title: Charles Gounod

paragraphs: Charles-François Gounod (born Paris 17 June 1818; died Saint-Cloud (France) 17 October 1893) was a French composer. Gounod (pronounce: “Goo – no”) wrote many different kinds of pieces, but he is best known today for his operas "Faust" and "Roméo et Juliette" and, especially, for the very popular “Ave Maria” which is a melody that goes with a prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach.

paragraphs: Gounod was born in Paris. His father was a painter and engraver. His mother was his first piano teacher. When his father died in 1823 his mother started a school to teach the piano. Gounod soon showed musical talent and went to study at the Paris Conservatoire. He studied with three teachers, all of whom died soon after Gounod became their pupil. The first time he competed for the Prix de Rome he did not get it, but the third time, in 1839, he was successful. This meant that he could go to Rome to learn more about music.

paragraphs: In Rome he liked the religious music of the 16th century by composers such as Palestrina. He did not much like the modern opera composers such as Donizetti and Bellini. Gounod also spent some of the year in Austria and Germany. He passed through Leipzig where he met Mendelssohn, whose music made a big impression on him.

paragraphs: Gounod returned to Paris where he got a job as director of music at a church. He thought of becoming a priest, but then he changed his mind. He left his job in the church. Some time later he became friends with the singer Pauline Viardot and her husband Louis. He spent some time at their house composing the opera "Sapho".

paragraphs: He composed the "Messe Sollennelle", also known as the "Saint Cecilia Mass". Two fragments of this work were first performed in London during 1851 and it helped him to become famous. By this time he was married. He had a job in charge of several choirs. He started to write a lot of choral music.

paragraphs: He wrote two symphonies in 1855, the 1st Symphony in D major, and the 2nd Symphony in E flat, although they are not often played today.

paragraphs: In 1856 he started to write the opera by which he is now best remembered: "Faust" (1859), based on the first part of the play "Faust" by Goethe. The opera was produced in 1859 and soon was performed in many countries, especially in Germany. The composer Richard Wagner was the most important opera composer in Germany and his operas were quite different, so he said that Gounod’s operas were silly.

paragraphs: When the Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870 Gounod went to live in England. He stayed there for five years becoming the first conductor of what is now the Royal Choral Society. Gounod wrote a lot of music for choirs at this time, including a motet composed especially for the grand opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871. He worked very hard, although he was often depressed about the war situation in France. His house in Saint-Cloud had been destroyed. He returned to France in 1874 and was glad to be back with his family.

paragraphs: He wrote much chamber music, including five string quartets, but these are hardly ever played today.

paragraphs: Later in his life, Gounod became very interested in religion again. He wrote a lot of religious music, including his famous musical setting of Ave Maria based on the first prelude from Book I of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" by J.S. Bach and "Hymnus Pontificius" the anthem of Vatican. He also wrote two oratorios, including "Mors et vita" which Queen Victoria liked so much that she asked for it to be played in the Royal Albert Hall in 1886.

paragraphs: He was just finishing a requiem called "Le Grand Requiem" when he died. He was given a state funeral on October 27, 1893. He asked for all the music at his funeral to be chant only.


title: Operación Puerto doping case

paragraphs: The Operación Puerto doping case (meaning "Operation Mountain pass") is a doping investigation in Spain. It started in May of 2006.

paragraphs: Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes is accused of giving banned doping drugs to 200 professional athletes.

paragraphs: Fuentes doped a lot of well known tennis and football stars but most attention was on the fairly small number of professional road cyclists that were named in the investigation.

paragraphs: By May 2007, fifteen have been proved not guilty, but three have admitted doping or have had very much evidence of blood doping placed before them.


title: Dover, Pennsylvania

paragraphs: Dover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau says the borough has a total area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²). All of it is land. There are no lakes or rivers in Dover.

paragraphs: James Joner bought 203 acres of land in 1764. On this land, he created the town of Dover. It was known as Jonerstown until 1815, when the name was changed to Dover. Dover was incorporated in 1864, exactly 100 years after its founding.

paragraphs: Dover is most well known for something that happened in 2004-05. The Dover Area School District voted to include a statement about intelligent design in what is taught on about biology in its schools. This action led to the court case "Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District" in late 2005.

paragraphs: On December 20, 2005, Judge John E. Jones III decided in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that a public school district in Pennsylvania cannot teach Intelligent Design in a science class room. He said it was because it is based on a religious belief. The first amendment in the United States Constitution does not allow the government to deal with anything that deals with religious points of view.


title: Rugby sevens

paragraphs: Rugby sevens is the shortened version of rugby union in which only seven players per side feature, instead of the full fifteen. The version of rugby union is very popular, with notable comptitions including the IRB Sevens World Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. It is also played at events such as the Commonwealth Games and rugby league has also adopted the sevens format.

paragraphs: Rugby sevens was invented in Melrose, a small town in Scotland.

paragraphs: It is played under the same rules and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15-player game but a rugby sevens match lasts approximately 15 minutes (7 minutes aside with 1 minute half-time break) but the finals last somewhat more than 20 minutes; each half in a final is ten minutes instead of the normal seven minutes also the game ends when the ball goes of the pitch or points are scored. The point system is similar to rugby union where a Try gets a team 5 points and conversion 2 points with 3 points for penalties and Drop-goals (drop-goals are very uncommon in sevens). Points scoring occurs with much greater regularity in sevens compared to fifteens, since there are more spaces for players to run. Scrums still exist within sevens, composed of just three players from each team. Given the speedy nature of the game, players are usually either from the backline or the trio of loose forwards in fifteens rugby. All sevens players, wether in the forwards or otherwise must be fit,agile,relatively strong and demonstrate a high level of fitness in order to compete at an optimum level. Countries such as New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, England, and Samoa have very successful sevens teams. Rugby sevens have also been played in the commonwealth games since 1998 where there are only boys teams. New zealand is ranked as number 1 in the commonwealth games. New zealand has won 4 gold medals and one silver medal.


title: Rugby World Cup Sevens

paragraphs: The Rugby World Cup Sevens was the world's premier international contest in the Sevens version of rugby union before the sport was added to the Olympics starting in 2016. The World Cup was first held for men's teams only in Scotland in 1993; a women's World Cup was added in 2009 when the event was held in Dubai. Through 2013, the World Cup has been held every four years; after a five-year break for the next tournament in 2018, the four-year cycle will restart. The trophy for the winners of the men's tournament is the Melrose Cup, named after the Scottish town of Melrose where the first sevens game was played. The current holders for both men and women are New Zealand, who won in 2013.

paragraphs: The tournament's most recent edition, in Russia in 2013, was planned to be the last. In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted to add men's and women's rugby sevens to the Summer Olympics starting in 2016. World Rugby (then known as the International Rugby Board, or IRB), which runs rugby union around the world, said in September 2009 that it would no longer hold a World Cup if the sport would be part of the Olympics. However, the IRB changed its mind, saying in 2013 that the World Cup would be kept. The next World Cup will be held in 2018, and from that point will continue every four years.


title: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

paragraphs: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002), was the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

paragraphs: Margaret was born in Glamis Castle, Scotland.

paragraphs: In 1961, she married the photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, who was made Earl of Snowdon. After they divorced she was known as "Princess Margaret" Countess of Snowdon; the Earl's new wife was simply "the" Countess of Snowdon. Armstrong-Jones died in 2017, almost 15 years after Margaret.

paragraphs: Margaret died on 9 February 2002 of a stroke in a London hospital.


title: Romain Maes

paragraphs: Romain Maes (10 August 1912 in Zerkegem– 22 February 1983 in Groot-Bijgaarden) was a Belgian cyclist. He won the 1935 Tour de France. Some claim that he also won the 1936 Paris-Roubaix race, and that Georges Speicher was credited as winning by mistake.


title: Heir apparent

paragraphs: An heir (female: "heiress") is a person who has inherited something after the original owner's death. Most often a child after his or her parent's death.

paragraphs: "Heir apparent" and "heir presumptive" usually refer to someone who will inherit a royal or noble title:


title: Armenia national football team

paragraphs: The Armenia national football team is the national football team of Armenia. After the split of the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Moldova on 12 October 1992.


title: Nostradamus

paragraphs: Michel de Nostredame (14 or 21 December 1503 – 2 July 1566), also known as Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and allegedly a doctor. He was born in Provence. He is famous as a 'seer' who wrote collections of prophecies that have since become famous around the world. His best known book was called "Les Propheties" (The Prophecies) and first appeared in 1555. Since its first publication the book has rarely been out of print. Over the years, many people have come to believe that Nostradamus predicted a range of events in history. People often reached this conclusion by applying methods similar to the Bible code - i.e. by twisting the texts in such a way as to suggest that they predicted the future. He died of edema in Provence.

paragraphs: Most academics say that these associations between Nostradamus' quatrains and world events are the result of misinterpretations, or bad translations, that are so far-fetched that they are useless as a source of genuine prediction. What is more, no interpretation has yet managed to predict any event before it happened.

paragraphs: Some people have written prophecies that were wrongly assumed to be by Nostradamus. For example, in 1997 a college student in Canada wrote an essay that included a fake English quatrain (a four-line verse) written in the same style that Nostradamus used in French. The quatrain ended up on the Internet, where it was soon assumed that it was a verse by Nostradamus himself predicting the events of 9/11. So many people e-mailed it to their friends, thinking that it was by Nostradamus, that the associated websites and discussion forums were soon overwhelmed.


title: Trough (meteorology)

paragraphs: A trough is an elongated area of comparatively low atmospheric pressure, usually in association with weather fronts.

