Voices | Guided by Voices (often called GBV) is an American indie band. Guided by Voices is very famous for making many albums. They were active between 1986 and 2004. The band reunited in 2010 but broke up again in 2014. In 2016 they reunited for a second time.
The band had many members who only stayed for a while. Robert Pollard is the most important member. Before becoming a full-time musical artist, he was a teacher at an elementary school. While he was teaching, he created lots of music for the band. Robert is a solo artist today. He is a great fan of rock music. His music, and the music of Guided by Voices, is inspired by the famous British band The Beatles and different music styles like post-British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic, prog-rock, as well as punk and post-punk.
Studio albums
Devil Between My Toes (1987)
album (1987)
Devil Between My Toes
Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989)
Same Place The Fly Got Smashed (1990)
Propeller (1992)
Vampire on Titus (1993)
Bee Thousand (1994)
Alien Lanes (1995)
Under the Bushes, Under the Stars (1996)
Tonics & Twisted Chasers (1996)
Mag Earwhig! (1997)
Do the Collapse (1999)
Isolation Drills (2001)
Universal Truths and Cycles (2002)
Earthquake Glue (2003)
Half Smiles of the Decomposed (2004)
Let's Go Eat the Factory (2012)
Class Clown Spots a UFO (2012)
The Bears for Lunch (2012)
English Little League (2013)
Motivational Jumpsuit (2014)
Cool Planet (2014)
Please Be Honest (2016)
August by Cake (2017)
How Do You Spell Heaven (2017)
Space Gun (2018)
Zeppelin Over China (2019)
Warp and Woof (2019)
Sweating the Plague (2019)
Surrender Your Poppy Field (2020)
Mirrored Aztec (2020)
Styles We Paid For (2021)
Guided by Voices Day
In 2004, during the band's last concert tour before breaking up, many cities around the United States picked a day to be "Guided by Voices Day" in that city. Some of them are:
Houston, Texas – October 1
Newport, Kentucky – October 22
Bloomington, Indiana – October 25
Austin, Texas – November 5
Dallas, Texas – November 6
San Diego, California – November 11
Los Angeles, California – November 12
New York, New York – December 5
Chicago, Illinois – December 30
Other websites
Official website
Robert Pollard's Official Website
Guided by Voices Database: large lists of albums and songs
Postal Blowfish: Guided by Voices Fan eMailing List
Disarm The Settlers: Guided by Voices Message Board
TobinSprout.net
Doug Gillard's official website
Guided by Robert Pollard: large fan site
Guided by Voices story from Allmusic.com
Listening
Official Multimedia Page at Guided by Voices website (MP3s and other goodies)
Largeheartedboy.com GBV Radio
GbV music page at Matador Records
Epitonic.com: Guided by Voices
Assorted Guided by Voices Reviews
Seeing
Official Video Page at Guided by Voices website
American rock bands
American pop music groups
Musicians from Dayton, Ohio
Musical groups from Ohio
Musical groups established in 1983
1983 establishments in the United States
1980s establishments in Ohio
Musical groups disestablished in 2014
2014 disestablishments in the United States
Musical groups disestablished in 2004
2004 disestablishments in the United States
Disestablishments in Ohio
Musical groups established in 2010
2010 establishments in the United States
21st-century establishments in Ohio |
29255 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics | Eugenics | Eugenics is a social and political philosophy. It tries to influence the way people choose to mate and raise children, with the aim of improving the human species.
Eugenics rests on some basic ideas. The first is that, in genetics, what is true of animals is also true of man. The characteristics of animals are passed on from one generation to the next in heredity, including mental characteristics. For example, the behaviour and mental characteristics of different breeds of dog differ, and all modern breeds are greatly changed from wolves. The breeding and genetics of farm animals show that if the parents of the next generation are chosen, then that affects what offspring are born.
Negative eugenics aims to cut out traits that lead to suffering, by limiting people with the traits from reproducing. Positive eugenics aims to produce more healthy and intelligent humans, by persuading people with those traits to have more children.p85 In the past, many ways were proposed for doing this, and even today eugenics means different things to different people. The idea of eugenics is controversial, because in the past it was sometimes used to justify discrimination and injustice against people who were thought to be genetically unhealthy or inferior.
Francis Galton
Modern eugenics was first invented in 1865 by Sir Francis Galton, a British scientist who was the cousin of Charles Darwin. Galton believed that intelligence and talent were hereditary and were passed from parent to their children. Based on this, he thought that people could be bred to be smarter, just like animals were bred to be larger or smaller. Galton thought the best way to do this was to learn more about heredity, and also to tell people that they should only marry people who were smart and strong. Galton chose the name "Eugenics" because it was very similar to the Greek for "well born".
Galton developed the idea of eugenics throughout his life. He understood the two types of eugenics, positive and negative eugenics. One problem, which critics brought up, is the difficulty of agreeing on who is a healthy person, genetically speaking, and who is an inferior person. Obviously, opinions differ.
Eugenics in Britain and the United States
The rediscovery of the scientific work of Gregor Mendel in 1900 led to modern genetics, and an understanding of how heredity worked. Mendel himself experimented on peas, and found that many characteristics of the pea plants, such as their colour or their height, could be turned on and off through heredity like a switch. For example, his peas could be either yellow or green, one or the other.
When applied to humans, people thought this meant that human characteristics, like being smart or not, could be influenced by heredity.
Another line of thought goes like this. During their evolution, humans were subject to natural selection like any other form of life. On average, healthy and intelligent people had a better chance of reproducing. In modern civilisation, however, it often seems that this process does not apply. Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin had discussed this very point, with concern.p70 In countries where statistics were collected, those statistics showed that in many cases the poor had more children than the rich. Also, statistics showed that the total population of some great nations was declining.p73 One startling piece of information was produced by research directed by Karl Pearson, the Galton Professor of Eugenics at University College London, and the founder of the Department of Applied Statistics. The finding was that half of each succeeding generation was produced by no more than a quarter of the previous generation, and that quarter was "disproportionately located amongst the dregs of society".p74
The evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley was also a supporter of eugenics. He used this argument several times:
"No-one doubts the wisdom of managing the germ-plasm [heredity] of agricultural stocks, so why not apply the same concept to human stocks?"
The American historian of science Garland Allen commented :
"The agricultural analogy appears over and over again as it did in the writings of many American eugenicists".
Similarly, the American geneticist Charles Davenport was a lifelong promoter of eugenics, and wrote one of its first textbooks.Chapter 3 There is no doubt of the support given to eugenics by professional scientists of undoubted repute.
In the United States, eugenics became a very popular idea in the early 20th century. People thought it would cure society of all of its problems at the time, like crime and poverty, because they thought that all aspects of human behavior were probably hereditary. Very important scientists and politicians supported eugenics, and most thought it was a very progressive and scientific philosophy.
But some of those who led the eugenics movement used it to justify racism and prejudice. They used eugenics as an excuse to pass laws which to restrict immigration from countries that they did not like, saying that the people in them were genetically "unfit". They also passed laws which said that people of different races could not get married to one another. Most importantly, they passed laws which said that people who were thought to have mental illness or mental disability could be sterilised against their will. Under these laws over 60,000 people were sterilised in the United States between 1907 and the 1970s.
Today we know that interpreting statistics of this type is a complex business, and that many of the studies published early in the 20th century have serious flaws. Nevertheless, what stopped the eugenics movement was not better science. It was the realization, after World War II, of the effects of Nazi policies on race in Germany and other countries occupied during the war. Such war crimes were not, of course, advocated by any eugenicist. All the same, there was a common theme. This theme was the growing interest in the rights of individuals as against the rights of the state.
Eugenics after WWII
With the end of the Second World War, forced sterilisation ended in Germany. It was continued in the United States until 1974. The main targets were at first those that were ill or that had some physical or mental disabilities.
Only in 1985 was a law of the Swiss canton of Vaud abolished. This law allowed for the forced sterilisation of a certain group of people. It was replaced by a law on the national level, that tells under which circumstances people who are unable to consent, may be sterilised.
Eugenics today
Though there are few people who openly advocate eugenics today, many people wonder what improvements in genetic technologies will mean in the future.
Genetic counselling exists, where parents can get information about their heredity and even prevent the birth of a child if it has a risk of hereditary illness. Some people do not think the issue is so clear, though, and wonder if genetic screening, genetic counselling, and birth control, are all just another type of eugenics. Some people wonder if it is bad because it infringes human dignity. Some people oppose eugenics and genetic counselling for religious reasons. The idea of eugenics is controversial today for these reasons.
Much of this concern is misplaced. Genetic counselling is not going to change the genetic composition of the human population to any noticeable extent. More relevant is the developing power to identify, and then to change directly, elements of the human genome (genetic engineering). This does have the potential to change the genetic structure of human populations.
Related pages
Designer baby
Genetic engineering
Genetic screening
References
Eugenics |
29256 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterilisation | Sterilisation | Sterilisation (which some people spell Sterilization) is a process that makes animals or humans that are able to bear offspring unable to do so.
Sterilisation often is done for a way of birth control or childfree. But it have been often done against the will of the person, this is called "compulsory sterilisation."
Related pages
Sterilization (microbiology)
Biological reproduction |
29259 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus | Cerberus | In Greek mythology, Cerberus (Greek: Κέρβερος, Kérberos; Latin: Cerberus) is the monstrous, multi-headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld, preventing the souls of the dead from leaving.
Often called the "hound of Hades", Cerberus was one of the numerous offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna; he is usually depicted as having three heads, along with a serpent for a tail. Cerberus is primarily known for being captured by Herakles, as the last of the hero's Twelve Labors.
Greek legendary creatures
Afterlife |
29260 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerevan | Yerevan | Yerevan () is the capital and largest city of Armenia. In 2004 about 1,088,300 people lived in Yerevan. Some people write Yerevan as Erevan. In past, Yerevan was called Erebuni or Erivan.
It is on the Hrazdan River, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country.
The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the Urartian fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC. Eventually, the letter "b" in the name Erebuni changed in the 5th or 4th century BC, becoming "v".
Climate
The climate of Yerevan is continental, with dry, hot summers and cold, snowy and short winters. The temperature in August can reach 40°C (104°F), while January may be as cold as -15 °C (5 °F). The amount of precipitation is small, about 350 mm (14 in) per year.
Culture
As a centre of Armenian culture, Yerevan is the site of Yerevan State University (1919), the Armenian Academy of Sciences, a historical museum, an opera house, a music conservatory and several technical institutes. The Matenadaran archives hold a rich collection of valuable ancient Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Hebrew, Roman and Persian manuscripts. Yerevan has several large public libraries, a number of museums and theaters, botanical gardens and zoos. It is also at the heart of an extensive rail network and is a major trading centre for agricultural products. In addition, industries in the city produce metals, machine tools, electrical equipment, chemicals, textiles and food products.
Two major tourist attractions are the Opera House, the ruins of an Urartu fortress and a Roman fortress. The Armenia Marriott Hotel is in the heart of the city at Republic Square (also known as Hraparak).
Metro
The Yerevan Metro is a rapid transit system that serves the capital city.
Its interior resembles that of western former Soviet nations with chandeliers hanging
from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Independence of the Republic of Armenia.
Economy
Yerevan is Armenia's industrial, transportation, and cultural center. Manufactures include chemicals, primary metals, machinery, rubber products, plastics, textiles, and processed food. Not only is Yerevan the headquarters of major Armenian companies, but of international ones as well, as it's seen as an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and American multinationals.
Development
Recently, Yerevan has been undergoing an ambitious redevelopment process in which old Soviet-style apartments and buildings are being demolished and replaced with modern buildings. However, this urban renewal plan has been met with opposition and ( ) criticism from some residents.
References
Sergey Vardanyan 1995. The capitals of Armenia. Apolo.
G. Zakoyan, M. Sivaslian, V. Navasardian 2001. My Yerevan. Acnalis.
Other websites
Yerevan Municipality webpage in Armenian and English
Yerevan.ru - The capital of Armenia online (Russian)
Erebuni History and excavation description, edited by Rick Ney
- Online News From Armenia. Edited by John Hughes.
Yerevan article on Armeniapedia
Yerevan article on Cilicia.com
Armenia Info Yerevan page
The Yerevan Metro system
Interactive CD - Yerevan Virtual
Related pages
Blue Mosque, Yerevan
Capital cities in Asia
National capitals in Europe |
29261 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox | Smallpox | Smallpox was a dangerous disease with a high mortality rate. It no longer exists as an epidemic disease. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977. The World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980 (said there was no more).
It was caused by a virus. There are two different species of viruses that can cause the disease. They are Variola major and Variola minor. Some people also call smallpox Variola, from the Latin work for "spotted" which is also the viruses' scientific name.
Only humans can get this disease, but it probably came from a virus which infected animals. Variola major killed between 20% and 40% of those who got it. Variola minor killed only about 1%. Many people who survived become blind because of the damage the virus did to the eyes.
