title: Barilla Group

paragraphs: Barilla Group is a large Italian food company that makes pasta. They are the world's leading pasta maker. Barilla also provides pasta products to restaurants worldwide. They are the leading seller of bakery products in Italy. By purchasing the Swedish bakery company Wasabröd, they became the leading producer of in the world.

paragraphs: The company was founded in 1877 in Ponte Taro, Italy by Pietro Barilla. The company is privately held, and is now in the fourth generation of Barilla family ownership. It is controlled by three brothers, Chairman Guido Barilla, and Vice Chairmen Luca Barilla and Paolo Barilla.

paragraphs: Barilla Group has many production plants all over the world. These are in Italy, Greece, France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, the United States and Mexico. The company also operates mills in Italy, Greece, Sweden, Turkey, and the US, while its central office is in Parma, Italy. Barilla's trademarks are Wasabröd (in Sweden), Misko (in Greece), Filiz (in Turkey), Yemina and Vesta (in Mexico). The wheat used to make the final product is purchased from around the world.

paragraphs: In 2013 the owner of Barilla, Guido Barilla, made controversial remarks about being for traditional family values and not gays. In a few hours Twitter had hundreds of messages protesting the company. This made the brand Barilla one of the top topics. Many messages called for a boycott of all the company's products. Guido later apologized by saying, “I apologise if my words generated misunderstandings or arguments, or if they offended the sensibilities of some people. In the interview I simply wished to underline the central role the woman plays within the family.”

paragraphs: In November of 2013 the Barilla Group announced they would start a "more active, global leadership position on diversity, inclusion and social responsibility." This included creating a board of experts to advise Barilla on these sensitive issues. Barilla also created of a new position in the company, a Chief Diversity Officer.


title: Moda

paragraphs: Moda is a district in Kadıköy, Istanbul. Barış Manço pop singer lived here. Moda has a coast suitable for jogging. From Moda coast the beautiful image of Bosphorus can be seen.


title: Chinese poker

paragraphs: Chinese Poker is a poker variant that came from Asia. It is also called Russian Poker. It is usually played with two to four players; each player is dealt 13 cards, and then needs to create 3 poker hands from his cards.

paragraphs: The third hand must be the best hand (by the standard poker rankings). The third had must be better than the second hand. The second hand must be better than the first hand (the one with the 3 cards in it).


title: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

paragraphs: The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is one of the leading British orchestras. It is based in the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England. It became particularly famous during the years when it was conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

paragraphs: The orchestra was founded in 1920 by Neville Chamberlain, the man who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. At that time it was called City of Birmingham Orchestra. Appleby Matthews conducted its first concert. In November of the same year the composer Edward Elgar conducted the orchestra in a programme of his own music in Birmingham Town Hall. Adrian Boult was chief conductor from 1924 to 1930.

paragraphs: The CBO became a full-time organisation in 1944. It changed its name to the "City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra" (CBSO) in 1948. Chief conductors since then included Rudolf Schwarz and the composer Andrzej Panufnik.

paragraphs: The CBSO became internationally famous when Simon Rattle became chief conductor in 1980. The orchestra became known for their playing of late romantic and 20th century works, especially those of Sibelius and Gustav Mahler. During this period, the orchestra moved from Birmingham Town Hall to a new concert hall: the Symphony Hall, which was inside Birmingham's International Convention Centre.

paragraphs: Rattle was named music director of the CBSO in 1990. That same year, a new job was created for a composer who would be associated with the orchestra. It was called "Radcliffe Composer in Association", and the first person to have this post was Mark-Anthony Turnage. In 1995 Judith Weir became Fairbairn Composer in Association, followed in 2001 by Julian Anderson.

paragraphs: After Rattle gave up his job with the CBSO in 1998 and the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo became chief conductor that year, and music director in 1999.

paragraphs: In October 2007, the orchestra named the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons as the CBSO's 12th music director, starting with the 2008-2009 season.

paragraphs: The CBSO has made many recordings for EMI Classics and Warner Classics, as well as smaller labels. The Orchestra's chief executive is Stephen Maddock.


title: Egon Krenz

paragraphs: Egon Krenz (born 19 March 1937 in Kolberg) was a politician of the German Democratic Republic. He served in the East German Army, NVA (Nationale Volkes Armee), where he attained the rank of Unteroffizere (Corporal). He was a high-ranking member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. He was the successor to Erich Honecker as leader of East Germany from 18 October 1989 until 3 December 1989, for a few weeks. Later, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and released in 2003.


title: Berlin Friedrichstraße

paragraphs: Berlin Friedrichstraße () is a railway station in the center of Berlin. It has regional and suburban railways connections. During the times of East Germany, it was the only station served by some underground lines from West Berlin.


title: Peyton Manning

paragraphs: Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is a retired American football quarterback. He played college football at University of Tennessee and a total of 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts for 14 seasons and his last 4 seasons was with the Denver Broncos. Many people think that Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in National Football League history. He joined the team in 1998 when he was drafted ahead of Ryan Leaf, who was a bust. Peyton is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the older brother of former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

paragraphs: Manning has been in many television commercials. He has represented Papa Johns and Nationwide. He has also had his picture on the covers of some video games for the Xbox, and was on an episode of "Saturday Night Live". Manning has also made a lot donations to charities and he has his own charitable group, called the Peyback foundation.

paragraphs: On February 4, 2007, Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. He was called the Most Valuable Player of that game. Manning was released by the Colts after missing all of the 2011 season with a neck injury. He signed with the Denver Broncos. Manning is also famous for his yelling and pointing before the snap while making last-second changes.

paragraphs: Peyton's father Archie Manning and brother Eli Manning have also played quarterback, but Peyton is the most successful.

paragraphs: Peyton Manning became the second quarterback after Brett Favre to beat the other 32 teams, after the Denver Broncos defeated the Indianapolis Colts (Manning's former team), in their season opener. He is one of the 3 quarterbacks who defeated the other 31 teams after Tom Brady and Brett Favre.

paragraphs: On March 7, 2016, Manning announced that he was retiring from professional football.


title: Statue of Freedom

paragraphs: The Statue of Freedom is a statue of a woman that is on top of the United States Capitol. It was made in 1863 by Thomas Crawford. The woman is a symbol - she was not an actual person but stands for the idea of freedom. She is holding a shield and a laurel wreath in one hand. In the other hand, she is holding a sword that is sheathed (in its case).

paragraphs: The statue stands on the peak of the dome, beckoning ideas and statutes that will be for the good of America and humanity.


title: Murray River

paragraphs: The Murray River is the largest river in Australia. It starts high in the Snowy Mountains and flows mainly west until it gets to the sea near Goolwa, South Australia.

paragraphs: For much of its length it forms the boundary between Victoria and New South Wales. Other rivers join the Murray, the Darling River, the Lachlan River, the Murrumbidgee River and the Goulburn River.

