title: Frozen dinner

paragraphs: A frozen dinner is a kind of ready-to-prepare meal, or convenience food. Frozen dinners are prepared in bulk, cooked until ready to serve, divided into single servings for freezing, to be reheated later. An entrée of meat or other protein is included, along with vegetables, a carbohydrate food (such as potatoes or rice), and a sweet dessert.

paragraphs: Frozen dinners are helpful for persons who do not have time to cook, or who lack meal-planning or cooking skills. They are also known as "TV dinners", because they were long advertised as suitable to warm up and eat while watching television. Both inventions became popular at around the same time (during the 1950s), and each one sold more of the other.

paragraphs: For many years, frozen dinners came packaged with a shaped aluminium foil cooking tray. This made them easy to reheat in a normal gas or electric stove's oven. The trays were sometimes reused or recycled by users. When microwave ovens became common, frozen dinners could not be cooked in them because the metal tray would damage the oven. Early packaged foods for the microwave often could not be cooked in a regular oven, because the heat would make the package catch fire or fall apart. New packaging had to be developed, so the same frozen dinner could be heated in both kinds of ovens. This succeeded during the 1980s. Some new trays can be reused, while others are made of paper and meant to be thrown away.

paragraphs: The quality of food in frozen dinners has also improved steadily through the years. Early potato dishes would sometimes have a chalk-like quality to them, and vegetables poor texture. Newer dinners taste much more like they are freshly cooked. Vegetarian meals have also been introduced. Linda McCartney started a popular line of frozen vegetarian dishes during the 1990s.


title: Věž

paragraphs: Věž is a village near Humpolec in the Havlíčkův Brod District, Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. 796 people live in Věž. It covers 14.43 km².


title: Southern Lapwing

paragraphs: The Southern Lapwing ("Vanellus chilensis") is a large long-legged bird. Lapwings are shorebirds. It is a common in Central and South America, except in the jungles of the Amazon and the Andes. It is the national bird of Uruguay.


title: Reinforced concrete

paragraphs: Reinforced concrete is concrete with long bars inside to make it stronger. The reinforcing material has greater tensile strength than concrete has. Usually the bars are steel. Galvanizing saves the steel from rusting and corrosion. In rich countries, almost all concrete in buildings and roads is reinforced. Reinforced concrete is stronger, and can be even stronger if the steel is stretched to make prestressed concrete.


title: Courthouse

paragraphs: A courthouse is a building that holds a court. Some courthouses also have offices for the prosecutor and prosecutor's assistants. In small cities, some courthouses have other offices for local government officials.


title: Prosecutor

paragraphs: A prosecutor is a lawyer who argues in a court that the defendant should be found guilty of a crime. The prosector represents a client, which is sometimes the state (government). It is the prosecutor's job to do what he can to have criminals punished for their crimes.


title: Ibiza

paragraphs: Ibiza (in Catalan Eivissa) is an island which is part of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea which all belong to Spain. It is famed for its nightclubs and nightlife.


title: Octave Mirbeau

paragraphs: Octave Mirbeau (1848–1917) was a French writer. His most famous novels are "Le Jardin des supplices" (in English: "The Torture Garden") (1899) and "Le Journal d'une femme de chambre" (in English: "Diary of a Chambermaid") (1900). His best known comedy is "Les affaires sont les affaires" (in English: "Business is business") (1903).


title: Tumulus

paragraphs: A Tumulus (one tumulus, several "Tumuli") is a certain type of grave. The word comes from Latin. This way of burying people was common in the Stone age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. There are different layouts. Sometimes sarcophaguses were used, at other times, urns were placed in the grave. There are layouts with one or with multiple chambers. Sometimes the location is privileged, and stone circles can be found nearby.


title: Zapotec civilisation

paragraphs: The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization. It was mainly in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Archaeologists think their culture goes back at least 2500 years. The Zapotec left traces at the ancient city of Monte Albán. There are buildings, ball courts, magnificent tombs and grave goods. In the graves, finely worked gold jewellery was found. Monte Albán was the first major city in the western hemisphere. It was the center of a Zapotec state that dominated much of what is now the state of Oaxaca.

paragraphs: The name "Zapotec" comes from Nahuatl "tzapotēcah" (singular "tzapotēcatl"). This word means "inhabitants of the place of sapote". The Zapotec referred to themselves as "Be'ena'a", which means "The People."

paragraphs: The Zapotec developed a calendar and a special system of writing. This system has a separate glyph for each of the syllables of the language. It is one of several candidates thought to have been the first writings system of Mesoamerica. It is the predecessor of the writing systems developed by the Maya, Mixtec, and Aztec civilizations. Currently there is some debate if Olmec symbols, dated to 650 BC, are actually a form of writing which is older than the earliest Zapotec writing dated to about 500 BC.

paragraphs: In the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, there were Zapotec and Mixtec artisans who made jewellery for the Aztec rulers ("tlatoanis"), including Moctezuma II. Relations with central Mexico go back much further. This can be proven by archaeological remains of a Zapotec neighborhood within Teotihuacan and a Teotihuacan style "guest house" in Monte Albán. Other important pre-Columbian Zapotec sites include Lambityeco, Dainzu, Mitla, Yagul, San José Mogote, El Palmillo and Zaachila.

paragraphs: The Zapotec were a sedentary culture. They were a well-advanced in civilization, living in large villages and towns, in houses constructed with stone and mortar. They recorded the principal events in their history by means of hieroglyphics, and in warfare they made use of a cotton armour. The well-known ruins of Mitla have been attributed to them and were claimed to be the tombs of their ancestors.

paragraphs: Like most Mesoamerican religious systems, the Zapotec religion was polytheistic. Two principal deities include Cocijo, the rain god (similar to the Aztec god Tlaloc), and Coquihani, the god of light. It is believed that the Zapotec sometimes used human sacrifice in their rituals.

paragraphs: The Zapotecs tell that their ancestors emerged from the earth, from caves, or that they turned from trees or jaguars into people, while the elite that governed them believed that they descended from supernatural beings that lived among the clouds, and that upon death they would return to such status. In fact, the name by which Zapotecs are known today resulted from this belief. In Central Valley Zapotec "The Cloud People' is "Be'ena' Za'a."

paragraphs: The last battle between the Aztecs and the Zapotecs occurred between 1497 and 1502, under the Aztec ruler Ahuizotl. At the time of Spanish conquest of Mexico, when news arrived that the Aztecs were defeated by the Spaniards, King Cosijoeza ordered his people not to confront the Spaniards so they would avoid the same fate. They were defeated by the Spaniards only after several campaigns between 1522 and 1527. However, uprisings against colonial authorities occurred in 1550, 1560, and 1715.

paragraphs: In 1850 there was another rebellion against the local government of Oaxaca, followed in 1866 by one against the Royal French Army, during the French invasion of Mexico. In recent times, there was an uprising against the local governor Manuel Zárate Aquino in the late 1970s.


title: Olmec

paragraphs: The Olmec were a people who lived about 3000 years ago in what is today south-central Mexico. The Olmec were the first civilization in the ancient area known as Mesoamerica. Because they were the first civilization, many later Mesoamerican civilizations used and repeated Olmec features and characteristics.

paragraphs: The Olmec people discovered and made use of many natural resources in the area, including rubber and corn. Dozens of mysterious stone heads were discovered in the Olmec territory as well; archaeologists are still not sure what their purposes were.

paragraphs: The Olmecs lived from 1200 BC to about 400 BC. They had two important cities, first San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan and then La Venta. The Olmecs were able to thrive due to the fertile land around the Coatzacoalcos river basin. The reason for the fall of the Olmec empire is unknown. They developed many different cultures.

paragraphs: The Olmecs created a range of artwork such as altars, jade masks and stone carvings.

paragraphs: The Olmec colossal heads are the most recognized symbol of the Olmec civilization. The height and weights of the heads vary, but the largest head is about twice the height of an average human male. They include seventeen heads found in the southern Mexican cities of La Venta, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Tres Zapotes, and Rancho la Cobata. Each head shows a unique facial expression and wears a helmet bearing distinctive decorations. No two are alike. The origins and meaning of the heads are mysterious, and they are the subject of much speculation among scholars and archaeologists.

paragraphs: Scholars have tried to explain how the Olmecs might have made and moved such big objects. The heads were sculpted out of a hard, dense rock called basalt. Archaeologists think the Olmecs found most of the basalt in the Tuxtlas Mountain range. According to this theory, the basalt heads were sculpted roughly in the mountains and then either floated or dragged by thousands of people from the construction site to the Olmec cities.

paragraphs: Perhaps the most notable features of the sculptures – and a clue as to their meaning – are the helmets worn by all the Olmec heads. These helmets, and the rubber balls found near the sculptures, may be evidence that the Mesoamerican ball game originated with the Olmec civilization. The Mesoamerican ball game was a team sport with profound religious and cultural significance for the indigenous people of Mexico and Central America. The Olmec heads were once thought to have represented Mesoamerican ball players who were sacrificed after losing a match. The current theory, however, is that the heads honor Olmec rulers.


title: Mixe-Zoque languages

paragraphs: The Mixe-Zoque languages is a group of languages and dialects. They are currently all spoken in Mexico. There are about 350.000 people speaking one of the languages. Depending on who is asked, there are between 12 and 16 languages, with several dialects. Some languages that have become extinct are not counted in these.


title: Step pyramid

paragraphs: Step pyramids are a form of pyramid. They are usually large. Several civilisations developed them. Several step pyramids can be found in Egypt, what is now Mexico, and what is now Sudan.


title: Chichen Itza

paragraphs: Chichén Itzá is a large Mayan city famous for a large, pyramid temple built by the Maya civilization. It is on the Yucatán Peninsula, about 120 km to the east of Mérida. The temple, called Castillo, is about 1 km in diameter. There are many temples and pyramids at Chichen Itza. Tourists, or visitors, were once able to climb some of the pyramids, but it was quite challenging because the steps are very steep and small. Climbing is no longer permitted.