During the first half of the 20th century, between 300 million and 500 million people died of this disease. Even in 1967, about 15 million people caught the disease, and about two million people died of it, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The first vaccine for smallpox used the results of cowpox infections. It was invented by Edward Jenner. It was used to stop people from getting smallpox. The word "vaccine" came from "vaccina", the Latin word for cow, because cowpox was used. The WHO (World Health Organisation) vaccinated people all over the world. In 1980, the WHO said the disease no longer existed, and no one would ever get sick from it again. Live copies of smallpox are kept in maximum-security laboratories around the world.
Some people believe that smallpox could be used as an agent for purposely infecting enemies in a war. Today, most people no longer receive a smallpox shot.
Related pages
Cowpox
Poxviridae
List of diseases
References |
29263 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient%20China | Ancient China | Ancient China is a very old civilization. There are written records of the history of China which date from 1500 BC in the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC).
China is one of the world's oldest continuous (still alive) civilizations. Turtle shells with writing like ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty () have been carbon dated to about 1500 BC. They say that China began as city-states in the Yellow River valley. Many people say that China became a big Kingdom or Empire in 221 BC. The Qin () emperor Qin Shi Huang made everyone write the same way. He also had ideas about the state which he based on legalism and fought Confucianism. This began what we call the Chinese civilization. Ancient China fought wars and Civil wars and was also sometimes conquered by other people.
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. The written history of China can be found as early as the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 – 1046 BC) although ancient historical texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian (ca. 100 BC) and Bamboo Annals say that a Xia Dynasty existed before the Shang. Much of Chinese culture, literature and philosophy further developed during the Zhou Dynasty (1045 – 256 BC).
The Zhou Dynasty began to bow to external and internal pressures in the 8th century BC, and the kingdom eventually broke apart into smaller states, beginning in the Spring and Autumn Period and reaching full expression in the Warring States period. This is one of multiple periods of failed statehood in Chinese history (the most recent of which was the Chinese Civil War).
Between eras of multiple kingdoms and warlordism, Chinese dynasties have ruled parts or all of China. In some eras, control has stretched as far as Central Asia, Tibet and Vietnam. This Chinese imperialism began with the Qin Dynasty: in 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang conquered the various warring kingdoms and created the first Chinese empire. Successive dynasties in Chinese history developed bureaucratic systems that gave the Emperor of China direct control of vast territories.
The conventional view of Chinese history is that of alternating periods of political unity and disunity, with China occasionally being dominated by steppe peoples, most of whom were in turn assimilated into the Han Chinese population. Cultural and political influences from many parts of Asia, carried by successive waves of immigration, expansion, and cultural assimilation, are part of the modern culture of China.
Timeline
3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors: 50,000 – 2000 BC
Xia Dynasty: c. 2000 – c. 1600 BC
Shang Dynasty (or Yin Dynasty): c. 1600 – 1046 BC
Zhou Dynasty
Western Zhou: 1046 – 771 BC
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn period: 771 – 481 BC
Warring States period: 481 – 221 BC
Qin Dynasty: 221 – 206 BC
Han Dynasty: 206 BC – 220 AD
Western Han: 206 BC – 8 AD
Xin Dynasty: 8 – 23 AD
Three Kingdoms
The Kingdom of Wei: 220 – 265 AD
The Kingdom of Shu: 221 – 263 AD
The Kingdom of Wu: 229 – 280 AD
Jin Dynasty
Western Jin: 265 – 316 AD
Eastern Jin: 317 – 460 AD
The Sixteen Kingdoms
"Former Zhao" or "Han Zhao": 304 – 329 AD
"Cheng Han" or "Former Shu": 306 – 347 AD
Former Liang: 314 – 376 AD
"Later Zhao" or "Shi Zhao": 319 – 351 AD
Former Yan: 334 – 370 AD
"Former Qin" or "Fu Qin": 351 – 394 AD
Later Yan: 384 – 409 AD
"Later Qin" or "Iau Qin": 384 – 417 AD
Western Qin: 385 – 431 AD
"Later Liang" or "Lu Liang": 389 – 403 AD
Southern Liang: 397 – 414 AD
Southern Yan: 398 – 410 AD
Western Liang: 400 – 421 AD
Northern Liang: 401 – 439 AD
"Xia" or "Hu Xia": 407 – 431 AD
"Northern Yan" or "Feng Yan": 409 – 436 AD
The countries below are not included in the sixteen kingdoms:
Former Chouchi: 296 – 371 AD
Later Chouchi: 385 – 443 AD
Dai: 315 – 376 AD
Ran Wei: 350 – 352 AD
Western Yan: 384 – 394 AD
Zhai Wei: 388 – 392 AD
Western Shu: 405 – 413 AD
Yuwenbu: 302 – 344 AD
Duanbu: 310 – 357 AD
Tuguhun: 313 – 633 AD
Southern and Northern Dynasties
Southern Dynasties
Song: 420 – 479 AD
Chi: 479 – 502 AD
Liang: 502 – 557 AD
Chen: 557 – 589 AD
Northern Dynasties
Northern Wei: 386 – 534 AD
Eastern Wei: 534 – 550 AD
Western Wei: 535 – 557 AD
Northern Chi: 550 – 557 AD
Northern Chou: 557 – 581 AD
Sui Dynasty: 581 – 618 AD
Tang Dynasty: 618 – 907 AD
Tang Dynasty had been interrupted by Wu Chou: 690 – 705 AD
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
Five Dynasties
Later Liang: 907 – 923 AD
Later Tang: 923 – 936 AD
Later Jin: 936 – 947 AD
Later Han: 947 – 950 AD
Later Chou: 951 – 960 AD
Ten Kingdoms
Wu Yue: 904 – 978 AD
Min (changed its name to Yin at 943 AD): 909 – 945 AD
Jinnan: 907 – 963 AD
Chu: 897 – 951 AD
Wu: 904 – 973 AD
Southern Tang: 937 – 975 AD
Southern Han: 917 – 971 AD
Northern Han: 951 – 979 AD
Former Shu: 907 – 925 AD
Later Shu: 934 – 965 AD
And other regimes
Dingnan Jiedu: 881 – 982 AD
Fongshang Jiedu (or Chi): 887 – 924 AD
Lulong Jiedu (or Yan): 897 – 913 AD
Chender Jiedu (or Zhao): 883 – 921 AD
Yiwu Jiedu: 900(?) – 922 AD and 928 – 929 AD
Wuping Jiedu (or Hunan Jiedu): 950 – 963 AD
Chinyuan Jiedu: 946 – 978 AD
Hexi Regime: ?
Song Dynasty
Northern Song: 960 – 1127 AD
Southern Song: 1127 – 1279 AD
Liao Dynasty (or Khitan) - 907 – 1125 AD
After the Gin Dynasty ends the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Dashi, an aristocrat of Liao, rebuilded the Liao Dynasty, we call it Western Liao, also known as Kara-Khitan Khanate: 1132 – 1218 AD
Gin Dynasty: 1115 – 1234 AD
Western Xia: 1038 – 1227 AD
Yuan Dynasty (Actually the Mongolia): 1279 – 1368 AD
Ming Dynasty: 1368 – 1644 AD
Qing Dynasty: 1636 – 1912 AD
The Republic of China: 1912 AD – now (It only ruled mainland China until 1949. It lost in the Chinese Civil War, so now it only rules Taiwan, Penghu, Kingmen, Mazhu, the Taiping Island and the Dongsha Island. The Republic of China after 1949 is actually Taiwan.)
The People's Republic of China: 1949 AD – now
References
Other websites
Links for Middle School students from the Courtenay Middle School Library Collection
History of China
Ancient history |
29267 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka | Shaka | Shaka kaSenzangakhona (sometimes spelled Tshaka, Tchaka or Chaka; ca. 1787 – ca. 22 September 1828) was the most important leader of the Zulu Empire. He joined the Zulu tribal groups together into the beginnings of a nation. This Zulu nation ruled a large area of southern Africa, between the Phongolo and Mzimkhulu rivers. His leadership and his energy make him one of the greatest Zulu chieftains. He has been called a military genius for his changes and new ideas. However, there were also brutal and cruel things that happened when he was in charge.
Zulu leader
Shaka maintained a good relationship with the Europeans in Africa, including the Colonial leaders. He was disliked by other Africans, including his own people, who hated his constant wars.
Ten years of warfare placed incredible strains on the Zulu nation. Shaka, unstable and worried about being replaced by an heir, finally snapped into madness after the death of his mother in 1828. He imposed a year of celibacy on his people. He killed anyone who did not show enough sadness at the death of his mother. He was killed within the year by his half-brother, Dingane, who succeeded him as ruler.
Even though he created brutal conditions for his subjects, he created the powerful Zulu Kingdom.
References
1781 births
1828 deaths
African people
History of South Africa
Assassinated people |
29268 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo | Halo | A halo is a ring of light that surrounds an object. Also, in much religious art, it may be seen surrounding the heads of saintly people such as Jesus.
It is believed by some Hindus that the halo shown around the heads of holy people is a depiction of their "activated" crown chakra.
Halos are visual phenomena that appear near or around the Sun or Moon, and sometimes near other strong light sources such as street lights. There are many types of optical halos, but they are mostly caused by ice crystals in certain types of clouds. The shape of the crystals changes the type of halo seen. Light is reflected by the ice and may split into colors, similar to the rainbow.
Other websites
Halo explanations and image galleries at Atmospheric Optics
Optics |
29269 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek%20underworld | Greek underworld | The underworld is the place in Greek mythology where people go when they die. The underworld is controlled by Hades, one of the three main gods. The underworld's gates are guarded by the three-headed dog, Cerberus. The underworld was surrounded by five rivers. The Acheron was the river of woe, the Cocytus was the river of lamentation, the Phlegethon the river of fire, the Styx, the river of the unbreakable oath by which the gods took their vows, and the Lethe the river of forgetfulness. When entering the underworld, Charon would take those with gold coins to the underworld. Not everyone could enter, because not everyone had golden coins to pay the fare.
Three judges, by the names of Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus, would then decide where you would go. People that lived normal lives would go to The Fields of Asphodel. Heroes would go to The Fields of Elysium. People who did horrible things would go the Fields of Punishment. If you were put into Elysium, you could choose to be reborn or stay. If you went to Elysium three times, then you went to the Isle of the Blessed. This was like the ultimate heaven. Tartaros () was another place in the underworld, where immortal enemies of the current Twelve Olympians are eternally punished, for example Kronos and the other Titans. Tartaros overlaps with the fields of punishment.
Other websites
Underworld
Afterlife |
29270 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal%20Empire | Mughal Empire | The Mughal Empire, (, ) was an Sunni Islam empire in Asia that existed from 1526 to 1858. The Mughal rule over India was an empire because it stretched over a large area. It once ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known as Hindustan,, and parts of what is now India, Afghanistan and modern Pakistan and Bangladesh between 1526 and 1707. It was the world's largest economy, at 25% of the world's GDP. It famously signalled the proto-industrialization and had a lavish architecture.
The Mughal emperors were originally Turk-Mongols. Babur of the Timurid dynasty founded the Mughal Empire and the Mughal dynasty in 1526 and ruled until 1530. He was followed by Humayun (1530-1540) and (1555-1556), Akbar (1556-1605), Jahangir (1605-1627), Shah Jahan (1628-1658), and the Islamic Aurangzeb (1658-1707) and several other minor rulers until Bahadur Shah Zafar II(1837-1857). After the death of Aurangzeb, the rule through sharia ended and the Mughal Empire became weak. It continued until 1857-1858. By then, India came under the British Raj.
The Mughal Empire was established by able Muslim rulers who came from what is now Uzbekistan. The Mughal rule in India saw the country being united as one single unit and being administered under a single powerful ruler. During the Mughal period, art and architecture flourished and many beautiful monuments were constructed. The rulers were skillful warriors and also admirers of art.
The Mughals left a permanent mark on Indian society, culture, art and architecture. Their monuments, artifacts and literature show a period of great wealth and culture. Paintings in miniature style teach us about the clothing and lifestyle of the Mughal people.
The Mughal people is an ethnic group living in the Indian subcontinent that is a descendant of the Mongol and Turkic conquerors who came to North India from the 14th century. Mongol, Turkic, and local Indo-Iranian peoples took part in the formation of the Mughal people.
After 1858, when the Mughal Empire was taken over by the British Empire, some of the upper-class Indian Muslims went to exile to the Ottoman Empire. Their descendants today are named Muğallar (Mughals) in Turkish. They have become part of Turkish society and speak Turkish as their mother tongue.
References
History of Pakistan
History of India
History of Afghanistan
History of Bangladesh
1526 establishments
1858 disestablishments
1520s establishments in Asia
19th-century disestablishments in Asia
Mustafa Ali Turi
The Mughal emperor were Turk Mughal |
29271 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/British%20Raj | British Raj | The British Raj was the rule until 1947 by the British Empire in Southeast India. "Raj" is a word in Hindi that means "rule". so "British Raj" means rule by the British Empire in Southern Asia. The area is now in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and [[Myanmar. The British Raj is also called the British Indian Empire or the Indian Empire.
