title: Lynton and Barnstaple Railway

paragraphs: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&B) is a Heritage railway in North Devon, England.

paragraphs: The original line opened in May 1898, but closed in 1935. It was a single track narrow gauge railway just over 19 miles (30 km) long, running through rugged rural countryside in Exmoor National Park

paragraphs: For a few years the line earned a small profit, but for most of its life the L&B lost money. The L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway in 1923, and finally closed in September 1935.

paragraphs: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association was created in 1979. A short section of the line opened again in 2004. This was extended in 2006 and a year later, plans were announced to open nine miles (14 km) of track, linking the station at Woody Bay to both Lynton and Blackmoor Gate, and eventually to a new station at Wistlandpound Reservoir.

paragraphs: Several plans were put forward to extend railways from Barnstaple to Lynton. Because of the hills and valleys which would need tight curves and steep slopes, one scheme suggested a gauge of , already being used on other lines like the Ffestiniog Railway, to make building the line easier. This plan was supported by Sir George Newnes who became chairman of the company. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Bill was passed on 27 June 1895, and the line was officially opened on 11 May 1898. Public services started on 16 May.

paragraphs: The L&B did not attract enough passengers to make a profit. The journey of nearly twenty miles normally took about one and a half hours. To make things worse, to satisfy several powerful local people, Lynton station was built quite a long way from the town itself, and from the cliff railway to Lynmouth.

paragraphs: Falling traffic during World War I, better roads, and more people owning cars cut the line's income even more, until it was no longer economic.

paragraphs: Despite many cost-saving changes, and extra money being spent on the line, the Southern Railway was still unable to make money, so they closed the line.

paragraphs: The last train ran on 29 September 1935. The Southern Railway removed everything they could use on other lines, and by 8 November, they had lifted the track from Lynton to the Barnstaple side of Woody Bay station. On 13 November a sale was held, but the railway did not attract much interest. Most of the carriages and wagons, and every engine apart from "Lew", were scrapped at Pilton. Some carriages were cut up and used as garden sheds. Third class seats became garden furniture, and first class seats were used in local public halls. In December, Sidney Castle got the job of taking the rest of the railway apart. The remaining track was lifted by June 1936, and in September, "Lew" was shipped to South America - probably Brazil. The stations and track bed were sold in 1938.

paragraphs: The L&B had a very good safety record, and no members of the public were killed or injured, although accidents at Braunton Road and Chumhill did take the lives of three workers.

paragraphs: The L&B rises and falls several times along its length. Starting at above sea level, The first , through Barnstaple, and along the Yeo Valley stays nearly level. "Collard Bridge" marks the start of an climb, mainly at one in fifty (2%), to Blackmoor Gate. A slight down-gradient follows, about m long, towards Parracombe Bank, and the start of another climb, about , to Woody Bay – at , the highest railway station in southern England. The line then falls, again mostly at one in fifty - to Lynton & Lynmouth station, still above the sea, and hidden by the landscape from the town of Lynton. The minimum radius on curves was .

paragraphs: One of the most obvious features of the L&B was its rail vehicles, with the engines appearing first in a plain lined Holly green colour, later on a black base, with chestnut under-frames, pulling passenger carriages coloured terra-cotta with cream upper panels, and light grey goods wagons. The painting was simplified as each vehicle was repainted. With the take-over by the Southern Railway and arrival of Lew, the paint scheme was slowly changed to a lighter green with yellow lettering for the engines and passenger carriages, and brown for the goods wagons. The engine headlamps which had been black were re-painted red.

paragraphs: At least three builders' engines were used for building the line. Unusually, some of the temporary track was wider than the final gauge - the section around Parracombe Bank for example, crossing the Heddon valley, was built to gauge, with an engine known as "Winnie". A fifth engine - perhaps named "Spondon" - may also have been used, although little is known of either of these. In 1900, "Kilmarnock" was sold by the L&B. It is thought that it was left behind by James Nuttall, because of the financial problems and legalcase between the railway and the builder.

paragraphs: The L&B used only coal-fired steam engines. The railway ordered three 2-6-2Ts from Manning Wardle & Co of Leeds. The engines were named after local rivers: "Yeo", "Exe", and "Taw". These were supplemented by a 2-4-2T, "Lyn", built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, USA, as the company realised that three engines would not be enough. Baldwin was chosen as they could deliver the engine – built mainly from standard parts – more quickly than British builders, who had a backlog of orders, caused by a national engineering dispute from July 1897 to January 1898. After it was built by Baldwin, the engine was shipped across the Atlantic in parts, and re-assembled at Pilton by railway staff. It first steamed in July 1898. The Manning Wardles were delivered before the dispute, and "Yeo" and "Taw" were used to help build the line.

paragraphs: In 1923 the L&B became part of the Southern Railway, and began an upgrade programme. All stock was repainted in Southern Maunsell livery, and track and buildings were improved. A fifth engine, "Lew" was bought in 1925, with a few improvements to the original Manning Wardle design.

paragraphs: Although bought at the auction by December 1935, "Lew" was working for Sidney Castle, the dismantler of the railway. This work was completed by July 1936 and in September, "Lew" was moved by rail to Swansea and then shipped to South America where Lew just disappeared. Despite several searches, no trace of the engine, or clues to what happened to it, have been found.

paragraphs: Sixteen passenger carriages were delivered for the opening. These were of comprised six different types, all the same size, being long, wide, ( over steps) and high – large by narrow gauge standards – and certainly better than any earlier British narrow gauge stock.

paragraphs: The coaching stock was very solidly made, and offered levels of accommodation far better that any others at the time - certainly compared to any other narrow gauge railway. Almost 70 years later, the design was used as the basis for a new set of carriages built by the Ffestiniog Railway, suggesting how good the original design was.

paragraphs: The body for coach 17 was built in 1911 by a local firm, Shapland and Petter, and fitted to a steel underframe made by the railway at Pilton. Slightly longer than the earlier coaches, it had both smoking and non-smoking compartments for first and third class passengers, as well as the brake van space.

paragraphs: The Southern Railway introduced several new goods wagons, and also bought two ex-War Department travelling cranes for the line.

paragraphs: Goods-only trains were not normally used, and usually goods wagons were attached to any passenger trains. The extra work to shunt wagons at stations along the line slowed down the passengers' journey times.

paragraphs: The open goods wagons were originally delivered with a single top-hung side door on each side, but these proved inefficient, and all were eventually converted to side hung double doors. By 1907, most had been fitted with tarpaulin rails. The goods vans used the same underframe, and were fitted with double sliding doors on each side.

paragraphs: Van 23 - now restored and at Woody Bay - was built at Pilton by the L&B. Unlike all other L&B stock, its underframe was entirely made of wood.

paragraphs: The travelling cranes were bought from the War Department, and were fitted with outriggers, they could lift up to 4½ tons. They were intended to be used as recovery cranes if there3 was a derailment, but they were not used much. One crane was kept at Pilton, the other was used in Lynton goods yard.

paragraphs: The 1927 bogie goods vans were originally fitted with heavy diagonal wooden cross braces at each end, but these were later replaced with single diagonal angle-iron braces.

paragraphs: More than seventy-five years after it closed, much of the line can still be seen. The most spectacular is Bridge 22 - the brick-built Chelfham Viaduct, which was fully restored in 2000. Its eight wide arches reach above the Stoke Rivers valley – the largest narrow-gauge railway structure in England.

paragraphs: The stations at Lynton and Bratton Fleming are now private homes, Blackmoor Gate is a restaurant and Barnstaple Town is a school. Chelfham and Woody Bay are both owned by the new L&B. Chelfham station is used for storage, and Woody Bay is the main centre of operations. Snapper Halt was purchased in 2010 by Exmoor Associates - a private company dedicated to securing trackbed for restoring the railway.

paragraphs: Unlike other railways, the track bed was sold off in many pieces - often to the original owners, who paid much less than they had sold it for originally. Although there has been some minor building on parts of the route, and Wistlandpound Reservoir has flooded the track bed close to its middle, much is still in open countryside, with many sections identifiable.

paragraphs: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association (since 2000, a charity) was formed in 1979. Woody Bay Station was bought by the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Company in 1995 and, after much effort, a short section of railway reopened to passengers in 2004. This was extended to over a mile in 2006, with steam and diesel trains running between Woody Bay and the new, temporary station at Killington Lane Station.

paragraphs: In 1995, the Lynbarn Railway – at the "Milky Way", a theme park near Clovelly, was created and operated by L&B volunteers. Profits from this funded the purchase, restoration and reopening of Woody Bay. The "Lynbarn" was handed over to the park in 2005, once Woody Bay had become established, and continues to operate as part of the attraction.

paragraphs: Most of the original rail vehicles did not survive, but Van 23 is on display at Woody Bay. Coach 7 and Coach 17 are being rebuilt. The remains of several other carriages and Goods Van 4 are being stored ready to be rebuilt. The carriages will then be used as a "Heritage Train" to complement more modern carriages.

paragraphs: Coach 2 was sold and used as a summer house. It is now on show at the National Railway Museum in York, with nameplates from the original engines. Coach 15, recovered from Snapper Halt in 1959 and rebuilt by the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales, has been running there (now as FR Coach 14) for longer than it did on the L&B. In September 2010, Coach 15 visited the L&B with the "Lew" replica engine, "Lyd".

paragraphs: A "Joffre" class 0-6-0 steam engine built by Kerr Stuart in 1915 was bought in 1983, and named "Axe". Restored to working order in 2008, Axe now pulls most of the passenger trains at Woody Bay. An 0-4-0 engine built by Maffei of Germany in 1925, now named "Sid", is owned by several L&B members, and is also sometimes used on the L&B steam service.

paragraphs: The Trust owns three industrial diesel engines. One of these - Heddon Hall - is some times used in place of the steam engines, and for engineering trains.

