title: James Branch Cabell

paragraphs: James Branch Cabell (1879 – 1958) was an American writer. He wrote fantasy fiction. His name is pronounced "CAB-ble".

paragraphs: Cabell was born and lived most of his life in Richmond, Virginia. He spent the winters in Florida until the death of his first wife in 1949. He retired in Florida.

paragraphs: Cabell was born into a rich Virginian family. His father, Robert Gamble Cabell II (1847–1922), was a physician. His mother, Anne Harris (1859–1915), was the daughter of Col. and Mrs James R. Branch. Cabell's great-grandfather, William H. Cabell, was Governor of Virginia from 1805 to 1808. Cabell was the oldest of three boys . His brothers were Robert Gamble Cabell III (1881–1968) and John Lottier Cabell (1883–1946). His parents separated and were later divorced in 1907.

paragraphs: He went to the College of William and Mary in 1894 at the age of fifteen. He graduated in 1898. While an undergraduate, Cabell taught French and Greek at the college. Ellen Glasgow, a writer and close friend of Cabell said that he had a friendship with a professor at the college which some people thought was "too intimate". Because of this, Cabell had to leave the college. He was later allowed back and finished his degree.

paragraphs: Cabell worked from 1898 to 1900 as a newspaper reporter in New York City. He returned to Richmond in 1901. In Richmond, he worked several months for the "Richmond News".

paragraphs: Many things happened to Cabell in 1901. His first stories were accepted for publication. It was believed for a short time that Cabell murdered John Scott, a rich person in Richmond. There was a rumor that Scott was "involved" with Cabell's mother.

paragraphs: In 1902, seven of his stories appeared in national magazines. Over the ten years, he wrote many short stories and articles. These were published in well-known magazines including "Harper's Monthly Magazine" and the "Saturday Evening Post".

paragraphs: Between 1911 and 1913, he worked for his uncle in the office of the Branch coal mines in West Virginia. On November 8, 1913, he married Priscilla Bradley Shepherd. She was a widow with five children from an earlier marriage. In 1915, Priscilla gave birth to a son, Ballard Hartwell Cabell. Priscilla died in March of 1949. In June 1950, Cabell married Margaret Waller Freeman.

paragraphs: During his life, Cabell published fifty-two books. These included novels, genealogy, collections of short stories, poetry, and miscellanea. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1937. Today, the modern languages house and an endowed law professorship at the College of William and Mary are named for him.

paragraphs: Cabell died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

paragraphs: In 1970, Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond named its main campus library "James Branch Cabell Library". In the 1970s, Cabell's library and personal papers were moved from his home on Monument Avenue to the James Branch Cabell Library. The collection includes some 3,000 volumes, manuscripts, notebooks and scrapbooks, periodicals, letters (including conversations with noted writers such as H.L. Mencken, Ellen Glasgow, Sinclair Lewis and Theodore Dreiser), newspaper clippings, photographs, criticisms, printed material, publishers' agreements and statements of sales.

paragraphs: The VCU undergraduate literary journal at the university is named Poictesme after the fictional province in his book "Jurgen".

paragraphs: Cabell published about fifty books. Most of these are not well known. His eighth book, "Jurgen", (1919) was the most popular. The hero, Jurgen, goes on a journey through ever more fantastic places. He even goes to hell and heaven. Everywhere he goes, he seduces the local women, even the Devil's wife.

paragraphs: The book was seen as being bad by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. They tried to bring a prosecution for obscenity. The case went on for two years before Cabell and his publishers won. Many of the things in the book were double entendres. They had one meaning which was bad and also had a decent meaning. It appeared that what had actually offended the prosecution most was a joke about papal infallibility. Cabell took an author's revenge. The new edition of 1926 included a 'lost' section which was not in the earlier version. In it, the hero is put on trial by the Philistines. A large dung beetle is the chief prosecutor.

paragraphs: Other works include "Figures of Earth". This introduces Manuel the Redeemer. He took control of a realm by playing on others' expectations. His motto is "Mundus Vult Decipi". This means 'the world wishes to be deceived'. "The Silver Stallion" is a sequel. It deals with the adventures of the knights in Manuel's company after he left them.

paragraphs: Cabell is now forgotten by most people but his work affected later writers of fantasy fiction. Robert Heinlein's "Job, A comedy of Justice" has an appearance of the Slavic god Koschei (from "Jurgen"). Fritz Leiber's "Swords of Lankhmar" was also affected by Jurgen. Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" books show a similar style to Cabell's writing. Cugel the Clever in those books is very similar to Jurgen.


title: Gela

paragraphs: Gela is a city in the Italian region of Sicily. It is in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily. The city is at about 84km from the province's capital of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the capital and is second largest in land area.

paragraphs: Gela is an important industrial city and port town. One important industry that is located here is that of petroleum refinery. The city can be reached from other cities, like Syracuse and Caltanissetta, by train.


title: Kama Sutra

paragraphs: Kamasutra (), also known in Western countries as the Kama Sutra, is an ancient Indian book on love. It was written by Mallanaga Vatsyayana. Part of the book deals with human sexual behavior.


title: Lu Sheng-yen

paragraphs: Lu Sheng-Yen (盧勝彥, Lú Shèngyàn) (27 June 1945), is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, which is a religious group with teachings taken from Taoism and Buddhism. He is called Master Lu by his followers. Within his sect, he is also known as "Living Buddha Lian Sheng" (蓮生活佛, "Liansheng Huófó"). He is worshipped by his followers as a "Living Buddha".

paragraphs: His organization says that over five million students have taken Buddhist refuge under Lu. There are also more than three hundred local chapters of the True Buddha School, including thirty major temples, such as the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington, where he lives now. Many of his followers are from Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

paragraphs: Lu is married to Lian Hsiang, who is also a vajra master. She is referred as "Grand Madam Lu". Lu and Lian Hsiang have two children.

paragraphs: Lu was born in Chiayi County, Taiwan in 1945. He was raised a Christian and attended a Protestant school. His post-secondary education was at Chung Cheng Institute of Technology. He graduated with a degree in Survey Engineering. In his early twenties he was both a survey engineer and a Sunday school Bible teacher.

paragraphs: Lu has written that he had a mystical experience in 1969. This lead him to seek out a total of twenty-one human gurus in Taoism, Sutra, and Tantra. In 1982, Lu moved to the United States, and lived in the state of Washington.

paragraphs: To date, Lu has written over 200 books in Chinese on various topics, including feng shui and poetry.

paragraphs: According to his website, he went into hiding in Tahiti for six years starting late 2000 and lived in Taichung, Taiwan. Today he lives in the state of Washington.

paragraphs: Lu teaches the Mahamudra way of attaining enlightenment. His teachings follow the traditional stages of the practice of the Four Preliminaries, followed by Guru Yoga, Deity Yoga, the Vajra Practices, and finally Highest Yoga Tantra. Lu has written that his spiritual gurus included the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje and Tai Situ Rinpoche.

paragraphs: He describes the state of enlightenment using the allegory of Padmakumara, whom he identifies with Amitabha Buddha and his own enlightened self.

paragraphs: According to Noah Casey, Lu's teachings do not prohibit the consumption of meat and alcohol; however, "The consumption of alcohol is limited to quantities not resulting in intoxication, and the eating of meat is restricted to animals not butchered especially for the person consuming. Before consuming either of these, or any other nutritional substance, a special prayer is required. For meats, the spirit of the animal must be delivered." This is consistent with the Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

paragraphs: Lu made headlines during an investigation by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission into his cash donations to Chinese American politician Gary Locke, who Lu had hoped would run for President of the United States. Locke was cleared of any wrongdoing by the commission in 1998.

paragraphs: He was also sued in civil court by a former disciple, who called herself SHC, a 41-year-old Malaysian immigrant, over claims of sexual misconduct, after the King County, Washington prosecutor declined to file charges for lack of evidence. The case was dismissed by King County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Learned citing constitutional issues. In the case "S.H.C. v. Sheng-Yen Lu", the Superior Court of King County granted the Temple's motion for summary judgment, and the Court of Appeals later "affirm[ed] the trial court's grant of summary judgment dismissing all claims against the Temple."

paragraphs: Lu has been criticized by Tsering Phuri, the president of TIBETcenter, who said "People should not say, `I am a living Buddha'".

paragraphs: However, this title was called by his diciples or people who believed in him back to 30 or 40 years ago in Taiwan, and Lu also admitted that he is the incarnated body of the Buddha.


title: Australian Open

paragraphs: The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is the first one of the year. It is played in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian Open has been played on three different surfaces:

paragraphs: Before 1983, many of the best tennis players did not play at the tournament. This was because the Australian Open was far away from Europe and North America and was not considered as important as the other Grand Slam tournaments.

paragraphs: The tournament is played in January, during the Australian summer. In 1998 an extreme heat rule was brought in. It is the only major tournament that has a heat policy. If the temperature gets higher than 35 degrees (C) matches may have to be stopped for a short time, because players feel dehydrated. Matches on the outside courts are stopped. The roof over the main stadium courts can be closed, and cooling systems turned on. In 2007 the temperature on the courts reached 50 degrees Celsius.


title: Adrian Willaert

paragraphs: Adrian Willaert (pronounce: AH-dree-ahn VIL-art), (born Flanders about 1490; died Venice, 7 December 1562) was a Flemish composer in the Renaissance period. He was one of the most important composers of his time. He went to Italy when he was young and spent the rest of his life there. He belonged to the group of composers who lived and worked in Venice at the time, and who were known as the “Venetian School”.

paragraphs: He may have been born in Bruges which is now in Belgium, although we are not sure. One of his students, Gioseffo Zarlino, who became a well-known music theorist, said that Willaert went to Paris first to study law, but then decided to study music. In Paris he met Jean Mouton, the main composer of the French royal chapel, and studied with him. Mouton taught him to write music in the style of Josquin, whose music was very polyphonic with the voices imitating one another a lot.

paragraphs: Sometime around 1515 Willaert first went to Rome. There is a story, which is probably true, that Willaert was surprised to find the Pope’s choir singing something he had composed. The choir thought it had been composed by Josquin, who was very famous by then. When the young Willaert told them that he himself was the composer, the choir did not believe the young man, and refused to sing it again.