The term "British Raj" is used for the direct British rule over areas which had been conquered by the British, known as British India. That included the British influence over many independent princely states. Those areas were governed by their own traditional rulers under the overall authority of the British crown.
Undivided India is another term to mean the whole area of British rule, but it does not take in Burma, which became in 1937 its own British colony. The colony of Aden came under the same government in India from 1858 to 1937, and the same was true for British Somaliland (now part of Somalia) from 1884 to 1898 and Singapore from 1858 to 1867.
British rule ended on 15 August 1947. The borders between India and Pakistan came into effect on the 18 August. Many people died during the partition of India.
Jammu and Kashmir, like the other princely states, had not been under direct British rule. India and Pakistan went to war over this area, which is now divided between them.
The 1861 census showed that the British population in the subcontinent was 125,945. Only 41,862 of them were civilians as compared with 84,083 European officers and men of the Army. In 1880, the standing Indian Army consisted of 66,000 British soldiers, 130,000 natives, and 350,000 soldiers in the princely armies.
References
History of Pakistan
Myanmar
Viceroys
1858 establishments
1850s establishments in the United Kingdom
19th-century establishments in India
19th-century establishments in Pakistan
Establishments in Bangladesh
1947 disestablishments in India
1947 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
1850s establishments in Asia |
29272 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever | Lever | A lever is a simple machine. It is something that can be used in a lot of ways. One way is by measuring things, or by seeing which weighs more. A lever is supported by a fulcrum which it uses to lifts weights. It is one of six simple machines. There are three types of levers: first-class, second-class and third-class.
Early
The earliest remaining writings about levers are from the 3rd century BC. They were written by Archimedes. "Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the earth." is a famous quote from Archimedes who stated the correct mathematical principle of levers (quoted by Pappus of Alexandria).
Types of levers
There are three kinds of levers. The difference between them is where the fulcrum is and where the forces are.
First class
A first-class lever is a lever where the fulcrum is in between the effort and resistance (the load). Seesaws and crowbars are examples of first class levers.
Second class
A second-class lever is where the resistance is between the effort and the fulcrum. Wheel barrows and wrenches are examples of second class levers.
Third class
A third class lever is where the effort is between the resistance and the fulcrum. Staplers and your forearm are examples of third class levers.
References
Engineering
Tools |
29273 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley | Pulley | A pulley is a simple machine that is used to lift heavy objects. Block and tackle system is a modified form of a pulley. Pulleys are usually used in sets designed to make the amount of force needed to lift something smaller.
Types of pulleys
Static A static or class 1 pulley has an axle that is "staticed" or is stationary, meaning that it cannot be moved. A fixed pulley is used to redirect the force in a rope (called a belt when it goes in a full circle). A fixed pulley has a mechanical advantage of 1. The static pulley has a wheel and an axle.
Movable A movable or class 2 pulley has an axle that is "free" to move in space. A movable pulley is used to transform forces. A movable pulley has a mechanical advantage of 2. That is, if one end of the rope is anchored, pulling on the other end of the rope will apply a doubled force to the objecT attached to the pulley.
Compound A compound pulley is a combination fixed and movable pulley system.
Block and tackle - A block and tackle is a compound pulley where several pulleys are mounted on each axle, further increasing the mechanical advantage. Plutarch reported that Archimedes moved an entire warship, laden with men, using compound pulleys and his own strength.
Pulleys are useful in construction sites.
Mechanics
Tools |
29274 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef%20Pi%C5%82sudski | Józef Piłsudski | Józef Klemens Piłsudski (December 5, 1867 – May 12, 1935) was an important leader of Poland. He is seen in Poland as the father of the Polish state, since he declared Poland's independence at the end of World War 1.
From 1795 to 1918, Poland was not an independent country. The partitions of Poland divided it into three parts between Russia, Prussia (Germany) and Austria-Hungary. Piłsudski was born in the Russian part. The government tried to make Poles become Russian but Piłsudski was born in a noble family of patriots, that wanted Poland to be an own independent country.
In 1887 he got into trouble for helping people who tried to overthrow the Russian Tsar. For that he was sent to Siberia. When he came back from there he got more and more involved in politics.
Later Piłsudski became a soldier and wanted to make Poland independent again. At the beginning of World War I, people who agreed with Pilsudski helped Austria-Hungary, because they preferred it to Russia. Piłsudski created a Polish army in Austria called the Polish Legions. Piłsudski is famous for leading the I. Brigade of the Polish Legions.
When they stopped helping Austria-Hungary and Germany, Piłsudski was arrested. When the War was over, he was freed.
He came to Warsaw in November 1918 and helped to organize Poland, which now existed again after 123 of partition. Then, for a short time, he became its leader (not president but head of state). Gabriel Narutowicz became Poland's first president, but he was assassinated a few days later and Stanisław Wojciechowski became the next president. Piłsudski was shocked and left politics for a few years.
Poland's situation was not good and the politicians argued a lot. Many people, especially the soldiers, wanted Piłsudski back, so he told Wojciechowski to resign. When Wojciechowski said no, Piłsudki took over with the help of the Army. Parliament elected Ignacy Mościcki, Piłsudski's close friend to be the new president. . Together, they changed the Polish constitution and made other changes which made Poland stronger in the 1920s and 30s.
Today, Piłsudski is remembered as a heroe. He has many statues and streets named after him.
Childhood and youth
Joseph Piłsudski, was born in 5 December 1867 in Zułowo in Lithuania, into a patriotic family. His father, Joseph Wincenty (1833-1902), had fought in the January 1863 Uprising against the Russian rule of Poland-Lithuania. His mother - Maria (1842-1884) - came from a famous family. He had a daughter, Jadwiga Piłsudska (1920-2014).
Piłsudski was a patriot since he was very young and often had problems with the Russian teachers in his school.
In his youth he got involved with Polish and Russian revolutionaries that planned to overthrow the Russian government and was sent to Siberia for helping them.
In Siberia he met many Polish Soldiers that fought for Independence in the 1863 uprising against Russia.
Early Political Life
After his return from Siberia, Piłsudski created the Polish Socialist Party, that wanted to bring Poland back. They also wanted workers to be treated fairly. He wrote newspapers for the party and reminded Polish workers of their old homeland.
His party had paramilitary organizations that made protests and uprisings against Russian officers and generals from time to time.
Piłsudski personally took part in the famous Bezdanny Raid, where Piłsudski and his friends took a lot of money from a train that belonged to the Tsar.
With the money Piłsudski bought weapons and started preparing for the coming World War. Piłsudski hoped that during the war Russia and Germany would fight against each other, giving Poland a chance to return.
World War 1
When World War 1 broke out, Piłsudski lead his armies on the side of Austria.
Piłsudski's Polish Legions won many battles for Austria and Germany against Russia and this made them respect Poland, allowing the existance of a Polish State in 1916.
Piłsudski's Brigade (I. Brigade) is also the subject of the famous Polish military song "My pierwsza brygada" which is the current anthem of the Polish military and very popular in Poland.
When Piłsudski decided that Poland must be indepenent from Germany too, he was arrested and brought to a fortress in Magdeburg, Germany in 1917. He was released at the end of the war in November of 1918.
When Piłsudski returned to Poland, he was celebrated by masses of happy people. He was and is loved as a heroe in Poland to this day.
On 11. November Piłsudski declared that Poland is an independent country again, after 123 years of Poland not existing on the map.
Politics in Independent Poland
After Poland started to exist again, Piłsudski was the leader of Poland.
In Russia a revolution broke out during World War 1 that deposed the Tsar and later the government.
The new soviet Russia was communist and wanted to conquer Europe, included Poland.
When in the year 1920 the soviet red army was at the gates of Warsaw, Poland's capital, Piłsudski sent his soldiers to battle the red army and defeated them. This battle is celebrated in Poland every year.
After the war with Russia was over, Piłsudski gave his power to the new democratic government of Poland in 1922.
Unfortunatly, the first president was killed only 2 days after he became President. Piłsudski was very disappointed and sad, so he left politics and spent time with his family in their house in Sulejówek (a part of Warsaw).
The new governments of Poland were very weak and Poland was becoming pooerer and poorer. Many people missed Piłsudski and wanted him to become the leader of Poland again.
When Piłsudski organized a demonstration in 1926 asking the President to resign, fights broke out between Piłsudski's supporters and the president's supporters.
Finally, Piłsudski won the fights and was the leader of Poland again. His friend, Ignacy Mościcki was elected President by the Polish parlaiment.
Piłsudski's government was called "Sanacja" which means "healing", because they wanted to heal Poland of its problems and bad situation.
Under Piłsudski life became better in Poland and after some years, Poland was a strong country in Europe again.
Unfortuantly, Józef Piłsudski died in 1935 because of cancer. He was suceeded by General Edward Rydz-Śmigły, a soldier that fought for Piłsudski during World War 1.
1867 births
1935 deaths
Presidents of Poland
Former dictators |
29276 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1526 | 1526 |
Events
First battle of Panipat – Babur becomes Mughal emperor of India, captures Delhi, and invades Northern India. Beginning of the Mughal Empire which would last until 1858.
Births
26 September 1511
Deaths |
29277 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah%20Berlin | Isaiah Berlin | Sir Isaiah Berlin OM, FBA (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a British philosopher. He was born in Riga, Latvia, which at the time was a part of the Russian Empire. He was Jewish, and was the first Jew to win the prize of a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford University.
Reputation
Isaiah Berlin was an important person of the 20th century. People see him as an important thinker of Liberalist ideas. He was made a member of the Order of Merit and was a professor at the University of Oxford. He made a distinction between positive liberty and negative liberty. His most famous work is probably Two Concepts of Liberty (where he introduced this distinction.) He died 5 November 1997.
1909 births
1997 deaths
20th-century British philosophers
Jewish British academics
Jewish British scientists
Knights Bachelor
Latvian Jews
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Order of Merit
People from Riga
Russian Jews
Latvian writers
Latvian scientists |
29278 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru%20Granth%20Sahib | Guru Granth Sahib | The Guru Granth Sahib , also called Adi Granth, is the holy book of the religion Sikhism. It contains prayers, and hymns of Sikh religion. Sikhs believe the Guru Granth Sahib to be a living Guru, hence the Guru Granth Sahib has its own place also commonly known as 'Sach Khand' (the Heaven).
The name of the book is made up of three words. The first word is Guru, and a Guru in Sanskrit language means a teacher. Granth is a word of Hindi, and this means a book. The third word Sahib is a word of Urdu language and it means master. Thus, the Guru Granth Sahib means a Master Book by the Teacher. The Guru Granth Sahib, is a collection of hymns of the first five "Sikh Gurus", the "Ninth Guru", and various saints, or bhagats Sikhs and others such as Baba Farid.
But what makes it so significant is that it has the solution to every problem in the World. The Granth teaches us how we should live, and promotes a modern ideology. This is why it makes it so important to Sikhs.
The book is usually placed in the centre of the temple, high up under a roof.
It is written in the language called Gurmukhi. The first composition in the Guru Granth Sahib is Mool mantar by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Sikhism
Religious texts
E |
29280 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%20of%20Elea | Zeno of Elea | Zeno of Elea was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy. He was born about 490 BC and died about 430 BC: the exact dates are not known.
Zeno a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of dialectic. He is best known for his paradoxes, which Bertrand Russell has described as "immeasurably subtle and profound".
Works
Although many ancient writers refer to the writings of Zeno, none of his writings survive intact.
Plato says that Zeno's writings were "brought to Athens for the first time on the occasion of" the visit of Zeno and Parmenides
According to Proclus in his Commentary on Plato's Parmenides, Zeno produced "not less than forty arguments revealing contradictions", but only nine are now known.
Zeno's arguments are perhaps the first examples of a method of proof called reductio ad absurdum, literally meaning to reduce to the absurd. This destructive method of argument was used by him to such an extent that he became famous for it.
Related pages
Zeno's paradoxes
References
490s BC births
5th-century BC deaths
Presocratic philosophers |
29281 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%20of%20Citium | Zeno of Citium | Zeno of Citium (sometimes called Zeno Apathea) (333 BC264 BC) was a Syrian philosopher. He was the student of Carates of Thebes, who was the most famous cynic at that time. He started the Stoic school of philosophy.
References
333 BC births
264 BC deaths
Ancient Greek philosophers |
29282 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron%20Curtain | Iron Curtain | The Iron Curtain is a term related to the Cold War. It means the border between the states that were members of the Warsaw Pact (in Eastern Europe), and those that were not (then called The West).
This border was between East Germany and West Germany, between Czechoslovakia and Austria, and between Hungary and Austria.