paragraphs: For thousands of years, the Murray River has been known to Aboriginal Australians, who called it various names such as "Millewa" and "Tongala".

paragraphs: The river was later called the "Hume River" after it was visited by European explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in November 1824. Explorer Charles Sturt renamed the river in January 1830 after a British politician, Sir George Murray. In 1852, the government offered a bonus of $8,000 for the first paddlesteamer to reach Echuca. This was achieved by both William Randell and Francis Cadell.

paragraphs: Randell built a steamboat the "Mary Ann", named after his mother, to start trading in 1853. Soon it was racing Captain Francis Cadell's steamer and river trading began. This provided many new jobs and started new settlements and industries along the entire length of the river Murray system. G.B. Johnston sailed a steam boat as far as Albury in 1855. The river was very important for carrying people and goods until the railways took over. By 1900 the river trade was just about over.


title: Buffer solution

paragraphs: A buffer solution is chemical solution which resists change to its pH or acidity.

paragraphs: It is a solution in water of a mixture of a weak acid or base and its salt. The pH of the solution changes very little when a small amount of strong acid or base is added to it. Buffer solutions are used as a means of keeping pH at a nearly constant value in a wide variety of chemical applications. Many life forms have a relatively small pH range; an example of a buffer solution is blood.

paragraphs: Buffer solutions may be of two types: acidic and basic.

paragraphs: If you add acid to the solution, the concentration of H+ ions will increase; to keep equilibrium a small number of ions will be combined (forming salt and reducing the concentration of H+ ion in the solution). If you add base the concentration of H+ ion will reduce (by consumption or combining) and so a small amount of salt will break into ions and maintain the pH.


title: Hamilton Hume

paragraphs: Hamilton Hume (19 June 1797 – 19 April 1873) was the first Australian born explorer.

paragraphs: Hume was born near Parramatta, a town close to (and now a part of) Sydney. His father was Andrew Hamilton Hume, who came to Australia in 1790 in charge of convicts (prisoners) and later became a farmer.

paragraphs: At 17 he began exploring the Sydney area, and went as far as Berrima. On these journeys Hume learned how to live safely in the bush (the area far from the cities). In March 1817 he went on a journey with James Meehan, the deputy surveyor-general, and came to Lake Bathurst and the Goulburn Plains. Later he went with John Oxley and Meehan to Jervis Bay, and in 1822 was with a group which sailed in a boat down the east coast of New South Wales looking for rivers.

paragraphs: On October 2, 1824 Hume and William Hovell left Sydney to try and get to Spencer's Gulf in South Australia. The explorers took six servants, five bullocks, three horses and two carts. Much of the journey was over rough mountain country with many rivers to get across. On November 16 they found a ""fine river"" which they called the Hume. This river was later renamed the Murray River. They made a boat to get across the river near the present site of Albury. After a journey of 11 weeks, on December 16, 1824 they reached Corio Bay, Victoria near the present site of Geelong. Hovell made an error in his navigation, and they believed that they were on the shore of Western Port Bay. The journey back was made on path more to the west, the land was more level, and they were back only 5 weeks later. They ran out of food before the end of the journey, and the whole group was very, very tired.

paragraphs: Hume and Hovell received grants of of land as a reward. Hume had to sell his land to pay for the cost of the journey. This journey discovered the overland path (now called the Hume Highway) between Sydney and Melbourne.

paragraphs: In November 1828, Hume journeyed with Charles Sturt into western New South Wales, where they explored the Darling River. Hume was able to talk with some aborigines who agreed to help them on the journey. There was a long drought (no rain) and it was very hard to find water. It was only Hume’s good bushmanship (knowledge of the land) saved the group.

paragraphs: As a reward Governor Ralph Darling gave Hume of land at Yass Plains where he lived with his wife, Elizabeth Dight, and his nephew (son of his brother). In December 1853 a speech Hovell made at Geelong led to an argument between the men. This argument was over who had been the leader of the expedition, and had Hume thought Corio Bay was Westernport Bay. There were many letters and books written about the argument. Governor Ralph Darling had always said Hume was the leader, and Hume's own letters at the time show he agreed with Hovell's navigation mistake.

paragraphs: Hume later worked as a magistrate until his death at Yass on 19 April 1873. He is buried in the Yass Cemetery.


title: Azad Kashmir

paragraphs: The State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, () also called Azad Kashmir. In terms of land area it is bigger than Trinidad and Tobago but smaller than Brunei.

paragraphs: Pakistani region of Gilgit Baltistan is to the north, while the Indian Administered disputed territory of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) is to the east which is the region of dispute between Pakistan and Held by Indian military armed occupational forces. Pakistani province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is west of it, and the Pakistani province of Punjab is south of it.

paragraphs: The capital city of Azad Kashmir is Muzaffarabad. Azad Jammu and Kashmir has an area of 5,134 mi² (13,297 km²). The inhabitants of this region are Kashmiri citizens of ethnic Pahari origin. About 4 million people live there.

paragraphs: Azad Kashmir is a self-governing state under Pakistan. It has its own elected president, prime minister, legislature, high court, emblem and official flag. However, the highest body in the state is the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. This council has six members from the government of Azad Kashmir (including the President and the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir) and five members from the government of Pakistan, including the President of Pakistan who is the chairman/chief executive of the council. Azad Kashmir is administratively divided into three divisions which, in turn, are divided into ten districts.

paragraphs: The Government of Azad Kashmir and Jammu is based in Muzaffarabad, the interim state capital of the Azad Kashmir disputed territory.

paragraphs: The state is divided into three divisions. The divisions are further divided into districts. There are 10 districts.

paragraphs: The northern part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir encompasses the lower area of the Himalayas, including Jamgarh Peak (). However, Hari Parbat peak in Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the state. Fertile, green, mountainous valleys are characteristic of Azad Kashmir's geography, making it one of the most beautiful regions of the subcontinent.

paragraphs: The region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. Muzaffarabad and Pattan are among the wettest areas of Pakistan. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400 mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800 mm). During the summer season, monsoon floods of the rivers Jhelum and Leepa are common due to extreme rains and snow melting.


title: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

paragraphs: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (or NNPT) is a treaty that was made to stop nuclear weapons from being built. It was written in 1968, entered into force in 1970, and 190 countries have signed it since then. Only four nations have not signed it: India, Israel, Pakistan South Sudan. North Korea withdrew in 2003.

paragraphs: The treaty says that only five countries are allowed to have nuclear weapons. These are called nuclear weapons states. The five nuclear weapons states are China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia. All five of these nations have all signed the treaty. They are not supposed to help any other nation build nuclear weapons. All other nations who sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty promise not to build more nuclear weapons for themselves or others.

paragraphs: The treaty also says that every nation is able to build nuclear power plants and have nuclear technology. However, nations who sign the treaty, but are not nuclear weapons states, promise to not use their nuclear power plants to make nuclear weapons.

