title: Louisiana Purchase

paragraphs: The Louisiana Purchase was a land purchase made by United States president, Thomas Jefferson, in 1803. He bought the Louisiana territory from France, which was being led by Napoleon Bonaparte at the time, for 15,000,000 USD. First, the men sent to France were allowed to spend up to 10 million USD in order to buy New Orleans and, if possible, the west bank of the Mississippi River. But then the French government said that for 5 million more dollars they would sell all of the Louisiana territory. Thomas Jefferson approved the deal and used his constitutional power to sign treaties to buy the land.

paragraphs: Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. The British had re-entered the war and France was losing the Haitian Revolution and could not defend Louisiana. Thomas Jefferson took the French offer as an opportunity to make America larger, even if it meant going against his Republican principles of small government (some would say he exceeded his constitutional power by accepting the deal on his own).

paragraphs: The purchase added 828,394 square miles and doubled the size of the U.S.. This included all of the states of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and part of the states of Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It also included a small piece of land that is now part of Canada.

paragraphs: The Louisiana Purchase gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans, both of which were used by farmers to ship their crops and get paid. It also ensured that France and probably other European countries would not try to take the land. France only controlled small bits of the territory, so the new owners still had to take the land from the Native American nations that lived there.

paragraphs: The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the Louisiana Purchase and the Oregon Territory. They started from St. Louis. Their route traced the Missouri River.


title: Mattimeo

paragraphs: Mattimeo is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1989. It is the third book in the Redwall series. It was also translated into six different languages.


title: Mariel of Redwall

paragraphs: Mariel of Redwall is a fantasy book, written by Brian Jacques in 1991. It is the fourth book in the Redwall series. "Mariel of Redwall" has also been translated to seven different languages.


title: Salamandastron

paragraphs: Salamandastron is a fantasy book, written by Brian Jacques in 1992. It is the fifth book in the Redwall series, and has been translated into four different languages.

paragraphs: Salamandastron, the mountain ruled by Badger Lord Urthstripe the Strong, and guarded by forty hares of the Long Patrol, is under siege by the weasel Ferahgo the Assassin, his son Klitch, and his vermin army of "Corpsemakers". Meanwhile, two stoats at Redwall Abbey accidentally kill a Brother of Redwall and then run away with the sword of Martin the Warrior. Mara (Urthstripe's adopted daughter) and Pikkle Ffolger, her trusted hare friend, are fooled by Klitch and his lackey, and Mara and Pikkle leave Salamandastron. Meanwhile, the deadly Dryditch Fever breaks out in Redwall...


title: Martin the Warrior

paragraphs: Martin the Warrior is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1993. It is the sixth book in the Redwall series, and has been translated into nine different languages.


title: Zionism

paragraphs: Zionism is the nationalist movement to create a sovereign (self-ruling) homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. This movement resulted in the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

paragraphs: The word 'Zionism' comes from Zion, which means Jerusalem. Theodor Herzl started the Zionist movement. At the time, Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The British during the First World War made a statement called the Balfour Declaration agreeing to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

paragraphs: Many Evangelical Christians believe that the migration of Jews to Palestine is linked to the apocalypse and prophecy, and therefore support it.


title: The Bellmaker

paragraphs: The Bellmaker is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1994. It is the seventh book in the "Redwall" series. "The Bellmaker" has been translated into six different languages, including Finnish, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and Russian.


title: Outcast of Redwall

paragraphs: Outcast of Redwall is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1995. It is the eighth book in the Redwall series. "Outcast of Redwall" has been translated into six different languages, including Finnish, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and Russian.


title: The Pearls of Lutra

paragraphs: The Pearls of Lutra is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1996. It is the ninth book in the "Redwall" series. The American edition of the novel was titled Pearls of Lutra. "The Pearls of Lutra" has been translated into six different languages, including Finnish, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and Russian.


title: The Long Patrol

paragraphs: The Long Patrol is a children's fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1997. It is the tenth book in the Redwall series. "The Long Patrol" has been translated into four different languages including Finnish, French, Italian, and Swedish.

paragraphs: A young hare named Tammo wants to join the Long Patrol, the army of fighting hares that serves the Ruler of the mountain Salamandastron. But meanwhile Damug Warfang the rat and his evil army of cruel Rapscallions are coming.


title: Shinshūshin, Nagano

paragraphs: Shinshushinmachi is a town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is south of Nagano city. It is famous for mutton, beautiful fireworks on August 15th, wasabi, soba, canoe polo, the Sai River, apples, and the fossil museum.


title: Rubén Darío

paragraphs: Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916) was a Nicaraguan journalist, diplomat, and poet who wrote under the pseudonym of Rubén Darío and is also known as The Father of Modernism.


title: Gabriel García Márquez

paragraphs: Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez, also known as Gabo (March 6, 1927 – April 17, 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist.

paragraphs: Márquez was concieved in a small town in Colombia, Aracataca. He originally studied to become a journalist. He began writing at the age of eighteen. His first books were based on his life.

paragraphs: He was best known for his novels "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), "The Autumn of the Patriarch" (1975) and "Love in the Time of Cholera" (1985). His books were mainly about satire, solitude, magic realism, realism, and violence.

paragraphs: He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in December 1982. The reason was "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts".

paragraphs: Márquez wrote his last book in 2004. He retired in May 2008 because of his age and health.

paragraphs: Since 2012, Márquez was sick with Alzheimer's disease. He lived with his wife, Mercedes Barcha in Mexico City. Márquez died in Mexico City from pneumonia. He was 87 years old.

paragraphs: Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia. His parents were Gabriel Eligio García and Luisa Santiaga Márquez. His father was a pharmacist. His mother left him at a young age and he was raised by his grandparents and father. He studied at the University of Cartagena.

paragraphs: He started as a journalist, and wrote many famous non-fiction works and short stories. Márquez began writing at the age of eighteen. He began writing about living in an old house with grandparents.

paragraphs: He is best known for his novels, such as "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), "The Autumn of the Patriarch" (1975), "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" (1981) and "Love in the Time of Cholera" (1985).

paragraphs: Most of his books are based or set in his birth_place, Aracataca. He mostly wrote books about realism or magical realism. His motifs included solitude and violence.

paragraphs: In 1982, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts". When he was accepting the award, Márquez gave a speech called ""The Solitude of Latin America"".

paragraphs: In 2002, he published the memoir "Vivir para contarla"; the first of a projected three-volume autobiography. In 2004, he published another book named "Memories of My Melancholy Whores". It caused many problems and controversies in Iran. This book is banned in Iran.

paragraphs: Several of his stories have inspired other writers and directors. In 1987, the Italian director Francesco Rosi directed the movie "Cronaca di una morte annunciata", based on Chronicle of a "Death Foretold", written by Márquez.

paragraphs: A number of movies have been made of García Márquez's work. He also wrote some scripts for movies. He often worked with Carlos Fuentes for writing scripts. His famous book, "Love in the Time of Cholera" was also made into a movie in 2007.

paragraphs: Márquez met his wife, Mercedes Barcha, when they were in college. They wanted to get married when they both finished college but Márquez was sent to Europe. When he returned, Márquez married Barcha in 1958.

paragraphs: Márquez had two sons with Barcha. His first son, Rodrigo García, was born in 1959, one year after Márquez and Barcha were married. His second son, Gonzalo, was born in 1962 in Mexico. Rodrigo is a movie director and Gonzalo is a graphic designer.

paragraphs: Márquez and his family traveled by bus to Mexico. They settled in Mexico City. Márquez had always wanted to see the Southern United States because it inspired the writings of William Faulkner. Márquez lived with his family in Mexico City.

paragraphs: In 1999, García Márquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He went through chemotherapy and made a quick recovery. But, Márquez began developing side effects of old age which drove to his retirement in May 2008.

paragraphs: In 2012, Márquez became sick from Alzheimer's disease. On April 3, 2014, Márquez was hospitalized in Mexico. He had infections in his lungs and his urinary tract and was suffering from dehydration. Márquez later had pneumonia.

paragraphs: Márquez died of pneumonia at age 87 in Mexico City, Mexico. His remains were cremated the next day.


title: Come On Over

paragraphs: Come On Over is the first album released by Plain White T's.


title: Stop (album)

paragraphs: Stop is the second album released by the band Plain White T's. It was the first plain White T's album to be released on Fearless Records. The album was released August 20, 2002.


title: Angus cattle

paragraphs: The Angus cattle, also known as Black Angus, or Aberdeen Angus is a Scottish breed of black hornless cattle. They come from the counties of Aberdeen and Angus. It is a medium-sized to large breed, with the cows' weights averaging around 1000 lbs and bulls' weights averaging from 1800 to 2000 lbs. Cattle are mostly black and naturally polled or hornless. They are commonly raised in Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, South America and the British Isles. It is the most popular beef breed in the United States.


title: Aberfan

paragraphs: Aberfan is a village in South Wales. In 1966, a slag-heap fell down there, killing 28 adults and 116 children.


title: Porto-Vecchio

paragraphs: Porto-Vecchio () is a town and commune of the Corse-du-Sud department, on the island of Corsica, in France.Porto-Vecchio is the third largest town in Corsica after Bastia and Ajaccio.Porto-Vecchio is also a tourism city, tourists come from many countries around the world, in particular from Italy, Germany or the Netherlands. Porto-Vecchio has 10,000 inhabitants, 40,000 in the summer.

paragraphs: The town of Porto-Vecchio is also called the "city of salt", because this one was built on salt-water marshes which were drained in order to develop itself.

paragraphs: Corsican gastronomy is rich and varied. Many of food are seasonal like clementines or citrus. Corsica is the only region of France producing this variety of oranges, around 25,000 tonnes per year and 40% of this production comes from Porto-Vecchio or its area. This fruit is very famous for its freshness and the vitamins which it brings. Another fruit very significant in Corsica and in particular in Porto-Vecchio is the chestnut because they are used in many Corsican dishes, for example, it is used to make bread or crepe. A typically Corsican dish is the pig that is cooked in a lot of version, and that has famous part really good, like: "coppa", "lonzu" or "prizuttu", which one is similar to a parma ham but the most famous is "figatelli", which is smoked. The most typical cheese is called "brocciu".