paragraphs: In July 1515, Willaert worked for the Cardinal Ippolito I d'Este of Ferrara. Ippolito liked to travel, and he often took Willaert and other musicians with him to places such as Hungary, where he probably spent two years, from 1517 to 1519. When Ippolito died in 1520, Willaert worked for Duke Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara. In 1522 Willaert had a job at the court chapel of Duke Alfonso; he stayed there until 1525.

paragraphs: Willaert then got the most important musical job in the whole of Europe at that time: he became maestro di cappella (director of music) at the church of St. Mark's at Venice. The director who had been there before had not been very good, so Willaert made the music in that church really great again. He stayed in that job until his death. He was very famous and young composers came from all over Europe to study with him and learn how to be a composer.

paragraphs: Willaert was one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance and the most important composer in Europe between the death of Josquin and the time of Palestrina.

paragraphs: He wrote music in lots of forms, especially church music, madrigals and instrumental pieces called ricercar.


title: Sydney Harbour

paragraphs: Sydney Harbour (also called Port Jackson) is a natural harbour on the East Coast of Australia in Sydney. It is the location of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

paragraphs: Before the arrival of European settlers, the area surrounding Sydney Harbour was home to a variety of aboriginal tribes, including members of the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Eora and Wanegal tribes. It is believed (source?) that the Gadigal people once lived in the area heading from the south side of Port Jackson (South Head, Watsons Bay) and west in a semi circle through Petersham. The Cammeraygal tribe lived on the northern side of Sydney Harbour and the Wanegal tribe owned the area on the southern side of the Parramatta River, just west of Petersham and through to Rose Hill. The Eora tribe lived on the southern side of Sydney Harbour, not far from where the First Fleet set up camp.

paragraphs: In 1770, shortly after he left Botany Bay (), Lt James Cook became the first non-Aboriginal person to visit Sydney Harbour. Cook named it [Sydney Harbour] after Sir George Jackson. He did not go into the harbour, but sailed past the entrance (Sydney Heads) on his way north up the East Coast of Australia.

paragraphs: European settlement started on January 26, 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet arrived from England. Phillip brought 732 convicts (prisoners) and a small group of soldiers to start a penal colony. They landed at a small inlet which they called Sydney Cove after Lord Sydney, who was the British government's Home Secretary.

paragraphs: There are lots of islands inside Sydney Harbour, including Shark Island, Clark Island, Fort Denison, Goat Island, Cockatoo Island, Spectacle Island, Snapper Island and Rodd Island. Some other former islands, including Bennelong Island, Garden Island and Berry Island are now connected to the mainland by bridge or by landfill. There are several islands only accessible by boat, for example Fort Denison and Cockatoo Island. Boat hire operators offer charter trips or self-drive options to these locations.


title: Billy Ray Cyrus

paragraphs: Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and actor.

paragraphs: He is best known for his popular single "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992).

paragraphs: From 2001 to 2004, Cyrus starred in the television series "Doc". The series was about a country doctor who moved from Montana to New York City. He was in the Disney Channel series, "Hannah Montana", which he co-starred with his daughter Miley Cyrus.


title: How to Grow a Woman from the Ground

paragraphs: How to Grow a Woman from the Ground is a 2006 album by Chris Thile, who made the album with the How to Grow a Band, credited to Chris Thile. It was released on September 12, 2006. The album is named after a song on the album; a cover of a song by American singer Tom Brosseau.

paragraphs: The album got mostly good reviews from important music critics, with some critics saying that the album was “{fantastic, eclectic”, and “genius”. The album got Thile a Grammy Award-nomination in 2007.

paragraphs: For a side project away from his band Nickel Creek, Chris Thile knew he wanted to form a five-piece string band that featured mandolin, violin, banjo, acoustic guitar, and double bass. Thile also wanted the band to feature his friend and fiddle player Gabe Witcher, but didn’t know what kind of band he wanted it to be. At the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, Thile met banjo player Noam Pikelny and later said that “every note he played was something I wish I’d played”. At that time, Thile decided that he wanted “put [his] stamp” on the normal bluegrass band. Thile wanted to find five people to make the five-piece band he planned. He had already found fiddle, banjo, and mandolin players, so he just had to find double bass and acoustic guitar players. The bass player Thile was looking for turned out to be Greg Garrison, a friend of Noam Pikelny. Before this, Pikelny had played with Garrison in the band Leftover Salmon. The guitar player Thile needed became Chris Eldridge, famous as a member of the Infamous Stringdusters. The five people met up in Nashville on one day in 2005 and decided to “do something musical together”. A few days later, the group met again “to drop a ton of money, drink too much wine, eat steaks, and [talk] about our failed relationships”. That night, they formed a bluegrass band.

paragraphs: A few months later, the group decided to record an album. The album was recorded in two days at "Sear Sound Recording Studios" in New York City. The album was not made digitally, but in the old-fashioned way: on tape. In an interview with the United States magazine "Guitar Player", Chris Thile talked about how "How to Grow a Woman from the Ground" was recorded: "How to Grow a Woman from the Ground" was produced by Thile, and the only musicians on the album was the band that Thile chose. The band was later named the "How to Grow a Band".

paragraphs: "How to Grow a Woman from the Ground" takes influence from several musical genres, “drawing equally from traditional bluegrass, progressive acoustic, and singer-songwriter traditions”. One music critic called the album “roots oriented”. Bluegrass mandolin player Ronnie McCoury became the album’s official “bluegrass guru” to make sure that there was “someone who could make sure we didn’t do anything clichéd or trite”. When discussing the album’s musical style, Chris Thile said that “All in all, "How to Grow a Woman from the Ground" is a bluegrass record. There are definitely some musical things that are out of the ordinary, but it sounds like a bluegrass record to me.” Much of Thile's work on the album was inspired by his divorce, and Thile said that he could relate to the title of the album, a Tom Brosseau song. Thile said that he "got my ass kicked by the last relationship I was in. This girl just left. It created a pretty serious complex for me. I’ve always been able to talk to girls, but I’m scared of them. I just could relate to it. Like, man if I could just grow one, that would take care of a lot of problems."


title: Yantra

paragraphs: Yantra literally means loom, instrument or machine. In actual practice, a yantra is a symbol which represents aspects of the divine, such as the Mother Goddess or Durga. It is made of interlocking geometric figures, circles, triangles and floral shapes that form a pattern. Though drawn in two dimensions, a yantra can represent a three dimensional sacred object. The yantra is primarily a meditation tool. Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths.


title: Shri Yantra

paragraphs: The Shri Yantra or Sri Chakra of Tripura Sundari is a yantra or mandala formed by nine interlocking triangles surrounding a dot in the cetner called a bindu. Four of these triangles are orientated upright representing Shiva or the Masculine. Five of these triangles are inverted triangles represent Shakti or the Feminine. Because it is composed of nine triangles, it is also known as the "navayoni chakra".

paragraphs: Together the nine triangles are interlaced in such a way as to form 43 smaller triangles in a web symbolic of the entire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation. Together they express Advaita-ism or non-duality. This is surrounded by a lotus of eight petals, a lotus of sixteen petals, and an earthsquare resembling a temple with four doors.

paragraphs: The Shri Chakra is also known as the "nava chakra" because it can also be seen as having nine levels. Each level corresponds to a mudra, a yogini, and a specific form of the deity Tripura Sundari along with her mantra. These levels starting from the outside or bottom layer are:

paragraphs: 1.Shri Yantra Temple,This temple is Most Popular and Ancient And 1 of the most Popular Temple Of Shriyantra.It is Situated in Madhya Pradesh, Amarkanthak.

paragraphs: 2.Shri Narmadeshwar Shri Laxmi Yantra Mandir,is One of The 2nd Legendary and Spritual Shri yantra Temple,where Siddha Shri is Give by the Priest and Devotees take to home.it is Situated Rajpipla JIOR pati, Kumbheshwar street,At the Bank of River Narmada .

paragraphs: Official Website:- Shri Narmadeshwar Shri Laxmi Yantra Mandir Official Website


title: Tulku

paragraphs: A tulku (also tülku, trulku) is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who has achieved the ability to consciously determine to be reborn, often many times, in order to continue their Bodhisattva vow. The most famous example is the lineage of Dalai Lamas, who are said to be reincarnations of the previous thirteen Dalai Lamas, beginning with Gendun Drup (1391 – 1474). It is held in the Vajrayana tradition that the oldest lineage of tulkus is that of the Karmapas (spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu lineage), which began with Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193).

paragraphs: In addition to Tibetans and related peoples, Tibetan Buddhism is the traditional religion of the Mongols and their relatives. The Mongolian word for a tulku is "qubilγan", though such persons may also be called by the honorific title "qutuγtu" (Tib: "'phags-pa" / Skt: "ārya"), or "hutagt" in the standard Khalkha dialect.

paragraphs: A recent Chinese word for tulku is "huófó" (活佛), which literally means "living Buddha". Thus the term Living Buddha is used to mean "tulku".


title: Yeshe Tsogyal

paragraphs: Yeshe Tsogyel (, rhymes with "may say so well") is also known in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism as the Great Bliss Queen. She is both a woman and a female deity called a "dakini".

paragraphs: She lived from 757 to 817, and was the wife of Emperor Trisong Detsen (740 - c. 798) who invited Padmasambhava to Tibet:

paragraphs: Among Tibetans she is seen as a Buddha who takes the form of an ordinary woman so as to be seen by the average person, "who, for the time being, do not see her Vajravarahi form as a fully perfected deity." In fact,

paragraphs: According to legend she was born in the same manner as the Buddha, a Sanskrit mantra sounding as her mother gave birth painlessly. She is considered a reincarnation of the Buddha's own mother. Her name ("Primordial ("ye") Wisdom ("shes") Queen ("rgyal mo") of the Lake ("tso")") derives from her birth causing a nearby lake to double in size.

paragraphs: As a young girl, she is said to have prayed for the happiness of all sentient beings. At the age of sixteen, she was initiated into Buddhism by Guru Padmasambhava. Although she was originally one of the Queen consorts of Trisong Detsen, he gave her to Padmasambhava and she became his main spiritual consort. After many years of study she became enlightened. Yeshey Tsogyal was the main person who wrote down and collected Padmasambhava's teachings. She also terma most of the hidden teachings called "termas".