paragraphs: Some of the most famous parts of Chichen Itza include:

paragraphs: This is the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza, and dedicated to Kukulkan, the Plumed Serpent. Every year on the fall and spring equinox the sun hits the side of the building making a show of light and shadow which looks like a snake along the steps of the building.

paragraphs: Hundreds of columns surround a very big temple structure with carvings. Square columns are there that once held up the roof of the temple. These columns are carved on all four sides with figures of warriors wearing feathers.

paragraphs: This is the largest known ancient sports field in Central America, at 545 feet in length and 225 feet in width. Each end has a raised temple area. The sounds in the ballcourt are remarkable: a whisper from one end can be clearly heard at the other.

paragraphs: A cenote is an underground lake or river. This cenote is where royalty gave gifts to the gods.

paragraphs: It has 4 sides and each side has 91 steps


title: Common sense

paragraphs: Common sense means what people would agree about. It is a personal judgement based on the facts of a situation. Common sense is usually the simplest and most direct account of a situation. It is the knowledge and experience which most people have, or should have. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as, "the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way".

paragraphs: "Common sense" has at least two philosophical meanings. One is a capability of the mind to perceive things like movement and size. The second is our natural sense for other humans and the community. Both of these refer to a type of basic awareness and ability to judge. Most people are expected to share these things naturally, even if they can not explain why.

paragraphs: It is quite possible for common sense to be wrong, and science often explains things in quite a different way from common sense. People lack any common-sense intuition of the universe at subatomic distances, or of speeds approaching that of light. Today it is well known that the Earth travels around the Sun but before the scientific revolution people thought that the Sun going around the Earth was common sense.

paragraphs: According to the Simple English Wiktionary “Common sense is something that everybody knows and understands.”


title: Magic User's Club

paragraphs: Magic User’s Club is an anime created by Junichi Sato. There were two manga released for it. One is for girls and the other is for boys.

paragraphs: A huge spaceship called "the Bell" comes to Earth. People try to stop the Bell, but they are not able to. A group of high school students called the "Magic User’s Club" fight the Bell using magic.


title: Deryck Whibley

paragraphs: Deryck Whibley (born March 21, 1980) is a Canadian singer and musician from the band Sum 41. He was married to Avril Lavigne but on October 9, 2009, Lavigne filed for divorce.


title: Glam rock

paragraphs: Glam rock is a genre of rock music that was popular in the early 1970s. It was made famous by acts such as David Bowie, Elton John, T. Rex, Alice Cooper, Slade, Gary Glitter, Queen and Sweet. Glam fans (usually referred to as the "glitter people") and performers distinguished themselves from the denim-clad hippie-hordes with sci-fi/mythological/Hollywood glamour/ambisexual-inspired costumes, which were perceived as glamorous by the press. They symbolized that they were decadent by wearing platform shoes. The music was characterised by languid, narcotic ballads and raunchy, high-energy Rolling Stones–influenced rock n‘ roll stylings.


title: Polish Aviation Museum

paragraphs: The Polish Aviation Museum () is a big museum of old airplanes and airplane engines. It is in Kraków, Poland. It is in place of the no-longer used Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport.

paragraphs: Museum shows to people over 200 planes, and plane engines. Some of them one can see only there.


title: Eddy Merckx

paragraphs: Baron Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx () (born June 17 1945, Meensel-Kiezegem, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium) is a former Belgian professional road racing cyclist. Merckx, regarded as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time, established several world cycling records, some of which remain unbroken to this day.

paragraphs: Merckx started competing in 1961. Three years later he became Amateur World Champion. He turned professional in 1965. In 1966 he won the first of seven editions of Milan-Sanremo. He started his first grand tour at the 1967 "Giro d'Italia". He won his first stage here and finished seventh overall. Later that year he outsprinted Jan Janssen to become Professional World Champion at Heerlen, The Netherlands. He was world champion twice more.

paragraphs: In 1968 Merckx moved to the Italian "Faema" team. As world champion he wore the rainbow jersey and won the Paris-Roubaix race for the first time. He also won the "Giro d'Italia" . He won the "Giro" three more times.

paragraphs: Starting the 1969 season, he won Paris-Nice stage race. In the time trial, he overtook the five-time Tour de France winner Jacques Anquetil. Anquetil was so good at time trailing many people thought he was unbeatable. Merckx went on to win Milan-Sanremo and Ronde van Vlaanderen several weeks later.

paragraphs: In his "Tour de France" debut (first entry) in 1969, Merckx immediately won the yellow jersey (overall leader), the green jersey (best sprinter) and the red polka-dotted jersey ("King of the Mountains" - best climber in the mountain stages). No other cyclist has won the three jerseys in one "Tour de France", and only Tony Romingerin 1993 and Laurent Jalabert in 1995 have been able to match this feat in any Grand Tour (cycling). Both were in the Tour of Spain. Merckx was only 24, so would have won the white jersey (for best rider under 25 years of age) but the Tour de France did not give a white jersey until the 1970s.

paragraphs: Eddy Merkx was the first Belgian to win the Tour de France since Sylvère Maes in 1939. Merckx became a national hero. He won the Tour four more times: in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974, equalling Jacques Anquetil. Over the next 25 years, only Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain were able to equal the five victories. Merckx still holds the records for stage wins (34) and number of days in the Yellow Jersey (96).

paragraphs: The greatest challenge to Merckx was in the 1971 Tour de France. Luis Ocana attacked and won the maillot jaune by several minutes. Ocana held his lead until he crashed and had to abandon (leave) the tour. Many people hoped they would race against each other again.of a rematch between the two.

paragraphs: Before that could happen, Merckx raced in the 1972 edition of the Giro d'Italia and beat the mountain racing expert Jose Manuel Fuente in the mountain stages. In that year's Tour de France Ocana was sick and withdrew.

paragraphs: In 1973 Merckx rode in the Vuelta a España where he beat Luis Ocana and Bernard Thévenet and then went on to win the Giro d'Italia. Merckx's final victory in the Giro d'Italia in the 1974 edition was a tight battle between Merckx and two Italians. In the end, Merckx won by the very narrow margin of twelve seconds over Gianbattista Baronchelli and 33 seconds over Felice Gimondi.

paragraphs: In addition to Grand Tour successes, Merckx has a long list of victories in one-day races. Among the highlights are

paragraphs: That is a total of 19 victories in the Classics. He also won the "World Road Racing Championship" a record three times in 1967, 1971 and 1974, and every Classic except Paris-Tours. Finally, he won 17 "six-day" track races, often with Patrick Sercu.

paragraphs: Merckx retired from racing in 1978, at the age of 33.

paragraphs: The blackest day in Merckx's career was in 1969, when he crashed in a derny race towards the end of the season. A pacer and a cyclist fell in front of Merckx's pacer, Fernand Wambst. Wambst and Merckx crashed. Wambst was killed instantly, and Merckx suffered concussion and fell unconscious. This accident cracked a vertebra and twisted his pelvis. Afterwards he said his riding was never the same, because he always be in pain, especially while climbing.

paragraphs: That same year, during the "Giro d'Italia", was found to have used drugs and disqualified. He cried in front of reporters and still protests his innocence. He argued that there were no counter-experts nor counter-analysis and that foreign supporters hated him. Further, he stated that the stage during which he was allegedly using drugs was an easy one, so there was no need to use drugs. The Belgian prince sent a plane to bring him to Belgium. This incident was one of the reasons why Merckx thought his first "Tour de France" victory, later that year, his best ever win

paragraphs: The end of his Tour-career came in 1975 (although he did compete in 1977 he finished 6th that year). That year, he attempted to win his sixth but became a victim of violence. Many Frenchmen were upset that a Belgian might beat the record five wins set by Jacques Anquetil. Merckx held the yellow jersey for eight days, which raised his record to 96 days, but during stage 14 a French spectator punched him in the liver. A later collision with the Danish rider Ole Ritter broke his jaw. Although he could not eat solid food and was barely able to talk, Merckx did not retire. During the last stage, he attacked leader Bernard Thevenet (but was caught by the peloton).

paragraphs: Merckx set these records during his career.

paragraphs: Merckx set the hour record in 25 October 1972. He covered 49.431 km at high altitude in Mexico City. The record was unbeaten until 1984, when Francesco Moser broke it using a specially designed bicycle. During the next 15 years, various racers improved the record to more than 56 km. However, because of the more and more strange designs of the bikes and position of the rider, in 2000 the UCI said a "traditional" bike must be used. When Chris Boardman had another go at Merckx's reinstated record in 2000, he beat it by slightly more than 10 metres at sea level. But, Merckx had raced a full road season winning the Tour, Giro and four Classics, while Boardman was a time trial specialist who had retired from road racing and had prepared specially for the 2000 Hour Record.

paragraphs: Having retired, Merckx has a bicycle factory and is a race commentator. He was coach of the Belgian national cycling team during the mid-90s, and part of the Belgian Olympic Committee. Merckx is still asked to comment as an authority on cycling. As such, he has also figured as special advisor for the recent UCI addition "Tour of Qatar" since 2002.

paragraphs: In May 2004, he underwent an oesophagus operation to cure the constant stomach ache which he suffered since he was a young man. He lost almost 30 kg in the process, and started cycling again, but only for leisure.

paragraphs: In 1967 Merckx married Claudine Acou. Merckx's mother asked the priest to celebrate the ceremony in French, a choice that ended up being a contentious issue in Belgium. They had two children: a daughter (Sabrina), and a son (Axel) who was a professional cyclist for Team T-Mobile.