title: Bonifacio

paragraphs: Bonifacio () is a town and commune near the southern tip of the island of Corsica, in the "département" of Corse-du-Sud, France. Its inhabitants are called "Bonifaciens" and the city was founded as a fortress and named after Boniface II of Tuscany in 828. Bonifacio is split into two sections. The "vieille ville" (old town), or "la Haute Ville" (the Upper city).

paragraphs: Bonifacio is located directly on the Mediterranean Sea, separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio. The commune includes the Lavezzi Islands.


title: Aleria

paragraphs: Aléria (Greek and Roman Alalia) is a commune in the Haute-Corse "département" of France, on the island of Corsica. It includes the easternmost point in Metropolitan France.

paragraphs: Since 1950 the necropolis of Casabianda's is excavated and have revealed grave goods, from the Late Archaic period forwards, that include the finest works of art, in jewels, weapons, metalwares, bronze and ceramic plates and dishes in particular, Attic cups, and rhytons.

paragraphs: As Latin Alalia, it was the capital of the Roman province of Corsica.


title: Treptower Tollensewinkel

paragraphs: Treptower Tollensewinkel was an "Amt" in the former district of Demmin. Since 4 September 2011, it is an Amt in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte Rural District. Both districts were/are in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.

paragraphs: The seat (capital city) of the "Amt" is in Altentreptow.

paragraphs: The "Amt" Treptower Tollensewinkel consists of the following municipalities:


title: Tollense

paragraphs: The Tollense () is a river in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. The river starts as the outflow of the lake Tollensesee in Neubrandenburg. The Tollense is long and empties into the river Peene in Demmin.

paragraphs: According to several reports in the German media, several human remains of the bronze period have been found in the region named Tollense valley () since 1997.

paragraphs: Many showed signs of injury and violent death. In 2008 research was concentrated on an area of . Hundreds of bone fragments, as well as wooden weaponry and flintstone arrowheads have been discovered. The finds were possible due to the preservation of the former swamp ground and the fact that the Tollense has never really changed its flow.

paragraphs: It is now estimated that about 200 people died in a battle-like scenario in that valley about 1250 BC. Since the population then was about 5 people per square kilometre, about 13 people per square mile, this would've been the most important battle in Bronze Age Germany yet to be discovered. More investigation of the grounds is planned for the years 2010 to 2015.


title: All That We Needed

paragraphs: All That We Needed is the third album released by the band Plain White T's. The album was released January 25, 2005.


title: Every Second Counts

paragraphs: Every Second Counts is the fourth album released by Plain White T's. The album peaked at #10 on Billboard 200 on July 29, 2007. The album was released on September 12, 2006.

paragraphs: A deluxe edition of "Every Second Counts" was released. It also has a different cover, with a white background instead of a brown background and includes a slipcase. It contains:

paragraphs: The DVD includes a live concert in the bands hometown Chicago. The set list was:


title: Fritz Reuter

paragraphs: Fritz Reuter (7 November 1810–12 July 1874) was a German novelist. He was born at Stavenhagen in Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

paragraphs: In 1831, Reuter started to study at the University of Rostock, and in 1832 went to the University of Jena. At Jena he joined a "Burschenschaft" (nationalist students' club). In 1833 he was arrested in Berlin by the Prussian government. They could only prove he had worn the club's colours, but he was condemned to death for high treason. King Frederick William III of Prussia changed this to imprisonment for thirty years. In 1838 he was sent to a prison in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and he spent two years in the fortress of Dömitz. Reuter was set free in 1840, when Frederick William IV became king of Prussia.

paragraphs: After his release from prison, Reuter started studying law again at the University of Heidelberg but had to leave and go back to Stavenhagen and help to run his father's farm. When his father died, he gave up farming, and in 1850 became a private teacher in a little town then called Treptow-an-der-Tollense in Pomerania. Here he married Luise Kunze, the daughter of a Mecklenburg pastor.

paragraphs: Reuter's first book was written in Low German. It was published in 1853. Three years later Reuter decided to give up teaching to become a writer, so he left Treptow and moved to Neubrandenburg.

paragraphs: "Ut de Franzosentid" and "Ut mine Stromtid" are Reuter's best books. In them he describes the men and women he knew in the villages and farmhouses of Mecklenburg. "Ut de Franzosentid" is set at the time of the fight against Napoleon. "Ut mine Stromtid" describes the revolutionary movement of 1848.

paragraphs: In 1863 Reuter moved from Neubrandenburg to Eisenach and here he died on 12 July 1874. In the books he wrote at Eisenach were not as good as his earlier writings.

paragraphs: A complete bibliography of Fritz Reuter can be found in the "Niederdeutsches Jahrbuch" for 1896 and 1902.


title: Marlfox

paragraphs: Marlfox is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1998. It is the eleventh book in the Redwall series. "Marlfox" has been translated into two different languages other than English, including French and Italian.


title: The Legend of Luke

paragraphs: The Legend of Luke is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 1999. It is the twelfth book in the Redwall series, and has been translated into two languages including French and Italian. It was also a "New York Times" Bestseller.


title: Lord Brocktree

paragraphs: Lord Brocktree is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2000. It is the thirteenth book in the "Redwall" series. Lord Brocktree was also translated into French.

paragraphs: A badger Lord named Brocktree is a strong badger with a mighty sword. With the help of friends Lord Brocktree takes back the mountain fortress of Salamandastron from Ungatt Trunn the Wildcat Warlord and his vermin horde.


title: The Taggerung

paragraphs: The Taggerung is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2001. It is the fourteenth book in the "Redwall" series. The title of the American book was Taggerung. It was also translated into French.


title: Triss

paragraphs: Triss is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2002. It is the fifteenth book in the "Redwall" series. It was also translated into French.

paragraphs: A young female squirrel named Trisscar (mostly called Triss) is a slave to a royal family of white ferrets who live in a castle on an island. Along with two other slaves, Shogg (a male otter) and Welfo (a female hedgehog), Triss escapes from the island. The evil ferrets chase Triss and her friends. Triss and Shogg join forces with warriors from Redwall Abbey and the mountain Salamandastron, and together, the woodland creatures fight rats, ferrets, snakes, and more in their fight for freedom.


title: Loamhedge

paragraphs: Loamhedge is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2003. It is the sixteenth book in the "Redwall" series. It was translated into French and Russian, and was a "New York Times" bestseller.

paragraphs: "Loamhedge" is about a young hare named Martha who cannot move her legs, and must use a wheelchair. It is also about the travels of her brother Horty, along with friends Bragoon, Saro, Fenna, and Springald, who are trying to find a cure for Martha.


title: Rakkety Tam

paragraphs: Rakkety Tam is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2004. It is the seventeenth book in the Redwall series, and it was also translated into French.

paragraphs: When the wolverine Gulo the Savage and his army of vermin sweep across the land, it's up to the squirrel Rakkety Tam MacBurl and his friend Wild Doogy Plumm with one hundred hares from Salamandastron to stop the wicked wolverine and protect Redwall Abbey and the land of Mossflower.


title: High Rhulain

paragraphs: High Rhulain is a fantasy book written by Brian Jacques in 2005. It is the eighteenth book in the "Redwall" series, and was also translated into French and Russian.

paragraphs: A young female otter named Tiria Wildlough is living at Redwall Abbey. When she gets a vision and riddle from the long-dead hero Martin the Warrior, she sets out with a hare named Cuthbert Blanedale Frunk in search of an island called Green Isle to fight an evil wildcat and lead a bunch of otters to freedom.


title: Eulalia!

paragraphs: Eulalia! is a children's fantasy book. It's the nineteenth book in the "Redwall" novel series, and was written by Brian Jacques in 2007.

paragraphs: Vizka Longtooth, a wicked fox pirate, captures a young badger named Gorath. At the same time, the old badger king of the mountain Salamandastron tells a young female hare named Maudie to go and find a new badger to be king after he dies. At Redwall Abbey, a young hedgehog named Orkwil Prink gets kicked out of the abbey because he keeps stealing stuff. What will happen to these three animals and the wicked fox pirate?


title: Li Bai

paragraphs: Li Bai (also Li Bo or Li Po, ; 701–762) was a Chinese poet. His fellow poet Du Fu counted him to the group of Chinese scholars that he called the "Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup" in a poem. Li Bai is often regarded, along with Du Fu, as one of the two greatest poets in China's literary history. Today we know about 1,100 of his poems.

paragraphs: The first translations in a Western language were published in 1862 by Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys in his "Poésies de l'Époque des Thang". The English-speaking world was introduced to Li Bai's works by a Herbert Allen Giles publication "History of Chinese Literature" (1901) and through the liberal, but poetically influential, translations of Japanese versions of his poems made by Ezra Pound.

paragraphs: Li Bai is best known for the imagination and Taoist imagery in his poetry. He spent much of his life travelling. People tell the story that he fell from his boat when he tried to embrace the reflection of the moon, and therefore drowned in the Yangtze River.

paragraphs: Li Bai was probably born in Central Asia, though the exact location is unknown. His ancestors had lived in exile in that area since around the 7th century. He grew up in a fairly poor family. His father was a merchant. Li Bai did not receive any formal schooling as a child. Despite this, he had always been skilled with the art of words even as a young boy. In 705, Li Bai's father moved the family back to Mien-chou in Sichuan. It was there that he spent most of his early childhood.

paragraphs: As Lai Bai grew up he developed his sword fighting skills. He spent his teenage years traveling all of Sichuan as a knight-errant. At age 25, he traveled to Central China. In 727, Li Bai traveled to A-lu in Hubei. He married the daughter of the retired prime minister. There, he continued to explore the natural world where he lived.

paragraphs: In 735, Li Bai traveled north to the Yellow River, and east to the Yangtze River. In 742, he traveled to Chang’an, and was presented to the Emperor. The Emperor gave Li Bai many compliments, and thought highly of him. He gave Li Bai a position at the Hanlin Academy. Li Bai received a lot of attention from fellow scholar-officials.

paragraphs: Li Bai enjoyed drinking liquor. He is known for often getting very drunk with seven other officials in city taverns. This earned them the title the "Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup" from Du Fu, another one of China's best poets at the time.