At the end of World War II Austria, Germany and Berlin were divided into four zones. In 1955, a treaty was signed. The treaty said that the Allied forces must leave Austria. In return, the Austrian government promised to do certain things, like not form a territorial union with Germany and recognise certain minorities, amongst others. The whole of Europe was separated into a Soviet Union zone in the East and a neutral or US-dominated zone in the West. The splitting of Europe, Germany and especially Berlin into two political blocks was part of the Cold War between the United States of America and other western countries on one side and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other. The wartime Allied Forces split after their common enemy, Nazi Germany, was defeated in May 1945.
The idea of the Iron Curtain was referring to the separation of the communist Europe compared to the democratic west, it was the idea that what was happening in the satellite states and in Russia was secret to the rest of the world. Satellite state refers to a country being controlled by another, in this case Russia was controlling countries such as Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and others which were previously controlled by Germany in WW2.
The idea of the Iron Curtain was made public by Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in 1946 when he was invited to speak at American University by Harry S. Truman (the American president at the time). Churchill's speech was seen by Nikita Khrushchev; leader of the USSR from 1958 until 1964 as a declaration of war, as Churchill urged a struggle against the Soviet Union.
References
Other websites
Homepage for Susanna Lapossy's book Life Behind the Iron Curtain (about Iron Curtain times in Hungary)
History of Europe
Communism |
29286 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus%20Valley%20civilization | Indus Valley civilization | The Indus Valley civilization was a Bronze Age civilization(3300–1300 BC; mature period 2700-1700 BC)
The civilization was in the subcontinent. It was discovered by archaeologists in the 1880s.
It developed along the Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra River and even that areas are now in modern Pakistan, north-west India and Afghanistan. The civilization started during the Bronze Age and the height of its development was between 2500 BC and 1500 BC. Including the civilizations directly before and after, it may have lasted from the 33rd to the 14th century BC.
The Indus Valley civilization covered a large area from Balochistan (Pakistan) to Gujarat (Republic of India). The first city to be discovered by excavation (digging up) was Harappa and therefore this civilization is also known as 'Harappan Civilization'.
They were good builders. The ruins of the site shows skillful design. Their buildings had two or sometimes more stories. The bathrooms were attached to the rooms. One of the unique features of the city was its elaborate drainage system. A brick-lined drainage channel flowed alongside every street. Removable bricks were placed at regular intervals for easy cleaning and inspection.
The harappan traders used seals on the knots of the sacks to be transported to make sure that they were not opened during the journey. Nobody knows how to read their writing system.
In 1842 Charles Masson wrote a book that mentioned the sites of Indus Valley Civilisation. Few people paid attention. Later, in 1921-22, John Marshall organised the first archaeological dig at Harappa.
Gallery
References
History of Pakistan
Ancient history
History of India
History of Afghanistan |
29287 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer | Sumer | Sumer is the earliest known civilization in southern Mesopotamia (in modern-day southern Iraq). They may have been one of the first civilizations in the world, as were Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley.
Sumer started around 3500 BC. The Sumerian civilization grew along the Tigris and Euphrates. This land was good for growing food. Sumerian culture is famous for its written cuneiform script - where letters were formed by pressing a triangle shaped reed into wet-clay tiles. They are also credited with creating the wheel, and dividing a day into 24 hours, and each hour into 60 minutes.
The earliest texts come from the cities of Uruk and Jemdet Nasr and date back to 3300 BC. Early cuneiform script writing emerged in 3000 BC.
Sumerian communities were organized into city-states, each ruled by a priest or king, until Akkad conquered them in the third millennium BC. One of the most famous Sumerian cities was Ur (not the same city as Uruk, but near it).
Relations with the Akkadians
During the 3rd millennium BC, a close cultural symbiosis developed between the Sumerians, who spoke a language isolate, and Akkadian-speakers, which included widespread bilingualism.
The Sumerian city of Eridu, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, may have been the world's first city.
The Sumerians lost their identity with their language around 2000 BC, because a large group of different people, the Amorites, moved into their region. The Sumerian language continued as a religious language taught in schools in Babylonia and Assyria, for as long as cuneiform was used.
Clothing
The Sumerians made their clothing by using the natural resources that were available to them. Clothing was made from wool or flax which Sumerians could raise and harvest. How thick or how coarse the clothing was related to the season in which it was worn. Heavier clothing was worn in the winter, lighter clothing in the summer.
Men were bare-chested and wore skirt-like clothes that tied at the waist. Women usually wore dresses that covered them from their shoulders to their ankles. The right arm and shoulder were left uncovered. Men were either clean shaven or had long hair and beards. Women wore their hair long, but they usually braided it and wrapped it around their heads. When entertaining guests, women placed headdresses in their hair.
Although both rich and poor Sumerians wore the same style of clothing, the richer Sumerians wore clothing that was made out of expensive and luxurious materials. Rich women and princesses also wore clothing that was colorful and bright.
Both men and women wore earrings and necklaces. During celebrations, even more jewelry was worn. The wealthier Sumerians often wore beautiful gold and silver bracelets and earrings. Sumerians also wore necklaces with bright, precious stones. Some of these stones were lapis lazuli and carnelian.
Related pages
Ur
Uruk
References
Mesopotamia |
29291 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cingular%20Wireless | Cingular Wireless | Cingular Wireless was a mobile phone company from United States. Cingular is now owned by AT&T. AT&T Mobility LLC (usually called AT&T) is fully owned by AT&T and provides wireless service to more than 120 million users in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AT&T Mobility is the second largest mobile phone company in the United States behind Verizon Wireless, which has more than 130 million users.
American telephone companies
Mobile phones
Companies based in Atlanta, Georgia
2001 establishments in the United States |
29298 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno | Zeno | Zeno may mean:
People:
Zeno (emperor) (c.425–491), Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire 474–491
Zeno of Citium (333–264 BC), Hellenistic philosopher of the Painted Porch, founder of Stoicism
Zeno of Elea (c.490–c.430 BC), Hellenic Eleatic philosopher, follower of Parmenides and famous for his paradoxes
Zeno of Sidon (first century BC), Epicurean philosopher
Zeno of Tarsus (third century BC), Middle Stoa philosopher
St. Zeno of Verona (c.300–c.380), Roman Catholic Saint and an early Christian Bishop or martyr
The Zeno brothers (fourteenth century), Antonio, Carlo, and Nicolò Zeno, Venetian navigators
Nicolò Zeno (younger), publisher of the Zeno map
Other uses:
Zeno's paradoxes, paradoxes by Zeno of Elea
Zeno (crater), a lunar impact crater
Zeno programming language, an imperative procedural programming language designed to be easy to learn and user friendly
Quantum Zeno effect, an effect in quantum mechanics which disallows certain conditions in the decaying of a quantum state
Related pages
Xeno |
29299 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes | Diogenes | Diogenes (Διογένης) is a Greek name. It can refer to different people:
Diogenes of Sinope (412-323 BC), better known as Diogenes the Cynic or simply Diogenes
Diogenes Apolloniates (about 460 BC), philosopher
Diogenes the Stoic (Diogenes of Seleucia on the Tigris) (c. 150 BC)
Diogenes Laertius (between 200-500 AD), historian
Diogenes of Oenoanda (2nd Century AD), Epicurean
Diogenes of Judea (about 100-76 BC), general and advisor for Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus
Diogenes of Babylon, Greek philosopher
Diogenes (duke of Syrmia), duke of Syrmia (11th century) |
29311 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery%20Science%20Theater%203000 | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) was a comedy television series. It was made in the U.S. state of Minnesota from 1988 to 1999. The series was at first made for a local station in Minnesota. It was later moved to Comedy Central, and then The Sci-Fi Channel. The series was about a man (originally Joel Robinson, played by Joel Hodgson, the show's creator, and later Mike Nelson, played by Michael J. Nelson, the show's head writer), who is put in a spaceship by an evil scientist. He was forced to watch some of the worst movies ever made. Joel makes some robots to keep him company. Two of the robots, named Crow T. Robot (played by Trace Beaulieu and, later Bill Corbett) and Tom Servo (played by Josh Weinstein and later Kevin Murphy), watch the movies with him. While the movie is shown, the three make jokes and comments about the movie they watch.
Other websites
Satellite News - The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Web Site
Complete episodes on Google video
MST3K Wiki
1988 American television series debuts
1999 American television series endings
1980s American television series
1990s American television series
American comedy television series
Netflix original shows
English-language television programs |
29321 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaze%20Starr | Blaze Starr | Blaze Starr (born Fannie Belle Fleming; 10 April 1932 – 15 June 2015) was an American stripper and burlesque star. In the 1950s, she became well known in the United States. Besides her burlesque dancing, her affair with Governor Earl Long of the state of Louisiana got her more popularity.
Early life
Starr was born in rural Wayne County, West Virginia. She lived in Washington, D.C. and in Baltimore, Maryland during her youth.
Affair with the Governor
When Blaze Starr first met Governor Long in 1958, her first feeling was fear. She was afraid she was going to jail when the Governor of Louisiana walked in with the police during a dance. When the Governor and the police gave Blaze a standing ovation, she was dumbfounded. Blaze had never known a politician who went to a show bar for any reason other than to cause the dancers trouble. After her show, the Governor asked for her to come to his table. They became friends.
Their relationship quickly grew into a love affair. Soon coworkers, reporters, and voters all knew of the affair. Mrs. Blanche Long, the Governor's wife, told hospital people that Earl was crazy and had him put away. She thought this would make Earl end the affair with Blaze. The affair continued until the day Earl died in 1960.
Her life was exciting and full of adventures. In the 1950s, stripping was more of an art form. It was not just women taking off their clothes to get men into bed. Blaze was close to her family. Blaze met her perfect match when she met Earl. He accepted her life style and she accepted his. They fulfilled each other's needs for companionship, compassion, and love.
Death
Starr died on June 15, 2015 at her home in Wilsondale, West Virginia. She was 83 years old. She had been worried about the health of her dog, whom she adopted as a stray. Her sister, Cathy Fleming, believed this stress, along with a "severe heart condition", killed her. Her dog died hours later.
References
Other websites
Blaze Star Gems (official site)
1932 births
2015 deaths
Actors from West Virginia
American adult models
Comedians from West Virginia
American erotic dancers |
29330 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip%20drive | Zip drive | The Zip drive is a data storage device. The company Iomega introduced it in late 1994.
Originally it only supported 100 MB disks, but later versions began to support 250 MB and 750 MB disks.
Higher capacity Zip disks must be used in a drive with at least the same capacity ability. Generally, higher capacity drives also handle all lower capacity media. However, it is slower to write data on a 100 MB disk with a 250 MB Zip drive than with a 100 MB Zip drive.
Zip drives can transmit data to the computer in various ways. Internal drives have been made with IDE and SCSI interfaces. External drives can use SCSI, parallel port or USB interface.
Zip disks are thicker than 3.5" (9 cm) floppy disks. Nevertheless, zip disks are quite similar in appearance to regular floppy disks. This means the Zip drive slot is large enough to accept such a floppy disk. However, they are not interchangeable.
storage devices |
29335 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmetics | Cosmetics | Cosmetics (also called makeup, make up, or make-up) are products used to make the human body look different. Often cosmetics are used to make someone more attractive to one person, or to a culture or sub-culture. In Western culture, women are the main users of cosmetics. Their use by men is less frequent, except on stage, television and movies. Cosmetics are widely used in the world of acting.
All cosmetics are temporary. They need to be renewed after a certain time. Cosmetics include lipstick, powders (e.g. blush, eyeshadow), and lotions as well as other things.
Facial cosmetics
Most cosmetic products and methods are intended to improve the look of the face. There are two categories: those which improve the basic quality of the skin, and those which sit on the skin during active social life.
Skin care
The purpose here is to clean the skin, improve its basic quality, and prepare it for the application of make-up. Products are of these types:
Cleansers, used to remove make-up and clean the skin.
Toners, used to remove oil from the skin and close the pores on the skin.
Moisturizers, used to make the skin soft and to reduce evaporation of water from the skin.
Primers, used to prepare the surface for the later application of make-up.
Concealers, to mask flaws or slightly modify the colour of the skin.
Foundation, a product which holds face-powder in place. More generally, it create an even, uniform colour, covers flaws and adjusts the natural skintone.
Make-up
These are the cosmetics which the viewer actually sees on the face (or other parts of the body). They are some or all of these:
Rouge or blusher: talcum-based reddish powder, to give a more youthful appearance. Used mainly to emphasize the cheekbones, sometimes to redden the cheeks. Very ancient, used by the ancient Egyptians.
Face powder. Or translucent powder applied with a powder puff, brush or sponge, it comes in all shades to match skin.
Lipstick.
Eye make-up.
Hand care: manicure and nail polish
History of cosmetics
The word cosmetics comes from the Greek κοσμητικός (kosmētikos), "skilled in ordering or arranging".
Archaeological confirms use of cosmetics in ancient Egypt and Greece. Cosmetics used included:
Castor oil used by ancient Egypt as a protection balm.
Skin creams made of beeswax, olive oil, and rosewater, used by Romans.
