id stringlengths 1 6 | url stringlengths 35 214 | title stringlengths 1 118 | text stringlengths 1 237k |
|---|---|---|---|
31902 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese%20language | Vietnamese language | Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) is the official language of Vietnam. Like many other languages in Asia, Vietnamese is a tonal language
Influences
Vietnamese has been strongly influenced by Chinese languages. It has a shared history with other languages such as Khmer. It now uses a Latin alphabet that is based on the French alphabet but was written based on Chinese characters, called Chữ Nôm. Few people know Chữ Nôm today.
Most Chinese speakers who live in Vietnam now use regular Chinese script for calligraphy, but some traditional calligraphy artists can still be found. For example, Hồ Chí Minh City (sometimes still called Sài Gòn) has a district that is famous for its popular Chinatown.
Vietnamese adds new words when they are needed, especially in the professions of engineering, science, and academics. Also there has been an increase in media use. Some social words from the media are now accepted as common.
Spoken language
The spoken language of Vietnam changes in each province. The greater the distance between provinces, the stronger the difference. There some diffference between the Hanoian and the Mekong is called a dialects. The national education for all of Vietnam now usesthe Hanoian dialect, but each ethnic tribe may still use a different dialect, language, or vocabulary.
Computers
There are speaking programs that use Vietnamese. A computer add-on for the Firefox web browser, Vietnamese TTS (Text to Speech), can read text with the 'Vietnamization needs
Audio libraries are available to reproduce Vietnamese. Google translate uses a TTS reader and sound library to read Vietnamese in simple sentences. Portable electronic translators are also very popular. Kim Tu Dien makes the most common portable dictionary for the Vietnamese market.
Written language
Alphabet
The Vietnamese alphabet (In Vietnamese: "Chữ Quốc Ngữ", means "The National Scripts").
Diphthong
The combination of two vowels makes a diphthong. The dipthongs used in the Vietnamese language have some rules when used. For example, one rule states that the singular tone for both letters must be placed.
Triphthongs
There are more triphthongs in Vietnamese than English, such as 'uye'.
Vietnamese syllables
The syllables refers to the Chinese use of two characters as syllables. Vietnamese also uses one syllable as a word.Like in English, people can say just 'go'. For more emphasis, it could be said twice in Vietnamese. That is common in Asia. n languages. Some Australian Aboriginal languages do the same thing. So, 'go - go' () means "go now" but with emphasis. However, 'go' is also common in Vietnamese.
Many single syllables are used in Vietnamese. They can form sentences without pairing with other syllables as they do in Chinese. Readers (and speakers) still notice that many syllables, in most sentences, are paired.
Vietnamization
Many words from around the world were needed in Vietnamese. Sushi is a common word used by most languages. When a word is vietnamized, it is changed to sound Vietnamese. China uses the same idea: Ao-da-li-ya in Pinyin means Australia.
The first rule for vietnamization is that Vietnamese word or syllables are not normally broken by a consonant: (Việt Nam).
An example of how to break a foreign word into two syllables is mô tô, one of the words for "motorbike", is a vietnamized version of 'motor' and 'auto' (ô tô). However, the rule has exceptions: lôgic.
When introducing a common foreign word, people vietnamize the word in at least one spoken demonstration for Vietnamese listeners.
The rule should explain a problem with the foreign use of the family name Nguyễn. It is not New Yen since y is not a consonant in Vietnamese. The y is pronounced as a vowel as in English many and penny.
The second (softer) rule for vietnamization is that the sound of each syllable must be made a little closer to Vietnamese sounds. Tone marks for vowel letters are added: lôgic is an alteration of logic and would be need for a few subjects.
Exceptions
Any word can be an exception to vietnamization. Names like Barack Obama or Bill Clinton might be attempted by Vietnamese-speakers. In writing, the foreign names mostly stay together. Names like David are easy for the Vietnamese to say and so have become very popular in writing in English.
Grammar
Exclamations
Exclamations are very popular in Vietnamese. People can use exclamations as an introduction to things said. People can also comment with a quick exclamation after they say something. The exclamation may express a feeling or just an expression.
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are used in Vietnamese.
References
Vietnam
Austro-Asiatic languages
Tonal languages |
31903 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmiki | Valmiki | Maharishi Valmiki (, vālmīki) (during Lord Rama's time) is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary.
Role in Ramayana
Valmiki played an important role in Uttara Kanda, the last chapter of epic Ramayana. It is believed that The Uttara Kanda was not original work of Valmiki. It is believed to be taken up from Sesha Ramayana. According to the legend Rama send Sita to forest. Sita finds refuge in Sage Valmiki's ashram, where she gives birth to twin boys Lava (founder of Lahore) and Kusha (founder of Kasur) . Lava and Kusha were Valmiki's first disciples to whom he taught the Ramayana. Bala Kanda of the epic also telling the story of Valmiki narrating the Ramayana to his disciples Lava and Kusha.
Related pages
Rishi
Kashyapa
Atri
Vashitha
Vishvamitra
Gautam
Jamdagni
Bharadvaja
References
Notes
Others
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend () by Anna Dallapiccola
Hindu saints
Hindu mythology
Poets
History of Pakistan |
31905 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali | Kali | Kali is one of the goddesses in Hinduism and aspect of Parvati. She is the goddess of creation, destruction, time and commonly presented as dark and violent. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shakta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman.
Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses.
Origin of the word "Kali"
The name Kali comes from kāla (meaning black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva). Kālī is the feminine of kāla ("black, dark coloured"). Kāla primarily means "black," but also means "time." Kālī means "the black one" and also "time", "beyond time" and "power of time". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Controller of Time". Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change.
She has many names like Kālarātri ("black night"), Kālikā ("relating to time"), or Bhadrakali ("a gentle form of Kali").
References
Encyclopedia International, by Grolier Incorporated Copyright in Canada 1974. AE5.E447 1974 031 73-11206 page 95
Hindu gods and goddesses |
31908 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr%20%C4%8Cech | Petr Čech | Petr Čech (born 20 May 1982) is a retired Czech football player who is the technical and performance advisor as well as an emergency backup goalkeeper for Chelsea. He is thought by some players, journalists and managers as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the Premier League and, by many, as the greatest goalkeeper to have played for Chelsea. Currently, he plays as a goaltender for the London based ice hockey club Guildford Phoenix.
Čech was thought to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He had the record of the least losses in his first season playing for Chelsea and in the same season, he helped Chelsea to win the title of Premier League. He also helped Chelsea to win the same title the next year.
His first club was in his native country of Czech Republic. He stayed there for two years before moving to Sparta Prague. He stayed there for one season. His first overseas club was Rennes of Ligue 1. He played there from 2002 to 2004 before moving to Chelsea. He became a Chelsea player in June 2004. After a very successful 11-year career at Chelsea, he joined Arsenal in June 2015. He retired after playing for four years with Arsenal in 2019. Afterwards, Čech re-joined Chelsea as their Technical and Sporting Director.
He won many titles during his career which consists of: four English Premier League, five FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League title. Due to these achievements, he is also named amongst one of the most successful goalkeepers in football history.
Personal life
Petr Čech was born as a triplet (due to which he had a weak skull) to father Václav Čech and mother Libuše Čechová. They were both retired athletes.
In his childhood, he was an actor rather than an athlete and also played the role of Honza in the Czech TV series - The Territory of White Deer around 1991. He also had interest in ice hockey but his family could not afford the gear (equipment) required to play it, and hence he switched to football. At the start of his career, Čech played as a forward (left winger) but after suffering a leg fracture at the age of 10, he turned towards goalkeeping.
In 2003 he married Martina Čechova, whom he met while he was in high school. Petr and Martina have two children named Adéla and Damián. Adéla was born in 2008 and Damián in 2009.
Outside football, Čech has interests in Rock music, Ice Hockey, Gardening, Table Tennis, Tennis, Drumming, Acting etc. He has an account on YouTube through which he publishes videos of his drum covers of various rock songs from rock bands like Coldplay, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Radiohead etc. This led Čech to provide percussion for the Czech Republic's official Euro 2016 tournament anthem. Further, he has also released a charity single with Queen's drummer Roger Taylor for the Bob Wilson Foundation. On being quizzed later about how he learned drumming, Čech told that he learned it by playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero (video games) with his goalkeeping friend Carlo Cudicini, in an interview. He is, currently, a drummer for the London-based folk rock band Wills and the Willing.
Club career statistics
Sources:
International career statistics
Source:
|-
|2002||7||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||13||0
|-
|2005||10||0
|-
|2006||10||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||9||0
|-
|2009||7||0
|-
|2010||6||0
|-
|2011||10||0
|-
|2012||10||0
|-
|2013||8||0
|-
|2014||6||0
|-
|2015||6||0
|-
|2016||6||0
|-
!Total||124||0
|}
Records held
Čech holds many records, out of which the most notable ones are:
A national record for not having a goal scored against him in 855 minutes of game play.
English Premiership record of not having a goal scored against him in 1,025 minutes. (Edwin van der Sar later broke the record by not conceding a single goal for 1,032 minutes.)
25 games without letting a goal be scored in Chelsea's 2004/05 title-winning season.
A record of the most number of games ever played for chelsea by a non-Englishman.
Least number of matches played to get 100 clean sheets in premier league.
Least number of matches played to get 200 clean sheets in premier league.
The most number of clean sheets (202) in premier league history.
The only goalkeeper to get 200 clean sheets in premier league.
The footballer to win the most number of Czech Footballer of the Year and Czech Golden Ball awards.
Has played the most number of matches in the history of Czech Republic.
Most number of clean sheets in a single season (Football season) and in first season in premier league.
The only goalkeeper to win Premier League Golden Gloves with two teams.
Winner of the golden gloves for the most number of times in premier league history.
4th highest number of matches played by a goalkeeper in Champions League History.
A record of winning the premier League title 4 times, more than any other goalkeeper in Premier League history, except Peter Schmeichel.
He has done the second-most no. of saves (1136) among all the goalkeepers in the history of premier league.
Of all the goalkeepers who have made 500 or more saves, he has the best saves-to-shots ratio (the number of saves done per 100 shots) in premier league history.
He is the 6th highest appearance-maker in Chelsea history.
A record of having conceded the least no. of goals (15) in a season (2004/05) in Premier League history.
Most clean sheets at one club by any goalkeeper in premier league history.
Highest save percentage recorded in Champions League for a decade (2010-2019).
Highest minutes-goal conceded ratio in premier league history for any goalkeeper to have played 6000 or more minutes in the competition.
Highest minutes per goal conceded in a single season of premier league (242 minutes per goal in 2004/05 season).
Highest save percentage ever recorded in premier league for a single season (91% in 2007).
Joint most no. of premier league seasons finished with a save percentage of 80% or higher (5, tied with Edwin van der Sar).
Second highest no. of Best European Goalkeeper award wins (4, tied with Oliver Kahn)
2nd most no. of penalty saves in Champions league history (5, behind only Iker Casillas).
The longest game time without conceding in Czech league (1025 min).
He has the 4th highest no. of clean sheets in European competitions history.
Third-most clean sheets (391) among all the goalkeepers since 2000.
Awards and Titles
Club
Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15
FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016-17
Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08 (runner-up), 2014–15, 2017–18 (runner-up)
FA Community Shield: 2005, 2009, 2015, 2017
UEFA Champions League: 2007–08 (runner-up), 2011–12
UEFA Europa League: 2012–13, 2018–19 (runner-up)
FIFA Club World Cup: 2012 (runner-up)
International
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2002
Individual
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2002
Czech First League Most clean Sheets: 2001–02
Best Goalkeeper of French League: 2003–04
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2004
Premier League Golden Glove: 2004–05, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16
PFA Team of the Year: 2004–05 Premier League, 2013–14 Premier League
Czech Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
Golden Ball (Czech Republic): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 2005
Best European Goalkeeper: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012
UEFA Club Football Awards Best Goalkeeper: 2005, 2007, 2008
UEFA Team of the Year: 2005
ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06
Premier League Player of the Month: March 2007
Chelsea Player of the Year: 2010–11
FIFA FIFPro World XI 5th team: 2013
National Ice Hockey League 2 South Player of the Month: January 2020
Notes
References
Other websites
Petr Čech profile
Petr Čech Official Youtube Channel
Petr Čech Official Twitter
Petr Čech Official Instagram
Petr Čech Official Facebook
Association football goalkeepers
1982 births
Living people
Czech footballers
Chelsea F.C. players
Arsenal F.C. players
UEFA Euro 2004 players
UEFA Euro 2008 players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2006 FIFA World Cup players |
31913 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa%20Kemal%20Atat%C3%BCrk | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | Kemal Atatürk (or alternatively written as Kamâl Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1934, commonly referred to as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and statesman who was the first President of Turkey from 1923 to his death in 1938.
He is known for being a leader who freed his people from being controlled by other countries and then for starting changes that founded Turkish nation state based on social and economic nationalism, more modern and similar to Western civilization, mainly France (such as the French model of secularism called laïcité).
Atatürk was born under the name Mustafa in 1881. His birthplace was in Salonika, Macedonia (now Thessaloniki, Greece). Salonika was then part of the Ottoman Empire. He took the name Kemal as a schoolboy and Atatürk (which means Father of the Turks) when he was president. His father's name was Ali Rıza Efendi. His mother's name was Zübeyde Hanım. He also had a sister, whose name was Makbule (Atadan). He became an army officer and the most successful general officer of the empire in World War I, fighting in Gallipoli.
While the Ottoman Empire was collapsing after the war, Atatürk organized a nationalist movement that created the new secular, Republic of Turkey. That meant that the country's government was no longer led by hereditary or religious leaders. Visitors to Turkey are often surprised by the importance given to Atatürk in Turkey.
Few countries have such a person in their history. He was a successful military commander, later established a democratic constitution and put in place changes that set Turkey on the road to becoming a new and developing nation. He inspired many later leaders like Habib Bourguiba, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Sukarno and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
His six principles still serve today as a sign post for establishing a democratic government:
Republicanism: Replacing the hereditary monarchy with an elected parliament.
Nationalism: Citizens working together with pride in a common interest.
Secularism: Separating religion from government and the guarantee of freedom of religion and conscience in society.
Populism: The equality of all citizens before the law.
Statism: An economic system combining private enterprise with government-funded monopolies of large industries.
Revolutionism: The basis of the other five principles. According to the needs of the society, innovations that are required by the age and science are made as soon as possible.
Notes
References
Other websites
Brief biography at Ataturk.com
A description and gallery about him
Ataturk.net
Videos
1881 births
1938 deaths
Deaths from cirrhosis
Disease-related deaths in Turkey
Presidents of Turkey
Thessaloniki
Speakers of the Parliament of Turkey |
31915 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morumbi%20Stadium | Morumbi Stadium | Morumbi Stadium or Estádio do Morumbi is the biggest stadium in São Paulo, Brazil. It used to have 120,000 seats available, but now its maximum capacity is 77,000 seats for safety reasons. It is the home ground of São Paulo Futebol Clube and its formal name honors Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who was São Paulo FC's chairman during most of the stadium's construction.
Football stadiums in Brazil
São Paulo (state) |
31919 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail | Bail | Bail is money given to the court to guarantee that someone will go to their trial. If the person does not show up for their trial, the government gets to keep the money.
If the arrested person cannot afford the full bail amount, they can use a bail bond. This is a system where part of the bail amount is paid to a company, and they do the bail paperwork. Unlike placing the full bail to the court, the bail bond payment is not returned.
Criminal justice
Money
Imprisonment and detention |
31920 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialism | Initialism | An initialism is a word made from the first letters of each word in a phrase. Unlike acronyms, initialisms cannot be spoken as words: they are spoken letter by letter. Examples of initialisms are:
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc
CD - Compact Disc
ATM - Automated (or Automatic) Teller Machine
BRB - Be Right Back
NMHU - Not Much Here, You?
GTG/G2G - Got To Go
JW - Just Wondering
JK - Just Kidding
OK - Okay, "orl korrekt", misspelling of "all correct".
References
Other websites
Abbreviations vs. acronyms vs. initialisms
https://www.abbreviations.com/ Abbreviations.com, a website full of millions of acronyms
Vocabulary |
31922 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souffl%C3%A9 | Soufflé | A soufflé is a light fluffy dessert food.
It is a lightly baked cake. It can be served as a savoury main dish, but usually it is sweetened as a dessert. It is made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites. The egg whites are beaten to a soft peak meringue.
The dish puffs up in the oven.
Egg dishes
Desserts |
31923 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blossom | Blossom | A blossom is a flower that grows on stone fruit trees and other plants including oranges, cherries, plums, apples and almonds
Other meanings of Blossom
Blossom (TV series), a TV series in the 1990s.
Blümchen (Jasmin Wagner), a German singer uses this name when she sings in English.
Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio
One of the Powerpuff Girls.
Flowers |
31924 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmalade | Marmalade | Marmalade is a topping, like a jam or jelly, that is usually made with oranges. Marmalade can also be made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, or a combination of citrus fruits.
The word Marmalade comes from the Galician word "marmelada" meaning
quince jam.
Related pages
Marmalade (Candy)
Other websites
Spreads
ca:Confitura
nds-nl:Schem |
31926 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1697 | 1697 |
Events
September 11 – Battle of Zenta, Prince Eugene of Savoy beat the Ottoman army of Mustafa II
September 20 – The Treaty of Ryswick
December 2 – St Paul's Cathedral opened in London
Peter the Great travels in Europe officially with a false identity as "artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov"
Use of palanquins increases in Europe
Christopher Polhem starts Sweden's first technical school.
The royal castle "Tre Kronor" in Stockholm burns to the ground. A large portion of the royal library is destroyed.
Karl XII of Sweden is made king at the age of 15.
Tayasal, capital of the Peten Itza Maya, the last Mesoamerican state which ruled itself, is taken over by Spain
The Manchu Empire takes over western Mongolia |
31928 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%20Hardy | Thomas Hardy | Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. In the U.K. Hardy is generally thought to be one of the greatest figures in English literature. He lived in the Victorian era.
Early life
Thomas Hardy was born in Upper Bockhampton near Dorchester, Dorset. His father was a stonemason. His mother had read a lot. She added to his formal education. Hardy trained as an architect in Dorchester before moving to London to get a job. He won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association.
Career
Hardy wrote a small number of novels which earned him a high reputation in his lifetime. These include Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge and Far from the Madding Crowd. After the publication of Jude the Obscure in 1895 Hardy gave up novel writing but continued to write poetry including an epic poem called The Dynasts. Hardy set his novels in South West England, calling it 'Wessex'. He invented names for the towns, e.g. "Casterbridge" is Dorchester in Dorset. Hardy died in Dorchester. His ashes are buried in Westminster Abbey.
Related pages
Charles Dickens
George Eliot
Wilkie Collins
H. Rider Haggard
Jerome K. Jerome
Anthony Trollope
English novelists
English poets
People buried in Westminster Abbey
Writers from Dorset
1840 births
1928 deaths |
31929 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhole | Manhole | A manhole (also called a utility hole, cable chamber, maintenance hole , inspection chamber, access chamber or confined space) is a hole for a person to go into to fix underground services. Some examples of these are sewers, telephone, electricity, storm drains and gas.
The opening is protected by a manhole cover. A manhole cover can also be called a "biscuit". It is designed to stop people falling down the hole and to stop people going underground if they are not allowed to. Manholes usually have metal or polypropylene steps on the wall to make it easier to get into the manhole.
Manholes are usually found in urban areas, in streets and sometimes under sidewalks. They are usually circular to stop the manhole cover from falling into the hole.
Hazards
In urban areas, electricity being in places it is not supposed to be (stray voltage) has become a big concern. In 2004, Jodie S. Lane was electrocuted after stepping on a metal manhole cover. She was walking her dog in New York City when it happened.
Related pages
Glass-reinforced plastic
Notes
More reading
Construction
Street furniture |
31930 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewer | Sewer | Sewers are underground pipes that take away dirty water and human waste from homes, offices and many other places. The sewers lead to sewage treatment plants that remove the harmful and unwanted parts, returning clean water to the environment. Many rules and regulations exist for how clean the final discharge (effluent) must be.
Cleaning crews use special trucks and tools to help keep the sewers clear of grease, tree roots, and other blockages. More rural areas may have septic systems where sewers do not yet exist. In many urban areas, street gutters to carry rainwater are combined with sewers.
History
Around 3000 BCE however, in Skara Brae (a settlement in Scotland), there is evidence of a small ‘cell-like’ room in homes that may have been used as a primitive-style toilet. These rooms appeared to be connected to an indoor, tree bark lined, stone fresh and wastewater system, moving liquids around the small area.
In Ancient China, evidence of some of the earliest water wells by humans has been found (as early as 6000 to 7000 years ago). Plumbing evidence has also been found that dates back to the Qin (221 to 206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE to 220 AD) dynasties.
The Indus Valley Civilisation in East Asia has quite a lot of early evidence in relation to sewage treatment. This Bronze Age civilization lasted from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE (in its mature form from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE) and had homes made of mud or mud bricks, and clay bricks. Most houses had their own private toilet, and sewage was disposed through underground drains built with carefully laid bricks.
