id stringlengths 1 6 | url stringlengths 35 214 | title stringlengths 1 118 | text stringlengths 1 237k |
|---|---|---|---|
29814 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia%20%28mythology%29 | Gaia (mythology) | Gaia (Ancient Greek: Γαῖα), also spelled Gaea, is the personification of the Earth in Greek mythology. She was a primordial being, one of the first to have sprung forth from the void of Chaos. She is the mother and wife of Ouranos (Father Sky), with whom she sired the Titans, the Hekatonkheires, and the Elder Cyclopes. Other children of Gaia include Pontus (the sea), and the storm giant Typhon. Her Roman equivalent is Terra.
Family tree
Gaia is the goddess of the Earth and these are her offspring as related in various myths. Some are related consistently, some are mentioned only in minor variants of myths, and others are related in variants that are considered to reflect a confusion of the subject or association.
Through Parthenogenesis
Ouranos
Pontus
Ourea
With Elara
Tityas
With Oceanus
Creusa
Spercheus
With Pontus
Ceto
Eurybia
Phorcys
Nereus
Thaumas
With Aether
Aergia
With Poseidon
Antaeus
Charybdis
With Tartarus
Echidna
Typhon
With Ouranos
Elder Cyclopes
Arges
Brontes
Steropes
Hecatonchires
Briareus
Cottus
Gyes
Elder Muses
Mneme
Melete
Aoide
Titans
Coeus
Crius
Kronos
Hyperion
Iapetus
Mnemosyne
Oceanus
Phoebe
Rhea
Tethys
Theia
Themis
With Hephaestus
Erichthonius of Athens
With Zeus
Manes father of Atys
Unknown father or through parthenogenesis
Mimas
Cranaus
Pheme
Kekrops
Amphictyon
Python
Related pages
Gaia hypothesis
Pangaea
Greek gods and goddesses |
29815 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erebos | Erebos | Erebus is the god of darkness in Greek mythology. He came out of Chaos. He was also known to be the god fire; and he was that until Hephaestus took his place along with the ability of metal works. He is the twin of Nyx, the Goddess of Night.
Mount Erebus and a small crater on Mars are named after the Greek God.
Greek gods and goddesses |
29816 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallisto | Kallisto | Kallisto or Callisto was a nymph in Greek mythology, a companion of Artemis. Zeus came to her looking like Artemis, and with him she was the mother of Arkas. Hera in her jealousy made Kallisto a bear. Then her son was looked after by Maia, a nymph.
Related pages
Callisto (moon)
Nymphs |
29817 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semele | Semele | Semele is a person in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia. She has a child called Dionysus, who grows up and becomes a god.
People in Greek mythology |
29818 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie%20Williams | Robbie Williams | Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and occasional actor. In the United Kingdom, he has sold more albums than any other British singer. He has sold more than 70 million records worldwide.
Williams performed his first songs in 1990, with the group Take That. In 1995, he left Take That to start playing and writing music on his own. On 15 July 2010, he rejoined Take That. The group released a new album in November 2010. It became the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history and the fastest-selling record of the century.
Career
After he left Take That, Williams' first record was the song "Freedom", which was written by George Michael. His first album was called "Life Thru a Lens". It was first sold in September 1997. At this time, Williams had many problems with alcohol and depression. "Angels", a song from his first album, became his most famous song. Because "Angels" was so successful, the album "Life Thru a Lens" became much more popular, and he sold more than three million copies of it in Europe.
Williams wrote "Millennium", which was a song based on the music from the James Bond films, for his second album, "I've Been Expecting You". "Millennium" became his first Number One in the charts. Two more songs from the same album, "No Regrets" (which Williams wrote with Neil Tennant and Neil Hannon) and "Strong", were both successful in the United Kingdom. Another song from this album, "She's The One", also became a number One song.
Williams was not very successful outside Europe until he made the album "Sing When You're Winning", which was first sold in August 2000. The song "Rock DJ" won many awards: for example, it was called "Best Single (song) Of The Year" at the BRIT Awards, and MTV gave Robbie Williams an award for the special effects in the video. At this time, Robbie Williams recorded a duet, "Kids", with Kylie Minogue. Many of his songs, for example, "Supreme" and "Better Man", became popular in many different countries.
In 2001, Williams recorded covers (copies) of several songs that had been performed earlier by Frank Sinatra. One of these songs was a duet with Nicole Kidman, called "Somethin' Stupid". Later in 2001, he began to sell the album "Swing When You're Winning". The album became successful very quickly. Altogether he sold 7 million copies. A song from the album, "Beyond the Sea", was used at the end of the film "Finding Nemo". At this time, he also recorded a song he had written, "Eternity", which was not on any albums. It was very successful and became a Number One song.
In 2002, Williams signed a contract to say he would work for the company EMI. He worked on his next album, "Escapology", for a year. Many people think that "Escapology" was different from Williams' earlier music. The album was very successful in Europe, but it was not so successful in America. For the video for the song "Something Beautiful", Robbie ran a competition. The winner of the competition pretended to be Williams in the video. In the end, he chose three winners, so he made three different videos for the song.
In 2004, Williams put his most popular songs together. He called this collection "Greatest Hits". There were also some new songs on this album, for example, "Radio".
In February 2005, the BRIT Awards TV show asked people to vote to answer the question "What was the best song between 1980 and 2005?" The winner was "Angels" by Williams.
In October 2005, Williams' sixth album, "Intensive Care", was first sold. Williams and Steven Duffy wrote the songs for this album. At this time, four of the singers from Take That went to London for a TV show. They asked Williams to come, but he said he did not want to come to London with them. The newspaper The Sunday Mirror said that the other singers were "gutted" (very unhappy and disappointed) because Williams would not come.
In 2006, Williams started to perform at concerts all over the world. He recorded his new song, "Rudebox", which was very different from his other songs. Many people did not like it, and the newspaper The Sun said that "Rudebox" was "the worst song ever". The song was quite successful, but the album, which was also called "Rudebox", sold fewer copies than any of Williams' other albums.
Williams worked with Guy Chambers and Mark Ronson for his next album, Reality Killed the Video Star. The album was released on 9 November 2009 in the United Kingdom.
On 11 October 2009 Williams published a 12-track compilation album, titled Songbook. It was a free CD for the newspaper The Mail on Sunday. The CD is a one-off album of some of his biggest hits - including several rare live performances.
In October 2010 Williams released his second greatest hits album, In and Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990–2010, to celebrate 20 years as a performing artist.
In June 2011 Robbie Williams said he was working with Gary Barlow on a new solo album.
He was the opening act at the Diamond Jubilee concert held outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012.
Williams' ninth album Take the Crown was released on 5 November 2012.
On 15 November 2013 Williams' tenth album Swings Both Ways was released.
Personal life
Williams lives in Los Angeles, in California. He has often said that he likes Los Angeles because he can feel free and private. Williams moved back to the UK in 2009. He bought an £8.5 million mansion in Compton Bassett, Wiltshire. It was nearby to close friend Jonathan Wilkes who lives in Swindon. Williams sold the mansion a year later to move back to Los Angeles.
He often has problems with alcohol, drugs and mental illness. He has often visited special hospitals to cure his addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Some people have suggested that Williams might be gay, but he says he has "never slept with (had sexual intercourse with) a man". In 2005, when MGN wrote an article that said Williams was gay, his lawyer made the writers give him compensation (money) because they had written libel (lies). He has had relationships with many women, including TV presenter Rachel Hunter and singer Nicole Appleton.
On 7 August 2010, Williams and long time girlfriend, actress Ayda Field, married at his home in Los Angeles. On 30 March 2012 Williams said that he and his wife would become parents for the first time. Their daughter Theodora Rose was born on 18 September 2012.
Biggest hits
1996: Freedom
1997: Old Before I Die, Angels
1998: Let Me Entertain You, Millennium, No Regrets
1999: Strong, She's the One
2000: Rock DJ, Kids, Supreme
2001: Eternity/Road to Mandalay, Something Stupid
2002: Feel
2003: Come Undone, Something Beautiful, Sexed Up
2004: Radio, Misunderstood
2005: Tripping, Advertising Space
2006: Rudebox
2009: Bodies
2010: Shame
2012: Candy
2016: Love My Life, Party Like a Russian
References
Other websites
Official website
1974 births
Living people
English pop singers
Musicians from Staffordshire
People from Stoke-on-Trent |
29819 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion%20%28Titan%29 | Hyperion (Titan) | Hyperion (, Hyperíōn - "The High-One") is the Titan god of light, son of Gaia and Ouranos. The eldest of his brothers next to Okeanos, Hyperion ruled over the eastern corner of the world, which was given to him as a reward for his part in Ouranos’ castration (he held Ouranos by his left foot). By his sister, the Titaness Theia, he is the father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn). He also married a nymph and gave birth to children who could do pharmica one of which was Circe. Hyperion fought against the Olympians in the Titanomachy, after which he was cast into Tartarus alongside his brothers.
Titans |
29820 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharata | Bharata | Bharata has several meanings. Some of the meanings are given below:
A king of Ancient India named Bharat. Ancient name of India was Bharatavarsh, the country of Bharata.
Bharata was the name of one of the brothers of Rama, a god of the Hindus.
A writer named Bharata wrote a book long back. The book is named Natyashastra, that is, the book of dramas.
Bharata is another name for Republic of India. This has been noted in the constitution of India. |
29822 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga | Durga | Durga is one of the goddesses in Hinduism and is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. In Bengal, she is said to be the mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya as well of Saraswati and Lakshmi. She is considered a divine mother, a guardian, and a warrior who protects divine law and righteousness, and these are her main roles.
Durga is most often seen as a warrior woman riding a lion or a tiger with eight or ten hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. This way, the Goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti).
According to the narrative from the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana, Durga was made by the gods as a warrior goddess to fight a demon. The demon's father, Rambha, king of the demons, once fell in love with a water buffalo, and Mahishasur was born from this union. He is therefore able to change between human and buffalo form at will (mahisha means "buffalo"). Through intense prayers to Brahma, Mahishasura was given the boon that he could not be defeated by any man or god. He unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds. The gods, realizing that only a woman or goddess could defeat the buffalo demon, gave forth all of their creative energy and created Durga. Durga, holding many weapons, went to battle with Mahishasur and won, saving the gods and men from destruction.
Hindu gods and goddesses |
29823 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theia | Theia | Theia is a Titan in Greek mythology. She is the titan of sight. Her parents are Gaia and Uranos. With her brother Hyperion her children are Helios, Selene, and Eos. She was also considered the moons eyes because Selene was her daughter and Selene was the titan of the moon.
Titans |
29824 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themis | Themis | Themis is a Titan in Greek mythology. She is the titan of law and order. Her parents are Gaia and Uranos. She is also featured in the game Golden Sun 2 as the famous and one of the weakest weapons around the game called the Themis Axe.
Titans |
29825 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi%20Shankara | Adi Shankara | Adi Shankara (also called Shankaracharya; 788–820) was an Indian religious philosopher. He was born in Kalady, in the Indian state of Kerala. He traveled to many parts of Ancient India. Shankara wrote many books in Sanskrit. He founded a branch of Hindu thoughts named Advaita. He wrote many books such as Saundarya laharifor lauding Lakshmi. Shankara gave explanations for Brahma Sutra, Bhagavat Geeta, etc. His first guru was Gaudapada, who lived as a seer on the banks of river Narmada.He established for Maths in four extreme corner to spread the message of Advaita other all over the country. They ate:
1. North-Jyotirmatha at Badrinath
2. West-Shardapitha at Dwarka
3. East-Govardhanmatha at Puri
4. South-Sringeri matha at Sringeri
Other websites
Complete information about Sankaracharya and his works
Shankara
Hinduism
788 births
820 deaths
Indian philosophers |
29826 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake%20Garda | Lake Garda | Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. In Italian its name is Lago di Garda.
It lies in the north of Italy between Venice and Milan, in the regions of Veneto, Lombardy and Trentino.
The lake is 51.6 kilometres long and 17.2 kilometres wide. It covers an area of 369.98 square kilometres.
Other websites
Lake Garda - Tourist Guide
Webcams at Lake Garda
Lake Garda - Travel Guide
Garda
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Lombardy
Veneto |
29827 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Award | Award | An award is something given to a person or group of people to recognize that they have done something very good. Usual awards are medal, trophy, ribbon, certificate, or plaque for example. Sometimes awards are called prizes, such as the Nobel Prize.
Awards can be given by any person or institution. Governments and militaries often give awards to their citizens for contributions they have made to the nation. This recognition can be given during the person's lifetime or even after they have died. In the United States if a military member receives a posthumous award it is generally presented to their family members or next of kin. This can include medals like the Medal of Honor; promotions to the next higher grade or naming a building or ship after them.
Some entertainment awards are:
Academy Awards
Emmy Awards
Grammy Awards
Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award
Juno Awards
References |
29828 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetis | Thetis | In Greek mythology, Thetis (Greek: Θέτις) is a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, the daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, and Doris. Like other sea figures, Thetis bore the gift of prophecy as well as the ability to change her shape at will. She was married to the mortal hero Peleus, by whom she is the mother of Achilles.
Other websites
Nymphs |
29830 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli is a city in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also called Nellai. Thamirabarani River flows through Tirunelveli.
Tirunelveli is famous for a sweet that is generally referred to as 'Alwa' in Tamil. There are tiny villages in and around Tirunelveli like Alwarkurichi, Kalidaikurichi, Rangasamudram, Cheran Mahadevi.
Tirunelveli is a city in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It is the headquarters of Tirunelveli District. Tirunelveli is about 2000 years old and is a town of old tradition. Tirunelveli was the capital of the Pandya Kingdom for some time, next to Madurai.
Tirunelveli is on the banks of the river Thamiraparani; it is on the way to Kanniyakumari from Madurai. It is a twin town - Thirunelveli and Palayamkottai. The town is about 650kilometers away from Chennai.
The temple of Nellaiappar and Kanthimathi is in the centre of Tirunelveli. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and worshipped as Nellaiappar. Thiru-Nel-Veli (Thiru - Shri, Nel = Paddy, Veli = Fence). It is believed that food grains collected for worship at the temple were protected from the floods by the fence, hence the name Nel Veli came.
The famous Courtallam Waterfalls are in Tirunelveli District. Tirunelveli is famous for Tirunelveli halwa.
Gallery
References
Cities in Tamil Nadu
Tirunelveli district |
29834 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic%20worker | Domestic worker | A domestic worker is a person who works within the scope of a residence. A domestic worker is a paid employee. They are free to leave their employment if they wish. Many domestic workers are required by their employer to wear a uniform when in their employer's home.
In the Victorian era, Britain had many domestic workers. The butler was the most important one. At meal times he would be like a head waiter. Other male domestic workers were often called "valets". A valet (sometimes said with a silent "t") usually looked after his master’s clothes and comforts, and possibly looked after money matters as well. Female domestic worker were usually maids who cleaned, cooks who prepared the meals, and nannies who looked after the children. Gardeners did the gardening.
In the early 18th century, even some musicians were servants and had to wear livery (uniform). In 1717, when composer Johann Sebastian Bach said he wanted to leave his job, the duke he worked for put him in prison. In the 19th century, there were many domestic workers in Europe or the United States, as well as in other countries. In the early 20th century, new laws were made in Britain to protect domestic workers, and give them more rights.
Today in many parts of the world domestic workers from poorer countries are often employed by people in the richer countries.
To ensure the right of decent work for all kind of domestic workers including migrant workers, International Labour Organization has made Convention No. 189 on domestic workers.
Related pages
Au pair
Butler
Chauffeur
Cook (profession)
Indentured servant
Nanny
Maid
Other websites
Basic English 850 words
Domestic work |
29835 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra | Cassandra | Cassandra or Kassandra (, also 'Alexandra') was a person in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Priam of Troy and Hecuba, and twin sister of Helen. She was famous for her prophesies of bad events.
The god Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy so that she would love him, but Kassandra did not want him. This made Apollo angry, but he could only change his gift and not take it away. So he made it that Kassandra could only foresee bad things, and that no one would ever believe her.
In the Trojan War Kassandra knew of the trick with the Trojan Horse, but no one believed her, and so Troy was destroyed. After the Trojan War she became a slave of Agamemnon. She warned him that his wife Klytaimnestra would kill him. But he would not believe her, and so Agamemnon was killed, and Kassandra shortly after him.
There is a work called Alexandra by Lykrophon. The poet is only known through this work which was done between 196 and 190 BC. The work has 1474 lines, which are done in jambic trimeters. This is what most Greek tragedies were written in.
People in Greek mythology |
29836 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda | Leda | Leda is a person in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of a king, and the wife of King Tyndareos of Sparta.
Zeus seduced her as a swan, and Leda laid two eggs. When they hatched, her children Helen, Klytaimnestra, Castor and Pollux) came out. Helen was a child of Zeus, and the myths vary on who was the father of the others.
People in Greek mythology |
29841 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndareus | Tyndareus | Tyndareos (or Latin Tyndareus) was a character in Greek mythology. He was the king of Sparta, and husband of Leda.
He was the father of Klytaimnestra and Kastor. His wife Leda also had Helen and Polydeukes by the god Zeus.
Menelaos, husband of Helen, became the next king of Sparta after Tyndareos.
People in Greek mythology |
29842 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemachus | Telemachus | Telemachos (or Latin Telemachus) is a person in Greek mythology. He is the son of Odysseus of Ithaca and Penelope. While Odysseus was trying return home, many believed him to be dead. Suitors surrounded his home, trying to claim Penelope as their wife. Athena came to Telemachus in disguise and gave him advice. She told him to search for evidence that his father was still alive. If he was alive he could force the suitors away. However, if he believed his father to be dead, he would let one of the suitors claim her. He gathered a search party and set out to question many of the people Odysseus served with in the war. He decided that his father was dead. Telemachos held a competition for the suitors to claim Penelope. Odysseus showed up in secret, won the competition and rejoined his family.