paragraphs: The main corporations that made this treaty happen were the United Nations and the IAEA.


title: Cyndi Lauper

paragraphs: Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and MTV VMA-winning video and Emmy Award-winning movie, television and theater actress. She became very well known in the mid-1980s with the release of the album, "She's So Unusual". Lauper became the first artist in history to have four top-five singles released from one album. She has released 11 albums, over 40 singles, and has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. She continues to tour the world in support of human rights.

paragraphs: The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lauper has won one award from 15 nominations.


title: Dutch East Indies

paragraphs: The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, was the Dutch colony that is now modern Indonesia. The main city was Batavia, now called Jakarta.

paragraphs: It was made from the colonies of the Dutch East India Company that came under the control of the Netherlands in 1800. During World War II it was part of the Japanese Empire. In 1945 the Japanese left, and Indonesian leaders made a declaration of independence. They fought a war of independence until the Netherlands gave Indonesia sovereignty in December 1949.


title: Dutch East India Company

paragraphs: The Dutch East India Company ("Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie" or VOC in old Dutch), started in 1602, when the Netherlands gave a group of small trading companies a 21-year monopoly to trade in Asia. It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. The VOC had the power to start wars, make treaties, make its own money, and start new colonies.

paragraphs: It was an important company for almost 200 years until it became bankrupt in 1800. The VOC's colonies became the Dutch East Indies which later became Indonesia.

paragraphs: In the 16th century, trade with Asia was mostly controlled by Portugal. The Dutch government wished to take a foothold in the spice market, as Portugal could not keep up with the demand and rising prices in Europe. With government funding, the VOC set up its first trading post in what is now Jakarta, which eventually became its' main base of operations in the continent.

paragraphs: In 1620, the VOC created a trade agreement with their biggest rival in Asia, the English East India Company. This lasted until 1623, when the Amboyna Massacre forced the EEIC to move its trading posts from Indonesia to other areas in the continent.

paragraphs: In the 1620's, the VOC extended their reach to the remaining Indonesian Islands, and established plantations on the colonised islands to increase the volume of their exports. This expansion continued, until eventually the VOC was the richest company in the world.

paragraphs: In 1640, the VOC founded a trading post in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the last place where the Portuguese had a foothold. The VOC now had a total monopoly over trade between Europe and Southern Asia.

paragraphs: Ships from the VOC were among the early explorers of Australia. The first Europeans to live in Australia were left behind after the mutiny on the VOC ship Batavia in 1629. Many of the sailors who took part in the mutiny were executed, but two, Wouter Loos, a soldier, and Jan Pelgrom de Bye, a cabin boy, were left at Wittecarra Gully, near the mouth of the Murchison River. They were never seen again.


title: Mika Häkkinen

paragraphs: Mika Pauli Häkkinen (born September 28, 1968 in Helsingin maalaiskunta) is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One champion. He was Michael Schumacher's greatest rival in F1 from 1998–2000. Schumacher has said that Häkkinen is the rival he respected the most during his Formula One career.


title: Cape York

paragraphs: Cape York is the northernmost point of Australia. It was named by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770 after the Duke of York. From the tip, it is about 160 km to New Guinea across the islands, coral reefs and sand banks of Torres Strait.


title: North West Cape

paragraphs: North West Cape is a large piece of land on the north west coast of Western Australia. There are mountains called the Cape Range through the middle of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef is on the western edge. The town of Exmouth is also on the North West Cape.

paragraphs: In 1618, Dutch East India Company captain Lenaert Jacobszoon and Willem Janszoon from the boat "Mauritius" landed in the area. Phillip Parker King visited in 1818 and named it "North West Cape". He also named Exmouth Gulf after a Royal Navy officer, Edward Pellew, First Viscount Exmouth (1758 -1833).

paragraphs: Later, pearl boats visited the area from Broome.


title: Baja California Sur

paragraphs: Baja California Sur is a state of Mexico. It is on the Baja California peninsula. Its capital is La Paz. About 500,000 people live there. Its name means "South Lower California".


title: Nelson Piquet

paragraphs: Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (born August 17, 1952), more commonly known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian racing driver who was Formula One world champion in 1981, 1983, and 1987. He is one of the few men to win at least three world championships in the history of Formula One. The others are Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna (3 each), Alain Prost (4), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Lewis Hamilton (6) and Michael Schumacher (7).


title: Baby boomer

paragraphs: The term baby boomer most commonly refers to people born during the years 1960 to 1980 worldwide. In Canada it is anyone born between 1960 and 1980. Australia identifies baby boomers as those born between 1946 and 1961. Generally, after 1960 the birth rate started falling. In 1951, Sylvia F. Porter, a columnist for the New York Post, first used the term "baby boom" for the rapid rise in birthrate after Word War II.

paragraphs: From 1945 to 1964 about seventy-seven million babies were born in the United States. In the 1950s baby boomers bought Mouse-ear hats after they watched "The Mickey Mouse Club". They danced to rock and roll and idolized singers like Elvis Presley. Hula hoops and Barbie dolls were wildly popular.

paragraphs: By the 1960s many baby boomers were teenagers. They spent nearly $20 million on things including food, clothing, and recorded music. Businesses were eager to find ways to meet their demands. By the 1970s entire industries were changing because of baby boomers.

paragraphs: In 1998 the baby boomers began to discuss about their end-of-life issues; but many commentators think they have became burdens for their children and society. According to the 2011 Associated Press and LifeGoesStrong.com surveys:

paragraphs: 60% lost value in investments because of the economic crisis

paragraphs: 25% claim they will never retire (currently still working)

paragraphs: The oldest baby boomers were 67 years old in 2013 and one in five Americans will be 65 years old in 2030. Many people believe they will become a stress on social welfare systems.


title: Jack Brabham

paragraphs: Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966. He won the Australian Grand Prix in 1955, 1963 and 1964. He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car builder that carried his name.

paragraphs: In 2000 the Australian Government gave him the Australian Sports Medal, and in 2001 he was given the Australian Centenary Medal for services to motor sport.

paragraphs: Brabham died at his home on the Gold Coast, Queensland on 19 May 2014 from liver failure, aged 88.


title: Team Lotus

paragraphs: Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing. More than ten years after its last race Team Lotus remains one of the most successful racing teams of all time, winning seven Formula One Constructors' titles, six Drivers' Championships, and the Indianapolis 500 in the United States, between 1962 and 1978. Under the direction of founder and Chief Designer Colin Chapman Lotus was responsible for many innovative and experimental developments in motorsport, in both technical and commercial arenas. In 2010 Lotus has returned to F1 as Lotus Racing.