Vaseline and lanolin in the nineteenth century.
Nivea Creme was the first stable water-in-oil emulsion, 1911.
The Ancient Greeks also used cosmetics. Cosmetics are mentioned also in the Old Testament. Men who think makeup is dishonest sometimes call makeup fakeup.
Related pages
Perfume
Hair coloring
Nail art
Eye makeup
Body art
References |
29336 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic%20Wars | Napoleonic Wars | The Napoleonic Wars were wars which were fought during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte over France. They started after the French Revolution ended and Napoleon Bonaparte became powerful in France in November 1799. War began between the United Kingdom and France in 1803. This happened when the Treaty of Amiens ended in 1803.
These wars changed European military systems. Cannons became lighter and moved faster. Armies were much larger, yet had better food and supplies. They were very big and destructive, mainly because of compulsory conscription. The French became powerful very fast, and conquered most of Europe. The French then lost quickly. The French invasion of Russia failed. The Napoleonic Wars ended with the Second Treaty of Paris on 20 November 1815. This was just after the Battle of Waterloo, a big battle that Napoleon lost. Napoleon's empire lost the wars. The Bourbon Dynasty ruled France again.
Some people call the time between 20 April 1792 and 20 November 1815 "the Great French War".
On one side was the First Empire of France, Kingdom of Italy, and others. On the other side was Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Sicily, and others.
1805-1812: Napoleonic Conquest of Europe
On 18 May 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of the French at Notre Dame de Paris. The following year, the Third Coalition started due to his self-proclaimed as emperor. In response, Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy. The Austrian Emperor, Franz I, angrily declared war on Napoleon, beginning the War of the Third Coalition. The British destroyed the French navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in October. In December the Austrians and the Russians allied, and fought the French at the Battle of Austerlitz. The Russo-Austrian army suffered a devastating defeat and had to sign a treaty with Napoleon.
In 1806, the War of the Fourth Coalition started. The Kingdom of Prussia declared war on France first but was crushed by Napoleon's troops at the Battle of Jena. Napoleon captured Berlin before the Russians could help. In 1807, Napoleon defeated the Russian army at the Battle of Friedland, ending the Fourth Coalition.
In 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition began when Austria declared war on Napoleon. In the early phases of the war, the Austrians had advantage of the war, but later the French captured Vienna, ending the Fifth Coalition. At the height of his power in 1810, Napoleon had controlled France, Spain, northern Italy, Germany, all the way to Russia. In 1808, the Peninsular War began when Napoleon crowned his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain and fought British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops. In 1809, the Finnish War began between Russia and Sweden when Sweden and Portugal did make peace with France. This led to the annexation of Finland by Russia and decisive failure for Sweden. In 1811, France and Russia made disagreements again and Napoleon allied with Prussia and Austria and invaded Russia.
1812: Invasion of Russia/The War of 1812
Napoleon staged a French invasion of Russia in 1812 just as the United States and Britain started the War of 1812. It was in Russia that Napoleon was first checked in his conquest of Europe, at the huge Battle of Borodino. However, the Russians had to retreat and abandon the capital, Moscow, to the advancing French troops. Napoleon found Moscow empty and burning. The cold winter along with starvation from scorched earth tactics devastated Napoleon's army.
Napoleon's weakened Grande Armee had to retreat to Paris through the Russian freezing winter, but was finally defeated by the Russians. Prussia and Austria declared war after Napoleon's failure, beginning the War of the Sixth Coalition. In the latter 19th century, Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music piece 1812 Overture depicted the Patriotic war and celebrated the resistance and liberation of Russia.
Meanwhile, the much smaller War of 1812 started between Britain and the United States over maritime issues. It continued until 1815, neither side gaining anything. Revolutions in Latin America made independent states of most of the Spanish Empire in America.
1813-1814: Battle of Leipzig and First Restoration
The British, Spanish, and Portuguese had pushed Napoleon's forces out of Spain following the Battle of Vitoria. The Allies (consisting of Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria) defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig and captured Paris in 1814. The brother of King Louis XVI had already proclaimed himself French king, Louis XVIII, and was sent by the Prussian forces to Paris and crowned Bourbon king. Napoleon was forced to abdicate.
1815: Battle of Waterloo and Hundred Days
Napoleon was later exiled to Elba and was nearly assassinated. But then he and 200 other men escaped back to Paris and forced Louis XVIII off the throne, beginning Hundred Days. The former Coalition members formed the Seventh Coalition and the Duke of Wellington of Great Britain defeated Napoleon again at the Battle of Waterloo with the help of the Prussians in 1815. Louis XVIII was returned to the throne again, and the Second Restoration began.
References
Wars involving France |
29340 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantata | Cantata | A cantata is a type of singing which is done accompanied by an instrument(s). By contrast, a cappella specifically refers to unaccompanied singing. The word(cantata) etymologically comes from the Italian word “cantare” which meant “to sing”. The word “cantata” was used mainly in the 17th and 18th century to describe music with religious words that were sung by a choir or by soloists or both, accompanied by instruments. The most famous cantatas are those by Johann Sebastian Bach. Nearly all his cantatas are sacred(written for church services). Very often he used Lutheran hymn tunes (chorales) for the first and last movements. In between there are movements for solo singers: recitatives and arias. A famous example is Bach's cantata no 80 which is based on the chorale “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott(“A safe stronghold our God is still”). The whole work is about being safe in the hands of God. This is what the sermon would have been about. The congregation would join in singing the chorale towards the end of the cantata.
Other composers, such as Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) wrote cantatas which were secular(not religious). The word “cantata” has also been used in the 20th century by composers such as Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) and Benjamin Britten (1913-1976).
Thus the term came to apply to any and all forms of accompanied songs.
Musical forms |
29342 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavichord | Clavichord | A clavichord is a musical instrument like a small keyboard. It was very popular for many years, especially in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Sound
The clavichord is a very quiet instrument. It is not suitable for playing with other instruments because it is so quiet. But it sounds very beautiful in slow, expressive music. It is used as a practice instrument by harpsichord players, or by organists who wanted to practice at home instead of in a (often very cold) church. They were so small that they could be lifted up and put on a table. They could be put one on top of another so that an organist could practise music written for a two-manual organ. Sometimes, they even had pedals for organists to practice this skill.
Uses
Many German composers like Johann Sebastian Bach wrote music for the “Clavier”. This meant any keyboard instrument: harpsichord, clavichord or organ. The player could choose which they wanted to use.
When the piano suddenly became popular – in the 1760s and 1770s – people started to forget about harpsichords and clavichords. Today a few people make harpsichords and clavichords again so that people can play Renaissance and Baroque music - the music from when the clavichord was popular.
Other websites
Keyboard instruments
Early musical instruments
String instruments
Percussion instruments |
29346 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony | Harmony | Harmony means playing several notes together to make “chords”. The word comes from the Greek harmonia meaning "to join things up" . A tune by itself can sound nice, but it can be “harmonized” by adding an accompaniment of chords. Studying how to do this is called harmonization. Music students learn which chords sound nice after one another. These are called “chord progressions”. Many music theorists have written books about harmony.
Music which is made of a tune with harmony underneath is called “homophonic”. In a way it is the opposite of polyphonic which means that each part (each voice) is a tune in itself. However, even polyphony needs to make pleasant harmony. Harmony as we know it in European music had become fully developed by the Baroque period (17th century).
One can play a chord with three notes using the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale of whatever key the music is in. This gives a chord which sounds like the “home chord”. This means that at least three notes are needed for harmony. In most homophonic music there are four: for example a choir will normally divide into soprano, alto, tenor and bass, or a string quartet will divide into violin 1, violin 2, viola and cello.
Harmony which uses just the notes of the key (e.g. just using white notes for C major) is called “tonal harmony”.
Harmony which adds lots of extra sharps and flats is called “chromatic harmony”.
If music is not in any key at all, like in some music by Arnold Schoenberg, it is “atonal”. Harmony can be atonal.
music theory |
29347 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow%20%28weapon%29 | Bow (weapon) | This article is about the weapon. For other meanings, see Bow (disambiguation).
A bow is a weapon used to shoot arrows. It is used in hunting, sport, and a long time ago, war.
Using a bow is called archery. A person who uses a bow is an archer and a person who makes bows is a bowyer.
A bow is a long curved stick and a string which is tied to both ends. Ancient bows were made of natural materials like wood or bone and sinew, but today they are often made of plastic and similar materials.
To shoot a bow, the arrow is put on the bow, with one end to the string, which is pulled back. When the string is let loose, it throws the arrow forwards.
There are many different types of bows, for example the longbow or the automatic crossbow
and the compound bow.
There are many different ways that people protect themselves from arrow attacks. The Roman Army, for instance, had the testudo formate, or tortoise formation. They first made the shields lock into a somewhat tortoise like formation, which provide a shell that was make out of shields. The arrows would eventually run out, and the Romans would charge.
Archery
Weapons |
29348 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear%20physics | Nuclear physics | Nuclear physics is the part of physics that studies the nucleus of the atom. Everything on the earth is made up of atoms; they are the smallest part of a chemical element that still has the properties of that specific element. When two or more atoms combine they create what we know as the molecule, which is the smallest part of a chemical compound which still has the properties of that specific compound. Understanding the structure of atoms is key in studies such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc.
Atoms
Structure
Atoms are made up of electrons, neutrons, and protons. The protons and neutrons are in the center of the atom, which is called the nucleus. The protons and neutrons are the heaviest part of the atom and make up most of its mass. The electrons move around the nucleus very quickly, making what is called an electron cloud. The electron cloud has a very small mass, but it makes up most of the space of the atom. The electrons have a negative charge, and the protons have a positive charge. Due to the charges in the atom, that is how the atom stays together, by attraction of the electric charges present in the atom.
Properties
Atoms have different features that single out one atom from another, and show how each atom can change in different conditions. These properties include atomic number, mass number, atomic mass and weight, and isotopes.
Forces acting
In an atom there are three fundamental forces that keep atoms together. electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. The electromagnetic force keeps the electrons attached to the atom. The strong nuclear force keeps the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus. The weak nuclear force controls how the atom decays.
Quantum
In the early 20th century, scientists had trouble explaining the behavior of atoms using their current knowledge of matter. So to deal with this they made a brand new way to view matter and energy, and they called it quantum theory. Quantum theory explains how matter acts both as a particle and a wave.
Radiation
Atoms emit radiation when their electrons lose energy and drop down to lower orbitals. The difference in energy between the orbitals determines the wavelength of the given radiation. This radiation can be shown by visible light or shorter wavelengths. |
29349 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljuk%20Empire | Seljuk Empire | Not to be Confused with Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm
The Seljuk Empire was an empire of the Seljuk Turks and a Muslim dynasty. It ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to the 14th centuries. It was founded by Tughril Beg in 1037. The Seljuk Empire stretched from Anatolia to Pakistan. It was replaced by the Khwarezmian Empire in 1194.
The Seljuk Empire united the eastern Islamic world, and fought in the Second Crusade. The Seljuk Empire made several long lasting changes. These affected the region even after the empire was gone. Among them was making Farsi the language for history and events. They also shifted the center for the Arabic language culture from Baghdad to Cairo.
References
Other websites
Former monarchies of Asia
Former empires
History of Iran
Medieval Azerbaijan
Former countries in Asia
Former countries in the Middle East
Royal dynasties
11th-century establishments in Asia
14th-century disestablishments in Asia |
29350 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central%20Asia | Central Asia | Central Asia is a region in Asia. The countries in Central Asia are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (which are mainly Turkic states) but also includes Tajikistan, and parts of China and Mongolia. Caucasia is also part of Central Asia. The United Nations also includes Afghanistan as part of Central Asia.
History
People have lived in the region of Central Asia since prehistoric times. Most of the region was part of the Silk Road. It was a part of the Persian Empire until Alexander The Great captured it. When he died, the land was given to his general Seleucus. Seleucus slowly lost it to the Parthians. When the Parthians (the Parthians were Persians) lost power, the Sassanids added it to their own Persian empire. However, a couple years later, during about the 600's A.D, Arab armies spreading the faith of Islam quickly captured it. A while later, an Iranian dynasty got semi- autonomy under the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. They were known as the Samanids. The Samanids controlled most of Central Asia and Northwestern Iran. They had power over this area during the 10th century. With them, Central Asian cities, such as Bukhara and Samarkand, grew in culture.
However, Turkic armies from this area took the region away from them. They were known as the Seljuk Turks. At the same time, Timur captured it. After his death, the Timurids ( the name of the people of the dynasty Timur founded) could not hold unto their empire. They lost it to the Mongols. When the Mongols captured it, burned it to the ground. A while later, some rulers decided to make their own empires under that of the Mongols. These empires were known as Khanates. During the 19th century the Russian Empire conquered these lands. Many years later in 1991, all of the countries of Central Asia declared independence.