paragraphs: Despite this early incident, Merckx is a perfect ambassador to Belgium (because he does not support Flanders more than Wallonia, but supports the unity of the country). Because of this, he came 4th in the Walloon version of the "Greatest Belgian" contest in 2005, and third in the Flemish (3rd) version..

paragraphs: In 1996 the Belgian king gave him the title of baron. In 2000 he was chosen Belgian "Sports Figure of the Century".

paragraphs: Merckx is known as a quiet and modest person. Many of his former helpers have worked in his bicycle factory and join him during recreational bike tours.

paragraphs: Merckx has condemned doping (he tested positive twice in his career). At the same time he has been quick to point out that cycling is unfairly treated when compared to other sports. In the 1990s, he became a friend of Lance Armstrong and supported him when he was accused of drug use, stating he "believed what Lance told him than what appeared in newspapers". After Armstrong won his third Tour de France, Merckx predicted he would go on to win as many as seven.

paragraphs: Merckx twice tested positive for doping in his career. Because he has admitted doing this publicly the city of Stuttgart, Germany did not want to invite him to the world cycling championships being held in the city in 2007


title: Monstera

paragraphs: Monstera is a genus of flowering plants. There are about 60 species in the genus. The genus belongs to the family Araceae. Originally, the plants occur in the tropical regions of Central and South America.

paragraphs: The plants are herbs or evergreen vines. They climb other trees. They can grow to a height of about 20m. The plants also have aerial roots. These can act as hooks on branches of the tree that the plant is climbing. They grow down into the ground to support the plant. The leaves are leather, dark green, and often have holes in them. The flowers grow on a special inflorescence called a spadix. Some species have edible fruit.

paragraphs: Many people grow some of these species (esp. "Monstera deliciosa") indoors as a houseplant. "Monstera deliciosa" is sometimes also grown for its fruit, which tastes somewhere between a banana and a pineapple.

paragraphs: In some parts of the world (other than Tropical America), some plants started to grow in the wild. This is the case for example in Portugal, on Madeira, Morocco, some parts of India and Malaysia as well as in Florida.


title: Vine

paragraphs: A vine is a climbing plant which use stems or runners. These runners trail on the ground, and will climb up when it is possible. It is a growth habit or life habit which makes use of trees to reach light in natural habitats.

paragraphs: In the United Kingdom, the term "vine" applies almost exclusively to the grapevine, whereas the term "climber" is used for all climbing plants. The grapevine, genus Vitis, carries berries which can be made into wine. In the United States, all climbing plants are called vines or ivies or sometimes creepers (like the Virigina Creeper).

paragraphs: Most vines are flowering plants. These may be divided into woody vines or lianas, such as wisteria, kiwifruit, and common ivy, and herbaceous (nonwoody) vines, such as morning glory.


title: Aerial root

paragraphs: Aerial roots are roots that are above ground. Different plants have grown them. They can have different functions:


title: Tropical wave

paragraphs: Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic Ocean, are a type of atmospheric trough, an extended area of moderately low air pressure, leaning north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics creating areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms. West-moving waves can also form from the tail end of frontal zones in the subtropics and tropics and may be called to as easterly waves, but these waves are not properly called tropical waves; they are a form of inverted trough sharing many characteristics with fully tropical waves. All tropical waves form in the easterly flow along the southern side of the subtropical ridge or belt of high pressure which is north and south of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Tropical waves are normally carried westward by the prevailing easterly winds along the tropics and subtropics near the equator. They can lead to the formation of tropical cyclones in the north Atlantic and northeast Pacific Oceans. They can also lead to tropical storms which can also lead to hurricanes.

paragraphs: A tropical wave is usually preceded by an area of sinking, intensely dry air, sloping as a northeast wind. With the passage of the trough line, the wind turns to the southeast, the humidity suddenly rises, and the atmosphere destabilizes, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms, sometimes severe. As the wave moves off westward, the showers slowly stop.

paragraphs: A notable exception to the general characteristic of widespread precipitation behind a tropical wave occurs in the Atlantic. Periodically, a surge of intensely dry air known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is entrained behind a tropical wave, resulting in cloudless or nearly cloudless skies as convection is limited by the dry layer inversion. Also, any dust which may be present within the SAL reflects solar radiation, slightly cooling the atmosphere below it.

paragraphs: Tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean form from disturbances which drift off the continent of Africa onto the Atlantic Ocean. These are generated or enhanced by the African Easterly Jet. The clockwise circulation of the large transoceanic high-pressure cell or anticyclone centered near the Azores islands impels easterly waves away from the coastal areas of Africa to North America. About 60% of Atlantic tropical cyclones originally form from tropical waves, while about 85% of intense Atlantic hurricanes (Category 3 and greater) form from tropical waves.

paragraphs: Tropical cyclones can sometimes degenerate back into a tropical wave. This normally happens if upper-level wind shear is too strong. The storm can redevelop if the upper level shear decreases or stops. If a tropical wave is moving quickly, it can have strong winds of over tropical storm force, but is not considered a tropical storm unless it has a closed circulation.

paragraphs: It has been suggested that eastern Pacific Ocean tropical cyclones are formed out of tropical waves that come from North Africa as well. During the summer months, tropical waves can go northward as far as the desert southwest of the United States, producing spells of intensified shower activity surrounded within the current monsoon area.


title: Brownsville, Texas

paragraphs: Brownsville is a city in the southern tip of Texas. As of 2005, 167,493 people lived there.


title: Agar

paragraphs: The word agar comes from the Malay word agar-agar (meaning jelly). Chemically comes from agarose. It is obtained from red algae "Gellidium" and "Gracillaria".

paragraphs: It is used as a place to grow bacteria in an microbiology laboratory, and to make some foods thicker, like soup.


title: Australian Air Force Cadets

paragraphs: The Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) is a youth organisation in Australia. The goal of the organisation it to help prepare young people for adult life. It was first created on July 11, 1941 with the name Air Training Corps. It was created to give training to young men (ages 14 to 20) who were interested in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The name was changed in 2001.


title: Cable

paragraphs: A communication cable is made of many wires or optical fibers twisted together to make a larger wire. Each of these wires may be covered. Some cables contain both electrical wires and optical fibers. There are many kinds of cables, including coaxial cables which block out radio or magnetic interference from other wires or cables, by having one wire inside an insulated tube surrounded by a second wire, acting as a metal tube along the same axis.

paragraphs: Electrical cables are usually made of copper, because electricity moves well through copper, but it is not as expensive as silver or other better conductors. Cables are sometimes made of aluminium because it is cheaper than copper.

paragraphs: The word "cable" is also used as ellipsis, or a short form, for "cable TV".

paragraphs: Wire ropes are a common type of cable. A cable car is a trolley pulled by a cable.


title: Yellow jersey

paragraphs: The Yellow jersey (French: Maillot jaune [majo ʒoːn]) is the jersey worn by the leader of many multi-day (or "stage") bicycle races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. It allows the rider who was in the overall lead at the end of the previous day to be easily identified.

paragraphs: Because the Tour de France was the first to use a coloured jersey to identify the leader many newer races have chosen the same colour, for example the Tour of Germany. Other tours and races use other colours, sometimes because of the .

paragraphs: The Giro d'Italia, Tour of Italy, have a pink jersey (maglia rosa). The race's original sponsor was the sports newspaper (La Gazzetta dello Sport) which printed on pink paper, like many European sports newspapers.

paragraphs: The leader in the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) wears a red jersey (called "La Roja"). From 1998 to 2010 the Vuelta leader's jersey was gold in color.

paragraphs: Sometimes a rider will get three yellow jerseys.

paragraphs: They will sometimes also autograph many copies of the jersey that are given out to VIPs with the race and their team.


title: Green jersey

paragraphs: In road bicycle racing, and especially the three Grand Tour stage races Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, the Green jersey is the name given to a cycling jersey worn by the leader in a subsidiary competition.

paragraphs: For example, while the overall race leader in the Tour de France will wear the yellow jersey, or "maillot jaune", the green jersey ("maillot vert") will be worn by the leader in the points competition for sprinters.

paragraphs: In the Vuelta a Espana, the green jersey is worn by the "King of the Mountains", the leader in the competition for the best climber. The Giro d'Italia also used a green jersey for its "King of the Mountains" from 1974 to 2011, but that jersey was changed to a blue jersey, starting in 2012.

paragraphs: The following events use the "green jersey" to signify the current leader and/or final winner of the overall classification by time

paragraphs: The following events use the "green jersey" to signify the current leader and/or final winner of the overall classification by points (often known as the sprinters competition):

paragraphs: The following events use the "green jersey" to signify the current leader and/or final winner of the overall classification of the best climber :


title: Rainbow jersey

paragraphs: The Rainbow jersey is a special jersey worn by world champion cyclists during races.

paragraphs: It is mainly white with five horizontal bands in the UCI colours around the chest. From the bottom up the colours are: green, yellow, black, red and blue, the same colours that appear in the rings on the olympic flag. There are different jerseys for each discipline (road racing, track racing, cyclo-cross, BMX, and the types of mountain biking).

paragraphs: A cyclist must wear the jersey when competing in the same discipline, category and speciality that he is world champion for. For example, the world road race champion would wear the jersey while competing in stage races and one-day races, but would not during time trials. Similarly, on the track, the world individual pursuit champion would only wear the jersey when competing in other individual pursuit events.

paragraphs: A champion who does not wear the rainbow jersey can be fined 2500 to 5000 Swiss francs.

paragraphs: The team's sponsor pays a lot of money to have their name on each rider's jersey. They can still put their names on the world champion's jersey, but probably smaller because there is less space. Sponsors do not mind because the world champion gets a lot more publicity than ordinary riders.

paragraphs: A world champion who is leading a stage race wears the race-leader's jersey, not the world champion's, but only while he is the leader.


title: Derny race

paragraphs: A derny race is a race in which the cyclists are paced by someone riding a derny.