title: WilliamsF1

paragraphs: WilliamsF1, the trading name of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd., is a Formula One (F1) motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after two earlier and, compared with WilliamsF1's achievements, unsuccessful F1 operations, Frank Williams Racing Cars and Walter Wolf Racing. All of WilliamsF1 chassis are called "FW" then a number, the FW being the initials of team owner, Frank Williams.

paragraphs: Williams' first race was the Argentine Grand Prix, and Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni won Williams' first race at the British Grand Prix. At the British Grand Prix, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve won the team's 100th race, making Williams one of only three teams in Formula One, alongside Ferrari and fellow British team McLaren, to win 100 races. Williams won nine Constructor's titles between 1980 and 1997. This stood as a record until Ferrari surpassed it in 2000.

paragraphs: Many famous racing drivers have driven for Williams, including Finland's Keke Rosberg; Britain's Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill; France's Alain Prost and Brazil's Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, and Canada's Jacques Villeneuve, each of whom, with the exception of Senna, have captured one Drivers' title with the team. After Senna died in a Williams car in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Frank Williams, Patrick Head and designer Adrian Newey were all accused of manslaughter. The trial finally closed in 2005, when Williams, Head and Newey were all cleared of any wrongdoing.

paragraphs: Williams have worked with many notable engine manufacturers, most successfully with Renault: Williams won five of their nine constructors' titles with the French company. Along with Ferrari, McLaren, and Renault (formerly Benetton), Williams is one of the "Big Four" teams that have won every constructors' championship since 1979 and every driver's championship since 1984. Williams remains the only one independently owned, as the other three are "factory teams" either setup or bought out by major auto manufacturers.


title: Benetton Formula

paragraphs: Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2001 season. In 2002 the team became Renault F1.

paragraphs: The team won 27 races, as well as the 1994 and 1995 Drivers' Championship (with Michael Schumacher) and the 1995 Constructors' Championship.

paragraphs: () (results in bold indicate pole position)


title: Umayyad Caliphate

paragraphs: The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Islamic caliphates established after the death of Muhammad.

paragraphs: It was the largest empire in the world at the time. It is the fifth largest empire in history.

paragraphs: It was ruled by the Umayyad Dynasty (, "Banu Umayyah") who came from Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. Damascus was the capital from 661–744, Harrran from 744–750, and in exile their capital was Córdoba (756–1031).

paragraphs: According to tradition, the Umayyad family (also known as the Banu Abd-Shams) and the Islamic Prophet Muhammad both have a common ancestor, Abd Manaf ibn Qusai. Muhammad descended from Abd Munaf via his son Hashim, the Umayyads descended from Abd Munaf via a different son, Abd-Shams. The two families are therefore considered to be different clans (those of Hashim and of Umayya, respectively) of the same Arabian tribe (that of the Quraish).

paragraphs: The Umayyads and the Hashimites were bitter rivals. The rivalry came from the initial opposition of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the grandson of Umayya, to Muhammad and to Islam. He tried to get rid of the new religion by waging a series of battles. But eventually he accepted Islam, as did his son (the future caliph Muawiyah I), and the two provided much-needed political and diplomatic skills for the management of the quickly expanding Islamic empire.

paragraphs: The origins of Umayyad rule date back to the assassination of Uthman in 656. At this time Ali, a member of the Hashim clan and a cousin of Prophet Muhammad, became the caliph. He soon met with resistance from several factions, and moved his capital from Medina to Kufa. The resulting conflict, which lasted from 656 until 661, is known as the First Fitna ("time of trial").

paragraphs: Ali was first opposed by an alliance led by Aisha, the widow of Muhammad, and Talhah and Al-Zubayr, two of the Companions of the Prophet. The two sides clashed at the Battle of the Camel in 656, where Ali won a decisive victory.

paragraphs: When Ali was assassinated in 661, Muawiyah marched to Kufa. There he persuaded a number of Ali's supporters to accept him as caliph instead of Ali's son, Hasan. Then he moved the capital of the caliphate to Damascus. Syria would remain the base of Umayyad power until the end of the dynasty.


title: Surprise (emotion)

paragraphs: Surprise is an emotion that a person might feel if something unexpected happens. For example, a person may feel surprised at a loud, sudden noise, like the popping of a balloon, or they may feel surprised at the outcome of an event. The feeling of surprise can be both good or bad, depending on the circumstances.


title: Surprise party

paragraphs: A surprise party is a party thrown for someone who does not know that it has been planned. Surprise parties can leave people feeling happy, because someone has made the effort to organize it for them.


title: 2003–04 NHL season

paragraphs: The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The thirty teams played 82 games in a new format that increased divisional games from 5 to 6 per team (30 total), conference games from 3 to 4 (32 total), and decreased inter-conference games to at least one per team, with three extra games (18 in total).

paragraphs: The Stanley Cup winners were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the Calgary Flames. This was the first season since the 1969–70 season that teams would wear their dark jerseys at home. For the fourth time in eight years, the all-time record for total shutouts in a season was shattered, as 192 shutouts were recorded. The 2003–04 regular season was also the first one (excluding the lockout-shortened regular season of 1994–95) since 1967–68 in which there was neither a 50-goal scorer, nor a 100-point scorer.

paragraphs: This was the final season that ABC and ESPN televised NHL games. It was also the final NHL season before the 2004–05 NHL lockout, and the final season in which games could end in ties.

paragraphs: " won the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs."

paragraphs: " clinched the remaining ten playoff berths."

paragraphs: Numbers in brackets indicate position in conference. Division leaders are automatically ordered 1–3. These three, plus the next five teams in the conference standings, earn playoff berths at the end of the season.

paragraphs: "Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points"

paragraphs: "Note: GP = Games Played; Mins = Minutes Played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals Against Average"

paragraphs: The 2004 playoffs were considered to be wide open with no clear favourite. All of the top teams had weaknesses. Tampa Bay and Boston were both young teams with no history of recent postseason success. Detroit, Ottawa, Colorado, and Philadelphia all had major questions in goal. New Jersey was marred by injuries to Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski, while Vancouver was missing the suspended Todd Bertuzzi.

paragraphs: The first-round Eastern Conference matchups were notable for the number of heated rivalries. The Ottawa Senators met the Toronto Maple Leafs for the fourth time in five years in the always passion-filled Battle of Ontario. The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens met in a resumption of the most common of all NHL playoff series, and one which the Canadiens have thoroughly dominated, including an upset win two years prior. The Philadelphia Flyers also played a hated division rival in the New Jersey Devils. The only non-rivalry was the Tampa Bay-New York Islanders series.

paragraphs: The West saw the resumption of the Vancouver-Calgary rivalry, which had been somewhat dormant as the Flames made the playoffs for the first time since 1996. In a less passionate but still interesting matchup, Detroit played division rival Nashville (whom they had struggled against during the regular season) in Nashville's first ever franchise visit to the playoffs. San Jose met the St. Louis Blues, while the always difficult four-five matchup saw Colorado and Dallas meet.

paragraphs: The Calgary Flames, a sixth seed, defeated three straight division champions, the Canucks, the Red Wings and the Sharks to become the first Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in ten years, since the Canucks lost to the Rangers in the Finals in 1994. They faced the Tampa Bay Lightning, who defeated the Islanders in five, swept the Canadiens and defeated the Flyers in seven games.

paragraphs: The Flames and the Lightning battled hard in the Stanley Cup Finals, eventually pushing the series to seven games. By game 5, the Flames took the 3–2 series lead back to Calgary, and in game six, a puck appeared to have gone into the net, which would have made the game 3–2, but the goal light did not go on, the referee did not signal that a goal had been scored, and play went on, no goal counted. Extensive replays showed the play was inconclusive. The Lightning would win the game in double overtime, and go on to win the Stanley Cup with a 2–1 win in game seven, with two goals from Ruslan Fedotenko. Brad Richards, with a team-high 25 points in the playoffs, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

paragraphs: The NHL Awards presentation took place in Toronto.