paragraphs: As the wife of Tri-song-day-tsen and the consort of Padmasambhava, given to him at her request by the king, she also stands historically at the beginning of Buddhism's eclipse of Bön in Tibet. She is also considered a manifestation of Sarasvati and sometimes identified with the Bodhisattva Tara.


title: Urho Kekkonen

paragraphs: Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (September 3 1900 – August 31 1986) was the President of Finland between 1956 and 1982. He was also Prime Minister of Finland before that.

paragraphs: Kekkonen was born in Pielavesi. He took part of the Finnish Civil War. He studied law and then worked in the Finnish secret police. He opposed the Communists and later fascists.

paragraphs: Kekkonen became the Interior Minister in 1937, and he then tried to ban the fascist party IKL.

paragraphs: After Second World War, in the year 1950 Kekkonen became the first time Prime Minister of Finland. He tried to keep good relations with the Soviet Union like president Juho Kusti Paasikivi.

paragraphs: The foreign policy doctrine established by Paasikivi and Kekkonen, The "Paasikivi-Kekkonen line", aimed at Finland's survival as an independent sovereign, democratic, and capitalist country in the immediate proximity of the Soviet Union.

paragraphs: Kekkonen was elected the President of Finland in 1956, after president Paasikivi. He tried to keep Finland neutral country, which means it was not part of any military alliance like NATO or Warsaw Pact in Cold War.

paragraphs: Urho Kekkonen led the underwriting of the Helsinki Accords of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe between European countries, United States and Soviet Union in 1975.

paragraphs: Kekkonen became sick in 1981 and gave up the presidency.


title: J. P. Morgan

paragraphs: John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American banker and art collector. He became one of the richest men of his era. He founded the bank now called JPMorgan Chase, one of the oldest banks in the world today.

paragraphs: J.P. Morgan was thought of as intelligent, he focused his attention in mathematics in preparation for employment in commerce.

paragraphs: In 1852, when Morgan was 15 years old, he had rheumatic fever. After recovery he was deformed. J.P. Morgan was aloof and refused to have his photograph taken; all of his professional portraits were retouched.

paragraphs: When J.P. Morgan reached the age of 20, he became a banker in his father’s London office and later went to Duncan, Sherman & Company in New York City.

paragraphs: He excelled in banking and partnered with a lot of other companies. J.P. Morgan bought businesses, and was a hands on leader. He followed the process of reorganizing them known then as “Morganization”. He renamed his company to J.P Morgan & Company in 1895. At the time it became one of the most powerful banks in the world.

paragraphs: J.P. Morgan took control of the railroad companies. He also financed and reorganized railroads all in the US. He later purchased the Ley Land Line of Atlantic Steamships and other boat lines, which included the White Star Line, builder of the RMS Titanic. He joined several steel companies together to make the United States Steel Corporation.

paragraphs: During the , when a shortage of the gold caused a devaluation of the Dollar, the US president Grover Cleveland asked J.P. Morgan to loan $65 million in gold to the US Treasury. J.P. lent the gold, "saving" the Treasury and the Dollar.

paragraphs: Morgan’s enemies attacked him for his loan terms on gold that was lent to the US government during the 1895 crisis, for the way he solved the panic of 1907, for hurting the Hartfort RR company by causing money problems, and turning the US steel corporation into a monopoly (by trying to take control of the making of bridges, ships, RR cars, rails, wire, nails, and other markets.).

paragraphs: JP Morgan was one of the richest men in the world (if he wanted to, he and all his partner companies could have bought all the land owned by all of the 22 US states west of the Mississippi River at that time (worth about $22.245 billion)). He did this through buying many companies and taking them over, usually becoming monopolies.

paragraphs: The JP Morgan Company still runs today under the name of JPMorgan Chase owned by stockholders. Today, it is one of the oldest banks in the world and a leading bank in the world.


title: Albert Hofmann

paragraphs: Albert Hofmann (11 January 1906 - 29 April 2008) was a Swiss scientist. He invented Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann wrote more than 100 scientific articles and a number of books, including "LSD: My Problem Child" (1979).

paragraphs: Hofmann was born in Baden, Switzerland. He studied chemistry at the University of Zürich. His main interest was the chemistry of plants and animals, and he studied about the chemical structure of the common animal substance chitin. Hofmann worked at the pharmaceutical-chemical department of Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.

paragraphs: Five years after its first synthesis, he discovered by accident the psychedelic effects of LSD, after absorbing some through his fingertips on April 16 1943. Three days later, he deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD, and experienced far more intense effects. This was followed by a series of self-experiments. He first wrote about these experiments on April 22 of the same year.

paragraphs: He became director of the natural products department at Sandoz and went on studying hallucinogenic substances found in Mexican mushrooms and other plants used by the indigenous peoples. This led to the synthesis of psilocybin, the active agent of many magic mushrooms.

paragraphs: Hofmann called LSD "medicine for the soul".

paragraphs: He had a heart attack in his home in Burg im Leimental on April 29, 2008, and died at the age of 102.


title: Mahasiddha

paragraphs: A mahasiddha (Sanskrit: "maha" - great, "siddha" - achiever) is type of yogi important in Tantra. They are found in both Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. They are connected with unusual ways of thinking and with the highest levels of spiritual enlightenment. They are very different from arhats, the saints who gave up the world to achieve Buddhahood.

paragraphs: The Mahasiddhas are actual people who acquired magical powers from their spiritual practice. A mahasiddha is a bodhisattva, someone who can enter "nirvana" whenever they want, but instead choose to stay in "samsara" to help others.

paragraphs: In both Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions there are 85 Mahasiddhas. The lists are not all the same, but there are many Mahasiddhas who appear on most lists. In Tibetan Buddhist art, they are often shown in paintings together, for example around the border of a "thanka".

paragraphs: Each Mahasiddha has come to be known for certain things. One of the most loved Mahasiddhas is Virupa, who is a saint of the Sakyapa sect. He lived in 9th century India and was known for his great attainments. Other important Mahasiddhas include:


title: Red Hat sect

paragraphs: In Tibetan Buddhism, the "Red Hat" sects or schools include the three oldest of the four main schools, to wit:

paragraphs: The newer Gelug school is known as the "Yellow Hat Sect".


Red hat


title: Drugs

paragraphs: Drugs change the way the body works. It could mean:


title: Peter Shotton

paragraphs: Peter ("Pete") Shotton (4 August 1941 – 24 March 2017) was a longtime friend of John Lennon, who founded The Beatles. He later wrote a memoir, "John Lennon "In My Life"", that was later retitled "The Beatles, Lennon and Me".

paragraphs: Shotton and Lennon met as boys, in their hometown of Woolton, England. Woolton is a suburb of Liverpool. The two fought at first, but soon became best friends. They went to school together, and often got into trouble together. They formed a "gang", with other boys who lived nearby.

paragraphs: During their teenage years, rock and roll became popular in England, as it did in America. Folk music and were also popular. Young people all over England formed skiffle bands, and played folk and rock songs. Lennon got a guitar from his mother. He and Shotton formed a band, the Quarry Men, with classmates from their school (named Quarry Bank), and other friends.

paragraphs: Shotton's role in the band was to play percussion on a , and to sing harmony. While Lennon had genuine musical talent, Shotton did not become a skilled musician, and did not enjoy playing music. After Paul McCartney joined the Quarry Men, he and Lennon began to work together on music. McCartney was very talented, and Shotton felt out of place in the band. He waited a long time, before he finally told Lennon.

paragraphs: Lennon "fired" Shotton from the Quarry Men after they played at a party. He took the washboard away and broke it over Shotton's head. All the same, they were still friends, and spent time together. When they finished high school, Lennon went on to art college, and Shotton trained to become a police officer. The Quarry Men changed from playing skiffle to playing rock and roll. They also changed names a few times, before calling themselves the Beatles.

paragraphs: When Lennon became famous with the Beatles, he invited Shotton to visit at different times. He and George Harrison, another band member, bought a supermarket with part of their , and made Shotton its manager. Shotton married and had a son. He spent most of the week with his family, but would visit Lennon's home on weekends. Lennon counted on Shotton to be a real friend, who was not only around because Lennon was famous or rich. Shotton and Lennon's wife Cynthia got along well, and Shotton sometimes took Cynthia out for the evening, when Lennon needed to work on music.

paragraphs: Shotton also helped now and then with the Beatles's music. He sometimes helped or ideas for songs, or played or other percussion instruments on their recordings. Later, when the Beatles started their own company, Apple Corps, Shotton became its first managing director.

paragraphs: Apple Corps was not a successful company, and it caused problems between the Beatles, and with the people who worked with them. The problems were not Shotton's fault, but he felt as much pressure and stress as anyone. He resigned his job at Apple. Lennon tried Shotton out as a , but this did not go well. Lennon's relationship with Yoko Ono also caused problems between Lennon and Shotton.

paragraphs: Shotton decided it was best to part ways with Lennon, while their friendship was still strong. He went back to running his supermarket, and he and Lennon lost touch. After Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to America, Shotton visited them in New York City, and they enjoyed seeing each other again.

paragraphs: John Lennon was murdered late in 1980. When Shotton heard the news, he drove to George Harrison's home, Friar Park, and spent the day with Harrison. Later he wrote his memoir.

paragraphs: Shotton gave up his supermarket, and began a chain of restaurants, Fatty Arbuckle's, which became a success. He later sold this business, and retired to live in Ireland. When former members of Lennon's Quarry Men re-formed in the 1990s as a nostalgia act, Shotton performed with them. He later sang "Imagine" at a tribute to Lennon and the Beatles in Woolton.

paragraphs: Shotton died on 24 March 2017 in Knutsford, Cheshire from a suspected heart attack. aged 75.


title: Gustatory system

paragraphs: The gustatory system is the sensory system for the sense of taste.

paragraphs: The human body can be stimulated by certain things. This stimuli is measured by sensory receptors and the energy is converted to something our brain can understand. There are receptors in our tongue which can measure four main things.