People in Greek mythology |
29843 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio%20Vivaldi | Antonio Vivaldi | Antonio Vivaldi (born Venice, 4 March 1678; died Vienna, 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer. He was the most important composer in Italy at the end of the Baroque period.
Vivaldi wrote more than 400 concertos for various instruments, especially for the violin. The scores of 21 of his operas, including his first and last, are still intact. His most popular work is the group of four violin concertos called “The Four Seasons”. Each concerto describes a season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. He is believed to be the inventor of the ritornello form. He was very famous for his piccolo compositions, such as Il gardellino.
Early life
Vivaldi probably was taught to play the violin by his father, who was professional musician. He trained to be a priest, and because of his red hair, he became known as "il prete rosso", which means "the red priest.". He did not work as a priest for very long, and in 1703, he began teaching violin to girls at an orphanage in Venice, the Pio Ospedale della Pietà. The name means "Devout Hospital of Mercy.". The girls were chosen because they showed exceptional musical abilities. They gave regular concerts, so as part of his duties Vivaldi wrote music for them to play. He lost the job between 1709 and 1711, when he was reappointed. He also took on the extra job of writing sacred music for the girls' choir. He continued teaching until 1716 when he was put in charge of all the music events.
Composing
Vivaldi's music was becoming well known. During his break from teaching between 1709 and 1711 he wrote a large number of works including violin sonatas and concertos. In 1711 he wrote a collection of 12 concertos, L'estro armonico op.3, for one, two and four solo violins was published by Etienne Roger in Amsterdam. This made him famous throughout Europe, and musicians coming to Venice would visit Vivaldi for lessons. Further new publications of his music made him even more famous. The first of his many operas, Ottone in villa, was performed in 1713. His first oratorio, Juditha Triumphans devicta Holofernis barbaric, was performed by the girls from the Pietà in 1716.
Travels
In 1718 Vivaldi left Venice and moved to Mantua, where he became the director of music for the governor, Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt. He composed his famous "Four Seasons" as well as several operas during this time. He went to Rome in about 1721, where he performed on several occasions for the Pope. While he was travelling, he continued to write music for the girls at the Pietà, over the years he sent them about 140 concertos. He went to a number of cities in Europe to have his operas performed including Vienna, Verona, and Prague. He often went back to Venice to rehearse his music with the girls.
Even though his music was popular, Vivaldi did not make a lot of money from his music. As newer musicians, and more modern styles became popular, he found it more difficult to earn a living. He moved to Austria to play for royalty but when the king died, he became poor and had no way to return home. He died, a poor man, in Vienna, on 28 July 1741.
References
1678 births
1741 deaths
Italian composers
Baroque composers
People from Venice |
29844 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agamemnon | Agamemnon | Agamemnon () was a legendary king of Mycenae, as told in The Iliad. The son of Atreus and Aerope, he was the brother of Menelaus, and the commander of the unified Greek forces in the Trojan War. His wife was Clytemnestra, with whom he sired Iphigenia, Electra or Laodike, Orestes and Chrysothemis. Homer's Iliad tells the story of his quarrel with Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, in the final year of the war. Upon his return home from Troy, Agamemnon is murdered by Aegisthus, the lover of Clytemnestra. The story of his return home and subsequent murder is featured in the Odyssey (5.266).
People in Greek mythology
Classical Greek literature |
29846 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelaus | Menelaus | Menelaus (, Menelaos - "wrath of the people") is one of the central figures in Homer's Iliad and a hero of the Trojan War. He was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, and the brother of Agamemnon. He was the king of Sparta. His wife was Helen of Troy, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. She was kidnapped by Prince Paris of Troy. That caused the Trojan War, as Menelaus sought to get Helen back. Prior to the war, Menelaus had one child with Helen, a daughter named Hermione.
People in Greek mythology |
29849 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clytemnestra | Clytemnestra | Clytemnestra (or Klytaimnestra) was a person in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Tyndareos of Sparta and his wife Leda. She was married to Agamemnon, King of Mycenae. With him she had children Iphigenia, Elektra, Orestes and Chrysothemis.
After the Trojan War, Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthos killed Agamemnon. Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter, Iphigenia, to the Gods to have wind to set sail for war. Clytemnestra and Aegisthos are later killed by her son Orestes.
People in Greek mythology |
29852 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion%20instrument | Percussion instrument | Percussion instruments are instruments which are played by shaking or hitting. There are many different kinds of percussion instruments. A person who plays a percussion instrument is a percussionist. Percussionists are usually able to play lots of different percussion instruments, because the basic skills required are similar.
Some percussion instruments can play tunes. These are called “tuned percussion”. Tuned percussion instruments include: xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tubular bells and timpani.
Untuned percussion instruments include: bass drum, side drum (snare drum), maracas, castanets, cymbals, tambourine, claves and many more.
In an orchestra there can be more different kind of percussion instruments than in the other families: string, woodwind and brass instruments. However, older music does not often use lots of percussion. Most music for orchestra by composers like Mozart and Beethoven only use the timpani. In the 19th century, more percussion is added: cymbals, tambourine, triangle etc. In the 20th century, some composers may use very many percussion instruments.
Whenever any unusual instrument is used that does not fit into the category of string, woodwind, brass or keyboard, it is usually played by a percussionist. Sometimes composers have used things like typewriters, milk bottles or vacuum cleaners in their pieces.
Class of Percussion
There are many different class of percussion instruments. There are for example:
Latin percussion instruments
Classic percussion instruments
Modern percussion instruments
Latin percussion instruments are used in American-Latin Music. The instruments are Maracas, Congs, Timbales...
Classic percussion instruments are used in the Harmony Orchestras. The instruments are Tampani, Bass Drum, Xylophone...
Drum kits can include bass drum, side drum, tom-toms, cowbells, cymbals (suspended and hi-hat) etc. Together with a string bass (double bass) they will form the “rhythm section” of a jazz group. A percussion player has to have a very good sense of rhythm. The other players rely on him or her to keep a steady beat and not to play so loudly that the others cannot hear the tune.
Modern percussion instruments are used in the Rock, Pop and Jazz music. There is just the drum set, but this is a percussion instrument with many possibilities. One can take for example a cowbell on the drum set or an tambourine. We have with the drum set uncountable possibilities. |
29854 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrians | Hurrians | The Hurrians or Khurrites were people who lived in and around northern Mesopotamia from about 2500 BC. They were a large ethnic group, and had some cities and kingdoms, but they also lived in small groups among other ethnic people. The first known piece of music to be written down was Hurrian.
Ethnic groups in Asia
Mesopotamian people |
29864 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneiroi | Oneiroi | The Oneroi (Greek: dreams) were the sons of Hypnos, the god of sleep in Greek mythology. They were the personification of dreams. They were Morpheus, Phobetor (or Ikelos) and Phantasos.
They lived in caves in the far west, near the gates of the Underworld. They were sent through one of two gates there. One gate was made of horn, from there the true or prophetic dreams come from. The other gate was made of ivory, from there the false and meaningless dreams come from.
They were shown as black-winged daemons.
The most powerful of the Oneiroi was Morpheus. His brothers Phobetor and Phantasos shape parts of dreams, while Morpheus shapes the dream in general. Morpheus shapes human figures, Phobetor shapes animal figures and Phantasos shapes inanimate objects. Morpheus is still depicted in popular fiction today.
Greek gods and goddesses |
29865 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm%20X | Malcolm X | El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Arabic: ٱلْحَاجّ مَالِك ٱلشَّبَازّ, romanized: al-Ḥājj Mālik ash-Shabāzz, May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) also known as Malcolm X was an African American nationalist and civil rights activist. Before he became Malcolm X, his original name was Malcolm Stuart Little. Malcolm X's father was a Baptist minister whose skin was very dark, whilst his mother's skin was of a much lighter tone. His parents taught him to be proud of being black in an openly anti-black society. Malcolm X's father died when Malcolm was only six years old, leaving his mother in poverty.
In 1946, Malcolm was arrested at the age of 20 for armed robbery, but was released from jail 8 years later. He was introduced to the Nation of Islam and Islam while he was in jail, joining the Nation after he was released.
Actions
At first, Malcolm X's actions and speeches were mostly inspired by the beliefs and teachings of the Nation of Islam. He taught that all white people were bad. Once he learned that the leader of the Nation of Islam was in relationships with many women, he quit the group and changed his religion to Sunni Islam. He went on a pilgrimage to see the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. At this point, his opinions of white people got better, and he began to believe that white people could be good people, too. Malcolm X believed that black people should fight for their civil rights in any way they could, even if they had to become violent. He also thought that black people should support one another by shopping in stores owned by black people. He was critical of the civil rights movement.
Personal life
Malcolm X had six children with Betty Shabazz. He had six grandchildren. Malcolm Shabazz was killed in May 2013. He also has two great grandchildren.
Death
Malcolm X was shot dead in New York City after preaching about black rights. Three members of the Nation of Islam had a part in his murder.
References
Further reading
Malcolm X Collections: speeches, interviews and books
1925 births
1965 deaths
American burglars
American civil rights activists
American Muslims
Murdered African-American people
Murders by firearm in New York
People from Omaha, Nebraska
People murdered in New York |
29867 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereus | Nereus | Nereus (Νηρεύς) is a sea god in Greek mythology. His parents are Gaia and Pontos. With the Okeanid Doris his fifty daughters are the Nereids, sea nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea.
Greek gods and goddesses |
29874 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%20MacMillan | James MacMillan | James MacMillan (born July 16, 1959) is a composer and conductor.
MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. He studied music at the universities of Edinburgh and Durham. He writes a lot of music for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. They play music at schools so that children can listen and join in with his music.
Important music
The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990) about a woman who lived in the 1600s. Many people believed in witches then. In 1662 Isobel Gowdie was accused and tried for witchcraft. It was an unusual trial. She confessed without torture, There is no record of an execution. She walked away after confessing.
Veni, veni, Emmanuel (1992) is like a percussion concerto. It is a piece for one percussion player who plays lots of percussion instruments, and an orchestra. The main tune is the medieval hymn tune Veni, veni, Emmanuel (also sung as O come, O come Emmanuel). Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie played it at a BBC Prom in 1992.
Quickening is music for a counter-tenor, two tenors, and baritone soloists; children’s choir, mixed choir, and large orchestra. It is about birth and new life. The children’s choir sing the words of the unborn baby. They stand on a balcony or somewhere far away from the other choir and the orchestra. Some of the words are “Glossalalia” (nonsense words). It was performed at a BBC Prom in 1999.
Other websites
James MacMillan at Boosey & Hawkes
MacMillan, James
MacMillan, James
1959 births
Living people
Scottish musicians |
29880 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemos | Polyphemos | Polyphemos (or Polyphemus) is a Cyclops in Greek mythology. He is the son of the god Poseidon and Thoosa. Polyphemos is a creature of strength and immense stupidity who broke the cardinal rule of hospitality in Ancient Greece. He lived in a cave on an island, and he had sheep. On the island also lived several other Kyklopes.
Polyphemos appears in Homer's Odyssey. On his journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, Odysseus lands on the island of Polyphemos. They come to the cave where Polyphemos lives. Polyphemos comes back and he traps them in his cave placing a boulder in front of the entrance, also eating some of Odysseus' men. Odysseus then thinks of a plan to get away. He tells Polyphemos that his name is "Nobody", and gives him wine to drink. When he is sleeping, Odysseus and his men take a log from the fire and shape the end of it to a point and drive it into the Kyklops', Polyphemos, only eye, so he could not see them anymore. In agony he cries out to the other Kyklopes for help. When they ask what has happened, he says that "Nobody" hurt him, so the Kyklopes leave him. The next morning Polyphemos lets his sheep out of the cave, but touches their backs so no one of the men could ride out on them. But Odysseus and his men hold themselves on the underside of the sheep, and so they get out. When Polyphemos realizes that Odysseus got away, he cries out to the other Kyklopes again. They asked him what happened, and he said "Nobody hurt me.", and so the other Kyklopes went away again. When Odysseus was on his ship again, he called out in rage to Polyphemos saying that he, Odysseus was the one who had destroyed his eye. As Odysseus went away he mocked Polyphemos. This is hubris. Polyphemos was very angry and threw a rock at them, but it missed the ship. Then he pled with his father, Poseidon, for revenge that all of Odysseus' men should die and that Odysseus should only come home to Ithaca after ten years. All of it comes true, as is told in the Odyssey.
Greek legendary creatures |
29886 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federated%20States%20of%20Micronesia | Federated States of Micronesia | Micronesia, officially the Federated States of Micronesia, is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Papua New Guinea. The country is a sovereign state in free association with the United States. The capital city of Federated States of Micronesia is Palikir.
The Federated States of Micronesia were formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations Trust Territory under US administration. In 1979, they adopted a constitution, and in 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on U.S. aid.
The Federated States of Micronesia is hundreds of small islands divided in seven territories in Micronesia. The term Micronesia may mean the Federated States or to the region as a whole. This area is in Oceania.
History
The first people here lived about 3000 years ago. Spain colonized the islands in 1886, but sold them to Germany 3 years later.
Related pages
Federated States of Micronesia national football team
List of rivers of the Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesia at the Olympics
References
Other websites
Newspapers |
29888 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A4r%20Lagerkvist | Pär Lagerkvist | Pär Lagerkvist (1891 May 23 – 1974 July 11) was a man from Sweden who wrote many books. In 1940, he was elected as a member of Swedish Academy. And in 1951, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1891 births
1974 deaths
Swedish writers |
29890 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanatos | Thanatos | Thanatos is the god of death in Greek mythology. He is the son of Nyx and the twin brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep.
Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, used the word in one of his theories. THANATOS was the god or personified spirit (daimon) of non-violent death. His touch was gentle, likened to that of his twin brother Hypnos(Sleep). Violent death was the domain of Thanatos' blood-craving sisters, the Keres, spirits of slaughter and disease. He is often confused with Hades, who is the god of the dead and underworld, not death itself.
Thanatos plays a prominent role in two myths. Once when he was sent to fetch Alkestis (Alcestis) to the underworld, he was driven off by Herakles in a fight. Another time he was captured by the criminal Sisyphos (Sisyphus) who trapped him in a sack so as to avoid death.
Greek gods and goddesses |
29891 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medication | Medication | Medication (also called medicine or pharmaceutical drugs) is the use of legal drugs to treat or cure an illness. Some drugs are freely sold. They are called over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Other drugs are so powerful or dangerous that a doctor must give permission to use the drug. The note from the doctor is called a "prescription." These drugs are called prescription drugs, prescription medicines, or prescription only medicines (POM).
Terminology
There are many different words used to describe important things about medications.
Dosage
Dosage is how much medication needs to be taken to make the medication do what it is supposed to.
Dosage is very important because all medicines can be poisons if they are taken in large amounts. If a person takes too much of a medication, they can get very sick or even die. This is called an overdose. For example, if a person takes too much acetaminophen (also called paracetamol, Tylenol, or Panadol), they can badly hurt their liver.
Some dosages are based on age. For example, children often need less medication than adults. Others are based on body weight. Sometimes, normal dosages have to be changed if a person has certain medical problems, like kidney failure.
Action
Action is what the medication is supposed to do: the helpful effects that the medicine is supposed to have on the body.
Many drugs have more than one action. For example, acetaminophen is an analgesic (it kills pain) and an antipyretic (it makes fevers go away).
Indication
An indication is a reason why a medication is given.
Many drugs have more than one indication. For example, acetaminophen's indications include pain and fever.
Contraindication
A contraindication is a reason why a medication should not be given.
Almost all medicines, even over-the-counter medications, have some contraindications. For example, acetaminophen should not be given to people who are allergic to acetaminophen. For these people, acetaminophen is "contraindicated," and another medicine should be used instead. Acetaminophen is also contraindicated in people who have liver disease.
Side effects and adverse effects
A person takes a medication because they want it to do certain things. When the medication also does other things that the person did not want, these are called side effects. For example, acetaminophen can cause nausea. This is a side effect of acetaminophen.
Adverse effects are side effects that are dangerous or harm the body. For example, in some people, acetaminophen can hurt the liver. This is an adverse effect of acetaminophen.
Most medicines have many possible side effects. This does not mean that anyone who takes the medicine will have those side effects. For example, not everyone who takes acetaminophen gets nausea. A side effect is just a possible effect that a medicine can have on the body.
Medication names
All medications have a few different names.
Chemical name
When a medication is first discovered, it is given a chemical name. This name describes the atoms or molecules in the medication. Usually, only scientists use this name.
For example, the chemical names for acetaminophen are N-acetyl-para-aminophenol and para-acetyl-amino-phenol.
Generic name
Every country has one generic (official) name for every medicine.
In the United States, a medicine is given an official generic name after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a it is safe to be sold. For example, acetaminophen is the official generic name used in the United States. (Paracetamol is the generic name used in the United Kingdom and some other countries.)
Sometimes, generic names come from a medicine's chemical name. For example, acetaminophen is named after N-acetyl-para-amino-phenol, and paracetamol is named after para-acetyl-amino-phenol.
Brand name
Each company that makes a drug gives that drug a brand name. No other company is allowed to use this name.
For example, in the United States, the most common brand name for acetaminophen is Tylenol. One of the companies that makes acetaminophen (Johnson & Johnson) chose the name "Tylenol" for its acetaminophen. Another company that makes acetaminophen (GlaxoSmithKline) chose "Panadol" as its brand name. Like with most medicines, there are many other brand names for acetaminophen.