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2003–04 (listed with their first team):

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 2003–04 (listed with their last team):


title: London Stansted Airport

paragraphs: London Stansted Airport is a large passenger airport in the Uttlesford District of the English county of Essex about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of London. It is about outside Bishop's Stortford and outside Harlow.

paragraphs: Stansted is a hub for a number of major European low-cost carriers. It is the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom and is the third largest airport serving the London area after Heathrow and Gatwick; and is one of London's five international airports along with Luton and London City Airports. Stansted is owned and operated by Manchester Airports Group, which also owns and operates three other UK airports, including Manchester and Bournemouth.

paragraphs: The airport had to abandon plans for a second runway after the campaign Stop Stansted Expansion succeeded.


title: London Gatwick Airport

paragraphs: London Gatwick Airport is London's second largest airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. It is the world's 22nd busiest airport in terms of passengers per year (7th in terms of international passengers). It is also often quoted as the world's busiest single runway airport, although strictly speaking it now has a second 'stand-by' runway, which can only be used when the main runway is out of use.

paragraphs: Gatwick is in Crawley, West Sussex (it used to be Charlwood, Surrey) 5 km (3 miles) north of the town centre, 46 km (28 miles) south of London and 40 km (25 miles) north of Brighton.

paragraphs: Gatwick is owned and operated by a group of companies, led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), after it's previous owner BAA was forced to sell the airport by the Competition Commission due to its dominance in London and the South East, also owning Heathrow Airport.

paragraphs: With about 200 destinations, the airport handled over 34 million passengers with 263,363 aircraft movements in 2006. It was said that during 2007 Gatwick broke through the 35 million barrier for the first time in its history.

paragraphs: Usually, Charter airlines do not operate from Heathrow and therefore use Gatwick as their main base for London and the South East.

paragraphs: For the past 30 years, many flights to and from the USA have also used Gatwick because of the restrictions on access to Heathrow that were enshrined in the 1977 Bermuda II bilateral air services agreement between the UK and the US.

paragraphs: The airport is a major operational base for British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic. The airport is also a major base for a number of charter airlines including First Choice Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomsonfly and XL Airways. Runway 8L/26R is mostly used as a taxiway.

paragraphs: London Gatwick has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P528) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.


title: 2002–03 NHL season

paragraphs: The 2002–03 NHL season was the 86th regular season of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the New Jersey Devils, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. This was the last season before the NHL switched home and away jerseys.

paragraphs: "Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points"

paragraphs: "Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points"

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2002–03 (listed with their first team):

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 2002–03 (listed with their last team):


title: Heathrow Airport

paragraphs: London Heathrow Airport, or Heathrow, is the main, and busiest airport serving the United Kingdom. Heathrow is also Europe's busiest airport for passenger traffic, and handles more international passenger traffic than any other airport in the world.

paragraphs: Heathrow is owned and operated by BAA Limited, which also owns/operates six other UK airports and is itself owned by an international group led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group. Heathrow is the main hub of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

paragraphs: Heathrow is in the London Borough of Hillingdon, west of Central London, England, Heathrow has two parallel main runways running east-west and five terminals. The site covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 square miles). Terminal 5 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008 and opened to passengers on 27 March 2008. Terminal 2 opened in 2014, and Terminals 3 and 4 will be refurbished during this period. In November 2007 a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway.

paragraphs: Heathrow Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

paragraphs: Today, Heathrow airport uses two operation runways. These are:

paragraphs: Currently, 1 runway is used for takeoff and another used for landing, depending on the approach path used at the time. Approaching planes are normally cycled between two options at 12 hour intervals in order to reduce noise and environmental impacts for residents. In the future, BAA are considering changing to "Mixed mode" where both runways are used for landing and takeoff. This would boost space.


title: London Luton Airport

paragraphs: London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an international airport on the edge of the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England approximately north of London. The airport is 2 miles (3 km) from junction 10a of the M1 motorway. It is the fourth largest airport serving the London area after Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and is one of London's five international airports along with London City Airport.

paragraphs: In 2007, total passengers at London Luton increased by 5.3% to 9,927,321 making it the fifth busiest airport in the UK. The airport serves as a hub for easyJet, TUI, Wizz Air and Ryanair. Most of the routes served are within Europe.

paragraphs: London Luton Airport is widely known as a result of the "Airline" and "Luton Airport" television series.


title: 2000–01 NHL season

paragraphs: The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the New Jersey Devils. The focus of Colorado's Stanley Cup run was on defenceman Raymond Bourque who was on a quest to win his first Stanley Cup championship in his 22-year career.

paragraphs: "Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points"

paragraphs: "Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points"

paragraphs: The NHL Awards presentation took place in Toronto.

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2000–01 (listed with their first team, stars(*) mark start in playoffs):

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 2000–01 (listed with their last team):


title: London City Airport

paragraphs: London City Airport is a single-runway airport, intended for use by STOL (short take-off and landing) planes, mainly serving the financial districts of London. It is on a former Docklands site, in the London Borough of Newham in East London. It is near Canary Wharf and the O2 arena in an area called Silvertown.

paragraphs: The airport serves European destinations, though there is one flight to New York JFK airport.

paragraphs: The airport has tough rules to limit the noise from aircraft operations. This limits the aircraft types that can be used, and so does the length of the runway and the steep glideslope. The steep 5.5 degree approache requires special training for crew. Only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft with special crew and aircraft certification can operate at London City Airport. London City Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P728).

paragraphs: London City Airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem in 1986/87. It is the fifth-largest international airport in size serving the London area, after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. London City Airport claims lower check-in times than any other airport in London.

paragraphs: The airport has produced a master plan outlining their vision for growth up to 2030. The plan shows a phased expansion of the airport to a maximum capacity of 8 million passengers per annum, without the addition of a second runway, or significant expansion of the current airport boundaries.

paragraphs: London City Airport was purchased in October 2006 by a consortium comprising AIG Financial Products Corp. and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for an undisclosed sum. Speculation suggests the sale was valued at over £750 million. In 2007, London City Airport had 2.9 million passengers; by 2017 this had risen to 4,530,439.


title: 1999–2000 NHL season

paragraphs: The 1999–2000 NHL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams each played 82 games. The New Jersey Devils defeated the defending champion Dallas Stars for their second Stanley Cup championship. During the regular season, no player reached the 100-point plateau - the first time this had happened in a non-lockout season since 1967-68.

paragraphs: "Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalty Minutes."