paragraphs: A number of other visiting diesel and steam engines have also seen service on the line.

paragraphs: Restoring passenger services from Woody Bay was a major undertaking by the enthusiastic volunteers. Although much of the track bed survives intact, several obstacles – including Wistlandpound Reservoir – must be overcome to restore most of the old route.

paragraphs: In October 2007, the railway announced plans for reinstating enough trackbed to reopen nine miles (14 km) of track, linking the station at Woody Bay to both Lynton (at a new terminus on an extension to the original line, closer to the town) and Blackmoor Gate, and as far as a new station at Wistlandpound.

paragraphs: "Exmoor Enterprise" is likely to cost around £30 million, including the building of replica vehicles and improving the line as an important local tourist attraction.

paragraphs: The railway believes that the scheme will generate over £70 million for the south west economy within five years.

paragraphs: Long-term plans see reopening the line towards Barnstaple.


title: Woody Bay railway station

paragraphs: Woody Bay was a station on the old Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, a narrow gauge railway line that ran through Exmoor from Barnstaple to Lynton and Lynmouth in North Devon. The station was inland, about 2 km from Woody Bay itself. It opened with the line (as "Wooda Bay" until the name was changed in 1901) on 7 March 1898, and closed when the line was closed on 29 September 1935. From 1923 until closure, the line was part of the Southern Railway.

paragraphs: Woody Bay station was built in part to serve the expected development of a resort at Woody Bay, a mile or so to the north. A pier was built in the bay, although not much more building took place, and the pier was destroyed by storms before it properly opened.

paragraphs: The development was stopped when the promotor went bankrupt in 1900, and although a route was surveyed for a branch line to the bay, it was never built.

paragraphs: After being bought by the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Company in 1995, restoration of the station began, and it opened as a Visitors' Centre in 2003. An "out and back" service over a few hundred yards of track began in 2004, and with the opening of a temporary station at Killington Lane, about one mile towards Parracombe Halt, a regular "point to point" service started in 2006.

paragraphs: A carriage shed has been built into a cutting beyond the station. It is a temporary structure erected in 2003, and can be moved when the line expands.


title: Endgame (chess)

paragraphs: The endgame in chess (or "end game" or "ending") is the part of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. Alternatively, endgames begin when the middlegame is over, and kings are relatively safe.

paragraphs: There are three main strategic differences between earlier parts of the game and endgame:

paragraphs: All endgame positions can be put into two camps. On the one hand are positions which may be won by force. On the other hand are positions which are drawn, or which should be drawn. The ones that are drawn for certain may be legally drawn (mate could not happen) or drawn by chess experience (no sane defence could lose). All endgames in master chess revolve around the borderline between winning and drawing. Generally, once a 'textbook' drawn position is reached the players will agree a draw; otherwise they play on.

paragraphs: Endgames can be studied according to the type of pieces that remain on board. For example, king and pawn endgames have only kings and pawns on one or both sides and the task of the stronger side is to promote one of the pawns. Other endings are studied according to the pieces on board other than kings, e.g. rook and pawn versus rook endgame.<ref name=H/W>Hooper D. and Whyld K. 1992. "The Oxford companion to chess". 2nd ed, Oxford University Press.</ref>

paragraphs: Basic checkmates are positions in which one side has only a king and the other side has one or two pieces, enough to checkmate the opponent's king. They are usually learned at the beginner stage. Examples are mate with K+Q v K; K+R v K; K+2B v K; K+B&N v K (this one is quite difficult).

paragraphs: Positions for which the result is certain, given best play, are technical positions. The best example is the analysis by computer chess engine of all possible positions with six pieces or fewer. This is called proof by exhaustion or exhaustive proof. It is logically the same as proving a mathematical theorem by proving the complete set of individual cases covered by the theorem.

paragraphs: After the chess engine has analysed the positions, the results are put into an endgame tablebase for easy retrieval by users. Working with a database to discover previously unknown facts is called 'data mining'.

paragraphs: A number of interesting and surprising facts have indeed emerged. For example, For all three- to five-piece endgames and pawnless six-piece endgames, a complete list of mutual zugzwangs has been tabulated and published.

paragraphs: Another case is the longest sequence of moves to reach a definite result, called 'Depth to conversion'. In May 2006, Bourzutschky and Konoval discovered a KQN vs KRBN position with an astonishing DTC of 517 moves.


title: Brent Peterson (ice hockey, born 1972)

paragraphs: Brent Peterson (born July 20, 1972 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Peterson, a left winger, played in 56 games over three seasons for the National Hockey League's (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring nine goals and assisting on one. After his three NHL seasons, Peterson spent four seasons in Europe, playing for teams in Switzerland and Germany.

paragraphs: Peterson joined the United States Hockey League's Thunder Bay Flyers for the 1990–91 season, at the age of eighteen. In 48 regular season games, he recorded 27 goals and 40 assists, and added eight goals and nine assists in 10 playoff games. In 1991–92, Peterson began playing college hockey with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Michigan Tech Huskies. After scoring 20 points in the 1992–93 season, Peterson increased his point total to 42 in 1993–94. In 1994–95, he scored 25 goals and had 21 assists; both totals were the highest of his college career, as was his 46 points. Peterson's statistical production declined slightly in his last college season, 1995–96, as he posted 20 goals and 16 assists.

paragraphs: In the 1993 NHL Supplemental Draft, Peterson was chosen as the third overall selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following the end of his college career, he was sent to the Atlanta Knights, the Lightning's affiliate in the minor league International Hockey League (IHL). With the Knights, Peterson had 28 points in 69 regular season games, but went scoreless in three playoff games. In 1996–97, Peterson spent most of his playing time with the American Hockey League's Adirondack Red Wings, for whom he scored 45 points in the regular season and four in the playoffs. During that season, he made his NHL debut with the Lightning, and scored two goals in 17 games. The 1997–98 season saw Peterson again split time between the NHL and minor league hockey; he tallied five goals in 19 games for the Lightning, and 20 goals and 39 assists for the IHL's Milwaukee Admirals. He played his final NHL games in the 1998–99 season, when he posted two goals and his only NHL assist in 20 games for the Lightning. In addition, he had 13 goals and 12 assists in 35 games for two IHL clubs.

paragraphs: In March 1999, the Lightning traded Peterson to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. He became a free agent after the season, and the Nashville Predators signed him. During the 1999–00 season, Peterson spent the entire campaign with the Admirals, the Predators' IHL affiliate, scoring 32 points in the regular season and five in the playoffs. Peterson moved to Europe for the 2000–01 season, beginning the season with the SCL Tigers in Switzerland's National League A. In 10 games, he recorded three goals and two assists before moving to Germany to play for the Deutsche Eishockey Liga's Kassel Huskies. Peterson finished 2000–01 season with the Tigers and spent three more seasons with the club; his best statistical season in Germany was 2002–03, when he had 25 regular season points, along with three in the playoffs.


title: Jimmy Roy

paragraphs: Jimmy Roy (born September 22, 1975 in Sioux Lookout, Ontario) is a Canadian ice hockey player currently playing for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

paragraphs: Roy was drafted 254th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft but never played in the National Hockey League. After spending two years at Michigan Technological University he signed with the Manitoba Moose in 1997. Roy spent nine seasons with the Manitoba Moose, the first four in the International Hockey League and the rest in the American Hockey League after the Moose became members of the league when the IHL folded. He holds different team records like games played and most goals. For the 2006–07 season Roy signed with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. In Iserlohn he developed to a key player, known for his leading quality on and off the ice. He also helped the club to sign some former Moose players like Ryan Ready and Pat Kavanagh. Roy extended his contract after his first season in Germany for two years. On Christmas Day 2008 the Roosters announced again that Roy has signed for two more years. As a Rooster he usually plays on a line with Ryan Ready. In the 2007–08 season their center was Pat Kavanagh, the next season Bob Wren was their linemate.


title: Jean-François Labbé

paragraphs: Jean-François "J.F." Labbé, nicknamed Ti-Mine, (born June 15, 1972) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.

paragraphs: After playing four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Labbé began a very successful American Hockey League career. He played for the Prince Edward Island Senators, Cornwall Aces, Hershey Bears, Hamilton Bulldogs, Hartford Wolf Pack and Syracuse Crunch in his AHL tenure. His best season came in 1996–1997 with the Hershey Bears, when he won both the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for lowest goals against average and the Les Cunningham Award for league MVP. Labbé won the Calder Cup with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2000.

paragraphs: Labbé appeared in 15 NHL games: one with the New York Rangers at the end of the 1999–2000 season and 14 with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons.

paragraphs: He played for the Saint-Georges Garaga in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey in 2003–2004 after a short stint with the Tolyatti Lada in the Russian Hockey Super League.

paragraphs: Labbé has played in the DEL for three seasons, with Augsburger Panther in 2004–05 and with the Sinupret Ice Tigers in 2005–06 and 2006–07.

paragraphs: For the 2007–08 season he joined the Vienna Capitals in Austria's Erste Bank Hockey League.

paragraphs: Labbé was selected for induction as part of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame's 2016 class.

paragraphs: Labbé currently holds records with the Syracuse Crunch for:


title: Tatyana Ali

paragraphs: Tatyana Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American R&B singer and actress. She is best known for playing Ashley Banks in "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". She later played Roxanne in "The Young and the Restless".

paragraphs: Ali was born in North Bellmore, New York, a suburb of New York City.


title: Damian Marley

paragraphs: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley (born July 21, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer. Marley has won four Grammy Awards. He is the son of Bob Marley.

paragraphs: Marley has released four studio albums. Marley has ten siblings: Ky-Mani, Julian, Stephanie, Karen, Rohan, Robbie, Stephen, Ziggy, Cedella and Sharon. Marley has a football team named after him in England called FC Zion.