paragraphs: In 744, Li Bai left the city of Chang'an. He was bored with the luxuries of city life. A year later, he met up with Du Fu, in Loyang. It was here that he also became a Taoist, a decision that would change the rest of his life. After settling his family down in Loyang, he left on another ten-year journey wandering around northern China. During this time, his poetry reflects his shift in interest to Toasm rather than his youthful interests of knightly behaviors and gallantry. While famous and well known, Li Bai started to struggle with problems like lack of money and property.

paragraphs: Li Bai is best known for his imaginative and witty poetry. It involves romantic descriptions of nature, and opinions on ethics and death. He was famous among both nobles and commoners in his time, and is thought of as one of the four best poets during the Tang Dynasty. He is also well known for his Taoist beliefs and rebellion against Confucian teachings through his writing.

paragraphs: One of Li Bai's most famous poems is "Drinking Alone by Moonlight" (, pinyin: Yuè Xià Dú Zhuó), which is a good example of some of the most famous aspects of his poetry—a very spontaneous poem, full of natural images. Li Bai actually wrote several poems with the same title; Arthur Waley's version of the most famous reads:

paragraphs: Li Bai’s poetry reflects the state of low feeling one experiences when he finds his life is wasted, and talents unused. To drown his own sorrows, Li Bo became very drunk very often, until it became a lifelong habit. Wine, however did help him write. While he was drunk, Li Bai was able to compose beautiful verses without restraint. Without anything holding him back, Li Bai’s finest poems were composed with much spontaneity and imagination.

paragraphs: Li Bai is influential in the West partly due to Ezra Pound's versions of some of his poems in the collection "Cathay", such as . In the east he influenced poets like Mi Fei in the Song Dynasty.

paragraphs: A crater on the planet Mercury has been named after him.

paragraphs: Online translations (some with original Chinese, pronunciation, and literal translation):


title: Naguib Mahfouz

paragraphs: Naguib Mahfouz (December 11, 1911–August 30, 2006) was an Egyptian novelist who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature.

paragraphs: He managed to modernize Arabic literature. He is one of the few writers of Arabic literature who explored themes of existentialism.

paragraphs: Naguib Mahfouz was born in the Gamaliya quarter of Cairo and was named after Professor Naguib Pasha Mahfouz (1882-1974), the renowned Coptic physician who delivered him. In his childhood Mahfouz read extensively. His mother often took him to museums and Egyptian history later became a major theme in many of his books.

paragraphs: The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 had a strong effect on Mahfouz, although he was at the time only seven years old. From the window he often saw English soldiers firing at the demonstrators, men and women. "You could say," he later noted, "that the one thing which most shook the security of my childhood was the 1919 revolution."

paragraphs: Before the Nobel Prize only a few of his novels had appeared in the West.

paragraphs: Because of his outspoken support for Anwar el Sadat's treaty with Israel, his books were banned in many Arab countries until after he won the Nobel prize.

paragraphs: Like many Egyptian writers and intellectuals, Mahfouz was on a "death list" by Islamic fundamentalists. He defended Salman Rushdie after the Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini condemned him to death, but later he criticized Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" as "insulting" to Islam.

paragraphs: Before his death, Mahfouz was the oldest living Nobel Literature laureate and the third oldest of all time, only Bertrand Russell and Halldor Laxness were older. At the time of his death, he was the only Arabic-language writer to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature.


title: Marcel Proust

paragraphs: Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (French pronounced: maʁsɛl pʁust) (10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, essayist and critic, best known as the author of "À la recherche du temps perdu" (in English, "Remembrance of Things Past)", a monumental work of twentieth-century fiction published in seven parts from 1913 to 1927.

paragraphs: Proust was a homosexual. He died of pneumonia.


title: Ashoka

paragraphs: Ashoka (or Asoka) was India's great emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty of India who ruled from 304-232 BC. His name means ""He who is loved by the Gods and who is friendly to everyone"".

paragraphs: Ashoka is often cited as one of India's greatest emperors. After a number of military conquests, he reigned over much of present-day India. He fought a war with the kingdom of Kalinga in which there was said to be 200,000+ casualties. He conquered Kalinga (present-day Odisha) around 260 BCE.

paragraphs: Afterwards, shaken by his brutal victory, he decided to become a Buddhist and lead with peace, not war. To do this, he set up hospitals for animals and humans, created shaded and rested areas along roads for weary travellers to rest, and dug wells in villages. We know these things about his life through various inscriptions (writing) on rocks and pillars. Asoka also convinced people to follow Buddhists paths.

paragraphs: The national emblem of India and the "Ashok Chakra" are created by Ashoka. It's in the flag to keep a remembrance of him.


title: Puritanism

paragraphs: The Puritans were a group of English-speaking Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritans thought that the English Reformation had not gone far enough. They also did not agree with some of the things the Church of England did.

paragraphs: King Henry VIII separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 and established the Protestant Church of England. This Church remained until 1553. Queen Mary returned the Church to be Roman Catholic until 1558 when Elizabeth I of England became Queen. Since she was a Protestant many people were happy but thought that the Church had not changed enough and was still too much like Catholicism.

paragraphs: A Puritan was any person who tried to become purer through worship and doctrine. The Puritans' way of life and set of beliefs were called Puritanism. The most important parts of Puritanism were piety (obeying religious rules), dressing simply, and living a modest life.

paragraphs: The Puritans believed some of the same things as Calvinists and Scottish Presbyterians. All of these groups were devoted to the Bible and to being morally pure.

paragraphs: One of the Puritans' most important beliefs was that every person needed to understand the Bible in his own way. (This belief is shared among most Protestants.) Puritans tried to live by the Bible's teachings in every way. They tried to be morally pure in even the smallest ways. They also tried to be spiritually pure in every way. They thought that man existed for the glory of God. They believed that man's most important job in life was to do God's will (what God wanted). By doing God's will, man would be rewarded with happiness in the future.

paragraphs: Because they did not agree with the way the Church of England did things, the Puritans made reforms, or changes, in their own churches and societies. Some of the Reformed churches in Europe made similar changes. The Puritans made preaching very important. They used as little ritual and decoration as possible. Very often, sermons talked about Hell. One famous sermon is "Sinners in the hands of an angry god", by Jonathan Edwards, an important Puritan preacher. The sermon talks about God being angry with people for sinful behavior, and throwing them into the fires of Hell as a punishment.

paragraphs: Many Puritan groups emigrated to New England so that they could start their own societies there and practice Puritanism the way they wanted. Puritan beliefs and writings became very important in New England. One important work was Puritan John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress".

paragraphs: Those who left the Church of England altogether were known as Separatists. Many of the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims who established the first successful colony in New England were separatists.


title: Devario

paragraphs: Devario is a genus of fish. It is a relative of the aquarium fish "Danio". Generally, they are larger than "Danio", and have deeper bodies than "Danio" species. They have vertical or horizontal stripes. In size, they range from 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 in).

paragraphs: They are native to the freshwater rivers and streams of southeast Asia. Many species are brightly coloured, and are available as aquarium fish. They are active swimmers, and do best in a long tank.


title: Da Nhay Beach

paragraphs: Da Nhay Beach is a beach on the shore of South China Sea. Da Nhay in Vietnamese means "the rocks that jump". The beach was called this because of the geographical appearance of it; it has thousands rock reaching the sea and surrounding small fine sand beaches.

paragraphs: It is about 40 km north of Đồng Hới city, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam.


title: Nhat Le Beach

paragraphs: Nhat Le Beach is a beach in Đồng Hới city, the capital of Quang Binh Province.

paragraphs: The sand there is fine and white with clean water. The beach is located on the mouth of Nhật Lệ River emptying into South China Sea. There is a four-star resort at the opposite bank of the river and another under construction.


title: Nhật Lệ River

paragraphs: The Nhật Lệ River is a river in Đồng Hới City, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam.

paragraphs: The Nhat Le River is 152 km long and splits up into other rivers such as the Kien Giang River, which is 58 km in length, and the Long Dai River, which it is 77 km long.


title: Varanasi

paragraphs: Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी "Vārāṇasī",Telugu: వారణాసి, [ʋaːɾaːɳəsiː), also commonly known as Banaras and Kashi, is a city situated on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh regarded holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world along with Damascus.

paragraphs: Rani Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi from 1842 to 6/18/1858, an Indian queen and charismatic female strategist, was born here, named Manikarnika. On 10 May 1857, she led the Hindu revolt, also known as India's First War of Independence, against the British navy. She died on 6/17/1858 or 6/18/1858 at age 29.


title: Munshi Premchand

paragraphs: Munshi Premchand (Hindi: प्रेमचंद, Urdu: پریمچںد), whose original name was Dhanpat Rai Srivastava ,He was [ born on 31 July 1880 ] and he was [ died on 8 October 1936] was a writer of modern Hindi and Urdu literature.

paragraphs: Munshi Premchand (, ), whose original name was "Dhanpat Rai Srivastava" , was born on 31 July 1880, in village "Lamahi" near Varanasi, where his father was a clerk in the post office. Premchand's parents died young - his mother when he was seven and his father while he was fourteen and still a student. Premchand was left responsible for his stepmother and step-siblings.

paragraphs: Early in life, Premchand faced immense poverty. He earned five rupees a month tutoring a lawyer's child. He was married at the early age of fifteen but that marriage failed, later he married again, to Shivrani Devi, a balavidhava (child widow), and had several children. She supported him through life struggles.

paragraphs: Premchand passed his exam with great effort in 1898, and in 1899 he took up school-teaching job, with a monthly salary of eighteen rupees. In 1919 he passed his B.A. with English, Persian and History. Later, Premchand worked as the deputy sub-inspector of schools.

paragraphs: Premchand lived a life of financial struggle. Once he took a loan of two-and-a-half rupees to buy some clothes. He had to struggle for three years to pay it back.

paragraphs: When asked why he does not write anything about himself, he answered: "What greatness do I have that I have to tell anyone about? I live just like millions of people in this country; I am ordinary. My life is also ordinary. I am a poor school teacher suffering family travails. During my whole lifetime, I have been grinding away with the hope that I could become free of my sufferings. But I have not been able to free myself from suffering. What is so special about this life that needs to be told to anybody?".