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1999–2000 (listed with their first team, stars(*) mark start in playoffs):

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1999–2000 (listed with their last team):


Bob


title: International Opium Convention

paragraphs: The International Opium Convention was the first drug control treaty (or agreement). It was signed at The Hague in The Netherlands on January 23, 1912. The United States organised a conference between 13 countries called the International Opium Commission in 1909 in Shanghai, China because people complained more and more about opium trade. The treaty was signed by Germany, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Russia, and Siam. The Convention said that "The contracting Powers shall use their best endeavours to control, or to cause to be controlled, all persons manufacturing, importing, selling, distributing, and exporting morphine, cocaine, and their respective salts, as well as the buildings in which these persons carry such an industry or trade."

paragraphs: The Convention was implemented in 1915 by the United States, Netherlands, China, Honduras, and Norway. It went into force around the world in 1919 when it became part of the Treaty of Versailles.

paragraphs: A modified International Opium Convention was signed on February 19, 1925, which started on September 25, 1928. It introduced control system to be looked after by a Permanent Central Opium Board, part of the League of Nations. Egypt, with support from

paragraphs: China and United States, recommended that a ban on hashish be added to the Convention.

paragraphs: India and other countries did not agree, saying social and religious customs and that wild-growing cannabis plants being available in many places, that would make it difficult to enforce, so this never made it into the final treaty. A compromise was made that banned the export of "Indian hemp" to countries that have banned its use. Importing countries were made to issue certificates approving the import and stating that the shipment was required "exclusively for medical or scientific purposes." It also required Parties to "exercise an effective control of such a nature as to prevent the illicit international traffic in Indian hemp and especially in the resin." These restrictions still made it easy for countries to allow production, internal trade, and use of cannabis for recreational purposes.

paragraphs: The Convention was superseded by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.


title: Coleoidea

paragraphs: The Coleoidea are a group of mollusks making up most of the living cephalopods. Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish are all members of the Coleoidea. They do not have shells on the outside, but some do have a bone or shell inside. All Coleoidea live in the ocean.


title: 1998–99 NHL season

paragraphs: The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 82 games each.

paragraphs: The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play. They won the Stanley Cup Championship over the Buffalo Sabres with a disputed overtime goal by Brett Hull.

paragraphs: Goaltenders continued to rule the league; only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils, averaged more than three goals scored per game. In addition, no player reached the 50-goal plateau. A total of 160 shutouts were recorded for the second-straight regular season.

paragraphs: "Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points"

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1998–99 (listed with their first team, stars(*) mark start in playoffs):

paragraphs: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1998–99 (listed with their last team):


title: Bagh District

paragraphs: Bagh District () is one of the eight districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The district, which had been part of Poonch District, was created in 1988. The district is bordered by Muzaffarabad District to the north, by Punjab in the east. It also borders the divided district of Poonch, to the south is the Poonch District of Azad Kashmir and to the east is the Poonch District of India's Jammu and Kashmir state. The total area of the district is 1,368 square kilometers. Bagh District is linked to Muzaffarabad by two roads, one via Sudhan Gali (80 km) and the other through Kohala (97 km). It is 46 km from Rawalakot. The district is well known for its confectionery and bakery products.

paragraphs: The total population of the district according to the 1998 census was 395,000 which is estimated to have increased to 434,000 in 2003, with an annual growth rate of 2%.


title: Bhimber District

paragraphs: Bhimber () is the southernmost of the eight districts of Azad Kashmir, the district is between Latitude: 32-48 to 33-34 and Longitude: 73.55 to 74-45, and has an area of 1516 km². The chief town is Bhimber

paragraphs: The area is very rich in archaeological remains because of its location. The Mughal Emperors used to travel through the area quite a lot to visit the Kashmir Valley.

paragraphs: Until 1995 Bhimber was a sub-division (tehsil) of Mirpur District. In 1996 the tehsil of Bhimber was removed from Mirpur and made into a separate district.

paragraphs: The district is bounded by Mirpur District to the northwest (and is 50 km from Mirpur city), and Punjab province in the west and south. It also shares borders with Indian Kashmir to the east.

paragraphs: The total area of the district is 1516 square kilometres and is divided into three tehsils.

paragraphs: According to the 1998 census, 297,000 people lived there. According to a 1999 estimate, it was 303,000. Latest figures show that 350,000 people live there. The Jaats are the biggest tribe in the region. The main language is Mirpuri.


title: Kotli District

paragraphs: Kotli () is one of the eight districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Kotli is the capital city of the district. Kotli used to be a small town between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad, but has recently grown in size.

paragraphs: There are two theories about the origin of the name "Kotli". One is that in ancient times Prince Raja Shahswar Khan built a small house here and called it "Kot", which became "Kotli". Another theory is that the name is derived from the Sanskrit word Kotli which means to "" or to "live in". At one time the area was inhabited by the Mangran and Solhan peoples, and was called Kotli Solwhan.

paragraphs: The district of Kotli used to be a sub-division of Mirpur District until 1975. Before 1947, it was a part of the Jammu area. The district is bounded by the Indian part of Kashmir in the east, and by Mirpur District in the south and Rawalakot to its north. The district is divided into three tehsils (sub-divisions)

paragraphs: The district covers a total area of 1862 square kilometres. Kotli is now the largest city by population (656,000).

paragraphs: Before the division of Kashmir in 1947, Nakyal was part of Mehndar sub-division of Poonch.


title: Mirpur District

paragraphs: Mirpur District () is a district in Pakistan's Azad Kashmir Liberated Territory. The district is named after the main city - Mirpur. The District of Mirpur comprises mostly plain and some hilly areas. Its hot and dry climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble those of Jhelum and Gujrat, the adjoining Districts of Pakistan.

paragraphs: Mirpur District is now located in the south west of the Kashmir region. Azad Jammu & Kashmir is administered by Pakistan from Islamabad. Azad Kashmir has been considered politically, constitutionally and geographically as part of a separate state, i.e. Jammu and Kashmir. This state is a disputed territory and has been controlled by both Pakistan and India, since their independence, 14 / 15th August 1947, respectively. Azad Kashmir is under the indirect control of Pakistan, however its defence, foreign policy and currency are under the direct control of Pakistan.