As part of a trend of municipal sanitation programs in the late 19th and 20th centuries, many cities constructed extensive sewer systems to help control outbreaks of disease such as typhoid and cholera.
References
waste |
31931 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pajamas | Pajamas | Pajamas (pyjamas in the United Kingdom) are loose clothes that people wear while they are sleeping. Pyjamas usually include trousers and a shirt. Pyjamas are often made of cotton. They are usually worn without underwear. The word comes from , Pajāmā; . Pajamas are often worn without underwear.
Clothing |
31935 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter | Barter | Barter is trading one thing for another without using money. Usually the things that are traded are worth the same amount of money, but no money is used in the trade.
Barter is useful when two people each have something the other wants, so they agree on an amount of stuff and then swap it. This can also happen with services, for example a plumber can fix a tap in a winery and be given a crate of wine.
The problem with barter is one person may not want what the other person has. For instance, Bob needs a new pair of shoes and John has those shoes. But Bob has eggs and John needs milk. This is where money becomes useful because anything can be traded for a set amount of money. Bob could pay John for the shoes and John could go to the store and buy some milk.
References
Commerce
Money |
31936 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle%20United%20F.C. | Carlisle United F.C. | Carlsile United F.C. is an English football team in Football League Two. Jordan McDowall is the manager.
League position
Former position
English football clubs
1904 establishments in England |
31947 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque%20pop | Baroque pop | Baroque pop is a rock music subgenre that mixes both rock and classical music. It was created by musicians in the 1960s by adding classical instruments like harpsichord, French horns, oboes, and string sections. It became popular with both teenagers and adults at the time. Examples can be found on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and recordings made by Phil Spector. It is also referred to as chamber pop, among other names.
References
Music genres |
31948 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/290s | 290s | The 290s decade ran from January 1, 290, to December 31, 299.
Important people
Diocletian, Roman Emperor
Maximian, Roman Emperor |
31949 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica%20Camera | Leica Camera | Leica is a camera company in Wetzlar, Germany.
Cameras
Companies of Germany
Hesse |
31950 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011 | 2011 | 2011 (twenty eleven) (MMXI) was .
According to the North Korean Minguo calendar, this was Juche year 100. This year was also the 100th of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Era year (民國100年).
The United Nations designated 2011 the International Year of Forests and International Year of Chemistry.
Events
January
January 1 – Estonia starts using the euro currency.
January 1 – Start of Hungary's Presidency of the European Union
January 1 – Dilma Rousseff becomes Brazil's first female President.
January 4 – A solar eclipse is seen over most of Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
January 4 – Tunisian fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi dies after setting himself on fire in an act of protest.
January 7 – The 2011 AFC Asian Cup is held in Qatar, until January 29, won by Japan.
January 8 – Twenty people are shot in Tucson, Arizona, six of whom are killed. One of the victims was congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
January 9 – South Sudan holds a referendum on independence.
January 9 – Iran Air Flight 227 crashes, killing 77 people.
January 10 – Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia and the Lockyer Valley flood with more than 16 people killed.
January 11 – More than 480 people are killed in flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro.
January 14 – In the wake of anti-government demonstrations, Tunisia's President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali dissolves the government and resigns from office. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi takes over as caretaker-President, before being replaced by Fouad Mebazaa.
January 24 – A terrorist bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport kills at least 35 people.
January 25 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Pro-democracy demonstrations begin in Egypt against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
January 28 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Hosni Mubarak cuts internet access.
February
February 1 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announces his intention to resign after elections in September. The following day, pro-Mubarak and anti-Mubarak protesters clash violently in central Cairo.
February 3 – Tropical Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland, Australia.
February 6 – A centennial celebration is held all over the United States to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan.
February 11 – 2011 Egyptian protests: President Hosni Mubarak resigns, as the Egyptian government falls. Egypt is left in control of the military until elections can be held.
February 14 – It is announced that the economy of the People's Republic of China overtook the Japanese economy as the world's second largest.
Pro-democracy protests begin in Bahrain and Libya, with violent crackdowns being reported.
February 19 – April 2 – The Cricket World Cup is held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and is won by India.
February 22 – Christchurch, New Zealand is struck by an earthquake measuring 6.3, causing a lot of damage, and killing at least 181 people.
March
March 9 – Enda Kenny becomes Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland.
Space Shuttle Discovery returns from its last space mission before its retirement.
March 10 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, announces his intention to stand down from his official powers, and to transfer them to an elected official.
March 11 – An earthquake of magnitude 9.1 strikes near Sendai on the east coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, causing a lot of damage and triggering tsunamis, with warnings issued around the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of people have been killed, and thousands more are missing. A heavy nuclear accident was also result of the earthquake, prompting fears over radiation levels.
March 17 – 2011 Libyan protests: The United Nations resolution for a no-fly zone over Libya is passed.
March 18 – NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft arrives in orbit around Mercury.
NASA's Pluto probe New Horizons crosses the orbit of Uranus, after a five-year journey. This is faster than Voyager 2, which took eight years.
March 19 – The Moon makes its closest approach to Earth, by nearly 3,000 miles, in 18 years.
March 19 – 2011 Libyan protests: United Nations-authorised military intervention in Libya begins.
March 23 – Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Socrates announces his resignation, as a result of the financial crisis.
March 24 – 2011 Burma earthquake: An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 centred in Burma kills 75 people.
March 27 – Bulgaria and Romania fully implement the Schengen Agreement.
March 31 – After months of crisis following a disputed Presidential election, intense fighting breaks out around Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, between forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara and those loyal to Laurent Gbagbo.
April
April 7 – A school shooting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaves 13 dead, including the gunman.
April 9 – A gunman opens fire at a shopping centre in Alphen an den Rijn, Netherlands, leaving 7 dead.
April 11 – Ivory Coast crisis: Laurent Gbagbo is arrested in his bunker in Abidjan by troops from France, the United Nations, and troops supporting Alassane Ouattara.
April 12 – Four Space Shuttles (including the Endeavor, the Discovery, Enterprise, and Atlantis) are sent to Florida, New York, California, and Washington D.C..
April 22 – Hundreds of people are killed as police move in on anti-government demonstrations in Syria.
April 27 – Hundreds of people are killed in a tornado outbreak across the southern and central United States.
April 29 – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge marry at Westminster Abbey in London.
May
May 1 – U. S. Forces capture and kill al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in northern Pakistan.
May 6 – The Scottish National Party wins an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament.
May 11 – Two earthquakes kill at least nine people in southeastern Spain.
May 12 – John Demjanjuk is convicted in Germany of supervising the killings of thousands of Jews in Concentration Camps.
May 14 – Ell & Nikki of Azerbaijan win the Eurovision Song Contest.
May 15 – Head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn is arrested in New York on charges of sexual assault. He resigns his post a few days later. He is released in August.
May 17 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom makes a state visit to the Republic of Ireland.
May 21 – The Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland erupts, causing some flight disruption in Northern Europe.
May 22 – A tornado kills at least 125 people in Joplin, Missouri.
May 26 – Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic is arrested in Serbia on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
late May – At least 20 people die in an E. coli outbreak centred in Germany. It was originally attributed to Spanish cucumbers, but is suspected to come from bean sprouts.
June
June 1 – Sepp Blatter is controversially chosen to serve a third term as President of FIFA, amidst a major corruption scandal.
June 4 – The eruption of the Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcanic structure in southern Chile causes an ash cloud, disrupting flights in southern South America, and as far away as Oceania.
June 5 – Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh leaves for Saudi Arabia to be treated for injuries sustained in an attack on the Presidential Palace. Demonstrators celebrate while powers are temporarily transferred to Vice President Abd al-Rab al-Mansur al-Hadi.
June 12 – Thousands of Syrians flee into Turkey as Syrian troops lay siege to the town of Jisr-ash Shugur.
June 15 – 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot
June 22 – American fugitive criminal Whitey Bulger is arrested in Los Angeles.
June 26 - July 17 – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, won by Japan
July
July 1 – Start of Poland's Presidency of the European Union
July 2 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco marries Charlene Wittstock.
July 3 – The United Nations appeals for aid for parts of East Africa that are affected by a severe drought.
July 7 – The world's first synthetic organ transplant is carried out, using an artificial windpipe coated in stem cells.
July 8 – The is launched on the last-ever Space Shuttle launch.
July 9 – South Sudan declares independence from Sudan.
July 10 – British tabloid newspaper, the News of the World, ends publication, after a major phone-hacking scandal.
July 12 – Neptune completes its first full orbit around the Sun since its official discovery.
July 13 – Three serial coordinated bomb explosions occur in different locations of Mumbai, the financial capital of India, killing 24 and leaving more than 130 people injured.
July 14 – The United Nations admits South Sudan as the 193rd member nation.
July 20 – Goran Hadzic is detained in Serbia, being arrested on war crimes charges.
The United Nations declares that Somalia is in a state of famine.
July 21 – The returns to Earth in the last mission of the Space Shuttle programme.
July 22 – Two attacks in Norway kill 77 people; 8 people at an explosion in the government quarter of Oslo, and 69 are shot dead at a Summer Youth Camp on the island of Utoya.
July 23 – Singer Amy Winehouse is found dead at her home in London.
July 28 – Ollanta Humala becomes President of Peru.
July 31 – Because of uncertainties over a clampdown on press freedom, there is believed to be at least 121 people killed in a Syrian army tank raid on the town of Hama, and over 150 people are reportedly killed in a crackdown in the whole country.
August
August 1 – The United States narrowly avoids defaulting on its debt.
August 5 – Yingluck Shinawatra becomes Prime Minister of Thailand.
NASA announces that its Mars Reconnaissance orbiter has captured photographic evidence of liquid water on the planet Mars during warm seasons.
August 5 – Juno, the first solar powered spacecraft to be sent to the planet Jupiter, is launched, from Cape Canaveral.
August 13 – Germany commemorates 50 years since the building of the Berlin Wall.
August 20 – Hurricane Irene forms. It causes a lot of destruction and flooding in many Caribbean countries and the Eastern United States over the following days.
August 22 – The 2011 Libyan civil war intensifies as rebel forces enter Tripoli.
August 26 – Naoto Kan announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Japan.
August 29 – Hurricane Irene dissolves over Eastern Canada.
Yoshihiko Noda is chosen as the next Prime Minister of Japan, taking office in September.
August 31 – The end of analog television broadcasting in Canada translation to Digital Televisions.
September
September 2 – A Chilean Air Force plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, killing all 21 people on board.
September 7 – India and Bangladesh sign an agreement ending their border dispute.
A plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team crashes just after take-off near Yaroslavl, Russia, killing 43 of the 45 people on board.
September 9 - October 23 – The 2011 Rugby World Cup is held in New Zealand, won by New Zealand.
September 10 – More than 190 people die when a ferry capsizes off the coast of Tanzania.
September 11 – Commemorations marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks take place.
September 12 – Around 100 people die after an oil pipeline explosion in Nairobi, Kenya.
September 18 – An earthquake centred near the Sikkim-Nepal border kills an estimated 111 people.
September 19 – The United Nations launches an appeal for aid after the 2011 Sindh floods.
September 20 – Former President of Afghanistan Burhanuddin Rabbani is killed in a bomb attack.
September 23 – President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh returns home after being treated in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained in an attack on his compound in June.
September 29 – China launches the Tiangong 1 space laboratory, its first space station module, from the launch pad in Gansu province.
October
October 3 – The winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine are announced as Bruce Beutler, Jules Hoffmann and Ralph Steinman. Steinman had died three days earlier, unknown to the Nobel committee. It was later announced that he could remain as a Nobel laureate.
October 3 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt becomes Prime Minister of Denmark.
October 4 – 139 people are killed in a car bombing in Mogadishu.
October 4 – Major floods affect parts of Thailand and Cambodia.
October 7 – The Nobel Peace Prize is shared between Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni activist Tawakel Karman.
October 15 – Occupy campaign: In cities around the world, many people protest against economic mismanagement, also in support of the Occupy Wall Street campaign.
October 18 – Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is released after five years of captivity. In return, Israel releases 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
October 20 – 2011 Libyan civil war: Forces loyal to the National Transitional Council take control of Sirte, the last pro-Gaddafi stronghold. Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, who ruled Libya since 1969, is captured and killed.
October 23 – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes eastern Turkey, near the City of Van, killing at least 575 people, and damaging many buildings.
October 27 – Michael D. Higgins is elected to succeed Mary McAleese as President of Ireland.
October 27 – EU leaders hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on the European Sovereign Debt Crisis, where they decide to write off 50% of Greek bonds, recapitalisation of European banks, and an increase of the bailout fund of the European Financial Stability Facility, totalling a trillion Euros.
October 31 – According to the United Nations, the world population reaches 7 billion.
November
November 7 – Dr. Conrad Murray is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the death of Michael Jackson.
November 10 – Lucas Papademos is chosen to lead a caretaker government in Greece.
November 11 – Michael D. Higgins becomes President of Ireland.
November 12 – As the result of an economic crisis, Silvio Berlusconi resigns as Prime Minister of Italy.
November 13 – Mario Monti is chosen to become Prime Minister of Italy.
November 19 – Muammar al-Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi is captured in southern Libya, near the border with Niger.
November 19 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Protestors demonstrate in central Cairo against the military rulers, and several are killed when police open fire.
November 20 – Mariano Rajoy's Partido Popular score a landslide victory in Spain's parliamentary election. Rajoy is therefore elected to become the next Prime Minister of Spain.
November 22 – The American Samoa national football team scores its first-ever official win, defeating the Tonga national football team 2-1 in the Oceanian FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
November 26 – John Key is elected to a second term as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
November 26 – The Mars Science Laboratory is launched on board an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is set to arrive on Mars in August 2012.
December
December 4 – Zoran Jankovic's party wins the most seats in the Slovenian Parliament.
December 4 – 45,000 people in Koblenz, Germany, are evacuated in order for a World War II bomb to be defused.
December 5 – NASA announces the discovery of the earth-like planet Kepler 22-b orbiting around another star.
December 6 – Elio Di Rupo becomes Prime Minister of Belgium. Prior to this, Belgium did not have an official government for 589 days.
December 9 – Croatia signs an agreement that will allow it to become a member of the EU on July 1, 2013.
December 12 – Moncef Marzouki becomes President of Tunisia.
December 13 – At least 5 people are killed and 124 wounded at a grenade and gun attack in Liege, Belgium. The gunman, Nordine Amrani, commits suicide shortly after.
December 15 – The United States ends its military involvement in Iraq.
December 17 – Tropical typhoon Washi hits Mindanao in the southern Philippines, killing over 1,000 people, with many more reported missing.
December 19 – North Korean state television announces the death of Kim Jong-il, who had led the country since 1994. His son, Kim Jong-un, is designated as his successor.
December 19 – Liechtenstein implements the Schengen Agreement.
December 22 – Several suicide bombings occur in Baghdad.
December 23 – Around 40 people are killed in a bomb attack in Damascus.
December 25 – Four churches across Nigeria are hit by bombs, killing at least 40 people. The Islamist group Boko Haram claims responsibility.
December 29 – Kim Jong-un is installed as North Korea's leader at the end of a two-day state funeral for Kim Jong-il.
December 29 – The International Date Line is shifted to the west of Samoa and Tokelau, both of which do not observe December 30, 2011 as a result. The change is made to improve trade with the main partners of Australia and New Zealand.
Deaths
Nobel Prizes
Physiology or Medicine: Bruce Beutler, Jules Hoffmann, Ralph Steinman
Physics: Saul Perlmutter, Adam G. Riess, Brian P. Schmidt
Chemistry: Dan Shechtman
Literature: Tomas Transtromer
Peace: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakel Karman
Economics: Christopher A. Sims, Thomas J. Sargent
Major religious holidays
January 6 – Epiphany, Three Kings Day (Christianity)
January 7 – Christmas (Eastern Christianity) (on January 6 in Armenia)
January 14 – Makar Sankranti, Hinduism
February 1 – Imbolc, a Cross-quarter day
February 3 – Chinese New Year
March 8 – Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras, end of Carnival season (Christianity)
March 9 – Ash Wednesday and beginning of Lent (Christianity)
March 17 – Saint Patrick's Day
March 21 – (Northern hemisphere) Vernal Equinox, also known as Ostara
April 17 – Palm Sunday (Christianity)
April 18 – Beginning of Passover (Judaism)
April 22 – Good Friday (Christianity)
April 24 – Easter (Christianity)
May 1 – Beltane, a Cross-quarter day
June 7 – Shavuot begins (Judaism)
June 24 – Saint John's Day, northern Midsummer celebrations
August 1 – Lammas, a cross-quarter day
August 1 – Beginning of Ramadan (Islam)
August 31 – Eid ul-Fitr (Islam)
September 23 – Northern Autumnal Equinox, also known as Mabon
September 28 – Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown (Judaism)
October 7 – Yom Kippur begins at sundown (Judaism)
October 26 – Diwali (Hinduism)
November 1 – All Saints Day
November 6 – Eid al-Adha (Islam)
November 26 – Islamic New Year
November 27 – First Sunday of Advent (Western Christianity)
December 20 – Hanukkah (Judaism)
December 25 – Christmas (Western Christianity)
In fiction
Movies
The Taiwanese movie Millennium Mambo (2001) where a woman narrates from 2011 about her life 10 years earlier.
The movie Revengers Tragedy (2003) is set in a dystopian Liverpool in the year 2011, following the aftermath of a natural disaster which has destroyed the southern half of Great Britain.
Television
The Heroes television series visits 2011 in several different potential futures.
In the Aeon Flux television series and movie, 99% of the world's population is wiped out by a mysterious virus in the year 2011.
Computer and video games
Call of Duty: Black Ops (2011)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2008)
Persona 4 (2008)
Fallout 3 (2008)
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (2009)
Max Payne 3 (2010)
Heavy Rain (2010)
Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Homefront (2011)
Literature
In K. A. Applegate's Remnants book series, 2011 is the year life on Earth becomes extinct after a 73-mile-wide asteroid nicknamed "The Rock" impacts Portugal. Eighty other humans are placed in a shuttle named the Mayflower'' mere hours before impact and put into artificial hibernation, while a handful of humans in shelters survive the impact on Earth.
References |
31951 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%E1%BA%BFn%20Qu%C3%A2n%20Ca | Tiến Quân Ca | "", meaning "Army March" is the national anthem (song) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It was created in 1944 by Nguyễn Văn Cao, the famous Vietnamese composer (person who writes music).
Lyrics
Vietnamese music
National anthems
The national anthem has went through many changes ever since the 1940s. Though there are two verses, the first verse is usually only sung as the anthem. Recently, the Vietnam Center for Music Copyright stated that they will "collect royalty" from the song, meaning that it would be under copyright. |
31953 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%20American%20blizzard%20of%202003 | North American blizzard of 2003 | The Blizzard of 2003, also called the Presidents' Day Storm of 2003, or Presidents' Day Storm II, was a very big snowstorm on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, which started on February 15 and ended on February 18, 2003. Lots of snow fell in the big cities in the Northeast US, making it the biggest snowstorm of the snowy winter of 2002-2003. All cities from Washington DC to Boston were covered in a lot of snow, and people could not go around because of the bad weather. In Baltimore and Boston, this was the biggest snowstorm ever recorded.
The life of the storm
The storm started in the southern Rockies on February 14, and moved to southern Missouri and the Lower Tennessee Valley in a few days. It brought heavy rain and bad weather to the Deep South, including the nation's first tornado of 2003. In the north, snow and ice affected the Midwest. Southern Iowa and eastern Illinois also got lots of snow, with 11 inches (28 cm) in Des Moines. In Kentucky this was mostly an ice storm, with some places getting up to 3/4" (2 cm) of ice. At the same time, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore got a little bit of snow on February 15. The weather was very cold, and the storm moved very slowly.
But early on February 16, lots of snow started falling in those two cities, and the snow started in Philadelphia. Heavy snow kept coming, falling very fast. It was also very cold, so the snow kept piling up. The heavy snow continued all day, and it reached New York City in the evening. At about the same time, the snow changed to sleet in Washington, D.C., and that's why the city got less snow than other cities. In the rest of the Northeast, however, the snow stayed for much of the night. The sleet changed back to snow by the next morning in Washington, D.C., and soon ended. Blizzard Warnings were given in New York City and Boston, and the snow began in Boston that day. In the evening, the heavy snow ended in New York City, and it ended in Boston on the morning of February 18. After that, the storm weakened and brought a few inches of snow to other parts of New England.
Impact
This snowstorm slowed down much of the East Coast with its heavy snow. Washington's Reagan National Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport in New York were closed, and Dulles Airport had one runway open. With snow falling, driving was almost impossible. In Baltimore, the roof of the historic B&O Railroad Museum broke, destroying many valuable engines, railroad cars and train souvenirs.
Other websites
In Depth Case Study
CNN Article of the Storm
CBS Article of the Storm
The Presidents’ Day Weekend Snowstorm of 2003
Snow storm, February 16-17, 2003
2003 in weather
2003 in the United States
2003 in Canada
Historic blizzards in the United States
Natural disasters in Canada |
31955 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization%20of%20American%20States | Organization of American States | The Organization of American States (OAS in English; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization based in Washington, D.C. It has all thirty-five independent nations of the Americas as its members.