paragraphs: Damian Marley has released 4 studio albums:


title: Upstate New York

paragraphs: Upstate New York refers to the part of the state of New York that is north or west of the New York metropolitan area. Upstate cities include Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca and Utica. Rural areas of New York are also upstate. These include the Adirondack Mountains and the Mohawk Valley. Culturally, upstate New York is quite different than New York City. The people who live in upstate New York came from different places than the people who live in New York City. Also, upstate New York is more moderate politically, with rural counties voting more conservative and urban counties more liberal, contrasted with the predominantly liberal New York City.


title: Precision Approach Path Indicator

paragraphs: The Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) is a visual system next to the touch-point on a runway. The purpose of the system is to lead a plane in correct approach. The PAPI creates ray of light which gives pilot information about his actual height.

paragraphs: The rules about the parameters are written in standard ANNEX 14 ICAO. The brochure contains more specific information about intensity of ray, location where we can get device etc.


title: Social Futebol Clube

paragraphs: Social Futebol Clube is a football club which plays in Brazil.


title: Twiztid

paragraphs: Twiztid are an American hip-hop/Horrorcore group from Detroit, Michigan. The group consists of two members: Jamie Madrox and Monoxide.

paragraphs: Twiztid has released five studio albums:


title: University of California, San Diego

paragraphs: The University of California, San Diego (UCSD or UC San Diego) is a public research university. It is in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States. UCSD is part of the University of California system. It was founded in 1960 near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

paragraphs: There were 22,048 undergraduate and 5,073 graduate students in Fall 2007. The university awarded 6,802 degrees in 2005/06. The university is organized into six undergraduate colleges and six graduate divisions. It offers 125 undergraduate majors, 52 masters degrees, 51 doctoral programs, and four professional degrees.

paragraphs: In 2012, UCSD was ranked the 15th best university in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked UC San Diego as the 35th best university in the nation. UCSD is consistently ranked high in other college and university rankings. In 2010, the university ranks 1st nationally in "The Washington Monthly".


title: University of California

paragraphs: The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. The University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University system and the California Community Colleges system.

paragraphs: The University of California has a combined student body of more than 220,000 students and over 170,000 faculty and staff. Its first campus, UC Berkeley, was founded in 1868, while its tenth and newest campus, University of California, Merced, opened for classes in fall 2005.

paragraphs: The University of California's campuses boast large numbers of distinguished faculty in almost every field and is widely regarded as one of the top public university systems in the world. Eight of its undergraduate campuses are ranked among the top 100, six among the top 50, and two among the top 25 U.S. universities by the "U.S. News and World Report". Six of its campuses are members of the Association of American Universities, a group of over 60 top U.S. and Canadian research universities. The current president of the University of California is Janet Napolitano.


title: Luther Vandross

paragraphs: Luther Vandross (April 20, 1951-July 1, 2005) was an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. He had over 25 million albums and won eight Grammy Awards during his singing career.

paragraphs: Vandross died of a stroke on July 1, 2005.


title: University of California, Santa Barbara

paragraphs: The University of California, Santa Barbara (also referred to as UCSB and UC Santa Barbara) is a research university in Santa Barbara, California, United States. The third-oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara offeres 87 undergraduate and 55 graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The main campus is located on a 1,022-acre (4.1 km2) site in Santa Barbara, California, 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles. The University was founded in 1909 and joined the University of California-system in 1944.

paragraphs: UC Santa Barbara is a "very high activity" research university. UCSB houses twelve national research centers. UCSB faculty includes five Nobel Prize laureates, one Fields Medalist, 29 members of the "United States National Academy of Sciences", 27 members of the "National Academy of Engineering", and 23 members of the "American Academy of Arts and Sciences".


title: Brown pelican

paragraphs: The brown pelican ("Pelecanus occidentalis") is a large bird that lives along the coasts of the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico in North and South America.

paragraphs: Brown pelicans are carnivores (meat-eaters) and hunt during the day (they are diurnal). They eat mostly fish and some amphibians and crustaceans.


title: Lincoln Continental

paragraphs: The Lincoln Continental was an American luxury car first produced around in 1939. The production ended around 1948, but resumed during 1956. This car was a fully sized vehicle during most of its years. Its production ended around 2002. The replacement vehicle was Lincoln LS V8.


title: Julia Stiles

paragraphs: Julia Stiles (b. March 28, 1981, New York City) is an American actress. She played Nicky Parsons in the "Bourne" movie series. She is also a stage and television actress. On March 17, 2001, Stiles hosted "Saturday Night Live". She is a feminist.


title: Ryu Gwan-sun

paragraphs: Ryu GwanSun (December 16, 1902 – September 28, 1920), also known as Yu Gwansun was a Christian Korean freedom fighter who protested against the Japanese occupation of Korea.

paragraphs: Ryu Gwansun was born on December 16, 1902, in a small farming village. Her brother said that she taught herself how to read Hangul. She was a playful, lively child who enjoyed running "like a boy" and was able to memorize Bible verses quickly. Her nephew, who grew up in the same village as her, said that she had very large, bright black eyes. Her brother described her as tall, with a plump, fair face.

paragraphs: When she was 12, she entered the Ewha Girls' School in Seoul, where she learned more about Christianity.

paragraphs: Ryu Gwansun joined in the March 1st Movement with some friends from her school, though her teacher strongly told them not to. She was taken to prison for a short time, and her school was closed. With the help of her family and friends, Ryu planned a peaceful demonstration in her province for 1 March. The day before the demonstration, Ryu lit a bonfire on a mountain as a signal to begin the demonstration. The next day, over 2000 people came together in a marketplace for the demonstration. The Japanese police shot at the people, and about 19 people died, including Ryu's parents. Ryu Gwansun was taken to prison. She died in prison when she was 17. After her death, her face was used as a symbol for the Korean rights activists.


title: Dorothy Hamill

paragraphs: Dorothy Hamill (born July 26, 1956) is an American athlete. She won a gold medal in the 1976 Winter Olympics in figure skating.

paragraphs: Hamill was born in Chicago but grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was married to Dean Paul Martin from 1982 until they divorced in 1984. She was married to Kenneth Forsythe from 1987 until 1995. Hamill has been married to John MacColl since 2009. She has a daughter by Forsythe.


title: Peggy Fleming

paragraphs: Peggy Fleming is an American figure skater and ABC Sports television commentator. She was the champion at 1968 Winter Olympics. She was born July 27, 1948 in San Jose, California.


title: Display (zoology)

paragraphs: Display is a form of animal behaviour, linked to survival of the species in various ways.

paragraphs: One function of display is in courtship. In most species the male has a striking feature that is distinguished by colour, shape or size, used to attract a female. In many species the male has another, more cryptic, form out of the mating season.

paragraphs: A related function is armament (horns, teeth) exhibited and used by 'tournament' species. In these species, males fight to gain the 'right' to breed. The display part of the process is a mechanism for younger males to avoid being damaged by prime males. Instinctive behaviour prompts lesser males to leave the field. Peafowl, deer, antelope and elephant seals are good examples.

paragraphs: The other main function is in species which have territorial display behaviour. This may preserve a foraging or hunting territory for its family or group.


title: Mary Lou Retton

paragraphs: Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American gymnast. She was born in Fairmont, Virginia. Retton won gold, silver and bronze medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics. She was the first female outside Eastern Europe to win an Olympic all around title.


title: Air mass

paragraphs: An air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles. Colder air masses are called polar or arctic, while warmer air masses are called tropical.


title: Antelope

paragraphs: Antelope is a term for many even-toed ungulate species. This is not a strict taxonomic term; they are not a clade. Antelope is a 'wastebasket taxon' in the family Bovidae. It includes the old-world species which are not cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, or goats.

paragraphs: Antelope are found mostly in Africa below the Sahara, and parts of Asia. No antelope are native to North America: the pronghorn is a member of the family Antilocapridae, another family. True antelope have horns which are unbranched and never shed, while Pronghorns have branching horns, and shed annually.

paragraphs: There are 91 species of antelope, most of which are native to Africa, in about 30 genera. A group of antelope is called a herd.

paragraphs: Species of forest, woodland, or bush tend to be sedentary, but many of the plains species undertake huge migrations. These migrations enable grass-eating species to follow the rains and therefore their food supply. The gnus and gazelles of East Africa perform some of the most impressive mass migratory circuits of all mammals.

paragraphs: All bovids have even-toed hooves, horizontal pupils, ruminating guts, and (in at least the males) bony horns.

paragraphs: Many antelope are sexually dimorphic. In most species, both sexes have horns, but those of males tend to be larger. There is a tendency for males to be larger than the females

paragraphs: Horns are not shed and are not made of bone, which distinguishes them from antlers.

paragraphs: Gazelles and springbok are known for their speed and leaping abilities. Even larger antelope, such as elands, and kudus, are capable of jumping 8 feet (2.4 m) or greater, although their running speed is restricted by their greater mass.


title: Castle of Bredevoort

paragraphs: The Castle of Bredevoort was a former castle in the city of Bredevoort, Guelders in the Netherlands.

paragraphs: The name of the castle was for the first time written in the year 1188 as "castrum Breidervort".

paragraphs: In 1646 lightning hit the gunpowder tower of the castle, causing an explosion that destroyed the castle and the town, killing Lord Haersolte of Bredevoort and his family, as well as others. Only one son, Anthonie, who was not home that day, survived.

paragraphs: In April of the year 2009 they found big walls from 2,5 until 4 Metres in the ground in the heart of the town. On the square they did find remnants of the gate building which was a part of the ring wall surrounding the castle. That foundation is made visible on the square today.