paragraphs: A Derny is a motorised bicycle designed and built for motor-paced cycling events (e.g.: motor-paced races in six-day and Keirin racing) or motor-paced road races.

paragraphs: The first Dernys were built by "Roger Derny et Fils" of Paris, France in 1938. That firm is no longer in business and any motorised bicycle for pacing is called a "Derny".

paragraphs: The rider of the derny usually sits upright, this makes it easier for the cyclist by reducing wind resistance.

paragraphs: The photographers' motorbikes used to help riders in ordinary races. That is why they were banned from riding in front of the cyclists.


title: Escopetarra

paragraphs: An escopetarra is a guitar made from a rifle; it is used as a symbol of peace. The name is a combination of the Spanish words "escopeta" (meaning shotgun/rifle) and "guitarra" (meaning guitar).

paragraphs: "Escopetarras" were invented in 2003 by a Colombian peace activist named César López. At a gathering after the El Nogal Club bombing in Bogotá, he noticed a soldier holding a gun like a guitar and got the idea for it. The first "escopetarra" in 2003 was made from a Winchester rifle and a Stratocaster electric guitar.

paragraphs: López made five "escopetarras", four of which were given to Colombian musician Juanes, Argentine musician Fito Páez, the United Nations Development Program, and the city government of Bogotá, while one was kept for himself. Juanes later sold his "escopetarra" for US$17,000 at a Beverly Hills fundraiser held to help victims of anti-personnel mines, while the "escopetarra" given to the UN was exhibited at the June 2006 of the UN Conference on Disarmament.

paragraphs: In 2006, López got 12 more decommissioned AK-47s from Colombia's peace commissioner's office. After they are turned into guitars, he plans to give them to popular musicians such as Shakira, Carlos Santana, and Paul McCartney, as well as political figures such as the Dalai Lama. However, a member of the Dalai Lama's staff rejected López' offer, saying it is not appropriate to give a weapon as a gift; López has said he will try to explain his purpose more clearly.


title: Sylvère Maes

paragraphs: Sylvère Maes (born August 27, 1909 in Zevekote – died December 5, 1966 in Ostend) was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.


title: Maurice Garin

paragraphs: Maurice Garin (March 3 1871 - February 19 1957) was a road bicycle racer. He is best known for winning the 1903 Tour de France - the very first running of the race.

paragraphs: Garin was born in Arvier in the Aosta Valley in north-west Italy. He became a naturalized French citizen only in December 1901, when he was already a champion cyclist, winner of the second Paris-Roubaix.

paragraphs: He was declared the winner of the 1904 Tour de France, but was later disqualified. The Tour de France organisation and the French cycling authorities have not said why. They were said to have taken a train through part of the route. In the early days stages were much longer than today, sometimes starting in the dark.

paragraphs: When he retired from professional cycling he ran a small garage in Lens until his death.

paragraphs: He is buried in the Cimetière Est in the neighbouring suburb of Sallaumines.


title: Spiracle

paragraphs: Insects have small holes in their bodies that allow them to breathe. These holes are called spiracles. Air comes in the spiracles and goes to invertebrate trachea, or tubes.

paragraphs: These tubes take the oxygen to other parts of the insect body. Because insects have no lungs, air comes in and goes out of the spiracles passively (by itself). Some insects can open and close the spiracles to keep water out.

paragraphs: Sharks and rays have a spiracle behind each eye. When the shark is not moving, the spiracle helps the shark to breathe.


title: Henri Cornet

paragraphs: Henri Cornet (born Henri Jardry 4 August 1884 - 18 March 1941) was a French cyclist who won the second Tour de France in 1904.

paragraphs: Born in Desvres, Pas-de-Calais, France, he was 18 years old when he raced in the Tour de France. The race was spoiled by many problems including irate spectators throwing nails on the road in the final stage that forced Henri Cornet to ride the last 40 kilometres with two flat tyres. There were a lot of complaints about cheating, the top four finishers were disqualified by a special committee of the French cycling union. Although his overall time was three hours behind the first place rider, race officials declared Henri Cornet the winner in November 1903, when he was 19 years and 3 months old. He is the youngest ever winner.

paragraphs: Such was the commotion over the 1904 race that Tour founder Henri Desgrange said it was probably the last time the race would ever be run. The race winner Maurice Garin was suspended from competition for two years (he retired), and the second place finisher was banned for life. In all

paragraphs: nine cyclists were excluded because of illegal use of cars or trains and all of the stage winners were disqualified because of illegal agreements about allowing people to win.

paragraphs: After 1904 Cornet never again had any great success in any race. He abandoned the 1905 Tour de France in the 4th stage. He won the 1906 Paris-Roubaix race, but could not start the 1906 Tour de France, and had to abandon it again in 1907, but did manage 8th place finish in 1908. Extremely fast in what today are called time trials, he won the final leg of the 1908 race. A special timed lap run at a velodrome racetrack in Paris, the event was not counted as an official stage or towards the overall classification. Cornet competed in his last Tour de France in 1912, finishing 28th.

paragraphs: He died in 1941 at the age of 56 in Prunay-le-Gillon, Eure-et-Loir.


title: Paris-Roubaix

paragraphs: Paris-Roubaix is a famous single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the Belgian frontier. It was one of the ten UCI Road World Cup races and became part of the UCI ProTour. It is one of the 'Classic cycle races' has the nickname "The Hell of the North" .

paragraphs: Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest professional bicycle races. Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez got the idea to run the race and in 1896, the sports newspaper Le Vélo worked out original route between Paris and Roubaix. The race has been contested every year since 1896, stopped only by the two World wars.

paragraphs: The first edition of the race was held at Easter, April 19 1896, so it got the nickname of "La Pascale"(English: "The Easter").

paragraphs: 188 competitors left the Bois de Boulogne park in Paris and raced almost 300 kilometres to Roubaix. Josef Fischer, the winner of this first edition, received 1000 francs.

paragraphs: The race is now organised by the media group Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) who also run the Tour de France.

paragraphs: Riders are often covered from head to toe in mud and grit, and race over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France. However, the race got the nickname "l'enfer du Nord", or the "Hell of the North" from journalists who watched the race after world war I, and saw it pass through many of the ruins, craters, and destruction along the way.

paragraphs: Originally, the race was from Paris to Roubaix, but in 1966 the starting location was moved to Chantilly, 50 kilometres to the north of Paris, to be moved in 1977 to Compiègne, approximately 80 kilometres to the north of Paris. Famous for rough terrain, the route of Paris-Roubaix is adjusted slightly from year to year as the older roads are resurfaced and the race organisers seek to replace them with other challenging cobbles, to maintain the character of the race - in 2005, for example, the race included 54.7 kilometres of cobbled sections. The race finishes with 750 meters on the smooth concrete expanses of the large outdoor velodrome in Roubaix.

paragraphs: Due to its challenging course, and poor weather conditions, Paris-Roubaix presents a challenge to riders, team support personnel, and equipment alike. Special frames and wheels are often used specifically for Paris-Roubaix, in various configurations depending on the weather conditions.


title: Asexuality

paragraphs: Asexuality is a sexual orientation. Asexual people usually do not have sexual attraction towards anyone, no matter what gender they are. Asexuality has nothing to do with a person's romantic/aesthetic/sensual attraction. The opposite of an asexual is an "allosexual" or pansexual. Allosexuality means that you feel sexual desires.

paragraphs: Asexuality is described as a spectrum. Demisexual people are on the asexual spectrum. They feel sexual attraction, but only to people who they feel a connection to. About 1% of people identify as asexual. Alfred Kinsey used the label "X" to describe asexual people. Grey-asexual people are people who feel like they are not asexual, but they're not sexual either. For example, a grey-asexual person doesn't feel sexual attraction often. Some asexuals also identify with a romantic identity as well, meaning they may feel the need to form relationships, while others may not. Some asexual people identify as queer. However, some people think that 'queer' is not an appropriate word for asexual people. Not having sex (celibacy), is not always asexuality. Some homosexuals, for example, don't want to have sex because they feel guilty about their sexual attraction.

paragraphs: In 2001, David Jay started the Asexual Visibility and Education Network. A 2012 study found that asexual people are just as discriminated against as gay men, lesbians, or bisexuals. Asexuality has only recently been studied. One writer, S.E. Smith speculates that it has not increased, its just people have only just started noticing it. Acceptance of asexuality as a subject of scientific has only begun recently.


title: Mongoose

paragraphs: A mongoose (plural Mongeese, alternatively Mongeese) is a member of the family Herpestidae, a family of small cat-like carnivores. Mongooses are widely distributed in Asia, Africa the Caribbean, and southern Europe.

paragraphs: A well-known mongoose written in fiction is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who has a short story of the same title in "The Jungle Book" (1894) by Rudyard Kipling. In this story set in India, the young mongoose saves his family from a krait and from two cobras, named Nag and Nagaina. This story was later made into several movies, and also a song by Donovan.

paragraphs: There is a Mongoose fictional character in Bram Stoker's novel, "The Lair of the White Worm." The main character, Adam Salton, buys one to hunt snakes.

paragraphs: Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise has a Pokémon named Zangoose, named after the mongoose.


title: Macedonian language

paragraphs: Macedonian (македонски јазик, "makedonski jazik") is a Slavic Indo-European language spoken mainly in North Macedonia. Macedonian is a part of the Balkan linguistic union, which also includes Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian, Albanian and Torlakian dialect of the Serbian language. Macedonian is very similar to Bulgarian and some linguists say it is a dialect of Bulgarian.

paragraphs: The Macedonian language uses a Cyrillic alphabet. The following table provides the upper and lower case forms of the Macedonian alphabet, along with the IPA value for each letter:


title: Patina

paragraphs: A patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides or carbonates formed on the surface of metal or other material. Often this is due to exposure to weather. The word "patina" comes from the Latin word meaning "shallow dish". For many works of art the patina adds to its value. In many cases, the artist wanted the work to acquire a patina over time.