For its work Organization of American States (OAS) uses four languages: English language, French language, Portuguese language, and Spanish language.
Many people and politicians of different countries of North America and South America had thought of an organization of their countries. These countries have also formed different organizations from time to time. Beginning from 1889-1890, these countries held meetings known as the International Conference of American States. At its first conference, 18 countries formed the International Union of American Republics.
In 1910, these countries held the Fourth International Conference of American States at Buenos Aires. They changed the name of the International Union of American Republics to the Union of American Republics. These countries held the ninth International Conference of American States between March and May 1948 at Bogotá. On 30th April 1948, 21 countries signed an agreement. They called this agreement the Charter of the Organization of American States. This was the beginning of the Organization of American States (OAS). OAS started functioning from December 1951.
The Charter of the OAS states the goals for forming the OAS. There are many goals. Some important goals relate to peace and security for these countries; development of democratic governments; and economic cooperation.
Members
All 35 independent nations of America are members of the OAS. Upon foundation on 5 May 1948 there were 21 members:
The later expansion of the OAS included the newly independent nations of the Caribbean (most of whom gained independence only after World War II) and Canada. Members with later admission dates (sorted chronologically):
(member since 1967)
(1967)
(1969)
(1975)
(1977)
(1979)
(1979)
(1981)
(1981)
(1982)
(1984)
(1990)
(1991)
(1991)
Related pages
Caribbean Community
United Nations
Notes
Other websites
Official site
International organizations
Political organizations based in the United States
1948 establishments
Politics of North America
Politics of South America |
31957 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav%20Holst | Gustav Holst | Gustav Holst (21 September 1874 - 25 May 1934) was a famous English composer. He was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He studied composition at the Royal College of Music in London. He also learned to play the trombone. He became Director of Music at St Paul’s Girls’ School, Hammersmith, (London). Some of his music was written for the pupils at this school: for example, the popular St Paul’s Suite (1912-1913) for string orchestra.
His most famous work is The Planets (1918). This is a suite of seven movements for orchestra, each about a different planet (the Earth is not included, and Pluto had not yet been discovered). The music does not really describe the planets, it describes the Roman gods after which the planets are named. Mars, for example, is the “Bringer of War”. It has a very exciting rhythm with five beats in a bar. Jupiter has a tune which has become famous as the hymn “I Vow to Thee, My Country”. He died of heart failure in London.
References
Other websites
www.GustavHolst.info
List of compositions
Gustav Holst: The Lost Films (Discovered 2009)
Holst Birthplace Museum, Cheltenham
20th-century English composers
Cardiovascular disease deaths in England
Deaths from heart failure
Musicians from Gloucestershire
1874 births
1934 deaths |
31960 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s%20Column | Nelson's Column | Nelson's Column is a national monument of the United Kingdom based in Trafalgar Square, London. The column was built between 1840 and 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Monuments and memorials in England
Buildings and structures in London
1840s establishments in England |
31962 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin | Cousin | A cousin is a term in genealogy. It is not a direct ancestor or descendant, but is a relative who shares a common ancestor. The word 'cousin' is often used to mean a person's first cousin the child of someone's aunt or uncle.
Cousin relationships can have degree and removal (e.g. a second cousin once removed is a cousin with a degree of two and a removal of one).
The family line of the cousin with smallest number of generations to the most recent common ancestor is used to determine the degree (if they are the same use either one). The number of generations from the parrents to the common ancestor (number of generations minus one) is the degree.
When the cousins are separated by a different number of generations from the most recent common ancestor, the cousin relationship is "removed". The difference between the number of generations for each cousin is the removal.
Other websites
Ancestry.com - cousin removal
Geni.com - Defining the Genealogical Term, 'Removed'
SearchforAncestors.com - Cousin Relationship Calculator
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter - What Is "Second Cousin Once Removed?"
Family |
31963 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/900 | 900 | Year 900 (CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
Persian scientist, Rhazes, distinguished smallpox from measles in the course of his writings. Holding against any sort of orthodoxy, particularly Aristotle's physics, he maintained "the conception of an 'absolute' time, regarded by him as a never-ending flow".
Gyeonhwon formally establishes the kingdom of Hubaekje in southwestern Korea.
Merchants from southwest Asia and India settle on the east-African coast, trading gold, beads and metal for ivory and slaves.
Harold I of the Yngling or Scilfing dynasty subdues the petty kings of Norway and conquers the Orkney and Shetland islands. |
31964 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/996 | 996 |
Events
March/April – Pope John XV dies before being able to crown Otto III, King of Germany as Holy Roman Emperor. Otto resides in Pavia while waiting for the election of the next Pope.
May 3 – Twenty-four year old Bruno of Carinthia, grandson of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor and first cousin of Otto III, is elected Pope Gregory V. He is the first German Pope.
May 21 – Sixteen year old Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by his cousin Pope Gregory V.
October 24 – Hugh Capet, King of France dies and is succeeded by his son Robert II of France.
Abu Mansoor Nizar al-Aziz Billah, fifth Caliph in Egypt dies and is succeeded by his son Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.
November 1 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi (Austria in Old High German).
Niujie Mosque constructed in Beijing |
31965 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1288 | 1288 |
Events
June 5 – John I of Brabant defeats the duchy of Guelders in the Battle of Worringen — one of the largest battles in Europe of the Middle Ages — thus winning possession of the duchy of Limburg. The battle also liberates the city of Cologne from rule by the Archbishopric of Cologne; it had previously been one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire.
August 8 – Pope Nicholas IV proclaims a crusade against King Ladislaus IV of Hungary, who had lost credibility by favoring his semi-pagan Cuman subjects and in general refusing to conform to the social standards of western Europe.
The Scots Parliament creates a law allowing women to propose marriage to men during leap years; men who refuse such proposals are required to pay a fine to the spurned bride-to-be.
The oldest surviving bell in the clocks atop the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome dates to 1288.
Vietnamese general Tran Hung Dao sinks the entire fleet of an invading Yuan dynasty Mongol army by placing steel-tipped bamboo stakes in the Bach Dang River, near Halong Bay.
The Japanese era Koan ends, and the Shōō era begins. |
31967 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1345 | 1345 |
Events
Miracle of the Host
Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland are inherited by emperor Louis IV of the Holy Roman Empire and becomes part of the imperial crown domain, until 1347. |
31968 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1347 | 1347 |
Events
The Black Death ravages Europe (1347-1351)
Roman Commoner Cola di Rienzo proclaims himself a new Roman dictator in Capitoline Hill in Rome; Pope Clement VI denounces him as a pagan and a heretic and he is driven out of the city by the end of the year |
31971 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1565 | 1565 |
Events
March 1 – the city of Rio de Janeiro is founded.
April 27 – Cebu City is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
May 18 – The Ottoman troops landed on the island of Malta. The Great Siege of Malta began.
June 17 – Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
August 28 – St. Augustine, Florida (named after St. Augustine), established. It is the oldest remaining European settlement in the United States.
September 4 – Spanish fleet of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés lands on modern-day Florida to oust the French under Jean Ribault. He later destroys the French colony of Fort Caroline.
September 8 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés settles in St. Augustine, Florida.
September 8 – The Knights of Malta lift the Turkish Siege of Malta (siege started on May 18). |
31976 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock | Livestock | Livestock are domestic animals that are kept by people. Their uses are for meat, milking, wool, leather, or labor. Taking care of livestock is animal husbandry. Some types of livestock are: cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Chickens produce eggs; pigs produce meat; cattle, goats and sheep create milk, and sheep also create wool. Horses, cattle, camels, llamas, water buffalo, and other large animals do work for people, such as pulling wagons and other vehicles.
The breeding, keeping alive, and killing of livestock is called animal husbandry. Animal husbandry have been practiced by humans for a long time. There are different animal husbandry practices used by different cultures. It is an important part of the economy and culture of many countries.
Intensive animal farming, which is sometimes called "factory farming" is mostly used today. 99% of livestock in the US are now raised with intensive animal farming. Intensive animal farming increases the amount of things we can get from the livestock but it has also led to bad effects on animal welfare, the environment, and public health.
Etymology
Livestock as a word was first used between 1650 and 1660. Today, cattle means domesticated bovines, while livestock now means domesticated animals.
History
Animal husbandry started when humans stopped hunting and gathering and settled in farming communities. Animals are domesticated when the way they breed and live are controlled by humans. After a long time, the way they act and the way they look changes. Today, many farm animals cannot live in the wild.
The dog was domesticated in Europe and the Far East from about 15,000 years ago. Goats and sheep were domesticated between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. Pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China. Domestication of the horse dates to around 4000 BC. Cattle have been domesticated since approximately 10,500 years ago. Chickens and other poultry may have been domesticated around 7000 BC.
Some common livestock
References
Domesticated animals
Agriculture |
31977 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breed | Breed | See Breed (song) for the song by Nirvana. See Breed (video game) for the video game by Brat Designs.
A breed is a domesticated race or type of an animal or plant. The term may also be used as a verb. In this way, to breed an animal is to make sure that it has descendants that improve the next generation’s qualities. This is also often referred to as breeding. A breeder is a person who maintains and creates different breeds of animals or plants. Methods include inbreeding and crossbreeding.
Common breeds
List of cat breeds
List of dog breeds
Plant breeding
Related pages
Variety (plant)
Race (biology)
Selective breeding
Animal husbandry
Genetics |
31979 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm | Storm | A storm is a violent meteorological phenomenon in which there is heavy rain, and wind due to moisture in the air. Hail and Lightning are also common in storms. More rarely, Tornadoes can occur in storms.
Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes are, often, called storms too but they have special names because they are very, very strong. Storms are studied by scientists called meteorologists. The idea of shipping forecasts started with a concern to save ships from unexpected storms in the North Atlantic. A storm is associated with severe weather and may be marked by strong wind, thunder, lightning and heavy precipitation such as ice. Therefore, the knowledge of the weather condition is extremely important.
There are many varieties and names for storms: icestorm, blizzard, snowstorm, ocean-storm, firestorm, etc. The storms called thunderstorms develop in hot, humid tropical areas like Mexico very frequently. The rising temperatures produce strong upward rising winds. These winds carry water droplets upwards, where they freeze, and fall down again. The swift movement of the falling water droplets along with the rising air create lighting and sound.
Notes
Severe weather |
31981 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemisphere | Hemisphere | Hemisphere means half (hemi) of the Earth (sphere).
The Northern Hemisphere means everything north of the Equator, which includes, North America, Central America, the northern part of South America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and the Middle East.
The Southern Hemisphere means everything south of the Equator, which includes most of South America, most of Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
The Western Hemisphere includes North America and South America, and has the Pacific Ocean on its western border and the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern border.
The Eastern Hemisphere includes Europe, Asia, and Africa, and has the Atlantic Ocean on its western border and the Pacific Ocean on its eastern border.
It can also mean the land hemisphere or the water hemisphere. |
31982 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure | Pressure | Pressure means how much force something is pushing on something else with.
It is expressed as force acting per unit area:
P = F / A
(Pressure = Force divided by Area that force is acting on)
It can also be defined as thrust (compressive force acting perpendicularly to the surface of a body) acting per unit area.
Pressure is directly proportional to force and inversely proportional to area., so the same amount of force applied by a hand will produce less pressure than when applied by something smaller, like a finger.
It is important to understand the distinction between pressure and force. Body A may exert a much larger force on a surface than body B, but if that force is spread out over an area larger than that of body B, the pressure exerted will be less than that of body B. More force is not always equal to more pressure, and vice versa
Pressure is also related to density. If a solid or a fluid is more dense, it has a larger weight, and therefore exerts a larger force, over the same area.
The SI unit of pressure is the Pascal (Pa) named after French physicist Blaise Pascal, who did much work on pressure. 1 pascal = a force of 1 newton per square meter. To measure much larger and much smaller pressures, sub-multiples of the unit, such as kilopascal and megapascal exist.
Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by oxygen and other molecules (the atmosphere basically) on a body/point/area at sea level, and is equal to approximately 100000 Newtons or 100Kn.Atmospheric pressures is measured using instruments such as the barometer which uses the principles of pressure and vaccum to measure the atmospheric pressure.
Other websites
Pressure -Citizendium
References
Measurement |
32000 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator | Alligator | Alligator is a genus in the order Crocodilia. There are two living species: the American alligator and the smaller Chinese alligator. Together with the caimans, the gharials, and the crocodiles, they make up the order Crocodilia.
The first alligators existed about 37 million years ago. However, older species of alligators have become extinct.
Description
An average adult American alligator weighs and is long. However, they can grow to long and weigh over .
The largest alligator ever recorded, found in Louisiana, was long.
The Chinese alligator is smaller. It is rarely longer than . In addition, it weighs considerably less than the American alligator. Male Chinese alligators rarely weigh over .
Nobody knows how long alligators live, on average. An 80-year-old alligator named Muja, living in the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, is thought to be the oldest alligator living in captivity.
Food
Although the alligator often moves slowly, it can run very fast for short times, especially in very short lunges. Usually, alligators' main prey are smaller animals they can kill and eat with a single bite. If the prey is not big enough to eat in one bite, they may drag the animal into the water to drown. They may also bite their prey and then spin or wildly until bite-sized chunks are torn off. This is called a "death roll".
Alligators are generally timid towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if a human comes near them. However, they will attack humans to protect their nests. In Florida, feeding wild alligators at any time is illegal. If fed, the alligators will eventually lose their fear of humans and will learn to associate humans with food, thereby becoming both a greater danger to people, and at greater risk from them.
Distribution
Alligators are native only to the United States and China.
American alligators
American alligators live mostly in the southeast United States. According to the 2012 Scholastic Book of World Records, Louisiana has the largest alligator population, with about two million. Most American alligators live in Louisiana or Florida, which is home to about 1.3 million alligators. Southern Florida is the only place where both alligators and crocodiles live side by side.
American alligators cannot live in saltwater very long because they do not have salt glands. Because of this, they live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish environments.
Once, the American alligator was endangered. In the 1970s, the United States government protected alligators under the Endangered Species Act. The species made a major recovery and are now thriving in many wilderness areas. The alligator is the state reptile of Florida, and is a symbol of the state.
Chinese alligators
The Chinese alligator currently is found only in Eastern China, in a small area in the Yangtze River basin (along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
The Chinese alligator is extremely endangered. Scientists believe that only a few dozen Chinese alligators are left in the wild. Indeed, far more Chinese alligators live in zoos around the world than in the wild. Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern Louisiana has several in captivity in an attempt to preserve the species. Miami MetroZoo in Florida also has a breeding pair of Chinese alligators.
Protected status
American alligators were once an endangered species in the United States. By the 1950s, there were fewer alligators in the United States than ever before. This happened because of alligator hunting and because people were building over alligators' habitats.
In 1967, the United States government listed the alligator as endangered. This meant the alligator was in danger of becoming extinct.
However, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS):
Today, the American alligator is no longer endangered, but it is still a "protected species." It is protected because the alligator looks like some species of crocodiles and caimans, which are still endangered. Because of this, the Fish and Wildlife Service categorizes the American alligator as “threatened due to similarity of appearance.” Their goal is to prevent people from killing endangered crocodiles and caimans because they have mistaken an alligator for a crocodile or caiman. Because of this, killing alligators, and trading in products made from alligator meat or skin, are all regulated by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Differences between alligators and crocodiles
Alligators and crocodiles are different in many ways. For example, in general:
Crocodiles have salt glands, so they can live in saltwater habitats. Alligators usually live in freshwater habitats.
Most alligators have wide snouts that are shaped like a U. Usually, crocodiles' snouts are longer, narrower, and are shaped like a V. However, some crocodiles do have wide snouts.
When its mouth is closed, you can see the fourth tooth on a crocodile's jaw. You cannot see that tooth when an alligator's mouth is closed.
References
Other websites
From the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
Living with Alligators brochure
Living with Crocodiles brochure
All About Alligators - For Kids
Report an aggressive or "nuisance alligator" in: Florida * Georgia * Louisiana * Mississippi * South Carolina * Texas
Crocodilia
Reptiles of North America
Reptiles |
32001 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curitiba | Curitiba | Curitiba (pron. or ) is one of the most important cities in the southern part of Brazil. Curitiba is the capital of the state of Paraná. The city has more than 1,800,000 people living in it. It covers an area of 430.9 km². It is the 7th largest Brazilian city and 4th largest in the Southern Cone (the south part of South America). The city has the largest population and the largest economy in Southern Brazil. The urban area of Curitiba is looked after by 26 local governments and has 3,335,588 people living there.
History
Curitiba started in 1693 as a small village. It became an important trading stop because a road was opened. The road joined the southeast area to Southern Brazil. In 1853, it became the capital of the newly made province of Paraná. Since then, the city has seen a lot of urban growth.
During the 19th century, many European people arrived, including Germans, Poles, Ukrainians and Italians. They added to the cultural mix that still is there. The city made plans and laws to slow the growth of the city and that led to the city being famous for its new ideas and connection to the environment. Most of the new ideas had to do with the public transport system.
Present
Today, the city has a sense of cosmopolitan life and is said to be the safest city in Brazil. It is the Brazilian capital with the best quality of life and is a diversified industrial center that gives Curitiba the rank of 4th largest economy in Brazil; the largest in the southern region. The city is said to be one of the five best cities to invest in Latin America and the 49th city with the greatest influence in the world.
Large companies have moved their headquarters to the city because of Curitiba's structure, its international airport, which serves the whole southern region (the Afonso Pena International Airport), its access to the Port of Paranaguá, and the junction of highways and railroads linking the south region directly to the southeast of the country. Many multinational automotive (car) companies are in Greater Curitiba, which makes Curitiba the second largest automotive center in the country. Curitiba is an important cultural, political, and economic center in the country.
Curitiba has high rates of education and is home to the oldest Brazilian university, the Federal University of Paraná. People from Curitiba are called curitibanos in Portuguese, and Curitibans in English.
The name
The name Curitiba comes from the large number of Brazilian "Pines", commonly called "Parana Pine" (Araucaria angustifolia) which grew in the region before the city was built. There are two reasons for the name: the Indians of the Tupi nation, namely the Jê and the Guarani, used the word corae ("pine seed") atuba ("a lot"). It may also come from joining the words kurit ("pine tree") and yba ("large amount"), also from the Tupi language, together. So, "Curitiba" means something like "Land of Abundant Pines".
Transport
Curitiba is known for the urban differentiated solutions, notably for the integrated (connected) system of transport of people, together with the regular transit routes, has served, especially from the 1970s, to encourage urban development.
The public transport system in Curitiba features large passenger terminals connected by roads used only by the buses Vermelhos ("Red Buses"), the Expressos ("Express Buses"), Articulados ("Articulated buses"), and Biarticulados ("Biarticulated buses"). The biarticulated bus travels on long trips, stopping only on the tube-station stops to pick up or drop off people. Each biarticulated bus can carry 270 people - and complemented with the speedy silver Ligeirinho (literally, "speedy"), with an modern design, has fewer stops, therefore shortening distances – when compared to the Linha Direta ("Direct Line") – due to saved time, and feeders marked by their own colors.
This model has inspired similar tests in cities of other countries, such as Los Angeles and New York City, where, in the 1990s, the installation of an experimental line of "ligeirinho" in the city connected it to the World Trade Center. The system is the source of inspiration for the TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia, Metrovia in Guayaquil, Ecuador,as well as the Orange Line of Los Angeles, California, and for a future transportation system in Panama City, Panama.
City planning
Around the city and commonly joined with the terminals of buses, are the Ruas da Cidadania ("Streets of Citizenship"), which are municipal centers that bring together municipal departments and public agencies, state and federal, points of trade, services, free Internet access and equipment, and leisure, such as playgrounds and space for all kinds of sports.
Recent measurements indicate that the green area of Curitiba is of 51.5 metres per capita - about three times the minimum area recommended by the UN - one of the highest in Brazil and higher than cities such as London or Paris. These areas are made mostly by municipal parks and forests to protect the forests' gallery of local rivers. There are also a variety of city squares and public grounds, usually associated with public and wooden roads.
The urban zoning of the city and the integrated transport system has allowed a development of urban architecture, taken by some analysts as strong and balanced without the main problems of large modern cities. Curitiba was recently recommended by UNESCO as one of the city-models for the reconstruction of the cities of Afghanistan, after the military action that happened in that country in 2001.
Curitiba was the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola, In the 20th century when he was looking for the "perfect city" in order to create the New York Megalopolis (a huge city "which is good for its citizens" for his movie). The director lived in Curitiba for a few weeks and praised the city in many of his lectures around the world, as the only Brazilian city praised by this famous producer of movies. He did not make the movie, however.
In the 1990s, the city won the United Nations Environment Program prize - UNEP, from the UN, said to be the top prize of the environment in the world. In June 1996, the chairman of the Habitat II summit of mayors and urban planners in Istanbul said Curitiba was "the most innovative city in the world." In 2003, the city received the title of Capital of Culture of the Americas by the organization CAC-ACC. In 2006, Curitiba hosted the event COP8/COP-MOP3 the UN. Today, Curitiba is considered one of the best examples of urban planning worldwide.