title: Tim Leveque

paragraphs: Tim Leveque (born June 13, 1968) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He is most famous for being the Laval Chiefs enforcer that is called up later in the season in the hockey documentary "Les Chiefs".

paragraphs: Leveque started his career with the Thunder Bay Senators of the Colonial Hockey League during the 1993-94 season. In two games, Leveque accumulated 23 PIMs.

paragraphs: After an eight year layoff, Leveque would resurface with the Laval Chiefs of the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (currently the LNAH). Leveque would engage in several fights with Dominic "The Giant" Forcier of the Sorel Royaux during the season. Forcier who stood 6' 7" and 320 lbs, was taken down by Leveque during each of their three fights. After Leveque's final fight with Forcier on February 10, 2002, he would fight Chad Nicholson in the closing minutes of the same game. This would be Leveque's final game with the Chiefs. After the game, Leveque would tell the team that he had "connections in Norfolk" and that he was leaving the team.

paragraphs: In 2004, Leveque received a tryout with the Sherbrooke Saint-Francois. He would play one game with Sherbrooke, and was briefly involved in a fight with David Lessard. Leveque would be released after the game.

paragraphs: In 2005, Leveque played a preseason game with the Sorel-Tracy Mission and fought Corey Dean. After one game with the Mission, Leveque was released.


title: Trent McCleary

paragraphs: Trent Kenneth McCleary (born September 8, 1972) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). His career was ended in 2000 after taking a slapshot to the throat, an injury that required life-saving surgery moments after the incident. He played 192 games, scoring 8 goals and 23 points.

paragraphs: A native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, McCleary played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with his home-town Swift Current Broncos beginning in 1988. He played a total of four seasons with the Broncos, winning the WHL championship and Memorial Cup with the team in 1988–89 though he played only three games with the team. He was a defensive forward in the WHL, but scored 50 points in his final year in helping the Broncos win a second championship. He added a goal in four games at the 1993 Memorial Cup.

paragraphs: The Ottawa Senators signed McCleary as an undrafted free agent upon his graduation, and he spent the majority of the 1993–94 season with the Thunder Bay Senators of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL). He moved up to the Prince Edward Island Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1994–95 but missed three months of the season after suffering retinal damage to his right eye when he was hit in the face by a stick. Upon his recovery, McCleary returned wearing a visor that he would retain throughout his career.

paragraphs: He made his NHL debut in Ottawa in 1995–96, scoring 14 points in 75 games. The Senators traded McCleary, along with a draft pick to the Boston Bruins for Shawn McEachern following the season. He appeared in 59 games with the Bruins but was unable to come to an agreement on a new contract for the 1997–98 season. As a result, he signed to play in the International Hockey League (IHL), splitting the season between the Las Vegas Thunder and Detroit Vipers.

paragraphs: His rights ultimately released by the Bruins, McCleary signed with the Montreal Canadiens as a free agent in 1998, appearing in 46 NHL games in 1998–99. Early the following season, he again suffered a severe injury to his right eye, suffering a severed tear duct when he was hit in the face by an errant skate. He recovered, splitting the early part of the season between the Canadiens and the Quebec Citadelles in the AHL.

paragraphs: During a game between the Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers on January 29, 2000, McCleary dropped to the ice in an attempt to block a Chris Therien slapshot. He was critically injured when hit in the throat by the shot which fractured his larynx and resulted in a collapsed lung. Unable to breathe, McCleary rushed to the bench, collapsing upon his arrival. Medical staff worked to partially open his airway in the hallways of Molson Centre, actions which McCleary credits with saving his life. He was then rushed to a waiting ambulance and transported to hospital where surgeons performed an emergency tracheotomy. He remained in full equipment during the procedure; hospital staff did not even have time to remove his skates.

paragraphs: Unable to speak immediately following his surgery, McCleary sent a written note to his teammates explaining he was all right while his surgeon revealed that he came "as close ... as you could come" to dying in the moments after he was struck. He met with the media two weeks following his injury, responding to questions via note pad, stating that he hoped to return to his career upon recovery. He regained the ability to talk after six weeks and several surgeries.

paragraphs: McCleary attempted a comeback at the start of the 2000–01 season. Despite doubts he would be capable of returning, the Canadiens signed him to a one-year, US$300,000 contract. He appeared in exhibition games with the Canadians, but found he was unable to play a full shift without running short of breath. He was examined by his doctor, who noted that because his air passage was left 15% narrower than before his injury, it was too dangerous for him to continue playing. As a result, on September 20, 2000, McCleary announced his retirement, calling it the "toughest day" in his seven year career. The Canadiens kept him in the organization, naming him a WHL scout.

paragraphs: McCleary's parents Kyle and Leah still live in Swift Current. He has an elder brother, Scott, and a younger sister, Shannon. He and his wife Tammy have three children.


title: Pirate Party Germany

paragraphs: The Pirate Party Germany (German: "Piratenpartei Deutschland"; short: "PIRATEN", "Pirates") is a political party in Germany based on the model of the Swedish Piratpartiet.

paragraphs: The party opposes the loss of civil rights in telephony and on the Internet, in particular the rules for keeping information about telephone calls and Germany's new Internet censorship law called "Zugangserschwerungsgesetz". It also opposes artificial monopolies and various measures of surveillance of citizens.

paragraphs: The party favours the civil right to information privacy and reforms of copyright, education, computer science and genetic patents.

paragraphs: It wants more open and transparent government, and the electronic inspection and control of government operations by the citizen.

paragraphs: The party was founded on 10 September 2006. Party leader has been Patrick Schiffer since August 2016. Previous leaders were among others Sebastian Nerz, Dirk Hillbrecht, Jens Seipenbusch and Christof Leng.

paragraphs: In February 2009, the village spokesperson of Hohenstein, a city councillor in Strausberg, Jens Knoblich joined the Pirate Party Germany. In June 2009, Bundestag member Jörg Tauss, who has been charged with the crime of child pornography possession and distribution, left the SPD and joined the Pirate Party after the "Zugangserschwerungsgesetz" was passed. He said that while he supports the fight against child pornography, the means are unacceptable. In late August 2009, Herbert Rusche, one of the founding members of the German Green Party and, in the 1980s, the first openly homosexual member of parliament in Germany, joined the Pirate Party.

paragraphs: On 27 September 2009, the PIRATEN received 2.0% (845,904 votes) in the 2009 German federal election. This result means that the party failed to secure any seat in the Bundestag, however this was also the best result among the parties who did not achieve the required 5% threshold. Among the first-time male voters the party received 13%.

paragraphs: The election results in 2009 means the party still qualifies for some government funding of campaign finance.

paragraphs: It received 229,117 votes in the 2009 European Parliament election, which was 0.9%, but not enough (at least 5%) for a seat. The number of party members has increased since then. As of March 2010, the party had over 12,000 members.

paragraphs: On 30 August 2009, the PIRATEN received 1.9% in the 2009 Saxony state election. On the same day, the party also received one seat in each council in the local elections of Münster and Aachen, although candidates of the party ran for office only in some constituencies of both cities.

paragraphs: Support for The PIRATEN differs between States. The party received 1.8% in the 2009 Schleswig-Holstein state election and 1,5% in the 2010 North Rhine-Westphalia state election (though without securing seats), but only 0.5% in the 2009 Hesse state election and did not participate in the 2009 Brandenburg and Saarland state elections


title: Opossum

paragraphs: Opossums are the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, the Didelphimorphia.

paragraphs: They are often called possums, though that term is more properly applied to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes.

paragraphs: The Virginia opossum was the first animal to be named an "opossum": the word comes from the Algonquian language, and means "white beast." It was one of the few South American marsupials to establish itself permanently in North America after the Great American Interchange, and the only one to survive there today.

paragraphs: Opossums can help slow the spread of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever because they eat deer ticks and other ticks that carry the germs for these diseases. One opossum can eat 5000 ticks each year. They also eat garden pests, for example slugs, and animals that can carry disease, for example mice and rats.

paragraphs: Marsupials like opossums are born before their jaw bones have grown enough for them to drink their mothers' milk the way other baby mammals do. Scientists from Kings' College London found that opossums and other marsupials use tissue from their inner ear to make a temporary jaw so they can feed and grow.


title: Damian Jackson

paragraphs: Damian Jacques Jackson (born August 16, 1973 in Los Angeles, California) is an American baseball player. He is a second baseman for the Orange County Flyers of Golden Baseball League.

paragraphs: Jackson has formerly played for the Cleveland Indians from 1996-97, Cincinnati Reds from 1997-98, San Diego Padres from 1999-01, Detroit Tigers in 2002, Boston Red Sox in 2003, Chicago Cubs in 2004, Kansas City Royals in 2004, again with the San Diego Padres in 2005 and the Washington Nationals in 2006.


title: Eland

paragraphs: The eland is the largest antelope. There are two species, both African.

paragraphs: The common eland, "Taurotragus oryx", is from East Africa and South Africa. The giant eland, "Taurotragus derbianus", is found in Sudan, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Senegal and West Africa.

paragraphs: The two species are rather similar in size: males range in size from and may even reach a ton on rare occasions; females range from .

paragraphs: Giant eland are alert and wary, making them difficult to approach and observe. They are gregarious, and migrate in small herds of twenty or so animals. Giant eland live in open forest and savannah where they eat grass, leaves, and branches. Common eland live in large herds.

paragraphs: Observers have, as usual, found it difficult to measure their speed of running. Some claim they move quickly, running at over , and despite their size are exceptional jumpers, easily clearing heights of . Others claim elands are one of the slowest antelopes, but can even jump a height of or more.

paragraphs: When walking, tendon or joints in the eland's foreleg produce a sharp clicking sound, the cause of which is not known. The sound carries some distance and is a good indication of an approaching herd. Naturalists think it is a form of communication in elands.