paragraphs: A patina layer takes many years to develop under natural weathering. Buildings in damp climates will develop patina layers faster than ones in dry areas. The facades of many buildings are made of copper, brass or bronze, for example. These will produce different colors after natural weathering.

paragraphs: Copper takes on a natural green or blue-green patina. Bronze takes on a brown color. Early civilizations used bronze extensively. The Bronze Age is named for it. In the United States, bronze was rarely used in buildings before the American Civil War. Marble, especially white marble, was used in classical Greek and Roman statues. It takes on a light golden patina over time.

paragraphs: Often, antique and well-used firearms will develop a patina on the steel after the bluing, parkerizing, or other finish has worn off. Firearms in this condition are generally considered more valuable than ones that have been re-blued or parkerized. The patina protects the firearm from the more damaging rust that would occur if the patina were polished off. Rust is sometimes valued as a patina. Examples are rat rods, custom cars and meant to look like early 1940s hot rods. They glorify rusted hot rods that have an almost cartoonish appearance. Some are actually rusted metal while others have a faux (false) finish intended to look like rust.

paragraphs: Copper items, lamps, fixtures and outdoor projects can be made to look weathered by use of paints or chemicals. For example, a 50/50 mix of ammonia and white vinegar will give copper an aged patina. Architects and craftspeople use copper sulfate on copper items to make them look old. Patina Green is another product used to give copper an instant aged look. Woodworkers and wood finishers mix their own wood stains. This is to match finishes on wood furniture to the same color, tone and patina of the original finish.


title: Crux

paragraphs: Crux (IPA: /ˈkrʊks/, Latin: cross), commonly known as the Southern Cross (in contrast to the Northern Cross), is one of the modern constellations. It points to the directions of north, south, east and west. It is the smallest modern constellation. It was first described by the Italian navigator Andrea Corsali in 1515.

paragraphs: In the past, sailors used to use Crux as a means of navigation.

paragraphs: The Southern Cross was used on the flag flown by miners in Ballarat, Victoria, during the rebellion known as the Eureka Stockade. The Southern Cross flag has been used as a symbol of protest in Australia since 1854.


title: Richmond, Victoria

paragraphs: Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is only 3 km (2 miles) south-east of Melbourne's business district. Richmond's population was 26,121 in the 2011 census.

paragraphs: The older suburb has been rebuilt with more expensive houses and stores. This removal of run-down areas started in the early 1990s. Richmond now has many homes for the wealthy that were once warehouses. There are also public housing high-rise flats for the poor and row houses from the Victorian-era. There are also many shops, restaurants and bars.

paragraphs: Richmond has a popular active Vietnamese living area along Victoria Street. The area is also well known for the illegal drug trade (especially heroin) that happens both in the streets and inside homes.

paragraphs: Richmond has a train station, called the Richmond Train Station, which has 10 tracks and 10 platforms. The Richmond Railway Station is on the following train lines: Alamein, Bairnsdale, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham.

paragraphs: The 1980s cult punk movie Dogs in Space made by Richard Lowenstein and starring Michael Hutchence was made in Richmond.

paragraphs: Songwriter Paul Kelly's song "Leaps and Bounds" mentions Richmond's 'clock on the silo'. Its real name is the Nylex Clock.


title: 2006 Commonwealth Games

paragraphs: The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Australia between 15 and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, since the 1956 Summer Olympics.

paragraphs: The site for the opening and closing ceremonies was the Melbourne Cricket Ground which was also used during Melbourne's 1956 Olympic Games.

paragraphs: The mascot for the games was Karak, a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.

paragraphs: The 2006 Commonwealth Games included 16 sports, with 12 individual sports and 4 team sports. In total there are 247 events at the Games.

paragraphs: Four of these sports are further broken down into separate disciplines, making a total of 24 disciplines:

paragraphs: The following venues were used at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The sport(s) which were played at that venue is listed after it.

paragraphs: Melbourne's public transport system (Metlink) - train, tram and bus - had changed timetables for the Games.


title: Deutschland Tour

paragraphs: The Deutschland Tour (English: "Tour of Germany" and sometimes "Deutschland-Rundfahrt" in German) is the most important stage race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005, it has been part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August.

paragraphs: Already in 1911, a "national" cycling race of over 1,500 km was held in the German Empire (Germany was then lots of more or less independent kingdoms, duchies, and other little countries ). Until 1931 several Tours were held, organised by different groups. In 1931 the first "Deutschlandtour" was held. The race was well organised and exciting between 1937 and 1939, but stopped again at the start of World War II.

paragraphs: There was not a lot of road cycling in Germany, and the tour's popularity depended on German riders doing well in other races. This resulted in several parallel tours of West Germany.

paragraphs: But after Jan Ullrich's 1997 Tour de France victory, cycling became more popular. Partly as because of Germany's new-found cycling enthusiasm, the "Bund Deutscher Radfahrer e.V." (German Cyclists' Federation) and the company Upsolut founded the Deutschland Tour "gmbh" (Ltd) 1999 the "Deutschlandtour" restarted, but has not been run since 2008 because of a lack of interest from TV sponsors.


title: Stage race

paragraphs: A bicycle stage race is a race held over several days. Each day's race is called a "stage". Many countries have a racing tour of their country, for example the Deutschland Tour and the Tour of Britain. The oldest and most famous stage race is the Tour de France.

paragraphs: A stage race does not have to be tour of a country. The Bayern Rundfahrt is a stage race in Bavaria, Germany. In contrast the ENECO Tour is a stage race around Belgium and the Netherlands.


title: Eneco Tour of Benelux

paragraphs: The Eneco Tour of Benelux is a UCI ProTour bicycle stage race. Its name refers to its main sponsor, the energy company Eneco Energie. The first Eneco Tour of Benelux took place from August 3 to August 10 2005

paragraphs: The Tour of the Netherlands began on 6 May 1948, but only became an annual event in 1975. From about 2000 it was known as the Eneco tour. The start of the UCI's ProTour in 2005 saw the tour reorganised.

paragraphs: The then UCI president Hein Verbruggen wanted to keep the Tour of the Netherlands for "marketing reasons". (Part of the UCI's job is to make cycling more popular). The Dutch Tour organisation got a better sponsor (ENECO Energie). But because the race was not difficult enough for the new ProTourthe race organisers asked the organisers of the Tour of Belgium and the Tour de Luxembourg. The idea was a Tour of the Benelux that would replace the three. The Tours of Belgium and Luxembourg will carry on. The organisers of the Tour of Luxembourg did not want to join the new big race, so the Eneco tour only covers Belgium and the Netherlands.

paragraphs: The overall winner of the race by time wears a "red jersey" (Dutch: "Rode trui" or French: "Maillot rouge").

paragraphs: In 2005, the overall winner of the race by points (Dutch: "Puntenklassement") wears a "blue jersey" (Dutch: "Blauwe trui" or French: "Maillot bleu"). This was changed to a white jersey however in 2006.

paragraphs: No jersey is awarded for leading this classification.

paragraphs: Before 2007, the best young (under 25) rider of the race got to wear a "yellow jersey". (Dutch: "Gele trui" or French: "Maillot jaune").


title: Lucas Cranach the Elder

paragraphs: Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–16 October 1553) was a German painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was born Lucas Sunder at Kronach in upper Franconia.

paragraphs: Early on, Lucas Cranach tried jobs that had something to do with painting.

paragraphs: He decorated houses, but mostly made portraits and altar-pieces. He also helped design coins and other things.

paragraphs: His first paintings were still lifes and animals on the walls of the palaces at Coburg and Locha. They were so good that the duke asked Lucas Cranach to make a painting of him. Lucas Cranach painted the duke killing a boar.

paragraphs: Before 1508 he had painted a few altar-pieces for the Castle Church at Wittenberg. Albrecht Dürer, Hans Burgkmair and others also worked there. He made many portraits of the duke and his brother John. The best woodcuts and copper-plates were published.

paragraphs: More honour was given to Cranach when he went to the Netherlands in 1509, and painted the Emperor Maximilian I and the boy who became Charles V later in his life. Until 1508 Cranach signed his works with the initials of his name. In that year the person in charge gave him the snake with wings as a symbol. This symbol was marked on all his pictures after that date.

paragraphs: Lucas Cranach the Elder died on 16 October 1553 at Weimar in Germany. The house in which he lived still stands in the marketplace. He is commemorated as an artist by the Lutheran Church on 6 April.

paragraphs: Cranach's art in its prime was slightly affected by the art of the Italians, but was also similar to that of the Netherlands and Germans.

paragraphs: As a composer Cranach was not greatly gifted. His concept of the human shape was low; but he showed some freshness in the contour of incident, though he not unfrequently bordered on coarseness. His copper-plates and woodcuts are the best pieces of his art; and the earlier they are in date the more apparent is their power. Striking evidence of this is the "St Christopher" of 1506, or the plate of "Elector Frederick praying before the Madonna" (1509).

paragraphs: His first woodcut (1505) represents the Virgin and three saints in prayer before a crucifix. Later on he composes the marriage of St Catherine, a series of martyrdoms, and scenes from the Passion.

paragraphs: After 1517 he occasionally draws the old gospel themes, but he also gives style to some of the thoughts of the Reformers. In a picture of 1518 at Leipzig, where a dying man offers "his soul to God, his body to earth, and his worldly goods to his relations," the soul rises to meet the Trinity in heaven, and being saved is clearly shown to depend on faith and not on good works. Again sin and grace become a familiar subject of description in pictures. Adam is observed sitting between John the Baptist and a prophet at the foot of a tree. To the left God brings out the tables of the law, Adam and Eve partake of the forbidden fruit, the serpent is holding his head up high, and punishment takes place in the shape of death and the realm of Satan. To the right, the birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection symbolize achievement, and this is duly impressed on Adam by John the Baptist, who points to the sacrifice of the crucified Saviour. There are two examples of this work in the galleries of Gotha and Prague, both of them dated 1529.