paragraphs: Convective cells may form in the surrounding area of troughs and give birth to a tropical cyclone. Some tropical or subtropical areas, such as the Philippines or south China are greatly affected by convection cells along a trough. In the mid-latitude westerlies, troughs and ridges often exchange with each other, especially when upper-level winds are in a high-amplitude pattern. For a trough in the westerlies, the region just west of the trough axis is typically an area of convergent winds and descending air - and hence high pressure - while the region just east of the trough axis is an area of fast, divergent winds and low pressure. Tropical waves are a type of trough in easterly currents, a cyclonic northward deflection of the trade winds.


title: QuikSCAT

paragraphs: The QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer) is an earth-observing satellite that provides wind speed and direction information over oceans to NOAA. It is a "quick recovery" mission to fill the gap created by the loss of data from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) that was lost in June 1997. It is in a sun-synchronous low-earth orbit.

paragraphs: Because of the 2003 failure of the ADEOS II satellite that was meant to succeed the NSCAT, QuickSCAT is currently the only US-owned instrument in orbit that measures surface winds over the oceans. The European Space Agency has its own scatterometers in orbit, such as Envisat.

paragraphs: However, because it is now running on a backup transmitter and having other problems, this satellite could fail at any moment, putting risk at weather forecasts for possibly dangerous tropical cyclones.

paragraphs: In early June 2007, Bill Proenza, Director of the National Hurricane Center in Florida, came under fire for criticizing his NOAA superiors for not creating a back-up plan for replacing the capabilities provided by this satellite.


title: Zakarid-Mxargrzeli

paragraphs: The Zakarids (Armenian: Զաքարյաններ, Zakaryanner; Georgian: მხარგრძელები, Mkhargdzelebi) were a noble Armenian family in medieval Armenia and Georgia.


title: Bermuda International Airport

paragraphs: Bermuda International Airport , also known as L.F. Wade International Airport, is an airport in Bermuda, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the north Atlantic Ocean. In 2006, L.F. Wade International Airport handled about 900,000 passengers, up 7% from 2005. It has one passenger terminal, one cargo terminal, and eight aircraft stands. It can support all aircraft sizes up to and including the Boeing 747. Currently, ten airlines operate services to Bermuda Airport from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The largest aircraft now operating in regularly scheduled service at BDA are British Airways' Boeing 777-200s.


title: Mikheil Saakashvili

paragraphs: Mikhail Saakashvili (; born December 21, 1967) is a Georgian politician and was the President of Georgia. As of 2015 he is the Governor of Odessa Oblast, Ukraine.


title: Waltham, Massachusetts

paragraphs: Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,226 at the 2000 census.


title: Sea surface temperature

paragraphs: Sea surface temperature (SST) is the water temperature at the surface. In practical terms, the exact meaning of "surface" will vary according to the measurement method used. A satellite infrared radiometer indirectly measures the temperature of a very thin layer (about 10 micrometres thick) or skin of the ocean (leading to the phrase skin temperature) representing the top millimeter; a thermometer attached to an already fastened or wandering buoy in the ocean would measure the temperature at a specific depth (e.g. the top 1 meter below the sea surface); the measurements regularly made from ships are often from the engine water intakes and may be at various depths in the upper 20 m of the ocean. Note that the depth of measurement in this case will vary with the cargo aboard the vessel.


title: National language

paragraphs: A national language is a language which is the national identity of a nation. A national language is used for political and legal discourse.


title: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

paragraphs: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum that deals with the history of country music. The museum is located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The museum also honors the major people in the history of country music.


title: Flag of Iran

paragraphs: The current flag of Iran was started to be used on July 29, 1980, and is a similar of changes brought to Iran by the Islamic Revolution. The simple design of the flag is three horizontal bands of green above white above red, symbolizing Islam, peace, and courage.


title: Real Zaragoza

paragraphs: Real Zaragoza is an Aragonese football Club. The club competes in La Liga (the Spanish Premier League).

paragraphs: It was established in 1932 when Zaragoza CD and Iberia FC join to create Real Zaragoza. Its home stadium is La Romareda in the city of Zaragoza.

paragraphs: Amongst its previous managers is Víctor Fernández.

paragraphs: Real Zaragoza's honours includes 6 Spanish Championships "Copa del Rey" and five times runners-up, a Inter-City Fairs Cup and another runners-up, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and a Spanish Premier League "La Liga" runners-up.

paragraphs: Famous players like Juan Esnáider, Gabi Milito, Jorge Valdano, Ricardo Oliveria, Cafu or José Luis Chilavert have played for Real Zaragoza.


title: Everton Tigers

paragraphs: Everton Tigers are an English professional basketball team. They play in Liverpool. The Tigers are a part of the British Basketball League (BBL). The Tigers play at the Greenbank Sports Academy. Some of the Everton Tigers players are Mohamed Niang, Delme Herriman, and Chris Haslam.


title: Eastman School of Music

paragraphs: The Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (also known more simply as The Eastman School, Eastman, or ESM) is a music conservatory in Rochester, New York, in the United States. It is said to be one of the best schools for teaching music in the world.


title: Henry Morgenthau

paragraphs: Henry Morgenthau, Sr. (April 26, 1856 – November 25, 1946)was a German-born American businessman and United States ambassador. He is most known by his job as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I. He was father of the politician, Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and the grandfather of Robert M. Morgenthau, the current District Attorney of New York County, and historian Barbara Tuchman.


title: Persian people

paragraphs: The Persians or Iranians are an ethnic group who speak the Persian language and share the same culture and history. In Western writings, it is common to name all ancient Iranians as Persian, although some of them were not of the Persian culture, and did not speak the Persian language.

paragraphs: Persian people include many groups, such as Tats. Most of them live in Iran.


title: Louis P. Lochner

paragraphs: Louis P. Lochner (born Ludwig) (February 22, 1887 – 1975) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist at the Associated Press. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his work reporting the news from Nazi Germany.


title: Shepherd

paragraphs: A shepherd is someone who looks after sheep. Shepherds usually take the sheep out into fields so that they can graze (eat the grass). In the same way, someone who looks after cows is called a “cowherd”. A "swineherd" looks after pigs and a "goatherd" looks after goats. A herd is a group of animals. "Herding" can also mean making a herd of animals go to another place. A female shepherd is called a “shepherdess”.

paragraphs: Many years ago, when most people lived in the country, shepherding was very common. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat, and especially their wool. We know that there were shepherds in some parts of the world thousands of years ago.

paragraphs: The shepherd’s job was to make sure the sheep were safe and they were not eaten by wolves or other wild animals.

paragraphs: In many societies shepherds were an important part of the economy. Unlike farmers, shepherds were often wage earners. They were paid to watch other people’s sheep. Shepherds often lived all on their own. Some were nomads. Shepherds were most often the younger sons of simple farmers who did not inherit any land. Still in other societies, each family would have a family member to shepherd its flock, often a child or young person or an old person who was not able to help much with the harder work.

paragraphs: Shepherds often worked with dogs. The dogs (sheepdogs) were trained to herd the sheep. Sheepdog trials are still popular today. The shepherd has to give signs to the dog to tell it exactly where he wants the sheep to go.

paragraphs: A shepherd had a lot of time to sit and think or amuse himself. He often made simple instruments out of reeds that grew where he sat. These instruments were often simple pan flutes or just pipes which were similar to bamboo pipes or a modern recorder. Some shepherds learned to carve instruments out of wood. An example is the fujara from Slovakia and southern Poland.

paragraphs: Shepherds often made up music. This is why composers of classical music very often wrote music which imitated the sound of the shepherd’s pipe. For example: in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute the character Papageno, a birdcatcher, plays on his pipes. In the "Symphonie Fantastique" Berlioz wrote music which describes a shepherd playing his pipes, and a shepherdess far away the other side of the hill answering his call. Berlioz used an oboe and a cor anglais for this.

paragraphs: Musicians were not the only people who liked the idea of the life of a shepherd. Many painters painted scenes in the country with sheep being looked after by a shepherd. Poets wrote about shepherds. The shepherd’s way of life was thought to be the ideal way to live. It was called Arcadian. Poems like these are called pastoral, after the term for herding. Some early examples are the "Idylls" of Theocritus, and the "Eclogues" of Virgil.


paragraphs: The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a Marxist-Leninist guerilla organization, that operated from 1975 to 1986.

paragraphs: The stated intention of ASALA was "to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its alleged responsibility for the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, pay reparations, and cede territory for an Armenian homeland".

paragraphs: ASALA was founded in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon by Hagop Hagopian (Harutiun Tagushian) and Kevork Ajemian, a prominent contemporary writer.

paragraphs: The group's activities were primarily assassinations of Turkish diplomats and politicians in Western Europe, the United States and the Middle East. A failed attack in Geneva on October 3, 1980, in which two Armenian militants were injured resulted in a new nickname for the group, the 3 October Organization. The ASALA's eight point manifesto was published in 1981.

paragraphs: Continuous attacks prompted Turkey to accuse Cyprus, Greece, Syria, Lebanon, and the Soviet Union of provoking or possibly funding the ASALA, though nothing of this sort was ever found to be true.

paragraphs: According to Tessa Hofmann, Turkish officials frequently used the accusation of collaboration with the ASALA and foreign Armenian circles to incriminate extreme left-wing Turkish opposition groups.


title: Kevork Ajemian

paragraphs: Kevork Ajemian ("Adjemian") (1932 – 1998) was an Armenian writer, journalist and public activist, one of the founders of ASALA military organization.

paragraphs: Kevork Ajemian was born in Syria, in the family of Armenian refugees. In early age he moved to Lebanon, where he studied at the American University of Beirut.