paragraphs: This is the simplest receptor found in the mouth.

paragraphs: Sour tastes are usually received from acidic compounds.

paragraphs: Bitter tastes are important, since poisons are usually bitter and therefore we need to know whether or not to spit a bitter food out. This is the most complicated receptor found in the mouth.

paragraphs: Food which has a lot of carbohydrates such as glucose are sweet.


title: Olfactory system

paragraphs: The olfactory system is the sensory system used for olfaction or the sense of smell.

paragraphs: Most mammals and reptiles have two parts to their olfactory system.

paragraphs: The olfactory system is often spoken as being similar to the gustatory system (taste system). Both are chemosensory senses. They change chemical signals into nerve impulses, which are translated into perceptions in the brain.

paragraphs: The part of the brain which deals with olfaction is the rhinencephalon, a small part in the human brain, but much more important in other vertebrates. The piriform cortex is probably the area most closely associated with identifying the odor. The medial amygdala is involved in social functions such as mating and recognising animals of the same species. The entorhinal cortex pairs odors with memories. The exact functions of these higher areas is still being researched.

paragraphs: Linda B. Buck and Richard Axel won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the olfactory system. By analyzing rat DNA, they estimated that there were about one thousand different genes for olfactory receptors in the mammalian genome.

paragraphs: Damage to the olfactory system can happen through brain injury, cancer or toxic gases. The damage is usually measured by doctors giving the patient something to smell and having the patient try to guess what it is.


title: Bricostore

paragraphs: Bricostore is a type of French hypermarket. They sell do-it-yourself (DIY) goods.


title: Pharaoh's Island

paragraphs: Pharaoh's Island is an island on the River Thames, in Surrey, England.

paragraphs: The island is above Shepperton Lock. It can only be reached by boats.

paragraphs: The island was given to Admiral Nelson as a reward for winning Battle of the Nile, and he used it as a place to fish.


title: Ky Ebright

paragraphs: Carroll M. Ebright (March 20, 1894 - November 1979), sometimes known as Ky Ebright was a coach for the University of California, Berkeley crew team. He is the only man to coach three Olympic gold medal winning eight oared boats. Ky Ebright died in Berkeley, California at the age of 85.


Robert Johnson


title: Robert Johnson (musician)

paragraphs: Robert Johnson, born Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) is one of the most famous Delta blues musicians.

paragraphs: He is known worldwide as the "King of the Delta Blues". He has also been called the "Grandfather of rock and roll".

paragraphs: He was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He was the 11th child of his mother Julia Major Dodds, and 10th child of his father Charles Dodds. When he was born, his father had left his mother. He was brought up by a field worker named Noah Johnson. That is why he chose "Johnson" for his family name.

paragraphs: Johnson began playing guitar when he was a child. In February 1929, he married Virginia Travis and became serious about playing the guitar. His wife died in childbirth at the age of 16 in April 1930. Johnson began traveling up and down the Delta. Around 1936, he was introduced to other blues players through a friend.

paragraphs: He had a remarkable combination of talent for singing, playing the guitar and composing songs. His vocals, the originality of his songs and his style of playing guitar have influenced many musicians. These include: John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, The Black Keys, and The White Stripes. Eric Clapton said Johnson is "the greatest blues musician ever to live".

paragraphs: Johnson was ranked 71st on Rolling Stone magazine list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

paragraphs: Johnson died on August 16, 1938. He died at the age of twenty-seven from poisoning. His early death and unknown early life have led to the spread of many legends.

paragraphs: Eleven records were made by Robert Johnson with Vocalion during his lifetime, and a twelfth record was made once he had died.

paragraphs: All following songs were released after 1939:


title: Ishman Bracey

paragraphs: Ishman Bracey (January 9, 1901 - February 12, 1970), was a blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi.

paragraphs: Bracey was born in Byram, Mississippi. He started playing at local dances and parties in about 1917. He also worked as a waterboy on the Illinois Central Railroad. His first recorded song was in Memphis in 1928. He played as lead guitar with Charlie McCoy on rhythm guitar.

paragraphs: In the 1920s, Bracey had not yet started playing delta blues and each of his songs were different. However, he was one of the only Mississippi blues musicians to sing with a nasal voice. He often sang about skin creams and powders which would lighten dark skin.

paragraphs: When he recorded in 1930, his voice had become deeper. This meant that he could not sing high enough for some of his songs and the songs had to be changed. He recorded after in 1931 for Paramount Records with a group called "The New Orleans Nehi Boys", which had a guitarist called Charles Taylor.

paragraphs: Bracey has recorded 16 songs in all, the original copies of his 78-rpm records are some of the most valuable things in blues collecting history. "Trouble Hearted Blues" and "Left Alone Blues" are his best known songs.


title: Bundesfinanzhof

paragraphs: The Bundesfinanzhof or "Federal Finance Court" is one of the federal supreme courts of Germany. It is the final court of appeals for cases about tax and customs law. It hears cases from the "Finanzgerichte" (Finance Courts).

paragraphs: The "Federal Finance Court" was first created in 1918. It has its headquarters in Munich, Bavaria.


title: Hot Club de Paris

paragraphs: Hot Club de Paris are a band which came from Liverpool, United Kingdom. They are signed to the London-based Moshi Moshi Records, a record company, and released their debut album "Drop It 'Til It Pops" in October 2006. Their second album, "Live at Dead Lake", was released in June 2008.

paragraphs: The band formed in early 2004 after band members Matthew and Paul met in 2003 working at Chester racecourse. It's other members were playing in different bands in the Liverpool music scene including street punkers Down and Outs and new wave popsters Victor FME.

paragraphs: They both loved American punk rock bands (Minutemen, Firehose, SST Records bands etc.) and they became interested in math rock and experimental indie bands which influenced their music a lot. They signed to Moshi Moshi Records in 2005, and have since toured around the world to support the release of their debut record.

paragraphs: They have been shown on a number of music-based TV shows in the UK and their record played airplay on a number of radio stations including BBC Radio1, BBC 6 Music and XFM, whose DJ John Kennedy has championed the band. Kennedy claimed that their debut album is 'one of the best of 2006'.

paragraphs: They have toured with a number of bands including Jamie T, Maxïmo Park and The Who.

paragraphs: They played at the 2007 SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas and have toured in the UK, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, France, Sweden, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, Holland and India.

paragraphs: They recorded their second album ("Live at Dead Lake") in Chicago with Brian Deck. Brian Deck has previously produced Iron and Wine and Modest Mouse. It was released in 2008.

paragraphs: They released two EPs in 2010: "With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work?" and "The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band". Tracks from these EPs were released on the album "Free The Pterodactyl Three" in 2011.

paragraphs: Hot Club De Paris have released several tracks on compilation albums, including "Can You Hear Me Clearly?", on Moshi Moshi records, and a rare CDR release "Munkyfest v7.0", released by the organisers of the "Munkyfest" festival.


Willie Brown


title: Willie Brown (musician)

paragraphs: Willie Brown (August 6, 1900 - December 30, 1952) was an American guitarist and singer. He played with Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson.

paragraphs: Brown was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

paragraphs: He was known to be shy and only wanting to accompany other musicians rather than play lead guitar. Robert Johnson called him "my friend boy Willie Brown".

paragraphs: Brown is heard playing on the Paramount label sessions of 1930. He played "M & O Blues" and "Future Blues". He also played songs with Son House and Charlie Patton. There are also rumours that he played with Luke Thomson and Thomas "Clubfoot" Coles. At least four other songs he recorded for Paramount have never been found.

paragraphs: Brown also played a song during the Great Depression for the Library of Congress called "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor".

paragraphs: A song called "Rowdy blues" was thought to have Brown playing on rhythm guitar since he played another song ("Future Blues") on the same album ("Son House & The Great Delta Blues Singers").

paragraphs: He died of heart disease in Tunica, Mississippi at the age of 52.


title: Sid Wilson

paragraphs: Sidney George "Sid" Wilson (born January 20, 1977) is an American musician and member of Slipknot. In Slipknot he is known as #0. He is known as the craziest member of Slipknot because of his over-the-top antics, such as jumping into the audience and moshing along with them, hitting himself with the custom percussion instruments, and walking on top of the crowd. He also performs as DJ Starscream.

paragraphs: His injuries include breaking both of his heels. He likes the television series "Transformers" and takes his DJ name "Starscream" from one of its characters. He also has tattoos of the characters. In Slipknot he wears a metallic style mask with lighting up eyes and moving eyebrows and mouth.


title: Mahamudra

paragraphs: Mahamudra (Sanskrit: "great seal") is an advanced form of meditation in Buddhism. It is practiced by the Kagyu, Gelug and Sakya schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

paragraphs: The Bön and Nyingma schools practice a different advanced form of meditation called Dzogchen.


title: Discount store

paragraphs: A discount store is a type of department store, which sell products at prices lower than traditional retail outlets. Most discount department stores offer wide assortments of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, vape supplies or electrical appliances. Discount department stores are more popular in the United States than other countries.


title: Second Temple

paragraphs: The Second Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש meaning 'Holy House') was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BC and 70 AD. It is also known as Herod's Temple. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Second Temple on August 4, 70 A.D.


title: Temple in Jerusalem

paragraphs: The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (, transliterated "Bet HaMikdash", which means literally "The Holy House") stood on the Temple Mount "(Har HaBayit)" in the old city of Jerusalem. According to classical Jewish belief, it was the "footstool" of God's presence in the physical world. It was the place where Jews brought all the offerings described in the Torah.

paragraphs: The First Temple, also called Solomon's Temple, was built by King Solomon in seven years during the 10th century BCE and has been dated astronomically to 957 BCE. It was the center of ancient Judaism. This first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. A new temple was built from 535 BCE to 516 BCE. That was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. All of the outer walls still stand, although the Temple itself has long since been destroyed.

paragraphs: The Islamic Dome of the Rock has stood on the site of the Temple since the late 7th Century CE. The al-Aqsa Mosque, from roughly the same period, also stands on the Temple courtyard.


title: Mean Girls

paragraphs: Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy movie starring Lindsay Lohan.