Economy
Uzbekistan has much cotton. Kazakhstan is rich because it has sold oil, gas and metals to Europe and China. Turkmenistan has adjusted better to independence from the Soviet Union than the other Central Asian countries, but it has been run by a dictatorship. Other than Kazakhstan, most of Central Asia are mostly underdeveloped.
Related pages
Dagestan
East Turkestan (Xinjiang, China)
Kashmir (Northern Pakistan and India)
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan (South-central Asia)
Tatarstan
Turkmenistan (South-central Asia)
Uzbekistan
Mongolia (and Inner Mongolia, China)
Soviet Union
Soviet Central Asia
General Map of Central Asia: I from 1874
References |
29351 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkestan | Turkestan | Turkestan (Turkish: Türkistan, Kazakh: Түркістан, Uzbek: Turkiston, Turkmen: Türküstan, , Chinese: 突厥斯坦, literally "Land of Turks") is a region of Central Asia around the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea. Much of it is currently in China. During the 20th century, much of it was in the Soviet Union.
The main ethnic groups in the area are Turks, Chinese, Mongols and Persians.
Related pages
Turkic peoples
Other websites
Welcome to Turkistan
Regions of Asia
Central Asia
Nationalism |
29352 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerica | Mesoamerica | Mesoamerica (literally, "central America") is a geographical region. It begins from around the Tropic of Cancer in central Mexico and ends near Costa Rica. The term is especially used to mean the native peoples and cultures that were there before the Spanish took over that region. The cacao tree is native to this area. |
29353 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode%20ray%20tube | Cathode ray tube | The cathode ray tube or CRT was invented by Karl Ferdinand Braun. It was the most common type of display for many years. It was used in almost all computer monitors and televisions until LCD and plasma screens started being used.
A cathode ray tube has an electron gun. The cathode is an electrode (a metal that can send out electrons when heated). The cathode is inside a glass tube. Also inside the glass tube is an anode that attracts electrons. This is used to pull the electrons toward the front of the glass tube, so the electrons shoot out in one direction, making a cathode ray. To better control the direction of the ray, the air is taken out of the tube, making a vacuum.
The electrons hit the front of the tube, where a phosphor screen is. The electrons make the phosphor light up. The electrons can be aimed by creating a magnetic field. By carefully controlling which bits of phosphor light up, a bright picture can be made on the front of the vacuum tube. Changing this picture 30 times every second will make it look like the picture is moving. Because there is a vacuum inside the tube (which has to be strong enough to hold out the air), and the tube must be glass for the phosphor to be visible, the tube must be made of thick glass. For a large television, this vacuum tube can be quite heavy.
The cathode ray tube was invented in 1897, and used as an oscilloscope (a machine to show waves). Later, along with other inventions and improvements, it was used for the first modern electronic television by Philo T. Farnsworth in the 1920s. The CRT was the main type of television screen until the liquid crystal display became popular in the early 2000s.
Related pages
Liquid crystal display
Vacuum tube
References
Display technology
Television technology
Electronic components |
29354 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recitative | Recitative | Recitative (Italian: “recitativo”) is music which is telling a story quite quickly, as if it were being spoken, "talky". The word means: “to recite” i.e. to tell a story.
Recitative is used in opera, oratorio and cantatas. When opera was invented around 1600 the composers needed to tell the story in music. In recitative the story is sung quickly, with maybe just a harpsichord playing a few chords. After a while, the situation in the story has changed, and the singer can sing an aria which is more interesting musically.
When recitative is just accompanied by a keyboard instrument it is called “recitativo secco” (dry recitative). Sometimes the orchestra joins this. This is called “recitativo accompagnato” (accompanied recitative). There are no bar lines in recitative because there is no regular beat.
Recitative is simple musically, it can sometimes describe the words being sung in quite interesting or amusing ways. Sometimes this might be improvised by the harpsichordist.
In the 19th century the difference between aria and recitative gradually disappeared. Wagner wrote operas where everything had musical interest and the various sections flowed into one another.
musical forms |
29358 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient%20India | Ancient India | Ancient India had a long-lived civilization and culture. It covered several countries including modern-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Indus Valley Civilization flourished from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. It marked the beginning of the urban civilization on the subcontinent. It was centred on the Indus River and its tributaries. The civilization is famous for its cities that were built of brick, had a road-side drainage system and multi-storied houses.
During the Maurya Empire, founded in 321 BCE, most of the Indian subcontinent was united under a single government for the first time. Ashoka the Great who in the beginning sought to expand his kingdom, then followed a policy of ahimsa (non-violence) after converting to Buddhism. The Edicts of Ashoka are the oldest preserved historical documents of India, and under Ashoka Buddhist ideals spread across the whole of East Asia and South-East Asia.
Gupta, an important ruler during the Gupta period, was known as a wise and noble person.
Main events
Periods
1500 BC – 600 BC: Composition of the Vedas and the Brahmana
700 BC – 300 BC: Composition of the Upanishads
527 or 526 BC: Death of Mahavira, the historical founder of Jainism
Late 6th century: Darius (King of summoners rift), the Persian king, conquers parts of Ancient Pakistan
486 BC: Death of Buddha; Chinese tradition records 483 BC
400 BC: Panini composes first Sanskrit grammar
4th century BC – 4th century BC: Composition of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
327 BC – 25 BC: Alexander the Great invades Indus valley region (now Pakistan).
321 BC – 181 BC: Chandragupta Maurya founded Maurya Empire
300 BC: Megasthenes (Greek) visits the Maurya king
300 BC: Composition of the Arthashastra, though some scholars date the work to 100 AD
268 BC – 233: BC Reign of Ashoka the Great
185 BC – 75 BC: Sunga dynasty reigns over central Republic of India
2nd century BC – 3rd century BC: Buddhism and Jainism influences in India at its peak
1st Century BC – 1st century AD: Shakas, Parthians and Kushana invade Indus valley region
1st Century BC – 2nd Century AD: Satavahana rule
58 BC – 57 BC: Vikrama Samvat era begins
Chera, Chola & Pandiya Kingdoms in South
78 AD: Beginning of the Shaka era
1st – 3rd century: Reign of the Kushan dynasty; first depiction of Jaina tirthankara and muti-armed Hindu deities
4th-5th century: Vaktaka rule over central India and the Deccan
4th - 6th century: Gupta period in most part and central modern present Republic of India (never included the Pakistan regions), however this was the Golden Age of India era of the Gangetic valley
500 AD: Ajanta completed
5th – 7th century: Spread of Vaishnavism, especially Krishan cult; emergence of worship of local deities; emergence of Tantrism
5th – 6th century: Invasion of Huns in ancient Pakistan regions
6th - 17th century: Rule of the Rajputs in different regions of West India.
6th century: Kalachuri dynasty rules the western coast of modern India
6th - 8th century: Pallava dynasty in southern India; rock-cut architecture begins in the south; temple building flourishes at Mamallapurama and Kanchipuram
6th-10th century: Tamil devotional poetry
7th – 8th century: Decline of Buddhism in ancient Pakistan and the northern Republic of India; revival of Hinduism
7th – 10th century: Rashtrakuta dynasty rules over northern part of the Deccan
Early 8th century: Arab merchants settle on the coast of Sindh (now a part of Pakistan) and the Indian state of Gujarat
8th – 12th century: Pala dynasty rules in Bihar, Bengal and large part of eastern India
10th - 17th century: Rule of the Rajputs in different regions of West India.
788 – 820 AD: Life of Adi Shankaracharya
1018 AD : First Muslim ruler - Mahmud Ghazni raids India.
1947 - The Dominion of India becomes independent
1950 - The modern Republic of India is established
References
History of India
Ancient history |
29359 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition%20of%20India | Partition of India | The partition of India divided British India into the countries of India and Pakistan (East and West Pakistan) in 1947. That was part of the end of British Raj, British rule in the Indian subcontinent. One reason for partition was the two-nation theory, which was presented by Syed Ahmed Khan and stated that Muslims and Hindus were too different to be in one country. Pakistan became a Muslim country, and India became a majority-Hindu but officially-secular country.
The main supporter for partition was Muhammad Ali Jinnah; he became the first Governor-General of Pakistan.
Millions of people moved across the new Radcliffe Line between the two newly-formed states. The population of British India in 1947 was about 570 million. After partition, there were 370 million people in India, 170 million in West Pakistan and 30 million people in East Pakistan.
Once the lines had been established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the safety of their religious majority. The 1951 Pakistani Census showed the number of displaced there at 7,226,600. They were presumably Muslims who had entered Pakistan from India. Similarly, the 1951 Indian Census showed 7,295,870 displaced people, apparently Hindus and Sikhs who had moved to India from Pakistan. Both numbers add up to 14.5 million. Other people came from China to take advantage of the open border.
The newly-formed governments were unable to deal with the forced migration of such huge numbers. Massive violence occurred on both sides of the new border. Hundreds of thousands died; some estimates are in the millions.
The partition caused a lot of uncertainty in many parts of the new nations, especially in the region of Jammu and Kashmi, parts of which went to both countries, which went to war several times to try to take the whole region.
Further reading
References
20th century in Bangladesh |
29360 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%20Heritage%20Site | World Heritage Site | World Heritage Sites are places in the world which are very important from a cultural or natural point of view. A part of the United Nations called UNESCO selects these sites.
The World Heritage Convention ("Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage") is a United Nations treaty. It governs how World Heritage Sites are selected and protected. Nations that have agreed to the treaty elect 21 countries to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. That committee sets the list of sites.
Each site is a place or a thing (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city). , there were 1007 sites in 161 different countries. These included 779 cultural sites, 197 natural sites, and 31 mixed properties (which are both naturally and culturally important). Italy has 50 World Heritage Sites - more than any other country.
Each World Heritage Site is part of the legal territory of the nation where the site is located.
UNESCO wants everyone in the world to work to protect each site. Sometimes UNESCO provides funds to help protect a site. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have destroyed some sites.
Selection criteria
Until the end of 2004, there were six criteria for cultural heritage sites and four criteria for natural heritage sites. In 2005, a single set of ten criteria replaced the old cultural and natural heritage criteria. To qualify as a World Heritage Site, nominated sites must meet at least one of the ten criteria; they must also be of "outstanding universal value." If a site meets both cultural and natural criteria, it is called a "mixed site".
Cultural criteria
"represents a masterpiece of human creative genius and cultural significance"
"exhibits an important interchange of human values, over a span of time, or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design"
<li>"to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared"<li>
"is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural, or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history"
"is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture, or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change"
"is directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance"
Natural criteria
"contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance"
"is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"
"is an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, and communities of plants and animals"
"contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation"
Legal status of designated sites
UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site provides prima facie evidence that such culturally sensitive sites are legally protected pursuant to the Law of War, under the Geneva Convention, its articles, protocols and customs, together with other treaties including the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and international law.
Thus, the Geneva Convention treaty promulgates:
"Article 53. PROTECTION OF CULTURAL OBJECTS AND OF PLACES OF WORSHIP. Without prejudice to the provisions of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 14 May 1954,' and of other relevant international instruments, it is prohibited:
(a) To commit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples;
(b) To use such objects in support of the military effort;
(c) To make such objects the object of reprisals."
Images
References
Other websites
List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Official website
World Heritage Site – Smithsonian Ocean Portal
TIME magazine. The Oscars of the Environment – UNESCO World Heritage Site |
29367 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tail | Tail | A tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body. Most animals have tails, like cats, dogs, whales, fish, cheetahs, and monkeys.
Basic English 850 words
Animal anatomy |
29368 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha | Ganesha | Ganesha or (Ganesh) is the elephant-headed god in Hinduism. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Ganesha is a very popular god in Hinduism, and was one of the most worshipped. Hindu tradition states that Ganesha is a god of wisdom, success and good luck. He is also the giver of different types of favors. The Hindu tradition calls Ganesha as the Vighneshvara. "Vighneshvara" in Sanskrit language means one who was the lord of obstacles or difficulties. Thus, the Hindu tradition states that by worshiping Ganesha, one can remove all obstacles and difficulties.
His worship to God
There are many temples (mandirs) of Ganesha, however in many Hindu temples there are statues and carvings. But, in most of the temples of Hindus, people worship Ganesha. Hindu Tradition gives Ganesha an important place. The tradition says that Hindus should worship their religious functions and ceremonies because he is the god of all obstacles. Generally, many Hindus also worship Ganesha before starting any new thing. Thus, for example, before occupying a new household
Birth
There are many stories of lord Ganesha's birth. The popular and widely-held version is as follows:
A story says that one day, Goddess Parvati was taking a bath at home. She did not want anyone to disturb her. She created a boy with her powers, and told him to guard and not let anyone in. When Lord Shiva came home, he wanted to come inside but the boy would not let him. Lord Shiva asked his army to make him go away, but his army failed. Finally, Shiva just cut the boy’s head off. When Parvati had heard what had happened, she was angry. She pleaded with Shiva to save him. Lord Shiva sent his army to go find a head for Ganesha. His army came back with an elephant head.