paragraphs: Cranach had three sons, all artists: John Lucas Cranach, who died at Bologna in 1536; Hans Cranach, whose life is obscure; and Lucas Cranach the younger (1515-1586) who took over his father's workshop after his death. He also had a daughter Barbara Cranach, married to Christian Brück (Pontanus), ancestors of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.


title: Edwards v. Aguillard

paragraphs: Edwards v. Aguillard was a 1987 United States Supreme Court case that said that creationism was not science. The Supreme Court said that it was religion, and could not be taught in American schools, because the United States Constitution (the set of rules that all American government must follow) does not allow the government to support one religion more than other religions, and so schools run by the government cannot teach religion as being true. This rule is known as the Establishment Clause.


title: Frýdlant

paragraphs: Frýdlant (-Czech, German: "Friedland") is a town in the Czech Republic. About 7,600 people live there. It is located in the north of the historical region Bohemia.


paragraphs: Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al. is the full name of a 2005 American trial. It is also called the Dover trial, because it happened in Dover, Pennsylvania. It said that intelligent design was not science, and could not be taught as science in schools.

paragraphs: Intelligent design is the idea that the universe is not simple enough to be made by nature. Instead, people who believe in intelligent design think that a smarter force must have made everything, or at least important parts of it.

paragraphs: Evolution is the commonly accepted scientific theory that explains how all of the different kinds of life developed from a simple beginning. Intelligent design is another explanation saying that life was developed by a smarter being. A school district in Dover, Pennsylvania wanted to tell the students about intelligent design. They wanted teachers to tell their students about intelligent design at the same time they taught evolution. They were using a text book from the Foundation for Thought and Ethics called "Of Pandas and People" written by Percival Davis and Dean Kenyon. This book says it presents the scientific evidence for intelligent design and why it makes more sense than evolution. Tammy Kitzmiller and ten other parents did not want their children being taught intelligent design. They complained to the government, and a trial was held.

paragraphs: There was an earlier trial called "Edwards v. Aguillard". It was about teaching creationism in schools. Creationism is the belief that God (or something else) created the universe, like it says in the Bible or other religious books.

paragraphs: The United States Constitution is the set of rules that all of the government in the United States must follow. It does not allow the government to support one religion more than any other religion. Schools run by the government (public schools) cannot teach one type of religion as being true. In "Edwards v. Aguillard", the United States Supreme Court said that creationism was not science. It said it was religious, because it tried to explain things using stories from the Bible. The Supreme Court said that creationism could not be taught in public schools. But some people said intelligent design was not creationism.

paragraphs: During the trial, experts showed that intelligent design was an old argument for religion and not science. They looked at the authors' notes for the book, "Of Pandas and People", that the school was using. These notes included things that had been changed when the book was being prepared for printing. It had been changed from being about creationism to being about intelligent design. The authors did this by changing the words "created" to "designed" and "creationists" to "intelligent design proponents". In one version, the word "creationists" was even changed to "cdesign proponentsists" by mistake. The judge found this interesting. These changes were made just after Edwards v. Aguillard said you could not teach creationism in schools. The judge said this showed that intelligent design was creationism.

paragraphs: In one part of the trial, they spoke to Michael Behe. Behe was one of the people that helped create intelligent design. He said nobody could say how evolution made the immune system, the thing in your body that protects you from diseases. He said that some smarter force had to have made it. Behe was shown 58 articles, nine books, and lots of other things scientists wrote to show how the immune system could have been made by evolution. He said none of them was "good enough". The judge did not think this was true.

paragraphs: After the trial, the judge said that intelligent design was creationism, not science. Creationism had already been shown to be religious. The government is not allowed to support one religion more than any other religion. Therefore, schools can not teach intelligent design, as that would be saying one type of religion was true.


title: Psychometrics

paragraphs: Psychometrics is a science that tries to measure educational and psychological levels of people and groups of people. Areas that are studied in people include intelligence, skills, and personality traits. The science is mainly a part of the science of psychology.


title: Consolevania

paragraphs: Consolevania is an internet television program that is about video games. It also has funny stories, although not all of these are about games. It is made by Rab Florence and Ryan Mcleod in Glasgow, Scotland. "Consolevania" must be downloaded from the internet rather than watching it on a television set. "Consolevania" is named after a video game called "Castlevania" on the Super Nitendo video game console.

paragraphs: Rab and Ryan, also made a normal television show for BBC Scotland, called "videoGaiden". It has less swearing in it.

paragraphs: Some of the funny characters in "Consolevania" are:

paragraphs: "Consolevania" has a good reputation because the presenters care about video games and they sometimes makes fun of certain people who make video games. People also like the funny stories and swearing.


title: Drag (physics)

paragraphs: In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called resistance) is a force which tends to slow the movement of an object through a liquid or gas.

paragraphs: As a moving object pushes the liquid or gas out of its way, the fluid pushes back on the object. This drag force is always opposite to the object's motion, and unlike friction between solid surfaces, the drag force increases as the object moves faster.

paragraphs: Air resistance, also known as drag, is a force that is caused by air, the force acts in the opposite direction to an object moving through the air. It is where air particles hit the front of the object slowing it down. The more surface area, the more air particles hit it and the greater the resistance.

paragraphs: Things are often shaped to make less drag. For example, a truck with a flat front will experience high air resistance while a sports car with a streamlined shape will experience lower air resistance, allowing the car to go faster. This is why airplanes and other fast machines are streamlined, and the same is true of fish. A snowflake falls more slowly than does a drop of water of the same weight.

paragraphs: Drag can affect the quickest falling speed (the terminal velocity) of an object. The higher the drag, the slower the object falls.


title: Manatee

paragraphs: Manatees are large, fully-aquatic marine mammals of the order Sirenia. They are sometimes known as sea cows. The manatees form the genus Trichechus. There are three manatee species.

paragraphs: The name comes from the Spanish "manatí", which itself comes from a Carib word meaning "breast".

paragraphs: Christopher Columbus, who thought mermaids were real, went to the waters around Haiti, and wrote in his logbook that he had seen three mermaids. He said that they were not as beautiful as everybody said they were. Nowadays, people believe Christopher Columbus had actually seen three manatees. It is possible he saw them kissing one another, which is something they do when the meet each other in the water.

paragraphs: Manatees have thick pads around their lips and stiff bristles that help them grab food and move it towards the mouth. A manatee eats sea grass and all kinds of sea vegetables. All its teeth are shaped like a human's molars. The eight hours of chewing each day wears down on their teeth. In fact, its first two pairs of teeth get so worn out that they simply fall out sometimes. However, manatees can grow new teeth. New teeth are always growing in the back. When front teeth fall out, the back teeth move forward to take their place. In mammals, only elephants and (quite independently) kangaroos have this kind of system.

paragraphs: The Sirenia are thought to have evolved from four-legged land mammals over 60 million years ago. Their closest living relatives are the Proboscidea (elephants) and Hyracoidea (hyraxes).

paragraphs: Manatees live on the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the rivers.

paragraphs: The West African Manatee lives on the western side of Africa, on the shores from Senegal to Angola. They also live in some rivers like the Niger River and around Lake Chad.

paragraphs: The West Indian Manatee lives in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and also on the shores of Brazil and Venezuela.

paragraphs: The Amazonian Manatee lives in parts of the Amazon Basin in South America.

paragraphs: Manatees live in salt water and in fresh water. On the sea shores they mostly live in shallow water, like lagoons and mangroves. They also live in brackish water and rivers. Manatees like bodies of water with a temperature of over 20 °C.

paragraphs: They are mainly herbivores, spending most of their time grazing in shallow waters at depths of 1-2 metres (3–7 ft).


title: Natural history

paragraphs: Natural history is the study of plants and animals in the wild, and the environments they live in. Also included are those aspects of geology which can be done in the field.

paragraphs: The work of naturalists is observation, interpretation, collecting and classification, rather than experiments. People who study natural history are called naturalists. Charles Darwin was a naturalist. They were among the first to explore the world. They were the first to study the Amazon and other tropical places. Naturalists find new species and classify plants and animals. They study ecology.

paragraphs: Naturalists developed some theoretical ideas which were valuable. They noticed that living things more or less fitted the lives they led. This was adaptation. They noticed a struggle for existence between animals. They thought they could see a chain of being from lower animals to higher, which they thought was the work of God. The idea that such things might happen by natural means began to surface in the 18th century, and become the majority view in time of Charles Darwin.

paragraphs: Before Darwin, most naturalists did not think of themselves as scientists. When they looked at nature, perhaps as explorers, they looked at everything. They looked at the land, the people, the plants and animals. After Darwin, they did see themselves as scientists. Early on, Darwin called himself a geologist. Huxley was an anatomist. Hooker was a botanist. Lyell was a geologist. Their education changed, too. They often took degrees in science. That sort of education was rare before Darwin.

paragraphs: Naturalists were educated amateurs; scientists are trained professionals. The change happened slowly, during the 19th century. The very word "scientist" was invented in 1837 by William Whewell. Before then, the term was "natural philosopher" (for the physical sciences) or "natural historian" (for the biological sciences and geology). "Naturalist" is short for "natural historian".

paragraphs: These men are important. They are just some well-known names amongst the many who investigated nature before science existed in its modern form.


title: Theistic evolution

paragraphs: Theistic evolution, or evolutionary creationism, is the belief that God, or another higher power, used evolution as a tool to create the different species of living creatures on Earth. It says that evolution does not deny the existence of God.


title: Queer

paragraphs: The term queer is a word that describes any person who does not fit into what is considered normal by society when talking about their gender and/or sexuality.