In 1991, the city asked the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau to open the Free University of the Environment, being an place for learning about the environment and ecology for the population. Since was created, the UNILIVRE is a reference about studies in economically sustainable care of ecosystems, serving as a model for other similar institutions in various parts of the world, as in Cordoba in (Argentina), Río Grande in (Patagonia), Seoul in (Korea), Guadalajara in (Mexico), and in many other Brazilian cities.
The capital of the state of Paraná was the only Brazilian city to enter the 21st century as a reference for national and international urban planning and quality of life; a search by the American magazine Reader's Digest found that it was the Brazilian city better placed in the ranking of the best cities in the world to live in. In March 2001, a poll sponsored by the UN pointed Curitiba as the best capital of Brazil by the Index of Living Conditions (ILC) and second best among the HDI of Brazilian capitals. The city is the gateway to entering the Mercosur (the southern zone common market of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay).
The city recently was identified as the Brazilian capital with the lowest rate of illiteracy, and also indicated as number 1 in the national education between the Brazilian capitals, and one of the five best cities for investment in Latin America.
According study of the América Economia magazine, published in the Special Edition Cities 2006, which has the title "The City Innovative", Curitiba is ahead of important capitals as Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Brasilia, occupying fifth place. The magazine considered the main Latin American economies or those that have relevance to the business conducted on the continent. In front of the Paraná state capital are just São Paulo, Brazil, first in the ranking; Santiago, Chile; Monterrey, Mexico; and Miami, USA. In 2009, it was one of the three "smartest" cities in the world according to Forbes magazine. The criteria were caring about the environment, quality of life, urban planning, good infrastructure and a strong economy.
The city was the first in Brazil to introduce the separation of domestic garbage on a wide-scale basis. The acclaimed program Lixo que não é Lixo (literally, "Garbage that isn’t Garbage"; a successful recycling program) created in 1989 has become an ideal model of caring for the environment. Actually, Curitiba is the Brazilian city that recycles garbage more often: currently, 22% of all the waste produced - about 450 tons each day - are recycled.
In 2007, the city was the third place in a list of "15 Green Cities" in the world, according the American website "Grist". In the same year, the city was featured in the American newspaper "The New York Times"; the news report, with 8 pages, features many changes made in the city, saying that Curitiba remains a destination for urban planners from various parts of the world, fascinated with the public transport system, program for recycling of garbage and the group of parks in the city.
The MasterCard Emerging Markets Index 2008, created to evaluate and compare the performance of cities in different functions that connect markets and commerce worldwide, shows Curitiba as the safest city in Brazil - considering details such as freedom of expression, risk of natural disasters and personal security - in addition to being in 49th position among the cities with the greatest influence in the world.
Curitiba won the Globe Award Sustainable City 2010 and was chosen unanimously by the committee. At the same year, Curitiba was elected by the América Economía Magazine as one of the best cities for doing business in Latin America.
History
Curitiba used to be a forest where the tribe Tingüi used to live. During the 16th century, Europeans began to go to war with this tribe.
Geography
Localization
Curitiba is on the first plateau of Paraná, in the most flat area, also called plateau curitibano. It covers a geographical area of 432.17 km², located at 25º25'40"S latitude and 49º16'23"W longitude. The coastline of the state (the Atlantic Ocean) is 70 km away from the city. The capital has a length of 35 km from north to south, and 20 km from east to west.
Distance from Curitiba to some cities of Brazil and Mercosur:
São Paulo: 335 km/ 208 miles
Foz do Iguaçu: 523 km/ 288 miles
Rio de Janeiro: 671 km/ 417 miles
Belo Horizonte: 834 km/ 518 miles
Asuncion (Paraguay): 846 km/ 526 miles
Brasília: 1077 km/ 669 miles
Montevideo (Uruguay): 1244 km/ 773 miles
Buenos Aires (Argentina): 1331 km/ 827 miles
Florianópolis: 300 km
La Paz (Bolivia): 2194 km/ 1363 miles
Santiago (Chile): 2254 km/ 1400 miles
Manaus: 2722 km/ 1691 miles
Terrain
The city has surface area of 432.17 km² in the First Plateau of Paraná. The terrain of Curitiba is a little wavy. The average altitude of the city is 934.6 m above sea level, ranging between minimum and maximum values of 900 and 1,000 meters, approximately.
Curitiba has a wavy topography of smooth rounded hills, an terrain a little wavy, giving a relatively regular appearance.
The municipality of Curitiba has an average altitude of 934.6 m above sea level, where the highest point is to the north (1,021.0 m). To the south is the situation of lower altitude (864.9 m).
There are mountain ranges and sets of rocky elevations in almost all around the city, being the most remarkable and impressive of the Serra do Mar (Portuguese for "Mountain Range of the Sea"), in the east that separates the plateau from the coast of Paraná.
Climate
Curitiba's climate is usually mild all year round though locals complain that the weather can change at anytime. It can be hot in the winter and cold in the summer. Even in one day, there can be great differences.
The flat terrain, lakes and marshland help its mild damp winters, with an average temperature of 13 °C (57 °F), but it can fall a bit below 0 °C (32 °F) on the coldest days. During summer, the average temperature is around 21 °C (70 °F), but sometimes gets around 32 °C (90 °F) on hot days.
Curitiba is a humid city in the subtropical zone in southern Brazil. It is the coldest of Brazil's twenty-six state capitals, because of the altitude. The city is on a plateau 932 m (3107 ft) above sea level. The city is in the Atlantic Rainforest region with the higher peaks of a mountain range making a barrier that separate it from the Atlantic Ocean just 105 km (65 miles) away.
Hydrography and Pluviometry
The catchment area of Curitiba consists of several rivers and streams that cross the city in different directions, grouped in six river basins. The main rivers that form the watershed of the city are: Atuba River, Belém River, Barigüi River, Passaúna River, Ribeirão dos Padilhas and the Iguaçu River, all with characteristics of dendritic drainage. Since the 1970s, Curitiba has working on alternatives to minimize the negative impacts of urbanization on rivers. An example of this was the construction of parks along the rivers with artificial lakes, which retain the water for longer periods of time, minimizing floods. Currently, after many studies about the local water passages, almost all the rivers are in canalization process. Other alternatives developed to minimize the effects of urbanization are the implementation of the programs for environmental education, inspection and monitoring, elaboration and application of legislation and infrastructure works.
The index reaches 1,500 mm rainfall on average per year, because the rain is constant in the climate of the city. It happens, among other reasons, because of the large deforestation of the Mountain Range of the Sea (Serra do Mar), a natural barrier to moisture.
Vegetation
Curitiba is in the area of vegetation called Araucaria moist forests, composed of steppes, Araucaria forest and other formations.
In the local vegetation still appear remnants of the parana pine (Araucaria angustifolia), which resisted the action of modern civilization. The parana pines are in private and public areas, now protected by environmental legislation which prevents it from being overturned. The Municipal Secretariat of the Environment maintains a botanical garden and three green houses for the annual production of 150,000 seedlings of native and exotic tree species, 16,000 seedlings of fruit trees, 260,000 seedlings of flowers, foliage and underbrush, on top of the total maintenance of 350,000 seedlings. The green area of the city is one of largest in Brazil.
The vegetation of Curitiba is also characterized by the existence of a large quantity of purple and yellow ipês (tabebuias), making a spectacle of beauty to the landscape of the city during the flowering in the end of winter. Currently, the yellow ipê is the most common tree in the city.
Neighborhoods
Bairros (neighbourhoods) of Curitiba are geographical divisions of the city. There is no delegation of administrative powers to neighborhoods, although there are several neighborhoods associations devoted to improve their own standards of living.
Curitiba is divided into 9 regional governments (boroughs), covering the 75 neighbourhoods of the city. All districts are served by the system of integrated urban transport.
In the second half of the 19th century many European immigrants formed colonial settlements. These settlements developed into the modern-day districts and neighbourhoods of Curitiba.
The centre ("Downtown" in American English or "CBD" - central business district - in other English use), is the place where the city was founded. It is the busiest area, most of the financial institutions of Curitiba are there.
Social issues
The growth of urban population of Curitiba, that turned the city in a modern metropolis, has generated some social problems. Like other major Brazilian cities, Curitiba has seen the emergence of slums in some neighborhoods and around the city, and the growth of street inhabitants, that many times had been sent of other cities and States, and are dropped in the streets of the city. This fact has made a small growth of crime level, but is not comparable to other major Brazilian cities.
Moreover, many rivers contains levels of pollution; the landfill (deposit of garbage) is almost full; the public transport sometimes is not enough for the quantity of people (in the rush hour), and the Brazilian government does not yield funds for the construction of a subway in the city.
Architecture
A variety of architectural styles, ancient and modern, make the urban landscape of Curitiba be very interesting and represent an enormous cultural heritage.
The architecture that is in Curitiba has a strong influence of the culture of immigrants, from various countries, mainly Europe.
Buildings in eclectic architecture, neoclassical, colonial, Byzantine, oriental, and styles inspired by the land of immigrants confirm the diversity and cultural richness of Curitiba. It is possible to find places that still keep lambrequins (short ornaments, typical of some European places in the past, on top of roofs or windows), palaces in the urban area, buildings made between the nature, and even the first rotating building in the world, who are harmoniously distributed in the city.
Also, buildings that are integrate with nature is a tendency in the 21st century and reflect an important style of Curitiba, as one can see in some famous places of the city.
Because it is a planned city, the administration uses a rigid plan for growth, aiming to facilitate the use of public transport. The idea was to organize the city along transport corridors. The buildings are close to major bus lines. The rule is simple: buildings with more than eight floors can only be built in the first block, near the corridor. Buildings with less than eight floors, in the second block, and in other, smaller buildings and houses. This encourages the system bus, that is widely used, reducing the number of cars.
The people
In 2007, there were 1,797,408 people living in the city of Curitiba. In 2000, Curitiba was the seventh biggest city in Brazil. It is the biggest city in the southern part of the country, as big as second and third largest cities in the south together. In the same year, the city was the leader in longevity, with the life expectancy at birth at 71.6 years of age.
In 2007, there were 3,230,000 people living in the urban areas around Curitiba. The population density was 4.159,4 inh./km². The census showed the numbers: 2,503,250 White people (77.4%), 584,000 Pardo people (18.2%), 93,000 Black people (2.9%), 45,000 Asian or Amerindian people (1.4%).
Municipal Population: 1,797,408 inhabitants (100% urban; 52.07% men and 47.93% women)
Total metropolitan population: 3,335,588 inhabitants
Population density: 4.111,9 inhabitants/km²
Fertility rate: 1.74 children per woman
Literacy rate: 96.63%
Human Development Index (HDI-M): 0856
HDI-M Income: 0.846
HDI-M Longevity: 0.776
HDI-M Education: 0.946
Population growth
Economy
Curitiba is the economic center of the southern Brazil and is among the four largest GDP of the country. The city concentrates the largest portion of the structure of government and public services of the Paraná state and hosts major companies in the sectors of trade, services and financial things. The city has the strongest economy of the south of the country, because the work of export of more than 900 factories just in the Cidade Industrial neighborhood and major automobile industries which are in the Greater Curitiba.
The city was elected several times as "The Best Brazilian City for Business", according to rankings done by the Exame magazine, in partnership with the consultancy Simonsen & Associates.
In July 2001, Curitiba has become the first city in the country to receive the prize "Pole of Information Technology", granted by InfoExame magazine, because the performance of their companies of technology. According to the magazine, the number of companies of "Technology and Information Technology" based in Curitiba submitted in 2001 a turnover of US $1.2 billion, representing a growth of 21% over the previous year. According to a study done by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Curitiba is the sixth Brazilian city with the largest number of international events.
In 2007, the respected Veja magazine indicates Curitiba as the best destination for business in Brazil. Ninety-four experts, chosen by the magazine, show the capital as the best Brazilian city for investment. The city is becoming one of the largest and most important centers of technology, attracting giants of the sector of information technology in the areas of software and hardware, becoming the national pole.
Gross domestic product
Analyzing the GDP of Curitiba, it appears that in the period from 1995 to 2000, the economy grew about 3% a year.
About the GDP per capita, in 2000, the city had an income 37% higher than Brazil. In the same year, the economic sector that compose most of GDP in Curitiba was the service sector with 38.8%, followed by the industrial sector with 36%.
Approximately 40% of GDP comes from the industry and the rest of activities related to the tertiary sector.
Participation in GDP
Agriculture/animal husbandry: 0.03%
Industry: 34.13%
Services: 65.84%
Gross Domestic Product
$5.573.796.668,02%
GDP per capita
$4.038,92%
Education
In the 1990s, the city started a project called Faróis de Saber ("Lighthouses of Knowledge"). These Lighthouses are free educational centers which include libraries, Internet access, and other cultural resources. This community libraries works with municipal schools, have a collection of approximately 5000 books, and be cultural reference and leisure for the community, and are designed to diversify the opportunities of access to knowledge, expanding the area of formal education.
In each quarter of the city, these "Lighthouses of Knowledge" have been implanted containing library and room of computer science, to public use, mainly by students; job training, social welfare and educational programs are coordinated, and often supply labor to improve the city's amenities or services, as well as education and income.
Among the Brazilian capitals, Curitiba has the lowest rate of illiteracy, and also number 1 in education between the Brazilian capitals.
Curitiba has many universities, being Universidade Federal do Paraná ("Federal University of Paraná") the most important of the region, and the oldest of Brazil.
Portuguese is the official national language, and is the primary language used in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.
Tourism
Every year, tourism grows in Curitiba. To attend this demand, the Linha Turismo ("Tourism Line") started in 1994. It is a special city tour that visits the principal tourist attractions in Curitiba, featuring comfortable white buses with big windows and a shape similar to that of streetcars. The vehicles have a sound system that plays recorded messages describing sites in three different languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish. It is possible to visit the parks, squares and the rest of the city's tourist attractions. Considered one of the best in the country, the Linha Turismo is available every thirty minutes and has a two and a half-hour tour, which travels around forty-four kilometers. To go on the tour you must buy a ticket with five tickets that give you the right to get on and off bus four times. Users can therefore choose the touristic point where they want to stay longer. Then, they can embark again to complete the remaining part of the itinerary. Today the line goes to 25 key reference points in Curitiba, completing 44 km in 2 and ½ hours.
According to a study done by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Curitiba is the sixth Brazilian city with the largest number of international events and, according to the FIPE, is the third city to receive foreign tourists for business. In 2006, the city placed 6th among the best Brazilian cities to hold events and tourism business; in the same year, the flow of tourists outnumbered the number of inhabitants. Out of about the 2 million visitors, approximately half landed the business. To attend the growing demand, the number of hotels in the city has developed and is now considered the fourth largest in the country. Curitiba and its Metropolitan Area have a modern hotel infrastructure, with 150 hotels and service flats totaling 18 thousand beds (as per May 2005). The good restaurants and customized services are approved by 92.4% of those who leave the city, according the Secretariat of State for Tourism of Paraná. In 2007, Curitiba was elected as one of the 4 best Brazilian cities for travel and tourism, according to a major Brazilian magazine about tourism. In 2008 another important magazine said that Curitiba is the best cultural destination and better cost-benefit to tourism in the South region of Brazil.
Gallery
Culture
Gastronomy
The pine nuts (seeds of Parana Pine) are probably the most unique elements in the gastronomy of Paraná and Curitiba; it is used not only as aperitif, but also with traditional recipes that pass from generation to generation. Among the ingredients used, the pine nuts is a major ingredient, not only in Midwinter party (Festa Junina, the annual Brazilian celebration which take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter), but also in daily diet. Pancakes, breads, cakes, soups and appetizers are just some of the recipes prepared with this seed. The colonization and migration contributed to the mixture of flavors and dishes in the state. Indigenous and even Brazilians from other states added its revenue in local cuisine.
In Curitiba, one can find restaurants of all kinds. There are options for all tastes and palates, the regional to international cuisine. The city has food establishments specializing in German, Polish, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Indian, Mexican, etc., and, of course, regional cuisines of Brazil. Santa Felicidade neighborhood is considered to have good Italian food; it is the place where some of the first Italian immigrants arriving in Paraná settled, where they dedicated themselves to the agricultural production, planting herbs, wine and cheese willow trees, the greatest attraction in Santa Felicidade is to be the gastronomic district of Curitiba, with a large number of restaurants offering typical food and wine from the colony. There are also wineries and wine bars, craft stores and willow furniture. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest restaurant of the Americas is in this Curitiba neighborhood.
Events
Every Sunday morning, in the Historic Area, in the old stoned streets at the Largo da Ordem and the pavement giving access to Garibaldi Square, with the Rosário Church, the Flowers Clock, the Memory Fountain and the Società Giuseppe Garibaldi make the space for the Crafts Fair, an exciting meeting point with live music. The Feira do Largo da Ordem ("Largo da Ordem's Street Fair") it is an open market, where you can find handicrafts, paintings, sculptures, typical foods, street artists, old car exhibition and a lot more. It is also possible to watch live small musical shows from local musicians or see some clowns doing humorous performances.
The Oficina de Música de Curitiba ("Music Workshop of Curitiba") was established in 1983, with the proposal to discover and train new talent. Nowadays its one of the biggest Brazilian events for training, retraining and improvement of musicians. Join the Workshop of Music, held every year in January, students and teachers from all over Brazil (about 2,000 students and more than 100 teachers); among students and teachers, the Office of Music had, over editions, with representatives from throughout Latin America (mainly from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), United States, France, Switzerland, Holland, England, Germany, Norway, Spain, Italy, Portugal, China and Israel. The best instrumentalists, conductors and singers of Brazil, by classical music and popular, within the framework of teachers and directors of the workshop. Grand masters of other countries are special guests and, apart from giving lessons, make unprecedented concerts for the public of the city.
Curitiba has a strong relationship with the performing arts and theatre. Since 1992, the city hosts a major festival of theatre, the Festival de Teatro de Curitiba, composed of international attractions, large national attractions, local presentations, and alternative exhibitions, which each year attracts a large number of tourists and made an expressive cultural movement. Until 2007, were presented officially 1607 spectacles, to an audience estimated at 1.2 million people. The city has theatres with excellent techno-acoustic feedback, as the Teatro Guaíra, one of the largest rooms in number of spectators by South America.
In November happens the Maratona Ecológica Internacional de Curitiba ("Curitiba International Ecological Marathon"). This marathon is known as the hardest in Brazil, because happens in the end of the year, when there usually is warm weather in the city (because it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere), and the hilly course, with many of the inclines being in the last 10 km. To compensate the hard course, runners count with good structure and enthusiastic fans cheering along the course.
In December, the city becomes the "Capital of Christmas", and can be one of the most popular tourist destinations at this time of year, because of the mild climate, and Curitiba has many free cultural attractions. The most traditional is the choir of the Palácio Avenida: 160 poor children of charities institutes sing Christmas songs in windows of a historic building adorned with 90 thousand lamps, attracting thousands of spectators. It is probably the best known Christmas event in Brazil. Moreover, the entire city be decorated in two official events, the "Christmas of Light" and "Enchanted Christmas", where several tourist attractions are decorated for Christmas, as well as free theatre shows on public places and parks, bands and orchestras in public places showing traditional musics, many giant Christmas trees around the city, special fairs with Christmas things, prizes for the most lighted houses, etc.
Every year, the Crystal Fashion Week occurs in the city, together with the Fashion's Forum. It is the biggest event about fashion in the southern Brazil, and generally, the launching party occurs in the Castelo do Batel ("Batel Castle") (an old mansion from the beginning of the 20th century, launched in space for events), and the parades and presentations happen in the Shopping Crystal Plaza. Participants of the fashion week include national and international celebrities, fashion designers, fashion professionals and people interested in style, which has famous marks of clothing - and footwear stores and jewelry shops, as occurred in the XVIII edition of the event in 2008.
Every year, happens in Curitiba the largest Gay Pride Parade in Southern Brazil, called Parada da Diversidade ("Parade of Diversity"), covering not only the discussion of gender but also other social minorities historically discriminated. With a mix of celebration and political claim, it happens since 1995.
The city hosts the Casa Cor Paraná - an exhibition of decoration, architecture and ambiance; in 2008, the 15th edition of the event in the state of Paraná had the participation of 116 exhibitors, featuring new trends on architecture, decoration and design. In 2007, had the visitation of 30,000 people in five weeks.
Museums
Curitiba has several museums. Some of the most important are:
Museu Paranaense ("Paranaense Museum") - dedicated to the arts and history;
Oscar Niemeyer Museum - the largest museum of Latin America, dedicated to plastic arts;
Museu de Arte Sacra ("Religious Art Museum") - the focus are religious and sacred Christian art in general;
Museu do Expedicionário ("Museum of Expeditionary") - dedicated to the history of Brazilian participation in World War II;
Museu de Arte Contemporânea ("Museum of Contemporary Art");
Museu da Imagem e do Som ("Image and Sound Museum") - about cinema and photography;
Museu Metropolitano de Arte de Curitiba ("Metropolitan Museum of Art in Curitiba") - modern art;
Museu de História Natural ("Natural History Museum") - dedicated to the biology and botany;
Museu Municipal de Arte (MuMA) – Portão Cultural (Municipal Art Museums) - has the objective of preserving, conserving, storing and disseminating the art collection of regional artists;
Museu do Holocausto (Holocaust Museum of Curitiba) - dedicated to the history of the holocaust and the memories of it victims.