Abbreviations
Some medicines have unofficial abbreviations. For example, acetaminophen is sometimes abbreviated APAP. This comes from the drug's chemical name: N-Acetyl-Para-Amino-Phenol.
All the same medicine
No matter which of these names is used, they all describe the same medicine. For example, there is no difference between N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, acetaminophen, paracetamol, Tylenol, Panadol, and APAP.
How medications are given
There are many ways that medications can be given. These are called "routes of administration."
For most medications to work, they need to get into the bloodstream. The blood carries the medicine around the body and takes it where it is needed. The way a medication is given affects:
The path that the medicine takes to get into the bloodstream and how long this takes
How much of the medicine gets into the bloodstream
How much of the medicine reaches the tissue where it is needed
How long the medicine's effects will last
By mouth
The most common way of giving medicine is by mouth. The medicine comes in a pill or liquid that a person swallows.
When taken by mouth, medication gets into the bloodstream through the digestive system. It takes a while, usually 15–20 minutes, for the medicine to get through parts of the digestive system and get taken up into the bloodstream. Also, a very small amount of the medicine actually gets into the bloodstream. This is because acid in the stomach kills most of the medicine before it can be taken up into the bloodstream.
Medicines taken by mouth often last longer than medicines taken by other routes of administration.
Not every medication can be given by mouth. With some medicines, like insulin, the acid in the stomach will change the medicine or break it down so much that it will not work.
Into a vein
Some medicines can be given through a needle placed into a vein. This way of giving medicine is called intravenous (IV).
This is one of the fastest ways to get medicine into the bloodstream. Veins carry blood, so when a medication is given intravenously, it goes right into the bloodstream immediately. It takes less than a minute for blood to flow around the entire body. This means that when given intravenously, a medicine will reach the brain within a minute or less. All of the medicine (100%) gets into the bloodstream.
However, IV medications will not last as long as medications given by mouth. This is because the body starts metabolizing medications (breaking them down so the body can get rid of them) as soon as the medicine gets into the bloodstream.
Not every medicine can be given intravenously.
Into a muscle
Some medicines can be given through a needle placed into a big muscle, like the muscles in the upper arm, thigh, or buttocks. This way of giving medicine is called intramuscular (IM).
When a medicine is given intramuscularly, the medicine gets into the bloodstream through smaller blood vessels in the muscles. This takes longer than an IV injection, because the medicine is not being injected directly into a blood vessel. However, the medicine still reaches the bloodstream faster than medicines given by mouth.
Also, not all of the medicine gets into the bloodstream because some of it gets caught in the soft tissue in the muscle and never reaches the blood vessels.
Breathed in
Some special medicines can be breathed in. This way of giving medicines is called by inhalation (sometimes abbreviated INH). This can be especially helpful for lung problems like asthma. Since the medicine is breathed right into the lungs, it can start working on the lungs right away.
Other routes
There are many other routes of administration. For example:
Into the bone (intraosseous (IO)). A needle is placed into a large bone, like the femur (thigh bone), and medicines are given into the bone marrow. Any medicine that can be given into a vein can also be given into a bone. Like with IV medicines, all of the medicine gets into the bloodstream, immediately. IO medicines can only be given by certain medical professionals, like doctors and paramedics.
Into the rectum (per rectum (PR)). Some medicines can be given into the rectum. The medicine does not get into the bloodstream very quickly. This route is mostly used with people who cannot swallow medicines, like very young children or people who are vomiting (throwing up).
Under the skin (subcutaneous (sub-q)). Some special medicines can be given through a needle placed under the skin. For example, insulin is often given this way.
Into the nose (intranasal). Some special medicines can be sprayed into the nose. When a medicine is given intranasally, all of the medicine will go to the brain, immediately. For example, naloxone (which is used to treat opiate overdoses) can be given intranasally.
There are many other routes of administration.
Many medicines can be given more than one way. For example, acetaminophen can be given by mouth, into the rectum, or into a vein.
References
Drugs |
29892 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa | Ahimsa | Ahimsa (also ahiṃsā, ahinsa, Sanskrit:अहिम्स) is a Sanskrit word which means "non-violence” or "non-injury". The practice of ahimsa is an important aspect of religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. A person who practices ahimsa generally eats vegetarian foods. A religious person who practices ahimsa does not take part in animal sacrifice.
In twentieth century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King each followed a path of Ahimsa, though in different ways. They struggled without fighting, while asking for the rights of their followers.
Buddhism
The concept of ahiṃsā forms the base of Buddhism. In Buddhism, the first of the five basic vows (precepts) that are undertaken voluntarily by those who practice, is "I undertake the training rule to abstain from killing". In Buddhism, killing any living being out of passion is considered 'hiṃsā' (injury) and abstaining from such act is 'ahiṃsā' (non-injury or nonviolence).
References
Citations
Hinduism
Jainism
Buddhism |
29893 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabir | Kabir | Kabir also known as Kabir Das' was born and brought up in a Muslim weavers family by Niru and Nima. He was a mystic poet and a musician and was one of the important saints of Hinduism and also considered a Sufi by Muslims. He is respected by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. He was a disciple of Saint swami Ramananda. He was never formally educated and was almost completely illiterate. According to legend, the only word that he ever learned how to write was "Rama".
Poetry
It is because of poetry that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world. Another beauty of Kabir's poetry is that he picks up situations that surround our daily lives. Thus, even today, his poetry is relevant and helpful in both social and spiritual context. Following him means understanding one's inner self, realizing oneself, accepting oneself as is, and becoming harmonious with one's surroundings .
Kabir das has written much poetry and song. All of his recorded verses are in Hindi. His lyrics are characterised by a free use of the vernacular, and is unfettered by the grammatical bonds of his day. It is this quality which has made his philosophy accessible to generations of Indians.He always help others
Dohe
Saint Kabir's Dohe is full of meaning and teachings. He believed God is one and people just worship him with different names and nicknames Kabir has written the famous Dohe in Hindi. Kabir's poems were in vernacular Hindi, borrowing from various dialects including Awadhi, Brij, and Bhojpuri.
References
Hindu saints
1440 births
1518 deaths
Asian Sufis
Mystics
2. List of more indian poems |
29894 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus%20River | Indus River | The Indus River is the greatest river on the western side of the south Asian subcontinent. It is one of the seven sacred rivers for The Brahmans of Vedic period. It was the birthplace of the early Indus Valley civilization. It flows through China (Western Tibet), India and Pakistan. It is one of the main rivers of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
The river is 3180 km long. It is Pakistan's longest river. The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km2 (450,000 sq mi). Its estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km3 (50 cu mi), making it the twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. It discharges about 6,600 cubic meters per second.
The word Indus and the cognate word "Hindu" are derived from Sapta Sindhu (Sanskrit for "seven rivers") for the region is ancient. The Ancient Greeks used the word Indós; Hinduš was Old Persian; Sindhu in Sanskrit. Modern languages on the sub-continent use either Sindh (modern Sindhi) or Sindhu (ancient Sanskrit) or very similar words. The river's region's name came to be the name of the country India.
River basin
Over 47% of the total area of the Indus drainage basin is in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India has about 39%, Tibet has 8% and Afghanistan has 6 % of the Indus basin catchment area.
The Indus water system of rivers comprises the main Indus and its major tributaries: the Kabul River and Kurram River on the right bank, and the Jhelum River, Chenab River, Ravi River, Beas River and the Sutlej on the left. The first two join the Indus soon after it leaves the mountains, and the others lower down in the plains. The whole of the Beas and the head reaches of the Ravi and Sutlej are in the Republic of India, while those of the Chenab and Jhelum lie mostly in the disputed Kashmir state.
The entire basin covers an area of about 384,000 square miles of open land, of which 204,000 lie in Pakistan. In addition, there are about 29,000 square miles which lie outside the Indus basin but are dependent on the Indus river system for their water requirements and irrigation supplies.
Without the Indus waters, agriculture in Pakistan would be very uncertain, because there is not much rain. Even now when Pakistan is being rapidly industrialised, it needs its water resources, because much of its industry uses agriculture produce for its raw materials. Almost all of the basin in Pakistan receives an overall rainfull of less than 15 inches, 60% of its area receiving less than 10 inches, while, 16% receives less than 5 inches. The rainfull is not evenly distributed throughout the year but is concentrated during the monsoons.
Course
Rising in western Tibet, the Indus runs at first across a high plateau, then the ground falls away and the river, dropping rapidly, gathering momentum and rushing north-west, collects the waters from innumerable glacier-fed streams, and runs north-west between the world's greatest mountain ranges, the Karakoram and the Himalayas. In Kashmir it crosses the United Nations cease-fire line and, in Baltistan District, enters Azad Kashmir. From here on it is Pakistan's river; Pakistan's first town on the upper Indus, Skardu, at 7,500 feet above sea-level, stands on a bluff near the junction of the Indus and one of its great right-bank tributaries, the Shigar. The majority of the people live in Skardu town; others inhabit small and scattered villages along the Indus and Shigar valleys, or tiny hamlets high on the surrounding mountains.
References
Other websites
Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir WebSite
All About Indus River Pakistan
Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See Indus River. Peace Palace Libray
Northern Areas Development Gateway
The Mountain Areas Conservancy Project
Indus River watershed map (World Resources Institute)
Indus Treaty
Baglihar Dam issue
Indus
Indus Wildlife
Rivers of Pakistan |
29895 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagannath | Jagannath | Jagannath is a form of the God Shri Krishna. The biggest temple of Jagannath is in Puri, Orissa state, India. He is worshipped in Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, and some parts of eastern India.
Hinduism |
29897 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patanjali | Patanjali | Patañjali (fl. 150 BC or 2nd century BC) lived in the 2nd century. He was an Indian. He wrote the first grammar of Sanskrit language. He also wrote books about yoga.
He is also the author of the Mahabhyasa, a commentary on Katyayana's varttikas on Panini's Astadhyayi as well as an unspecified work of medicine (Ayurveda).
References
Yoga
Hinduism
Indian people |
29911 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypso | Calypso | Kalypso or Calypso is a nymph in Greek mythology, who lives on the island Ogygia. This island was so hidden that no man would find it twice. Calypso was the daughter of Atlas so she was placed on the island and not allowed to leave.
In the Odyssey, the hero Odysseus comes to her island after escaping from the sea, and the death of his men. Odysseus stayed with her for seven years. But then the god Hermes came and told her that the gods said that she had to let Odysseus go. Calypso promised Odysseus immortality (that he would live forever) if he stayed, but he wanted to go back to his wife Penelope, and so he left her. She can be seductive at times.
Nymphs |
29932 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20dialects%20of%20English | List of dialects of English | There are several dialects of English used in different parts of the world.
Africa
Nigerian English
South African English
Sudanese English
Zimbabwean English
Asia
Hong Kong English
Indian English
Hinglish
Japanese English
Engrish
Malaysian English
Manglish
Pakistani English
Philippine English
Singaporean English
Singlish
Thai English
Tinglish
Europe
Euro English
Great Britain
British English
Received Pronunciation (sometimes called "the Queen's English")
Scottish English
Welsh English
Ireland
Irish English (Hiberno-English)
Ulster Scots dialects
Oceania
Australian English
Fiji English
New Zealand English
North America
American English
African-American Vernacular English
Appalachian English
Southern American English
Canadian English
Jamaican English
Related articles
Comparison of American and British English
Early Modern English
Middle English
Modern English
Old English
Oxford spelling |
29940 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music%20theory | Music theory | Theory of Music is all about trying to understand how existing music works and how new music could or should be organized. Someone who makes a special study of music theory is a music theorist.
People who make their own music are composers. People who play or sing music are “performers”. It is important for both composers and performers to understand what makes the music sound the way it does. In the times of the Ancient Greeks the famous philosopher Pythagoras tried to explain how instruments are tuned. He understood the science of the good vibrations that the instruments make and explained how and why the octave is divided into twelve parts(in some cultures).
In the Middle Ages there were several famous music theorists who wrote books about music theory. Their ideas are interesting for us because they tell us what people thought about music at that time.
In the 18th century some composers wrote books on music theory. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (son of the famous Johann Sebastian Bach) wrote a book called: “An Essay on the true art of playing the Keyboard”. Leopold Mozart (the father of the famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) wrote a book called The Art of Playing the Violin. Both these books were extremely well known in their day. In spite of their titles the first halves of these two books are both about a branch of music theory called "performance practice": They tell us a lot about how music was played in those days, how some rhythms were played quite freely and how ornaments in the music were played.
Today people who want to compose will study music theory, perhaps at college or university school of music. In a conservatory program, they study harmony and counterpoint as well as form; in other programs, they spend less time on the theories of the past. They will be taught “rules”. These rules are not laws, they simply mean: the way that most great composers wrote music in the past. These rules describe what composers of the past did, rather than telling composers of today what to do -- in fact, music composed today can have completely different rules than the music of the past.
Music theory is important for people who perform music because all these things help people to understand the music they are playing. |
29941 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravana | Ravana | According to hindu epic, Ravana (IAST : Rāvaṇa; / ˈrɑːvənə) was a demon king of the island of Lanka.
In the Ramayana, Ravana is described as a symbol of evil, though a learned scholar well versed in the Vedas. He appears as the primary antagonist, and is said to be the most revered devotee of Shiva, with his image being associated with him at some places. He also appears in several Buddhist and Jain texts.
Pedigree
Grandfather(maternal) - King Sumaali
Mother - Princess Kaykasee
Grandfather(paternal) - Saint of Pulasthi
Father - Saint of Waishrawa
Wife - Princess Mandhodharee
Son - Meganaadha (Indrajith)
Brothers - Kuweara, Kumbhakarna, Vibheeshana
Sister - Suparnakaa
Father in law - Saint of Kaalaneam
Kindom
Capitol - Lankapura
Alakamandhaawa, Thapo wanaya, Gokannaka
Written Books
Arka prakaasha
Kumaara thanthraya
Rasarathnaakaraya
Watikaa Prakaranaya
References
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ravana-is-a-hero-for-Sinhala-nationalists/Article1-249335.aspx
https://wiralfeed.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/facts-about-ravana/
Notes
Hindu mythology
History of Sri Lanka |
29942 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devaki | Devaki | Devaki was a woman mentioned in the Mahabharata. Her father’s name was Devaka, and she was the younger sister of Kansha, a cruel king of Mathura of Ancient India. Devaki was married to Vasudeva, a son of Sureshana. Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu (a god of Hindus) was son of Devaki and Vasudeva.She was Krishna's real mother.
She had 8 sons in total including Krishna. The first six of her children were killed by her brother Kamsa. The seventh time there was a miscarriage and Balaram got carried to Mother Rohini's womb. All the time she was in prison by Kamsa till he released them out of pity. You can find more at the book Krsna by His divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
Hindu mythology |
29943 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda | Ayurveda | Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system from the Indian subcontinent. Ayurveda is [scientific]. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) says the practice of modern medicine by Ayurveda is quackery. Ayurvedic texts say that the gods of Hindu mythology gave medical knowledge to legendary Hindu philosophers, who then gave the knowledge to human physicians. The word "ayurveda" is from the , , and means knowledge of life and longevity.
Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two millennia.Therapies include herbal medicines, special diets, meditation, yoga, massage, laxatives, enemas, and medical oils. Medicines are typically based on complex herbal compounds, minerals, and metal substances (perhaps under the influence of early Indian alchemy or rasa shastra). Ancient Ayurveda texts also taught surgical techniques, including rhinoplasty, kidney stone extractions, sutures, and the extraction of foreign objects.
In Ayurveda, the story is that Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of Ayurveda, made himself into a human king by incarnation. He was king of Varanasi, and taught Ayurvedic medicine to a group of physicians. One of these physicians, named Sushruta, wrote the Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium), an Ayurvedic text that has this story in it.
Most Ayurvedic therapies are made from chemical compounds taken from plants, from minerals, and from metals. In ancient India, Ayurvedic texts gave explanations for surgeries and for the stitching of wounds to help wound healing. The ancient Indians knew how to take out kidney stones and how to do rhinoplasty (plastic surgery for the nose). People have used many different Ayurvedic therapies through the history of India. Ayurveda has changed for more than two thousand years. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ayurveda also changed for consumption in the Western world.
Some people say Ayurveda comes from Prehistory. Some ideas in Ayurveda may have been in existence at the time of the Indus Valley civilization, during the Bronze Age in India. During the Vedic period, Ayurveda went through many developments. Outside the tradition of the Vedas, Buddhism and Jainism also shared some ideas with the Ayurvedic texts from ancient India. By around two thousand years ago, Ayurveda had developed some of its ideas for surgery and drugs.
There is no good evidence that works or helps for any disease. Some Ayurvedic products have lead, mercury, and arsenic in them. In 2008, nearly 21% of Ayurvedic products sold on the internet and made in India and the United States had in them lead, mercury, and arsenic (heavy metals) in quantities that are toxic. There may be public health dangers that result from this, but that is not known.
References
Cited references
(Republished by National Informatics Centre, Government of India.)
Indian culture
Pseudoscience |
29949 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges | Ganges | The Ganges (English pronunciation: /ˈɡændʒiːz/ GAN-jeez), also called the Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा Hindi: गंगा Urdu: گنگا Ganga IPA: [ˈɡəŋɡaː] ( listen); Bengali: গঙ্গা Gonga), is the third largest river on the Indian subcontinent by discharge. The Ganges river is named after a Hindu goddess called Ganga. Geographers, Historians and Mythologists alike regard Ganges as the heart of Indian culture, tradition and living.