paragraphs: A prominent representative of the new generation of Armenian Diaspora writers of 1960s he wrote both in Armenian and in English, his books were published in Lebanon, USA and USA.

paragraphs: In 1978-1989 Ajemian edited the "Spurk" journal, in 1979 he took part of the First Armenian Congress Organizing Committee (Paris). He died in Paris, France.

paragraphs: In 1999 a collection of the best journalistic works of Ajemian was published.


title: Supabarn

paragraphs: Supabarn is a small, cheap supermarket chain which started in Canberra with large shops across the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales in Australia. It was known as Supabarn Emporium in the early 2000s before becoming Supabarn Supermarkets in 2004. It sells traditional, wholefoods, and grocery and fresh food items.

paragraphs: It was first opened in the Canberra Centre in 1991 and six more shops have been opened from that time onwards. Supabarn is one of Canberra's largest employers because it has 750 people in seven shops, with two in Sydney.

paragraphs: In 2015, Coles bought some of its stores.


title: Members of the United Nations

paragraphs: This is a list of members of the United Nations. The list includes the date each country joined the United Nations.

paragraphs: All notes are based on Official list of member states


title: 1960 Summer Olympics

paragraphs: The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held at Rome in Italy.

paragraphs: Rome had been awarded the 1908 Summer Olympics. However, after the 1906 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, London became the host. Other possible cities to host the 1960 Summer Olympics were Lausanne, Detroit, Budapest, Brussels, Mexico City and Tokyo; but in 1955, Rome was chosen.

paragraphs: CBS paid $394,000 for the right to broadcast the Games in the United States.

paragraphs: A total of 67 nations sent athletes to compete at the Melbourne games.


title: 1948 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The games started on January 30 1948. St. Moritz was also the site of the 1928 Winter Olympics.

paragraphs: These Games were the first in twelve years, because none were held during World War II.


title: 1932 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games started on February 4 1932. The 1932 Winter Olympic Games were going to be in Big Pines, California, but because of poor snow conditions, the games were moved to Lake Placid.


title: 2010 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games, were the Winter Olympics that were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games were organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). The XXI Olympic Winter Games were held from February 14 2010 to February 28 2010. Many of the 2010 events were held in the nearby resort community called Whistler, about an hour's drive north of Vancouver.

paragraphs: The 2010 Winter Olympics is the third Olympics hosted by Canada, and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada was home to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The villages of Whistler and Garibaldi bid for the games in 1976 but failed to win.

paragraphs: 82 National Olympic Committees had teams in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Cayman Islands, Colombia, Ghana, Montenegro, Pakistan, Peru and Serbia were in their first winter Olympics. Also Jamaica, Mexico and Morocco came back to the Games after missing the Turin Games.

paragraphs: Costa Rica, Kenya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Thailand, United States Virgin Islands and Venezuela did not join the 2010 Winter Olympics.

paragraphs: Fifteen winter sports events were in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The eight sports grouped as ice sports were: bobsled, luge, skeleton, ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating and curling. The three sports grouped as alpine skiing and snowboarding events were: alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The four sports grouped as Nordic events were: biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined.

paragraphs: "Numbers in parentheses show the number of medal events for each sport."

paragraphs: The opening and closing ceremonies and the events grouped as ice sports (excluding bobsleigh, luge and skeleton) were held in Vancouver and Richmond. The sports grouped as "Nordic events" were held in the Callaghan Valley near Whistler. All alpine skiing events were held on Whistler Mountain (Creekside) and sliding events (bobsleigh, luge and skeleton) were held on Blackcomb Mountain. Cypress Mountain was the place for the freestyle skiing (aerials, moguls and ski cross), and all snowboard events (half-pipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboard cross).

paragraphs: Vancouver 2010 was the first winter Olympics that both men's and women's hockey were played on a narrower, NHL-sized ice rink, measuring 200 ft × 85 ft (61 m × 26 m), instead of the international size of 200 ft × 98.5 ft (61 m × 30 m). The games were played at General Motors Place, home of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, which was temporarily renamed Canada Hockey Place for the time of the Olympics. This change saved $10 million in construction costs and allowed an additional 35,000 spectators to attend Olympic hockey games. However, some European countries felt this would give North American players an advantage since they grew up playing on the smaller NHL-sized rinks.

paragraphs: Here is the top of the medal table at the end of the games.

paragraphs: Medal numbers shown in bold are the highest in their section. Canada, the host nation is highlighted in lavender.


title: Sexual assault

paragraphs: Sexual assault is when two people come in contact of a sexual nature, but one of the two people does not want this contact to happen. In some cases, one of the people involved may also be unable to consent to the contact. For example, they might be too young to consent or they may be unconscious. Rape is one form of sexual assault, but there are others.

paragraphs: Different countries have different definitions of sexual assault. It is illegal, but often not reported. People convicted of sexual assault are sometimes sent to prison. In some places the crime of sexual assault has replaced the crime of rape. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, rape is a separate crime to sexual assault.

paragraphs: As many as 90-99% of people with developmental disabilities are sexually exploited before they are 18 years old.

paragraphs: A 2010-2011 study in the United States of 1058 people aged 14 to 21 found that 8% had sexually assaulted in their lives. In 66% of cases no one found out and the perpetrator did not get into any trouble. 50% said that their victim was completely to blame. 2% had raped and 3% had tried to rape.

paragraphs: In 2014 a study was published by the journal "Gender & Society" which found that girls and young women rarely reported abuse because they saw sexual violence against them as normal behavior from males.


title: 1994 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. Other possible host cities were Anchorage, Alaska, USA; Östersund/Åre, Sweden; and Sofia, Bulgaria. In 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to change the schedule of the Olympic Games so that the summer and winter games would be arranged in alternating even-numbered years. Lillehammer won the right to host the event in September 1988 in Seoul before the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics. The Lillehammer Games were held in 1994, the only time the Winter Games have occurred two years after the previous games.

paragraphs: The Lillehammer Olympics are notable for being the last Winter Olympic Games to date to have been held in a town (Lillehammer's population is just 25,000). Later Winter Olympics were held in larger cities, such as Nagano, Salt Lake City, Turin and Vancouver.


title: 1992 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1992 in Albertville, France. Other possible host cities were Anchorage, USA; Berchtesgaden, Germany; Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Lillehammer, Norway; Falun, Sweden; and Sofia, Bulgaria.

paragraphs: These were the last Winter Games to be held in the same year as the Summer Games. They were also the first Games where the Winter Paralympics and the Winter Olympics were held at the same site.


title: 1980 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Another possible host city was Vancouver-Garibaldi, British Columbia, Canada; they withdrew before the final vote.


title: Maya people

paragraphs: The Maya people form a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The Mayan civilization was powerful, more than a thousand years ago.

paragraphs: The most populations of Maya are in the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Chiapas, and in the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.


title: Cor anglais

paragraphs: The cor anglais, or English horn, is a double reed instrument in the woodwind family. It is very similar to an oboe, but as it is longer than an oboe it plays lower notes.

paragraphs: The lowest note of an oboe is B flat (just below Middle C). The lowest note of a cor anglais is an E natural, a diminished fifth (five notes of a scale, minus a semitone) lower than the oboe's lowest note.

paragraphs: The cor anglais is a transposing instrument pitched in F. This means that the music sounds a fifth lower than written. This has the advantage that the cor anglais player uses fingering as if he were playing an oboe, but it will sound a fifth lower.

paragraphs: The bell (the bit at the end of the instrument) is shaped like a pear. This gives it a less nasal sound (the sound of the cor anglais is less as if played through the nose). The reed is not fixed to a piece of cork like the oboe reed but it is put straight onto the short piece of metal (called a "bocal") at the top of the instrument.

paragraphs: The word "cor anglais" is a French word which literally means "English horn", but the cor anglais is neither English nor a horn. No one is sure how it got its name, but many people think it is because the bocal at the top is curved (the French word for curved, "anglé" is pronounced like the word for English "anglais").

paragraphs: Many oboists can play the cor anglais as well, just as flautists can play the piccolo (if they play both instruments in the same concert this is called doubling).

paragraphs: There are few solo pieces for the instrument, but mostly it is used for solo melodies in slow pieces for orchestra because it can sound very expressive.

paragraphs: Some famous examples of cor anglais solos can be found in:


title: Topoxte

paragraphs: Topoxte () was a Maya archaeological site in northern Guatemala. It was the capital city of the Ko’woj Maya. Topoxte is located on an island on Yaxha Lake across from the important centre of Yaxha.


title: Mayapan

paragraphs: Mayapan was a Maya city. It is about 100 km away from Chichen Itza.


title: Committee of Union and Progress

paragraphs: The Committee of Union and Progress was a political group. It was made by Bahaeddin Şakir in 1906 during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The group was one of the Young Turks. This group came to power between 1908 and 1918. At the end of World War I most of its members were court-martialled by the sultan Mehmed VI and imprisoned. The remnants of the organization were eliminated from the Republic of Turkey during the "assassination of president" trials in 1926.


title: Dardanelles

paragraphs: The Dardanelles is the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It marks the division between Asia to the East, and Europe to the west. As a waterway it is highly significant to all countries in the region.

paragraphs: From Ancient Greek times it is also known as the Hellespont.


title: Biescas

paragraphs: Biescas is a town in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is on the river Gallego at and altitude of 875 m in the zone known as "Tierra de Biescas". The population is 1240.

paragraphs: It is divided in two main neighbourhoods "San Pedro" and "El Salvador", the last one divided other two neighbourhoods called "Barrio Bajo" and "La Peña" (or "Barrio Alto").