paragraphs: During his last years,he became terribly ill. The money his wife used to give for his treatment was used in running his press "The Saraswati". He was also writing a book "Mangalsutra" which would never be completed. All this had serious impact on his health leading to his early death on 8th October 1936, at the age of 56.

paragraphs: The main characteristic of Premchand's writings is his interesting story-telling and use of simple language. His novels describe the problems of the rural peasant classes. He avoided the use of highly Sanskritized Hindi (as was the common practice among Hindi writers), and also Spanish language.

paragraphs: Premchand has written about 300 short stories, several novels as well as many essays and letters. He has also written some plays. He also did some translations. Many of Premchand's stories have been translated into English and Russian.

paragraphs: "Godaan" (The Gift of a Cow), his last novel, is considered the finest Hindi novel of all times. The hero, Hori, a poor peasant, desperately longs for a cow, a symbol of wealth and prestige in rural India. Hori gets a cow but pays with his life for it. After his death, the village priests demand a cow from his widow to bring his soul to peace.

paragraphs: In "Kafan" (Shroud), a poor man collects money for the funeral rites of his dead wife, but spends it on food and drink.

paragraphs: Satyajit Ray filmed two of Premchand's works – "Sadgati" and "Shatranj Ke Khiladi". "Sadgati" (Salvation) is a short story about poor Dukhi, who gets exhausted to death while he hews wood for more or less nothing. "Shatranj ke Khiladi" (The Chess Players) tells the story of chess players who are so concentrated on a game that they forget their responsibilities in the midst of a crisis.


title: Dependent territory

paragraphs: A dependent territory is a territory that is not fully independent or sovereign. They belong to a sovereign state, and are dependent on that state to some degree. There are varying degrees and forms of such a dependence. They are commonly distinguished from subnational entities in that they are not considered to be part of the state. A subnational entity typically represents a division of the country proper, while a dependent territory is a legally separate territory that enjoys a greater degree of autonomy.

paragraphs: As an example, Greenland is a dependent territory of Denmark, and Saint Helena is a dependent territory of the United Kingdom.

paragraphs: This list includes all territories that have not been legally incorporated into their governing state, including several territories that are not on the list of non-self-governing territories of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Dependency claims without general international recognition, including all claims in Antarctica, are listed in "italics".

paragraphs: "Summary:" New Zealand has one dependent territory (Tokelau) and a "territorial claim in Antarctica", as well as two self-governing associated states.

paragraphs: "Summary:" Norway has 1 dependent territory and "2 dependency claims".

paragraphs: "Summary:" the United Kingdom has 13 Overseas Territories (10 autonomous, 1 restricted to military personnel, 1 uninhabited, 1 group of Sovereign Base Areas), 3 Crown dependencies (autonomous), and "1 dependency claim".

paragraphs: "Summary:" the United States has 11 dependent territories and 2 dependency claims. The uninhabited Palmyra Atoll is administered similarly to some of these territories, but unlike the others is a fully incorporated part of the United States.


title: Pidgin

paragraphs: A pidgin is a simplified language. Pidgins usually develop because two groups of people need to talk to each other but do not speak the same language. Pidgins are not usually as complicated as many other languages.

paragraphs: Not all simple or "broken" forms of language are pidgins. Pidgins have rules which a person must learn to speak the pidgin well.

paragraphs: Countries that use pidgin languages as their official languages include Papua New Guinea, Jamaica and some other Caribbean and Central American countries.


title: Eiterfeld

paragraphs: Eiterfeld is a village in Germany in the east of Hesse. It can be found 25 km north of the town of Fulda and 15 km south of the town of Bad Hersfeld.

paragraphs: The most importand building is Burg Fürsteneck, a castle from the Middle Ages. It is preserved and restored competely.


title: SOCKS

paragraphs: SOCKS is an Internet protocol that allows one client computer to connect to another computer via a third computer (SOCKS server). SOCKS is an abbreviation for "SOCKetS".

paragraphs: When a direct connection between two computers (clients) is not possible for some services (e.g. HTTP, FTP, or chat protocols like MSN and AOL), a user can use these services via a so-called SOCKS server (routing).

paragraphs: Example: Bill wants to chat with Jane. Bill has a bad service provider who limits internet access. Bill's computer then connects to the SOCKS server, which is able to "chat" with Jane's computer without restrictions.

paragraphs: An HTTP proxy works similar to a SOCKS server, but is limited on routing HTTP traffic only.


title: Squid cache

paragraphs: Squid cache, or simply Squid, is a type of proxy server. They have many different uses, including making web servers faster. It is mostly used in HTTP and FTP protocols, but it has some support for some other types of protocols, like SSL, TLS, and HTTPS. It has been made over several years by people in the University of California in San Diego. It was made to be run on Linux-type computers, but with the use of Cygwin, it can also run completely on Windows computers. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License.


title: Corsican language

paragraphs: Corsican ("" or "Lingua Corsa") is a Romance language spoken on the island of Corsica (France), together with French, which is the official language. Similar languages are also spoken on the nearby island of Sardinia (Italy), in the city of Sassari and the istorical region of Gallura. Corsican is similar to the dialects of Central Italy, particularly in Tuscany. Corsican is spoken by almost 35% of people in Corsica.

paragraphs: According to its UNESCO classification, the Corsican language is now in danger of becoming extinct. The language is separated into two dialects, "Northern Corsican", spoken in the Bastia and Corte areas, and "Southern Corsican", spoken around Sartene and Porto-Vecchio. The dialect of Ajaccio has been described as in transition. The dialects spoken at Calvi and Bonifacio are like the Genoa dialect, also known as Ligurian.

paragraphs: In the Sardinian region of Gallura, including the town of Tempio Pausania, and on the island of La Maddalena "Gallurese" is spoken. The Corsican language is very important for the Corsican culture, because it is really rich in proverbs.


title: PMMP

paragraphs: PMMP is a Finnish pop rock band. The band has two singers: Paula Vesala and Mira Luoti and three musicians Mikko Virta, Juho Vehmanen and Heikki Kytölä. The band writes their own songs with Jori Sjöroos. PMMP became popular in Finland in 2003, with the song "Rusketusraidat". Their biggest hit is a song called "Oo siellä jossain mun".

paragraphs: In November 2007, PMMP released their fourth album "Puuhevonen" which has songs for children.


title: Louis III of France

paragraphs: Louis III of France (born 863–865, died 5 August 882), king of Western Francia, was the second son of King Louis the Stammerer and Ansgarde. He and his brother Carloman, both became king together and ruled together after his father's death in 879.

paragraphs: Louis won an important battle against the Viking pirates at the Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu, in 881. He died in August 882 at Saint Denis after falling from his horse. Because he had no children, his brother Carloman became the sole king.


title: Carloman II of France

paragraphs: Carloman II of France (c. 866 – 12 December 884), king of Western Francia, was the youngest son of King Louis the Stammerer and Ansgarde. He and his brother Louis III of France shared the kingship when their father died in 879. Carloman became sole king in 882 when his brother died.

paragraphs: Carloman had problems with Viking raiders during his reign. He died while hunting on December 12, 884.


title: Eldest

paragraphs: Eldest is the second book in the "Inheritance Cycle" by Christopher Paolini. It comes after "Eragon" and was first published in hardcover on August 23, 2005. The paperback came out in September of 2006.

paragraphs: In this book Eragon, with his dragon Saphira visits the elf city Ellesmera to complete his training. He is accompanied by a dwarf Orik and the elf, Arya. Here he finds out that the mysterious Mourning Sage had been another rider named Oromis, and his dragon Glaedr. Oromis is an Elf and is very old so he cannot fight Galbatorix but he can teach Eragon and Saphira. Eragon now has his own disability; his back pains him very much when ever he fights or exerts himself. During his stay, in a celebration of the elves the dragons grant Eragon with a gift, he is transformed, gaining the physical features of an elf. His back is also healed. He becomes much faster, stronger and his lessons become easier. His training is disrupted by news that the Varden are being attacked by a huge army sent by Galbatorix. Eragon goes to their aid and helps them in battle and has an encounter with another dragon rider and his red dragon. The Rider turns out to be Murtagh. Galbatorix had captured him after the battle in Farthen Dur and when a dragon hatched for him, Galbatorix made them swear oaths in the Ancient Language (so they cannot break them) that they would only serve him. They are bound by their oath to try and capture Eragon and Saphira. Eragon loses but Murtagh leaves him because he has "tried", telling him that Galbatorix will make sure Murtagh's oaths are stronger next time. He takes Za'roc from Eragon, because it was Morzan's sword. He also tells Eragon they are brothers and that Eragon is also the son of Morzan.


title: Charles the Fat

paragraphs: Charles the Fat (13 June 839 – 13 January 888) was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles III) from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. He lost control of East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy in 887. He died a few weeks later in January 888.


title: Odo of France

paragraphs: Odo of France (c. 857 – January 1, 898) was a king of the Franks (888 - 898). He was a son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and is sometimes called duke of France and also as count of Paris. His family is known as the Robertians. Odo made Paris his capital and that was important to making the start of modern France.


title: Philadelphia City Hall

paragraphs: The Philadelphia City Hall is a city hall in Philadelphia, United States. It is 167 meters (548 feet) tall and has 9 floors. It was built in 1901.

paragraphs: Philadelphia City Hall was the tallest building in the world from 1901 to 1908. Before it was built, the tallest building in the world was Philadelphia City Hall. The Singer Building became the tallest seven year later.


title: Virtual Magic Kingdom

paragraphs: Virtual Magic Kingdom was an online game community run by Disney. It was made to be an online version of the Magic Kingdom in Disney World which is in Florida. The game opened in 2005 and closed in 2008.


title: Treaty of Verdun

paragraphs: The Treaty of Verdun (843) happened two generations after Charlemagne and divided his empire into three parts. When Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious died in 840, his oldest son Lothair I said that he ruled his younger brothers and their lands. But his brothers Louis the German and Charles the Bald won the Battle of Fontenay (841).