Presentation spaces
Many space for presentations in Curitiba are tourist attractions in themselves. The Parque das Pedreiras ("Quarries Park"), for example, which includes the area that was once a stone quarry and has now been named the Pedreira Paulo Leminski, as well as a theater called the Ópera de Arame ("Wire Opera House"), has already become a tourist point. The Pedreira Paulo Leminski is an open area where events can be held for large audiences, for it has a capacity of up to 30,000 people. The Wire Opera House was built in a record-breaking period of 75 days to host the first edition of the Festival de Teatro de Curitiba. Its metallic structures, which look like wires, have become an architectural mark in the city and nationwide.
In 1971, was inaugurated the Teatro Paiol - a construction of 1874, which was used by the Brazilian Army as arsenal of gunpowder and ammunition, turned into a cultural and scenic area. The Guaíra Theater is one of the largest theaters in all of Latin America and a point in the itinerary of many large nationwide touring plays and performances. In the city’s historical sector, the Memorial of Curitiba is a new and modern site, which found its inspiration in the Parana Pine.
All the parks of the city have places for folklore and cultural presentations by various ethnic groups of Curitiba.
Cinema theatres
The first movie designed in Curitiba was in 1897, shortly after the invention of cinematograph by Lumière Brothers. Currently, the Cultural Foundation of Curitiba runs two movie theaters in the downtown area: the Cine Luz and the Cinemateca (for special movies), which offer many art movie programs at affordable prices. The Cinema a Um Real project ("Watch a movie for one Real") is available every Sunday, featuring movies targeted to a more popular taste with cheap prices (R$1,00 - around US $0,40), allowing citizens from low-income classes to go to the movies. Furthermore, the city runs the Cinema nos Bairros project ("A Movie Theater in Your Neighborhood"), which was designed to allow a larger portion of the population to get to know video productions. The project offers movie sessions for free and schedules weekly sessions at schools, Ruas da Cidadania ("Citizenship Streets"), parish halls, neighborhood associations as well as other institutions that take part in this partnership project. At these places children get a chance to see how movie projectors work and also have a better grasp of each movie, so that they become increasingly interested in the art of moviemaking.
Today, Curitiba has, approximately, 70 movie theatres, with daily programming, and is the first city in Brazil to have an IMAX cinema. It is in the Palladium Shopping Center, which is the biggest mall in Southern Brazil.
Media
Sports
The city has many areas and buildings for sport. Even sports not very popular in Brazil (like American football or baseball, for example) are played in the city. Golf was introduced at around 1904 by English immigrants. Famous golfers in Curitiba include Walt Disney, who played a game in 1939.
Curitiba also houses the Training Center of the Brazil national gymnastics team.
Soccer is the most popular sport, with several clubs based in Curitiba, such as:
Coritiba Foot Ball Club;
Clube Atlético Paranaense;
Paraná Clube;
Curitiba is also one of the 18 cities to hold games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil.
Neighbourhoods
Matriz: Centro, Centro Cívico, Batel, Bigorrilho, Mercês, São Francisco, Bom Retiro, Ahu, Juvevê, Cabral, Hugo Lange, Jardim Social, Alto da XV, Alto da Glória, Cristo Rei, Jardim Botânico, Prado Velho and Rebouças;
Santa Felicidade: Santa Felicidade, Lamenha Pequena, Butiatuvinha, São João, Vista Alegre, Cascatinha, São Brás, Santo Inácio, Orleans, Mossunguê, Campina do Siqueira, Seminário, CIC (north region) and part of Campo Comprido;
Boa Vista: Boa Vista, Bacacheri, Bairro Alto, Tarumã, Tingüi, Atuba, Santa Cândida, Cachoeira, Barreirinha, Abranches, Taboão, Pilarzinho and São Lourenço;
Cajuru: Cajuru, Uberaba, Jardim das Américas, Guabirotuba and Capão da Imbuia;
Fazendinha/Portão: Portão, Fazendinha, Santa Quitéria, Vila Isabel, Água Verde, Parolin, Guaíra, Lindóia, Fanny, Novo Mundo and part of Campo Comprido;
Boqueirão: Boqueirão, Xaxim, Hauer and Alto Boqueirão;
Pinheirinho: Pinheirinho, Capão Raso, Tatuquara, Campo de Santana and Caximba;
Bairro Novo: Sítio Cercado, Ganchinho and Umbará;
Cidade Industrial de Curitiba: CIC (center and south region), Riviera, Augusta and São Miguel.
Government
The executive is currently exercised by the mayor Beto Richa (elected in 2004, reelected in 2008 and with a mandate until 2012), by the deputy mayor (vice mayor) Luciano Ducci and the municipal secretaries appointed by the mayor. The City Council of Curitiba was created in 1693, and has a total of 38 Councillors elected since 2004.
Curitiba is divided into nine regional governments (equivalent to subprefecture), who manage the 75 districts of the municipality. The Rua da Cidadania ("Street of Citizenship") is the symbol of administrative decentralization; it is a reference point and meeting place for the user of municipal utilities. In a regional context, taking into account the needs and rights of the citizen in trade, leisure and services, facilitating the access of the population for different services in the areas of health, justice, policing, education, sport, housing, environment, urban planning, social service and supply, etc. Several units work annexed to the terminals of public transport in Curitiba. Their nuclei offer services in the local, state and federal areas.
Official symbols
The official symbols of the city are the flag, the seal, and the hymn composed by Ciro Silva and Bento Mossurunga. In addition, through the municipal Law 10,236, was introduced as "place symbol of the city of Curitiba" the historic building of the Federal University of Paraná.
Official calendar - holidays
29 March: Foundation of Curitiba;
8 September: Day of the city's patroness, Our Lady of Light of Pine Forests;
28 October: Day of Public Servant.
Greater Curitiba
The Greater Curitiba is the 118th largest metropolitan area in the world. Estimates from the 2007 Census show that the Metropolitan Area of Curitiba have 3,172,357 inhabitants, the second most populated in the south of Brazil. Have an area of 15.418,543 km².
Created in 1973, the Metropolitan Area of Curitiba is currently composed of 26 municipalities, including the capital.
With an industrial park of 43 million square meters, the Metropolitan Area of Curitiba has attracted large companies such as Audi, VW, Nissan, Renault, New Holland, Volvo, Fiat, ExxonMobil, Sadia, Kraft Foods, Esso, HSBC and Siemens.
The Greater Curitiba is home to the Afonso Pena International Airport (in the city of São José dos Pinhais) and the motorsports circuit Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba (in the city of Pinhais).
Twin towns (sister cities)
The twin towns of Curitiba are:
References
Other websites
Official homepage
An interesting article about the city, written in simple English
Curitiba travel information at Wikivoyage
Capitals of Brazilian states
1693 establishments
17th-century establishments in Brazil |
32003 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia | Crocodilia | The Order Crocodilia is a group of Archosaur reptiles. There are three living families.
Crocodiles are the nearest living relatives to birds, because they are both survivors of the Archosaurs.
Crocodiles are first found in the Upper Cretaceous period. They are descendents of a much wider group of Archosaurs called the Crocodylomorphs. These, in the Upper Triassic, were slender land-living forms, the sister group of the dinosaurs.
The Crocodylomorphs, in turn, were part of an even larger group, the Crurotarsi, which are first seen early in the Triassic.
Sauropsida
Archosauria
Crurotarsi
Crocodylomorphs
Crocodilia
Taxonomy
Order Crocodilia
Family Crocodylidae
Crocodiles
Family Alligatoridae
Alligators
Caimans
Family Gavialidae
Gharial
False Gharial |
32009 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics | Biometrics | Biometrics is a field of study which identifies or recognises people by the traits they have. Not to be confused with biometry, the application of statistics to biology.
Given those traits, a system can be trained to recognise certain people, with a certain probability. Training lowers the probability of falsely identifying someone.
The traits used are of two types:
Based on the body (physiological traits). These include fingerprints, face recognition, scent, voice recognition, iris (eye), or retina recognition.
Based on the behaviour of a person.
Most often, the two types are combined, as in voice or signature recognition. Most of these biometrics are seen as "behavioral", but some are linked to the physiology, e.g. of the vocal tract, or of the hand.
A person may be identified by a fingerprint, or by letting the person sign a document. The data could then be kept. Someone who is checking can again take the fingerprint or the signature, and compare it to the old version.
When selecting features, those choosing must also look at social acceptance. Taking a fingerprint may be ok, taking a blood test may not be. Some biometric data is also easier to fake, e.g. signatures.
Also, when voice samples are taken, they may be distorted, if only a telephone line is available. Telephone lines cut off some bandwidth from the signal.
Other than for passports, biometric methods are also used in many banks.
Related pages
Fingerprint scanner
References
Anatomy
Authentication methods |
32010 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth%20%28signal%20processing%29 | Bandwidth (signal processing) | Bandwidth is used to measure electronic and other types of communication. This includes radio, electronics, and other forms of electromagnetic radiation, Bandwidth is the difference between the electronic signal having highest-frequency and the signal having the lowest-frequency.
In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a term for the data transfer bit rate. More easily, the amount of data that is carried or passed from one point to another in a network, in a given time period (usually a second).
Frequency
Many systems work by means of continuous movements, or oscillations. Each complete "back and forth" it makes is called a cycle. The number of cycles every second is its frequency. Frequency is measured in cycles per second, most often called "Hertz", or "Hz" for short.
Systems have at least one frequency, and usually many different frequencies. For example, sound waves travel as vibrations. People can hear sound frequencies low as 20 Hz, and high as 20,000 Hz. A band of frequencies is a continuous range of frequencies; the band of frequencies people can hear is from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Bandwidth is the width of a frequency band; The width is the highest frequency minus the lowest frequency. In the hearing example, the bandwidth of a person's ears is about 20,000 Hz - 20 Hz = 19,980 Hz.
Usage
Bandwidth is used with electromagnetic spectrum (for example, radio waves, light waves and X-rays). Such waves are oscillations of electric and magnetic fields. For example, the lowest United States AM radio channel has the band of frequencies from 535,000 Hz to 545,000 Hz. It has a bandwidth of 10,000 Hz (545,000 - 535,000 = 10,000). All United States AM radio broadcasting stations have this bandwidth (But, the location of each band is distinct). The lowest United States FM radio channel has the band from 88,000,000 Hz (88 MHz) to 88,200,000 Hz (88.2 MHz). It has a bandwidth of 200 kHz. You can see that the width of an FM band is 20 times the width of an AM band.
The word "bandwidth" has been used incorrectly in digital data communication to mean "data carrying capacity". There is no such thing as "digital bandwidth"; the proper term for the data carrying capacity of a communication channel is channel capacity.
In general, the channel capacity of a system increases with the bandwidth used for communication. However, many other parts are also important. Therefore, in most systems, the channel capacity is different from the channel bandwidth.
References
Internet
Mechanical vibrations
Radio technology
Electronics |
32011 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz | Hertz | The hertz (symbol: Hz, definition: 1/s) is a unit derived from time which measures frequency in the International System of Units (SI). Frequency is how often something happens. A frequency of 1 hertz means that something happens once a second. The note Middle C (the C in the middle of the piano) is 261.65 (262) Hz. This means there are 262 vibrations every second, which is heard as the note Middle C, when that piano key is played.
Humans are able to hear sounds between 20-20 000 Hz. Owls are able to hear sounds between 200–12000 Hz.
The basic unit is 1/second. The unit is named after a German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz.
Multiple units
1000 hertz is 1 kilohertz. 1000 kilohertz is 1 megahertz, 1000 megahertz is 1 gigahertz: (see table)
Examples
The frequency of the Earth's spinning (once per ~24 hours) is about 12 microhertz (much smaller than 1 Hz).
The hertz is sometimes used to measure the power of a processor in computing and electronics.
Amateur radio in the United States Of America is at different frequencies between 1.8 and 1300 MHz
Air traffic control uses frequencies between 3 and 25 MHz as well as frequencies between 108 and 136 MHz
Musical note middle G (G4) has a frequency of 392 Hz.
Sources
Units of measurement |
32023 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman%20Returns | Batman Returns | Batman Returns was the second (and last) Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. It was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide to critical and financial success although a backlash criticized the movie's dark and mature undertones.
Release Dates
Plot
A couple throws their child into the sewers because he is deformed. 33 years later, the child becomes the supervillain, Penguin. He kidnaps businessman Max Shreck, blackmailing him into helping him become a citizen of Gotham City using evidence of his corporate crimes. Meanwhile, Max finds out his secretary, Selina Kyle, has found out he is planning to build a power plant which will drain Gotham City of its electricity. Max pushes her out of a window, ensuring that she will not tell anyone. However, a flock of alley cats lick her semi-corpse, reviving her. She returns home, suffering a mental breakdown, becoming the supervillain, Catwoman.
Penguin makes one of his costumed henchman to kidnap the mayor's baby while he "saves" him, becoming a hero in the eyes of the people however, billionaire Bruce Wayne is suspicious of the Penguin and finds out that he is the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang who commits crimes throughout Gotham. As Batman, Bruce decides to protect Gotham from the gang. After Penguin finds out his parents are dead and his name is Oswald Cobblepot, Max decides to make Penguin the mayor of Gotham City because the current mayor will not approve Max's power plant.
To do this, Penguin makes the Red Triangle Circus Gang create a riot, making the people lose all faith in the mayor but Batman stops it. During the riot, Catwoman vandalizes Shreck's Department Store. When Batman and Penguin confront each other, she intervenes, saying "Meow" before the store blows up(she rigged it to blow). Penguin escapes but Catwoman fights Batman. Batman pushes her off a rooftop but a sandbox on a truck saves her. The next day, Penguin and Catwoman work together to destroy Batman. Bruce and Selina also have a romantic relationship. Penguin and Catwoman kidnap the Ice Princess, an actress chosen to turn on the Gotham City Christmas Tree Lights, framing Batman for it. Batman finds her but Catwoman takes her to a rooftop where Penguin releases a swarm of flying bats which make the Princess retreat backwards, falling off, making the people believe Batman killed her. Catwoman rejects Penguin's advances, prompting him to kill her, unsuccessfully though. Batman enters the Batmobile and finds out that Penguin has control over it. Penguin takes it on a devastating rampage but Batman regains control over it, escaping death.
During the rampage, Batman recorded Penguin's evil plans and plays it during Penguin's election speech, turning the people against him. Penguin goes mad with rage and kidnaps all the first-born sons of Gotham City and Max too. Batman saves all the babies and pushes Penguin into toxic liquid. Catwoman tries to kill Max but Batman stops her. Max shoots Batman, knocking him out and Catwoman claims that she has six of her nine lives left but Max shoots her four times, leaving her with two lives. Catwoman kisses Max with an electrical taser between their lips and connects it to a broken wire, creating an explosion which kills Max but Batman cannot find Selina's corpse. Penguin emerges from the water but the heat kills him.
Afterwards, Alfred, Bruce's butler, drives Bruce home. Suddenly, Bruce spots Selina's shadow in an alley. He investigates the area, only finding her black cat, Miss Kitty, taking her with him. He and Alfred exchange Christmas wishes. Finally, Batsignal lights up in the night sky and Catwoman rises up, staring at it, confirming that she is alive.
Production
Tim Burton was not willing to direct a second Batman. However, when the studio told him if it was a Burton movie, not a Batman movie, it got his attention and he agreed to direct it. They cast Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny DeVito as Penguin and Annette Bening as Catwoman. However, Bening dropped out due to pregnancy and every actress from 20-45 on the plant wanted to be Catwoman. When Michelle Pfeiffer expressed an interest, something clicked to the producers thinking "You know, she's perfect. She also could be both Selina Kyle and Catwoman." The final shot of Catwoman staring at the Batsignal was shot during post-production and cost US$250 000.
Release
The movie was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide. It received a score of 81% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $282,822,354 worldwide, being the sixth highest-grossing film of 1992. It is then and now, the best reviewed Batman movie from the Burton/Schumacher movie series.
Related pages
Batman
Batman (1989 movie)
Batman Forever
References
Other websites
Movies based on comic book characters
1992 movies
1990s superhero movies
Batman (1989 movie series)
Batman movies
Movies composed by Danny Elfman
English-language movies
Warner Bros. movies
American superhero movies |
32027 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster%20Scots%20dialects | Ulster Scots dialects | Ulster Scots, sometimes called Ullans, is a dialect of Scots spoken in some of the northern parts of Ireland, across Ulster. It is closely related to the English language.
References
Dialects of English
Ireland
Northern Ireland
West Germanic languages |
32030 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara%20Cox | Sara Cox | Sara Cox (born 13 December 1974) is an English broadcaster. She was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester. She presents shows for BBC Radio 1 and has hosted many television programmes.
References
Other websites
1974 births
Living people
BBC radio presenters
English radio personalities
English television presenters
People from Bolton |
32031 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star%20Trek%3A%20Deep%20Space%20Nine | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is the third Star Trek television series. Most of the series takes place on a space station called "Deep Space Nine". It was the first and so far only Star Trek show to be based on a space station rather than a starship.
Episodes
"Babel"
On the space station Deep Space Nine, the crew gets sick with an aphasia virus, which makes them say random words in place of what they mean to say.
Cast
Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) – Commander of the Space Station Deep Space Nine, in which the show takes place
Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) – Alien (Bajoran) military officer, second in command of Deep Space Nine
Odo (René Auberjonois) – Alien (Changeling) security chief of Deep Space Nine
Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) – Chief Engineer
Worf (Michael Dorn) – Tactical Officer
Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) – Science Officer
Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) – Station Counselor. Replaced Jadzia Dax in show's final year
Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) – Station's doctor
Quark (Armin Shimerman) – Owns a bar on Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine
First run syndicated television programs
1993 American television series debuts
Television spin-offs
1999 American television series endings
1999 television series endings
English-language television programs |
32032 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winx%20Club | Winx Club | Winx Club is an Italian/American animated TV show made by Rainbow SpA and Nickelodeon. It is about six fictional fairies named Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Aisha. In the episodes of the series, the girls have to fight lots of different enemies, such as witches and fairy hunters. Together with their school's principal, Miss Faragonda, they learn to use their magical powers and defeat their enemies.
Plot
In the beginning of the season, Bloom, a normal girl from Earth, lives a normal life with her parents and her pet bunny, Kiko. But one day, she walks in on a fight between an ogre and a fairy. After she helps the fairy defeat the ogre, the fairy tells Bloom that her name is Stella. Bloom goes with Stella to the Alfea college for fairies in the enchanted realm of Magix. There, she meets three other fairies, Flora, Musa, and Tecna. The five girls form the Winx Club. Early in the season, they also meet four guys from another school, Redfountain. These guys, called Specialists, are named Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Timmy. They also meet their enemies of the season, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, three witches who call themselves the Trix. The Trix go to a school for witches called Cloudtower. Late in the season, the Trix steal Bloom's power, the Dragon's Flame, and use it to summon the Army of Darkness. By the end of the season, Bloom gets her powers back and the Winx girls defeat the Trix, saving Magix.
Season two
In this season, the Winx Club fairies go back to Alfea college for their second year. A new fairy named Aisha joins the team after escaping from Lord Darkar, the enemy of the season. Lord Darkar wants to find the four pieces of something called the Codex. The Codex can open the realm of Realix, where a large amount of power can be found. The Trix, now expelled from Cloudtower and stuck in the Fortress of Light, team up with Darkar. During the season, the Winx girls and Specialists try and fail to protect the four pieces of the Codex. Late in the season, Bloom gets turned evil by Darkar and exposes Alfea's piece of the Codex. During the season, the Winx also earn something called the Charmix, small pins and bags that increase a fairy's power greatly. In the final episode, the Winx and Specialists defeat Darkar and save Magix once again. New to the season are pixies, very small creatures that often bond with fairies. Helia also joins the Specialists and becomes Flora's boyfriend. By the end of the season, Bloom is Sky's girlfriend, Stella is Brandon's, and Tecna is Timmy's. Musa and Riven have also gotten closer.
Season three
The Winx return to Alfea for their third year of school, where they find out they must earn their Enchantix this year. The Trix are sent to the Omega Dimension for teaming up with Lord Darkar, but they escape with the help of Valtor. Valtor is a sorcerer who destroyed Bloom's planet, Domino, and got sent to the Omega Dimension for his crimes. Through the season, the Winx girls earn their Enchantix one by one, and Valtor grows more powerful as he steals spells from planets. Late in the season, Valtor releases the Spell of the Elements and almost destroys Magix and the three schools. Bloom manages to defeat Valtor from within, saving the universe.Icy do seem to have a crush on Valtor but she remains to keep that secret.