paragraphs: There are two churches in the town, the first one, "San Pedro's Church" is in the neighbourhood of San Pedro and the second one "San Salvador's Church" in La Peña.

paragraphs: Municipality of Biescas is divided in four parts

paragraphs: Additionally Ainielle, Barbenuta, Bergusa, Casbas, Espierre, Susín and Javierre del Obispo are included in Biescas municipality


title: Gloucester

paragraphs: Gloucester (pronounced [ˈglɒstə]) is a city and district in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is near the Welsh border on the River Severn.

paragraphs: The annual Three Choirs Festival, which started in the eighteenth century and one of the oldest music festivals in Europe, takes place in Gloucester every third year. The other places the festival is held are Hereford and Worcester.

paragraphs: Some parts of the Harry Potter films were filmed at Gloucester cathedral.

paragraphs: Gloucester Rugby, founded in 1873, play here. The team plays in the Guinness Premiership, the top level of English rugby. Their homeground is Kingsholm.


title: Ciscaucasus

paragraphs: Ciscaucasus may refer to one of the following


title: Fore-Caucasus

paragraphs: Fore-Caucasus (, sometimes Ciscaucasia, Front Caucasus) is a region to North of the Caucasus Major (Большой Кавказ) mountains of Caucasus and farther bounded by Kuma-Manych Depression from the North, Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait from the West, and Caspian Sea from the East.


title: North Caucasus

paragraphs: The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus Economical Region of Russia.

paragraphs: Politically, the Northern Caucasus (territory north of the Greater Caucasus Range) includes the Russian Republics of the North Caucasus as well as several regions of Georgia and Azerbaijan.


title: Greater Caucasus

paragraphs: Greater Caucasus (; ; , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains.

paragraphs: The range stretches for about from west-northwest to east-southeast, between the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea: from the Western Caucasus near Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku on the Caspian.

paragraphs: The range is traditionally separated into three parts:

paragraphs: In the wetter Western Caucasus, the mountains are heavily forested (deciduous forest up to , coniferous forest up to and alpine meadows above the tree line). In the drier Eastern Caucasus, the mountains are mostly treeless.


title: Mount Elbrus

paragraphs: Mount Elbrus (, ) is a peak in the western Caucasus mountains. It is in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. It consists of two peaks. The western peak has a height of , the eastern peak is high.

paragraphs: Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano, with a glacier on top. The western peak still has a crater with a diameter of about . No eruptions have been recorded, but there are other signs of volcanic activity, namely hot springs in the area. There last eruption happened in the first century.

paragraphs: Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in the Caucasus range, and the highest one on Russian soil. Mount Elbrus is about taller than Mont Blanc, which is commonly seen as the highest peak in Europe. The Caucasus range is generally seen as the border between Europe and Asia. People disagree on which mountains of the Caucasus are in Europe, and which ones are in Asia. A common view is to use the watershed as the boundary line. If this definition is used, Mount Elbrus is in Europe, and its highest mountain.


title: Provinces of the Dominican Republic

paragraphs: The Dominican Republic has thirty-one (31) provinces (in Spanish, "provincias"). The President of the Republic appoints a Civil Governor ("Gobernador Civil") in every province. The only function of the Governor is to represent the President of the Republic in the province.

paragraphs: The people who live in the province elect one Senator ("Senador") and at least two (2) Representatives ("Diputados") for the National Congress.

paragraphs: The National District ("Distrito Nacional") is similar to a province but without a Civil Governor and with only one municipality, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the national capital.

paragraphs: There are two (2) or more municipalities (in Spanish and in singular, "municipio") in every province. The municipalities are governed by municipal councils and mayors elected by popular vote. The municipal districts (in Spanish and in singular, "distrito municipal") are subdivisions of some municipalities ruled by a municipal council and a mayor.

paragraphs: The Dominican Republic has 154 municipalities and 202 municipal districts.

paragraphs: The following is a table of the provinces and their capital cities. Population figures in the following table are from the 2010 census.


title: Reductio ad absurdum

paragraphs: Reductio ad absurdum is a Latin phrase which means "reduction to the absurd". The phrase describes a kind of indirect proof. It is a proof by contradiction, and is a common form of argument. It shows that a statement is true because its denial leads to a contradiction, or a false or absurd result. It is a way of reasoning that has been used throughout the history of mathematics and philosophy from classical antiquity onwards.

paragraphs: The ridiculous or ""absurdum"" conclusion of a "reductio ad absurdum" argument can have many forms. For example,

paragraphs: The phrase can be traced back to the Greek "η εις άτοπον απαγωγή" ("hê eis átopon apagogê"). This phrase means "reduction to the impossible". It was often used by Aristotle. The method is used a number of times in "Euclid's Elements".

paragraphs: "Reduction ad absurdum" can be a tool of discovery.

paragraphs: The method of proving something works by first assuming something about it. Then other things are deduced from that. If there is a contradiction, it shows that the first something cannot be correct. For example,


title: Sandoz

paragraphs: Today Sandoz is a part of Novartis. It is a big pharmaceutical firm in Switzerland. Today, Sandoz produces many drugs whose patents have run out (so called generic drugs). The original company, which was founded in 1886, is known for several things:


title: Artificial sweetener

paragraphs: An artificial sweetener or sugar substitute is a chemical. It is added to some foods to make them taste sweet. It is made to taste like sugar or corn syrup. Usually it has a much lower energy value than sugar. It can be found in many products which say "Light" or "Diet" in their name.

paragraphs: Consumers use artificial sweeteners for one of the following reasons:

paragraphs: Studies done with animals have shown that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain. A sweet taste causes insulin to be produced. This will store some of the sugar in the blood in tissues, including fat. With artificial sweeteners, the amount of sugar in the blood does not increase. This means that there will be too little sugar in the blood. This is known as hypoglycemia. On the next meal, more food will be eaten to get the blood sugar level back to normal values.

paragraphs: After a while, rats given sweeteners have steadily increased the amount of calories. This increased body weight, and adiposity (fatness). The natural response to eating sugary foods is to eat less at the next meal and to use some of the extra energy to warm the body after the meal. When using artificial sweeteners, this effect is lost gradually.


title: Larry Sanger

paragraphs: Lawrence Mark Sanger (born July 16, 1968) is an American internet project developer. He worked with Jimmy Wales to create the internet encyclopedias, Nupedia and Wikipedia before he created his own online encyclopedias Digital Universe and Citizendium.

paragraphs: Wales, through his company Bomis, paid Sanger to help them to maintain Nupedia.

paragraphs: On January 2, 2001, Ben Kovitz, Sanger's friend, had the idea to use a wiki to help to make Nupedia better. Sanger in turn told Wales, and on January 15, 2001, Wikipedia was launched. There are different opinions on which of the three people are most responsible for Wikipedia.

paragraphs: In 2005, Sanger created Digital Universe, an online encyclopedia like Wikipedia.

paragraphs: In 2006, Sanger created Citizendium, another online encyclopedia. Citizendium uses the MediaWiki engine (like Wikipedia) but the rules are different. People must use their given names on Citizendium and experts are given special status in approving articles.

paragraphs: In December 2017, Sanger joined Everipedia. He left the project in 2019.


title: Cats (musical)

paragraphs: Cats is a musical. It is based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats", a book of poems by T.S. Eliot. Trevor Nunn wrote the lyrics for the song, "Memory", which is based on some of T.S Eliot's poems. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music.

paragraphs: "Cats" premiered at the New London Theatre in the West End on 11 May 1981. It closed on 11 May 2002 after 8,949 performances. It opened on Broadway on 7 October 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre. It closed on 10 September 2000, after 7,485 performances.

paragraphs: The musical won the 1982 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the 1983 Tony Award for Best Musical.

paragraphs: Every year, a tribe of cats known as the Jellicle Cats meet for the Jellicle Ball. At the Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the tribe, chooses one cat to ascend to the Heaviside Lair to be reborn and return to a new life.

paragraphs: Grizabella, an elderly (younger in some productions) glamour cat who left the Jellicle tribe's junkyard home, comes back to her tribe, but they shun her. While the other cats dance at the Jellicle Ball, Grizabella watches in the background. She performs a simple dance when the other cats leave, and sings about how she wants to be accepted. Old Deutoronomy sees this and sympathizes with her.

paragraphs: In act two, Old Deuteronomy gets kidnapped by Macavity, a "mystery cat" who is the only true antagonist in the musical. As soon as he is successfully returned, it is time to choose who goes to the Heaviside Layer.

paragraphs: Grizabella is chosen, and she is taken on a tire to fly into the Heaviside layer.


title: Independent movie

paragraphs: An independent movie, or independent film (often called indie film), is the name usually given to a movie that is made by a small movie studio for not much money. Sometimes the name is used for art films; which are less expensive and often have less plot. Independent movies are being made (produced) more as the technology needed, such as cameras and editing-software, is becoming less expensive. Movies like "Reservoir Dogs", "American History X", "The Basketball Diaries" and the documentary "Bowling for Columbine" are independent because they were made for little money and by small studios.


title: Flower power

paragraphs: "Flower power" was a 1960s slogan, used by hippies and other people who were against war and violence. It was a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence ideology.

paragraphs: These people used flowers as a symbol of life, of love, and of peace. They wore flowers, made art with flowers and images of them, and gave them away often. Hippies sometimes placed flowers in the rifle barrels of marching soldiers.

paragraphs: Songs such as "San Francisco, Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair" by folk musicians The Mamas & the Papas were associated with flower power.