Geography
The government declared that the Ganges river between Allahabad and Haldia is National-Waterway No.1. The river has many industrial towns like Patliputra, Kannauj, Kanpur, Kara, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur,Munger, Murshidabad,Baharampur and Kolkata on its banks. The Ganges Basin drains 1,000,000-square-kilometre (390,000 sq mi) and supports one of the world's highest densities of humans. The average depth of the river is 52 feet (17 m), and the maximum depth, 100 feet (33 m).
Course
The river starts from a glacier called Gangotri Glacier, which is in the Garhwal region in Himalayas. The Ganges flows through north India, and ends at the Bay of Bengal in eastern India. Overall it flows 3,877 km making it one of the longest rivers in the world. Its watershed is 907,000 km² broad. The major rivers which flow into the Ganges are Brahmaputra River, Gomti, Kosi river, Gandak, Ghaghra river, Yamuna river and Son river.
The Ganges flows only 200 km through the Himalayas. The river touches plain land in the Rishikesh region near Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Then it passes through the towns of Kanpur, Soron, Kannauj, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Mirzapur, Ballia, Buxar, Saidpur, and Chunar. At Allahabad, the river joins with Yamuna river.
At Pakur, the river divides itself into two distributaries, viz.- the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly and the main stream. Bhāgirathi-Hooghly in the later course forms the Hooghly River. The main stream Ganges enters Bangladesh.
Near the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage controls the flow of the Ganges by diverting some of the water into a feeder canal which has link with the Hooghly river to keep it relatively silt-free. The river breaks up into multiples branches at its delta.
Pollution of Ganges
There is a lot of pollution in the Ganges because many locals tend to release their waste into it. This causes a lot of sicknesses like cholera, hepatitis, typhoid, and amoebic dysentery. The presence of coliform bacteria in the waters has increased well above normal. This is a major cause of water pollution. These diseases cause about a third of the deaths in India every year. That is why the government has started a multi-crore project called the Ganga Action Plan (GAP).
History
During the early Vedic Age, the Indus and the Sarasvati River were the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, not the Ganges. But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganges, as shown by its numerous references. Possibly the first European Traveler to mention the Ganges was Megasthenes (ca. 350 – 290 BCE). In Rome's Piazza Navona, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers) was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and built in 1651. The art-work symbolizes four of the world's great rivers (the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube, and the Río de la Plata), which is to represent the four continents (Australia and Antarctica were unknown then).
Religious significance
In Hinduism
Hindus regard the Ganges as not only a river but also a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture, and much more. In Hinduism it is considered holy to take a pilgrimage to the Ganges and take a dip. Many Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganga can purify a person's soul of all past sins, and some believe that it can also cure illnesses. So, many Hindu families keep Ganga water in their homes as they consider it to be very pure. The holy towns like Haridwar, Prayagraj, Kanpur, and Varanasi attract thousands of pilgrims. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims arrive at these towns to bathe in the Ganges. In Hinduism people's ashes are consecrated into the Ganges as it is a sacred river.
Legend of Bhagirath
According to Hindu Puranas a king named Bhagiratha did Tapasya for many years to bring the River Ganges. Ganges was then residing in the Heavens. By the help of pure Ganga waters, Bhagirath wanted to release his ancestors of a curse. Therefore, the Ganges descended to the Earth to make the earth pious, fertile and wash out the sins of humans.
Economic significance
The water of the Ganges is used extensively in agriculture in the fertile Gangetic plains. Chief crops cultivated in the area include rice, sugarcane, lentils, oil seeds, potatoes, and wheat.
Along the banks of the river, the swamps and lakes provide a good growing area for crops such as legumes, chillies, mustard, sesame, sugarcane, and jute. Fishing is also done in the Ganga waters.
Industries which require a large amount of water are set up on the banks of the river. The Ganges is popular for river rafting, which attract many adventurers in the summer months. Tourism is also a related activity in modern times.
References
Rivers of India
National symbols of India
Rivers of Bangladesh |
29952 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arges | Arges | Arges, Argeş, or Argeș might mean:
Arges (Cyclops), a Cyclops in Greek mythology
Places in Romania
Argeș County, a county
Argeș River, a river in the south of the country
Curtea de Argeş, a city along the banks of the Argeş River
Ţinutul Argeş, a former administrative division |
29953 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita | Sita | In Hinduism, Sita was the daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama, an avatar of god Vishnu. The word Sita means “furrow”, that is, the line created on the farm when it is ploughed. She is believed to be the daughter of Bhūmi in many legends.
There is a story about Sita's birth. Her father Janaka was ploughing the land and a furrow was formed. From that furrow a baby girl came out. Janaka took the girl as his daughter and named her Sita.
In Hinduism, Sita is considered a form of the goddess Lakshmi. Sita is worshiped for her greatness and for her loyalty. She was the goddess of loyalty and her responsibility.
Other websites
Hindu gods and goddesses |
29955 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halimah%20bint%20Abi%20Dhuayb | Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb | Halima Sadia () was an Arabic Beduin woman. She was a foster mother and took care of the prophet Muhammad for the first six years of his life. Halimah and her husband were from the tribe of Sa'd b. Bakr (a large North Arabian tribe).
Relationship with Muhammad
Foster mothers came to Mecca to feed children. It was the custom at that time in Makkah that families send their children to live for a while with a nurse who lived in the desert. This was healthier for their bodies to be around a natural environment instead of living in the city. They preferred that the fathers of the children they took care of were still alive. Although Muhammad's father was dead, Halimah took him just eight days after he was born. He grew up in Hudaybiyah, then in Medina before he was returned to his mother, Aminah bint Wahb.
Years after Muhammad's mother died and he became married to Khadijah, Halimah came to him complaining of her poverty. He asked Khadijah to give her 40 sheep. After Muhammad got his first revelation, Halimah and her husband came to Muhammad and embraced Islam. When she came to Muhammad on the day of Hunayn, he took off his robe and put it on the ground for her to sit.
So when the group of foster mothers arrived at the Makkah city and they picked up most of the children, the last nurse arrived with her husband (Al-Harith) riding a donkey and old camel. She found only one orphan boy who had no father to pay her. She was ready to go back but she did not want to return without a baby. She decided to go back and pick up the orphan.
As soon as she lifted that boy, her life changed and became filled with immense good fortune and blessings. The old camel, which had not given a drop of milk, was soon over flowing with milk. Although she was the last women leaving makkah on her donkey, she passed her friends. This was indeed a great blessing for her and for this poor Bedouin family.
After two years, Muhammad was returned to his mother Amina. She told Amina about the great blessings that she had received when Muhammad was in her care, but soon, Amina was persuaded by Halima and her husband (Al-Harith) to return the child back with them for another two years to protect him from a spreading disease in Makkah.
References
Muslims
6th-century births
Year of death unknown |
29956 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khadijah%20bint%20Khuwaylid | Khadijah bint Khuwaylid | Khadijah bint Khuwaylid () (555 - 619) was the first wife of the Muhammad, an Islamic prophet. Her nickname was Khadijah al-Kubra. She was the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad and Fatimah bint Za'idah. Khadijah is widely known as the first person to convert to Islam. Khadijah is known as Umm-al-mu'minin which means "the Mother of the Believers"
Children
Khadijah had six children with Muhammad.
Qasim ibn Muhammad, died in 605 CE, before his second birthday
Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad, died in childhood in 615 CE
Zainab bint Muhammad, married to her maternal cousin Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabee
Ruqayyah bint Muhammad, married to Uthman ibn Affan
Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad, also married to Uthman ibn Affan after Ruqayyah's death
Fatimah, married to 'Ali bin Abi Talib
555 births
619 deaths
Muslims
Family of Muhammad |
29958 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/555 | 555 | 555 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
King Chlothar I adds the Frankish territories of Metz and Reims.
King Erb of Gwent dies; his kingdom is divided into Gwent and Ergyng in Southern Wales (approximate date).
Chinese Liang Dynasty: Jing Di, age 12, succeeds his father Yuan Di.
Birth of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid |
29959 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/619 | 619 | 619 (DCXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
Heraclius prepares to leave Constantinople. He moves the Byzantine capital to Carthage.
The Second Perso-Turkic War is fought. It ends with a strong Persian victory.
Muhammad's wife, Khadija, dies after 24 years of marriage.
Kubrat, ruler of the Bulgars, is baptised in Constantinople.
December 23 – Pope Boniface V succeeds Adeodatus I as the 69th pope of Rome.
Death of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
619 |
29960 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasvati%20%28disambiguation%29 | Sarasvati (disambiguation) | Sarasvati may mean several things. Some of the meanings are written below:
Sarasvati was a river of Ancient India: Saraswati River.
Sarasvati is a goddess of Hindus: Sarasvati.
Sarasvati is a common name of girls in India. |
29961 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasvati%20River | Sarasvati River | Sarasvati River was one of the major rivers of Ancient India. The river flowed through parts of western and northern India. Then in Allahabad, the river merged with the Jamuna River.
At one time, Sarasvati was a deep river. The river dried up and became lost over a few hundred years, possibly between 2000 and 1500 BC.
References
Rivers of Pakistan
Tributaries of the Indus River
Rivers of India |
29962 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming%20dynasty | Ming dynasty | The Ming dynasty was the family of emperors who led China from 1368 to 1644. The name is also used to talk about the that they led and the 276 years in Chinese history that it lasted.
It is also famous for its pottery from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi and Dehua in Fujian.
Name
The Ming dynasty is known in Chinese as the Míng. This is written as in Chinese characters. The character is a sun () and a moon () together and means "bright". Chinese uses different words to talk about the different meanings of a Chinese "dynasty" in English: their government is called the Míng cháo , their country is called the Dà Míng dìguó ( or , and their time in Chinese history is called the Míng dài .
Unlike in English, the name of the dynasty is not the same as the family name of the leaders. The family that led China during the Ming were the Zhūs. This is written as in Chinese characters. Today, it is just a common Chinese family name, but at that time it meant a kind of red coloring made from cinnabar (HgS).
History
The Yuan dynasty before them had been part of the Mongol Empire started by Genghis Khan. Its emperors had been Mongolian people, but most of China was Han Chinese. To keep their power, the Yuan used a Chinese kind of government of Three Departments and Six Ministries, with imperial examinations. Their laws gave special powers to Mongolian people, though, with other people from other countries ("Semu") placed second, northern Chinese third, and southern Chinese last. They were especially nice to Tibetan Buddhists and gave many important jobs to Muslims, although they also made Muslims break some rules and eat like Mongolians. Some Muslims were angry and started to fight the Yuan. Many people began to fight after the 1340s. The Black Death killed many people and the government did not keep up the work needed to stop the Yellow River from killing people when it flooded. The Red Turbans began fighting in 1351 and its best leader Zhu Yuanzhang made the Yuan emperor Toghun Temür run away from the capital city Khanbaliq (now inside Beijing) in 1368.
When Zhu Yuanzhang took Khanbaliq, he said that the Yuan was over and that his family would be a new dynasty called the Ming. He said that 1368 was the 1st year of the Hongwu Era and became known as the Hongwu Emperor. Toghun Temür and other Mongolians still fought him, but now they were known as the Northern Yuan and the Ming became the real government of most of China.
The Hongwu Emperor had many sons and made them the leaders of the 13 different parts of China. He did not stay in Khanbaliq. He made his old base Yingtian (today's Nanjing) into the new capital city. He wanted China to be more traditional and more Chinese, so he ended most government support for other religions and made Christianity against the law. He wanted China to take care of itself, so he ended most buying and selling of things from other countries. He made a list of rules for his family, and they mostly followed them during the rest of the Ming.
The oldest son of the Hongwu Emperor died before him, so the next emperor was his grandson the Jianwen Emperor. The Jianwen Emperor was about 20 years old and didn't like the power of his many uncles. He started taking away their power, sending them away, or even making them kill themselves. The uncle leading Beiping (old Khanbaliq and now Beijing) was named Zhu Di. He pretended to be crazy so that the Jianwen Emperor would be less afraid. The emperor even let his three sons—kept in the capital city to be sure of their father's good behavior—go north see him. Zhu Di then began a war against his nephew.
At first, Zhu Di said his war was only against the "bad helpers" who told his nephew to hurt their family. When his war was successful and he took Yingtian (now Nanjing), he made himself the Yongle Emperor. He said that his nephew had never been the real emperor and killed many people in the old government. He did not trust the people in Yingtian, so he made Beiping the main capital city. The southern capital then became known as Nanjing and the northern capital Beijing, the names they continue to use today. In Beijing, he built a new home which became the Forbidden City.
The Yongle Emperor did not like many of the people in government who got there by doing well on their tests. He gave more power to eunuchs, men who were hurt as children to stop them from being able to have children of their own. One of these was Zheng He, a Muslim who led great treasure ships south from Suzhou and Nanjing in 7 big trips between 1405 and 1433. The first trips may have been looking for the Jianwen Emperor, but they also became trips that taught China about the South China Sea and Indian Ocean and opened up more buying and selling between their countries and China.
The Mings' main capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, who established the Shun dynasty. This was soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The people who still liked the Ming continued to fight as the Southern Ming up to 1683.
Importance
The Ming Empire has been described as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history". It was the last Chinese dynasty led by the Han Chinese, not counting the short-lived governments of Li Zicheng and Yuan Shikai. It is also famous for its pottery from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi and Dehua in Fujian.
Notes
References
Chinese dynasties
1368 establishments
14th-century establishments in Asia
Establishments in China
1644 disestablishments
Disestablishments in China
1640s disestablishments in Asia |
29964 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati | Saraswati | Saraswati is one of the Hindu goddesses. The Vedas also mention her name. She is the goddess of speech, learning and knowledge. The legend states that she created the Sanskrit language and invented the vina, a musical instrument similar to a lute. The legend also says that she is the wife of Brahma, one of the gods of the Hindus.
Birth
Mata Saraswati was born from the Samudra Manthan that arranged between the Devatas and the Asuras. She was born from the sea and was married to Lord Brahma thereafter. In another legend, Brahma created her by his imagination. However, she turned out to be so beautiful that he could not takes his eyes off her. Since he had five heads - four in the four cardinal directions - and one on top, his head kept turning in whichever direction Saraswati went.
Saraswati is mentioned in the Vedas, the Brahmans, the Aranyaks, the Upanishads and the Mahabharat. She is dressed in white, carries a book and a lotus. Her favorite instrument is a lute and she rides a swan. Generally, an image or a statue of Saraswati shows her with four arms. Two arms hold the vina. In other arms she holds a book and a lotus flower.
Other websites
Hindu gods and goddesses |
29967 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi | Holi | Holi is one of the major festivals of Hindus. It is celebrated in South Asian countries, especially in India and Nepal. Hiranyanaksap wanted to kill his son, so he called his sister, Holika. She had a magic robe. This robe had the power to save the wearer from burning in fire. Hiranyakashyap ordered his sister to sit on a burning fire along with Prahlad. He thought that his sister would not be harmed by the fire of the magic robe and Prahlad would be burnt to death. But the result was the opposite of what the evil demon king planned.
Thus Prahlad came out of the burning fire safely and Holika was burnt to death. Holi is the festival of colours. It is celebrated with colors to mark the victory of virtue and goodness over evil.
The festival is celebrated for two days. The 2nd day, Rang Panchami marks the closing day of the Holi festival.
People are seen with different varieties of colors on Holi. They put colors on each other, sing, dance. They worship Lord Krishna and put colors on his idol.
Families gather together and Parvi the whole day.
References
Other websites
How to practice safe Holi, Government of India
Holi in pictures from The Guardian
Hindu festivals
Indian culture
Maharashtra
Religious holidays
Sikhism
Suriname |
29973 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaminster | Beaminster | Beaminster is a town in Dorset, England. The town has a population of 3,000. Beaminster is known for a nine-day music and art festival called the Beaminster Festival. The festival is held every year.
Towns in Dorset |
30003 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic%20music | Electronic music | Electronic music is music which is made with electronic equipment such as synthesizers or computers. Sometimes electronic music artists create special sounds using tape recorders too.
After World War II, when tape recorders had been invented and were becoming popular, composers started to use them to make music. The tape recorder was needed for the performance. Composers used them to combine lots of different sounds. Sometimes it was music played on ordinary (acoustic) instruments which was then changed in some way by the tape recorder. Sometimes they took sounds from everyday life such as the sound of water, traffic noise or bird song. All these noises were put together in the way the composer wanted by using the tape recorder. Tapes of sounds were often cut into pieces, then the pieces were 'spliced' – put back together in a different order. The results were often very interesting, but there were problems. Some people asked: “Is it music?” Others thought it was boring to just look at a tape recorder during a concert instead of being able to watch live musicians play.
Composers in Paris were experimenting with electronic music in the 1940s. They called it “Musique concrète” because they used natural, concrete sounds. (“Concrete” in this sense meant the opposite of “abstract” music which was written down for performance). The sounds were played back at different speeds, combined in lots of ways, played backwards or played continuously (repeated in a 'loop'), or played into a mixer and re-recorded onto another tape recorder. The sounds could be filtered. Effects such as vibrato or echo could be added. Sometimes composers used synthesizers which were machines that could make electronic music in real time. They sounded more like normal instruments than the sound effects on a tape recorder.
Computers have often been used for composing electronic music.
Classical music
Composers who have used these ways of making music include John Cage (1912-1992), Bruno Maderna (1920-1973) and Karlheinz Stockhausen (b.1928). Very often composers combined electronic music with ordinary instruments being played.
Rock Music
Bands like Twenty One Pilots, Taylor Swift, and Vance Joy among many others employ electronic sounds amongst their music.
Rap Music
Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Lil Wayne and many other have added electronic music into their rap music.