Season four
After they graduate, the Winx return to Alfea as teachers of a class called "Winxology." However, four men, Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman, called the Wizards of the Black Circle show up and try to kidnap Bloom, thinking she is the last Earth fairy. They fail because, since Bloom is really from Domino, there is one last fairy on Earth. The Winx decide to go to Earth to find and protect the last fairy. Soon after they get to Earth, they open a fairy pet shop called Love&Pet, where they sell small magical pets with wings. Flora made the pets from stuffed animals. The Winx find the last fairy, Roxy, then earn their Believix after Roxy believed in fairies. Through the first half of the season, the Winx and Roxy battle against the Wizards. In episode 12, Roxy transforms into her fairy form after Gantlos insults her dog, Artu. In episode 13, so many humans begin believing in magic that the Winx become much more powerful and the Wizards are greatly weakened. In the second half of the season, the Winx go to an island called Tir Nan Og and release the Earth fairies trapped there. Once free, the Earth fairies turn on the humans and Wizards, wanting revenge. Through the second half of the season, the Winx have to face several major Earth fairies. Late in the season, they earn their Sophix and Lovix, two power-ups to Believix. In the final episode, the Winx, Roxy, and the Earth fairies join forces to defeat the Wizards, freezing them in a block of ice in the Omega Dimension. Near the end of the season, Roxy learns that Morgana, Queeen of the Earth fairies, is her mother.
Season five
Season six
Season seven
Season eight
Characters
Bloom is the leader of the Winx Club. She is the Fairy of the Dragon Flame, with red hair and powers that come from fire. She comes from a planet called Domino, but she grew up on Earth. She is the most powerful member of the team. Her boyfriend is Sky, a blond-haired fighter. Most of Bloom's outfits are blue.
Stella is the oldest fairy in the Winx Club. She is the Fairy of the Shining Sun and has blonde hair. She comes from a planet called Solaria. Her boyfriend is Brandon, Sky's bodyguard. Stella is a designer and likes to make clothes for the Winx. Most of Stella's outfits are orange.
Flora is the shy Fairy of Nature. She has light brown hair and powers that come from plants. She comes from a planet called Lynphea. Her boyfriend is Helia, a black-haired artist. Flora is very kind and has a quiet voice. Most of Flora's outfits are pink.
Musa is the Fairy of Music. She has black hair and loves to sing. She comes from a planet called Melody. Her boyfriend is Riven, who is sometimes rude to Musa. Musa and Riven have broken up a few times. Most of Mesa's outfits are red.
Tecna is the Fairy of Technology. She has pink hair and likes to work with machines. She comes from a planet called Zenith. Her boyfriend is Timmy, a very smart boy with glasses. Most of Tecna's outfits are purple.
Aisha is a fairy who joins the Winx Club in Season 2. She is the Fairy of Waves, with dark brown hair and powers that come from water. She comes from a planet called Andros. Her boyfriend was Nabu, a wizard from Andros, until he died in Season 4. Aisha later gets a new boyfriend named Nex. She is an athlete who likes to play sports. Most of Aisha's outfits are colors of the ocean: teal, purple, or green.
The Trix are a group of three witches from a college called Cloud Tower. They are named Icy, Darcy, and Stormy. Icy has powers that come from ice, Darcy has powers that come from darkness, and Stormy has powers that come from the weather.
Roxy is the youngest and weakest fairy. She first appears in Season 4. Roxy is the Fairy of Animals and has straight purple hair. She is a stubborn tomboy who likes helping all animals in her city, even bugs. She comes from Earth and does not have a boyfriend.
Daphne is Bloom's older sister. She is a nymph from Domino. Her husband is Thoren. Until Season 5, Daphne was a spirit without a real body, since she had been under a curse.
Sources
Animated television series
Italian animated television series
2004 television series debuts
Nicktoons
Nickelodeon television series |
32034 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack%20o%27lantern%20mushroom | Jack o'lantern mushroom | The jack o'lantern mushroom is an orange- to yellow gilled mushroom. It looks like the chanterelle and emits light. Unlike the chanterelle, the jack o'lantern mushroom is very poisonous. While eating this mushroom will not kill you, it may cause cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. This mushroom smells and looks very appealing, so there are reports of repeat poisonings from individuals who were tempted to try them a second time.
Description
The Jack-o-Lantern mushroom's fruiting body (its stem and cap) is an orange color. It grows from late summer into November, in large clumps on or near tree stumps. However, it can also be found growing on the ground (along buried roots) nearby. Underneath the cap is its well-known glowing color, which glows in a lime green color. This mushroom is asexual.
Gallery
fungi |
32035 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk%20County%2C%20Ontario | Norfolk County, Ontario | Norfolk County is a city in Ontario, Canada that is largely agricultural. It has many primary schools and high schools and the majority of citizens are Christian. Its communities include:
Simcoe
Delhi
Port Dover
Pine Grove
Gilbertville
Waterford
The current mayor is Charlie Luke who was elected on November 13, 2014.
Cities in Ontario |
32036 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simcoe%2C%20Ontario | Simcoe, Ontario | Simcoe is a small town in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada.
Buildings
It has a secular high school and a faith-based high school along with several primary schools, two shopping malls, two free clinics and a hospital.
The Internet is available in Simcoe in both dial-up and broadband forms. Although there are 3 video stores in the city, some people prefer satellite television over cable television or rented DVDs. The satellite television is cheaper than the local cable in this town. Basic cable starts out at over $100/month while satellite can range in price from free-to-air to expensive (but with more channels than basic cable). A Wal-Mart that opened on January 23, 2008 at the northeast end of Simcoe. A Shoppers Drug Mart and a Boston Pizza are currently open.
Festivals
During the summer, the town hosts the Friendship Festival, which is famous all over Ontario. In the fall, the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show brings carnival rides and midway attractions for 6 days. Simcoe is also a central area for migrant labour, to harvest tobacco, fruits and vegetables.
Religious festivals
Winter time brings the Panorama and a selection of religious and Christian dioramas for the town to see.
Famous people
For such a small town, Simcoe is famous for producing world class hockey talent. The town is famous for hockey players Rob Blake, Jassen Cullimore, Dwayne Roloson, Rick Wamsley, John Stevens (although not born in Simcoe, was product of Talbot Street arena hockey program), Geordie Kinnear, Ryan VandenBussche and more who play hockey in the National Hockey League in North America. Also it is the home of Red Kelly, who played in the NHL. The Stanley Cup was seen around Simcoe for 3 seasons in a row (over a 4-year period due to NHL Players strike that occurred). Barry Boughner was from local town Delhi, Ontario. Serious aspirational professional hockey player kids should strongly consider Simcoe as a starting point (in someone's opinion).
Towns in Ontario |
32037 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simcoe%20Composite%20School | Simcoe Composite School | Simcoe Composite School is a high school in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. It was established in the year 1898. There are lots of multicultural courses for students 14 to 21 years of age to study. The school is located near two parks, a busy downtown, fast food restaurants, and a post office. There is also a special education program for the mentally disabled to attend special courses and swimming on Wednesday afternoons at the local recreation centre. The school colors are blue and white.
English, French, and Spanish are the languages that are taught in Simcoe Composite School. There are also computer, music, drama, woodworking, and other classes. Simcoe is one of the oldest high schools in Norfolk County. Students from all over the county can attend this high school along with several others in the area.
Schools in Canada
Buildings and structures in Ontario
1898 establishments
1890s establishments in Canada |
32047 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal%20Party%20%28Australia%29 | Liberal Party (Australia) | The Liberal Party of Australia (Liberals, or LIB for short), in coalition with the National Party of Australia (Nationals, or NAT for short), is one of the two main political groups in Australian politics (the other being the Social Democratic Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberals/Nationals are the more conservative of the two main parties. It was founded by Sir Robert Menzies in 1944. They lost government to the ALP in the Australian federal election held on 24 November 2007. This was after 11 years in government under the previous Liberal leader, John Howard. The current Liberal leader is Scott Morrison. The Liberal/National coalition is currently in control in the Federal Parliament of Australia after beating the ALP during an election on 7 September 2013.
Liberal Prime Ministers of Australia
Robert Menzies - from 1949 until his resignation in 1966.
Harold Holt - from 1966 until his death in 1967.
John Gorton - from 1968 until his resignation 1971.
William McMahon - from 1971 until his loss to Gough Whitlam (ALP) in the 1972 election.
Malcolm Fraser - from his appointment following the Dismissal of Gough Whitlam in 1975 until his defeat by Bob Hawke (ALP) in 1983.
John Howard - from his victory over Paul Keating in 1996 to his defeat by Kevin Rudd (ALP) in 2007.
Tony Abbott - from his victory over Kevin Rudd in 2013.
Malcolm Turnbull - from replacing Abbott in 14 September 2015 to his resignation in 24 August 2018.
Scott Morrison - from replacing Turnbull as leader of the Liberal Party in 24 August 2018.
Federal Parliamentary Leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia
Sir Robert Menzies February 1945 to 26 January 1966
Harold Holt 26 January 1966 to 19 December 1967
Sir John Gorton 10 January 1968 to 10 March 1971
Sir William McMahon 10 March 1971 to 5 December 1972
Sir Billy Snedden December 1972 to March 1975
Malcolm Fraser March 1975 to 11 March 1983
Andrew Peacock March 1983 to September 1985
John Howard September 1985 to May 1989
Andrew Peacock May 1989 to March 1990
John Hewson April 1990 to May 1994
Alexander Downer May 1994 to January 1995
John Howard 30 January 1995 to 27 November 2007
Brendan Nelson 29 November 2007 to 16 September 2008
Malcolm Turnbull 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009
Tony Abbott 1 December 2009-14 September 2015
Malcolm Turnbull 14 September 2015-24 August 2018
Scott Morrison since 24 August 2018
Current Liberal leaders of States and Territories
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory: Willem Westra van Holte³, since February 2015.
Premier of Tasmania: Peter Gutwein since 2014.
Premier of New South Wales: Gladys Berejiklian, since 2014. .
²In Queensland the Liberal and National parties merged into the Liberal National Party of Queensland
³In the Northern Territory the party is called the Country Liberal Party.
Other notable Liberals
Enid Lyons - first woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives (for the UAP), then served as a Liberal from 1944-1951 and was appointed by Robert Menzies as the first woman to sit in the Australian Cabinet.
Neville Bonner as Senator for Queensland, he became the first Indigenous Australian to sit in the Federal Parliament.
Nick Greiner - Premier of New South Wales, 1988-1992.
Jeff Kennett - Premier of Victoria, 1992-1999.
Cate Carnell - Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, 1995-2000, and first Liberal woman to lead a state or territory.
Peter Costello - Australia's longest serving Treasurer (1996-2007).
Alexander Downer - Australia's longest serving Minister for Foreign Affairs (1996-2007).
Ken Wyatt - first Aboriginal member of the Australian House of Representatives (2010-)
References
Liberal parties
1945 establishments
1940s establishments in Australia |
32048 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul%20Keating | Paul Keating | Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia. He was from the Labor Party. He grew up in the city of Sydney and the suburb of Bankstown. He left De La Salle College at Bankstown at 14 years of age and worked as a clerk with the Sydney County Council doing this while juggling with studies and managed a rock band called The Ramrods. Annita van Iersel married Paul Keating in 1975. In 1998, the Keatings separated.
Keating was Treasurer from 1983 to 1991 and Deputy Prime Minister from 1990 to 1991. He challenged and beat Bob Hawke for the job of prime minister in 1991. He won one election in 1993 but was beaten by John Howard in 1996. As treasurer with Bob Hawke, he made lots of changes to the Australian economy and made it more modern. In the early 1990s, Australia had a really bad recession while he was treasurer, and when he became Prime Minister. As Prime Minister he tried to make Australia better friends with Asian countries and liked things like APEC. He also wanted Australia to become a republic and wanted the government to say it was "sorry" to Aboriginal people for the things that white Australians did long ago.
References
Politicians from Sydney
Keating, Paul
1944 births
Living people
Republicans
Australian Labor Party politicians
Treasurers of Australia
Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia |
32051 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal%20Party | Liberal Party | Liberal Party might refer to:
In particular, this applies to the following parties:
Liberal Party (UK)
Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party (Australia)
Liberal Party (1922)
Liberal Party (Philippines) |
32060 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth%20of%20Independent%20States | Commonwealth of Independent States | The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is the confederation of countries that used to form the Soviet Union. On December 8, 1991, leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine met at the nature reserve called Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus. They discussed the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in place of the Soviet Union. They reached an agreement about many points and signed a document creating the CIS. One of these points stated that the alliance would be open to all the republics of the Soviet Union. Other nations with similar goals could also join the CIS.
The Soviet Union had 15 republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. On 6th September 1991, the Soviet Union had recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Out of the remaining 12 republics, all (except Georgia) joined the CIS. Before joining the CIS, on 21st December 1991, leaders of these 11 countries had met in Kazakhstan to accept the original CIS agreement of 8th December 1991. Because Ukraine did not ratify the CIS agreement in the national parliament, it never became an official member of the CIS, but nevertheless participated as a de facto member. In December 1993, Georgia also joined the CIS. On 26th August 2006 Turkmenistan left the permanent membership, and became an associate member. On 15th August 2008 Georgia left the CIS membership, and Georgia's CIS membership officially ended on 17th August 2009. On 19 May 2018, Ukraine, which stopped participating in CIS in 2014 because of its conflict with Russia over Crimea and the Donbass, formally ended all participation in CIS.
With the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Soviet Union ceased to exist. It was the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Many consider that with CIS, Russia continues to have some control over the former republics of the Soviet Union.
The CIS has its headquarters at Minsk, Belarus. An Executive Director heads the CIS. The CIS is not a successor country to the Soviet Union. The CIS is an organization or alliance of independent countries. It is more like the European Community. The member countries of the CIS had also signed many agreements for economic cooperation and defense cooperation. They have signed other agreements for cooperation in foreign policy and other matters.
Other websites
http://cis.minsk.by Belarus
Commonwealth of Independent States - Citizendium
1991 establishments
International organizations
Political organizations based in Europe
Soviet Union
Politics of Asia
Politics of Europe
Political organizations based in Asia |
32061 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association%20of%20Southeast%20Asian%20Nations | Association of Southeast Asian Nations | The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an international organization. On 8th August 1967, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines formed the ASEAN. At that time, communism was growing in Vietnam, and these five countries were also facing problems inside their own countries. In this background, these five countries created ASEAN as a show of common display of cooperation. In short, the purpose of the organization is political and economic cooperation. The organization is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia.
There had been an earlier organization called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA). It was an international organization of Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. These three countries had formed ASA in 1961. It was named because all the countries in it are a part of Southeast Asia.
In 1976, the ASEAN countries held a conference in Bali. After this, these countries started closer economic cooperation. But, by the mid-1980s, the activities of the ASEAN had slowed down. By 1991, Thailand proposed a free trade area. The ASEAN countries meet every year to talk about many matters.
Originally there were only five members of the ASEAN. Brunei Darussalam joined the ASEAN on 7 January 1984. Vietnam joined the ASEAN on 28 July 1995. Laos and Myanmar joined the ASEAN on 23 July 1997. Cambodia became a member on 30th April 1999. East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not a member of ASEAN. However both East Timor and Papua New Guinea (which is not considered geographically a part of Southeast Asia) are observers of ASEAN and wish to become full members of ASEAN.
Some information about ASEAN countries is as follows:
About 8% of the population of the world lives in ASEAN countries. About 240 million Muslims live in these countries, mostly in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
About 170 million Christians live in these countries, mostly in the Philippines.
About 170 million Buddhists live in these countries, mostly in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The major products of the ASEAN countries are electronics, petroleum, and wood. The total Gross domestic product of these countries are $1,073.9 billion USD.
All the countries of the ASEAN countries have old cultures, and different types of governments.
The ASEAN countries had created an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). 27 countries are members of the ASEAN Regional Forum. The leaders of these countries meet and talk about various matters, especially security and economic cooperation. The current members in the ARF are: Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Australia, Canada, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, United States, and Sri Lanka.
The ASEAN holds a meeting every year. The meeting lasts for 3 days, and the members discuss many things.
References
Other websites
ASEAN Secretariat official website
ASEAN Foundation
Simple English Video about ASEAN, YouTube
1967 establishments in Asia |
32062 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric%20motor | Electric motor | An electric motor changes electrical energy into mechanical movement. A dynamo or an electric generator does the reverse: it changes mechanical movement into electric energy. Most electric motors work by using the force of magnetism. Electrostatic motors have also been used.
Machines using electric motors include: fans, washing machines, fridges, pumps, and vacuum cleaners.
Inside an Electric Motor
Let's start by looking at the overall plan of a simple two-pole DC electric motor. A simple motor has six parts:
• Armature or rotor
• Commutator
• Brushes
• Axle
• Field magnet
• DC power supply of some sort
An electric motor is all about magnets and magnetism: A motor uses magnets to create motion. If you have ever played with magnets you know about the fundamental law of all magnets: Opposites attract and likes repel. So if you have two bar magnets with their ends marked "north" and "south," then the north end of one magnet will attract the south end of the other. On the other hand, the north end of one magnet will repel the north end of the other (and similarly, south will repel south). Inside an electric motor, these attracting and repelling forces create rotational motion.
To understand how electric motors work, the key is to understand how electromagnets work. An electromagnet is the basis of an electric motor.
Electric motors are boardly classified in to two different categories i.e. DC (direct current) and AC (Alternating current). With in these categories there are numerous types, each offering unique abilities that suit them well for best applications.
History
In 1821, Michael Faraday made the first electric motor. It worked using the force of magnetism.
He created a simple electromagnet by taking a nail and a wire, wrapping about 100 loops of wire around the nail and connected it to a battery. With this he had a simple electromagnet with north and south pole. In the middle of the nail he had made a hole and put a spindle into the hole so that the nail could rotate. He then took a horseshoe-shaped magnet and placed the wire wrapped nail in the middle.
He connected the wire of the north pole to the negative pole of the battery and the wire of the south pole to the positive pole. The basic law of magnetism told him what would happen: the north end of the electromagnet would repel the north end of the horseshoe-shaped magnet and would attract the south pole. The same happened on the other side of the nail, with the result that the nail turned.
However, Faraday was not happy with the results because the electromotor turned only once. He later discovered that by simply wrapping the wire multiple times around the nail, he could cause the polarity to change back and forth. These additional "turns" around the nail, caused the wire-wrapped nail to turn continuously around the spindle (as long as the battery is not empty).
Related pages
Stepper motor
References
Motors
Electricity |
32064 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive%20material | Explosive material | Explosives are chemical compounds that cause explosions; they flare up and burst with a loud sound. Explosive material has many special characteristics: it is a chemically unstable material, it changes its form very fast and, while changing its form, it explodes by bursting and making loud sounds.
There are two types of explosives: low explosives and high explosives. This classification depends on their rate of explosion. Low explosives conflagrate (= burn very fast). High explosives detonate (= explode with bursts). A low explosive is a material, which burns very fast, but does not explode generally. For exploding them, people mix them with high explosives. Sometimes, even a low explosive may detonate. A high explosive bursts and explodes very fast. High explosives produce more pressure than low explosives but low explosives are more safe to use. People use low explosives in fuses, rocket engines and fireworks, and high explosives in mining and demolition (destroying old bridges and buildings). Guns use low explosives as propellants; most bombs use high explosives.
Gunpowder and ammonium nitrate are low explosives.
High explosives may belong to different groups: primary explosives and secondary explosives. Primary explosives are very unstable and rapidly react to shock, friction, and heat. Any shock, friction, or heat makes primary explosives to burn or blast fast. Secondary explosives are much more safe to use and do not react very fast to shock, friction, and heat. Any shock, friction, or heat may burn such explosives, but not make them to burst and blast. Some people call secondary explosives as base explosives. Some people also tell about another group of explosives. These are tertiary explosives. These explosives do not react to shock, friction, and heat. For explosion, tertiary explosives may need a mixture with secondary explosives.
Primary explosives are used as detonators: that is, to cause the secondary explosives to explode. Mercury fulminate, picric acid, lead azide, nitroglycerine and iodine nitride are examples of primary explosives. TNT, dynamite, hexogen, HMX and Torpex are examples of secondary explosives.
While sending explosives from one place to another, the packs containing different types of explosives may have different types of markings on the boxes. The United Nations has advised use of such markings. Some examples are:
1.1 Mass Explosion Hazard
1.2 Nonmass explosion, fragment-producing
1.3 Mass fire, minor blast or fragment hazard
1.4 Moderate fire, no blast or fragment: a consumer firework is 1.4G or 1.4S
1.5 Explosive substance, very insensitive (with a mass explosion hazard)
1.6 Explosive article, extremely insensitive
References |
32067 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNICEF | UNICEF | The United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF is an international organization. The United Nations established UNICEF on 11 December 1946. At that time, its name was United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. Thus, UNICEF became its short name. In 1953, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund dropped the words Emergency and International from its name. Its name became United Nations Children's Fund. But, in short, its name continued as UNICEF.
The current Executive Director of UNICEF is former United States National Security Advisor Anthony Lake since 2010.
UNICEF has its headquarters in New York, United States of America. UNICEF provides many types of assistance and help to children and mothers. It receives money from different governments and private persons. It works in almost 190 countries
Functions
UNICEF has decided the following 5 areas as priority or main areas:
Young Child Survival and Development
Primary Education and Gender Equality
Child protection
HIV/AIDS
Early childhood
Some other priority areas are the child in the family, and sports for development.