title: Cargo cult

paragraphs: Cargo cult is a name given to several religions. There are many cargo cults in Melanesia and New Guinea. These religions are started when tribal societies come into contact with Western civilisation. When the first contact happened, the tribespeople saw Western manufactured goods, like radios. These things are called "cargo". The tribespeople did not know how the manufactured goods worked nor how they were made.

paragraphs: They imitate the behaviour they saw the Westerners do, in the hope that some spirits will send them more cargo. In other cases, such as on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, cult members worship Americans who brought the cargo.

paragraphs: During the age of colonialism, the colonial powers came in contact with many technologically less advanced societies. The first cargo cults were documented in New Guinea, and other countries of Micronesia, Melanesia and the West Pacific Ocean.

paragraphs: The people who are part of the cargo cults think that the cargo was created by their deities and ancestors. They think that the cargo was made for the members of the cargo cult, but the foreigners have it. For this reason, the efforts and rituals of cargo cults are done so that the foreigners should get less of these goods and the cult members more of them.


title: Walloon language

paragraphs: Walloon is a Romance language. It belongs to the family of the "oïl languages" along with French, Picard and Norman.

paragraphs: Walloon is spoken in Wallonia in Belgium and in some villages in Wisconsin in the United States.


title: Gallo language

paragraphs: Gallo is one of the two regional languages of Brittany. It is an Oïl language of the Romance language family, with Latin at the base. Gallo is spoken in the eastern part of Brittany.

paragraphs: The other regional language of Brittany is Breton. Breton is a Celtic language.


title: Diethyl ether

paragraphs: Diethyl ether is a clear liquid chemical. It is often just called ether. Ether burns very easily and boils at about 35°C. It has a sweet smell and does not mix with water.

paragraphs: Ether was discovered in 1275. It was used in the past as a general anesthetic to make people unconscious during surgery. Now other chemicals are used because ether has side effects and can catch fire. Ether is used as a solvent by scientists for chemical reactions.

paragraphs: People used to take ether as a recreational drug (drugs used for fun, such as alcohol) in the 1800s. People would either drink a drink with small amounts of ether in it, just like people drink alcoholic drinks, or inhale the fumes given off by pure or nearly pure ether. This could have addicted these people to the ether if they did that often enough. It was a big problem in some places, like Ireland and Poland. It first became popular because Europeans thought it was unladylike to drink alcohol. Women would drink ether instead, as would teetotalers, people who had decided not to drink alcohol.

paragraphs: It became illegal to sell ether in Poland in 1923.

paragraphs: Ether is made as a byproduct when ethanol is made, so it is not very expensive.


title: Carriage

paragraphs: A carriage is a type of vehicle that was used before cars were invented. It is a fancy type of cart or wagon, usually with four wheels and suspension. The carriages may be pulled by horses. Carriages are often used for weddings.


title: Lozi language

paragraphs: Lozi, also called Silozi and Rozi, is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family.

paragraphs: It is spoken by the Lozi people in southwestern Zambia. It is also spoken in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the Zambezi Region of Namibia.

paragraphs: The Lozi language comes from a mix of two languages: Luyana and Kololo.

paragraphs: This is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Lozi:


title: Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp

paragraphs: Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a camp near Berlin, Germany, where British prisoners of war were detained (kept) during World War I. Ruhleben itself was then a village 10 kilometres to the west of Berlin, but now it is part of the city of Berlin, in a district called Ruhleben in the borough of Spandau. The camp was originally a horse racecourse.

paragraphs: The detainees (people who were kept there) came from countries that were fighting against Germany in the war. Most of them were British. They were in Germany when the war broke out, which is why they were taken prisoner (detained). Some of them were in Germany because they lived there, others were on holiday at the time. Some of them were crew members of civilian ships that happened to be in German harbours at the time or who were captured at sea.

paragraphs: There were about 5,500 prisoners in the camp. Most of them spent all four years of World War I there. Books have been written about what it was like living in the camp. These include "To Ruhleben - And Back" by Geoffrey Pyke, who successfully escaped from the camp in 1915.

paragraphs: The detainees were mostly treated quite well. The guards had to obey the Geneva Conventions. Although there were some people who found it very difficult being kept there, many others found lots of things to do to keep themselves occupied. Letters, books, sports equipment and a printing press were all allowed into the camp and the detainees organised their own police force, magazine, library and postal service. Some of the detainees were young people who later became famous. They included the Canadian musician Ernest MacMillan who later became the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. MacMillan had been on holiday in Germany to visit the Bayreuth Festival when war broke out. Charles Ellis and James Chadwick later became famous scientists. They used their time in Ruhleben to study. They were able to build a laboratory and do some experiments. There were famous footballers and athletes as well.

paragraphs: A lot of musical activities were organized in the camp. There was a Ruhleben Musical Society. Ernest MacMillan was a member and he gave concerts and lectures. Together with the composer and pianist Benjamin Dale, he played piano duet versions of all Beethoven’s symphonies. The society put on a performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "Mikado" and a pantomime version of "Cinderella". They did not have the music for the "Mikado", but someone had the libretto (the words), and four of the musicians wrote the music from what they could remember. They wrote it out for whatever instruments they had in the camp. There was also a Ruhleben Drama Society which put on productions of Shakespeare’s "Othello" and "Twelfth Night" and Oscar Wilde’s "The Importance of Being Earnest".

paragraphs: As well as music and drama, sports also played a big part in the life of the camp detainees. Among the detainees were four people who had been England internationals: Fred Spiksley, Fred Pentland, Samuel Wolstenholme and Steve Bloomer, a Scotland international, John Cameron, a German international Edwin Dutton, and John Brearley, once of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. There was a Ruhleben Football Association. Sometimes 1,000 detainees watched a game. Cricket, rugby, tennis, golf and boxing were also popular.

paragraphs: The detainees were free when the war ended and many of them were taken by ship back to Britain.


title: M249 light machine gun

paragraphs: The M249 light machine gun is a machine gun which is the U.S. vesion of the Belgian FN Minimi light machine gun, used by the United States and Lebanon. The main use of this weapon is to provide cover fire for other people in the group (the "squad") The gun uses 5.56 NATO caliber ammunition.

paragraphs: The M249 was made because a lot of the squadrons of the U.S. Army did not have fully automatic weapons. It has seen action in every war that the United States has been in since 1989.

paragraphs: The M249 is due to be replaced by the German M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle in the U.S. Marines, but the U.S. Army does not plan to buy any M27's, so it will stay in service with them.


title: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

paragraphs: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra. 400,000 people go to its concerts each year and it is often broadcast over CBC Radio 2. It was formed in 1922. The concerts used to be given in the Massey Hall but since 1982 they have been in the Roy Thomson Hall. The Orchestra often goes on tour and has had some famous conductors.

paragraphs: The TSO's concertmaster now is Jacques Israelievitch.


title: Vattenfall Cyclassics

paragraphs: The Vattenfall Cyclassics is a cycling race held every year in Hamburg, Germany.

paragraphs: It started as an unimportant race in 1996, but because cycling became very popular in Germany it was made a part of the UCI Road World Cup in 1998. Since 2005, it is a part of the UCI ProTour.

paragraphs: The route of the race changes, but is about 250 km long. During a number of laps through Hamburg, the Waseberg hill is climbed a several times. The cyclists also race over Hamburg's highest bridge Köhlbrandbrücke. Unlike many races the Cyclassic race almost never ends in a "mass sprint", that is, with a lot of riders close together racing to the finish line.

paragraphs: There is an amateur part of the Cyclassics. Earlier on the day of the race there are three "Jedermann-Rennen". Anybody ("jedermann") with a ticket can take part in these races ("rennen") over 55 km, 100 km and 155 km. Tickets must be reserved months in advance. In 2005 there were 20000 amateurs on the course.

paragraphs: The sponsor of the Cyclassics, was the "Hamburg Electrizität Werke", Hamburg electricity plant or "HEW", after it became part of the big "Vattenfall" company the Cyclassic changed its name too, and from 2006 this cycling race has been known as the Vattenfall Cyclassics.


title: Gothic language

paragraphs: The Gothic language is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is the East Germanic language with the most texts surviving today. It had died out by the 8th century or perhaps the early 9th century.

paragraphs: Probably, one of the best known works of the language is Wulfila's translation of the Bible, known as the Wulfila Bible or "Gothic Bible" or "Codex Argenteus". The translation was done in the 3rd century.


title: Ernest MacMillan

paragraphs: Sir Ernest MacMillan (born Mimico, Ontario, 18 August 1893; died 6 May 1973) was a famous Canadian conductor and composer.

paragraphs: MacMillan's father was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and musician. He was a child prodigy. He gave his first organ recital in Massey Hall at the age of ten. After studying in Britain and gaining the ARCO and FRCO diplomas at the Royal College of Organists, he studied modern history at the University of Toronto from 1911 to 1914.

paragraphs: In 1914 he went to Europe. He wanted to study at the Paris Conservatoire but this was closed because of the political situation. He went on to Germany to attend the Bayreuth Festival, but World War I started and he was taken prisoner and kept at the Ruhleben civilian detention camp near Berlin. He helped the other people who were prisoners in the camp to put on concerts. He gave talks about classical music and conducted a performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "Mikado" as well as a pantomime version of "Cinderella". This helped him to get experience in conducting. He also took part in the drama productions. He studied hard and was given a BA degree from the University of Toronto (1915) and a D Mus from the University of Oxford (1918), although he was locked up in the camp all this time.

paragraphs: After the war he returned to Canada where he gave organ recitals and lectured about his experiences in Ruhleben. From 1926 to 1942 he was principal of the "Toronto Conservatory of Music", later to become the Royal Conservatory of Music. He was the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra between 1931 and 1956. He did a lot for music in Canada,and he was knighted in 1935 by King George V. In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. He died in Toronto in 1973.