paragraphs: Each of the brothers already had one kingdom - Lothair in Italy, Louis the German in Bavaria, and Charles the Bald in Aquitaine.


title: Jousting

paragraphs: Jousting was a sport for rich people in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was fought by knights on horses using different weapons such as lances, battle axes, daggers, and swords. The knights wore armor and fought in tournaments.


title: Quang Binh Province

paragraphs: Quang Binh (in Vietnamese: "Quảng Bình"; Hán Tự: 廣平) is a province in the North Central Coast of Vietnam.

paragraphs: The province has the World Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The province is the place of birth of several famous Vietnamese persons, including general Vo Nguyen Giap, the family of former South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem, poet Han Mac Tu, and writer Bao Ninh. During the Vietnam War, this province was severely devastated by bombing by U.S. B-52s.


title: GI (military)

paragraphs: GI or G.I. is a term used to describe a member of the United States armed forces or an item of their equipment. The term is often thought to be an initialism of "Government Issue" but the origin of the term is in fact "galvanized iron" after the letters "GI" that used for equipment such as metal trash cans made from it in U.S. Army inventories and supply records.


title: Hồ Ngọc Hà

paragraphs: Hồ Ngọc Hà (born 25 November, 1984) is a Vietnamese singer, model and actress. She became famous when she won 1st prize of super model contest of Vietnam in 2003 and 2004, then she turned to act as singer.

paragraphs: Hồ Ngọc Hà was born in Đồng Hới city, Quảng Bình province to a banking family. Her grandfather was of French descent. She studied piano at Military College of Arts . She is now living in Ho Chi Minh City.


title: Max Wolf

paragraphs: Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer. He was born in Heidelberg, Germany. He discovered the first Trojan asteroid 588 Achilles.


title: Steeping

paragraphs: One example is the steeping of corn, part of the milling process. As described by the US Corn Refiners Association, harvested kernels of corn are cleaned and then steeped in water at a temperature of 50 degrees for 30 to 40 hours. In the process their moisture content rises from 15% to 45% and their volume more than doubles. The gluten bonds in the corn are weakened and starch is released.

paragraphs: The corn is then ground to break free the germ and other components, and the water used (steepwater), which has absorbed various nutrients, is recycled for use in animal feeds.


title: Gluten

paragraphs: Gluten // is a composite of the proteins "gliadin" and "glutenin". These proteins are found in the endosperms of some grass-like grains such as wheat, rye and barley. Gliadin and glutenin make up about 80% of the protein contained in wheat seed. As they are insoluble in water, they can be got by washing away the starch in the grain. Worldwide, gluten is an important source of food protein, both in foods prepared directly from grains with gluten in them, and as an additive to foods that are low in protein.

paragraphs: Some people are very sensitive to glutens in their food. When they eat foods which contain gluten, these people may experience stomach cramps, bloating, gas and diarrhoea and rashes. This sensitivity is called coeliac disease (in North America, it is usually spelled "celiac disease").


title: Octal

paragraphs: The octal numeral system is a base 8 numeral system. It uses the numerals 0 through 7. The system is similar to binary (base 2) and hexadecimal (base 16). Octal numerals are written using the letter "o" before the numeral, for example, o04 or o1242. Octal numbers are also sometimes written with a small 8 to the lower right, as in 1242.

paragraphs: At one time, the octal system was used mainly for work with computers. It provided an easier way to work with binary numbers. As computers changed from using 24-bit systems to 32- and 64-bit systems, hexadecimal replaced octal for most uses. Certain groups, for example, Native Americans using the Yuki language in California and the Pamean languages in Mexico, also use an octal numbering system. They do this because when they count, they use the spaces between their fingers instead of counting the actual fingers.

paragraphs: The octal numeral system uses a "three-bit" binary coding. Each digit in an octal numeral is the same as three digits in a binary numeral. The grouping of the binary digits is done from right to left. The first three binary digits from the right are grouped into the last part of the octal numeral, then the next three digits form the next to the last part of the numeral.

paragraphs: In the decimal system (base 10), each digit in octal is equal to that digit multiplied by the exponent of 8 that is equal to its location minus one.

paragraphs: Octal is similar to hexadecimal because they are both easily converted to binary. Where octal is equal to three-digit binary, hexadecimal is equal to four-digit binary. Where octal numerals start with the letter "o", hexadecimal numerals end with the letter "h". The easiest way to convert from one to the other is to convert to binary and then to the other system.


title: Rubiaceae

paragraphs: Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the madder, bedstraw, or coffee family. There are about 600 genera and more than 10,000 species in Rubiaceae.

paragraphs: There are three subfamilies: "Rubioideae", "Cinchonoideae" and "Ixoroideae".


title: Gentianales

paragraphs: Gentianales are an order of flowering plants.

paragraphs: Under the APG definition some well-known members of Gentianales are coffee, gardenias, and frangipani.


title: Danish Centre of Urban History

paragraphs: The Danish Centre of Urban History (in Danish, "Dansk Center for Byhistorie") is a research and communication center for the history of Danish cities. The centre was founded in 2001 by The Institute of History and Area Studies at Aarhus University and The Old Town, National Open Air Museum of Urban History and Culture.

paragraphs: The Centre has two book series called "Danish Urban Studies" and "Writings on Danish Urban History". These series have books and articles about Danish urban history from medieval ages until today. The centre provides Danish urban history to a wider audience on the internet through a website called The Digital City Gate. This site gives access to databases and presentations of Danish urban history. It mainly focuses on the period from 1600 to 1900.


title: Gardenia

paragraphs: Gardenia is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Gardenia can be found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania.

paragraphs: The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after "Dr Alexander Garden" (1730-1791), Scottish-born American naturalist.

paragraphs: They are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1–15 m tall. The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three or four, 5–50 cm long and 3–25 cm broad, dark green and glossy with a leathery texture. The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, white or pale yellow. Flowering is from about mid-spring to mid-summer and many species are strongly scented.

paragraphs: Gardenia plants are prized for the strong sweet scent of their flowers, which can be very large in some species.

paragraphs: Gardenias have a reputation for being difficult to grow. Because they originated in warm humid tropical areas, they demand high humidity.


title: Frangipani

paragraphs: Plumeria (common name Frangipani) is a small genus of 7-8 species that grow in tropical and subtropical Americas. The genus consists of mainly deciduous shrubs and trees. "P. rubra" (Common Frangipani, Red Frangipani), that grows in Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela, produces flowers ranging from white, yellow to pink. From Mexico and Central America, "Plumeria" has spread to all tropical areas of the world, especially Hawaii, where it grows so abundantly that many people think that it is native there.

paragraphs: "Plumeria" is related to the Oleander, "Nerium Oleander", and both possess poisonous, milky sap, rather similar to that of "Euphorbia".


title: Religious conversion

paragraphs: Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity, or a change from one religious identity to another. "Conversion" can take place not only from one religion to another, but also between different denominations, within the same faith, when this involves a felt change of spiritual identity rather than other reasons such as convenience.


title: Min Nan

paragraphs: Min or Miin (Minnan in Mandarin Chinese), more commonly referred to as Hokkien, Taiwanese, Holo, or Hoklo, is a group of languages that is spoken in southern China. It is spoken in the southern part of Fujian. It is also spoken in Taiwan, Singapore, Guangdong, and Hainan. The name of the language comes from the Min River that is in Fujian.


title: Radical (Chinese character)

paragraphs: A Chinese radical (Chinese: 部首; pinyin: bùshǒu; "section header") is the part of a Chinese character used to list the character in a Chinese dictionary.

paragraphs: The radical is usually a semantic indicator: a piece that gives hints to the reader about what the whole character means. Later, the term was given a "second" meaning, the 部首 (Pinyin: "bùshǒu", Japanese "bushu", Korean "busu"). This means "section header", which refers to the place where a character is listed in the dictionary.

paragraphs: Radicals are typically simpler characters, or different variants of simpler characters, which combine with other radicals to make a more complex character. People can only make so many unique ideographs for the huge number of words and morphemes that make up a language. Combining already existing ideographs together to form a compound ideograph is a very convenient solution to make many more words. While there are thousands of Chinese characters (well over 45,000) that exist, it is said that nearly all characters used in daily life are made up of just 214 radicals.

paragraphs: One example of simpler characters combining to form a more complex one is the complex character 明 "míng" meaning "bright" or "tomorrow", which is made up of the radicals 日 "rì" meaning "sun" or "day" and 月 "yuè" meaning "moon" or "month", both of which are simple characters that can exist by themselves, and the putting together of sun 日 and moon 月 to make one character show that either the sun and moon pass before tomorrow comes, or that they are the bright objects in the sky that shine light on the earth. An example of characters with radicals that don't exist by themselves is the complex character 休 "xìu" meaning "to stop", “to cease” or "to rest", which is made up of the radical 亻, which is a variant of the simple character 人 "rén" meaning "person" or "human", though the variant never exists as by itself must therefore attach itself to another character to form a complete character, and the radical 木 "mǔ" meaning "wood" or "tree", hinting what a person might want to do after he/she ceases working (like lying on a tree).

paragraphs: A more complex is the character 媽 "mā" meaning “mother” (shown right), in which the left part 女 "nǚ" meaning "woman" or "female" happens to be the semantic component, and also the section header under which dictionaries list the graph. However, not all section headers function in a particular character as the semantic component. Some are based on phonetics, or hint as the character's pronunciation, like the right part 馬 "mǎ" meaning "horse" of the character 媽. Although the meaning of the character 媽 has no clear, obvious connection to a horse, 馬 is included to help the reader remember its pronunciation. Other section headers are merely chosen for convenience of finding the character in a dictionary, and play neither a semantic nor a phonetic role, like 二 "èr" "two" in 亞 "yà" "second" or "inferior",亅 "jué" (no meaning) in 了 "liào" "past tense marker", and 一 "yī" "one" in 丁 "dīng" "fourth". These two meanings of “radical” are not synonymous, though they may coincide in a particular example, causing a lot of confusion. (For clarity, both semantic component and section header terms are used here.)

paragraphs: The equivalents in cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics are called determinatives.