paragraphs: Consequently, fiscal issues, i.e. budget and tax affairs have been dealt with by the 'Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council', instead of the Central Board of Revenue. Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council is a supreme body, consisting of 11 members - 6 of these members are from the Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and 5 members are from the Government of Pakistan.

paragraphs: Also its chairman / chief executive is always the President of Pakistan. Hence, the rest of members are Azad Kashmir's own Prime Minister and President and some ministers, (also note that Azad Kashmir has its own president, prime minister and legislative assembly also supreme-court and high-court & other departments). The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) is responsible for tax affairs of rest of all Pakistani territory, i.e. all four provinces and the capital, Islamabad.

paragraphs: People from this former Punjab region now known as Azad Kashmir are ethnic Pahari who have historically looked abroad for employment. Many a ship employed Mirpuri boiler men in the age of steam. During the two world wars many Mirpuris enlisted in the merchant navy and armed services. During the last four decades a large number of people from this district have gone abroad, especially to United Kingdom for earning their livelihood. The Mangla Dam project in the early sixties resulted in the displacement of a large number of people, who under an agreement between the Pakistan government and the British government, were allowed to settle in the UK, where they are usually known as Mirpuri and play a role in the British society, economy, and politics.

paragraphs: As such, they are today the major foreign exchange earning resource for Pakistan. Around 50,000 people were moved from this district in the mid-sixties to make way for the construction of Mangla Dam, but corrupt handling of funds meant long drawn out delays in completing the project. Most of these people settled in new Mirpur whilst some moved elsewhere in Pakistan or to the UK.

paragraphs: Mirpur is divided into the following tehsils

paragraphs: Mirpur became part of Kashmir in 1846 as part of the treaty of Amritsar between the British and the Maharaja Gulab Singh.Before the treaty Mirpur was part of the Punjab. Although they are citizens of Kashmir the peoples of Mirpur are ethnic Pahari's in much the same way as Attock has a large Pashtun population even though it only became part of the Punjab in 1970 when Ayub Khan removed it from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

paragraphs: The caste system in Mipur is very strong despite the most of people living in UK. The famous castes in Mirpur are:


title: Muzaffarabad District

paragraphs: Muzafarabad district () of Pakistan is on the banks of the Jhelum and the Neelum rivers. The district is bounded to Pakistan in the west and to Kupwara and Baramulla districts of Indian Kashmir in the east and Neelum District fall on the northeast of the district. Total area of the district is 6117 square kilometres. The total population of the district according to the 1998 census was 725,000 and according to 1999 projection its population stands at 741,000. The district is administratively subdivided into three tehsils and fifty one Union Councils. Muzaffarabad city in the district serves as capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Poonch District

paragraphs: Poonch () District is a district of Kashmir that is divided between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan's Azad Kashmir. The Pakistani part of Poonch District is part of its Azad Kashmir territory, whilst Indian Poonch is part of its Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Sudhnoti District

paragraphs: Sudhnoti () is a district of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan.

paragraphs: Sudhnoti was the main site from where struggle against dogras and British imperialists was made. It remained the capital of Azad Kashmir and Jammu before it was shifted to Muzafferabad. It was named Sudhnoti in 2000 as a new district of Azad Kashmir and Jammu in the honour of the Sudhen tribe.

paragraphs: The district is divided into four tehsils

paragraphs: Kiyani/Gakhhars, Awan, Khwaja, Sudhan, Qureshi, Mughal and Dar are main tribes of this area.


Baramulla District


title: Budgam District

paragraphs: Badgam District () is a town in Jammu and Kashmir.

paragraphs: Badgam is located at 34.63° N 76.04° E. It has an average elevation of 3194 metres (10478 feet).


title: Doda District

paragraphs: Doda () is a district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the third largest district in Jammu and Kashmir after Leh and Kargil.


title: Jammu District

paragraphs: Jammu District () is a district in Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Kargil district

paragraphs: Kargil is a district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. Kargil lies near the Line of Control and is surrounded by the Pakistan-administered region of Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, the Kashmir Valley and Jammu divisions to the west, Leh district to the east and Himachal Pradesh to the south. Kargil is divided into 9 blocks which are, Kargil, Drass, Sankoo, Taisuru, Shargole, Shakar-Chiktan, Zanskar, GM Pore/Trespone and Lungnak. It has three Tehsils, namely Kargil, Zanskar and Sankoo. Zanskar and Drass are also sub divisions, and are headed administratively by a Sub Divisional Magistrate.

paragraphs: The name Kargil is said to derive from the Balti-Tibetan words "Khar" and "Rkil". "Khar" means "Castle" and "rkil" means "Centre" - thus a place between castles (as the place lay between many kingdoms). The ancient name of Kargil was "Purig".

paragraphs: With a population of 140,000 Kargil is the only Muslim majority district in Ladakh. Of total population, 85% are Muslim, of which 73% follow Shia Islam. Most of the district's Muslims are found in Kargil town, Drass, Wakha and the lower Suru valley. The remainder 14% are followers of Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, mostly found in Zanskar with small populations in the upper Suru valley (Rangdum) and around Shergol and Mulbekh. Another 1% of the population follow Hinduism and Sikhism.

paragraphs: Purig and Balti people of Tibetan origin (converting from Buddhism to Islam in the 16th Century) mainly live in Kargil. They have mixed with the Dard, Mon and other Aryan people. The mainly Muslim Dards live in the valley of Drass and speak Shina. A small number of Buddhist Dard, known as Brokpa, live in the Dha-Hanu region near the Lamayuru monastery. Some Arghons also live in in Kargil Town. Of late, immigrants from Kashmir and Hindus Jammu have come to live in in Kargil.


title: Kupwara District

paragraphs: Kupwara () is a district of India. It is in Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Leh District

paragraphs: Leh is one of the two districts in the Indian union territory of Ladakh, the other being the Kargil District to the west. It is bounded on the north by Ghanche District (Northern Areas), a small border with Xinjiang, China, via the Karakoram Pass which is part of the district. Aksai Chin and Tibet is to the east. Kargil district to the west, and lahul and spiti to the south. The district headquarters is based in Leh. It lies between 32 to 36 degree North latitude and 75 to 80 degree East longitude. As of 2001 the district has a population of 117,637.

paragraphs: The whole of Ladakh was under the administration of Leh district until July 1, 1979, when Kargil district was bifurcated from Leh district. About 84% of the district population are followers of Tibetan Buddhism, with much of the remainder being followers of Shi'a Islam, and the rest being Sunni and Nurbakhshi Muslims. Religion has been the source of grievances between Buddhists and Muslims since the late 20th century.