UNICEF has been working for over 60 years in different countries all over the world. In 1965, this organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for its work. But, many people and governments have not always praised the work of the UNICEF. They have pointed out some defects in the way UNICEF works. Still, it is the world’s leading organization for the development of children. It operates in 190 countries around the world.
Other websites
Official UNICEF homepage
UNICEF Colombia
Careers at UNICEF
Donate to UNICEF
Get Legal Advice Here.
United Nations
Charities |
32070 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/German%20reunification | German reunification | German reunification (German: Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) is a term of history. Unification means making two or more parts as one. The German reunification is the unification of the two parts of Germany.
After the Second World War, Germany had been divided into two countries. One was the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), also called "West Germany". The other part was the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was also called "East Germany". The German reunification was on 3 October 1990, when the East German states became a part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
During the Cold war (1945 – 1989)
After World War II, The winners made four Allied Occupation Zones in Germany. In 1949 the French, British and American zones were joined into the Federal Republic of Germany, also known as "West Germany", while the Soviet zone was made into a separate state known as the German Democratic Republic, or "East Germany".
During the Cold War, West Germany was a democratic country (Politicians were elected in free elections), was allied with the United States of America and had a capitalist economic system (Businesses were owned by citizens). East Germany was a communist country, a one-party state. The communist party ruled all the time, elections were only for show, and all businesses were owned by the state. Like other states in the Soviet bloc, it was controlled by the Soviet Union.
After West Germany's economy began to grow faster and faster in the 1950s, while East Germany's economy was not doing so well, many people moved from East to West Germany. To stop this emigration, the border between East and West Germany was closed in 1961 by East German forces. This border was part of the Iron Curtain. Between 1961 and 1989, leaving East Germany was very hard and extremely dangerous. Officially leaving East Germany took years to be approved, and people who applied were often spied on by East German police. Many people who tried to flee over the border were shot and killed there.
The Fall of the Wall (1989)
In 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started to open the Soviet Union to the west. Many of the communist countries followed his example. East Germany tried to ignore this trend, but during 1989, public protest grew inside the country. After some efforts to keep the country stable, the border was finally opened on 9 November 1989. Conversion of East Germany into a democratic country started almost immediately. During the following 11 months, the terms of unification were negotiated between East and West Germany, France, Great Britain, The United States of America and The Soviet Union, and the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany also called the Two Plus Four Treaty, signed by the two German states and the four wartime allies, opened the way towards reunification.
The reunification
Two options for reunification were written in the West German constitution (the Grundgesetz):
Making a new country with a new Constitution.
Letting the new federal states join the existing Federal Republic of Germany.
The second option was chosen, and on 3 October 1990, at 00:01 the five new federal states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and reunified Berlin officially joined the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist at this moment.
Related pages
German Unity Day
1990 in Europe
1990s in Germany
Democracy movements
Nationalism |
32071 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions%20of%20Poland | Partitions of Poland | The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is a term used in history. They took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Three partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place:
5 August 1772
23 January 1793
24 October 1795
The partitions were carried out by Prussia, Russia and Habsburg Austria dividing up the Commonwealth lands among themselves.
The less often used term "Fourth Partition of Poland" may refer to any later division of Polish lands, specifically:
After the Napoleonic Era, the 1815 division of the Duchy of Warsaw at the Congress of Vienna;
The 1832 incorporation of the "Congress Kingdom" into Russia, and the 1846 incorporation of the Republic of Kraków into Austria; and
The 1939 division of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
History
Prelude
Poland-Lithuania in its final period (mid-18th century), before the partitions was already not a completely sovereign state. It was almost a vassal, or a Russian satellite state, with Russian tsars effectively choosing Polish kings. This applies particularly to the last Commonwealth King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who for some time had been a lover of Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
In 1730 Commonwealth's neighbours, namely Prussia, Austria and Russia, signed a secret agreement in order to maintain the status quo: specifically, to ensure that the Commonwealth laws would not change. Their alliance later became known in Poland as the "Alliance of the Three Black Eagles" (or Löwenwolde's Treaty), because all three states used a black eagle as a state symbol (in contrast to the white eagle, a symbol of Poland).
The Commonwealth had remained neutral in the Seven Years' War, though sympathizing with the alliance of France, Austria, and Russia. It allowed Russian troops access to its western lands as bases against Prussia. Frederick II of Prussia retaliated by ordering Polish currency counterfeited to affect the Polish economy.
The Poles tried to expel foreign forces in an uprising (the Confederation of Bar, 1768–1772), but the irregular and poorly commanded forces had litte chance in the face of the regular Russian army and suffered a defeat. Adding to the chaos was a Ukrainian peasant rebellion, the Koliyivschyna, which erupted in 1768 and resulted in massacres of noblemen (szlachta), Jews, Uniates, and Catholic priests before it was put down by Polish and Russian troops.
References
History of Poland |
32072 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian%20Commonwealth | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and, after 1791, the Commonwealth of Poland, was a state of Poland and Lithuania that was ruled by a common monarch. The Commonwealth was an extension of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, a personal union between those two states that had existed from 1386. It was the largest and countries of 16th- and 17th-century Europe and had one of the largest populations. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth covered more lands than the present lands of Poland and Lithuania since it covered also all of present-day Belarus, a large part of present-day Ukraine and Latvia, and the west of present-day Russia.
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had high levels of ethnic diversity and religious tolerance. However, the amount of religious freedom varied over time.
After several decades of prosperity, it entered a period of political, military and economic decline. The Commonwealth ended with the final Partitions of Poland in 1795. Its growing weakness led to it being divided by its more powerful neighbours: Austria, Prussia and the Russian.
Some information
In Poland, the official languages were Polish and Latin. In Lithuania, the official languages were Old Belarusian, Latin, and Lithuanian.
The Commonwealth was one of largest countries of its time. It had a large population. At one time, the Commonwealth covered about 400,000 square miles. Population was around 11 million. People of different ethnicities lived in the Commonwealth.
For about 200 years, the Commonwealth withstood wars with other powers of Europe of that time: Muscovy Russians, the Ottoman Empire, and Swedes.
The Commonwealth developed a system of laws and legislature that reduced the power of the monarch. Some concepts of democracy also developed in the Commonwealth like constitutional monarchy.
In theory, the two countries of the Commonwealth were equal, but Poland had a leading role.
The Commonwealth had a leading influence of the Catholic Church. However, the government allowed peoples of different religions to follow their religions. Thus, peoples of many religions lived in the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth also produced a national constitution, the first in Europe.
Agriculture was the main economic activity in the Commonwealth.
References
Notes
1795 disestablishments
Former republics
Former state unions
History of Belarus
History of Lithuania
History of Poland
History of Ukraine
1569 establishments
1790s disestablishments in Europe |
32073 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification%20of%20Germany | Unification of Germany | The Unification of Germany occurred in the 19th century. Until then, there had been many states in Central Europe. Some of them were very small, possibly no more than from one border to the other. Many Germans wanted a nation that would be united, powerful and influential. The leaders of Germany believed that they are part of the German Empire dynasty which led to the strategic battles and alliances which united Germany.
The unification took place on January 18, 1871. After the Franco-Prussian War, the German princes proclaimed the German nation in Versailles, France, at the Hall of Mirrors. The unification joined together many independent German states, which became the German Empire. Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia, became Chancellor of the Empire.
The unification of Germany had begun many years earlier, during the Napoleonic Wars. At the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, which is also called the Battle of Nations, many of the German states joined Russia, Sweden and Austria to defeat Napoleon's army. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna ended the Napoleonic Wars. Austria remained the most politically-powerful German state. Prussia emerged as Austria's political and diplomatic rival.
There were many problems in unifying the German states. Not all politicians wanted unification. Some feared that it would give Austria and Prussia too much power among the many states. There were also problems in deciding who would collect taxes and how much was be paid.
Background
Before the creation of the modern German State, there were hundreds of small duchies and kingdoms. Many of these kingdoms were a part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 800 AD, Pope Leo III made the Frankish King, Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor.
In the 18th century the hundreds of rulers of parts of the Holy Roman Empire were practically independent; they seldom had to obey the Emperor, and often made war against each other or against the Emperor. During the Napoleonic Wars the empire was abolished. Napoleon made a new satellite state, the Confederation of the Rhine. He was soon defeated and the Congress of Vienna reorganized the German states into a new German Confederation. Bismarck's North German Confederation replaced that, until he converted it into the German Empire.
References
19th century in Germany
Nationalism |
32074 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEC | OPEC | OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is an international organization. Since 1965, the headquarters of OPEC has been in Vienna, Austria. OPEC was established in Baghdad, Iraq on 10–14 September 1960.
Its work is to "coordinate and unify the petroleum policies" of its members, and also to "ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return on capital for those investing in the petroleum industry".
According to the United States Department of Energy Energy Information Administration (EIA), OPEC crude oil production is an important factor affecting global oil prices. OPEC sets production targets for its member nations and generally, when OPEC production targets are reduced, oil prices increase. Projections of changes in Saudi production result in changes in the price of crude oil.
OPEC was formed in 1960 when the international oil market was largely dominated by multinational companies known as the 'seven sisters'. The formation of OPEC was a turning point in state control over natural resources. In the 1960s OPEC made sure that oil companies could not unilaterally cut prices. In December 2014, OPEC and the oil men were named in the top 10 most influential people in the shipping industry by Lloyds.
Members
21 countries are members of OPEC. The names of these countries are:
Algeria
Angola
Austria
Bahrain
Benin
Brunei Darussalam
Cameroon
Congo
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Libya
Nigeria
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Syria
The United Arab Emirates
Venezuela.
Indonesia and Qatar are former members.
Aims
Member countries of the OPEC came together to form this international organization with several aims. Some of the aims are:
To protect the interest of the member countries.
To make sure that the price of petroleum products do not change much.
To make certain a regular supply of petroleum oil to other countries.
To make sure that member countries get the right amount of money from sale of oil products.
To decide policies to follow relating to production and sale of petroleum oil.
However, OPEC has not always been able to achieve all these aims.
Related pages
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
1973 oil crisis
Cartel
References
Other websites
OPEC official site
International organizations |
32075 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD | OECD | The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation of countries. Member countries of OECD all have a democratic system of government. They also accept the principle of a free economy. A country has a free economy when its government does not control the economic activities of its citizens and companies.
The OECD started 1948 as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). The Second World War had just ended three years before in 1945. Some countries of Europe came together to form OEEC to help each other re-build their industry and other things destroyed in the Second World War. Later on, some non-European countries also joined this organisation. In 1960, OEEC changed its name, and it became OECD: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The OECD's headquarters are at the Château de la Muette in Paris.
Secretaries General
Members
OECD has thirty-eight member countries, of which 19 became members in 1961. These countries are:
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
19 countries joined OECD after 1961. The names of these countries (with the year they joined in brackets), are:
Italy (1962)
Japan (1964)
Finland (1969)
Australia (1971)
New Zealand (1973)
Mexico (1994)
Czechia (1995)
Hungary (1996)
South Korea (1996)
Poland(1996)
Slovakia (2000)
Chile (2010)
Estonia (2010)
Israel (2010)
Slovenia (2010)
Latvia (2016)
Lithuania (2018)
Colombia (2020)
Costa Rica (2021)
References
Other websites
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OECD iLibrary - OECD's portal for books, reports, statistics, working papers and journals
International Futures Programme
OECD Forum
Text of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
The OECD Observer
OECD Statistical portal
OECD-UNDP Partnership for Democratic Governance
Statistics
Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes
Video clips
OECD YouTube channel
OECD
1948 establishments |
32076 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973%20oil%20crisis | 1973 oil crisis | The 1973 oil crisis started on October 17, 1973. when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) said, because of the Yom Kippur War, that they would no longer ship petroleum to nations that had supported Israel in its conflict with Syria and Egypt (The United States, Canada, its allies in Western Europe, and Japan). The embargo was lifted in March 1974.
About the same time, OPEC members agreed to raise world oil prices, after attempts at negotiation with the "Seven Sisters" oil company earlier in the month failed. Due to the dependence of the industrialized world on crude oil and the role of OPEC as a major supplier, these price increases hurt the economies of the targeted countries, while at the same time limiting economic activity. The targeted countries responded with new, and mostly permanent, attempts to limit any more dependency.
During this time, many other problems arose. These problems badly affected the economy of the world. The problems continued even after 10 years until the early 1980s. The higher oil prices continued until 1986. Japan did well soon after the 1973 oil crisis. For example, Japanese companies started manufacturing automobiles that used less oil to run. Soon many other automobile companies in different countries also started to manufacture automobiles that used less oil to run. The Japanese also began focusing on producing electronics such as transistor radios and televisions. This production is what helped the Japanese economy to bounce back after the shock of the oil crisis.
1973
Arab–Israeli conflict
Economic history |
32077 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization%20for%20Security%20and%20Co-operation%20in%20Europe | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for peace and human rights. Presently, it has 57 countries as its members. Most of the member countries of the OSCE are from Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America.
The headquarters of OSCE are in Vienna, Austria. There are more than 3,500 persons who work for OSCE. Most of the persons who work for OSCE work at different places, and only about 10% of them work at its headquarters.
Since the end of the Second World War, many countries of the Europe wanted to have an organization to discuss various matters, especially security. Such discussion had continued since 1950s. Many years after,
in November 1972, leaders of 35 countries met in Helsinki. In 1973, these countries set up the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). By the end of 1990s, communist governments in many countries had changed. In this situation, the role of CSCE was also changing. The leaders from member countries of CSCE met in Paris. On 21st November 1990, they signed an agreement. This changed the name of Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) to Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). This international organization continues to function.
Related pages
Council of Europe
European Union
International organization
Other websites
OSCE official website
International organizations
Political organizations based in Europe
1973 establishments in Europe
Politics of Europe |
32078 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian%20War | Franco-Prussian War | The Franco-Prussian War was a war between France and Prussia, which was helped by German allies of Prussia. The war was provoked by Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck, who wanted to unite Germans under Prussian rule by making them fight together against a common enemy. Bismarck irritated French Emperor Napoleon III into declaring war on 19 July 1870. The war ended by a Prussian victory on 10 May 1871.
Causes
The French feared a Protestant country on their border. France had helped Prussia beat Austria during the Austro-Prussian War (1866), but it would not allow the North German Confederation and South German states to unify. In 1869, the throne of Spain was offered to a prince of the Catholic branch of the Prussian Hohenzollern royal family.
France found out about the offer, and demanded for Prussia to reject it since France did not want to be surrounded by Hohenzollerns. The prince refused, but the French wanted Prussia to do the same. Prussian King Wilhelm I sent a telegram from Ems that assuring French Emperor Napoleon III that the prince would not become king of Spain. Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck publicly released a version that he had edited or doctored to make it seem that his king had insulted the emperor's ambassador. That was part of his plan to unify the German states. Both sides exchanged angry words, and France declared war. On July 19 1870 the war started, and Prussia was fully supported by the South German states.
Results
With its German allies and universal conscription, Prussia brought together a bigger army than the French. The Prussian Army also had better weapons, training and leadership. For example, the Prussian General Staff were very well organised. The army had some old-fashioned equipment like the Dreyse needle gun, but its Krupp mobile artillery (heavy-duty guns) were far better than the old French muzzleloaders. Notable victories occurred at Sedan, Mars-la-Tour, Gravellote and Metz. The Germans captured Napoleon in Metz, but French Republicans overthrew the Second French Empire and continued the war for a few months. The Germans conquered Paris and then made peace.
After the war, France had to give Prussia some regions that had been under French control. They were most of Alsace and some of Lorraine, most of which spoke German dialects. Prussia took steps to unite the independent German states into one country, the German Empire. The historical term for that is the Unification of Germany.
References
19th century in France
1870s in Germany
Prussia
Wars involving France
Wars involving Germany
1870
1871 |
32080 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaohsiung | Kaohsiung | Kaohsiung City (Traditional Chinese: 高雄市, Hanyu Pinyin: Gāoxióng, Tongyong Pinyin: Gaosyóng, POJ: Ko-hiông; coordinates 22°38'N, 120°16'E) is the third largest city of Taiwan, after New Taipei City and Taichung City, and the main city in Southern Taiwan.
History
In 2014, 32 people were killed by a series of explosions. In 2021, 46 people were killed in a fire.
Subdivisions
Kaohsiung is divided originally into 11 districts, after the administrative division's adjustment in 2010, the subdivisions of Kaohsiung has increased to 38 districts, most of them are added from the former county of Kaohsiung.
Two islands in the South China Sea are governed by Kaohsiung City and is a part of Cijin District:
Taiping (island) (太平島)
Dongsha Islands or Pratas Islands (東沙群島)
Related pages
List of counties of Republic of China
Taipei City (The largest city in Taiwan)
Keelung City
Cities in Taiwan
Ports and harbours of Taiwan |
32081 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando%20Alonso | Fernando Alonso | Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a racing driver in Formula One. He is from Spain. He won his first F1 title in 2005 and then became the youngest ever Formula 1 World Champion at the age of 24.
Alonso drove until 2006 in Formula 1 for the Renault F1-Team, with which he achieved the driver world championship in the year 2005 and had a major part to play in the Renault F1 Team winning the constructor championship in the same year.
The Drivers' Championship was won again by Fernando with Renault F1 for the second year in a row in 2006 (interestingly, had Alonso not become the youngest World Champion in 2005, he would have still achieved this feat with his 2006 victory) edging out Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari by 13 points. Renault also retained the Constructor's Championship, beating Ferrari by only five points.
In 2007 Alonso joined Team Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes and entered a four-way battle for the World Championship with his team-mate, the rookie Lewis Hamilton, and Ferrari drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa. Halfway through the season, with wins in Sepang and Monaco, Alonso trails his rookie team-mate by 14 points. The second half of the season should prove interesting.
In the second part Alonso won at Europe and Italy but missed the title by 1 point.
Racing record
Career summary
* Season still in progress.
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Season in progress.
References
1981 births
Living people
Formula One drivers
Formula One current
People from Oviedo |
32083 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter%20Crouch | Peter Crouch | Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981) is an English footballer. He was born in Macclesfield and was raised in Singapore and Ealing, west London. At 6 feet, 7 inches (201 cm), he is one of the tallest people to ever play in the Premier League. Crouch played for Liverpool and England. He was the first player to score 10 goals for England in a single year. He is known for his famous robotic dance celebration, which he first performed after his goal against Hungary in May 2006.
Club career statistics
International career statistics
|-
|2005||4||0
|-
|2006||12||11
|-
|2007||8||3
|-
|2008||6||0
|-
|2009||6||4
|-
|2010||||
|-
!Total||36||18
|}
References
1981 births
Living people
English footballers
Liverpool F.C. players
Sportspeople from Cheshire
Sportspeople from London
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Premier League players |
32085 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi%2C%20Ontario | Delhi, Ontario | Delhi is a tobacco town in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada that has fewer than 5000 people. It has a public library, a convience store, a cemetery, a funeral home, various other stores, and a tobacco museum.
The town also has a high school that has been threatened with closure numerous times by the school board for lack of attendance. Children from this town participate in little league baseball, ice hockey, and competitive swimming.
Towns in Ontario |
32088 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishkek | Bishkek | Bishkek (Бишкек) is the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. It has a population of 900,000 (2005). It was originally founded in 1878 as the Russian fortress of Pishpek (Пишпек). From 1926 until 1991 it was known as Frunze (Фрунзе), after the Bolshevik military leader Mikhail Frunze. In the Kyrgyz language, a Bishkek is a churn used to make stirred horse milk (kumis), the Kyrgyz national drink.
Capital cities in Asia
Geography of Kyrgyzstan |
32089 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dushanbe | Dushanbe | Dushanbe (, ) is the capital city of Tajikistan. About 562,000 people live in Dushanbe as of 2000. The name is borrowed from the Persian word for "Monday" (du "two" + shamba or shanbe "day", lit. "day two") and refers to the fact that it was a popular "Monday" market place.
Capital cities in Asia
Tajikistan |
32090 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan%20Strait | Taiwan Strait | The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait is a 180 km-wide strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and attaches to East China Sea to the northeast. The thinest part is 131 km wide. The Taiwan Strait is often incorrectly called the "Taiwan Straits".
The Strait has been the theatre for several military confrontations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China since the last days of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek retreated across the Strait and relocated its government on its final stronghold of Taiwan.
Geography of Taiwan
Straits |
32091 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character | Character | Character could mean:
Character (persona), a social role
Fictional character, a character who exists in fiction.
Non-fictional character, usage of a real person in a fictional context
Moral character
Sacramental character, a Catholic teaching
Character structure, personal traits
In symbols:
Letter, a symbol used to write a language
Chinese character, a written language symbol
Character (computing), a unit of information roughly corresponding to a grapheme
Character (mathematics)
In accounting and mathematics:
Character (income tax), a type of income for tax purposes in the USA
In entertainment:
Character (1997 movie) a 1997 Dutch movie based on Bordewijk's novel
Character (album), by Dark Tranquillity
Characters (album), by Stevie Wonder
Character Options, a toy company
The Characters, a book by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus
In biology:
a trait, a characteristic feature of an organism. |
32092 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent | Tashkent | Tashkent (, )) is the capital city of Uzbekistan. It is also the most populated city in Central Asia, with a population of 2,571,668 in 2020. Its name translates from Uzbek to "Stone City" in English
Tashkent has been inhabited by people for thousands of years. It was destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1219, but later profited from the Silk Road. Tashkent was conquered by the Russian Empire in 1865, and became the capital of Russian Turkestan. Under the Soviet Union, Tashkent grew in population.