paragraphs: Chinese character components, whether semantic or phonetic in role, are the building blocks for all Chinese Hanzi as well as in the derived forms of Japanese Kanji, Korean Hanja, and Vietnamese Chữ nôm and Chữ nho.

paragraphs: Since the Kangxi dictionary of 1716 was indexed using the 214

paragraphs: "Zìhuì" section headers, the standard list thereof has remained unchanged. Section headers are foundationally important for the organisation and use of Hanzi, Kanji, and Hanja dictionaries.


title: Gladwyn Jebb

paragraphs: Hubert Miles Gladwyn Jebb, 1st Baron Gladwyn, GCMG, GCVO, CB, known as Gladwyn Jebb (–), was a prominent British civil servant, diplomat and politician as well as the first Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations.

paragraphs: After World War II, he served as Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations in August 1945. He was appointed Acting United Nations Secretary-General from October 1945 to February 1946 until the appointment of the first Secretary-General Trygve Lie.

paragraphs: Returning to London, Jebb was Deputy to the Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin at the Conference of Foreign Ministers before serving as the Foreign Office's United Nations Adviser (1946-47). He represented the United Kingdom at the Brussels Treaty Permanent Commission with personal rank of Ambassador. He became the United Kingdom's Ambassador to the United Nations from 1950-1954 and to Paris from 1954-1960.

paragraphs: In 1960 Jebb was made a hereditary peer and as Baron Gladwyn became involved in politics as a member of the Liberal Party. He was Deputy Leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords 1965-1988 and spokesman on foreign affairs and defence. An supporter of the European Union, he served as a Member of the European Parliament 1973-1976 where he was also the Vice-President of the Parliament's Political Committee. He tried to be elected to the European Parliament in 1979.

paragraphs: When asked why he had joined the Liberal party in the early 1960s, he replied that the Liberals were a party without a general and that he was a general without a party. Like many Liberals, he passionately believed that education was the key to social reform.

paragraphs: He died in 1996, and is buried at St. Andrew's, Bramfield in the county of Suffolk.

paragraphs: Jebb's wife, Cynthia, Lady Gladwyn, was a noted diarist of their times in Paris and a hostess of Liberal and London politics. She was the great-grand daughter of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.


title: Trygve Lie

paragraphs: Trygve Halvdan Lie () (16 July 1896 – 30 December 1968) was a Norwegian politician. From 1946 to 1952 he was the first elected Secretary-General of the United Nations.

paragraphs: Lie was born in Oslo (then Kristiania) on 16 July 1896. He joined the Labour Party in 1911 and was named as the party's national secretary soon after getting his law degree from the University of Oslo in 1919. He married Hjørdis Jørgensen in 1921; the couple had three daughters, Sissel, Guri, and Mette.

paragraphs: Later he was elected to the Storting (Norway's Parliament). He was appointed Minister of Justice when a Labour Party government was formed by Johan Nygaardsvold in 1935. Lie was later named Minister of Trade and Industries and Minister of Supply and Shipping.

paragraphs: In 1940, when Norway was invaded by Germany, Lie ordered all Norwegian ships to sail to Allied ports. Lie was named as Foreign Minister of the Norwegian government-in-exile.

paragraphs: Lie led the Norwegian "delegation" (group) to the United Nations conference in San Francisco in 1946 and was a leader in drafting the rules to set up the United Nations Security Council. He was the leader of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations general assembly in 1946. On February 1, 1946, he was elected as the first United Nations Secretary-General as a result of a compromise between the major powers, having only missed being elected President of the first General Assembly by a small margin. He gets much of the credit for securing the current site for the United Nations headquarters from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and establishing the offices there.

paragraphs: As Secretary General, Lie supported the foundation of Israel and Indonesia. He worked for the withdrawal of Soviet forces in Iran and a stop to fighting in Kashmir. He attracted the anger of the Soviet Union when he helped gather support for the defence of South Korea after it was invaded in 1950 and later worked to end the Soviet boycott of UN meetings, though his involvement has only little to do with the eventual return of the Soviet Union to the UN. He was opposed to Spain's entry into the United Nations because of his opposition to the Franco government. He also sought to have the People's Republic of China recognized by the United Nations after the Nationalist government was exiled to Taiwan, arguing that the People's Republic was the only government which could fulfill the membership obligations in full. This did not happen until the 1970s.

paragraphs: He has been criticized for his failures to facilitate negotiation in the Berlin Blockade, as well as his failure to bring about a more swift end to the Korean War. His critics argue that he was under the influence of a select few in the UN Secretariat. He has also been criticized for his arrogance and stubbornness.

paragraphs: Over objections from the Soviet Union, his term of office was extended by the General Assembly 46 - 5 in 1950. This was the result of a Security Council impasse, in which the US refused to accept any candidate but Lie, and the Soviet Union's absolute refusal to accept him again, due to his involvement in the Korean War. The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge him as secretary general in his second term, and after having been accused by Joseph McCarthy of hiring "disloyal" Americans (an allegation which he attributed to the rapid hiring of civil servants necessary after the creation of the organization), Lie resigned on November 10, 1952.

paragraphs: Lie remained active in Norwegian politics after his resignation from the UN. He was the Governor of Oslo and Akershus, Chairman of the Board of Energy, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Trade.

paragraphs: Lie died on December 30, 1968 of a heart attack. He was 72 years old.


title: Nuclear force

paragraphs: Nuclear force is the force between nucleons. It is the force that pulls protons and neutrons into atoms. It is very hard to break the bond, or tie, between protons and neutrons in an atom, because nuclear force holds them together. When the bond is broken, this is called nuclear fission.


title: U Thant

paragraphs: U Thant (22 January 1909 – 25 November 1974) was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971. He was chosen after his predecessor Dag Hammarskjöld was killed in a plane crash in September 1961.

paragraphs: "U" is a word in Burmese, roughly equal to "Mister." "Thant" was his only name. In Burmese he was known as Pantanaw U Thant. His home town is Pantanaw, so this means "Mr Thant of Pantanaw"

paragraphs: When U Nu became the Prime Minister of the newly independent Burma, he asked Thant to join him in Rangoon and appointed him as Director of Broadcasting in 1948. In the following year he was appointed Secretary to the Government of Burma in the Ministry of Information. From 1951 to 1957, Thant was Secretary to the Prime Minister. He also took part in a number of international conferences and was the secretary of the first Asian-African summit in 1955 at Bandung, Indonesia which gave birth to the Non-Aligned Movement.

paragraphs: From 1957 to 1961, he was Burma's Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to the United Nations, and became actively involved in negotiations over Algerian independence. In 1960 the Burmese government awarded him the title "Maha Thray Sithu" as a commander in the Pyidaungsu Sithu Thingaha Order (similar to an order of knights).

paragraphs: Thant began serving as Acting Secretary-General from November 3, 1961, when he was unanimously appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, to fill the unexpired term of Dag Hammarskjöld. He was then unanimously appointed Secretary-General by the General Assembly on November 30, 1962 for a term of office ending on November 3, 1966. During this first term he was widely credited for his role in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis and for ending the civil war in the Congo.

paragraphs: U Thant was appointed to a second term as Secretary-General of the United Nations by the General Assembly on December 2, 1966 on the unanimous recommendation of the Security Council. His term of office continued until December 31, 1971, when he retired. During his time in office, he oversaw the entry into the UN of dozens of new Asian and African states and was a firm opponent of apartheid in South Africa. He also established many of the UN's development and environmental agencies, funds and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN University, UNCTAD, UNITAR and the United Nations Environment Programme.

paragraphs: He had also led many successful though now largely forgotten peace making efforts, for example in Yemen in 1962 and Bahrain in 1968. In each case, war would have provoked a wider regional conflict, and it was Thant's quiet mediation which prevented war.

paragraphs: Unlike his two predecessors, Thant retired after ten years on speaking terms with all the big powers. In 1961 when he was first appointed, the Soviet Union had tried to insist on a "troika" formula of three Secretaries-General, one representing each Cold War bloc, something which would have maintained equality in the United Nations between the superpowers. By 1966, when Thant was reappointed, all the big powers, in a unanimous vote of the Security Council, affirmed the importance of the Secretary-Generalship and his good offices, a clear tribute to Thant's work.

paragraphs: The Six Day War between Arab countries and Israel, the Prague Spring and subsequent Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 leading to the birth of Bangladesh all took place during his time as Secretary-General.

paragraphs: He was widely criticized in the US and Israel for agreeing to pull UN troops out of the Sinai in 1967 in response to a request from Egyptian President Nasser. U Thant tried to persuade Nasser not to go to war with Israel by flying to Cairo in a last minute peace effort.

paragraphs: His once good relationship with the US government deteriorated rapidly when he publicly criticized American conduct of the Vietnam War. His secret attempts at direct peace talks between Washington and Hanoi were eventually rejected by the Johnson Administration.

paragraphs: Thant followed unidentified flying object reports with some interest; in 1967, he arranged for American atmospheric physicist Dr. James E. McDonald to speak before the UN's Outer Space Affairs Group regarding UFOs.

paragraphs: On January 23, 1971 U Thant categorically announced that he would "under no circumstances" be available for a third term as Secretary-General. For many weeks, the UN Security Council was deadlocked over the search for a successor before finally settling on Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as Secretary-General on December 21, 1971 — Waldheim's 53rd birthday — and just ten days before U Thant's second term was to have ended.

paragraphs: In his farewell address to the United Nations General Assembly Secretary-General U Thant stated that he felt a 'great sense of relief bordering on liberation' on relinquishing the 'burdens of office'. In an editorial published around December 27, 1971 praising U Thant, "The New York Times" stated that "the wise counsel of this dedicated man of peace will still be needed after his retirement". The editorial was entitled "The Liberation of U Thant".

paragraphs: U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. By this time Burma was ruled by a military junta which refused him any honors. The then Burmese President Ne Win was envious of U Thant's international stature and the respect that was accorded him by the Burmese populace. Ne Win also resented U Thant's close links with the democratic government of U Nu which Ne Win had overthrown in a coup d'état on March 2, 1962. Ne Win ordered that U Thant be buried without any official involvement or ceremony.