paragraphs: It's about a teenage girl, Cady Heron, who used to be home schooled in Africa but moves to the United States and has to go to a normal high school in Evanston, Illinois. On her first day at school, she hates it. She thinks it is a bit weird because she cannot go to the toilet when she wants, cannot write in green ink and has to stay in the same seat everytime she goes into a lesson. On the second day it becomes more successful as she makes new friends, Janice and Damian. When they skip a lesson, Janice and Damian give her a map of the school eating area. It is arranged into different sorts of people and their personalities. At lunch time Cady is on her way to sit with her new friends but is interrupted, then Regina, Gretchen and Karen ("The Plastics") ask her to sit with them and so she sits with them.

paragraphs: Soon, Cady joins the Plastics, and Janice devises a plan to shatter them. Cady convinces Regina to eat these bars that will make her gain weight instead of lose weight.

paragraphs: However, Cady gets too much into the Plastics, and throws a party at her parents' house without their permission. She tries to hook up with Regina's boyfriend, but he does not like her because she's just like a Plastic now. Janice tells Cady that she's just one of the Plastics now. Low grades in calculus class force Cady to rethink her plans. She joins the decathlon team.

paragraphs: "Mean Girls 2" was released in 2011 on DVD. None of the actors from "Mean Girls" were in it apart from Tim Meadows.


title: French Open

paragraphs: The French Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is played in Paris, France. The first competition was held in 1891.

paragraphs: The French Open is known for being the only Grand Slam played on a clay court. On a clay court the ball bounces much slower and higher than on hard or grass courts. This makes it more difficult to win the point and rallies (the number of shots in a point) usually last longer. Players that excel on clay courts are called "clay-court specialists".

paragraphs: The tournament is played for two weeks. It starts in late May and finishes in early June.

paragraphs: Sometimes, the French Open is called the Roland Garros tournament. Roland Garros was a well-known aviator from World War I who had the main tennis court named after him.

paragraphs: The singles winners in 2016 were Novak Djokovic and Garbiñe Muguruza. The singles winners in 2015 were Stan Wawrinka and Serena Williams.


title: Sam Chatmon

paragraphs: Sam Chatmon (January 10 1897 - February 2 1983), was a guitarist and singer.

paragraphs: Chatmon was born in Bolton, Mississippi.

paragraphs: Chatmon had a very musical family, all of them lived in Mississippi. Two of Sam's brothers, fiddler Lonnie Chatmon and guitarist Bo Carter, performed with guitarist Walter Vinson as the Mississippi Sheiks. Chatmon himself was a member of the family's string band when he was young. He performed all the time for white audiences in the 1900s.

paragraphs: Chatmon played the banjo, mandolin, harmonica and the guitar. He played at parties and on street corners in Mississippi for money and tips. In the 1930s he recorded songs with his brothers.

paragraphs: Chatmon moved to Hollandale, Mississippi in the early 1940s and worked on plantations in Hollandale. He started playing again in 1960, playing mostly blues music. In the same year, he recorded songs for Arhoolie Records. He went on tours in the 1960s and 1970s and played for many festivals such as the Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. in 1972, the Mariposa Fest in Toronto in 1974, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1976.


title: Medicine wheel

paragraphs: A medicine wheel is a stone structure built by the natives of North America for spiritual and ritual purposes.

paragraphs: They appear mostly in Alberta, Canada. They were built by laying out stones in a circular pattern. They often look like a wagon wheel laying flat. They could be large, reaching up to 75 feet across.

paragraphs: Medicine wheels are still used today in the Native American traditions. However, the meaning is usually not shared outside the tribe.


title: Stone structure

paragraphs: Stone structures, or "megaliths", have been built by men for thousands of years. Many of these structures were built around the same time (the 3rd millennium BC).


title: Megalith

paragraphs: A megalith is a large stone used to build a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic means structures made of such large stones, put together without the use of mortar or cement.

paragraphs: The word "megalith" comes from the Ancient Greek ' "megas" meaning "great", and ' "lithos" meaning "stone". It has been used to describe stone structures built by people from many parts of the world living in many different times. Many megaliths were used to figure out the dates of the solstices and equinoxes.

paragraphs: These structures were built mainly in the Neolithic period. They continued to be built into the Bronze Age. Some were built even earlier in the Mesolithic period.

paragraphs: A famous example of a megalith is Stonehenge.


title: Moshi Moshi Records

paragraphs: Moshi Moshi Records is a small London-based independent record label that has released music by the bands such as The Rakes, Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Hot Club De Paris, Kate Nash, Junkboy, Architecture in Helsinki, Tilly and the Wall, Yeti, and its newest release is from a group called Au Revoir Simone. Mates Of State is the Moshi Moshi's 50th release.

paragraphs: It is named after the Japanese telephone greeting "Moshi Moshi" ().


title: Joey Jordison

paragraphs: Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (b. April 26, 1975) is an American musician. He was the drummer for the band Slipknot. In Slipknot, he was known as #1. He is also the guitarist for Murderdolls.


title: Richard Cromwell

paragraphs: Richard Cromwell (4 October 1626 – 12 July 1712) was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and the second Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, for little over eight months, from 3 September 1658 until 25 May 1659. Richard Cromwell's enemies called him "Tumbledown Dick" and "Queen Dick".

paragraphs: Richard Cromwell was not suited to ruling the country. He followed his father as ruler only because he was Oliver's oldest living son, and people expected one of Oliver's sons to follow him. After a short time, he gave up power and he knew that many of the people wanted King Charles II to come back from Holland and rule the country. When it was agreed that Charles would return, Richard thought it would be best for him to leave Britain, and he went to live in France for a while. He changed his name to "John Clarke" and travelled around Europe, not returning home for twenty years. When he came back, he lived quietly outside London for the rest of his life.

paragraphs: It is possible that the nursery rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock" is actually about Richard Cromwell. One of Richard's nicknamess was Hickory Dick. The mouse in the rhyme runs down when the clock strikes one and Cromwell only reigned for one year.


title: Cipriano de Rore

paragraphs: Cipriano de Rore (born in Ronse, Flanders, 1515 or 1516; died Parma, September 1565) was a composer who lived in the Renaissance period. He was Flemish, but spent all his adult life in Italy. The name de Rore is a proper Flemish name, not a name that has been changed to look Italian. He was one of the most important composer of madrigals in the 16th century.

paragraphs: There is very little known about Rore's early life. He was born in a small town called Ronse (Renaix) in what is now Belgium. It is possible that he had music lessons in Antwerp. We think that he was taken to Italy by Margaret of Parma in 1533 as one of her servants. Margaret, who was an illegitimate daughter of Charles V, was very wealthy and she married into the Medici family. Rore probably continued to learn about music in Italy.

paragraphs: In his music publications de Rore is called a “disciple” of Adrian Willaert. We do not know whether this means that he had lessons from Willaert, or just that he learned to compose by studying Willaert’s music. His first book of madrigals was published in 1542, and then two books of motets were published.

paragraphs: In 1546 Rore went to Ferrara, where he was "maestro di cappella" (choirmaster) He wrote a great deal of music in Ferrara. He worked for the Duke Ercole II d'Este. He composed masses, motets, chansons, and lots of madrigals, some of which were about things that happened in the court at Ferrara. The duke awarded him an important honour. Rore also wrote music for Albrecht V of Bavaria who lived in Munich.

paragraphs: He left his job in Ferrara and went back to Flanders where he found his home town Ronse had been destroyed in a war. He went back to Ferrara, but could not get his old job back. After another visit to Flanders he returned to Italy and got a job in Parma, but the music in that town was not very good. For a short time he had a very important job of

paragraphs: "maestro di cappella" at St. Mark's. Adrian Willaert had just died. However, Rore only kept this job for a year, returning to Parma in 1564 and dying there the next year.

paragraphs: Rore is best known for his Italian madrigals, but he also wrote a lot of church music, including masses and motets. He learned from studying the music of Josquin. His madrigals are based on the style of Willaert. He enjoyed writing thick counterpoint and making the voices imitate one another a lot. Most of the words he set were serious words, not lighthearted and amusing. He often used chromaticism. He developed his musical style a lot during his lifetime. His music was very important in the development of the Italian madrigal, and it led the way to the madrigals of Monteverdi.


title: Flemish language

paragraphs: Flemish is a language. It is a type of Dutch which is spoken by people in Belgium. It is the same as Dutch, but there are some typical words added. Dutch became the official language of the northern part of Belgium in 1938.

paragraphs: The biggest difference from Dutch is the pronunciation.


title: 1965 Yerevan Demonstrations

paragraphs: The 1965 Yerevan Demonstrations were a 24-hour mass protest in Yerevan, Armenian SSR on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It is said that this event constitutes the first step in the struggle for the recognition of the 1915 genocide.

paragraphs: On April 24, 1965, for the first time for any such demonstration in the entire Soviet Union, one million protesters held a 24-hour demonstration in front of the Opera House, and demanded that the Soviet Union government officially recognize the Armenian Genocide committed by the Young Turks in the Ottoman Empire, and build a memorial in Armenia's capital city of Yerevan to perpetuate the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

paragraphs: Many committed intellectuals, such as Silva Kaputikyan, had made impassioned pleas to the authorities in Moscow. The memorial, on Tsitsernakaberd hill, was completed in 1967.

paragraphs: Following the example of this high-profile demonstration, similar protests were made throughout the world, in whichever country the Armenian Diaspora exists. Since the day of the protests, Armenians to this day visit the memorial and make protests around the world to gain acceptance of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey.


title: Armenian Revolutionary Army

paragraphs: The Armenian Revolutionary Army (ARA) was a paramilitary organization. Its last attack occurred in 1985.

paragraphs: 5 Armenian gunmen (known as "Lisbon Five") attacked the Turkish embassy in Lisbon in 27 July, 1983. The first Armenian was killed by security guards at the start of the attack. The wife and the son of Osman Ozturk, the Turkish chargé d'affaires, and a Portuguese policeman also died in the assault, 4 people were injured. Portugal's Interior Minister Eduardo Perella said the government received intelligence information "that Armenian groups might attack Wednesday and beefed up security at diplomatic missions".

paragraphs: The Armenian Revolutionary Army claimed responsibility for attack.