paragraphs: When he conducted he often took the music very slowly. This gave him the nickname "Lord Largo" ("Largo" means "slow and broad" in music). He had an amazing musical memory and he could improvise very well. MacMillan helped to record and preserve the traditional songs and music of Canada's aboriginal or First Nations people. He had an important influence on almost every part of Canadian musical life.


title: Colin McRae

paragraphs: Colin McRae (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007) was a Scottish rally car driver. He was one of the best rally drivers in the world. He died with his son and two other friends when he crashed his helicopter near his home in Lanark, Scotland.


title: Benjamin Dale

paragraphs: Benjamin Dale (born London 17 July 1885; died London 30 July 1943) was a British composer.

paragraphs: Dale won many prizes at the Royal Academy of Music for composition when he was still very young. He wrote a " Piano sonata in D minor" which shows the influence of Romantic composers such as Liszt and Schumann. It was played by pianists such as York Bowen and Dame Myra Hess who were becoming famous. He wrote music for viola for Lionel Tertis to play.

paragraphs: He was in Germany when World War I broke out and was a prisoner in the camp at Ruhleben. There were other musicians there, including the Canadian Ernest MacMillan who later became a famous conductor. They organized a lot of musical events at the camp. Ernest MacMillan gave lectures about each of the nine symphonies by Beethoven, after which he and Dale would play the whole symphony in a piano duet arrangement.

paragraphs: After the war he worked as an Associated Board examiner. He became professor of harmony at the Royal Academy of Music. He continued to compose music. His ballade for violin was especially popular. Dale’s music is not played much today, but there have been some attempts to make his music known again through CD recordings.


title: The Chaser's War On Everything

paragraphs: The Chaser’s War on Everything is a comedy television series. It was shown on the ABC in Australia from 2006-2009. The series is replayed on Friday nights and again (on a different channel) on Sunday nights. The series is hosted by a group of men called The Chaser.

paragraphs: The series has the men doing stunts and tricks. Sometimes these tricks have been known to be dangerous (such as in one episode, cutting across lanes of traffic to stay behind a mobile advertisement), causing the television program Today Tonight to show a story on how dangerous this stunt was. At the end of each episode, there is a parody song performed, usually about the national government.

paragraphs: One of the most famous tricks that has been on the series was when the group tricked security at the APEC Meeting in Sydney in 2007. They drove past two checkpoints in a fake motorcade, using fake access passes. One member of The Chaser was dressed up as Osama bin Laden, causing a massive security scare just metres from where George Bush was staying. 13 crew members were arrested, charged and later released on bail.


title: Illyria

paragraphs: Illyria was an ancient region in the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula. The people who lived there were called Illyrians and spoke the Illyrian languages. The Illyrians faded from history. Modern Albanians are considered to be descendants of illyrians.


title: Battle of Kosovo

paragraphs: The Battle of Kosovo was a battle between Serbian forces and the Ottoman Empire. The result was a huge loss on both sides, but some source tell that the battle, separated, was meaning Serbian victory or draw, but the battle with far–reaching consequences was Turkish victory.

paragraphs: The battle was fought on St Vitus' Day (June 15 is now celebrated on the 28th) 1389.


title: Worcester

paragraphs: Worcester (pronounced "Wuster") is a cathedral city and district in the West Midlands of England. It is the county town of Worcestershire, a county of England. In 2015, it had 101,328 residents.

paragraphs: It is about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester.

paragraphs: The River Severn runs through the middle of the city. Worcester Cathedral overlooks the river.

paragraphs: The University of Worcester is a high ranking university located in the city.

paragraphs: Famous composer Edward Elgar was from Worcester. It is also where Worcestershire sauce originated.

paragraphs: King John of England's tomb is in Worcester, in Worcester Cathedral.


title: Stoke-on-Trent

paragraphs: Stoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is also a unitary authority.

paragraphs: Stoke-on-Trent is sometimes known to be the home of the pottery industry in the United Kingdom and is commonly known as The Potteries. The Armitage Shanks company has its headquarters here. The company makes porcelain products, especially toilets.

paragraphs: The city is unusual as it is made-up of 6 towns - Longton, Fenton, Stoke, Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall.

paragraphs: Stoke on Trent is known for the Supermarine Spitfire, pottery, oatcakes, the spark plug, Sir Stanley Mathews, Robbie Williams, Slash, Arnold Bennett, Captain Smith and Stoke City F.C. (the second oldest professional football club founded in 1863).


title: Triton (moon)

paragraphs: Triton, or Neptune I, is the largest moon of the planet Neptune. It is the seventh-largest moon in the Solar System. Triton is slightly smaller than Earth's Moon. Triton has a complicated geological history, and it is thought to have a comparatively young surface compared to the age of the Solar System itself.

paragraphs: It was discovered by the British astronomer William Lassell on 10 October 1846, just 17 days after Neptune itself was discovered by the German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle and Heinrich Louis d'Arrest.

paragraphs: Triton is believed to be a captured Kuiper Belt object, and is the coldest-known body in the Solar System. The surface temperature of Triton was recorded by Voyager 2 as -235 °C (-391 °F). Triton has its own magnetic field and has a faint trace of an atmosphere.

paragraphs: Drag and tidal interaction cause Triton to fall slowly into lowered orbits. This process is immensely slow. 3.6 billion years from now, Triton will pass within Neptune's Roche limit. It will either collide with Neptune's atmosphere or break up, forming a ring system similar to that found around the planet Saturn.

paragraphs: The reason why Triton is thought to be a captured object is its orbit, which is unique in the Solar System. It is both retrograde (see diagram) and highly tilted. Although there are other satellites with retrograde orbits, they are much smaller than Titan, and much more distant from their host planets (their "primaries"). Triton, like our Moon, shows only one face to the planet: it rotates in synchrony to Neptune.

paragraphs: All we know about the surface of Triton comes from one fly-by of Voyager 2 in 1989. There are few impact craters. This suggests the surface is quite young in astronomical terms: estimates are six to 50 million years.

paragraphs: Despite its very cold temperature, the surface of Triton is geologically active. There are events which look like geysers, volcanos and earthquakes. All the materials involved are quite different from those on Earth. Most of the gases are frozen most of the time. Gases like nitrogen are frozen until something occurs to melt them, then it turns back into a gas. A temperature increase of just 4 K () is enough to make this happen.


title: Kulykol

paragraphs: Kulykol is a lake in northeastern Kazakhstan. Lake Aike is about south. The Russian border is to the west.


title: Pierre Curie

paragraphs: Pierre Curie (15 May 1859 in Paris – 19 April 1906 in Paris) was a French physicist. He shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, Marie Curie and Henri Becquerel, for the work on 'spontaneous radioactivity' which Becquerel discovered.

paragraphs: Pierre Curie is not as well known as Marie Curie, although Pierre and his brother had done a lot of work before Pierre's marriage and work with Marie. They were the first to use the term 'radioactivity', and were pioneers in its study. Pierre and his brother, Jacques Curie, built a special meter for measuring small amounts of electricity which Pierre and Marie used in their other discoveries.

paragraphs: Pierre died after a carriage accident in Paris on 19 April 1906. His head was crushed under the wheels. If he had lived he would probably have died by radiation poisoning, as Marie did. As they were the first to study radioactivity, they did not know how dangerous it was.

paragraphs: After Pierre's death, a group of scientists at the Radiology Congress decided to honour him by naming the unit of radioactivity a curie.

paragraphs: Pierre and Marie Curie's daughter Irène Joliot-Curie and their son-in-law Frédéric Joliot-Curie were also physicists involved in the study of radioactivity, and were also given the Nobel prize for their work. Their other daughter Ève wrote her mother's biography. His granddaughter Hélène Langevin-Joliot is a professor of nuclear physics at the University of Paris and his grandson, Pierre Joliot, who was named after him, is a noted biochemist.


title: Hindustani language

paragraphs: Hindustani is a language. It is made up of the common parts of Hindi and Urdu. Hindi and Urdu have similar grammar, but somewhat different vocabulary and different scripts. it was identified with Urdu, in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and then it makes another form of Hindustani, named Hindi for Hindus.


title: Masala

paragraphs: Masala or Massala or Masalo (, , , ) is a word used in South Asia, mainly Pakistan, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. When Indian people talk about cooking and they say "masala", they mean a mixture of ground spices used in Indian cooking.

paragraphs: There are many different, popular spice mixtures that have been given their own name because they taste really good with one special ingredient. The dish will often use "masala" in its name. Some popular dishes are:

paragraphs: The blend of spices or "masala" for these dishes is often sold in markets or packed by companies to be sold in shops. Some spice blends, like Garam Masala, are so popular it is often used in many different recipes, not just one.

paragraphs: Also India is one of the only countries to have the highest variety in masalas. Around 70% of the world's spice business and exports are handled by India.


title: Mayan languages

paragraphs: The Mayan languages ares a group of languages spoken in Central America and Mesoamerica.

paragraphs: Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million native Maya. Most of them are in Guatemala, Mexico or Belize. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name, and Mexico recognises eight others.

paragraphs: The Mayan languages are some of the best documented and most studied in the Americas. Modern Mayan languages come from Proto-Mayan, a language that was probably spoken at least 5000 years ago. It has been partly reconstructed.


title: Soconusco

paragraphs: Soconusco is a region of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is in the most southern part of the state. It borders the Republic of Guatemala on the southeast, the regions Costa, Sierra and Fraylesca of Chiapas on the east and north, and the shore of the Pacific Ocean on the southwest. It is a region of rich lowlands and foothills. The economic center of Soconusco is Tapachula.