title: Daryl Hannah

paragraphs: Daryl Hannah is an American movie actress and producer. She starred in many Hollywood movies in the 1980s, notably "Splash". Hannah was born on December 3, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. She has autism.


title: Air India Flight 182

paragraphs: Air India Flight 182 was a passenger plane which, on June 23, 1985, exploded from a bomb that was placed on the plane. The aircraft was going between Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, Montreal, Quebec, and New Delhi, India. It was an Air India Boeing 747-237B, registration VT-EFO. The bombing was called the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history, and the deadliest act of air terrorism before 9/11.

paragraphs: The flight was going between Montreal and New Delhi. The plane exploded when it was flying 31,000 feet over Atlantic Ocean South of Ireland. The bomb was hidden in a Sanyo tuner in a suitcase which was in the forward cargo hold. Around fifty-five minutes later after the loss of the aircraft, a suitcase which was checked in by one of the accused perpetrators in the bombing exploded at Japan’s Narita Airport and killed two baggage handlers and injured four other people nearby. The suitcase was on its way to another airliner at Narita. At least 329 people were killed in the explosion aboard flight 182.

paragraphs: Most of the victims on-board were Canadians, but 27 came from the United Kingdom, and 10 more came from the United States, five from Brazil, four from Germany, three from France, two each from Italy and Australia, one each from Japan, Mexico, Russia, China, and Belgium. Four passengers and all 22 crew members were from India'

paragraphs: The suspects in the bombing were from the Sikh separatist group called the Babbar Khalsa:


title: Tachisme

paragraphs: Tachisme is a French art style popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It had large brush strokes and had many drips and blobs of paint straight from the paint tube.


title: Wale (rapper)

paragraphs: Wale Victor Folarin (born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin; September 21, 1984 in Washington D.C.) is an American rapper better known by his stage name, Wale.

paragraphs: In 2010 Wale was nominated for Best New Artist from both the Soul Train Awards and BET Awards but did not win.


title: National Academy of Sciences

paragraphs: National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is United States corporation whose members serve as advisers to the nation on science. New members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

paragraphs: The National Academy of Sciences is part of the United States National Academies, which also includes:

paragraphs: The NAS is running 21-month project which will study how humans might influence weather patterns, assess dangers and investigate possible national security implications of climate geoengineering attempts to mitigate global warming. The project is funded by the CIA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA.


title: K-os

paragraphs: Kevin Brereton (born February 20, 1972 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian rapper and producer better known by his stage name, k-os which is an acronym for Knowledge of Self and is spelt with a lowercase "k".


title: Belinda Carlisle

paragraphs: Belinda Carlisle (born August 17, 1958) is an American Grammy Award nominated singer, author and songwriter. She is the lead singer of The Go Gos. Carlisle was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. She is a Buddhist.


title: Hydroplaning (tires)

paragraphs: Hydroplaning or Aquaplaning happens when a layer of water builds between the rubber tires of the vehicle and the road surface and leads to the loss of traction (grip) on the road. Hydroplaning causes the vehicle to stop responding to control inputs such as steering, braking or accelerating. The effects of hydroplaning depends on which wheels have lost traction and the direction that the vehicle is traveling.


title: Sintel

paragraphs: Sintel is a short 15-minute movie made with computers using open source software. Blender was the main program used to make the movie. It began production in September 2009 and was released on September 28, 2010. The online release was made available for download on September 30, 2010.

paragraphs: "Sintel" is a story about a girl who lives in the made-up city. One day, a dragon lands on the roof of a house she is standing next to. The dragon is hurt, so she helps it. She and the dragon (which she names Scales) become good friends. One day, Scales goes to chase a group of birds flying in the sky. Another, bigger, dragon comes along, and kidnaps Scales. Sintel goes to looks for Scales. She finds the adult dragon in a Dragon Blood tree, There she fights the big dragon and kills it. But, it turns out that the big dragon is actually Scales. The movie ends with Sintel sad, because she accidentally killed her friend.

paragraphs: Ton Roosendaal announced the movie in May 2009. He is the chairman of the Blender Foundation. The Blender Foundation and the Netherlands Film Fund paid for part of the project. The Foundation raised a lot of their funds by selling pre-orders of the DVD. Everyone who preordered before September 1 has his or her name listed in the movie's credits. The movie was released for download on the Official Durian Project website on October 1, 2010.


title: United States National Academies

paragraphs: United States National Academies or National Academies comprising

paragraphs: serve collectively as the scientific national academy for the United States. The NAS, NAE, and IOM are honorary membership organizations, with a total membership of over 6,000 scientists, engineers, and health professionals. New members for each organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The NRC is called the "working arm" of the Academies, which serves to collect, analyze, and share information through studies and reports.

paragraphs: The National Academies produce independent recommendations and policy reports by enlisting top scientists, engineers, health professionals, and other experts (not limited to those in Academies membership) to address important scientific and technical problems.

paragraphs: The National Academies do not perform original research; rather they provide independent advice. Federal agencies are the primary financial sponsors of the Academies' work; additional studies are funded by state agencies, foundations, other private sponsors, and the National Academies endowment. The external sponsors have no control over the conduct or results of a study, once the statement of task and budget are finalized.


title: Jens Seipenbusch

paragraphs: Jens Seipenbusch (born 6 August 1968) is a German politician and physicist. He was leader of the Pirate Party of Germany.

paragraphs: Seipenbusch was a founding member of his party. He studied physics at the University of Münster. He was first elected party leader in May 2007. In May 2008 he became deputy leader for one year, before he became re-elected leader of the party in July 2009, and once more in May 2010. In May 2011, Sebastian Nerz became leader of the party.


title: Maria Beatrice d'Este

paragraphs: Maria Beatrice d’Este (Maria Beatrice Ricciarda; 7 April 1750 – 14 November 1829) was heiress of the two Duchies of Modena and Reggio. She was married to Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in an attempt to give the Austrians more influence in the Italian states. Maria Beatrice was the Duchess of Massa and Carrara in her own right as well as an Archduchess of Austria by marriage. from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829. She and her husband formed the "House of Austria-Este".

paragraphs: Maria Beatrice was born at the Ducal Palace of Modena. She was the only daughter of Ercole III of Modena and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, ruling Duchess of Carrara and Massa. Three years after her birth, her mother gave birth to a son who died aged 5 months in May 1753. Her parents were part of an unhappy marriage which made the chance of having another son very unlikely. Her parents separated and Maria Beatrice was soon acknowledged as an heiress to four sovereign duchies.

paragraphs: As heiress to four duchies, Modena and Reggio from her father and Massa and Carrara from her mother, she was a very attractive candidate for marriage. From 1753 it was arranaged that she would marry Archduke Leopold of Austria, younger son of Empress Maria Theresa. The situation changed when Leopold's childlessness made Leopold the heir to the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, she was instead engaged to Leopold's brother, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. Plans began in 1754 and it was concluded by their actual marriage in Milan on 15 October 1771. Some of the festivities for the marriage were played by Mozart.

paragraphs: When her mother died in 1790 Maria Beatrice succeeded to Massa and the Principality of Carrara which she held in her own right. After the French conquest of her domains in Italy, she spent her life in Austria and left the rule to administrators. Just after the marriage, the couple had settled in Modena then travelled to Milan where Maria Beatrice gave birth to most of her 10 children by Ferdinand. As Modena did not allow female succession, Maria Beatrice's rights to the throne passed to her son when her father died in 1803. By her marriage, the House of Austria-Este was created, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which ruled Modena between 1814 and 1859. At her death in her palace in Vienna in 1829, Massa and Carrara were added to the Duchy of Modena which were subsequently given to her son.


title: Sharon Stone

paragraphs: Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and movie producer. She received a Golden Globe Award for her part in the 1995 movie "Casino". Her role in the movie "Basic Instinct" was also notable.

paragraphs: Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville. She was a candidate for Miss Pennsylvania. One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York City to become a fashion model. In 1977, Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York.

paragraphs: While living in Europe, she decided to quit modeling and become an actress. Stone was cast for a brief role in Allen's "Stardust Memories" (1980). She had many roles in movies in the 1980's. Being in "Total Recall" (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger helped her career. To promote the movie, she posed nude for "Playboy".

paragraphs: The movie that made her a star "Basic Instinct" (1992). She played a person thought to be a serial killer. In the movie's most notorious scene, her character is being questioned by the police. She crosses and uncrosses her legs, exposing her genitalia, which are not covered by underwear. After "Basic Instinct", she was listed by "People magazine" as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

paragraphs: In November 1995, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd.

paragraphs: In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of "The Practice". For her performances, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

paragraphs: Stone tried a return to the mainstream with roles in the movies "Cold Creek Manor" (2003) with Dennis Quaid and "Catwoman" (2004) with Halle Berry. Both movies were not well liked by either the public or critics.

paragraphs: Stone married Michael Greenburg in 1984. They separated in 1987 and the divorce was finalized in 1990.

paragraphs: In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald (aka Bill MacDonald) on the set of the movie "Sliver". MacDonald left his wife Naomi Baca for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994.

paragraphs: While working on the movie "The Quick and the Dead" in 1995, Stone met Bob Wagner and they became engaged.

paragraphs: On February 14, 1998, Stone married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of the "San Francisco Examiner". They adopted a son, Roan Joseph Bronstein (born on May 22, 2000) in late May or early June of 2000. They divorced in 2004. After her divorce she adopted another two boys, Laird Vonne Stone (born on May 7, 2005) and Quinn Kelly Stone

paragraphs: Stone is a convert to Tibetan Buddhism. She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.


title: Kim Delaney

paragraphs: Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American movie and television actress. She played Jenny Gardner in the soap "All My Children". She played a detective in the television series "NYPD Blue". She also acted in the television series "Philly". Delaney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


title: Aedes aegypti

paragraphs: Aedes aegypti, also called yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases.