Images
Any picture, image or portrayal in any form of Ganesha generally has the following characteristics or features:
He has the head of an elephant.
He is shown with a big body, showing that the entire universe is inside him.
His colour is red, orange, or yellow.
Generally, he has four arms, and sometimes three eyes.
He carries a mala (garland) and certain other items like a lotus flower.
He sits generally with a bowl of sweets (laddus or modaks) before him.
A mouse or rat will be near Ganesha. He uses a mouse (rat) as his mount (vahans).
He is often different in each picture, unlike most Hindu gods.
Other names
Ganesha has several other names. Some of his names are:
Gajanana
Heramba
Pillaiyar
Vinayaka
Ekdanta
Vakratunda
Krishnapingaksha
Gajavaktra
Bhalchandra
Lambodara
Vikatmev
Vighnaraj
Dhumravarna
Ganesh
Ganapati
Supradipa
References
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend () by Anna Dallapiccola
Ganpati Bappa Morya
Shri Ganesha Pancharatnam Lyrics
Hindu mythology |
29382 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie%20%28music%29 | Indie (music) | Indie is a word that is short for independent. When people talk about indie in music, they mean music that is made by people independently from major record labels (mainly rock and roll groups and artists). Indie music could also be very experimental, meaning that people try out things like new or different sounds. The styles can range from rock music to house music to pop music.
Examples of what could be described as indie music include indie rock and indie pop.
The group of stereotypical teens who tend to listen to indie music are called indie kids.
Independent artists
Arcade Fire
Archers of Loaf
Blood Red Shoes
Death Cab for Cutie
Franz Ferdinand
Pavement
Modest Mouse
Sonic Youth
DaForce Dawg
Foals
The Maccabees
Chad Valley
Raquels
The Pierces
Wiz Khalifa
The Cults
Radiohead
Frank Ocean
Billie Eilish
Tanupriya Kalita
References
Music industry |
29387 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-life | Half-life | Half-life can mean different things:
Half-life (element), a property of radioactive elements
Half-Life (video game) is a 1998 video game made by Valve Software |
29389 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivas%20USA | Chivas USA | Club Deportivo Chivas USA was an American football (soccer) team that played in Major League Soccer (MLS) in Carson, California. They began play in 2005, and played at the home of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
When the team was formed, it was planned to be a "little brother" to the very popular Mexican team C.D. Guadalajara. "Chivas", the Spanish word for "goats", is the nickname of C.D. Guadalajara. The team was originally owned by two Mexican businessmen, one of whom also owned C.D. Guadalajara. Due to falling attendance and ownership failures, MLS bought the team back in February 2014, with plans to sell it to new owners who would give the team a new name. In September 2014, the team was sold to a new group. As part of the sale, Chivas USA was dissolved at the end of the 2014 season. A new team, Los Angeles FC, will start play in 2017 replacing the old Chivas USA.
American soccer teams
2004 establishments in California
2014 disestablishments in the United States
2010s disestablishments in California |
29396 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle | Cycle | Cycle might mean:
A unicycle
A sequence of events that repeat over and over again, for example: the cycle of the seasons
A group of poems or songs that belong in a group together |
29404 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu%20Musab%20al-Zarqawi | Abu Musab al-Zarqawi | Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (October 30, 1966 - June 7, 2006) was the leader of the Iraq branch of al-Qaeda, a terrorist group in the Middle East. He was born in Zarqa, Jordan. He was killed by a bomb that was fired by the USAF into the house he was in at the time in Hibhib, Iraq.
References
Zarqawi beheading victims
1966 births
2006 deaths
Al-Qaeda people
Jordanian people |
29433 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salta%20Province | Salta Province | Salta is a province in the north of Argentina. It has a population of 1,000,000.
It is famous for its wonderful natural views and the old architecture in the provincial capital, Salta City.
Other websites
Official Page
Tourist Secretary
Salta
Universidad Nacional de Salta
Welcome Salta
Provinces of Argentina |
29437 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat%27s%20primality%20test | Fermat's primality test | Fermat's primality test is an algorithm. It can test if a given number p is probably prime. There is a flaw however: There are numbers that pass the test, and that are not prime. These numbers are called Carmichael numbers.
Concept
Fermat's little theorem states that if p is prime and , then
.
If we want to test if n is prime, then we can pick random a'''s in the interval and see if the equation above holds. If the equality does not hold for a value of a, then n is composite (not prime). If the equality does hold for many values of a, then we can say that n is probably prime, or a pseudoprime.
It may be in our tests that we do not pick any value for a such that the equality fails. Any a such that
when n is composite is known as a Fermat liar. If we do pick an a such that
then a is known as a Fermat witness for the compositeness of n.'' is the modulo operation. Its result is what remains, if p is divided by n. As an example,
.
What this test is used for
The RSA algorithm for public-key encryption can be done in such a way that it uses this test. This is useful in cryptography.
Computer science
Prime numbers |
29438 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash%20function | Hash function | The Hash function is a function. When a computer program is written, very often, large amounts of data need to be stored. These are normally stored as hash tables. In order to find the data again, some value is calculated. This is like when someone reads a book, and to remember, they put what they read into their own words. Hash values are much the same, except that care is taken that different sets of data do not get the same hash value (this is called a hash collision).
A cryptographic hash function is a kind that is used in cryptography. Its hash value is a fixed-size, alphanumeric string, and may also be called a 'message digest', 'digital fingerprint', 'digest' or 'checksum'.
Related pages
Hash table
Computer science |
29460 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity | Trinity | In the Christian religion, the Trinity is an idea used to explain that three different persons are called God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (who is sometimes called the Holy Ghost). Trinity states that these three all form the same God.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church describes the Trinity as "the central dogma of Christian theology".
Before the idea was made dogma, at the First Council of Nicaea, there were also other ideas on how to solve the problem. These included:
God adopted Jesus during baptism (known as Adoptionism)
Jesus was all God, and only appeared to be human (Docetism)
The three lived together like a family (Tritheism)
Only God the Father is the true God, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not. This position was popular with Arius and his followers
Where the word Trinity is from
The English word "Trinity" comes from Latin "Trinitas", meaning "the number three". This abstract noun is formed from the adjective trinus (three each, threefold, triple), as the word unitas is the abstract noun formed from unus (one).
The corresponding word in Greek is "" (Trias), meaning "a set of three" or "the number three."
The first recorded use of this Greek word in Christian theology was by Theophilus of Antioch in about 170. He did not speak about the Trinity of god. He wrote: "In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity [], of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man."
Tertullian, a Latin theologian who wrote in the early third century, was the first to use "Trinity" "person" and "substance" to explain that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are "one in essence – not one in Person."
About a century later, in 325, the First Council of Nicaea established the doctrine of the Trinity as orthodoxy and adopted the Nicene Creed that described Christ as "God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousios) with the Father."
The Trinity in Christian texts
Many but not all Christians worship God in the form of the Trinity. In the Old Testament there are several places where there seems to be evidence for a Trinity. Genesis 1:26 states that God said "Let us make man in our image". Deuteronomy 6:4 states that “The Lord our God is one Lord”. The word that has been translated as one can also be translated as united.
The Trinity is also implied in the New Testament, though that term is not used. Jesus never explained it fully in his teaching to people, but made a number of claims to be God. The disciple John was one of Jesus' best friends on Earth, so understood Jesus better than many other people. He starts his gospel by saying "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." He calls Jesus "the Word" because Jesus was how God told people about himself. In John 8:58, Jesus said "before Abraham was even born, I AM!" I AM is what God said his name was to Moses, meaning that he is always there anywhere in time or space. In John 10:30 and 10:38, he tells people "The Father and I are one." and "the Father is in me, and I am in the Father." Lastly, he forgave people for sins, which only God can do.
When Jesus came the early Christians had to make sense of the fact that God had come among them through the power of the Holy Spirit. Matthew wrote in his gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Several things in the gospel of John are often thought to point to a God who is more than just one being. The three persons of God are also mentioned in the second book of Corinthians.
It was several hundred years after the life of Jesus before many Christians accepted the idea that God was a Trinity. It was a difficult idea, because the Hebrew scriptures talk about God being One. The Greeks and the Romans could only understand Christ as a person who was bringing God’s Word. It was not until the 4th century that the doctrine of the Trinity was fully developed in more technical and theological terms. This was established by the Council of Nicaea in 325 where, in the debate with Arius over the nature, incarnation and pre-existence of Jesus, the Son of God was explained as being of one substance (homoousios) with the Father. Christians had held to Tri-Unity of God for centuries prior to this, and referred to Jesus as "God" and spoke in Trinitarian language even before Nicaea codified the terminology (for example, see 1 Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, the letters of Ignatius etc.).
In the 5th century Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. There is an old Irish legend which says that Patrick used the shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity. The shamrock has three small leaves. Patrick told the people that the three leaves represented God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He said that the whole plant represented God.
In Christian churches the Sunday after Pentecost (the 50th day after Easter) is called the “Feast of the Holy Trinity”. This feast probably started in the 10th century. In 1334 Pope John XXII made it official for the whole church. In the Anglican and Lutheran Churches the weeks that follow The Feast of the Trinity are dated according to how many weeks after Trinity they are (e.g. the 20th Sunday after Trinity). In the Roman liturgy these Sundays are dated “after Pentecoste” (e.g. the 21st Sunday after Pentecoste).
In other religions
Islam teaches that God is indivisible (can not be divided). For this reason, several verses of the Qur'an teach that the doctrine of Trinity is blasphemous (against God). The concept of the Trinity in Meitei religion also exist as Mangang Luwang Khuman.
References
Other websites
New Advent
Christian theology |
29467 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo%C5%A1ovce | Mošovce | Mošovce is one of the biggest villages in the Turiec Region of Slovakia.
History
Mošovce has existed for 770 years. In this time people built many old and beautiful buildings. King Andrew II wrote about the village for the first time in 1233.
At first, Mošovce had two parts: The first one, Machyuch, was in the area of today’s Starý Rad Street. The village took its today's name from the second part, Terra Moys, which was in the place of the present day Vidrmoch Street. Because of the name of the second part, which means "The Land of Mojš", we believe that all the village was the property of a certain Mr. Mojš. His name could be a short form of a longer Slavic name Mojtech, similar to the names Vojtech or Mojmír. In the history the name of the village changed from Mossovych, Mosocz, Mossowecz, villa regia Mayos alio nomine Mossovych, oppidioum Mayus sue Mosocz, Mosocz olim Mayus to the present-day Mošovce.
The name of a separate very old part of Mošovce, Chornukov, chaged to the modern form of Čerňakov.
Mošovce was at first a royal village, and in about 1350 changed into a privileged town, which belonged to the royal castle of Blatnica. In 1527 the Révay family became its owners, and they took away the town privileges of Mošovce for almost 400 years.
In the past, Mošovce was an important craft center of the Turiec region. Crafts were very successful, and there were around 15 guilds in the town; the bootmaker and the most famous furrier guild existed for the longest time. The present-day Mošovce is an important tourist area with many interesting places.
Interesting places
One of the most interesting buildings is a small Rococo-Classical Palace with a big English park. People built the palace in about 1750-1800 . Other places in the town are: The birthplace of Ján Kollár, a Neo-gothic Catholic church with a valuable altar built on the place of an older church, a Lutheran church built in 1784, a Mausoleum, an Art-Nouveau greenhouse and a pavilion from 1800. In the Mausoleum there is now a Museum of Crafts.
Nature
The nature around Mošovce is really beautiful. A system of old roads with trees and small forests create a nice landscape. This landscape looks nice with the forests of the Veľká Fatra Mountains. This mountain range is one of the nicest ones in Slovakia. People from all parts of the world come visit the beautiful Limestone and dolomite rocks, and the beautiful nature in the Blatnická and Gaderská Valleys, which are not far away.
Culture and traditions
Many important people were born in Mošovce. The greatest ones are Frico Kafenda (1883-1963), composer; Anna Lacková-Zora (1899-1988), writer; Štefan Krčméry (1892-1955), literary critic, historian, and poet; Júr Tesák Mošovský, Baroque playwright; and Miloslav Schmidt, the founder of the amateur fire brigades in Slovakia.
Probably the most important person born in Mošovce is the great Slavic poet, philosopher, and Lutheran priest, Ján Kollár (1793-1852), who was very active in the literature of at least two nations. He wrote a book of poems called Slávy Dcera. His work was very important for the patriots and national activists, who lived at the same time as Kollár. People translated the book into many Slavic and non-Slavic languages.
Gallery
Other websites
www.mosovce.sk Official webpage
Tourist Brochure
Info - Mošovce
Drienok
Cities in Slovakia |
29488 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%20Ossetia | South Ossetia | South Ossetia (, less commonly ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, or the Tskhinvali Region, is a de facto, disputed territory recognised as part of Georgia in the Caucasus region.