paragraphs: From the United Nations headquarters in New York, U Thant's body was flown back to Rangoon but no guard of honour or high ranking officials were on hand at the airport when the coffin arrived.

paragraphs: On the day of U Thant's funeral on December 5, 1974, tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Rangoon to pay their last respects to their distinguished countryman whose coffin was displayed at Rangoon's Kyaikasan race course for a few hours before the scheduled burial.

paragraphs: The coffin of U Thant was then snatched by a group of students just before it was scheduled to leave for burial in an ordinary Rangoon cemetery. The student demonstrators buried U Thant on the former grounds of the Rangoon University Students Union (RUSU), which Ne Win had dynamited and destroyed on July 8, 1962.

paragraphs: During the period of December 5 through December 11, 1974, the student demonstrators also built a temporary mausoleum for U Thant on the grounds of the RUSU and gave anti-government speeches. In the early morning hours of December 11, 1974, government troops stormed the campus, killed some of the students guarding the makeshift mausoleum, removed U Thant's coffin, and reburied it at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda, where it has continued to lie.

paragraphs: Upon hearing of the storming of the Rangoon University campus and the forcible removal of U Thant's coffin, many people rioted in the streets of Rangoon. Martial law was declared in Rangoon and the surrounding metropolitan areas. What has come to be known as the U Thant crisis — the student-led protests over the shabby treatment by the Ne Win government of U Thant — was crushed by the Burmese government.

paragraphs: In 1978, U Thant's memoirs "View from the UN" was published, by the American publishing house Doubleday.


title: Shota Rustaveli

paragraphs: Shota Rustaveli was a Georgian poet of the 12th century, and the greatest classic of Georgian secular literature. He is the author of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" ("Vepkhistqaosani" in Georgian), the Georgian national epic poem. Little is known about life of the poet. He was a courtier of queen Tamara.

paragraphs: "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (the actual name is Vepkhistkaosani, which means The wearer of Tiger's Skin) has been translated into many languages. It was first printed in 1712, in Tbilisi (capital of Georgia). It consists of 1576 four line stanzas with monorhyme. That means all lines rhyme to each other. The lines are made up of sixteen syllables.


title: Supreme Commander

paragraphs: Supreme Commander is a real-time strategy computer game. It was made by Chris Taylor and his game company, Gas Powered Games. Many people think of the game as a spiritual successor to a game Taylor made in 1997, called "Total Annihilation". The game was first talked about in the August 2005 issue of "PC Gamer" magazine. It was released on February 16, 2007 in Europe and February 20, 2007 in North America. "Supreme Commander" has an expansion pack called ".


title: Forcalquier

paragraphs: Forcalquier is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the southeastern part of France.


title: Sirenia (band)

paragraphs: Sirenia is a gothic metal band from Stavanger, Norway, founded in early 2001. Sirenia play a mix of gothic metal, symphonic metal, extreme metal and death metal sounds. The vocals are two male, one hard voice, from death metal, and a clean male singer. The female voice is used in moments with melody or chorus. The band uses melodic instrumentals, synthesizers, and distorted guitars with female vocals, and a choir, and violins, for the male voices. Lyrics spoke about human existence, emotion, and mental states.

paragraphs: The band has changed tree female voices, first Fabienne Gondamin for the recording of "At Sixes and Sevens", then Henriette Bordvik with whom the band recorded two albums ("An Elixir For Existence" and plus one EP "Sirenian Shores", and thenMonika Pedersen for recording "Nine Destinies and a Downfall" in 2007.

paragraphs: The lyrics, are written by Morten Veland.


title: Hobby

paragraphs: A hobby is a leisure activity that people do for fun or recreation. People do it because they like it.

paragraphs: Some people do arts and crafts. They make clothing or decorations with their hands. Some popular arts and crafts that involve textiles or fabrics include crocheting, sewing (making clothing), embroidery, knitting, and quilting.

paragraphs: Some people like to do hobbies that involve making images on paper, such as scrapbooking, painting, and drawing. Some people like to make three-dimensional decorations using clay or wood, in the hobbies of pottery, sculpture, wood carving, and woodworking.

paragraphs: Some other arts include movie-making, photography, and musical hobbies such as singing, playing musical instruments, and writing songs.

paragraphs: Some people enjoy hobbies such as playing games or solving puzzles. Games include board games such as chess, card games, and newer games such as wargaming and role-playing games. Popular puzzles include jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles.

paragraphs: Some people enjoy spending their time reading books, magazines, and newspapers, or writing stories or in a diary. Other people enjoy learning foreign languages by taking classes, or doing research, such as genealogy.

paragraphs: In the 2000s, many people have Internet-based hobbies, such as editing Wikipedia, writing their own blogs, or having online discussions in Newsgroups or online forums.

paragraphs: Some people enjoy computer activities, such as computer programming, learning about open source software, or playing computer games. Some people enjoy learning about electronics such as doing amateur radio broadcasts or building robots.

paragraphs: Some people enjoy working on their home and learning how to repair their home by themselves, without hiring repair people or plumbers. Some people enjoy learning how to repair motor vehicles, such as antique cars. Some people even build and repair sailboats in their backyard.

paragraphs: Many people have hobbies that they do in the kitchen, such as cooking for their guests and family, and making their own beer. Many people also have hobbies in their home that involve animals, such as keeping a pet animal, such as a dog, a cat, or tropical fish. Some people even learn about dog breeding.

paragraphs: Collecting is a popular hobby in North America and in Europe. People enjoy finding interesting examples of different items and learning about them. Some of the well-known types of collecting include stamp collecting, coin collecting, video game collecting, trading cards such as baseball cards, and Pokémon cards. People also collect toys, books, comic books, and old records. Some people collect antiques and artwork, but these hobbies are more rare, because antiques and artwork are usually expensive.

paragraphs: A type of hobby that is related to collecting is model building. People who do model-building as a hobby collect small models which they build, paint, and then display. Some common types of model-building hobbies include model airplanes, model rockets, model ships, model cars, and model railways.

paragraphs: Outdoor hobbies include bird feeding, birdwatching, canoeing, gardening, hiking, walking, and sports such as baseball, bowling, cycling, fishing, hunting, and sailing.

paragraphs: Many people spend a lot of time in leisure activities that are not necessarily called hobbies. Some people disapprove of spending time on these activities. These activities include watching too much television, drinking alcohol, and taking illegal drugs.


title: World Trade Center (1973–2001)

paragraphs: The original World Trade Center (WTC) was a complex of buildings in Lower Manhattan, New York, New York, United States which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks; a new complex is mostly complete and is built on the site of the old one.

paragraphs: The biggest buildings in the original World Trade Center were the Twin Towers. The North Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was built. Taller ones were built later. The Twin Towers had 110 stories, and, at the time of its destruction, were the two tallest in New York. They and 7 World Trade Center were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and other buildings were damaged beyond repair.

paragraphs: The original World Trade Center was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in the early 1960s using a tube-frame structural design for the twin 110-story towers. In gaining approval for the project, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to take over the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad which became the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH).

paragraphs: Groundbreaking for the World Trade Center took place on August 5, 1966. The North Tower, officially World Trade Center 1 was completed in December 1970 and the South Tower, officially World Trade Center 2 was finished in July 1971. Construction of the World Trade Center involved excavating a large amount of material that was then used in making Battery Park City on the west side of Lower Manhattan.

paragraphs: The first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center occurred on February 26, 1993, at 12:17 PM. A truck filled with 680 kg of explosives, planted by Ramzi Yousef, exploded in the underground garage of the 1 WTC. The bombing created a 30 m (100 ft) hole through five sublevels. Six people were killed and 1,042 others were injured during escape attempts. Many people inside the tower were forced to walk down darkened stairwells with no emergency lighting, some taking two hours or more to reach safety. As a memorial to the victims of the bombing of the tower, a reflecting pool was installed with the names of those who were killed.

paragraphs: On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and crashed it into the 1 WTC, striking between the 93rd and 99th floors, killing 1,344 people. Seventeen minutes later, a second group crashed the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 into the WTC, striking between the 77th and 85th floors, fewer than 700 were killed. At 5:20 p.m., 7 World Trade Center started to collapse with the crumble of the east penthouse. The Vista Hotel was destroyed during the collapse of the twin towers. The three remaining buildings in the WTC plaza were damaged by debris and later were demolished. Many conspiracy theories have appeared which say that certain people in the United States government knew about the attacks beforehand, or even made them happen.

paragraphs: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in World Trade Center site, as the memorial of the 9/11 attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 bombing, which killed six. It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to raise funds for, program, and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site. The National September 11 Memorial opened on September 11, 2011, and the museum opened in May 2014.


title: Hour

paragraphs: An hour (abbreviation: h or hr) is a unit of measurement used to measure time. An hour is equal to 60 minutes. 24 hours are equal to one day. Unlike the second, the hour is not an [[] unit.


title: Minute

paragraphs: A minute is a customary unit of time. It is equal to 60 seconds. There are 60 minutes in an hour. Unlike the second, the minute is not an SI unit.

paragraphs: A minute is also of a degree. In this context, a minute is also called an arcminute, and is written with the formula_1 symbol.

paragraphs: For example, the Sun and Moon both have angular diameters of about 30 arcminutes—when seen from Earth.


title: Coat

paragraphs: A coat is a piece of clothing that is worn over a person's upper body. It can be used to keep warm or dry (a raincoat). It also may be worn to make a person look good. A coat usually has long sleeves, and is fastened at the front. Sometimes it includes collars, shoulder straps and hoods. One type of coat is a jacket.


title: Study skills

paragraphs: Study skills or study strategies are systematic ways to improve learning. They are needed for success in school, especially for college and beyond. Study skills include numerous techniques and skills that help in acquiring and retaining information. Some are assessment tools that help a student see where they need help most.

paragraphs: Study skills might include a learner's ability to listen, read, understand, concentrate, remember and organise their learning material, and manage studying time.


title: Head

paragraphs: The head is the part of the body where the brain is. It is also where the face is. Different things may be worn on the head, for example a headband or a hat.

paragraphs: Some people get pains in their head occasionally, known as headaches. Also, some people have worse pains in their head called migraines.

paragraphs: A "head" in English can also mean a person in charge of something, such as the head of a company.