Pop music
In popular music, the use of electronics to create new sounds began in the 1960s. Producer Joe Meek and inventor Bob Moog both expanded the range of sounds that could be used in pop music, and by the end of that decade electronics had become accepted in the industry. In the next few years the work of people like Giorgio Moroder, Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian Eno and Kraftwerk made electronic music famous.
In the early 1980s electronic music became fashionable, and bands like New Order, The Human League, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode became famous. Sometimes these bands would mix electronic music with rock music.
In the 21st Century electronics are so much a part of popular music that using it is no longer strange - in fact, many artists use nothing else.
EDM music
A subgenre of electronic music is electronic dance music, or EDM. Electronic dance music is a form of electronica which is generally made with the intention of being danced to, thus making it generally club-friendly and often (but not always) up-tempo in nature. Whilst a lot of electronic genres are also classified as EDM, not all forms of electronic music fall within the specific category. Examples of EDM genres include post-disco, deep house, techno, Eurodance, trance, trip hop, drum and bass and dubstep, as well as several others.
In 2018, Billboard released a market statistic that proved the value and worth of the electronic dance music market. In this statistical statement, the company shows a 12-percent growth within one year where many changes took place with this musical revolution. One of the biggest helpers in this EDM market growth was YouTube.
Other genres of music
all sorts of genres of music even whale songs, ambient music, sounds of nature and sound effects have been distorted by some electronic sound, also to record sounds from space astronauts use electronic equipment to compress noise into a singularity.
References
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 1980; ISBN 1-56159-174-2 |
30005 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae | Reggae | Reggae is a music genre that began in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Most music from Jamaica comes from the reggae style.
The music has regular chops on the back beat (off-beat). These are called “skank”, and are played by a rhythm guitarist. The bass drum hits on the second and fourth beat of each measure (each bar). These are called the “drop”. Reggae bands also use a bass, a keyboard or organ, and horns.
Reggae music is often used by Rastafarian groups. They are usually songs about religion, love and social problems. Bob Marley (1945-1981) was a famous reggae artist.
Famous instruments in reggae music are drums, guitar, saxophone, trumpet and trombone.
Reggae was started in 1960 but became famous in the 1970s.
Reggae songs often have lots of backing singers.
Rapper Snoop Dogg released an album of reggae music in 2013.
Some recent songs, like Cheerleader and Rude are reggae.
Reggae is related to ska and dancehall.
References
Pop music |
30006 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebop | Bebop | Bebop or bop is a kind of jazz that became popular near the beginning of the Second World War, in the mid-1940s. Bebop is often fast. The musicians improvise using a small group of chords which are repeated again and again. Charlie Parker (1920-1955), who was famous for his saxophone playing, was a bebop artist. The famous trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) was also a renowned artist of this genre.
The term "bebop" originates from a group of syllables used in scat singing, where random strings of sound were used in place of words.
African-American history
Jazz music |
30007 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic%20resonance%20imaging | Magnetic resonance imaging | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), are techniques that doctors use to give a visual representation of soft tissue (flesh) inside the body. Magnetic resonance uses nuclear magnetic resonance to generate these images.
To take an MRI image, the patient lies on a movable bed. The bed enters a strong magnetic field and then radio waves are applied for a short time in a different direction. This sudden shift causes certain atoms in the patient's body to make special signals. The MRI scanner detects those special signals.
The MRI scanner then sends the signal information to a computer, and the computer creates an image of the inner body by using the signal information.
Pros and cons
The MRI is used to diagnose disorders of the body that cannot be seen by X-rays. The MRI is painless and has the advantage of avoiding the dangerous X-ray radiation.
It is an expensive medical procedure, due to the high cost of the equipment. Some metallic objects may distort the image, like hip, shoulder and knee replacements but the exam can still be done. Cochlear (ear) implants, some (older) aneurysm clips in the brain, and most pacemakers are not MRI compatible. Obese and severely claustrophobic patients often need sedation and/or imaging with an "open" magnet, which is much less confining. Contrast agents may or may not be indicated for some patients, and those with compromised kidney function may not be able to receive the contrast, due to a serious but rare skin reaction.
Which parts of the body MRI scans study
MRI scans can be used to study the brain, spinal cord, bones, joints, breasts, the heart and blood vessels. It can also be used to look at other internal organs. MRI scans can be used to find blood clots as well.
An MRI scan can be used as an extremely accurate method of disease detection throughout the body.
Neurosurgeons use an MRI scan not only in defining brain anatomy but in evaluating the integrity of the spinal cord after an injury. An MRI scan can evaluate the structure of the heart and aorta, where it can detect aneurysms or tears. Furthermore, MRI is nowadays used intraoperatively.
It provides valuable information on glands and organs within the abdomen, and accurate information about the structure of the joints, soft tissues, and bones of the body. Often, surgery can be deferred or more accurately directed after knowing the results of an MRI scan.
Related pages
Nuclear magnetic resonance
References
Further reading
TRTF/EMRF: The history of MRI (Peter A. Rinck, ed). url = http://www.magnetic-resonance.org/ch/20-01.html
Guadalupe Portal; Aliosvi Rodriguez Whole body magnetic resonance imaging in early diagnosis in Trinidad BMJ (2010) ISSN 1756-1833 url = http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/12/19/re-whole-body-magnetic-resonance-imaging
Other websites
A Guided Tour of MRI: An introduction for laypeople National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Video: What to Expect During Your MRI Exam from the Institute for Magnetic Resonance Safety, Education, and Research (IMRSER)
3D Animation Movie about MRI Exam
Magnetic resonance imaging -Citizendium
Medical procedures
Medical imaging |
30008 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee%20camp | Refugee camp | When there is a war or some other armed conflict in a country, many people will try to flee (run away) from that country. They will go to other countries, around the country where there is no war. Because they fled, they are called refugees.
If there are just a few refugees coming into a country it is generally no problem to get housing for them somewhere. However, if there are many (or if the government of a country expects many) refugees, it may build what is called a refugee camp. This is usually done by putting many tents, and a few toilets and showers on an unused plot (stretch) of land. This is usually land where no one wants to live.
Usually the governments hope that conflicts get resolved soon, and that those camps are only temporary.
This has not been the case for the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, for example. Those camps have existed since the mid 1970s.
Related pages
Tent city
Burj el-Barajneh refugee camp in the Lebanon
Transitional shelter
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Other websites
Camp Management Toolkit published by Norwegian Refugee Council
Shelter Library Resource for organisations responding to the transitional settlement and shelter needs of displaced populations
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' Campaign to End Refugee Warehousing in refugee camps around the world, people are confined to their settlement and denied their basic rights.
Forced migration
War |
30010 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber | Rubber | Rubber is a material, which can stretch and shrink. It is a polymer. It can be produced from natural sources (e.g. natural rubber) or can be synthesised on an industrial scale. Many things are made from rubber, like gloves, tires, plugs, and masks. A few things can be made only from rubber. Sometimes the word means only natural rubber (latex rubber). Natural rubber is made from the white sap of some trees such as the Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae). Other elastomers, called synthetic rubbers, are made by chemical processe..
Properties
Rubber can stretch and shrink.
Rubber can contain gases.
Rubber can fetch off lightning And/or electricity.
Producers
Hevea brasiliensis is the tree that most rubber comes from. Other plants that have the special sap (called latex) are figs (Ficus elastica), Castilla (Panama rubber tree), euphorbias, lettuce, the common dandelion, Taraxacum kok-saghyz (Russian dandelion), Scorzonera tau-saghyz, and Guayule.
In the 1800s, most sap to make rubber came from South America. In 1876, Henry Wickham got seeds from rubber trees in Brazil, and took them to Kew Gardens, England, and sent them to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore and British Malaya. Later, Malaya (now Malaysia) made the most rubber. People tried to grow rubber in India, in year 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Kolkata. The first Hevea farms in India were made at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902. The Congo Free State in Africa also grew a lot trees for rubber at the start of the 20th century, and most of the people who worked on those farms were forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also started growing trees to make rubber.
Industrial development
Charles Marie de La Condamine presented samples of rubber to the Académie Royale des Sciences of France in 1736. In 1751, François Fresneau read a paper to the Académie (eventually published in 1755), which described many of the properties of rubber. This has been referred to as the first scientific paper on rubber.
In 1770, British chemist Joseph Priestley noticed that rubber was very good for removing pencil marks on paper. Natural rubber melts in heat and freeze in the cold.
In 1844, Charles Goodyear found a way to improve natural rubber, in a chemical process known as vulcanization, which made it useful in many more products including, decades later, tires.
Synthetic material
In the 20th century, synthetic (artificial) rubbers such as Neoprene began to be used. They were much used when World War II cut off supplies of natural rubber. They have continued to grow because natural rubber is becoming scarce and also because for some uses they are better than natural rubber.
Uses of rubber
Rubber moulded products are widely used industrially (and in some household applications) in the form of rubber goods and appliances. Rubber is used in garden hoses and pipes for small scale gardening applications. Most of the tyres and tubes used in automobiles are made up of rubber. Therefore, rubber plays a very important role in the automobile industry and the transportation industry. Rubber products are also employed in matting and flooring applications.
References
Natural materials
Polymers |
30012 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument | Argument | A argument is a way to persuade someone of something. Reasons are given to accept the conclusion. The general structure of an argument in a natural language is that premises (propositions or statements) support the claim or conclusion.
Reason
An argument is a reason to support an opinion.
There can be a "strong argument" or a "convincing argument" (for example, a good reason for why something should be done). Arguing is the process of conducting an argument.
The opposite is a "weak argument" or an "unconvincing argument". Arguments can be valid or invalid or a combination of both. Some arguments may appear reasonable, but they turn out to be misleading or wrong.
Related pages
Implication and inference
Cosmological argument
Dialectic
Deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Fallacy
Reasoning
References
Other websites
Basic English 850 words
Mathematics
Human communication
Philosophy |
30013 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003%20invasion%20of%20Iraq | 2003 invasion of Iraq | The 2003 invasion of Iraq (March 20, 2003 - May 1, 2003) was the war fought by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland and some other countries against Iraq, to end the rule of Saddam Hussein. The main reason that the war started was said to be because the British and American Governments believed that Iraq had dangerous weapons of mass destruction (such as chemical or nuclear weapons) that could be used against other countries. This turned out after the invasion to not be true.
Another reason for the start of the war was that many people thought that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of the leaders of al-Qaeda, was hiding in Iraq after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Though Saddam Hussein was not involved in the planning of the September 11 attacks, many people accused him of giving al-Qaeda a safe place to hide from the United States. The war was extremely controversial. Many British and American people blamed British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the American President, George W. Bush.
Paratroopers landed in the far north of Iraq and a few soldiers attacked from the sea, but most invaded from Kuwait in the south. 4,734 NATO soldiers were killed in Iraq war including 4,600 U.S. servicemen, 179 UK servicemen and 139 Other NATO soldiers with a total of 4900 casualties. 31,882 U.S. servicemen and over 3,600 UK servicemen were wounded in Iraq. More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians who were not soldiers were also killed.
Aftermath
On December 30 2008, US soldier Christopher Lotter was killed in Tikrit as retaliation for Saddam's execution on December 30 2006 .
On April 18 2010, ISIS leaders Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi were killed in a raid of Tikrit in a safe house.
The United Nations Secretary-General said that, "[F]rom our point of view and from the Charter point of view [the war] was illegal."
References
Other websites
Encyclopedia Britannica's Article on 2003 War
Architects of Illegal American-Iraq 2003 war: George Bush jr, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld found guilty of war crimes!
War Report. More than 5,000 articles, documents and analyses of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, updated four times a week—Project on Defense Alternatives.
CIA’s final report
Occupation of Iraq Timeline at the History Commons
Morgues so full, bodies turned away
The War In Context News aggregator
ProCon's examination of Iraq Invasion
by Professor Dr. Sedat Laciner, "Ten Impasses of the Resistance in Iraq"
Amnesty International Report on Iraq
2003 in Asia
Iraq War
21st century in Iraq
fi:Liittouman hyökkäys Irakiin vuonna 2003 |
30015 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmet | Helmet | A helmet is a hard or cushioned hat which is worn to protect a person's head. There are many different types of helmets. Some helmets are made from metal. Other helmets are made from plastic. Helmets often have fabric cushions inside and fabric straps to hold the helmet on a person's head.
Soldiers wear steel helmets to protect their heads from explosions and flying bits of metal. Construction workers wear plastic helmets to protect their heads from falling objects. Welders wear special helmets with a dark window that lets less light through. This protects their eyes from the bright light of welding. People who ride bicycles or horses wear plastic helmets with foam, to protect their heads in case they have an accident. Motorcycle riders wear similar but stronger helmets. People who rock climb wear helmets in case they fall. Cavers wear helmets to protect their heads from bumping into rocks in a cave. Helmets are also worn for protection by participants of numerous sports including horse racing, baseball, ice hockey, and cricket.
Images
Protective clothing
Headgear |
30016 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonskin%20cap | Coonskin cap | A coonskin cap is a hat made from the fur of a raccoon. Usually, the tail of the racoon is attached to the back of the hat. The coonskin cap is a symbol of the early United States frontier. Coonskin caps were first worn by the Native Americans who lived around Tennessee and Kentucky. The American settlers who moved to this area liked the caps and wore them themselves. Some famous American pioneers who wore coonskin caps are Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
Other websites
http://www.coonskincap.com/
Headgear |
30017 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy%20Horse%20Memorial | Crazy Horse Memorial | The Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest mountain sculpture in progress. It is in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. The statue depicts Crazy Horse, a famous Lakota warrior. Korczak Ziolkowski started the project in 1948 at the request of Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Native American elders. The statue is meant to be a memorial to the spirit of Crazy Horse as well as the Native American people.
Ziolkowski believed in individual initiative and private enterprise, and as such, never accepted government funding. He continued to work on the memorial until his death in 1982.
Today
Ziolkowski's wife and family have continued to work the Crazy Horse Memorial. Completion of the project is currently unknown because of several factors including weather, the availability of financing and the challenges of the mountain engineering.
The face of Crazy Horse was completed and dedicated in 1998. Work on the memorial continues today and current plans include blocking out the face of the horse itself.
Other websites
The official website
Monuments and memorials in the United States
South Dakota |
30018 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1727 | 1727 |
Events
1727 to 1800 – Lt. Col. Francisco de Melo Palheta smuggles coffee seeds to Brazil in a bouquet starting a coffee empire.
June 11 – George, Prince of Wales becomes King George II of Great Britain.
November 18–Earthquake in Tazriz, Persia – about 77,000 dead
Last execution for witchcraft in Scotland
First Amish move to America
The Royal Bank of Scotland is founded by royal charter in Edinburgh.
Catholic Charities is founded in New Orleans, United States, by the French Ursuline Sisters.
Deaths
– Isaac Newton, English scientist (b. 1643) |
30019 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1720 | 1720 |
Events
The Town on Queen Anne's Creek, North Carolina is renamed Edenton in honor of North Carolina Governor Charles Eden. It is later incorporated in 1722.
The Tuscarora fled North Carolina as a result of European colonisation
Edmond Halley appointed Astronomer Royal
The Academia Real da Historia is founded in Lisbon, Portugal
Jonathan Swift begins Gulliver's Travels
Emperor Kangxi announced that all western businessmen could only trade in Guangzhou. |
30020 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1725 | 1725 |
Events
January 25 – Amaro Pargo receives the title of Hidalgo (nobleman).
February 8 – Catherine I became empress of Russia.
February 20 – The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony.
March 2 – In London, night watchman finds a severed head by the Thames; it is later recognized to be that of the husband of Catherine Hayes. She and one accomplice are later executed.
May 21 – The Order of Alexander Nevsky was instituted in Russia by an empress Catherine I.
May 24 – Jonathan Wild, fraudulent "Thief Taker General", is hanged in Tyburn, England for actually aiding criminals.
Births
February 4 – Dru Drury, English entomologist (d. 1804)
February 5 – James Otis, American lawyer and patriot (d. 1783)
February 15 – Abraham Clark, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1794)
February 25 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet (d. 1798)
March 11 – Henry Benedict Stuart, pretender to the British throne (d. 1807)
March 17 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d. 1806)
March 20 – Abd-al-Hamid I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1789)
March 24
Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman (d. 1788)
March 28 – Andrew Kippis, English non-conformist clergyman and biographer (d. 1795)
April 2 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and writer (d. 1798)
April 6 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d. 1807)
April 23 – Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint (d. 1755)
April 25 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, British admiral (d. 1786)
May 12 – Louis Philip I, Duke of Orléans, French soldier and writer (d. 1785)
May 25 – Samuel Ward, American politician (d. 1776)
July 1 – Comte de Rochambeau, French soldier (d. 1807)
July 24 – John Newton, English cleric and hymnist (d. 1807)
August 21 – Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French painter (d. 1805)
August 29 – Charles Townshend, English politician (d. 1767)
September 5 – Jean-Étienne Montucla, French mathematician (d. 1799)
September 12 – Guillaume Le Gentil, French astronomer (d. 1792)
September 16 – Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist (d. 1815)
September 24 – Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (d. 1803)
September 25 – Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, French automobile pioneer (d. 1804)
September 29 – Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, British general and statesman (d. 1774)
October 12 – Etienne Louis Geoffroy, French pharmacist and entomologist (d. 1810)
October 21 – Franz Moritz Graf von Lacy, Austrian field marshal (d. 1801)
December 11 – George Mason, American founding father (d. 1792)
December 18 – Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and Bible commentator (d. 1791)
Deaths
January 6 – Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese dramatist (b. 1653)
February 8 – Tsar Peter I of Russia (b. 1672)
March 2 – José Benito de Churriguera, Spanish architect and sculptor (b. 1665)
April 8 – John Wise, English clergyman (b. 1652)
May 24 – Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1683)
June 29 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese poet, politician, and writer (b. 1657)
October 10 – Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, Governor-General of New France
October 11 – Hans Herr, Swiss-born Mennonite bishop (b. 1639)
October 24 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (b. 1660)
October 31 – Ali Othman, Vampire(b. 1660)
December 7 – Florent Carton Dancourt, French dramatist and actor (b. 1661)
date unknown
José Mora, Spanish sculptor (b. 1638)
Nguyễn Phúc Chu, Vietnamese ruler (b. 1675) |
30040 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarka | Dwarka | Dwarka (with other spelling as Dvarka) was a city of Ancient India. The city was one of seven holy cities of the Hindus. It is also one of the four most important places of pilgrimage for the Hindus. Hindus call such four places as Dhams. Dwarka is located in the western part of India in Gujarat state. During the birth day of Krishna, and the Hindu festivals of Holi and Divali, thousands of Hindus visit the place.