paragraphs: In a message dropped in the mailbox of The Associated Press office in Lisbon, the group said: "We have decided to blow up this building and remain under the collapse. This is not suicide... but rather our sacrifice to the altar of freedom". The group said the attack had been carried out because "Turkey and its allies refused to acknowledge the genocide of Armenians".


title: Thin film transistor liquid crystal display

paragraphs: A thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) is a technology which is used in LCD monitor and television displays. TFT technology can be used to give one of the clearest pictures of any flat screen display and it uses much less electricity than older screens. TFT displays are very fragile because they are made as thin and light as possible but this means they need far less space. Widescreen Displays (which have an aspect ratio of 16:9) are becoming the most popular form of television and monitor displays. Standard format (which have an aspect ratio of 4:3) was the most popular for a long time.

paragraphs: The number of pixels in a display screen is called the resolution.

paragraphs: The word resolution means the solution of a problem. Better resolution on a display screen describes how detailed a picture can be displayed. Each pixel is another detail on the screen. This is normally described as two numbers, (width) x (height).

paragraphs: TFT dislays are also known as flatscreen, flat-panel, and liquid crystal display (LCD) but these types are not always TFTs.

paragraphs: TFT displays are made with a special chemical technology called chemical vapor deposition. With this special technology very thin glass can be coated with electrically metal and still be transparent. Chemical vapor deposition makes the thinnest computer and television display screens possible.

paragraphs: Most display screens have hundreds of thousands of pixels. Each pixel has to be set to the right colour (most display screens are capable of 16 million colours in each pixel). To make a clear picture, the screen might need to make millions of calculations. Any group of pixels that change to the same colour can be changed with one calculation, making the calculations much smaller. For example, if the picture to display was just a white screen, the screens processor would only calculate the colour once and use the same calculation for the whole screen. Changing one pixel at a time would take many more calculations. If the same picture was shown many times on the screen, the processor would calculate the picture once and then repeat it in whatever position and in different sizes, if needed. The processor can make very complicated calculations, but in the end it does less work. This is called rendering technology. Rendering technology in the most modern displays is like making a .

paragraphs: A display with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels has four times the number of pixels in an 800 x 600 resolution. Without rendering technology the 1600 x 1200 display would do four times as much work as an 800 x 600 display so rendering technology is very useful to make a bigger display with some of the same parts used to make a smaller display.

paragraphs: The response time is the length of time it takes between the processor receiving a signal from the computer or the television station and displaying something on the screen. Today's displays have a very low response time (very fast). It is hard to see response times but they can affect a clear picture. A low response time is best for clear pictures when playing games and watching movies on the screen. For office work and internet a fast response time is less important.

paragraphs: TFT response time is measured as the average time it takes to change the pixels from one shade of grey to another shade of grey.

paragraphs: Changing a pixel between colours takes more time than changing from black to white on a display screen. TFT is very fast for changing between colours which is more important for movies and games.

paragraphs: At one time, there were some positive advantages of CRT displays, which are no longer true:

paragraphs: TN is an abbreviation for Twisted Nematic. This is a new kind of TFT technology. They offer higher resolutions (more pixels). TN panels have a lower response time (they react faster).

paragraphs: Since this article was written, there have been further developments in the technology of producing LCD displays. For more info, the main Wikipedia page on may have more up-to-date and further details.


title: Jenkem

paragraphs: Jenkem is an alleged drug that was supposedly invented in poor parts of Africa.

paragraphs: When it is ready to be used, it is a gas. It is created from feces left in a container to ferment for a long time.

paragraphs: When breathed in, Jenkem makes the person see crazy things. It is like a crazy dream, the person imagines things happening that are not really happening. The person may also hear sounds that are not really there. This is called a hallucination. Jenkem is also used to make a person happy. Because it is made out of fermented waste (or old feces), it is also very stinky.

paragraphs: Some say it is as if you have a curtain in front of you.

paragraphs: Because Jenkem is human waste and is inhaled (huffing), the person can get an infection because of the dirt and germs in the waste.

paragraphs: Jenkem also contains methane, which is explosive and flammable.


title: US Open (tennis)

paragraphs: The US Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is played in Queens, New York City in the USA. It is run by United States Tennis Association. The tournament has been played on three different surfaces:

paragraphs: The tournament was first played in 1881 for men, and 1887 for women. In 2006, the U.S. Open became the first Grand Slam to use Hawk-Eye. Hawk-Eye is a machine that can give a virtual replay of the shot that has just been played - this is useful for seeing if the ball was in or out. When a player does not agree with the umpire, they can ask to use Hawk-Eye. As of 2007, the other three Grand Slams use this machine too.

paragraphs: The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the year and is played over two weeks, in late August and early September.


title: Mobile device

paragraphs: A mobile device is an electronic device which its user can easily carry with them. Typical examples are a mobile phone, PDA and handheld game consoles. Mobile devices do not need an external power supply to work. Usually, they have a battery to hold electricity to work without electric wires. A user can change, send and move data by connecting to a modem or cable, or more often wirelessly.

paragraphs: Uses for these devices include reading and writing e-mails, surfing in the internet and listening to music. Smartphones, tablets and similar complicated mobile devices can run computer programs including computer games, and have many of the functions of a desktop PC.

paragraphs: Mobile devices can be classified by size and capabilities:


title: Tor (software)

paragraphs: Tor is a group of computer servers that keep users anonymous on the Internet. It works by moving data across many Tor servers, called "hops". The role of each server is to only move that data to another server. With the final hop moving data to the end site. As a result, information transmitted in this way is hard to trace.

paragraphs: Tor is also the name that some people give to the web browser used to access the Tor server, the Tor Browser Bundle. The browser is actually a specific version of Mozilla Firefox that has been changed so that it is extremely safe and secure.

paragraphs: Tor is used to hide Internet users. People who run the Tor network run a network of onion routers. This makes the location of the user secret. Services can also be hosted from "secret" locations using the Tor "Hidden services" feature. A hidden service is an anonymous website that search engines like Google don't know about, and it uses an Onion address as its URL. Onion addresses are URLs that looks like 16 random letters and numbers and ends with codice_1. People usually use the Tor browser to go to those sites.

paragraphs: The Tor network can be used for purposes that are against the law in some places. This can be criticizing leaders of state, P2P sharing of copyrighted files, moving child pornography., or buying and selling illegal drugs.


title: Damage deposit

paragraphs: A damage deposit or deposit is a sum of money that is paid when one rents an item. It is paid to ensure the owner that it is returned in good condition. It is very common with rented accommodation. There it may also be called a tenancy deposit or in some places a tenancy bond.

paragraphs: The owner of the item (the landlord in the case of accommodation) will take a sum of money from the person(s) renting the item (the tenant). If the item is returned in good condition at the end of the tenancy the owner should return the deposit. If the item is returned with damage the cost of repairing that damage may be charged against the deposit, and part (or none) of the deposit will be returned.


Accommodation


title: Lodging

paragraphs: Lodging or holiday accommodation is a type of accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging mainly for sleeping. Other purposes are safety, shelter from cold and rain, and to have a place to store luggage and being able to take a shower.

paragraphs: They do that in a hotel, hostel or hostal, a private home (for example, a bed and breakfast or guest house place), in a tent, or a caravan/camper (often on a campsite).

paragraphs: Lodging may also refer to when cereal crops fall over, often due to wind or rain pressure, making grain harvest difficult.


title: Republic of Venice

paragraphs: The Most Serene Republic of Venice (, ), was an Italian state where current Venice is now. It existed for one thousand one hundred years, from the late 7th century until the late 18th century (1797, when it was conquered by Napoleon). It was an important economic and trading power which was ruled by a leader called a doge.


title: Mindroling Monastery

paragraphs: Mindroling Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Nyingma school in Tibet. It was founded by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa in 1676. Tendrak Lingpa's lineage is known as the "Nyo" lineage. "Mindroling" in Tibetan means "Place of Perfect Freedom". It is near Lhasa on the south side of the Tsangpo river.

paragraphs: Mindroling was damaged in 1718 by the Dzungar Mongols from East Turkistan.

paragraphs: It was built again during the life of the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso (1708-1757).

paragraphs: Mindroling Monastery has a university. Nyingma scholars and yogis from all over Tibet studied there. The students studied Buddhist scriptures, astronomy, Tibetan lunar calendar, calligraphy, rhetoric, and Traditional Tibetan medicine. Monks studied thirteen major "sutra" and "tantra" texts of the Nyingma. They also learned from found teachings called "terma". The head of the school was very important in Tibet.

paragraphs: At the time of the 1959 revolt against Chinese Communist rule in Central Tibet, there were around 300 monks at Mindroling. In the years after 1959, the monastery again was damaged, but not as badly as other monasteries such as Ganden. Now, the monastery is still being rebuilt .

paragraphs: In 1965, His Eminence Khochhen Rinpoche and a small group of monks started a new Mindroling monastery located near the hill town of Dehra Dun in Uttarakhand state, India. It now contains Ngagyur Nyingma College, one of the largest Buddhist institutes in India.


title: Royal Mail

paragraphs: Royal Mail is a postal service company in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. It was established as early as 1516. The British Government formerly owned it and since 2013 own 30% of it.


title: Body dysmorphic disorder

paragraphs: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness where people think they look different to how they really look. People are usually said to have BDD if they are extremely critical of their body, even though there may be nothing noticeably wrong with it. If there is something wrong with their body, it is usually so small that a person without BDD would not be unhappy about it at all. People claim that they are insecure, but BDD is far worse.

paragraphs: Most people without BDD may not like some parts of their body, but people with BDD believe that they are so ugly, even though they are not, that they find it difficult to talk or exist with other people, or live normally, scared that other people will be mean to them because of the way they look. People with BDD often do not look for help because they are afraid others will think they are just vain, or they may feel too embarrassed to talk to other people as they think they are so ugly.

paragraphs: BDD is a somatoform disorder. People with BDD may look at themselves in the mirror too much, or some people with BDD may actually try not to look in the mirror. Both of these are possible for a person with BDD. They usually think about their body for more than one hour per day, and in bad cases, can stop talking to other people, and may stay at home. People with BDD often have very low self-confidence, because they believe that a person's value is linked to what they look like, and because they do not think that they are beautiful themselves, they do not think they have much value.