South Ossetia was a Soviet oblast (region) with some self-rule and controlled big parts of the region. When it declared its independence in 1990, Georgia tried to take back the region by force and it led to the 1991-1992 South Ossetia War. Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia again in 2004 and in 2008. In 2008, Ossetia's fighters were backed by Russian troops and they gained full control of the region, but its separation from Georgia has only been recognized by three other countries (Russia, Nicaragua and Venezuela) and Abkhazia (a similar place), and it is de jure (officially) a part of the Georgian region (mkhare) of Shida Kartli.
Internationally regarded as a Russian occupied territory of Georgia, Georgia itself refuses to recognize rebel South Ossetia as an independent state; the government calls it by the medieval name of Samachablo or, more recently, Tskhinvali region (after the republic's capital).
South Ossetia is a geographical state that borders North Ossetia-Alania to the north which is not an independent entity due to it being part of Russia.
South Ossetia relies heavily on Russian aid.
Sometimes, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are named collectively as post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zones.
Geography
South Ossetia is situated at central Caucasus, a border between Asia and Europe. It occupies a part of Greater Caucasus range and the foothills of Kartalin Valley. South Ossetia is a very mountainous region.
Related pages
North Ossetia
Valery Gergiev
Notes
Autonomous republics of Georgia (country) |
29493 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soprano | Soprano | A soprano is a female singer with a high voice. Young boys who sing, and also girls, are usually called trebles. The word “soprano” can also refer to the top line of choir music. This would be sung by sopranos or trebles. Soprano is also used as a name for high pitched instruments, such as a soprano saxophone.
In opera there are different kinds of soprano voices:
A dramatic soprano will sing big, dramatic roles such as Aida in Verdi's opera Aida.
A coloratura soprano will have a light voice which can bounce up to very high notes (the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Magic Flute goes up to top F (2 ½ octaves above middle C).
A soubrette is usually the maid or a young girl who flirts.
A lyric soprano role needs a beautiful smooth voice, e.g. Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme.
A heavy dramatic soprano is needed in many of Wagner's operas, e.g. Isolde in Tristan und Isolde or Brunnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen.
In the 17th and 18th centuries many of the soprano roles were written for male sopranos. Called a castrato, they were men who had their testicles removed before puberty so that their voices would remain high pitched.
Vocal ranges |
29495 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alto | Alto | The word alto can mean: someone who sings lower than a soprano. Usually females with lower voices are called contraltos. A male alto is a man who sings in a special way called falsetto. In England male altos sing in church and cathedral choirs. In some countries like Germany it is tradition to have boy altos in cathedral choirs. These will probably be boys whose voices will soon be breaking and are starting to get lower.
One of the most famous contraltos was Kathleen Ferrier. There are not so many female singers who call themselves contraltos these days. It has become more fashionable to be a mezzo-soprano. It is partly because it has become fashionable to use men for the alto parts in music by Bach and other Baroque composers, like it would have been performed in those days.
Operatic roles which need a contralto include Lucretia in Britten's Rape of Lucretia and Erda in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.
The word alto'' can also mean: the second line down in 4 part choir music. In old music the alto line was written in a special clef called the “alto clef”, which is the same as the “viola clef” (a C clef in which the middle line is middle C).
Altos in modern music
Adele
Sade Adu
Fiona Apple
Sara Bareilles
Anita Baker
Toni Braxton
Cher
Fairuz
Fergie
Judy Garland
Lisa Gerrard
Lucy Lawless
Annie Lennox
Joni Mitchell
Ily Matthew Maniano
Tina Turner
Lady Gaga
Norah Jones
Judith Holofernes
Vocal ranges |
29497 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor | Tenor | A tenor is a man with a high singing voice. In opera the role of the young male is usually sung by a tenor. Depending on characteristics such as: volume, color and style, the tenor voice is classified in following groups:
The light tenor. This is also called tenor leggero. An example is Peter Pears, who sang the tenor solos in Benjamin Britten’s operas.
The lyric tenor. The lyric tenor is a tenor with a well timbered voice, such as "The Three Tenors" (Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Plácido Domingo).
The spinto tenor. They have special abilities in the high tones, such as Franco Corelli and Enrico Caruso.
The dramatic tenor. They have a high volume and a dark voice. An example is Mario Del Monaco.
A “Heldentenor” (German for “hero tenor”) is someone with a big tenor voice. This is suitable for heroic parts like the heroes in most of Wagner's operas. Lauritz Melchior, Max Lorenz and Jonas Kaufmann are famous heroic tenors.
The Mozart tenor with characteristics including all of the previous mentioned must be able to perform within the strict borders which are laid out by the Mozart style. Anton Dermota, Fritz Wunderlich and Francisco Araiza are the three leading people as Mozart tenor.
When writing four-part choir music the tenor line will be the third line down, between alto and bass. It is usually written in the treble clef, but will sound an octave lower than written. Sometimes, it is written in the "C-clef", which is also called a tenor clef.
In barbershop singing, the tenor part is a harmony part sung predominantly higher than the melody.
Vocal ranges |
29498 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass%20%28sound%29 | Bass (sound) | This article is about the musical term. For other uses, see Bass.
Bass is a low or deep tone (low end frequency) in music. Low or deep tones are also called "low-pitched" tones, because the pitch is low. It is usually made by a bass guitar or an acoustic bass (a double bass). It can also be a deep, rumbling electronic sound made by a synthesizer, a deep singing voice, a baritone sax, or a deep bass drum. Bass gives the well-rounded depth to music. Bass almost always is used with treble sounds made by instruments such as a guitar, piano, a high singing voice, trumpet, or harmonica.
Music theory
Sound |
29499 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone | Baritone | A baritone is a man with a voice range between that of a tenor (high male voice) and bass (low male voice), typically ranging from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C. It is the most common male voice type.
Famous baritone roles in opera include: Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute and Figaro in Rossini's The Barber of Seville.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is often thought of as the greatest baritone of the later 20th century. He was famous as a Lieder singer as well as on the concert stage and in opera.
Some musical instruments are also called "baritone" because they create similar frequencies to a baritone singer.
Vocal ranges
he:קולות (מוזיקה)#בריטון |
29521 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho | Sappho | Sappho was an Ancient Greek lyrical poet. She was probably born around 630 BC on the island of Lesbos. In the ancient world, Sappho's poetry was highly thought of. Today, most of it has been lost. Sappho presumably wrote about 10,000 lines of poetry, but only around 650 lines survive today. Little is known for certain about Sappho's life.
Sappho's poetry centres on passion and love for both men and women. The narrators of her poems often speak of infatuations and love for various women. Descriptions of physical acts between women are few and open to debate. Whether these poems are meant to be autobiographical is not known, although elements of other parts of Sappho's life do make appearances in her work. It would be like her style to have these intimate encounters expressed poetically.
Life
Little is known for certain about Sappho's life. What is known comes from three sources: Sappho's surviving poetry, other ancient writings about her, and evidence about archaic Greece in general. She was born on the Greek island of Lesbos around 630 BC, in either Eresos or Mytilene. Her parents' names are not known for certain, though her mother is often called Kleïs. Ancient tradition gave at least eight possible names for her father. One ancient story, which might be based on a now-lost poem by Sappho, says that her father died when Sappho was still a child. Sappho was said to have three brothers, called Charaxos, Larichos, and Eurygios. The "Brothers poem", discovered in 2014, talks about Charaxos and Larichos.
Sappho might have had a daughter called Kleïs (the same as her mother). Two of Sappho's poems talk about her. Not all historians agree that the Kleïs in Sappho's poems was Sappho's daughter. Some have suggested that she was Sappho's lover instead. But ancient sources call Kleïs Sappho's daughter, and some modern historians have argued that she must have been Sappho's daughter, not her lover. Sappho's husband, the father of Kleïs, was said to be a rich trader named Kerkylas of Andros. If Sappho was married, however, this was definitely not her husband's name: it is a joke from a comedy about Sappho's life.
Poetry
Sappho is best known for writing lyric poetry, a type of poetry which was sung and accompanied by the music of a lyre. Most of her poetry focusses on the lives of women. Much of this was love poetry, but she also wrote hymns, wedding songs, and poetry about her family. Some ancient sources say that Sappho wrote epigrams, elegiacs, and iambics (three other types of poetry with different metres to lyric poetry) as well as lyric poetry. However, none of these survive, and probably Sappho did not write in these styles. Three epigrams attributed to Sappho survive, but they were written much later, probably in the Hellenistic period.
Ancient texts of Sappho's poems survive from as early as the third century BC, and as late as the seventh century AD. By the medieval period, Sappho's poetry had been lost, until in the sixteenth century newly printed editions of ancient authors such as Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who had quoted Sappho's Ode to Aphrodite, began to be produced. Since the second half of the nineteenth century, archaeologists have discovered many fragments of ancient copies of Sappho's poetry, and the amount of her work known has almost doubled.
References
Other websites
Sappho : the "Brothers poem" (discov. 2014) (text, transl., audio, recited in Greek by Ioannis Stratakis)
Ancient Greek poets
Bisexual people
LGBT writers
7th-century BC births
6th-century BC deaths |
29535 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry%20Potter%20and%20the%20Order%20of%20the%20Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The book was released on 21 July 2003. It is about Harry's his fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lord Voldemort has come back. Except for Albus Dumbledore, most people do not believe him. A movie based on the book was released in 2007.
Plot
The fifth book deals with Harry trying to make everyone else realise that Lord Voldemort has come back. Dumbledore, the Order, and Harry's friends are the only people that believe that he has returned. At the end of the book, Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and some of their friends go to the Ministry of Magic (the headquarters of the people who lead the magical world) because Harry thinks his godfather is in danger. It turns out it was a trick using mind magic, and his godfather (Sirius Black), is murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. They are attacked by some of their enemies. At the end, Voldemort comes, but Dumbledore saves Harry from him, and all the other wizards see Voldemort and know Harry is telling the truth. Harry is then returned to Hogwarts where Dumbledore tells him everything that he needs to know about the prophecy and why Voldemort tried to murder him when he was a child.
Other websites
Extended plot wikibook
2003 books
Harry Potter books
Movies about giants |
29553 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20U.S.%20state%20songs | List of U.S. state songs | 48 states of the United States (except New Jersey and Virginia) have a state song, chosen by the state legislature as a symbol of the state. Some states have more than one official state song.
Songs, List of U.S. state
Lists of songs |
29557 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades | Pleiades | The Pleiades (also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters) are a group of stars in the night sky. You can see them in the constellation Taurus, the bull. Charles Messier gave it the name M45. They are named after the Pleiades in Greek mythology.
This an open star cluster of middle-aged hot B-type stars in the constellation of Taurus. It is one of the nearest star clusters to Earth, and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years.
Open star clusters |
29559 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicomachus%20of%20Gerasa | Nicomachus of Gerasa | Nicomachus (c. 60-c. 120, born in Gerasa, Roman Syria, now Jerash, Jordan). He was one of the most important mathematicians of the ancient world.
He was strongly influenced by Aristotle and is best known for his works Introduction to Arithmetic (Arithmetike eisagoge) and The Manual of Harmonics in Greek. He was a Pythagorean. In Introduction to Arithmetic, Nicomachus writes extensively on number, especially on the significance of prime numbers and perfect numbers and argues that arithmetic is the starting point that makes it possible to do the other mathematical sciences: geometry, music, and astronomy.
Ancient mathematicians |
29562 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deimos%20%28moon%29 | Deimos (moon) | Deimos (or Mars II) comes from the Greek word for terror. It is the smaller moon of Mars. Its orbital period is 30.3 hours, which is 1.263 days.
Deimos is only 15 kilometers in diameter. It is covered with craters, as Earth's moon and other bodies without an atmosphere are.
Discovery and naming
Deimos was discovered by Asaph Hall at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. on 12 August 1877.
It is named after the god Deimos in Greek mythology, who was one of Mars' sons, and means Panic.
Physical characteristics
Deimos is not spherical with triaxial dimensions of 15 × 12.2 × 11 km. Deimos is made up of rock rich in carbonaceous material. It is has lots of craters. Escape velocity from Deimos is 5.6 m/s. The apparent magnitude of Deimos is 12.45.
Exploration
The Soviet Phobos program sent two probes to Phobos. In case Phobos 1 succeeded, Phobos 2 could have been sent to Deimos. Both probes launched successfully in July 1988.
In 1997 and 1998, the proposed Aladdin mission was selected. The plan was to visit both Phobos and Deimos, and launch projectiles at the satellites. The probe would collect the dust kicked into space as it made a slow flyby. These samples would be returned to Earth for study three years later.
Also, the sample-return mission called Gulliver to Deimos, in bringing 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of material from Deimos to Earth.
Another concept of sample-return mission from Phobos and Deimos is OSIRIS-REx 2, which would use heritage from the first OSIRIS-REx.
In March 2014, a mission was proposed to place an orbiter on Mars orbit by 2021 and study Phobos and Deimos. It is called Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME).
References
Moons of Mars |
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