paragraphs: The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax. It is a small mosquito, with a body length of about half one centimeter.


title: Aedes

paragraphs: Aedes is a genus of mosquito originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but has spread by human activity to all continents excluding Antarctica. Several of the species transmit important human diseases and one species, "Aedes albopictus", is the most invasive mosquito in the world. The name comes from the Greek "aēdēs", meaning "unpleasant" or "odious", so called because of the diseases this type of mosquito transmits, including dengue fever and yellow fever.


title: Scirpophaga innotata

paragraphs: The Rice White Stemborer ("Scirpophaga innotata") is a species of moth of the Crambidae family. It is found in Indonesia, Pakistan the Philippines and the tropical north of Australia.


title: Eugene Airport

paragraphs: The Eugene Airport is a medium sized airport in Eugene, Oregon in the United States. It has ten connections to larger airports in the forty-eight states via four airlines.

paragraphs: Allegiant flies to Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Delta Connection flies to Salt Lake City. Horizon Airlines flies to Portland and Seattle, and United Express flies to Portland, Denver and San Francisco.


title: Hank Hill

paragraphs: Henry "Hank" Rutherford Hill (born September 15, 1954 in The Bronx, New York) is a fictional character in the television series, King of the Hill. He lives in Arlen, Texas with his wife Peggy and his son Bobby. He was named one of the wisest people on television by The Economist. He suffers from Diminished Gluteal Syndrome (DGS) which is a fictional genetic disorder. He works at Strickland Propane and sells propane and propane accessories. His father's name is Cotton who was a World War II veteran who had his shins "blowed off by a Japanman's machine gun" in combat, and had his feet attached to his knees, he has a Japanese half brother named Junichiro, and his cousin is the bassist and vocalist for ZZ Top, Dusty Hill. He is usually seen hanging out with his friends Dale, Bill and Boomhauer.


title: Caviar

paragraphs: Caviar is a luxury food. Caviar is processed, salted and non-fertilized sturgeon roe eggs. The world's largest producer and exporter of caviar is Iran. The producer of 90 percent of the world's caviar is the Caspian Sea.


title: Jackson, Wyoming

paragraphs: Jackson is an American city in the state of Wyoming. It is in Teton County. The current mayor of Jackson is Mark Barron. As of 2000, 8,647 people lived there. Many tourists go through Jackson when they visit the nearby Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the National Elk Refuge.


title: 2009 Pacific typhoon season

paragraphs: The 2009 Philippine region typhoon season was the period that tropical cyclones formed in the Western Pacific Ocean. The season ran throughout the year during 2009, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) assigns names to tropical cyclones (including tropical depressions) that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility. These names, however, are not in common use outside of the Philippines.

paragraphs: During the season, 39 tropical depressions developed within the Western Pacific, whilst 2 formed outside the region before moving into the Western Pacific.


title: Body of Proof

paragraphs: Body of Proof is an American medical drama television series on ABC starring Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan.

paragraphs: The series stars Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt, a medical examiner. The show focusses on Hunt's efforts to balance the demands of her professional life with her personal life. Hunt was previously employed as a top-flight neurosurgeon who had a life-changing automobile accident.

paragraphs: Her boss is the city's chief medical examiner, played by Ryan.


title: Blue Valentine (movie)

paragraphs: Blue Valentine is a 2010 movie. It is a romantic drama starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. The original rating of this movie was NC-17, but the rating was successfully appealed to an R rating. The movie is about a married couple who are shifting back and forth, along with their eventual divorce.


title: Patty Loveless

paragraphs: Patty Lee Ramey (or Patty Loveless; born January 4, 1957) is an American country singer and songwriter. She emerged onto the country music scene around 1986. She has also sung Bluegrass and country pop. She was born in Pikeville, Kentucky.


title: Islamic state

paragraphs: An Islamic state is a state that has adopted Islam as its state religion, and Islamic law as the foundation for political institutions. Current examples of such states are Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Mauritania and the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.


title: Niko Tinbergen

paragraphs: Nikolaas 'Niko' Tinbergen (15 April 1907 – 21 December 1988) was a Dutch ethologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz. Their discoveries were about individual and social behaviour patterns, and how they are triggered.

paragraphs: In the 1960s Niko collaborated on a series of wildlife movies, including "The Riddle of the Rook" (1972) and "Signals for Survival" (1969), which won the Italia prize in that year and the American blue ribbon in 1971.

paragraphs: Niko, who had two eminent brothers, Luuk and Jan, was a prisoner of war during World War II. His experience as a prisoner of the Nazis led to some friction with longtime intellectual collaborator Konrad Lorenz, and it was several years before the two reconciled.

paragraphs: After the war, Tinbergen moved to England, where he taught at the University of Oxford. He remained in England for the rest of his life. Several of his Oxford graduate students went on to become prominent biologists; these include Richard Dawkins, Marian Dawkins, Desmond Morris, and Iain Douglas Hamilton. He married Elisabeth Rutten and they had five children.

paragraphs: The body of Tinbergen's research focused on what he termed supernormal stimuli. This was the concept that an artificial object could be a stronger trigger for an instinct than the natural object for which the instinct originally evolved.

paragraphs: He constructed plaster eggs to see which a bird preferred to sit on, finding that they would select those that were larger, had more defined markings, or more saturated colour—and a dayglo-bright one with black polkadots would be selected over the bird's own pale, dappled eggs.

paragraphs: Tinbergen found that territorial male stickleback fish would attack a wooden fish model more vigorously than a real male if its underside was redder. He constructed cardboard dummy butterflies with more defined markings that male butterflies would try to mate with in preference to real females. The superstimulus, by its exaggerations, clearly showed what features were triggering the response.

paragraphs: He is well known for originating the four questions he believed should be asked of any animal behaviour, which were:

paragraphs: Niko gave his Nobel Lecture on autism in children, which he and his wife had been researching for some time.


title: SF1 Kraken

paragraphs: SF1 Kraken is a weapon mainly used by police forces during riots to restore order. It is not lethal (hit causes only injury, not death). The weapon is specially made for usage against civilians without risking casualties (loss of life). The average distance of fire is about 30m, maximum is 100m and depends on type of bullet. SF1 Kraken uses the energy of gases from .357 Magnum blank cartidges (without a bullet) which are made by Libra a.s. in the Czech Republic. It is also able to use several types of 59mm calibre bullets.


title: Oedema

paragraphs: Oedema (also spelled edema) is swelling caused when fluid leaks out of the body's capillaries. (The capillaries are the body's smallest blood vessels.) The fluid builds up and gets trapped in the tissues around the leaking blood vessels. This causes swelling. If there is enough swelling, edema can be seen from outside of the skin.

paragraphs: Edema can happen in any part of the body. However, it is easiest to see in the arms and legs, including the hands, ankles, and feet. Edema in the arms and legs is called "peripheral edema".

paragraphs: "Pulmonary edema "is fluid in the lungs. Pulmonary edema is dangerous because having fluid in the lungs makes breathing difficult. If pulmonary edema gets bad enough, a person can drown in the fluid.

paragraphs: Edema in the abdomen is called "ascites."

paragraphs: Some of the signs and symptoms of edema are:

paragraphs: Edema in the lungs (pulmonary edema) can make it hard to breathe or cause chest pain.

paragraphs: Many things can cause edema. When edema is mild (not very serious), the most common causes are:

paragraphs: However, edema can also be a sign of serious disease. Diseases that can cause edema include:

paragraphs: If edema is not very serious, it often goes away on its own. If a person has mild edema in an arm or leg, they can often make edema go away quicker by keeping the arm or leg raised above the level of the heart.

paragraphs: If edema is more serious, it is treated with medicines called diuretics. These are medicines which help the body get rid of extra fluid by urinating it out.

paragraphs: If edema is caused by a disease, that disease needs to be treated.


title: National Academy of Engineering

paragraphs: United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a private, non-profit institution that was founded in 1964. Election to the NAE is considered the highest achievement in engineering-related fields and often comes as a recognition of a lifetime's worth of accomplishments. The NAE is part of United States National Academies advising the federal government on engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research.

paragraphs: New members of the organization are elected annually by current members composed of senior professionals in business, academia, and government who are among the world’s most accomplished engineers in one or both of the following categories:

paragraphs: The Academy annually awards three prizes that award $500,000 to the winner. In a sense these constitute the "Nobel Prizes of Engineering."


title: Dianne Wiest

paragraphs: Dianne Wiest (b. March 28, 1948) is an American actress. Her movies include "Edward Scissorhands" in 1990. She has won two Emmy Awards and two Academy Awards. She was also in other movies, including "Footloose." Wiest was born in Kansas City, Missouri.

paragraphs: She also made a suprise appearance on an american tv-show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She later went on to make multiple episodes of her own failing tv-show called "Get rid of that Wiest Infection". She was also the star in multiple weetabix commercials, dubbing them Wiestabix.


title: Nissan Altima

paragraphs: The Nissan Altima is a vehicle made by Nissan Motor Company. It has been around since 1993 and has had four generations. The car won the 2002 North American Car of the Year and the 2010 Altima received the NHTSA's Highest Front- Impact Crash Safety Rating (five stars). There is a hybrid version of the Altima available which was first made in 2007. The car comes in a 4-door sedan and a 2-door coupe.


title: National Research Council

paragraphs: National Research Council (NRC) of USA is the working arm of United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names. The National Research Council was organized in 1916 in response to the increased need for scientific and technical services caused by World War I.

paragraphs: The president of National Academy of Sciences is the chair of its "Governing Board" and "Executive Committee"; the president of the National Academy of Engineering is vice chair.

paragraphs: Its members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.


title: Linas Kleiza

paragraphs: Linas Kleiza (born January 3, 1985 in Kaunas, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian basketball player who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.