paragraphs: The name comes from the Nahuatl word "xoconostle", meaning the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. It was, under the Mexican culture, the farthest region of trade. The area provided jaguar pelts, cacao, and quetzal feathers for the ruling classes in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

paragraphs: The Soconusco region is the main coffee-producing region in Chiapas. It has many plantations farther inland in the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur.


title: Chiapas

paragraphs: Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico. It is towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean.

paragraphs: Chiapas has an area of . The 2005 census population was 4,293,459 people.

paragraphs: In general Chiapas has a humid, tropical weather. In the north, in the area bordering Tabasco, near Teapa, rainfall can be more than 3,000 mm (118 in) per year . In the past, natural vegetation at this region was lowland, tall perennial rainforest, but this vegetation has been destroyed almost completely to give way to agriculture and ranching. Rainfall decreases moving towards the Pacific Ocean, but it is still abundant enough to allow the farming of bananas and many other tropical crops near Tapachula. On the several parallel "sierras" or mountain ranges running along the center of Chiapas, climate can be quite temperate and foggy. This allows the development of cloud forests like those of the Reserva de la Biosfera el Triunfo, home to a handful of quetzals and horned guans.

paragraphs: The state capital is Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is also home to the ancient Maya ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Tonina.

paragraphs: Most people in Chiapas are poor, rural small farmers. About one quarter of the population are of full or predominant Maya descent, and in rural areas many do not speak Spanish. The state suffers from the highest rate of malnutrition in Mexico. This rate is estimated to affect over 40% of the population.

paragraphs: Other social issues involve the increasing presence of the Central American gangs known as Maras, and illegal immigration from Central America in general. This migration is mostly directed towards the United States, but it makes local poverty even worse. Many times, there are abuse and Human Rights violations that touch these migrants.

paragraphs: In 1994, there was an outbreak of violence between the Mexican Government and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (the EZLN or Zapatistas). Today, the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, named in honour of Emiliano Zapata) has rejected the use of force and seek to be recognized as a voice of the poor. There are currently 32 "rebel autonomous zapatista municipalities" (independent Zapatista communities, MAREZ in Spanish), controlled by the EZLN in Chiapas: examples of these communities are Ocosingo and Las Margaritas.


title: Urbanism

paragraphs: Urbanism is the study of cities. Urbanists look at the different factors present in a city. A city is different from rural areas. There are certain things than make people come to a city, to live and work there. There are also certain factors, like where the city is located, that have an influence on the economic, social and cultural development of that city.


title: Teotihuacán

paragraphs: Teotihuacán was a city in pre-Columbian America. At the time it was most populated, it was the largest known city there at the time, housing over 100,000. This was from about the 1st century to about the 5th century. The city is about 40km away from Mexico City.

paragraphs: The civilization and culture lived around this city is also called Teotihuacán. Its important position can be seen in various sites in Veracruz, and the area controlled by the Maya civilization.

paragraphs: The name "Teotihuacán" was given by the Nahuatl-speaking Aztec centuries after the fall of the city. Although the original name of the city is unknown, it can be seen in hieroglyph inscriptions. Nahuatl creation myths took place in the city. The Nauhatl name,Teotihuacán, therefore translates to 'birthplace of the gods. '

paragraphs: The Maya seemed to have referred to it as "puh", as "place of reeds". This is similar to other Central Mexican settlements that took the name 'Tollan' such as Tula-Hidalgo and Cholula. It looks like "Tollan" was a general term, used for large settlements. In the concept of urbanism of the time, "Tollan" and other names seemed like a metaphor. They linked the bundles of reeds and rushes that formed part of the environment of the Valley of Mexico and the large gathering of people in a city.

paragraphs: We still only know very little about the beginning of Teotihuacán. We also have not dedicated much time to such periods like the Formative Period. Some believe that this city was built by the Toltec people, but others believe that Tehuatican is much older than the Toltec Civilization.

paragraphs: Archeologists Sugiyama and Sarabia also recently discovered older structures and Patlachique ceramics in the Sun Pyramid’s fill. Studies from their radiocarbon assays demonstrated that the construction of the pyramid was later than what many had thought before. Many now think that the construction began at around 229-330 A.D. If the Patlachique and Tzacualli phases are now this late, the chronology of Teotihuacán will require some crucial changes. No one has applied these changes yet to Teotihuacán's chronology, but it it important that these findings be noted.

paragraphs: What we do know about Teotihuacán chronology is that beginning 150-100 B.C. Teotihuacan grew rapidly due to regional dominance with those of Cuicuilio and relocation of much of the population. Many settlements moved from the hinterlands to the valley floor. Teotihuacán’s urbanism grew exponentially during the subsequent Patalachique Phase. This is also where we see the Moon Pyramid being constructed, which is one of the earliest public structures in the city that still stands today. The following listed chronology is the development and decline of Teotihuacán that is divided into six phases. This is based on ceramic distinctions defined through test excavations throughout the city.

paragraphs: Rapid population growth occurred within Teotihuacán during the Tzacualli and Miccaotli phase. Many believe this is due to the relocation of settlements within the Basin of Mexico following volcanic activity, which impacted southern portions of the Basin. With this population being reorganized, vast amounts of construction efforts began to shape the ceremonial core of the city. Many have hypothesized that the Street of the Dead was established during this time, replacing earlier structures that now underlie this area, and large-scale construction occurred at the Sun Pyramid, the Moon Pyramid, and the Ciudadela complex.

paragraphs: During the Tlamimilolpa period, the city of Teotihuacán began to construct about 2,300 apartment compounds throughout the city. Teotihuacan’s foreign interactions began to retract at around 450-500 A.D. Their level of economic and social power began to shrink by the Metepec Phase, as well as their population.

paragraphs: At first, people believed that sometime in the 7th and th century, Teotihuacán was attacked and burned by invaders The Toltecs might have invaded the city. More recent research shows, that the fire damage and looting seems to be limited to the structures and houses of the higher class or those considered elite. This evidence makes an uprising from the poor more likely than invasion. The invasion theory is also not as accurate, because excavation and restoration work started with the temples, and palaces. All these structures showed extreme fire damage. The archaeologists then concluded, that the whole city was most likely burned. The destruction seems to have been focused on structures along the Avenue of the Dead. Some statues seem to have been destroyed in a rather methodical way. The population in the city started to decline around the 6th century. This supports the hypothesis that there was unrest in the city. The decline in population is generally linked to drought and deforestation. These were linked to climate change, occurring in 535-536 A.D. There also seem to be more skeletons of young people, and more evidence of malnutrition in city in the 6th century.There is no conflict between the theories. Both increased warfare and internal unrest can also be effects of a general period of drought and famine.

paragraphs: A major key that allowed Teotihuacán to become so powerful and large was due to the absence of nearby enemies. However, due to sociopolitical chaos, environment issues that Tehuatican could recover from, and declining population, Teotihuacán became very weak in regards to defending itself from the outside world. Other cities nearby tried to take the position of Teotihuacán. These included Cholula, Xochicalco, and Cacaxtla. They tried to take advantage of Teotihuacán of being weak. Some believe they may have aligned themselves against Teotihuacán to reduce its influence and power. The art and architecture at these sites show an interest in emulating Teotihuacán forms. There is also but also a broader mix of motifs and iconography from other parts of Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya region.

paragraphs: Teotihuacán was a multi-ethnic city, with distinct Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya and what seem to be Nahua quarters. Immigration played a key role in the city’s growth and its variety of ethnicity. This then included ethnic barrios. The well-known Oaxaca (Zapotec) Barrio and the Merchants’ Barrio continue to be the subject of research on the immigrants in Teotihuacán. Due to these barrios, we have found that there was immigrants coming from western Mexico, Oaxaca, the Gulf Lowlands, and central Mexico.

paragraphs: The city was a center of industry. Many potters, jewelers, and craftsmen lived there. Many obsidian artifacts were produced in Teotihuacán. However, no ancient Teotihuacan non-ideographic texts are known to exist (or known to have existed). Mentions of the city in inscriptions from Maya cities show that Teotihuacán nobility travelled to local rulers, as far away as Honduras. It might have conquered them. Maya inscriptions mention an individual nicknamed by scholars as "Spearthrower Owl". He seems to have been a ruler of Teotihuacán, who reigned for over 60 years. He installed his relatives as rulers of Tikal and Uaxactúnin Guatemala Most of what we infer about the culture at Teotihuacán comes from the murals on the site and others, like the Wagner Murals, found in private collections, and from hieroglyphic inscriptions made by the Maya describing their encounters with Teotihuacan conquerors.

paragraphs: The religion of Teotihuacán is similar to those of other Mesoamerican cultures. Many of the same gods were worshipped. This includes the Feathered Serpent and The Rain god. Teotihuacán was know to be a major religious center. The priests most likely had a great deal of political power. As with other Mesoamerican cultures, the people of Teotihuacán practiced human sacrifice. Human bodies and animal sacrifices have been found during excavations of the pyramids at Teotihuacán. When the buildings were expanded, sacrifices were probably made to dedicate the new building. The victims could have been enemy warriors captured in battle. They were then brought to the city to be ritually sacrificed so the city could prosper. Some were decapitated, others had their hearts removed, still others were killed by being hit several times over the head. Some were even buried alive. Animals that were considered sacred and represented mythical powers and military might were also buried alive. They were imprisoned in cages, though. Cougars, a wolf, eagles, a falcon, an owl, and even venomous snakes were among those found.