paragraphs: It is a word which has been reappropriated by social and political LGBT activists, and has been the word which a lot of academic studies have used to describe non-heterosexual identities. It is also used as a word which talks about someone's sexuality or gender in a deliberately non-specific way.

paragraphs: Queer is mostly used by younger LGBT people to describe themselves and is usually described as a "fluid" label. Many people like the term in the LGBT community as it focuses on what that community has in common and not its differences. But many older LGBT people may find the term "queer" to be offensive due to its use as a homophobic insult.

paragraphs: The term "queer" entered English in the 16th century, meaning "strange" or a word describing someone who is sick. The word was used a lot in the 20th century to refer to gay men, as it still does a lot today.


title: Abdus Salam

paragraphs: Mohammad Abdus Salam (29 January 1926; Santokdas, Sahiwal Punjab – 21 November 1996; Oxford, England) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist. He was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics.

paragraphs: He was initially educated at the Government College Lahore and the University of the Punjab, Lahore. For a time also worked at the Government College as a lecturer, adding considerably to its intellectual life. Later he went to Cambridge University, England for PhD studies. In 1951 he returned to Pakistan, but he found that he was cut off from the rest of the scientific world there. In 1953, he again went to England where he started to teach and research, having interest in the Grand Unified Theory.

paragraphs: He believed that if the Creator of the universe was one then the origin of all the forces had to be single also. He then set off to unify the electromagnetic and the weak nuclear force.

paragraphs: According to another scientist, Peter Higgs, a field existed i.e. the Higgs field. Salam successfully showed that weak nuclear forces are not really different from electromagnetic forces, and two could inter-convert. Salam provided a theory that shows the unification of two fundamental forces of nature, weak nuclear forces and the electromagnetic forces, one into another.


title: Livermorium

paragraphs: Livermorium is a chemical element. It has the chemical symbol Lv. Livermorium is number 116 on the periodic table. The element lasts only 47 milliseconds.

paragraphs: The element is named in honor of Robert Livermore.

paragraphs: It was first discovered in 2000 by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia. Its name was first "Ununhexium" (Uuh), but it changed on May 30st, 2012, when the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry changed it.


title: UCI ProTour

paragraphs: The UCI ProTour is a series of bicycle road races organised by the world governing body the International Cycling Federation ("Union Cycliste Internationale" - the UCI)

paragraphs: The ProTour is the top grade of races for the top 20 cycling teams.

paragraphs: The ProTour includes one day races, time trials, and stage races. It started in 2005 and replaced the old world championship series which did not include stage races.

paragraphs: All of the ProTour races are in Europe, but the teams come from Europe and the United States. At the moment it is hard to move up from the Continental circuits to the ProTour, but in the future teams from Africa, Australia or Asia could take part in the ProTour.


title: Ohana

paragraphs: Ohana is an idea in Hawaiian culture. The word "ohana" means family in the Hawaiian language, but in a much wider sense, to include not only one's closer relatives, but also one's cousins, in-laws, friends, race, and other neighbours. The idea is also that family and friends are bound together and everyone must work together and not forget each other.

paragraphs: The word is related to the word "whānau" meaning the same, used by the Maori of New Zealand. It comes from the Hawaiian word "ohā" meaning the root of the taro plant, the most important plant in Hawaiian culture.

paragraphs: "Ohana" is also one of the main ideas of the Disney animated movie Lilo & Stitch. ("Ohana "means family, and family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten."") The director of the movie, Dean DeBlois, says the movie's makers learned about this from their tour guide when they went to Hawaii to get ideas for the movie. He said that everywhere they went, the guide seemed to know people, and that he explained about "ohana" to them. They liked the idea so much that it became one of the main ideas for the story, the one thing that changes the character of Stitch, even though he was created to destroy.

paragraphs: "Ohana API" is a US website with the goal of extending the concept of "Ohana" to the larger context of the US as a whole. This is relevant and important because Hawaii and the Hawaiian culture is an integral part of the cultural diversity and interconnection that exists and is a very unique and cherished part and benefit of the great and expanding intermingled cultures that embody the United States of America.


title: Grand Tour (cycling)

paragraphs: There are three Grand Tour cycling races:-

paragraphs: This is the order they are raced in each year.

paragraphs: All three are in the "ProTour Calendar", that is they are part of the UCI ProTour.

paragraphs: They got the name of Grand Tour because they are some of the oldest, hardest and longest stage races in the calendar.

paragraphs: Seven cyclists have won all three of the Grand Tours during their career:


title: Mammoth

paragraphs: Mammoths were hairy elephants of the genus "Mammuthus". They lived in Europe until 4,500 years ago, and were adapted to cold climate. They were killed off by hunters and climate change.

paragraphs: They lived in the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. In the Pleistocene, northern Europe was covered with ice and tundra. There were a series of ice ages, which allowed the mammoths to spread across the land.

paragraphs: Mammoths were hunted by early humans, who used spears, and cut them up with hand axes. Their frozen flesh has been analysed for its DNA sequence.


title: Right-wing

paragraphs: Someone who is right-wing in politics is usually someone who supports social or economic conservatism. In other words, someone who is "right-wing" usually supports tradition and the way things are. People who are extremely right-wing are called "reactionary", and want to either return to the way things were before, such as neoreaction, or more often start as a reaction against left-wing ideas which are spreading in a country.

paragraphs: The right-wing supports tradition and authority. The right-wing in some countries, like the United States, may also usually be in support of social liberalism and a capitalist economy where the government has little influence. Usually the right-wing thinks of society as similar to a living thing, what is called "organic society". They believe that society's customs and traditions are a collection of things that we have learned from the past and are useful and should be maintained as much as possible.


title: Polka dot jersey

paragraphs: The polka dot jersey is the special cycling jersey given to the "King of the Mountains" in the Tour de France. The jersey is white with red spots, called polka dots. There is also space for the logo of the cycling team the winner belongs to.

paragraphs: The King of the Mountains is the rider who has collected the most points in the hill-climbing sections of each stage. Points are given to the first riders to reach the top. More points are given for difficult climbs. Difficulty is judged by the length of the climb and the average steepness of the climb.

paragraphs: The King of the Mountains competition at the Tour de France was started in 1933. The polka dot jersey for the winner was introduced in 1975.

paragraphs: Richard Virenque has won the jersey seven times, more than any other cyclist. In 2014 the winner was Rafał Majka. In 2015 an Eritrean rider, Daniel Teklehaimanot, became the first African who won a Polka dot jersey.


title: Pleistocene

paragraphs: The Pleistocene stage or epoch was a long period of time. It stretched from 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. The Pleistocene followed the Pliocene. It is the first stage of the Quaternary period, and is followed by the present Holocene.

paragraphs: The Pleistocene was a time of ice ages: cold glacial periods with shorter, warmer, interglacials. Ice ages are when the world becomes much colder for a long time. In much of the 20th century geologists counted four "major" ice ages. Nowadays several more are called "major". During these glaciations, much of the world we know was covered by ice: North America down to and past the Great Lakes; all of northern Russia, and Europe; England down to the Thames.

paragraphs: Many animals that lived then have become extinct. Climate change and hunting by humans were responsible. Many of the mammals were larger and hairier versions of animals that live now. Glyptodon was something like a giant armadillo, and mammoths were hairy elephants.

paragraphs: Ancient human species lived during the Pleistocene. In Europe and Asia the large-brained Neanderthal ("Homo neanderthalensis") lived until about 30,000 years ago. Modern man did not descend from Neanderthals, but originated in Africa from another branch of the genus.


title: Louis XV

paragraphs: Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774) was a French king, who ruled from 1715 until his death. He is the great-grandson of Louis XIV whom he succeeded at age of five. He was called "The Beloved" (French: le Bien-Aimé). His failure to provide strong leadership and badly needed reforms contributed to the crisis that brought on the French Revolution.

paragraphs: Louis was born at Versailles on 15 February 1710, the son of Louis, Dauphin of France and his mother Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, governed as regent until Louis reached his legal majority in 1723. In 1725 the king married Maria Leszczyńska, daughter of Stanisław I of Poland. The following year his former tutor, André Hercule de Fleury, became the chief minister. Fleury gave France a stable administration until his death 17 years later. Thereafter Louis himself was in nominal control, but he took only a sporadic interest in government and never followed any consistent policy at home or abroad. He was frequently influenced by his mistresses, the most powerful of whom was the marquise de Pompadour

paragraphs: France was involved in three wars during Louis's reign. As a result of the first, the War of the Polish Succession (1733-35), France gained the province of Lorraine. The second, the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), which marked the beginning of a colonial struggle with Britain, was indecisive. In the last, the Seven Years' War (1756-63), France, crippled by corruption and mismanagement, lost most of its overseas possessions to the British. French foreign policy in this period was made chaotic by Louis's “secret diplomacy,” as his agents in other countries sometimes pursued aims that were in conflict with those of his own ministers. The situation improved somewhat in the 1760s, when a new minister, the duc de Choiseul, restored some order to the government and tried to repair the damage done by the Seven Years' War. In the last years of his reign, Louis cooperated with his chancellor, René de Maupeou, in an effort to reform the country's inequitable and inefficient system of taxation. In 1771 the parlements, or sovereign courts, which had opposed reform, were reorganized and stripped of their power to obstruct royal decrees. Measures were then implemented to tax the previously exempt nobility and clergy, but these were reversed after the king's death at Versailles on 10 May 1774. Louis XV died of smallpox as a defeated and unpopular king. He was succeeded by his grandson, Louis XVI, who was later guillotined during the French Revolution.


title: Ram Dass

paragraphs: Dr. Richard Alpert (April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was a spiritual teacher. He was the writer of "Be Here Now", the bestseller book of 1971.