In 2008, Uzbeks accounted for 63% of the population, and the city has large minorities of Russians, Tatars, Koreans, and Tajiks.
Geography
Tashkent lies to the west of the Altai Mountains, and is next to the Chirchiq River. Tashkent is situated at around 430 m (1,411 ft) above sea level. Tashkent also suffers from earthquakes, and the major 1966 earthquake destroyed most of the city.
Tashkent has a mediterranean climate with continental climate influences. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers are hot, sunny, and dry. The record high temperature was 44.6 °C (112.3 °F), and the record low temperature was −29.5 °C (−21.1 °F). The city has an average of 427 mm (17 inches) of precipitation each year.
Main sights
Tashkent is full is historical sights, and this article will just mention a few.
The Amir Timur Museum was opened in 1996, and is dedicated to Mongol conqueror Timur. There are at least 5,000 artifacts on display at the museum. Around 2 million people visit the location each year, and the museum is featured on the 1,000 soʻm bank note. The museum is located downtown next to the Amir Temur Square.
The Kukeldash Madrasah (Tashkent) is an ancient madrasa located close to the Chorsu metro station. It was built in the 16th century during Shaybanid rule. Throughout its existence, it functioned as a caravanserai, museum, and fortress. It was one of the few buildings to survive the 1966 earthquake.
The Navoi Theater, formally the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, is the possibly the most notable opera house and theatre in Uzbekistan. It was designed by Alexey Shchusev, who also designed Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow. It was partially built by the Japanese prisoners of war from 1945–47. The theatre can house at least 1,400 spectators.
Sports
Tashkent is home to some of the most successful Uzbek football clubs. These include Pakhtakor Tashkent, Lokomotiv Tashkent, Bunyodkor, and Spartak Tashkent.
Some notable athletes from Tashkent include cyclist Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, gymnast Elvira Saadi, and footballer Maksim Shatskikh.
References
Other websites
All about capital of Uzbekistan – Tashkent
Photos of historical monuments and modern buildings in Tashkent
Recent photos of Tashkent with comments in English
Capital cities in Asia
Cities in Uzbekistan |
32094 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C5%9Fgabat | Aşgabat | Aşgabat (; , UniPers: Ešq-âbâd; - Ashkhabád) is the capital city of Turkmenistan. It also spelled as Ashgabat, Ashkabat, Ashkhabad, Ashgabad, a former Soviet republic. Aşgabat has a population of 695,300 (2001) and is between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. The name is believed to borrow from the Persian Ashk-abad meaning "the City of Arsaces". Another explanation is that the name is a corruption of the Persian Eshq (Love) + abad (natured place or city), and therefore loosely translates as "The city built by/from love". Aşgabat is at 37°58′N 58°20′E (37.9667, 58.333). Aşgabat's ethnic groups are: Turkmen, Russians, Armenians, and Azeris. Arsaces was king of Persia and his name appears between 3 and 4 times in the Bible.
More images
Capital cities in Asia
Geography of Turkmenistan |
32097 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge | Wedge | The term wedge may mean many things. Some of them are as noted below:
Wedge (mechanics) is a simple machine. People use this machine to separate two things. Sometimes, people use a wedge to split a thing into two or more parts, or to fix things tightly
Wedge product is a term in mathematics
Wedge Antilles is a character in many Star Wars films
Wedge hairstyle, a hairstyle used by the skater named Dorothy Hamill |
32098 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew | Crew | A crew usually is a group of people that work within a common organisation, and that have some activities in common. The usual place where crews can be found are ships and airplanes. On such ships and aircraft, some functions some people perform are very special. It is therefore common that crews are organised in a hierarchy. Every person, except the captain, at the top, has a person above them. They will report to that person.
Teams who work backstage in theaters, on movie sets, and in television studios are also called crews. Such crews are distinct from the cast.
Aviation
Water transport |
32099 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo | Cargo | Cargo or freight means goods which people transport, often using a vehicle made for that purpose rather than for passenger service. The vehicle is usually a truck or freighter or cargo aircraft or freight train.
The noun is used as not countable; people will talk about some freight. Today, goods other than bulk cargo are usually packed in shipping containers, which are carried. A place which loads or unloads cargo is usually called a cargo terminal.
Related pages
Cargo plane
Cargo ship
Other websites
The Gallery of Transport Loss -- Photos & Lessons of Disaster
References
Transport |
32100 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom | Ransom | Ransom can mean two things:
Holding a person against their will, in order to get some money (or some other things)
The money, or the goods which (could possibly) be obtained in such a way.
If people talk about that they need to pay money to the state or the police, to get free, the correct legal term used is usually bail.
Often in piracy, pirates would steal something or someone important and demand a ransom payment.
Piracy
Kidnapping |
32102 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraphilia | Paraphilia | Paraphilia is a word used in sociology and medicine. Like many other medical terms it comes from Ancient Greek. It means that someone is sexually aroused by people (or by things) that are unable to return their affection. The word can also be used to refer to sexual practices which are bad for the mind or body and are mental disorders.
When doctors talk about paraphilia, they usually mean one of the following, among other things:
Dendrophilia - Sexual attraction to trees
Emetophilia - Sexual arousal from vomiting or watching others vomit
Exhibitionism- Wanting to expose oneself to strangers
Fetishism- Sexual arousal by non-sexual objects, like lamps or boxes.
Frotteurism- Sexual arousal by rubbing against strangers
Infantilism - Wanting to be treated like an infant or a toddler
Incestophilia - Wanting to have sex with relatives
Klismaphilia - Sexual arousal from enemas
Masochism- Wanting to be hurt physically
Necrophilia - Sexual attraction to corpses
Chronophilia- Wanting to have sex with a specific age group
Sadism- Wanting to hurt people
Urolognia - Enjoying urinating on people, and/or having people urinate on him
Voyeurism- Sexual arousal by looking at strangers doing sexual things
Zoophilia - Feeling sexually attracted to animals
The respective behaviour is only classified as paraphilia if it is the only means for the person involved to get sexually aroused, for a considerable time.
When normal people talk about paraphilia, they usually mean non-mainstream sexual behaviour.
Homosexuality (LGBT) used to be considered a paraphilia, but this is no longer the case in a lot of countries. However, in a lot of other countries it is still considered abnormal. The opposite of paraphilia is normophilia. An example of a normophilia is teleiophilia.
References
Mental illnesses
Sociology |
32104 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belo%20Horizonte | Belo Horizonte | Belo Horizonte is a Brazilian city, capital of the state of Minas Gerais. It has, approximately, 2.4 million inhabitants and an area of 330.9 km². It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country.
Colleges and Universities
Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG);
Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (UEMG);
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (PUC-MG);
Universidade José do Rosário Vellano (UNIFENAS);
Centro Universitário Newton Paiva;
Universidade Salgado de Oliveira (UNIVERSO);
SKEMA Business School
Culture and Architecture
ARQBH
Sister Cities
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Porto, Portugal (1986)
Milan, Italy
Havana, Cuba
Bethlehem, Palestine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States (2007)
Fort Lauderdale, United States (2003)
Newark, New Jersey, United States (2006)
Masaya, Nicaragua (2002)
Granada, Spain (1975)
Minsk, Belarus (1987)
Luanda, Angola (1968)
Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2004)
Zahle, Lebanon (1974)
Homs, Syria (2001)
Tripoli, Libya (2003)
Cuenca, Ecuador (2004)
Córdoba, Argentina (2007)
São Paulo, Brazil
Lisbon, Portugal (2007)
Wuxi, China (1996)
Capitals of Brazilian states |
32108 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemia | Bohemia | Bohemia is one of the regions of the Czech Republic. Poland is to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south, and the Czech province of Moravia to the East. The capital city of Prague lies in Bohemia.
Bohemia is well known for its glasswares (and other handicrafts), its beer, but also its cuisine.
In the Middle Ages Bohemia was sometimes an independent duchy or kingdom. In 1526 it came under control of the House of Habsburg. When Austria-Hungary was defeated in World War I Bohemia became part of Czechoslovakia. |
32109 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron | Rhododendron | Rhododendron is a large genus of flowering plants. It includes 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). Some are evergreen, and some are deciduous. They are found mainly in Asia.
Most of them have quite showy flowers. What gardeners know as Azalea is in fact a kind of rhododendron. Many people have rhododendrons in their garden or flower pot. It is the national flower of Nepal. One rhododendron, Rhododendron ponticum, has become an Invasive species in North America.
Rhododendron |
32110 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine | Jasmine | Jasmine is a genus of plants, Jasminum. They are shrubs or vines that grow in moderately warm climates.
There are about 200 different species of Jasminum. They are also a favourite in gardens. Tea can be made from the flowers. Some species are used to make special oil, perfumes or incense. Women, especially from Asia sometimes wear jasmine flowers in their hair.
Jasmine flowers are white or yellow in colour, although in rare instances they can be slightly reddish. Jasmine flowers are well known for their lovely smell. Jasmine is also a female name.
Gallery
Oleaceae
Plants of Asia
Plants of Australia |
32112 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article | Article | The word article can mean several things:
Something written for an encyclopedia or newspaper on a particular topic. This page is an article about the word "article".
Article (grammar), a little word before a noun, like "the", "a" or "an" |
32113 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaren | Yaren | Yaren is the largest settlement on the island country Nauru. Nauru has no official capital, but many government buildings can be found in Yaren, so some people call it the capital. In 2003, 1,100 people lived there.
Cities in Oceania
Nauru |
32114 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nupedia | Nupedia | Nupedia was an English-language online encyclopedia. Its articles were written by volunteers and checked by experts. They were licensed as open content. It was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Nupedia was online from March 2000 until September 2003. It is mostly known as the website which came before Wikipedia.
Unlike Wikipedia, Nupedia was not a wiki. It also had a long peer-review process for all of its articles. This was supposed to make its articles as good as professional encyclopedias. Nupedia wanted scholars to help build it. Before it shut down, Nupedia had 25 articles that completed its own review routine.
In June 2008, CNET said that Nupedia was one of the greatest closed websites in Internet history.
History
In late 1999, Jimmy Wales began thinking about an online encyclopedia built by volunteers. In January 2000, he hired Larry Sanger to manage it. The project went online on March 9, 2000.
By November 2000, only two full articles had been published.
From when it started, Nupedia was a free content encyclopedia. Bomis, Jimmy Wales' company, was going to get money from adverts on the Nupedia website. At first, the project used a license that was made up by Wales and Sanger. Later, it began using the Nupedia Open Content License. In January 2001, it switched to the GNU Free Documentation License. This was because Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation said they should.
Also in January 2001, Nupedia started Wikipedia. At first, it was not meant to be an encyclopedia. Instead, it was meant as a side-project to allow people to work on articles for Nupedia before they were peer reviewed. As Wikipedia got bigger and attracted new users, it began to run without Nupedia. However, Larry Sanger first led activity on Wikipedia. This was because he was the chief editor on Nupedia.
Wikipedia led to the gradual shutdown of Nupedia. Jimmy Wales decided to stop paying Sanger in December 2001. Sanger then left both Nupedia and Wikipedia. After Sanger left, Nupedia became even less noticed than Wikipedia. As Nupedia was used less and less, the idea of changing its articles into Wikipedia articles was sometimes proposed. However, it was never done. After it closed down, Nupedia's articles were moved in to Wikipedia.
Peer review
Nupedia's articles were all peer reviewed. These were the steps they had to follow:
Assignment
Finding a lead reviewer
Lead review
Open review
Lead copyediting (when articles had their grammar, punctuation and layout changed to look better)
Open copyediting
Final approval and markup
People who wrote for Nupedia were supposed to be experts in what they wrote about. However, some articles could be written by a good writer, rather than an expert. People who changed content on Nupedia were expected to be "true experts in their fields and (with few exceptions) possess PhDs", which means that they should be experts in what they are changing and (generally) have PhDs.
Related pages
Wikipedia
Bomis
References
Other websites
Earlier versions of Nupedia (from the Internet Archive)
Larry Sanger: The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir Part 1 and Part 2. Slashdot, April 2005
http://nunupedia.sourceforge.net
2000 establishments in the United States
2003 disestablishments
2000s disestablishments in the United States
Encyclopedias
Websites established in the 2000s |
32115 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article%20%28grammar%29 | Article (grammar) | An article is a word that comes before a noun. There are two kinds of articles: definite articles and indefinite articles.
In English there is just one definite article: "the". There are two indefinite articles: "a" and "an". The word "an" is used before a word starting with a vowel sound (not necessarily a vowel letter): we say "a horse", "a child", "a European" (European has a "Y" sound, /j/, which is a consonant sound), "a university", but "an orange", "an elephant".
Some languages have more than one word for "the". In some languages, this is because each noun is either masculine or feminine or, in some languages it can be masculine, feminine or neuter. For example: in French "le" is used for masculine nouns ("le jardin" - "the garden") and "la" for feminine nouns ("la table" - "the table"). "The" becomes "les" in front of plural nouns. The indefinite articles in French are "un" (masculine) and "une" (feminine). German, Dutch and Ancient Greek have masculine, feminine and neuter nouns, but in the case of Dutch the word for "the" is the same for masculine and feminine ("de") so you do not need to know which it is. The Māori language uses one word for "the" for when the subject or object to which the "the" refers is one in number, and uses another word for "the" when the subject or object to which the "the" refers numbers more than one.
There are also many languages that do not have articles. Some examples include Russian, Hindi, Japanese, and Chinese. When speakers of these languages are learning English, it is often difficult to explain to them what an article is because English speakers use them naturally. Even though these languages do not have articles, they still have grammatical features that allow them to show definiteness.
In general: "the" in English is used for something you already know about or have already been talking about. The word "a" is used when introducing a new idea:
"The tired woman was looking for her cat. Suddenly she saw the cat up a tree". (We are already talking about the cat. The tree is a new idea).
"The tired woman was walking along when she suddenly saw a cat up a tree". (She had not been thinking about cats until then).
Sometimes we do not need an article, for example when talking about something in general:
"The dogs do not bite" (meaning: dogs that you are thinking about).
"Barking dogs do not bite" (barking dogs in general).
Parts of speech
Basic English 850 words |
32116 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront | Waterfront | Waterfront is the land by the side of a body of water (E.g. Lake or Ocean).
Geography |
32118 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/East%20Asia | East Asia | East Asia or Eastern Asia is part of the continent Asia. East Asia covers about , or 15% of the continent.
These are the countries and territories in East Asia:
People's Republic of China (excluding Tibet which is part of the Indian subcontinent of South Asia)
Hong Kong
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Macao
Mongolia
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Population
About 1,575,784,500 people live in East Asia ().
Related pages
Central Asia
Southeastern Asia
South Asia
Middle East
Other websites |
32120 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20counties%20of%20the%20Republic%20of%20China | List of counties of the Republic of China | Taiwan Province is divided into 13 counties (縣; hsien) and 3 provincial cities (市; shih):
Note:The cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung are managed directly by the central government and are not part of Taiwan province, though the counties of the same name all around these cities are part of the province. The People's Republic of China, which does not control Taiwan Province, does not recognize Taipei and Kaohsiung as central cities and lists them as provincial cities.
Counties
Provincial Cities
Republic of China
Asia-related lists |
32121 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tbilisi | Tbilisi | Tbilisi is the capital, and the largest city in Georgia. It was founded in the 5th century by the Georgian king, Vakhtang Gorgasali. According to legend, when he was hunting, he killed a pheasant which dropped into hot water. Gorgasali discovered there were a lot of hot springs in this place, which he called Tbilisi as tbili means hot in Georgian.
5th-century establishments in Europe |
32130 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot | Robot | A robot is a machine that can move and do certain tasks.
Robots are controlled by a computer program or electronic circuitry. They may be directly controlled by humans. They may be designed to look like humans, in which case their behaviour may suggest intelligence or thought but they do not have feelings. Most robots do a specific job, and they do not always look like humans. They can come in many forms.
In fiction, however, robots usually look like people, and seem to have a life of their own. There are many books, movies, and video games with robots in them. Isaac Asimov's I, Robot is perhaps the most famous.
History
People have been interested in building machines to do work for us for a long time. But it takes time and money to build just one machine, so early ideas were not built.
Leonardo da Vinci designed a man-shaped machine to look like a knight in 1464. It would be controlled with ropes and wheels.
Other engineers and dreamers drew mechanical men. In 1920, Karel Čapek wrote a story about them, and he used a word from Czech that is connected with 'work': robot.
The most successful robot designs in the 20th century were not made to look like people. They were designed for use. George Devol made the first of these, the Unimate, in 1954, with one arm and one hand. General Motors bought it in 1960. The next year, it started work in a factory in New Jersey, lifting and stacking pieces of metal that were too hot for people to touch. The engineers could program it, and reprogram it if they had to.
Modern robots
Robots have many uses. Many factories use robots to do hard work quickly and without many mistakes. They do not look like people, because they are made to do things. These are 'industrial' robots. Some robots find and get rid of bombs. If someone makes a mistake, the robot is damaged or destroyed, which is better than a person being killed. There are also robots that help at home, to vacuum or run a lawn mower, for example. Such robots must learn about the area of work.
A few robots do surgery in places inside the body where a human hand is too big.
Planet rovers are robots for exploring distant planets. Because it takes a long time to send a radio signal from Earth to another planet, the robots do much of their work alone, without commands from Earth.
People still think of robots as having a shape like a person—two legs, two arms, and a head. ASIMO is one robot that is helping scientists learn how to design and program robots. It can walk, which is not easy to program.
Eastern and western views
Eastern thoughts on robots
Roughly half of all the robots in the world are in Asia, 32% in Europe, and 16% in North America, 1% in Australasia and 1% in Africa. 30% of all the robots in the world are in Japan. Japan has the most robots of any country in the world, and is the leader in the world robotics industry. Japan is actually said to be the robotic capital of the world.
In Japan and South Korea, ideas of future robots have been mainly positive. The positive reception of robots there may be partly because of the famous cartoon robot, 'Astroboy'. China expressed views on robotics that are similar to those of Japan and South Korea, but China is behind both America and Europe in robotic development. The East Asian view is that robots should be roughly equal to humans. They feel robots could care for old people, teach children, or serve as assistants. The popular opinion of East Asia is that it would be good for robots to become more popular and more advanced. This view is opposite to the popular Western view.
"This is the opening of an era in which human beings and robots can co-exist," says Japanese firm Mitsubishi about one of the many human-like robots in Japan. The South Korean Ministry of Information and Communication has predicted that every South Korean household will have a robot by between 2015 and 2020.
Western thoughts on robots
Western societies are more likely to be against, or even fear the development of robots. Science fiction movies and other stories often show them as dangerous rebels against humanity.
The West regards robots as a 'threat' to the future of humans, which is much due to religious influence of the Abrahamic religions, in which creating machines that can think for themselves would almost be playing God. Obviously, these boundaries are not clear, but there is a significant difference between the two ideologies.
Robot Laws
The writer Isaac Asimov told many stories about robots who had the three laws of robotics to keep humans safe from them.
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
These were not used in real life when he invented them. However, in today's world robots are more complicated, and one day real laws may be needed, much like Isaac Asimov's original three laws.
South Korea was the first country in the world to have laws about robots.
Related pages
Animatronics - using robotics to create puppets
Navigation
Technosexuality
Vex
References
Other websites
Research societies
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) and its wiki .
International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR)
http://robots.net – Daily news about robots, robotics, and AI
A brief history of robotics
A giant list of known robots
NASA and robots
NASA Robotics Division
International Federation of Robotics
Should we be worried by the rise of robots?
Podcast 'Talking Robots' - interviews with high-profile professionals in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
French collection of toy robot
Introduction to Robotics
HUAR
Robot World News
Robot news, robot tutorials, robot videos and robot chatbox
Robot news, theory of robotics
List of robots
Encyclopaedias
Encyclopædia Britannica
Robotics -Citizendium
Robots
Technology |
32136 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habemus%20Papam | Habemus Papam | Habemus Papam refers to the announcement given in Latin by the Senior Cardinal Deacon when a new Pope has been chosen.
The announcement is given from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. After the announcement, the new pope meets the people and he gives his first Urbi et Orbi blessing to the crowd.
The format for the announcement is:
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum [First Name],
Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [ Last name ],
Qui sibi nomen imposuit [ Papal name ].
This, in English, means:
I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The most eminent and most reverend Lord,
the Lord [First Name],
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [ Last name ],
Who takes to himself the name of [ Papal name ].
In the Habemus Papam given by Jorge Cardinal Medina Estévez on 19 April 2005 upon the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the announcement was made after a greeting (Dear Brothers and Sisters) in several languages (Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English).
Other websites
Audio: Pericle Cardinal Felici announcing Karol Cardinal Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.