paragraphs: Research on faunal and botanical remains from exploited apartment compounds found that there was a variety of resources for the city's diet. What was found included maize, amaranth, beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, maguey, huahzontle, purslane, Mexican hawthorn, and Mexican cherries. A residue analysis from some ceramic vessels also demonstrated that a portion of Teotihuacán's dietary input was pulque, which was fermented from the sap of the maguey cactus. Studies of faunal remains at various apartment compounds suggest that the primary animal species consumed included several species of rabbits, white-tailed deer, dog, waterbirds, fish, quail, turkey, dove, and turtle. Egg fragments from these animals such as quail and turkey were also found to be a primary use of protein. Due to the consumption of white-tailed deer, It is still argued whether or not the people of Tehuatican hunted more or relied on domestic animals.

paragraphs: The city's broad central avenue, called "Avenue of the Dead," is flanked by impressive ceremonial architecture, including the immense Pyramid of the Sun (second largest in the New World after the Great Pyramid of Cholula) and the Pyramid of the Moon. Along the Avenue of the Dead are many smaller talud-tablero platforms. The Aztecs believed they were tombs, inspiring the name of the avenue. Now they are known to be ceremonial platforms that were topped with temples. Further down the Avenue of the Dead is the area known as the Citadel, containing the ruined Temple of the Feathered Serpent. This area was a large plaza surrounded by temples that formed the religious and political center of the city. The name "Citadel" was given to it by the Spanish, who believed it was a fort.

paragraphs: One aspect that was unique to Teotihuacán's layout was their utilization of apartment compounds. Over time, there were over 2,000 apartment compounds throughout city. These compounds didn't just house one family, but housed multiple families. These housed various people in all aspects of social classes as well. However, these people were not sent to live in certain compounds at random. Teotihuacán had a housing system which ensured that people and their families who had the same occupation would also live with other families with that same oppcupation. Rabbit breeders lived with rabbit breeders and plasters lived with plasters. However, it was also very common for people to do multiple specializations. Many did lots of farm work or specialized in some other sort of craft specialty. These compounds provided a standardized residential form but varied on the inside and expressed status, class, occupational, and ethnic differences between families. In every compound, each family had its own suite of rooms for cooking, dining, storing their belongings, and sleeping. They also had areas for directing funerals and burying their dead. Patios were centers of household religious dedication focused on patron or domestic deities.

paragraphs: The Moon Pyramid was the first of the three major pyramids to be built. It was constructed in several stages that had a fourth enlargement during the third century A.D. Four burial complexes were found with sacrificial victims and some wealthy objects, but none seemed to be anything important like a ruler or someone high in the religious or political realm.

paragraphs: The Sun Pyramid is near an artificial cave and is associated with the Storm God, time, astronomy, the sun, and the Pleiades. This pyramid was mostly dedicated to investments and pilgrimage. Due to the pyramid’s semi-detached platform, it was known as the area of New Fire ceremonies. The New Fire ceremonies only happened at the end of a 52-year cycle at the time where new houses, temples, and cities were founded, and new rulers came into power.

paragraphs: The Feathered Serpent Pyramid was the last large temple added to the Street of the Dead. This pyramid is linked to the creation of a watery world with sacred warfare, sacrifice, authority, and rulership. Dedication of this temple included offerings of sacrificed warriors and some have theorized that other people who were sacrificed were captives. A central tomb was found, but had been looted in prior times. Many consider this tomb to be for someone that was a ruler or for someone of high importance.

paragraphs: Knowledge of the great ruins of Teotihuacán was never lost. After the fall of the city, various squatters lived on the site. During Aztec times, the city was a place of pilgrimage and identified with the myth of Tollan, the place where the sun was created. Teotihuacán astonished the Spanish "conquistadores" during the post-conquest era. Today Teotihuacán is one of the most noted archaeological attractions in Mexico.

paragraphs: Minor archaeological excavations were conducted in the 19th century, and in 1905 major projects of excavation and restoration began under archaeologist Leopoldo Batres. The Pyramid of the Sun was restored to celebrate the centennial of Mexican Independence in 1910. Major programs of excavation and restoration were carried out in 1960-65 and 1980-82. Recent projects at the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent have greatly expanded evidence of cultural practices. Teotihuacán features museums and reconstructed structures.


title: Deadwood (TV series)

paragraphs: Deadwood is an American dramatic television series. It was first shown in March 2004 on HBO. The series is a Western set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota. At the time, Deadwood was little more than a camp, but it was a popular place to go for those searching for gold in the Black Hills. The series shows Deadwood's growth from camp to town. It deals with ideas ranging from the creation of communities to western capitalism.

paragraphs: "Deadwood" features many historical people. For example, Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock, Sol Star, Calamity Jane, Al Swearengen, Wyatt Earp, E. B. Farnum, Charlie Utter and George Hearst have all been used in the series. The stories that deal these characters include historical truths as well as fictional parts. Some of the characters are fully fictional, but they may have been based on actual persons.

paragraphs: The series was created by David Milch ("NYPD Blue"). He was also executive producer and head writer of the show. The theme music was written by David Schwartz.

paragraphs: The third and final season ended on August 27, 2006.


paragraphs: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. Money for the group comes from donations. It is one of the largest charities in the UK, with an income of £100 million in 2005.

paragraphs: The group began as the SPCA in 1824. Since then, it has inspired the creation of similar, but independent organisations in other regions:

paragraphs: Not only that, there are also many other countries who have participated in this effort to prevent cruelty not only against domestic pets but also to other almost extinct or endangered wildlife.


title: Tim Minear

paragraphs: Tim Minear (born October 29, 1963) is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California. He studied film at California State University, Long Beach.

paragraphs: Minear was an assistant director on the movie "Platoon". He wrote episodes for several television series including "The X-Files" and "". He later wrote, executive-produced, and directed episodes of "Strange World", "Angel", "Firefly", "Wonderfalls", and "The Inside" (which he also created, with Howard Gordon).

paragraphs: Minear had another series, "Drive", airing on FOX in April 2007, however it was cancelled by the network after only four episodes. Drive was set to return with two additional episodes on July 4th, 2007, but these were rescheduled to July 13th and then cancelled.

paragraphs: Minear often works with Joss Whedon. His work is usually includes a sharp, black humor. He is known for his ability to create characters who are sympathetic, understandable and completely wrong. The best example of this is his writing in "Angel" Season Two.


title: Lamella (zoology)

paragraphs: A Lamella (plural: lamellae) is a soft, thin plate attached to the bony gill arches in a fish's gills.

paragraphs: Lamellae also appear in other animals, for example water birds and ducks, as a filter when feeding for organisms or plant matter.


title: Lamella

paragraphs: Lamella is a Latin word meaning "layer", or something which is like a "plate".


title: Sütterlin

paragraphs: Sütterlinschrift, Sütterlin or Suetterlin script is a form of German handwriting. It was taught in German schools from 1915 to 1941.

paragraphs: In the 19th century the common form of German handwriting was German Kurrent. It uses very thin lines and sharp edges. Many students in primary school found it difficult to learn. So in 1911 the German designer and teacher Ludwig Sütterlin was asked to design a simpler script. Sütterlin script has thicker lines and rounder edges than German Kurrent. It can be easily written with any pen.

paragraphs: In everyday language some people call any handwritten blackletter script "Sütterlin".


title: Runic calendar

paragraphs: The Runic calendar also "Rune staff" or "Runic Almanac" is a perpetual calendar based on the 19 year long Metonic cycle of the Moon.

paragraphs: A typical Runic calendar consisted of several horizontal lines of symbols, one above the other.

paragraphs: Special days like solstices, equinoxes, and celebrations (including Christian holidays and feasts) were marked with additional lines of symbols.


title: Agha Petros

paragraphs: Agha Petros (; born 1 April 1880, died 2 February 1932) was an Assyrian military leader during World War I. Petros was born in the Lower Baz village, Ottoman Empire.

paragraphs: Agha Petros defeated the Turks in Sauj Bulak and drove them back to Rowanduz.


title: Classical Latin

paragraphs: Classical Latin is the form of Latin that was used by the ancient Romans in official Roman record-keeping, the Roman military, and Latin literature. Its use helped the Golden Age of Latin literature during the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD.

paragraphs: Classical Latin is a dead language, as is Vulgar Latin, the common speech of citizens in the Roman Empire. It is not spoken as a first language anymore. However, it is still spoken by church officials in the Vatican, where it is the official language.


title: Syriac language

paragraphs: Syriac ( "leššānā Suryāyā") is an Eastern Aramaic language. It was spoken long ago in the Fertile Crescent. Most of the Aramaic writing that survives from the second to the eighth century AD is Syriac.


title: Louis Charles Antoine Desaix

paragraphs: Louis Charles Antoine Desaix (August 17, 1768 – June 14, 1800) was a general of France.

paragraphs: Napoleon Bonaparte created two monuments in the memory of Desaix; they are "Desaix" on the "Place Dauphine" and "Place des Victoires" in Paris.


title: Monte Melkonian

paragraphs: Monte Melkonian (born November 25, 1957 – June 12, 1993) was a well-known Armenian military commander in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. He is largely known for major military victories against Azerbaijan from the late autumn of 1992, . Melkonian had no prior service record in any country's army before being placed in command of an estimated 4,000 men in the war. He had largely built his military education beginning from the late 1970s and 1980s where he fought against the various splintering factions in the Lebanese Civil War, against Israeli troops in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and was a member of the Armenian guerrilla organization ASALA.


title: Israel Defense Forces

paragraphs: The Israel Defense Forces (shortened: "IDF") () , ""Army for the Defense of Israel"", known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym צה"ל, (Tzahal), is the name of Israel's military forces. It includes the Israel Army, Israel Air Force and Israel Navy.