In Ancient India, the place was the capital of the kingdom ruled by Krishna and his clan of the yadavas. Soon after the death of Krishna, the city went below the sea.
Other websites
http://www.dwarkadhish.org/
Hinduism |
30043 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana | Ramayana | The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic about Rama and Sita. It is one of the two most important ancient epics of India, the first one being the ancient Mahabharata. The epic was originally written by sage (rishi) Valmiki of Ancient India. The book has about 24,000 verses and is divided into seven parts.
The story of the Ramayana is about Prince Rama who has been exiled from his kingdom of Ayodhya. He goes on to kill king Ravana of Lanka in a long battle to get back his wife Sita.
Seven different versions of the book are available. It has been translated into all the major languages of the world.
The different parts of the Ramayana are also called books. These seven parts or books are noted below:
The first book is Balakand, meaning the book of childhood.
The second book is Ayodhyakanda, meaning the book of Ayodhya.
The third book is Aranyakanda, meaning the book of the forests.
The fourth book is Kishkindhakanda, meaning the book of Kishkindha.
The fifth book is Sundarakanda, meaning the book beautiful.
The sixth book is Yuddhakanda, meaning the book of the war.
The seventh book is Uttarakanda, meaning the book of after events.
There are different views about the time the Ramayana was written. Some people believe that it was written 2,500 years ago. Others think that it was written around 1,800 years ago. All agree that the book is very old and was written before the Mahabharata.
The Ramayana is still very popular today. Every autumn the Ramlila (Rama play) is performed at the festival of Dassehra. A huge model of Ravana is set alight. This symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness. It is also believed that he turned in to Krishna and also many more things are believed.
A Tamil version of the book was written between the 9th and 10th centuries. The writer of this book was Kamban. This version is known as Iramavataram, which means the coming of Rama. In the 16th century, Tulasidas wrote a Hindi version of Ramayana. This was named Ramacharitmanasa. Over many centuries, the story of Rama reached places in other countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. The Ramayana has been translated into most of the major languages of the world.
The Ramayana was used in Ancient India for the teaching of young children. It was mainly used for acting out their religious beliefs so that their children knew that they were to worship the main Hindu beliefs that were: Brahman, Multiple Gods, Dharma, Samsara, and Karma.
Hindu texts |
30044 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata | Mahabharata | The Mahābhārata (; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. The other is the Rāmāyaṇa. It tells if issues between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra Warm It also tells the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors.
The Mahābhārata includes philosophical and devotional material, It has a discussion of the four "goals of life" or puruṣārtha (12.161). The stories in the Mahābhārata include the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devyani and the story of Rishyasringa. It also has a shortened version of the Rāmāyaṇa.
The Mahābhārata is normally said to be written by Vyāsa. Most of it was probably put together between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE. The oldest parts o it are not much older than around 400 BCE. The text probably became in its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE).
The Mahābhārata is the longest epic poem known. It has been said to be "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version has over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines. It also has and long sections of prose. The Mahābhārata has about 1.8 million words in total. It is about ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, It is about four times the length of the Rāmāyaṇa. The importance of the Mahābhārata to world civilization has been compared to that of the Bible, the Quran, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the works of William Shakespeare. It is sometimes called the fifth Veda.
Protagonists(weightage%)
Karna(35%)- Karna is the central protagonist of the Mahabharata written by Vyasa. The poem Jaya had been written mainly to commemorate Karna and Yudhisthira. He possessed all the qualities of his brother. Padmavati, wife of Karna is the main character of post-Kurukshetra Mahabharata. She was brought to Pandavas after the end of war.
Yudhisthira(14%) - Yudhisthira was considered the actual protagonist of the epic- Mahabharata after Karna. He was the king of the earth and the leader of successful Pandava team
Bhima(8%)-He killed the most number of enemies and villains of that era. He killed the 100 Kauravas, Jarasandha, Hidimba, Keechak etc.
Arjuna+Nakula+Sahdev(8%)- He wad the rival of Karna(the protagonist of the epic). He was the listener of Bhagwada Gita.
Sage Vyasa taught this epic to his son Suka and his students Vaisampayana and others. King Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit and grandson of the heroes of the epic, performed a great sacrifice (yajna). The epic was retold by Vaisampayana to Janamejaya at the advice of Vyasa. Later on, the other sage Suta retold the Mahabharata similar to Vaisampayana to Janamejaya, to Saunaka and others, during a sacrifice performed by Saunaka in Naimisaranya, which is near Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh.
Parvas
Noted below are few words about the eighteen sections of the Mahabharata. In Mahabharata, these sections are called parvan. A parvan means a book. The names of all parvas or books of the Mahabharata are noted below.
Karna and the Pandavas
When Yudhisthira got to know Karna was his eldest brother, he called Vedavyasa and heard the story of Karna from Narada. Narada narrated the story of Karna to Vedavyasa and 7 saptarishis along with Yudhisthira. The 7 saptarishis and 5 Pandavas went on and further sung glories of Karna in their kingdom. Yudhisthira commemorated Karna by naming the Ashwamedha horse- ShyamKarna. After the narration of Narada, Vyasa penned the "Jaya" epic keeping Karna and Yudhisthira as its central protagonists of 8800 shlokas. Vyasa narrated Mahabharata had been written to commemorate Karna's sacrifices and Yudhisthira's crowning as the king of earth.
Donation for it's compilation
In the year 1932, The Bhandarkar oriental research institute located in Pune, needed money for the compilation and publication of the Holy Mahabharata and a guest house. A formal request was made to the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad State, Mir Osman Ali Khan who in no time released a farman to donate Rs.1000 per year for a period of 11 years.
Whereas, Rs. 50,000 was offered for the guest which is known as "Nizam guest house".
Related page
Manipur of Odisha
More information
Mahabharata Online - The Complete Translation of Vyasa Mahabharata and Stories from Mahabharata
Some nice info on Hinduism including the Mahabharata
References
Hinduism
Hindu texts
National symbols of India |
30045 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj | Hajj | The Hajj ("pilgrimage") is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the most holy city of the Muslims, and a Fard or mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm. The Hajj is the largest annual gathering of people in the world. The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah, and a Muslim who fulfills this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah). The word Hajj means "to intend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.
The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th (or in some cases 13th) of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which pilgrims wear two white sheets of seamless cloth and abstain from certain actions.
The Hajj is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Abraham. During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka'aba (the cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for the Muslims), runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spends a night in the plain of Muzdalifa, and performs symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day global festival of Eid al-Adha.
Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah. However, even if they choose to perform the Umrah, they are still obligated to perform the Hajj at some other point in their lifetime if they have the means to do so, because Umrah is not a substitute for Hajj.
As an industry
Saudi Arabia's economy greatly benefits from Hajj tourism and has invested in hotel businesses as well as infrastructure to accommodate and profit from Hajj and Ummrah tourism.
References
Islam
Mecca
Religion in Saudi Arabia
Worship |
30048 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/English%20Civil%20War | English Civil War | The English Civil War happened in the middle 17th century. The term civil war is a war where the sides involved in the fighting are from the same country.
At the centre, there was a struggle between King Charles I and the Parliament of England over how England should be ruled. The King wanted to rule without Parliament telling him what to do. At first Parliament wanted to reduce the King's power, but later it decided that the country did not need a king. King Charles's supporters were known as the Royalists, and were nicknamed "Cavaliers". Parliament's supporters were known as the Parliamentarians, and were nicknamed "Roundheads".
From 1639 to 1653, there was fighting in England, Scotland and Ireland, three separate countries that were ruled by the same king. The fighting that took place in each of these countries broke out at different times and for different reasons. In England, it lasted from 1642 to 1651. Some people think of this as one big war, while others think of it as three separate wars: the First English Civil War (1642-46), the Second English Civil War (1648) and the Third English Civil War (1649-51). The wars are also sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, including the Bishops' Wars in Scotland in 1639 to 1640 and the Irish Rebellion from 1641 to 1653.
The Parliamentarians won the war. Charles I was captured, put on trial and in 1649 he was executed. His son Charles II then tried to take over the country, but lost and escaped abroad. As a result, the three kingdoms spent 11 years without a king. For most of this time, they were run by Oliver Cromwell, a former Parliamentarian general. After Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored under Charles II. However, kings were never as powerful as they had been before the war.
Causes
The reasons for the fighting were mostly to do with power, money and religion.
Power and money
In the 17th century, the king had a lot of power over England with one exception: he could only raise taxes if the English Parliament agreed to it. This was because Parliament represented the gentry (middle class), and no king could raise taxes without the help of the gentry. Scotland and Ireland also had parliaments, but with not nearly as much power. When King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne (becoming James I of England), he disliked having to work with parliament. He was more used to ruling in Scotland, where the king was far more powerful. James I also spent more money than previous kings and queens.
Both James I and his son Charles I believed in the "divine right of kings", meaning that they believed that God gave kings the right to do anything they wanted over their lands. But there was a difference between the two: James I accepted that he could not get what he wanted all the time, whereas Charles I always wanted to get his own way.
After becoming king in 1625, Charles I quickly got into arguments with members of Parliament. From 1629 to 1640, he shut Parliament down and ruled without it. This was legal, as long as he did not raise taxes. He used some legal tricks to raise money without bringing back Parliament. For example, he used "ship money", a tax that had been paid by coastal towns in times of war. Charles I started charging it to all towns when there was no war. This was unpopular, but judges decided that it was legal. The period from 1629 to 1640 was known as the "Eleven Years' Tyranny" by the king's enemies.
Religion
In the previous century, the Protestant Reformation and England's break with the Catholic Church had encouraged new ideas and struggles. In England, there was movement called the Puritans, because they wanted a "pure" religion. They believed that the Church of England was too much like the Roman Catholic Church it had broken away from. In particular, they did not want the church to have bishops. There was a similar movement in Scotland. The Church of Scotland also had bishops, but it had many differences with the Church of England.
On the other hand, Charles I and Archbishop William Laud tried to change the Church of England. They brought back incense, bells and decorations to churches. These were things that were found in Catholic churches. This worried the people who hated Catholicism, especially the Puritans. Charles I also married a French princess, Henrietta Maria, who was a Catholic.
Build-up
In 1637, Charles I tried to introduce a new prayer book in Scotland that was very similar to the English Book of Common Prayer, without asking Scotland's Parliament or church. Many Scots hated the prayer book, seeing it as an attempt to change the religion of their country. Riots broke out in Edinburgh, and unrest spread throughout Scotland. A rebellion movement began in Scotland, which became known as the Covenanters.
In 1639, the rebellion led to the Bishops' Wars in Scotland. The war cost so much money that the King called a new Parliament in England to raise taxes. But the members of Parliament did not want to work with Charles, and instead they complained about the king's actions (such as ship money) during the "Eleven Years' Tyranny". He shut Parliament down again, but the King struggled to stop the Covenanters without new taxes. Another problem was that many English people agreed with the Covenanters and did not want to help fight them. The Covenanter army invaded England and marched into Northumberland and County Durham. They refused to leave unless they were paid money.
To raise that money, the King had no choice but to call another Parliament. This became known as the "Long Parliament". Over two-thirds of the elected members of the Long Parliament were opposed to the king. John Pym was their leader. The Long Parliament passed laws to stop the king from shutting it down and removed many of the king's allies. They even had his friend Earl of Strafford executed.
In 1641, a rebellion broke out in Ireland. The rebellion was caused by Irish Catholics who were fearful of the Protestants in the Long Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters. The King now needed money to fight this rebellion, which strengthened Parliament. Parliament would also took control of the army in 1642.
In January 1642, Charles I marched into Parliament with guards, to arrest five members of Parliament (including Pym) who disagreed with him. The five men found out he was coming and escaped. No king had ever entered the main chamber of Parliament before, and many members were shocked he would do this. It was disaster for Charles. He failed to catch his enemies, and many members of Parliament who had not been enemies of the king became afraid of him. They decided that the only way to protect themselves was a raise an army against the King.
The wars
First English Civil War (1642-46)
In mid-1642, both sides started travelling around the country to gather supporters and weapons. On 22 August, King Charles raised the royal flag in Nottingham. By doing this, he was announcing that he was at war with Parliament.
The King found more support in the countryside, poorer parts of the country and northern and western England. Parliament found more support in most cities, ports, richer parts of the country and southern and eastern England. People who were secretly Catholic mostly supported the King. The Royal Navy and most Puritans supported Parliament. Some areas supported Parliament because of local problems, such as the land drainage works in The Fens.
The Royalist armies were led by Prince Rupert, the King's nephew. The Parliamentarian armies were at first led by the Earl of Essex. The Royalists decided they would try to fight the Parliamentarians quickly, and so went to meet them in Warwickshire. The first major battle was the Battle of Edgehill in October 1642. The battle ended in a draw. The King tried to return to London but was blocked by the Parliamentarian army. He moved with his armies to Oxford, where he had more loyal followers.
The first year of the war went fairly well for the Royalists. They strengthened their control over the north and west. Their progress was slower in the Midlands, though they did capture Lichfield. After mid-1643, the Parliamentarians started to do better. They won battles in Lincolnshire, in the east and at Newbury to the west of London.
King Charles made a deal with the Irish rebels to stop the fighting in Ireland, freeing up soldiers that could fight for him. Parliament made a deal with the Scottish Covenantors, who would help them. Parliament were also helped by a talented army leader called Oliver Cromwell. He led a cavalry (horse riders) unit called the "Ironsides". The Ironsides were better organised than most cavalry units, which made them far better at fighting.
Helped by the Scots and the Ironsides, Parliament won a major victory the Battle of Marston Moor in July 1644. They took control of northern England. The Royalists were weakened but not yet defeated. They won the Battle of Lostwithiel in Cornwall, defeating Essex's soldiers. They also managed to fight to a draw at a second Battle of Newbury in October.
In 1645, Parliament organised its soldiers into the New Model Army. The Earl of Essex was replaced by Sir Thomas Fairfax. Oliver Cromwell became Fairfax's deputy. The New Model Army was better organised than any army that had come before it. They defeated the King's largest army at the Battle of Naseby in June 1645. Most of the Royalist soldiers at Naseby were taken prisoner.</small> King Charles escaped Naseby but left behind his baggage, which had letters inside them. The Parliamentarians opened them and found out that the King was trying to get help from the Irish Catholics and from Catholic countries. The King lost support because of this.
The other main Royalist army was defeated at the Battle of Langport in Somerset, one month later. The Parliamentarians took control of South West England, where they had been weak. King Charles tried to gather his remaining supporters in the Midlands. Many fortress towns in the area from Oxford to Newark-on-Trent were still loyal to him. In May 1646, Charles met a Scottish army in Nottinghamshire. The Scots took him prisoner.
Second English Civil War (1648)
Although the Parliamentarians had won, they were divided on how to run the country. One big argument was over religion. Most members of Parliament wanted a Presbyterian national church. The New Model Army favoured allowing local churches to run themselves without there being a national church. The defeated Royalists supported the existing Church of England, though some were secretly Catholic. Parliament and the Army both tried to win support of the King and the Scottish Presbyterians. King Charles was in prison and was passed between the groups. He refused to make a deal any of them, because he believed that only he had the right to rule over England. He pretended he was interested in making a deal while he planned to take back control of the country. The divisions became worse when Parliament tried to disband the New Model Army.
A second war broke out when some Scottish Presbyterians (called the Engagers) and some English Presbyterians allied with the King. They agreed to support him in return for making the English and Scottish churches into Presbyterian churches. The Scots invaded England, while Royalist rebellions broke out in various parts of England. Some of the rebellions were defeated very easily. The rebellions in Wales, Kent, Essex and Cumberland were stronger but were put down by the New Model Army. The Royalists and Scots were defeated at the Battle of Preston in August 1648.
Execution of King Charles I
The New Model Army was in control. In an event called "Pride's Purge", army Colonel Thomas Pride removed all members of Parliament who had not supported the Army. Only 75 members were left. The Army put them in charge of the country, and this Parliament was called the Rump Parliament.
The Rump Parliament decided they would not work with King Charles any more. They put him on trial. On 27 January 1649, the trial found him guilty of treason and called him a "tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy". He was beheaded three days later.
Many historians say that the execution of King Charles was an important moment in English history, and even in the history of the Western World. No European monarch had ever been put on trial by their own people before. Other countries in Europe said the execution was wrong, but they did not do much else. Not all Parliamentarians supported the execution. Fairfax thought it was wrong. He resigned as leader of the New Model Army, and was replaced by Oliver Cromwell.
The next king would have been Charles' son Prince Charles, the future King Charles II. Parliament announced instead that England would become a republic, called the Commonwealth of England. However, Prince Charles could still become King of Scotland.