paragraphs: Kleiza played college basketball with the University of Missouri Tigers.

paragraphs: He also played with the Denver Nuggets from 2005 to 2009.

paragraphs: He plays for the Lithuanian national basketball team.

paragraphs: He signed a four-year, $20 million dollar gross income offer sheet with the Toronto Rapors on July 7, 2010.


title: Coxiella

paragraphs: Coxiella refers to a genus of gram-negative bacteria in the family Coxiellaceae. It is named after Harold Herald Rea Cox (1907–1986), an American bacteriologist. "Coxiella burnetii" is the only member of this genus. It is one of the Gammaproteobacteria.


title: Shewanella

paragraphs: Shewanella is the sole genus included in the Shewanellaceae family of marine bacteria. "Shewanella" is a marine bacterium capable of modifying (or converting to an altered state) metals so they are much less toxic and can break up in the environment.


title: Mary Chapin Carpenter

paragraphs: Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American and Grammy Awards winning folk and country singer and songwriter. Her first record was released in 1987. She has won five Grammy Awards. She has had many hit songs and albums. Carpenter was born February 21, 1958 in Princeton, New Jersey.


title: Marcia Gay Harden

paragraphs: Marcia Gay Harden (born 14 August 1959) is an American Academy Award winning television, movie and theater actress. She has acted in many television programs and in many movies. She is from La Jolla, San Diego, California.


title: Jack Skille

paragraphs: Jack Skille (born May 19, 1987 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American professional ice hockey right winger. He currently plays for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

paragraphs: Skille was traded to the Florida Panthers, along with Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan for Michael Frolik and the rights to goaltender Alexander Salak on February 9, 2011.

paragraphs: On July 1, 2014, Skille signed one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders.


title: Michael Frolík

paragraphs: Michael Frolík (born February 17, 1988 in Kladno, Czechoslovakia) is a professional Czech ice hockey player that currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League as a center. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He also played for Rabat Kladno of the Czech Extraliga, the Florida Panthers of the NHL from 2008 to 2011 and the Chicago Blackhawks from 2010 to 2013.

paragraphs: Frolík was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, along with Alexander Salak for Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan on February 9, 2011. On June 24, 2013, He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks after they defeated the Boston Bruins 4 games to 2 in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals.

paragraphs: During the 2013 NHL Entry draft, the Blackhawks traded Frolík to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for the 74th and 134th overall picks in the 2013 NHL Entry draft.


title: International Commission of Jurists

paragraphs: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a non-governmental organization created at Berlin in 1951 by specialists of law, lawyers or judges for the protection of human rights and rule of law.

paragraphs: Right now, the headquarters are situated in Geneva and has relationships with United Nations, Council of Europe and African Union. This Commission has also played an important role in the creation of the International Criminal Court and the Yogyakarta Principles.

paragraphs: From 2008 to 2010, Mary Robinson was the president of this Commission.


title: Paul Bibeault

paragraphs: Paul-Emile "Babe" Bibeault (March 16, 1956 - August 2, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Bibeault served briefly in the army, after he was discharged he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in December, on loan for half of the 1943-44 NHL season. Bibeault was part of the 1944 NHL All-Star Team.

paragraphs: Bibeault is in the NHL record book for being one of five goaltending victims of a player’s five goals in a single playoff game.

paragraphs: Bibeault died on August 2, 1970 at the age of 51 after losing a battle with cancer.


title: Martina McBride

paragraphs: Martina Mariea Schiff (born July 29, 1966), known professionally as Martina McBride, is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Celine Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range. She debuted around 1992, having five #1 singles between 1995 and 2001 and another during 2003. She has had a string of major hit singles.


title: Johnny Knoxville

paragraphs: Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American actor, comedian, daredevil and screenwriter better known by his stage name, Johnny Knoxville. He is best known for being the co-creator and star of the MTV television series, Jackass.


title: Karl von Frisch

paragraphs: Karl Ritter von Frisch (20 November 1886 – 12 June 1982) was an Austrian ethologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, jointly with Niko Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz.

paragraphs: His work was on the communication and senses of the European honey bee. He was the first to translate the meaning of the waggle dance. By doing the dance when they come back to the hive, honey bees indicated where they have found nectar, and other details.

paragraphs: His theory was disputed by other scientists and greeted with skepticism at the time. Only recently was it definitively proved to be an accurate theoretical analysis.

paragraphs: Sense of smell: Frisch discovered that bees can distinguish various blossoming plants by their scent, and that each bee is “flower constant”.

paragraphs: Polarization pattern: Light scattered in a blue sky forms a pattern of partially polarized ultraviolet light. This depends on the position of the sun, and is invisible to human eyes. Each lens unit of a compound eye has a UV receptor, and a UV filter oriented differently in each of these units, so a bee is able to detect this polarization pattern. A small piece of blue sky is enough for a bee to recognize the pattern changes occurring over the course of a day. This provides not only directional but also information on the time of day.

paragraphs: Variations in the daytime position of the sun: Karl von Frisch proved that variations in the position of the sun gave bees with a tool for navigation. They use this capability to get information on the progress of the day deep inside a dark beehive. This makes it possible for the bees to convey up-to-date directional information during their waggle dance, without having to make a comparison with the sun during long dance phases.

paragraphs: Internal clock: Bees have an internal clock with three different synchronization or timekeeping mechanisms. If a bee knows the direction to a feeding place found during a morning excursion, it can also find the same location, as well as the precise time at which this source provides food, in the afternoon, based on the position of the sun.

paragraphs: A simple dance called “round dance” is used for nearby flowers. It means "there is a feeding place near the beehive at 50 to 100 meters". Blossom scent would also be picked up.

paragraphs: The waggle dance proper is used to give the directions to a source further away. Other bees follow her as she dances, keeping in touch with their antennae. The dance takes a figure of eight, with variations such as angle and vigour of wiggles. The communication is apparently quite effective.


title: Tyler Seguin

paragraphs: Tyler Seguin (born January 31, 1992 in Brampton, Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey center for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

paragraphs: He was selected by the Boston Bruins with the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He played 2 seasons in the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers. Seguin has also played in the NHL for the Boston Bruins for 3 seasons. During his time with the Bruins, he won the Stanley Cup on June 15, 2011 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 by a score of 4-0. On July 4, 2013, he was traded by the Bruins along with Rich Peverley, and Ryan Button to the Dallas Stars for Loui Eriksson, along with Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow.

paragraphs: He won a gold medal in the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia and a gold medal in the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in British Columbia.


title: Jeff Skinner

paragraphs: Jeffrey Skinner (born May 16, 1992 in Markham, Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was picked by the Carolina Hurricanes with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. He was currently the youngest hockey player in the NHL during the 2010-11 season.


title: Gustav Stresemann

paragraphs: Gustav Stresemann (10 May 1878–3 October 1929) was a German liberal politician who was Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.

paragraphs: Stresemann's politics are hard to define. Today, he is generally considered one of the most important leaders of Germany and a staunch supporter of democracy in the fragile Weimar Republic. He is noted as one of the first to see European economic integration. Arguably, his most notable achievement was reconciliation between Germany and France, for which he and Aristide Briand received the Peace Prize.

paragraphs: Stresemann was born on 10 May 1878 in the Köpenicker Straße area of southeast Berlin, the youngest of seven children. His father worked as a beer bottler and distributor, and also ran a small bar out of the family home, as well as renting rooms for extra money. The family was lower middle class, but relatively well-off for the neighbourhood, and had enough money to give Gustav with a high-quality education.

paragraphs: Stresemann was an excellent student, especially in German literature and poetry. In an essay written when he left school, he wrote that he would have enjoyed becoming a teacher, but he would only have been qualified to teach languages or the natural sciences, which were not his primary areas of interest. He entered the University of Berlin in 1897 to study political economy. During his studies, Stresemann was exposed to the principal political arguments of his day, particularly the German debate about socialism.

paragraphs: During his university years, Stresemann also became active in Burschenschaften movement of student fraternities, and in April 1898 became editor of the "Allgemeine Deutsche Universitäts-Zeitung" (), a newspaper run by Konrad Kuster, a leader in the liberal part of the Burschenschaften. His editorials for the paper were often political, and dismissed most political parties as wrong in one way or another. In these early writings, he combined liberalism with nationalism. In 1898, Stresemann left the University of Berlin, and went to the University of Leipzig so that he could study for a doctorate. He completed his studies in January 1901, submitting a thesis on the bottled beer industry in Berlin, which received a relatively high grade.

paragraphs: In 1902 he founded the Saxon Manufacturers' Association. In 1903 he married Käte Kleefeld (1885-1970), daughter of a wealthy Jewish Berlin businessman. At that time he was also a member of Friedrich Naumann's National-Social Association. In 1906 he was elected to the Dresden town council. Though he had initially worked in trade associations, Stresemann soon became a leader of the National Liberal Party in Saxony. In 1907, he was elected to the Reichstag, where he soon became a close associate of party chairman Ernst Bassermann. However, his support of more social-welfare programmess was not popular with some of the party's more conservative members, and he lost his post in the party's executive committee in 1912. Later that year he lost both his Reichstag and town council seats. He returned to business and founded the German-American Economic Association. In 1914 he returned to the Reichstag. He was exempted from war service due to poor health. With Bassermann kept away from the Reichstag by either illness or military service, Stresemann soon became the National Liberals' de facto leader. After Bassermann's death in 1917, Stresemann succeeded him as party leader.

paragraphs: His political ideas grew and changed. At first, in the German Empire, Stresemann was on the left wing of the National Liberals. During World War I, he gradually moved to the right. He supported the monarchy and Germany's expansionist goals. He also spoke in support of unrestricted submarine warfare. However, he still favoured an expansion of the social welfare programme, and also supported allowing more ordinary Prussians to vote.