paragraphs: Sigmund Freud had an important Russian person (Sergei Pankejeff) with him in the past, who would have been classified as having the disorder in modern times. Freud named him "The Wolf Man", to protect Pankejeff's identity. Pankejeff was so unhappy with his nose that he could not live a normal life.

paragraphs: It is unknown what the full cause of BDD is. However, research shows that a number of things may be the cause:

paragraphs: "The chemicals in the brain." If the amount of serotonin is too low, one of the brain's neurotransmitters which gives us 'mood' and 'pain', may help cause body dysmorphic disorder. Scientists can not explain this chemical problem in the brain, but it may be hereditary (passed down from parents to child).

paragraphs: "Obsessive-compulsive disorder." Many people with BDD also have OCD, where the person does things without wanting to. If people have had, or have a genetic link to OCD, the person may be more likely to have BDD.

paragraphs: "Generalized anxiety disorder." Many people with BDD also have generalized anxiety disorder. This disorder is where the person worries about things a lot, which makes them have anxiety about things in their life, for example, about their body, as in BDD.

paragraphs: BDD usually develops in adolescence, a time when people usually worry about their appearance the most. However, many people with BDD suffer for years before they look for help. When they do look for help to Doctors, people with the problem often say they have other problems, for example, depression, social anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, but do not say their real problem is with the way they look. Most patients can not be convinced that the problem they have with their body is only 'imagined', and that they are seeing a 'changed' view of themselves, because people do not know much about BDD, compared to other mental problems, for example OCD or others.

paragraphs: The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) IV says that a person must have the things written below if they have BDD:

paragraphs: A person with BDD will often do these things:

paragraphs: Dr. Katharine Philips did research, with more than 500 people with BDD, on the percentage of patients unhappy with the most common parts of the body;

paragraphs: source: "The Broken Mirror", Katharine A Philips, Oxford University Press, 2005 ed, p56

paragraphs: However, people with BDD often are unhappy about more than one part of their body.

paragraphs: A German study has shown that 1-2% of the population has complete BDD, but a bigger percentage of people show some of the effects ("Psychological Medicine", vol 36, p 877).

paragraphs: The number of men and women with BDD is around the same, but there are slightly more women with it. However, the number of men and women who go to the doctor with it are the same.

paragraphs: Studies show that BDD is common non-clinical places and clinical places. Research was done on 200 people with DSM-IV BDD. These people were aged 12 and older. They were interviewed. The people with BDD were found from 'mental-health doctors', advertisements, their friends and family, and non-psychiatrist physicians. 53 of the 200 people were receiving medication, 33 were receiving psychotherapy, and 48 were receiving both medication and psychotherapy. How bad each person's BDD was, was assessed using the "Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale", modified for BDD. Symptoms were assessed with the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination. Both tests were made just for BDD. The results showed that BDD is in 0.7% - 1.1% of community samples and 2%-13% of non-clinical samples. 13% of psychiatric patients had BDD. Research also found that some of the patients who were firstly diagnosed with OCD, also had BDD. 53 patients with OCD and 53 patients with BDD were compared to each other in research. Clinical features, comorbidity, family history, and population features were compared between the two groups. 9 of the 62 subjects (14.5%) of those with OCD also had BDD.

paragraphs: In most examples, BDD is not found even when people have it. In research done on 17 patients with BDD, BDD was 'found' in only five patients, and none of the patients had a proper diagnosis of BDD even though they all in fact had BDD.

paragraphs: BDD can cause only a few problems for some people. However, for other people, it can cause many problems.

paragraphs: It can make it very difficult to have a normal job or family life. People who have a job or a family to care for would definitely find life easier and better if they did not have BDD. The love partners of BDD people can also suffer, as they may sometimes lose their loved one to suicide. Friendship, romance, and family is very hard to hold for a person with BDD, as the unhappiness with the looks of the person takes over their life, so they often do not bother with the other aspects of life as much. Also, the BDD stops the person from making these 'bonds' with people, as they always feel scared about the way they look, and therefore find it difficult to be themself with other people.

paragraphs: People with BDD may often have little motivation for anything. This means that BDD people can appear to take a long time to get everything done. However, this is not exactly true, because BDD sufferers will often just stop what they were doing for a long time, so it is not just that they are slow, but find it difficult to concentrate on what they are doing. without being able to actually motivate themselves until it becomes completely necessary to get back up. This low amount of motivation can be in all parts of a person's life, for example, school, friends, love, family, or work.

paragraphs: However, when the person is trying to do things to the way they look, such as combing their hair, or choosing clothes, it is common for the person to have an extreme motivation. Therefore, people with BDD can sometimes not feel motivated for anything in their life, but when they are working on their looks, they will have an extreme motivation that is not normal either.

paragraphs: People with BDD have a very high suicide rate compared to all mental problems.

paragraphs: Phillips & Menard did a lot of research in 2006 about BDD suicides.

paragraphs: Some people say that there is a link between undiagnosed BDD and a higher than average suicide rate with people who had cosmetic surgery.

paragraphs: Another condition, Gender identity disorder (GID), where the person finds his or her gender as a male or female uncomfortable, often has BDD-like feelings that are only directed at the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics on their body, which disagree with the person's perception of their own gender since birth. People with GID may also have BDD-like traits or their condition may be mis-diagnosed as BDD. Most studies reported a pre- transition GID suicide attempt rate of 20% or more. The suicide attempt rate for patients with BDD is 15%. No studies are available showing overlap between GID and BDD suicide rate because BDD is excluded as a condition prior to GID diagnosis.

paragraphs: BDD and GID are different conditions. One of the key differences is the fact that BDD responds to psychopharmacology, whereas GID does not. Furthermore, psychopharmacology or psychotherapy are often successful in convincing the BDD sufferer that their perceptions are distorted. Those with GID are rarely convinced that they are mistaken. GID (especially "transsexualism") also often manifests during early childhood, rather than during adolescence. It is standard practice in treating BDD to convince sufferers that surgical procedures are not necessary because eradicating their first perceived defect through surgery will only make them start obsessing about their next perceived defect, whereas those people properly diagnosed as "transsexual" under GID benefit greatly from surgical procedures specifically targeted at their primary or secondary sex characteristics. However, a person with GID may also have BDD if they obsess over perceived defects on their body that contradict or go beyond their gender identity.

paragraphs: BDD is often wrongly thought of as a 'vanity' obsession, but it is actually the opposite, because people with BDD believe they are very ugly, even though people without BDD do not think they are. There is not usually actually anything wrong with the way the person with BDD looks, but to that person, there is. A person with BDD can spend hours looking in the mirror, but they are not being vain, as they do not think they are attractive. People with BDD usually realize that worrying about their looks so much is bad, but they can not help it.

paragraphs: ALSO a person with BDD may alternatively avoid mirrors at all costs. Or any reflective surfaces for that matter. Including spoons, windows, mirrors, etc.

paragraphs: Research found that talking as therapy, has not worked to stop BDD. However, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been found to be more effective. In a study of 54 patients with BDD, some of them had Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and some had no treatment. BDD symptoms decreased a lot in those patients undergoing CBT. BDD was eliminated in 82% of cases at post treatment and 77% at follow-up. (8) Due to low levels of serotonin in the brain, another commonly used treatment is SSRI drugs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor). 74 subjects were enrolled in a placebo controlled study group to evaluate the efficiency of fluoxetine hydrochloride, a SSRI drug. Patients were randomized to receive 12-weeks of double-blind treatment with fluoxetine or the placebo. At the end of 12 weeks, 53% of patients responded to the fluoxetine.

paragraphs: Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a chronic disease that has symptoms that never subside. Instead, they get worse as time goes on. Without treatment, BDD could last a lifetime. In many cases, as illustrated in The Broken Mirror by Katharine Phillips, the social lives of many patients disintegrates because they are so preoccupied with their appearance.


title: Bed and breakfast

paragraphs: Bed & breakfast means a stay in a private home when travelling abroad.


title: James Cotton

paragraphs: James "Jimmy" Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017), was an American blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He was an orphan.

paragraphs: Cotton first became interested in playing music when he heard Sonny Boy Williamson on the radio. He left his home to find Sonny Boy Williamson, and when he found him (in West Helena, Arkansas), Williamson took him in and raised him. Blues singer Bobby Bland was his half-brother.

paragraphs: Cotton first began playing the blues harp in Williamson's band, called Howlin Wolf's. After one gig, Sonny Boy quit the band to live with his wife in Milwaukee. He left the band in Cotton's hands. Cotton said, "He just gave it to me. But I couldn't hold it together 'cause I was too young and crazy in those days an' everybody in the band was grown men, so much older than me."

paragraphs: Cotton started working with the Muddy Waters Band in 1955. He performed songs like "I Got My Mojo Working" and "She's Nineteen Years Old". After leaving Muddy's band in 1966, Cotton toured with Janis Joplin. Alone, Cotton wrote classic songs like "Cotton Crop Blues", "Rocket 88" and "Hold Me In Your Arms". He formed the James Cotton Blues Band in 1967. They performed all of Cotton's classics and more.

paragraphs: Cotton died at a medical center in Austin, Texas from pneumonia on March 16, 2017 at the age of 81.

paragraphs: Cotton played harmonica on Muddy Water's Grammy Award winning 1977 album "Hard Again". James Cotton's band would also get nominated for two Grammy Awards. The first one was for his 1984 release, "Live From Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself!". His second for "Take Me Back".

paragraphs: Cotton played with the following people:


title: Accommodation (eye)

paragraphs: Accommodation is the way the eye increases optical power (the degree to which the lens converges or diverges light). This is necessary to produce a clear image (focus) on an object when it draws near the eye. A lens that is more convex( fatter in the middle) would refract more light rays than a less convex lens (thinner lens). The lens can change shape because the cells of the lens contain an elastic crystalline protein. The young human eye can change focus from distance to seven centimeters from the eye in 350 milliseconds.

paragraphs: The eye focuses on a given object by changing the shape of the eye lens through accommodation. This is controlled by ciliary muscle,which surrounds the lens.