Third English Civil War (1649-51)
The third English Civil War was actually more of a fight between Scottish and English armies, and much of it was fought in Scotland.
In 1649, the Marquess of Montrose started a rebellion in Scotland in support of King Charles II. Rather than support Montrose, Charles decided to ally with the Scottish Covenantors. They feared the Commonwealth of England would stop Scotland from having a Presbyterian church. Montrose was defeated by Scottish armies in April 1650. In June, Charles landed in Scotland and signed an agreement with the Scottish Covenantors.
Cromwell travelled to Scotland and arrived the following month. Over the next year, it took control of the main parts of Scotland. When Charles fled to England, Cromwell followed him, leaving George Monck to finish winning the war in Scotland. When this was done, Scotland became part of the Commonwealth of England.
Charles' army marched across England to the western regions where the Royalists had the most support. However, they could not find as many supporters as they wanted. Cromwell found them and defeated them at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. Charles fled to The Netherlands. He would not return until 1660.
Irish rebellion
The Irish rebellion that started in 1641 would continue until 1652. It was mainly fought by Irish Catholics against armies of the English Parliamentarians, Scottish Covenantors and Protestant settlers in Ireland. At first the rebels fought English Royalist armies as well, but this mostly stopped after September 1843. Seven months after the rebellion began, the rebels created their own government in Kilkenny. This was known as the Irish Catholic Confederation.
In 1649, Oliver Cromwell went to Ireland and put down their rebellion. Cromwell was remembered in Ireland as a brutal invader, particularly because of the large numbers of people killed at the Siege of Drogheda. Some fighting continued in Ireland until 1653.
Afterwards
The next nine years
The wars left England, Scotland and Ireland all as part of the Commonwealth of England, one of the few countries in Europe without a monarch. After the wars ended, Cromwell disbanded the Rump Parliament and took over the country. He chose to be "Lord Protector" rather than King, because he did not think the country needed another king. His government was called "the Protectorate" or "the Commonwealth". The period from 1649 to 1660 is also called the English Interregnum (meaning gap between kings).
Oliver Cromwell ruled the country until he died in 1658. Cromwell's son, Richard, took over as Lord Protector. However, the Army did not think he was a good ruler. After seven months, the Army removed Richard, and in May 1659 it re-installed the Rump Parliament. However, the Army did not get on with the Rump Parliament either and disbanded them a second time. There were fears that England would not have a proper government.
George Monck, a key leader in the Army, arranged for a new Parliament to be elected. On 8 May 1660, the new Parliament decided to restore the monarchy with Charles II as the king. He returned to England later that month. This event is known as the English Restoration. Scotland and Ireland went back to being separate countries and the pre-war churches returned.
Long term
Although the monarchy returned, the Civil War had long-lasting effects. The war made it clear that an English monarch could not rule without the support of Parliament. The law was not changed to limit the monarch's power (this was done after the 1688 Glorious Revolution). But historians consider the Civil War to be stage on England and Scotland's long journeys from rule by one king to becoming a democracy.
In Ireland, the defeat of the rebellion strengthened the power of the Protestants. This was one of the reasons why Ireland would be ruled by Protestants from the late 17th century until the 20th century, even though most Irish people were Catholic.
Tactics
The English Civil War was fought with "pike and shot" tactics. These were used in most wars from the late 15th century to the late 17th century. Armies were divided into three main groups:
Musketeers: They fired a type of gun called a musket. Muskets were not as powerful or easy to use as modern guns.
Pikemen: They carried a very long spear, called a pike. Their main job was to stop the enemy's cavalry.
Cavalry: They were horse riders who would charge at the enemy's musketeers. A very skilled cavalry could charge at the enemy's pikemen.
At first, the Royalists had a better cavalry. Their riders were faster and more skilled. Prince Rupert had fought in the Eighty Years War in The Netherlands and used the lessons learned there to improve his cavalry. However, sometimes the Royalist cavalry failed to work as a team. At the Battle of Edgehill, many of them decided to chase fleeing soldiers or steal from the Parliamentarian baggage wagons. The Royalists might have won this battle if their cavalry had stayed together.
Cromwell's "Ironside" cavalry were slower, but worked better as a team. They helped the Parliamentarians win some key battles. The Parliamentarians sometimes had a problem that pikemen would run away when cavalry charged at them. Cromwell and Fairfax trained them to stay in place.
Notes
References
Other websites
English Civil War -Citizendium
Wars involving England
Civil wars involving Europe
Rebellions in Europe
17th century rebellions
17th century in England
History of Scotland
History of Ireland
1640s in Europe
1650s in Europe |
30050 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdu | Urdu | Urdu, also known as Lashkari or the Lashkari language (لشکری زبان) is the national language of Pakistan and a recognized regional language in India. It is an Indo-Aryan language, meaning it descends from Proto-Indo-Aryan, a language spoken northeast of the Caspian Sea in the third millennia BCE.
It is spoken as a lingua franca by the majority of people in Pakistan. And it is also spoken in some parts of India like the states of Delhi, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. With exceptions of numerous vocabulary words, phrases or tone of speaking, some words are similar to spoken Hindi. When written, it is written completely different from Hindi. That is why speakers of Hindi and Urdu can have a conversation with one another, but they cannot read or write with Urdu or Hindi letters to one another.
History
What is today most commonly known as "Urdu" is believed to have been born in the 11th century AD in Lahore and its surroundings when the Ghaznavid Empire entered the subcontinent and ruled over Punjab, the land of five rivers.
Punjab was also known as "Hind" or the land east of the Indus.
The Ghaznavids, although racially Turkic, spoke Persian as their main language. When conquering Punjab or Hind with Lahore as its capital, they came into contact with the local population who spoke an Indo-Aryan language which began to adopt Persian words into their language. This local language was also the ancestor of modern standard Punjabi.
The contacts between Persian and the native language of Punjab began to form a new language and that became known as 'Lashkari Zaban' or language of the battalions.
This new language also known as Hindavi became the common language of the locals and the ruling Ghaznavids in the region. By the twelfth century AD, the Ghaznavids pushed further east into the subcontinent and brought this language to Delhi where it became influenced by the local language, Khariboli.
From Delhi it spread across much of the northern subcontinent and became the common language of communication. It continued to be influenced by Khariboli and spread to cities like Lucknow and Hyderabad Daccan. It was also given new names and titles through the centuries.
Native poets in these cities and most of the region contributed to its development and added many Persian and Chagatai words to it. They also indirectly added Arabic words which Persian already contained.
It continued to evolve during the Delhi Sultanate under the influence of Khariboli.
The Mughal Empire was another Muslim Empire of Turkic origin and spoke Chagatai natively and Persian as their other language, although they were not ethnically Persian or racially Iranic.
During this time the language commonly became known as the Zaban-i-Ordu or language of the Royal Camp.
By the very late eighteenth century AD, the poet Ghulam Mashafi is believed to have given it the name "Urdu" which was shortened from "Zaban-i-Urdu."
The word is from Chagatai, the native language of the Mughals and belonged to the Eastern Turkic subfamily of languages. Chagatai was closely related to today's Uzbek and Uyghur and distantly related to today's Turkish because all of them belonged to the same Turkic family of languages.
In its own indigenous translation it was Lashkari Zaban and Lashkari for short.
Also during the Mughal Empire, what commonly became known as Urdu was a court language in a number of major South Asian cities, including Delhi, Amristsar, Lucknow and Lahore.
By the time of the British Empire, it also became known as "Hindustani" or the language of Hindustan, the land of the Indus. It continued to serve as a court language in the same cities.
It was adopted as a first language by many people in North India.
By the end of British rule and the independence of Pakistan, it was selected as the national language for the people of the country because they spoke different languages and dialects.
In India it became the national language but went by the name Hindi and was written in the Devanagari script. It also used a lesser amount of Arabic, Persian and Chagatai words and instead Sanskrit words were adopted in their place.
Today it is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan in terms of total speakers and a registered language in 22 Indian states.
Relations to Persian
Differences
The letters in Urdu are derived from the Persian/Farsi alphabet, which is derived from the Arabic alphabet. The additional letters that are found in Urdu include ٹ ,ڈ ,ڑ (ṫ, ḋ, ṙ). To make the alphabet more enriched two letters were created for sounds ه (h) and ی (y). By adding these letters to the existing Persian letters the Urdu alphabet became more suitable for the people of Pakistan and for some people of North India who primarily use nastaliq script. Both are also Indo-Iranic languages descending from Proto-Indo-Iranic, but deriving from separate subbranches, Iranic and Indo-Aryan respectively.
Similarities
Urdu is written right to left like Farsi (Persian) script. Urdu is also written in the Nasta’ liq style of Persian Calligraphy. Nastaliq style is a cursive script invented by Mīr ʿAlī of Tabrīz, a very famous calligrapher during the Timurid period (1402–1502). Both belong to the Indo-Iranic language subfamily.
Levels of formality
Informal
Urdu in its less formalized register has been called a rekhta (ریختہ, ), meaning "rough mixture". The more formal register of Urdu is sometimes called zabān-e-Urdu-e-mo'alla (زبان اردو معلہ ), the "Language of Camp."
In local translation, it is called Lashkari Zabān ( []) meaning "language of battalions" or "battalion language." This can be shortened to Lashkari.
The etymology of the word used in the Urdu language for the most part decides how nice or well done your speech is. For example, Urdu speakers would distinguish between پانی pānī and آب āb, both meaning "water" for example, or between آدمی ādmi and مرد mard, meaning "man." The first word is ad derivative from Adam (آدم) Arabic mean from Adam and it can be used for both man and woman in place of human being. Second word مرد mard refers to a gender or can be used for manly hood as well.
If a word is of Persian or Arabic origin, the level of speech is thought to be more formal. If Persian or Arabic grammar constructs, such as the izafat, are used in Urdu, the level of speech is also thought more formal and correct. If a word is inherited from Chagatai, the level of speech is thought more colloquial and personal.
Formal
Urdu is supposed to be a well formed language; many of words are used in it to show respect and politeness. This emphasis on politeness, which comes from the vocabulary, is known as Aadab ( Courteous ) and to sometimes as takalluf (Formal) in Urdu. These words are mostly used when addressing elders, or people with whom one is not met yet. Just like French Vous and Tu. Upon studying French and other forms of Language similar formal language construct are present. The whole grammatical layout appears to be almost identical to French language structure. The rules to form sentences and structuring them are identical
Poetics
Two very respected poets who are not only celebrated in the South Asian subcontinent but are famous in many other communities worldwide are Mirza Ghalib and Sir Dr Muhammed Iqbal.
Mirza Ghalib
Ghalib (1797-1869) is famous for his classic satire and sarcasm as seen in the following verse;
(Latin/Roma alphabet):
Umer bhar hum yun hee ghalati kartey rahen Ghalib
Dhool ch-herey pei thee aur hum aaina saaf karte rahe
(translation):
O Ghalib (himself) all my life I kept making the same mistakes over and over,
I was busy cleaning the mirror while the dirt was on my face.
Sir Dr Muhammed Iqbal
Iqbal (1877-1938) was a poet, and an active politician. He focused his poetry on bringing out the plight of the suffering Muslim community of British India. In his poetry he very boldly highlighted the missing virtues and values in the morally corrupt Indian society. Despite much opposition in the beginning, he ended up leaving a huge impact. He is also called the “Poet of the East” and the “Poet of Islam”. His work is displayed in the following verse;
(Latin/Roma Alphabet):
Aapne bhe khafa mujh sei beganey bhe na khush
Mein zeher -e-halahal ku kabhi keh na saka qand
(translation):
I could not keep happy either my loved ones nor the strangers,
as I could never call a piece of poison a piece of candy.
Iqbal is considered by many an inspirational poet. He played a large role in the Pakistan Movement, with many claiming that he was the one to imagine and initiate it.
Common Words/Phrases in Urdu
Formal Urdu:
Aap tashreef rakhein = Please have a seat
Main mu'azzarat chahta/chahti hun = Please excuse me/I apologize
Informal Urdu: Aap bethein (You sit) or Tum betho (Sit, more informal)
Main maafi chahta/chahti hun= I ask for forgiveness
*************
Aap kaisay hein? = How are you?
Main theek hun = I am fine
Assalam O Alaikum = Peace be upon you (It basically means hello, and it is a common greeting used in Islamic countries or among Muslims in general)
Urdu vs Hindi--What's the difference?
Urdu is a language spoken primarily in Pakistan. Its terminology borrows from Chagatai, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic.
Hindi is a language spoken primarily in India which replaced Farsi, Chagatai and Arabic terminology with Sanskrit. Grammatically they are the same, which is why Hindi and Urdu speakers are able to have a somewhat easy conversation with each other.
Urdu has a majority of its vocabulary words and phrases borrowed from Persian, Chagatai and Arabic, languages spoken in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, many countries of the Middle East and in Afghanistan etc. Urdu's written script is also in the exact alphabets and scripts of Persian-Arabic and Chagatai. That is why, they are able to read and write easily in Arabic and Persian.
Name of colors, objects, feelings, animals and more are all different in Urdu and Hindi.
Related pages
Languages of South Asia
Languages of Pakistan
Languages of India
References
Other websites
ترتیب وڈیزائننگ ایم پی خاؿ اردولشکری زبان (sample texts)
Languages of Pakistan
National symbols of Pakistan
Languages of India
Languages of Jammu and Kashmir |
30051 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakat | Zakat | Zakat () is one of the five most important aspects of Islam. Zakat means giving charity to the poor. Generally, a Muslim is expected to give zakat as long as they are able. Through Zakat wealth reaches to the poor class of the society. It is considered to be a personal responsibility for Muslims to help those in need and eliminate inequality. It is often 2.5% of what the Muslim has.
References
Related pages
Altruism
Five Pillars of Islam
Islam
Giving |
30055 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salat | Salat | Ṣalāt (, ) is the practice of prayer in Islam. It is one of the five most important duties for Muslims. To perform Salat, a person's mind must be in a state of ritual purity, which comes from ritual ablution, wuḍūʾ.
Sunni
For Sunni Muslims, salat must be performed at five periods each day. These periods are measured according to the movement of the Sun. The call to prayer is essential before every obligatory prayers. Muhammad said: "The one who responds to Azan out of faith and seeking Allah's pleasure will be admitted to paradise."
In the ritual prayers each individual Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need of a priest as an intermediary. (While there is a prayer leader in the mosque - the imam - they are not a priest, simply a person who knows a great deal about Islam.) Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realise that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people all round the world.
Quranist
Quranist prayer is set three times a day. This is similar to the combined prayer into 3 by Shias. In Islamic countries, the public call to prayer from the mosques sets the rhythm of the day for the entire population, including non-Muslims. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world, and to all those who have uttered the same words and made the same movements at different times in Islamic history.
Prayer for a Quranists involves uniting mind, soul, and body in worship; so a Muslim carrying out these prayers will perform a whole series of set movements that go with the words of the prayer. Quranists make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God. If a Quranist prays without the right attitude of mind, it as if they had not bothered to pray at all.
Shia
There are different subsets of Shia Islam. Some of them pray 3 times combined, others 5 times. Allah does not need human prayers because he has no needs at all. Muslims pray because God has told them that they are to do this, and because they believe that they obtain great benefit in doing so.
Ritual washing
Muslims must be clean before they pray. They make sure of this by performing ritual washing, called wudhu. Mosques have washing facilities.
References
Worship |
30056 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting%20in%20Islam | Fasting in Islam | Fasting in Islam or Sawm () is the practice of abstaining, usually from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity. Fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam, Sawm is observed between dawn and nightfall during the holy month of Ramadan.
Islam
Some exceptions or accommodations for Sawm are made in the case of pregnancy, illness, travel, and for young children. |
30072 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz%20Schubert | Franz Schubert | Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797, Vienna 19 November 1828, Vienna) was an Austrian composer. Although he died at the age of 31, he composed over one thousand pieces of music. There were other great composers who lived and worked in Vienna: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, but Schubert is the only one who was born in Vienna. He was the last great composer of the Classical music period, and one of the first of the Romantic period.
Early years
Schubert’s father was a schoolteacher. Twelve children were born into the family, but only four of them lived to become adults. Schubert's father tried to persuade his sons to help at the school when they grew up. As a boy, the young Franz learned the violin, piano, organ, singing and harmony. He soon became very good at them all. His teachers were all amazed at how quickly he learned. He was also very good at other subjects in school.
In the holidays he played string quartets with his two brothers and his father. He wrote his first string quartets for them to play. By the age of 16 he had composed a lot of music, including his first symphony. His mother died. His father soon remarried. His stepmother was very kind to him and often lent him money. He had one strange thumb on his right hand.
Rising fame
At the age of 17, Schubert was teaching at his father’s school. He had been rejected by the army because he was too short (shorter than five feet) and his sight was very poor. He still took composition lessons from Antonio Salieri. He often went to the opera where he heard some of the finest music of the time. He liked reading. One of his favourite books was Goethe’s Faust. He wrote a song called "Gretchen am Spinnrade" which is about the young girl in the book sitting at a spinning wheel dreaming of her lover. The piano has a gentle accompaniment which sounds like the throbbing of the spinning wheel. The music stops for a moment when the girl imagines her lover is kissing her, then the piano gradually starts again. It is a very famous song. Another song which soon made him famous in all Europe was "Erlkönig". When it was first published another composer whose name was also Franz Schubert, thought that somebody had published a song in his name because the music publishers sent it to him for a correction. He sent a very angry letter back saying he had not composed that rubbish.