paragraphs: In the 1960s, professors Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert collaborated on a book titled "The Psychedelic Experience", which adapted portions of the "Tibetan Book of the Dead" as a guide for use in LSD experiences. They hoped to give users of LSD a simulation of death and rebirth, to "liberate" them from past problems or mistakes in their lives.

paragraphs: Dass died on December 22, 2019 in Maui, Hawaii at the age of 88.


title: Psychedelic

paragraphs: The word psychedelic is a word invented in the 20th century by joining the Greek words for "mind," ψυχή (psyche), and "manifest," δήλος (delos).

paragraphs: A person in a "psychedelic state" is supposed to be able to feel new ways of looking at his mind that were unknown to him before. This can be caused by taking psychedelic drugs, like LSD. In medicine, the new feelings a patient has when he is in psychedelic state are called hallucinations and synesthesia; these are also seen in patients with psychosis.


title: Rugby union

paragraphs: Rugby union is a ball sport. Two teams of 15 players play against each other. The ball used is oval in shape. The field is a rectangle shape. It is 100 metres long and 70 meters wide. At the ends of the field are two H-shaped goal-posts which you have to score next to or underneath.

paragraphs: The game is played for 80 minutes in two 40-minute halves but there is an overtime if it goes on long enough.

paragraphs: A try is scored when a player 'scores'. A try is worth 5 points. To score a try the player must put down the ball in the 'try area'. The try area is behind the goal-posts.

paragraphs: Once a try has been scored, the team has a chance to score extra points. The goal kicker kicks the ball towards the goal-posts. The ball must pass between the two upright goal-posts and above the cross-piece. If it does, the team is awarded 2 additional points. This act is known as a 'conversion'.

paragraphs: Another method of scoring points is through penalties. When a team breaks the rules, the referee may award a penalty. The goal-kicker kicks towards the goal-posts. The ball must pass between the two upright goal-posts and above the cross-piece. If it does, the team is awarded 3 points and at the end all the points add up and the team with the most points is the winner.

paragraphs: During play, the goal-kicker can also attempt a 'drop-goal'. The goal-kicker kicks towards the goal-posts. The ball must pass between the two upright goal-posts and above the cross-piece. If it does, the team is awarded 3 points.

paragraphs: A scrum is when the two teams push together. If you are in the scrum you are a prop, hooker, flanker, second row, or 8-man.

paragraphs: 6 : Blind side flanker / blind-side wing-forward

paragraphs: 7 : Open side flanker / open-side wing-forward

paragraphs: 10 : Fly half/outside-half/outhalf (or first-five-eighth)

paragraphs: 12 : Inside centre (or second-five-eighth)

paragraphs: The players in the back positions are usually smaller, faster and more skilful at kicking and passing. If you are a prop or a hooker you need to be heavy and strong as you play in the front row if there is a scrum. Flankers and locks are often tall and powerful and are used to win the ball in a lineout.

paragraphs: The laws of Rugby Union whilst difficult at first are easy to pick up.

paragraphs: The key rule to rugby union play is that the person who is carrying the ball at any time cannot pass the ball to a teammate who is closer to the opposition goal line. The ball must always be passed sideways or backwards.

paragraphs: Only the player with the ball may be tackled. Tackling is when the player with the ball is brought to the ground by an opposition player. The opposition player must use their hands to hold onto the ball carrier, and take them to the ground.

paragraphs: When the player with the ball is on the ground, players from the opposition team may stand over him and attempt to grab the ball off them. The opposition players must remain standing ('on their feet'). Meanwhile, the player with the ball will try to pass the ball backwards along the ground to a teammate. His teammates will then move over the player and protect the ball.

paragraphs: During the game there are between one and four people who watch that the rules of the game are met.

paragraphs: The most important of these four is the referee who runs alongside players as they play the game. The referee controls the game.

paragraphs: The two touch-judges patrol the out-of-bounds areas. They also decide when a goal kick has been successful.

paragraphs: The TMO, or 'television match official', helps the referee with difficult decisions. Most professional games have a TMO.

paragraphs: Kicking is very important part of the rugby game. Normally, it is the back players who kick. However, you will sometimes see the forwards kick. There are different reasons why they may kick: to score points by making a drop goal, to place the ball further towards the other team's try line, or to gain distance by kicking the ball high into the air for a team mate to chase and catch.


title: Try

paragraphs: A Try is one of the way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union. A try is scored when a player grounds the ball in the opposition's in-goal area or behind the try line, or alternatively touching the base of the goalposts and ground at the same time. The scoring player must be holding on to the ball and should be applying downward pressure when it is grounded.


title: Avalon Peninsula

paragraphs: The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula (9,270 km²) that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.

paragraphs: The peninsula is home to forty percent of Newfoundland's population, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the main section of the island by the 5 km/3 mile wide Isthmus of Avalon. The peninsula sticks out into the rich fishing zones near the Grand Banks. Its four major bays–Trinity Bay, Conception Bay, St. Mary's Bay, and Placentia Bay–have long been the center of Newfoundland's fishing industry.


title: Cape Cod

paragraphs: Cape Cod (or simply the Cape) is an arm-shaped peninsula in the eastern part of Massachusetts.


title: Chatham, Massachusetts

paragraphs: Chatham is a New England town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census. Chatham is home to the "Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge", located on Monomoy, and to "Monomoy Theatre".


title: Whitbourne, Newfoundland and Labrador

paragraphs: Whitbourne is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

paragraphs: Whitbourne, Newfoundland’s first inland town, is named after Sir Richard Whitbourne, one of the most colorful early settlers of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador who wrote a book about Newfoundland that was published in 1620. Sir Richard was selected by the High Court of the Admiralty to set up the first English law court in the New World in 1615 in Trinity. He was kidnapped and held by the infamous Pirate Peter Easton in Harbour Grace. He also described a mermaid that he saw in St. John's harbour. Later, he became governor of Renews on the Southern Shore.

paragraphs: Whitbourne, unlike most communities on the Island of Newfoundland is inland. It was founded in about 1880 during the construction of the Newfoundland Railway. The railway continued to be an important employer in the Town until its abandonment in 1988, although its economic importance weakened slowly throughout the twentieth century.

paragraphs: Sir Robert Bond, the Prime Minister from 1900 to 1909, played a role in the expansion and planning of the Town and developed a complex country home, the "Grange", there.

paragraphs: The town of Whitbourne is located just off the Trans-Canada Highway on Route 81. It is located at the center of three possible routes to visit the Avalon Peninsula. Route 80 is one of the two entrances to the Baccalieu Trail, Route 100 and Route 81 lead to the Marine Atlantic Ferry Service in Argentia and other parts of Placentia and St. Mary's Bays, and Route 1, the Trans Canada leads towards the second entrance to the Baccalieu Trail and the capital city of St. John's. As a result, there is a Provincial Visitor Information Center on the Trans Canada near the town.

paragraphs: Whitbourne has many of the facilities of a small town that has traditionally been a regional service centre. The town’s Wetlands Conservation Trail is of interest to many visitors.

paragraphs: According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:


title: Wind power in South Australia

paragraphs: Wind power in South Australia is a big energy source for the state and South Australia is well suited to wind farms as it is close to the Roaring forties winds.

paragraphs: As of June 2014, South Australia has 16 wind farms, with an installed capacity of 1,473 megawatts (MW). Wind power represented 27% of the state's energy production.

paragraphs: Wind farms do not emit greenhouse gases in the generation of electricity, and so wind power is considered a highly desirable form of renewable energy which assists in the reduction of the State’s reliance on coal and gas fired electricity generation.


title: Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert

paragraphs: There are several Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which supply power to the electricity grid. Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is the name given to nine solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which were built in the 1980s. These plants have a combined capacity of 354 megawatts (MW) making them the largest solar power installation in the world. Nevada Solar One is a new solar thermal plant with a 64 MW generating capacity, near Boulder City, Nevada. There are also plans to build other large solar plants in the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Solar Park will deliver 553 MW of solar thermal power when fully operational in 2011.

paragraphs: Insolation (solar radiation) in the Mojave Desert is among the best available in the United States, and some big groups of people are in the area. This makes the Mojave Desert particularly suitable for solar power plants. These plants can generally be built in a few years because solar plants are built almost entirely with modular, readily available materials.


title: Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

paragraphs: The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team was a professional racing team.

paragraphs: The US Postal Service stopped sponsoring their team in 2004. The Discovery Channel took over sponsorship in June 2004 in time for the new UCI ProTour

paragraphs: On February 10 2007 Discovery Channel decided not renew its sponsorship of the team at the end of the 2007 season. The decision to end its sponsorship is believed to be related to the sacking of Discovery Networks president Billy Campbell by David Zaslav, the new president of Discovery Communications the same day.

paragraphs: On 10 August 2007 Tailwind Sports, who are the team's licence holders, said the team would stop racing at the end of the year<. They could not find a new sponsor and blamed bad publicity about doping in the 2007 Tour de France.

paragraphs: The most famous member of the Discovery Channel team was Lance Armstrong who won seven Tours de France before he retired in 2005.

paragraphs: Current members of the team, such as 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, 3rd placed Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie all had to find new teams. Hincapie joined Team T-Mobile. Many think Contador may have trouble finding a new team because of rumours about being involved in the very big Operation Puerto doping scandal.


title: Alkane

paragraphs: Alkanes are chemical compounds, made of carbon and hydrogen. The simplest alkane is methane, which is made of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Larger alkanes have two or more carbon atoms connected or bonded together in a chain. The carbon atoms of alkanes are joined together by single bonds, which is what makes them different from alkenes. The alkane's general formula is CH.

paragraphs: Alkanes come from crude oil. Crude oil is a natural resource, a thick black fluid found by drilling underground. Crude oil is a mixture of alkanes of different chain length - composed of different numbers of carbon atoms.

paragraphs: Fractional distillation is the method used to separate the different hydrocarbons in crude oil, used to get a purer or more distilled, sample of a single alkane.