title: Focus (optics)

paragraphs: In geometrical optics, a focus (also called an image point) is the point where light rays that come from a point on the object converge (come together).

paragraphs: In reality the focus is never a point but a small spot called the "blur circle".

paragraphs: An image, or image point or region, is in focus if light from object points is converged almost as much as possible in the image, and out of focus if light is not well converged.


title: Vich, Switzerland

paragraphs: Vich is a municipality in Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

paragraphs: The Plainisphare record label is in Vich.

paragraphs: Vich once had a paleolithic village (which are about 2.5 million years old) on it. There are also clues that it was lived on during the Bronze Age. There is also a Roman paved road running through it from Nyon to Orbe.

paragraphs: Vich was controlled by many people. It belonged to the lords of Besançon to Cossonay, Prangins and Savoy.

paragraphs: In 1536 the canton of Vaud was taken by the Bernese who kept it until 1798 when the canton was freed by the French revolutionary troops. In 1803, Vich joined the Swiss Confederation.


title: Ludiano

paragraphs: Ludiano is a former municipality of the district Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 1 April 2012 the former municipalities of Ludiano, Malvaglia and Semione merged to form the new municipality of Serravalle.


title: Lugaggia

paragraphs: Lugaggia was a municipality of the district Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 20 April 2008 the former municipalities of Bidogno, Corticiasca and Lugaggia joined together and became the municipality of Capriasca.


title: Lugano

paragraphs: Lugano (Latin language: "Luganum") is a city of the district Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

paragraphs: Since 2004 the former municipalities of Breganzona, Cureggia, Davesco-Soragno, Gandria, Pambio-Noranco, Pazzallo, Pregassona and Viganello were incorporated into the city. In 2008, they were followed by Barbengo, Carabbia and Villa Luganese. In 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Sonvico and Valcolla were incorporated into the city.


title: Lumino

paragraphs: Lumino is a municipality of the district Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.


title: Egyptian pyramids

paragraphs: The Pyramids of Egypt are among the largest structures ever built and are one of the most important examples of Ancient Egyptian civilisation. Most were built during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

paragraphs: The pyramid were mostly made of limestone. The top layers were casing blocks of especially good white limestone laid on top of the main blocks. Each casing block was then trimmed so that the outer surface of the pyramid would be smooth and white. Some capstones were covered with metal leaf.

paragraphs: The casing blocks from the Great Pyramid of Giza were all removed in the 14th and 15th centuries A.D. and used to build the city of Cairo. Some casing blocks still remain on the top of the pyramid next to Khufu's (belonging to Khafra).

paragraphs: The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. The pharaohs were buried in pyramids of different sizes from before the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom.

paragraphs: Three small pyramids were built on the eastern side of the great pyramid. These pyramids were built for Khufu's queens.

paragraphs: A small satellite pyramid was built near the queens' pyramids. Some experts believe that this may have been built as a symbolic tomb for Khufu's ka (spirit).

paragraphs: Surrounding the pyramid there are several hundred mastaba tombs of nobles. The nobles wanted to be buried close to their pharaoh so that they would stay close to him in the next life.

paragraphs: There are about eighty pyramids known today from ancient Egypt. The three largest and best-preserved of these were built at Giza in the Old Kingdom. The best-known of these pyramids was built for the pharaoh Khufu. It is known as the 'Great Pyramid'.

paragraphs: The following table lays out the dates of construction of most of the major pyramids. Each pyramid is identified by the pharaoh who ordered it built, their approximate reign and its place.


title: Andy Murray

paragraphs: Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British professional tennis player from Scotland, known as Andy Murray. He has been ranked as the number one British tennis player from 2006 to early 2018. He is now ranked #2 in the UK. Kyle Edmond is ranked #1 in the UK, and #17 in the ATP list (28 May 2018). From 7 November 2016 to 20 August 2017 Murray was number 1 in the world rankings. He is now ranked at 47 (28 May 2018).

paragraphs: Murray represents Great Britain in his sporting activities and is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, two-time Olympic champion and Davis Cup champion.

paragraphs: Murray was born in Glasgow. His brother is tennis player Jamie Murray.

paragraphs: As a junior, Murray won the US Open and reached the semi finals of the French Open. Murray turned professional in 2005.

paragraphs: Murray was given a Wild Card to Wimbledon and the US Open in 2005, where he lost in the third round to David Nalbandian at Wimbledon; and in the second round at the US Open. Murray claimed his first title in 2006 at the SAP Open as he beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final. He has appeared in 11 Grand Slam finals, winning three. The first time was in the 2008 US Open. The second time was in the 2010 Australian Open. Both times he lost to Roger Federer. The third time was in the 2011 Australian Open, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. The fourth time was in the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, when he lost to Roger Federer again. Murray won a gold medal in the singles of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, beating Federer in straight sets. Murray won the US Open singles later in 2012, defeating Novak Djokovic. In 2013, Murray won the Wimbledon singles, beating Djokovic 6–4, 7–5, 6–4. In 2016, he won the Wimbledon singles again, beating Milos Raonic 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 in the final. In August 2016, he won the gold medal in the singles at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

paragraphs: This table shows Murray's performance in each Grand Slam tournament in singles.


title: Old Kingdom of Egypt

paragraphs: The Old Kingdom is the name for Egypt during the 3rd millennium BC when the civilization of Egypt had its first peak. It was the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom).

paragraphs: Old Kingdom was the best by the Third Dynasty through to the Sixth Dynasty (2686 BC – 2134 BC). Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration centralized at Memphis. The Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline that is called the First Intermediate Period by Egyptologists.

paragraphs: The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was Memphis. During the Old Kingdom era the great pyramids were built to be burial tombs for the Pharaohs. Because Pharaohs were believed to be given authority from heaven, they wished to walk to Ra, their Sun-god, after death. King Zoser's adviser Inhotep designed the pyramid, hoping to easily reach Ra. The tombs were built on the west bank of the Nile where the sun seemed to set. For this reason, the Old Kingdom is sometimes called "The Age of the Pyramids."

paragraphs: Khufu, called Cheops, was the Pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid at Giza, near Cairo. He believed his soul never died, so they stored food, clothes, and things he owned in the rooms of the pyramid. The Great Pyramid is one of the Seven Wonders of the World: tall as a forty-story building, it took a hundred thousand men twenty years to build. With only ramps and physical energy, they had to move and lift into place 2,300,000 blocks of limestone that were about two and one-half tons apiece. Slaves, farmers, and gangs of men had to work on the Great Pyramid, and were paid with valuable things, not coins (Egyptians had no coins).

paragraphs: To guard the pyramids, a huge stone statue called the Great Sphinx was created and placed nearby. The Great Sphinx has a man's head and a lion's body, with paws 50 ft (15 m) long.

paragraphs: At last, the priests overthrew the Pharaohs. Then the nobles and priests ruled.


title: Memphis, Egypt

paragraphs: Memphis was the ancient capital of the first nome of Lower Egypt, and of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 2200 BC and later for shorter periods during the New Kingdom. It was an administrative centre throughout ancient history.

paragraphs: Its ancient Egyptian name was Ineb Hedj ("The White Walls"). The name "Memphis" () is the Greek of the Egyptian name of the pyramid of Pepi I (6th dynasty), which was Men-nefer, and became Menfe in Coptic. The modern cities and towns of Mit Rahina, Dahshur, Saqqara, Abusir, Abu Gorab, and Zawyet el'Aryan, south of Cairo, all lie within the administrative borders of historical Memphis ().

paragraphs: Memphis was also known in Ancient Egypt as Ankh Tawy ("That which binds the Two Lands") because of the strategic position of the city between Upper and Lower Egypt.

paragraphs: The ruins of Memphis are 20 km (12 miles) south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile.

paragraphs: In the Bible, Memphis is called Moph or Noph.


title: Nome (Egypt)

paragraphs: A Nome (from , “district”) was a administrative part of ancient Egypt. Nome is a Greek name, used late in Egypt's history; the Egyptian name was "sepat".

paragraphs: The division of ancient Egypt into nomes happened before 3100 BC. These nomes began as autonomous city-states, but later began to join together. According to ancient tradition, the ruler Menes finally joined all the nomes into a single kingdom.

paragraphs: The nomes remain in place for more than 3,000 years.

paragraphs: Lower Egypt, from the Old Kingdom capital Memphis to the Mediterranean Sea, had 20 nomes. The first was based around Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza, in the area occupied by modern-day Cairo. The nomes were numbered in a more or less orderly fashion south to north through the Nile delta. The numbering started in the west, and continued with the higher numbers in the east. Alexandria was in the Third Nome; Bubastis was in the Eighteenth.

paragraphs: Upper Egypt was divided into 22 nomes. The first of these was centered around Elephantine close to Egypt's border with Nubia at the First Cataract – the area of modern-day Aswan. From there the numbering progressed downriver in an orderly fashion along the narrow fertile strip of land that was the Nile valley. Waset (ancient Thebes or contemporary Luxor) was in the Fourth Nome, Amarna in the Fourteenth, and Meidum in the Twenty-First.

paragraphs: The nomes are listed in separate tables for Upper and Lower Egypt

paragraphs: Alan K. Bowman (1990). "Egypt After the Pharaohs". Oxford University Press.


title: Cataracts of the Nile

paragraphs: The cataracts of the Nile are areas between Aswan and Khartoum where the water is shallow and flows quickly. The surface is broken by numerous small boulders and stones that lie on the river bed, as well as many small rocky islets. This is called "rapids or "white water".

paragraphs: River cataracts often go with a rapid down-drop of the river. They block the waterway, since boats cannot safely carry cargo though.

paragraphs: The six first cataracts of the River Nile were the main obstacles for boats sailing on the Nile in antiquity. Counted upstream (from north to south), the First Cataract is in modern Egypt; the rest are in Sudan.

paragraphs: The word cataract comes from the Greek word "Katarakhtes" meaning "waterfall".

paragraphs: In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract. Further upstream, in what is modern Sudan, the land was later controlled by the Kingdom of Kush.

paragraphs: The cataract faces north, not south, because the river flows north, from Lake Victoria in the south.

paragraphs: The 1899 book "The River War" by Winston Churchill explains each of the cataracts.