Adulthood
It was difficult to find enough time to compose because he was a teacher. A man called Schober persuaded Schubert to give up teaching so that he could spend all his time composing. Soon he had become well known in all the drawing-rooms in Vienna where he met famous people, many of them musicians. These meetings were called “Schubertiads” because they played and sang his music. He wrote so many wonderful pieces that it seems strange that the music publishers did not want to publish them. They were only interested in publishing works written by performers, but were not very interested in people like Schubert who just composed. For a time he became music teacher for the two princesses of Count Johann Esterházy, but then he returned to Vienna to live with the Schober family. During the last few years of his life Schubert was ill. He had to leave the Schober’s house and find his own rooms. He was often desperately poor and composed in bed to keep warm.
Although Beethoven and Schubert lived in the same town they only met once, although they knew one another’s music. Schubert visited Beethoven on 19 March 1827. Beethoven was dying. Schubert was one of the torch-bearers at his funeral. A year and a half later Schubert, too, had died. He asked to be buried near Beethoven. Their graves were just three places apart.
His music
Schubert’s pieces are among the greatest ever written. They are all settings of German poems. German art songs are called Lieder (pronounced “leader”), and Schubert made his Lieder very special by making the piano accompaniments describe the action of the songs in many different ways. If you try to sing them in a translation it is difficult to make it sound good. It is best to hear them in German and to have a translation so that you understand what is being sung. Some of the last songs he wrote make up a cycle called “Die Winterreise” (“The Winter Journey”). The poems are about a man who is unhappy because his lover does not want him. He goes out into the cold winter woods and all nature seems to reflect the way he feels inside. The songs are usually sung by a male singer (tenor, baritone or bass).
Schubert wrote a great deal of chamber music. Among his most famous pieces are several string quartets, a string quintet (for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos) and the “Trout” quintet (for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass). There are sonatas and sonatinas for violin and piano, and a sonata for an instrument called the “arpeggione” which was used for about ten years after it was invented and then it was forgotten. The sonata is normally played on a cello or a viola nowadays. There is lots of piano music including sonatas, impromptus and also piano duet music. Schubert wrote eight famous impromptus.
Schubert wrote nine symphonies. The last one is known as the “Great” symphony in C major. The eighth is called the “Unfinished”. There are only two movements instead of the usual four. A lot of people still argue about why he left it unfinished. Some people even think that he completed it and that the last two movements are either lost, or are now known as movements from a piano duet. We shall probably never know for certain.
Most of his life he was supported by his friends who gave him manuscript paper when he could not afford it. Many of his greatest works only became widely known in the 1860s, long after his death. The house in Vienna where Schubert was born is now a museum which people can visit. There visitors can also see the Benignus Seidner piano that Schubert was using for composing. Other instruments that composer was playing on were a piano by Anton Walter & Sohn (now in the Kunsthistorisches museum in Vienna) and a piano from Viennese piano builder Conrad Graf.
References
Austrian composers
Classical era composers
Writers from Vienna
Romantic composers
1797 births
1828 deaths |
30074 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpox | Cowpox | Cowpox is a disease. This disease affects the skin. It is caused by a virus (Cowpox virus) that is related to the Vaccinia virus. People (or animals) who have the disease have red blisters. The disease can be spread by touch from cows to humans. The virus that causes cowpox was used to perform the first successful vaccination against another disease. The disease vaccinated against was the deadly smallpox. Smallpox is caused by the related variola virus. Therefore, the word "vaccination" has the Latin root vaca meaning cow.
In 1798, the English physician Edward Jenner made a curious observation. Jenner lived in the countryside, not in the city.
Some of his patients had gotten cowpox, and recovered from it. He observed that those patients did not get the disease again, they seemed to be immune against it. What was more, they also seemed to be immune against smallpox. Smallpox was a deadly disease then, that killed most of the people it infected. So he used the fluid he got from cowpox lesions, and scratched it into healthy people. That way, he could make those people immune against smallpox.
The Cowpox (Catpox) virus is found in Europe and mainly in the UK. Human cases are very rare and most often contracted from domestic cats. The virus is not commonly found in cows; the reservoir hosts for the virus are woodland rodents particularly voles. It is from these rodents that domestic cats get the virus. Symptoms in cats include lesions on the face, neck, forelimbs, and paws, and less commonly upper respiratory tract infection. Symptoms of infection with cowpox virus in humans are localized, pustular lesions generally found on the hands and limited to the site of introduction. The incubation period (the time between an infection and the first signs of the disease) is 9–10 days. The virus can be found mostly in late summer and autumn.
Historical use
Cowpox was the original vaccine of sorts for smallpox. After infection with the disease, the body (usually) gains the ability recognise the similar smallpox virus from its antigens and so is able to fight the smallpox disease much more efficiently.
Later, and still today, another vaccine was used: vaccinia. Vaccinia is similar to cowpox, but not the same.
Related pages
Chickenpox
List of diseases
References
Diseases caused by viruses
Animal diseases |
30075 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1535 | 1535 |
Events
January 18 – Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro
April – Jacques Cartier discovers the Iroquois city of Stadacona, Canada (now Quebec) and in May, the even greater Huron city of Hochelaga
June 24 – The Anabaptist state of Münster (see Münster Rebellion) is conquered and disbanded.
May 19 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail for his second voyage to North America with 3 ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's 2 sons (who Cartier kidnapped during his first voyage).
October 2 – Jacques Cartier discovers Montreal, Quebec.
October 4 – The first complete English-language Bible is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale.
Combined Swedish and Danish fleets defeat the Hanseatic navy.
Manco II appointed puppet Inca Emperor by Spanish Conquistadors
Second unsuccessful attempt by Spanish forces to conquer Yucatán
Carlos Quinto conquers Tunis
Anabaptist rebellion in some cities in the Netherlands, including a famous incident of seven men and five woman walking nude in the streets of Amsterdam.
The Charterhouse London is closed, as part of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. |
30077 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1689 | 1689 |
Events
Louis XIV of France passed the "Code Noir," allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies.
January 11 – The Parliament of England declares King James II of England deposed.
February 13 – William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland. Scotland and Ireland do not yet recognize them.
April 11 – The Estates of Scotland declare King James VII of Scotland deposed.
April 11 – Crowning of co-rulers King William III and Mary II as King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. Ireland does not recognize them yet.
May 12 – King William's War: William III of England joins the League of Augsburg starting the war.
May 24 – The Act of Toleration passes the English Parliament protecting Protestants (Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded).
May 25 – Last collection of the Hearth Tax n England and Wales. It was abolished by William III of England
May 31 – Leisler's Rebellion – Calvinist Jacob Leisler deposes lieutenant governor Francis Nicholson and assumes control of New York colony
July 27 – Glorious Revolution: Battle of Killiecrankie ends
August 5 – 1,500 Iroquois attack village of Lachine, in New France.
August 27 – China and Russia signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
December 16 – The official declaration of the English Bill of Rights |
30078 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/532 | 532 |
Events
January 11 – Nika riots in Constantinople; the cathedral is destroyed. They are put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus; up to 30,000 people are killed in the Hippodrome.
Justinian I orders the building of a new cathedral – beginning of the construction of the Hagia Sophia.
Justinian signs a peace treaty with the Sassanian shah Chosroes I.
Births
Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riata
Deaths
October 17 – Pope Boniface II |
30080 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1658 | 1658 |
Events
January 13 – Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London
February 6 – Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross The Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark over frozen sea
May 1 – Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by Thomas Browne
September 3 -Oliver Cromwell dies. His son Richard assumes his father's former position as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The peace between Sweden and Denmark was concluded in Roskilde with Treaty of Roskilde.
France joins England in the war against Spain, which began in 1654. The Spanish were defeated at the Battle of the Dunes in June. England was then given Dunkirk for their assistance in the win.
Portuguese traders are expelled from Ceylon by Dutch invaders.
After his father Shah Jahan completes the Taj Mahal, his son Aurangzeb deposes him as ruler of the Mughal Empire. |
30081 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/408 | 408 |
Events
In the summer of this year, the usurper Constantine III captures Spain, destroying the loyalist forces defending it.
September – Alaric, king of the Visigoths, lays siege to Rome. |
30082 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1696 | 1696 |
Events
April – Fire destroys the Gra Bet (or Left Quarter) of Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia.
August 22 – Forces of Venice and Turkish troops clash near Molino
October 29 – Fuller Baptist Church founded in Kettering, England.
December 24 – Inquisition burns number of Marrano Jews in Evora, Portugal
Peter the Great becomes sole tsar of Russia.
Polish replaces Ruthenian as an official language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
A famine wipes out almost a third of the population of Finland.
Abington, Pennsylvania, is settled.
William Penn offers an elaborate plan for intercolonial cooperation largely in trade, defense, and criminal matters.
The Second Pueblo Revolt took place
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville captured and destroyed St. John's, Newfoundland. |
30083 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1647 | 1647 |
Events
March 14 – Thirty Years' War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm.
April 3 – In England, letter from the Agitators of the New Model Army, protesting delay of pay, is read in the House of Commons
May 29 – The Rhode Island General Assembly drafts a constitution that separates church and state, and permits public referenda and initiatives on legislation.
August 8 – The battle of Dungans Hill, Irish forces are defeated by British Parliamentary forces.
August – Peter Stuyvesant appointed Director of New Amsterdam by the Dutch West India Company.
Johann von Werth tried to take his troops over the Austrian border, but they refused |
30084 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1698 | 1698 |
Events
January 4 – Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire.
June 19 – Volcano of Carguarazon erupts in the Andes and causes a rain of fish
August 25 – Peter the Great arrives back to Moscow – general Patrick Gordon has already crushed the streltsy rebellion – 341 rebels sentenced to be decapitated. Tradition holds that tsar Peter decapitated some of them himself
September 5 – In an effort to move his people away from Asiatic customs, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards; All men except priests and peasants, are required to pay a tax of one hundred rubles a year and the commoners had to pay one kopek each
Whigs sponsor Captain Kidd of New York as a privateer against French shipping
Darien Scheme – First Scottish settlers leave for an ill-fated colony in Panama
Isaac Newton calculates the speed of sound
Tani Jinzan, astronomer and calendar scholar, observes a fire destroy Tosa (now Kochi) in Japan at the same time as a Leonid Meteor storm, taking it as evidence to reinforce belief in the "Theory of Areas".
Thomas Savery patents an early steam engine.
A congress begins in Sremski Karlovci to discuss a treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League.
Humphrey Hody is appointed regius professor of Greek at Oxford.
Bucharest becomes capital of Wallachia (now part of Romania).
Mombasa and Zanzibar are captured by Oman.
George Louis (who would in 1714 become King George I of Great Britain) becomes Elector of Hanover. |
30085 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret%20Atwood | Margaret Atwood | Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian writer. She is best known for writing novels. She has also published 15 books of poetry. The Edible Woman was her first novel, published in 1969.
Her novel The Handmaid's Tale was the first winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, in 1987. The sequel, The Testaments, was released on September 10, 2019.
Her book The Blind Assassin won the 2000 Booker Prize.
References
1939 births
Living people
Canadian novelists
Agnostics
Award winning writers
Booker Prize winners
Canadian activists
Canadian feminists
Canadian poets
Children's writers
Feminist writers
Harvard University alumni
Canadian science fiction writers |
30089 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow%20Brite | Rainbow Brite | Rainbow Brite was a 1980s animated television show in the United States based on a series of Hallmark cards. It involves a girl called "Rainbow Brite" and the "Color Kids" who are in charge of bringing color to the world. It was produced by DiC Entertainment, Cookie Jar Entertainment, Optix Digital Pictures, Super Sonics Productions, The Canadian Film or Production Tax Credit, Shaw Rocket Fund, Canadian Television Fund, and Nick Jr. Productions in its Kideo TV package.
A tie-in movie, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, came out in 1985.
Animated television series
English-language television programs |
30091 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenpox | Chickenpox | Chickenpox, also known as chicken pox, is a disease. Usually, it is children who get the disease, but adults can also get it. People who have it get blisters or spots, mostly on the body and in the face. Those blisters are filled with a liquid. At some point, the blisters will drain, and the person will want to scratch them. Burst blisters usually become healthy without leaving scars, unless they become infected. The symptoms come in two or three waves, and they usually include fever. If there are no complications, the disease will last between three and five days in children. Chickenpox is very common and by the age 14, more than 90% of children will have had the disease.
Getting chickenpox during a pregnancy is dangerous, as it can hurt both the mother and the child.
Chickenpox is caused by a virus of the herpes family. People who had chickenpox in the past can also get a related disease called shingles later. Shingles are caused by the same virus but usually is only one part of the body.
There is a vaccine against chickenpox. Usually, the vaccine is given to children if they did not have the disease before the start of puberty, that is aged 9–13 years old. Sometimes to help your child not to scratch when they have chicken pox, you can get a special cream for it such as e45.
Diseases caused by viruses |
30108 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1742 | 1742 |
Events
January 24 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
February 16 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain.
February 18 – British attack La Guayra.
April 13 – The first performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah, in Dublin.
May 17 – Frederick the Great's army defeats Austrians in Chotusitz; later Austria cedes Silesia to Prussia
May 25 – A battle is fought at Sahay.
December 2 – The Pennsylvania Journal first appears in print.
Daniel le Pelley succeeds Nicolas le Pelley as Seigneur of Sark.
Kingdom of Prussia captures Jihlava.
Christian Goldbach formulates Goldbach's conjecture.
Colin Maclaurin publishes his Treatise on Fluxions.
Anders Celsius proposes the Celsius temperature scale.
James Bradley succeeds Edmond Halley as Astronomer Royal.
Henry Fielding publishes Joseph Andrews.
John Carteret, 2nd Lord Carteret becomes Secretary of State for the Northern Department.
Rigging of Chippenham by-election causes a political scandal.
William Pulteney created as 1st Earl of Bath.
Robert Walpole was elevated to the peerage and thus moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, (see February 16, above).
University of Erlangen is founded.
Lopukhina Conspiracy at the Russian court.
Molde in Norway becomes a city.
Construction starts on the Foundling Hospital in London.
Eisenach builds its Stadtschloss (city castle).
In Peru, Juan Santon takes the name Atahualpa II and begins an ill-fated rebellion against the Spanish rule
Afghan tribes unite as a monarchy. |
30109 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1624 | 1624 |
Events
January 24 – Alfonso Mendez, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.
The Netherlands establish a trading colony at Kaohsiung on Taiwan.
Thirty Walloon families settle in the New Netherland colony.
Oslo is destroyed by fire. When rebuilt by Christian IV, it would be renamed Christiania.
Claudio Monteverdi publishes Tancredi e Clorinda.
Jean Louis Guez de Balzac publishes his Lettres.
Bernardo de Balbuena publishes El Bernardo.
Santa Rosalia makes a miraculous appearance during a plague in Palermo.
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel) first recorded in America.
Jakob Bartsch records the constellation Camelopardalis.
Dr Challoner's Grammar School is founded.
The Palace of Versailles is first built, as a hunting lodge.
Chateau Cheverny begins construction.
Pembroke College, Oxford founded.
The Japanese Shogun expels Spanish from the land and severs trade with the Philippines
Mail service begins in Denmark
University founded in Bolivia
War between England and Spain
Cornelius Drebbel discover gases
Cardinal Richelieu appointed by Louis XIII to be his advisor
Henry Briggs publishes Arithmetica Logarithmica |
30110 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1279 | 1279 |
Events
March 5 – Lithuanian forces led by Traidenis defeat the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Aizkraukle.
The first of the Statutes of Mortmain are passed under king Edward I of England, which prevents land from passing into possession of the church.
The second of two main surveys of the Hundred Rolls, an English census seen as a follow up to the Domesday Book completed in 1086, is begun; it lasts until 1280.
Al-Razi's important medical writings are translated into Latin by Faraj ben Salim some 350 years after Al-Razi's death.
The Royal Mint of England moves into the Tower of London.
Haapsalu town (Estonia) is founded. |
30111 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1046 | 1046 |
Events
First contact between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuks.
Vatha Pagan Revolt in Hungary – Gerard Sagredo martyred in Budapest.
Pope Gregory VI accused of simony at Council of Sutri – abdicates
Henry III crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.
March 5, Naser Khosrow begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he would later describe in his book Safarnameh. |
30112 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonality | Tonality | Music has tonality if it uses the notes of a major or minor scale. Such music is tonal. It is in a particular "key". Nearly all Western music is tonal.
All tonal music is based on a major or minor scale. If the tune “Twinkle, twinkle little star” is played starting on the note C, the notes of a C major scale will be used. The note C will sound like the home note (the “tonic”) and, indeed, the tune finishes on a C. The tune could have started on any other note (C sharp, D, E flat, E etc.) but a knowledge of scales would be needed as some sharps or flats (black notes) will be required. When singing the tune there is no need to think about the sharps and flats: the singer does them quite naturally.
A piece of tonal music will usually modulate after a while. This means that it changes key. But the music will not sound finished until it goes back to the original key. If one sings The Star-Spangled Banner and stops after the words “our flag was still there” the song sounds as if it has stopped in mid-air. It will not sound finished until it goes back to the first key in the last two lines.
Most Western music from about 1600 onwards is based in a major or minor key. This system of tonality was used by all the great composers up to the 20th century and in popular music and most folk music. Listening to a symphony by Beethoven is like going on a journey through various key areas, always returning to the original tonic at the end. In some cases, such as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it may start in the minor and finish in the major. This is because minor keys can sound disturbed, full of tension, but major keys sound happier and more relaxed.
The opposite of “tonality” is atonality. An atonal piece is one where there is no feeling of a home key. Playing lots of random notes will sound atonal. Schoenberg was one of the most famous composers of atonal music. Of course, his music is not just random notes (although it may sound like it to the listener at first), so he had to find another way of giving his music shape. That is why he invented the twelve-tone system.
Music theory |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.