paragraphs: When the Allies' peace terms became known, Constantin Fehrenbach denounced them and claimed "the will to break the chains of slavery would be implanted" into a generation of Germans. Stresemann said of this speech: "He was inspired in that hour by God to say what was felt by the German people. His words, spoken under Fichte's portrait, the final words of which merged into “"Deutschland, Deutschland über alles"”, made it an unforgettably solemn hour. There was in that sense a kind of uplifting grandeur. The impression left on all was tremendous".

paragraphs: Stresemann briefly joined the German Democratic Party after the war, but was expelled for his association with the right wing. He then gathered most of the right wing of the old National Liberal Party into the German People's Party (, DVP), with himself as chairman. Most of its support came from middle class and upper class Protestants. The DVP platform promoted Christian family values, non-religious education, lower tariffs, opposition to welfare spending and agrarian subsides and hostility to "Marxism" (that is, the Communists, and also the Social Democrats).

paragraphs: The DVP was at first seen, along with the German National People's Party, as part of the "national opposition" to the Weimar Republic, particularly for its grudging acceptance of democracy and its attitude towards the Freikorps and the Kapp Putsch in 1920. Although they did not support the Freikorps, the party did not publicly condemn them either. By late 1920, Stresemann gradually moved to cooperation with the parties of the left and centre – possibly in reaction to political murders like that of Walther Rathenau. However, he remained a monarchist at heart.

paragraphs: On 13 August 1923, in the midst of the Ruhr Crisis, he was appointed Chancellor and Foreign Minister of a grand coalition government. As Chancellor, Stresemann went a long way towards resolving the crisis. In the so-called year of crises (1923) he showed strength by calling-off the popular peaceful resistance at the Ruhr. Since Germany was no longer able to pay the striking workers, more and more money was printed, which finally led to hyperinflation. Hans Luther, who was the current finance minister, ended this disastrous process by introducing a new currency, the Rentenmark, which reassured the people that the democratic system was willing and able to solve urgent problems.

paragraphs: Stresemann's decision to end passive resistance was motivated by his view that making a good faith effort to fulfill the terms of Versailles was the only way to win relief from the treaty's harsher provisions. He, like virtually every German, felt Versailles was an onerous "Diktat" that sullied the nation's honour. However, he felt that trying to fulfill the treaty's terms was the only way Germany could demonstrate that the reparations bill was truly beyond its capacity. He also wished to recover the Rhineland - he wrote to the Crown Prince on 23 July 1923: "The most important objective of German politics is the liberation of German territory from foreign occupation. First, we must remove the strangler from our throat".

paragraphs: However, some of his moves - like his refusal to deal firmly with culprits of the Beer Hall Putsch - alienated the Social Democrats. They left the coalition and caused its collapse on 23 November 1923. Stresemann remained as Foreign Minister in the government of his successor, Centrist Wilhelm Marx. He remained foreign minister for the rest of his life in eight successive governments ranging from the centre-right to the centre-left.

paragraphs: As Foreign Minister, Stresemann had numerous achievements. His first notable achievement was the Dawes Plan of 1924, which reduced Germany's overall reparations commitment and reorganized the Reichsbank.

paragraphs: After Sir Austen Chamberlain became British Foreign Secretary, he wanted a British guarantee to France and Belgium as the Anglo-American guarantee had fallen due to the United States' refusal to ratify the Treaty of Versailles. Stresemann later wrote: "Chamberlain had never been our friend. His first act was to attempt to restore the old Entente through a three-power alliance of England, France and Belgium, directed against Germany. German diplomacy faced a catastrophic situation". Stresemann conceived the idea that Germany would guarantee her western borders and pledged never to invade Belgium and France again, along with a guarantee from Britain that they would come to Germany's aid if attacked by France. Germany was in no position at the time to attack, as Stresemann wrote to the Crown Prince: "The renunciation of a military conflict with France has only a theoretical significance, in so far as there is no possibility of a war with France". Stresemann negotiated the Locarno Treaties with Britain, France, Italy, and Belgium. On the third day of negotiations Stresemann explained Germany's demands to the French Foreign Secretary, Aristide Briand. As Stresemann recorded, Briand "almost fell off his sofa, when he heard my explanations". Stresemann said that Germany alone should not make sacrifices for peace; European countries should cede colonies to Germany; the disarmament control commission should leave Germany; the Anglo-French occupation of the Rhineland should be ended; and Britain and France should disarm as Germany had done. The Treaties were signed in October 1925 at Locarno. Germany officially recognized the post-World War I western border for the first time, and was guaranteed peace with France, and promised admission to the League of Nations and evacuation of the last Allied occupation troops from the Rhineland. Germany's eastern borders were guaranteed to Poland only by France, not by a general agreement.

paragraphs: Stresemann was not willing to conclude a similar treaty with Poland: "There will be no Locarno of the east" he said. Moreover he never excluded the use of force to regain the eastern territories of Germany which had come under Polish control as a consequence of the Treaty of Versailles. The reason were atrocities against the German minority in the former German territories committed by or tolerated by the Polish government, see: and Hermann Rauschning. In the session of the League of Nations on 15 December 1928 in Lugano Stresemann formulated a furious charge against Poland because of these crimes which were well known to the League of Nations. The chairman Aristide Briand, French foreign minister, concluded the session after this speech with the words: "The League of Nations must never break the sacred support of the minority-rights."

paragraphs: After this reconciliation with the Versailles powers, Stresemann moved to allay the growing suspicion of the Soviet Union. He said to Nikolay Krestinsky in June 1925, as recorded in his diary: "I had said I would not come to conclude a treaty with Russia so long as our political situation in the other direction was not cleared up, as I wanted to answer the question whether we had a treaty with Russia in the negative". The Treaty of Berlin signed in April 1926 reaffirmed and strengthened the Rapallo Treaty of 1922. In September 1926, Germany was admitted to the League of Nations as permanent member of the Security Council. This was a sign that Germany was quickly becoming a "normal" state and assured the Soviet Union of Germany's sincerity in the Treaty of Berlin. Stresemann wrote to the Crown Prince: "All the questions which to-day preoccupy the German people can be transformed into as many vexations for the Entente by a skilful orator before the League of Nations". As Germany now had a veto on League resolutions, she could gain concessions from other countries on modifications on the Polish border or Anschluss with Austria, as other countries needed her vote. Germany could now act as "the spokesman of the whole German cultural community" and thereby provoke the German minorities in Czechoslovakia and Poland.

paragraphs: Stresemann was co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926 for these achievements.

paragraphs: Germany signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in August 1928. It renounced the use of violence to resolve international conflicts. Although Stresemann did not propose the pact, Germany's adherence convinced many people that Weimar Germany was a Germany that could be reasoned with. This new insight was instrumental in the Young Plan of February 1929 which led to more reductions in German reparations payment.

paragraphs: Gustav Stresemann's success owed much to his friendly personal character and his willingness to change. He was close personal friends with many influential foreigners. The most noted was Briand, with whom he shared the Peace Prize.

paragraphs: Stresemann was not, however, in any sense pro-French. His main preoccupation was how to free Germany from the burden of reparations payments to Britain and France, imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. His strategy for this was to forge an economic alliance with the United States. The U.S. was Germany's main source of food and raw materials, and one of Germany's largest export markets for manufactured goods. Germany's economic recovery was thus in the interests of the U.S., and gave the U.S. an incentive to help Germany escape from the reparations burden. The Dawes and Young plans were the result of this strategy. Stresemann had a close relationship with Herbert Hoover, who was Secretary of Commerce in 1921-28 and President from 1929. This strategy worked remarkably well until it was derailed by the Great Depression after Stresemann's death.

paragraphs: During his period in the foreign ministry, Stresemann came more and more to accept the Republic, which he had at first rejected. By the mid-1920s, having contributed much to a (temporary) consolidation of the feeble democratic order, Stresemann was regarded as a "Vernunftrepublikaner" (republican by reason) - someone who accepted the Republic as the least of all evils, but was in their heart still loyal to the monarchy. The conservative opposition criticized him for his supporting the republic and fulfilling too willingly the demands of the Western powers. Along with Matthias Erzberger and others, he was attacked as an "Erfüllungspolitiker" ("fulfillment politician").

paragraphs: In 1925, when he first proposed an agreement with France, he made it clear that in doing so he intended to "gain a free hand to secure a peaceful change of the borders in the East and [...] concentrate on a later incorporation of German territories in the East". In the same year, while Poland was in a state of political and economic crisis, Stresemann began a trade war against the country. Stresemann hoped for an escalation of the Polish crisis, which would enable Germany to regain territories ceded to Poland after World War I, and he wanted Germany to gain a larger market for its products there. So Stresemann refused to engage in any international cooperation that would have "prematurely" restabilized the Polish economy. In response to a British proposal, Stresemann wrote to the German ambassador in London: "[A] final and lasting recapitalization of Poland must be delayed until the country is ripe for a settlement of the border according to our wishes and until our own position is sufficiently strong". According to Stresemann's letter, there should be no settlement "until [Poland's] economic and financial distress has reached an extreme stage and reduced the entire Polish body politic to a state of powerlessness".

paragraphs: Gustav Stresemann died of a stroke in October 1929 at the age of 51. His massive gravesite is situated in Berlin's Luisenstadt Cemetery at Südstern in Kreuzberg, and includes work by the German sculptor Hugo Lederer. Stresemann's sudden and premature death, as well as the death of his "pragmatic moderate" French counterpart Aristide Briand in 1932, and the assassination of Briand's successor Louis Barthou in 1934, left a vacuum in European statesmanship that further tilted the slippery slope towards World War II.

paragraphs: Gustav and Käthe had two sons, Wolfgang and Joachim Stresemann.