paragraphs: Also, the word "head" can also mean the front of something. An example of this is the word "Headline", meaning large words on the front page of a newspaper.


title: Norway

paragraphs: Norway is a country in the north of Europe. It is the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. The mainland of Norway is surrounded by the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean on the west side, and borders Russia, Finland, and Sweden to the east. The southern coast touches the Oslofjord, Skagerrak, and the North Sea.

paragraphs: The Monarchy of Norway has been independent since 1814. Its head of state is a king - Harald the 5th (as of 2017). The national day is May 17, which celebrates Norway's constitution of 1814. The parliament is called "Stortinget" and its members are elected by the people every 4 years.

paragraphs: About 5 million people live in Norway. The capital is the city of Oslo.

paragraphs: Norwegian is the national language. There are two official written versions of Norwegian called "Bokmål" and "Nynorsk".

paragraphs: The Northern Sami language is spoken by around 90% of those who speak one of Norway's 3 Sami languages. Northern Sami is also an official language in a number of municipalities.

paragraphs: The battle of Hafrsfjord (872 A.D.) resulted in small kingdoms becoming one larger kingdom, ruled by Harald Fairhair. After the king's death, again there were smaller kingdoms, inside Norway.

paragraphs: Stockfish (or fish that has been freeze-dried, outside in cold weather) has been traded and exported; this happened as early as either the 9th century, 10th century, or 11th century until 1066. Other sources say that the exporting was happening as early as the 12th century; stockfish is one of the country's oldest [type of] things to be sold for export.

paragraphs: In 1349 half of the Norwegian people died, getting sick from the bubonic plague (or Black Death).

paragraphs: When a Norwegian king died in 1387, there was no Norwegian king until the 20th century.

paragraphs: In 1397, Denmark, Norway and Sweden began the Kalmar Union.

paragraphs: The first [known] map, where Norway is drawn, was made in 1482.

paragraphs: Sweden left the Kalmar Union in 1523. From 1536/1537, Denmark and Norway formed a personal union that by 1660 became the state called Denmark–Norway; Norway was the weaker part of the union with Denmark. That union lasted until 1814, when the Treaty of Kiel said that Norway be ceded (or given) to Sweden; Denmark did not cede the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland

paragraphs: The Norwegian constitution was written in 1814 and signed on 17th May that year. However, Denmark, on the losing side of the Napoleon wars, lost Norway to Sweden, on the winning side.

paragraphs: A Swedish–Norwegian War started on 26 July 1814. It ended on 14 August, because of an agreement, called the Convention of Moss.

paragraphs: The union with Sweden: It started on 14 August 1814, when the Convention of Moss was signed; the union went on for 90 years.

paragraphs: The results of the election in 1882, led to parlamentarism becoming part of Norway's political system; the votes of the "swamp men" decided the outcome of the election; they included teachers, artists and craftsmen who were not poor but also did not own land; ownership of land or a contract to use land was necessary to get voting rights; the "swamp men" had bough cheap land which was nearly useless, except for getting a right to vote.

paragraphs: The right to vote in [ national and local ] elections, was given to the public (or the general public) in 1898.

paragraphs: The end of the Union of Sweden and Norway, was on 7 June 1905, when Norway got its independence.

paragraphs: In 1905 Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway. His name as a king, was King Haakon VII.

paragraphs: In World War I, Norway was neutral and served as a trading nation.

paragraphs: Norway tried to stay neutral in World War II, but was occupied by German forces from 9 April 1940 to 8 May 1945.

paragraphs: Oil was found in Norway's part of the North Sea, during the 1960s; the oil was found under the sea floor.

paragraphs: King Haakon VII was already married, before he came to Norway (in 1905). His wife, Princess Maud, became Queen Maud. Their son, Prince Alexander of Denmark, became Crown Prince Olav and followed after his father as King Olav V in 1957. Olav and his wife, Crown Princess Märtha, had three children; Princess Ragnhild, Princess Astrid and Prince Harald (later Crown Prince Harald and in 1991 he followed his father as King Harald V).

paragraphs: King Harald is the first king born in Norway in over 600 years. He has two children; Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus.

paragraphs: The Government has Norwegian soldiers working in Syria (as of 2017) and Afghanistan, together with soldiers from other countries that belong to NATO.

paragraphs: natural gas, oil, hydroelectric power, and fish.

paragraphs: Other natural resources are agriculture, forests, and minerals.

paragraphs: The government collects much money from various sources, and has policies intended to spread this wealth among Norwegians. This spread of wealth, is done both directly and indirectly.

paragraphs: Most people in Norway are ethnic Norwegians. They speak a language that is related to German and English. Swedish and Danish are so close to Norwegian that most Norwegians understand them. Across Norway, many different dialects are spoken. Norwegians disagree on how to make one correct written language. Therefore, there are two standard languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk. Nynorsk is used in writing in most of the western areas and in the central mountains. Bokmål is written by most people in the rest of the country.

paragraphs: A native population of Norway, the Sami people, has its home in the northern parts of the country. Their language is not at all related to Norwegian. In some parishes in the far north, they make up the majority of people. Many Sami now live outside the Sami homeland, mostly in Oslo and other big cities. Earlier, Sami people were forced to speak Norwegian in school. Now Sami is taught as the first language in school for Sami children, and Norwegian is the first foreign language.

paragraphs: Many immigrants have come to Norway in the last 30–40 years. They mostly live in and around Oslo, and in the other big cities. Many immigrants come from nearby countries, like Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Russia. There are also many from countries far away, such as Pakistan, Somalia, Iraq and Vietnam.

paragraphs: Traditionally, all Norwegians were Lutherans, a variety of the Protestant faith. Still, more than 80% of Norwegians are Lutherans. Other important faiths include Islam, other Protestant groups and Catholicism.

paragraphs: Among tourists to Norway, more come from Germany than from any other country. There are also many Swedes, Danes, British, Dutch and Italians visiting Norway. The Swedes and Danes often come in winter to go skiing. The others mainly come in summer. Many people visit Norway to see the Northern Lights, also known as the 'Aurora Borealis'.

paragraphs: The largest national newspapers in Norway are Verdens Gang (VG), Aftenposten and Dagbladet.

paragraphs: Norwegian culture can be compared to English culture in the way that it is considered a bad thing to show off, as opposed to the US, where this is more acceptable. This is a big aspect of Norwegian culture, and it is related to the philosophy of egalitarianism. Because of this, people will understate things, for example if a Norwegian says something is good or nice, it can mean that it's really great.

paragraphs: Items from the Viking Age (in Norway), are shown in museums: One item is the Gokstad ship.

paragraphs: Museums in Norway includes The Ibsen Museum - named after Henrik Ibsen.

paragraphs: The farmers' culture ("bondekulturen") was brutal.

paragraphs: Unwanted babies were "placed in the forest" ("sette barn på skogen") to die, until the nineteenth century; in the end, the [rural] police authority - consisting of individuals called lensmann - were able to control [and stop] these crimes.

paragraphs: Modern, cambered skis were invented in the Norwegian province of Telemark in the early 19th century.

paragraphs: In Norway power is shared among three branches: The justice sector, the government and the parliament (Stortinget). Norway also has a king, Harald V, but he does not have any real power and acts as a symbol and ambassador. This form of government is called a constitutional monarchy. Elections are held every four years, and the winner of the election is the party or coalition of parties that gets the most votes and seats in the parliament. After the elections are done, the winners work together to find out who the prime minister should be, as well as who the other ministers should be.

paragraphs: Here is a short summary of the biggest political parties in Norway, from left to right on the political axis:

paragraphs: The Conservative Party and the Progress Party are currently working together in a coalition government, after getting elected in the 2013 elections. It's also a minority government, so it has to work together with the other parties in the parliament to make change.

paragraphs: The city with the most people living there (or inhabitants) is Oslo. The city of Bergen has 251,000 people living there; the city of Trondheim has 172,000 people in its population.

paragraphs: Some claim that Bergen and Trondheim, each had their time, as Norway's capital during the Middle Ages.


title: Albania

paragraphs: Albania ( ; ), officially called the Republic of Albania is an independent republic in Southeastern Europe, with an area of . The capital is Tirana, and other important cities are Durrës, Elbasan and Vlora. Over 3 million people live in Albania. The majority of Albanians are Muslims with 55%, 23% Eastern Orthodox and 15% Roman Catholics.

paragraphs: Albania is next to Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and North Macedonia and Kosovo. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest. The official language is Albanian. The national anthem is "Hymni i Flamurit".

paragraphs: Albania was the southern part of "Illyria" during the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the Albanians were ruled by many foreign countries, including the Byzantine and Venetian Empires and during the 16th century resistance to the Ottoman Empire's rule was led by the Albanian national hero "Skanderberg" but his real name was Gjergj Kastrioti. After four centuries of Turkish domination, finally in the 20th century an independent Albania was created. In 1939 Albania was conquered by fascist Italy and was part of the Kingdom of Italy until 1943. After World War II Albania became independent again, under communist rule. It was ruled by Enver Hoxha, who died in 1985. Ramiz Alia took over and also later became President when, in 1992, Albania returned to democracy, and it now has friendly relations with the European Union, which it has applied to join.

paragraphs: Albania is divided into 12 counties. These counties include 36 districts and 373 municipalities

paragraphs: This is a list of the largest cities in Albania.

paragraphs: The Albanian Armed Forces were first formed after independence in 1912. Albania reduced the number of active troops from 65,000 in 1988 to 14,500 in 2009. The military now is mostly a small fleet of aircraft and sea vessels.

paragraphs: Albania has a total area of 28,748 square kilometers. Albania's coastline length is . It goes along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. On the coast there are mild, wet winters and warm, sunny, and rather dry summers.

paragraphs: 70% of the country is mountains. The highest mountain is Korab.

paragraphs: Albania is bordered by Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. A short stretch of sea separates Albania from the far southeast of Italy.

paragraphs: Although a small country, Albania has a lot of variety in plants and animals. The total number of plants is over 3250 species. There are over 350 bird species, 330 freshwater and marine fish and 80 mammal species. The Golden Eagle is the national symbol of Albania.