paragraphs: According to the 2001 census Total fertility rate in Leh district is the lowest in all of India at 1.3 per women. In neighbouring Kargil district, TFR is 3.4 The Total Birth Rate was 10.02 per 1000 people in 1995-2000 period. The Natural Growth Rate was 0.62% per year implying a Total Death Rate of 3.78 per 1000 people. The Birth Rate in some remote areas have plummeted to lowest anywhere in the world. For example in the village Diggar in the Nubra Valley, only 5 children were born during 1998-2002 period for a Total population of 700 people, implying a Total Birth Rate of just 1.79 per 1000 people per year. The lowest birth rate recorded is for German city of Cottbus in 2005, with 6.20 births per 1000 people.


title: Pulwama District

paragraphs: Pulwama () is a district in Indian-occupied Kashmir.


title: Rajouri District

paragraphs: Rajouri () is a District in Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir, Pakistan. Since it borders the Republic of India's side of the Line of Control, it is the site of infiltration and militant activity. Rajouri is also notable for the presence of many Gujjar and Bakerwal villages, particularly towards the Pir Panjal mountain range.

paragraphs: The District has 7 Tehsils (towns) namely Rajouri Tehsil, Darhal Tehsil, Nowshera Tehsil, Sunderbani Tehsil, Kalakote Tehsil, Budhal Tehsil and Thannamandi Tehsil and 7 Blocks of Rajouri, Manjakote, Darhal, Budhal, Kalakote, Sunderbani and Nowshera. There is diversity in the religious practices of the residents of these various towns with some being predominantly Hindu and others with Muslim majorities. The presence of militancy has affected the composition in most Muslim majority regions that are closer to the border. In overall, per official 1981 estimates, the population as divided by religion is 58% Muslim, 39% Hindu, 2% Sikh and 1% buddhist. This composition has since likely changed dramatically due to militancy having forced substantial minority communities to the Hindu dominated districts near Jammu.


title: Srinagar District

paragraphs: Srinagar () is at the center of the Valley of Kashmir. It is the most populous district in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India and is home to the summer capital (Srinagar) of Jammu and Kashmir (the capital moves to Jammu city in the winter). The largest city is Srinagar. It is also home to the scenic Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

paragraphs: Srinagar District is made up of two administrative tehsils: North Srinagar and South Srinagar.


title: Udhampur District

paragraphs: Udhampur () is a district in Jammu and Kashmir. The town of Udhampur is the headquarters of this district.

paragraphs: The 2001 census indicates the population of the district to be just over 700,000. There are 871 females for every 1000 males in the district. The overall literacy rate is at 54.16%, with 66.43% for males and 39.89% for females. Majority of the population of the district practise Hinduism. Majority are of Dogras in this district.There are a large number of nomadic Gujjar's and Bakarwal's present in the district as well.

paragraphs: The major languages spoken in the district are Dogri, Urdu, and Kashmiri. Kahmiri language used by people migrated from Kashmir known as Kashmiri pandits which are in very good number as well.


title: The Invasion (professional wrestling)

paragraphs: The Invasion was a wrestling storyline in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) that began after the WWF bought World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It involved the WCW wrestlers "invading" WWF television to try to "take over" the WWF.

paragraphs: The idea of a match showing the top 2 shows of the Monday Night Wars was considered to be a "dream match" show in the eyes of many fans, because it let fans to see which show would be superior. The storyline began when Vince McMahon's son, Shane McMahon, said on "RAW" that he bought WCW. This led to many appearances of WCW wrestlers during "RAW" and "SmackDown!" after WrestleMania X-Seven.

paragraphs: In June 2001, the storyline got more intense as more WWF storylines ended to make room for the central Invasion storyline. WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) merged to make The Alliance and challenged the WWF's control over the wrestling industry. An Inaugural Brawl took place at the WWF Invasion pay-per-view, where Stone Cold Steve Austin defected and joined the Alliance. Many inter-promotional matches occurred after the Invasion between The Alliance and the WWF, leading up to the climax of the angle at Survivor Series 2001, when Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, Big Show, The Undertaker, and Kane) defeated Team Alliance (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Shane McMahon) in a Winner-Take-All match.

paragraphs: A very large storyline that went for 5 months from June 2001 to November 2001, the storyline has been heavily criticized.

paragraphs: During the Monday Night Wars, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the top 2 North American wrestling shows, competed for ratings. Through developments such as the nWo and the Montreal Screwjob, fans compared the two promotions, and the Internet wrestling community was full of arguments as to which of the two was the best.

paragraphs: Among other things, however, mismanagement within WCW (such as allowing wrestlers themselves to book matches) eventually led WCW to a downward spiral from which it never recovered. The Monday Night Wars came to an end on March 23 2001, when the WWF bought WCW for what was considered to be a bargain price.

paragraphs: The final night of the Monday Night Wars occurred on March 26 2001: "RAW" primarily focused on the major storylines heading into WrestleMania X-Seven, while "Nitro" held their final episode with a "Night Of Champions". Vince McMahon opened up "Nitro" and announced a simulcast later that night to address the future of WCW. Throughout "RAW", McMahon publicly named several WCW wrestlers who would not be retained. After Sting defeated Ric Flair in WCW's final match, the simulcast began. McMahon talked about the buyout of WCW and toyed with the idea of making WCW into a huge media conglomerate, much like the WWF. He asked the crowd who he should keep under his belt by mentioning names of WCW wrestlers and asking for a reaction. Lex Luger received a negative reaction from fans, and Hulk Hogan, Buff Bagwell, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Sting, and Goldberg received positive reactions. Vince then proceeded to fire them all, however, to the cheers of the "RAW" crowd and the jeers of the "Nitro" crowd. McMahon then announced that he would sign the contract and make the purchase official at WrestleMania. Shane McMahon, however, appeared on "Nitro" and announced that he had signed the contract and purchased WCW out from under his father's nose, planting the seed for what was considered a lucrative future storyline opportunity. The Invasion did not begin immediately afterwards, as the WWF was preparing for WrestleMania X-Seven, the year's largest show, mere days away.

paragraphs: The WWF had effectively doubled the size of its roster through its purchase of WCW, and as a result, there was not enough screen time for everyone. The original plan was to find a time slot on TNN to continue running WCW as a separate entity. Polls were even put up on WWF.com and WCW.com to decide the name of the new show. These plans fell through when no TV station would touch WCW because of its reputation for losing money. The WWF eventually carried out a brand extension, effectively reviving WCW under its own auspices and running two separate promotions, each with one of the WWF's two existing televised shows, "RAW" and "SmackDown!".

paragraphs: As part of its plans, Lance Storm became the first WCW wrestler to appear on WWF programming, by running in during a match on the May 28 episode of "RAW" while a match was being held. At King of the Ring 2001 on June 24, then-WCW wrestler Booker T interfered during the Triple Threat Main Event match for the WWF Championship and almost cost Stone Cold Steve Austin the title. Also, Austin suffered fractured bones in his hand from the side slam he took from Booker into an announce table. The next night, a confrontation occurred between WCW owner Shane McMahon and WWF owner Vince McMahon. While Vince was in the ring, Booker T came from behind to deliver his trademark scissor kick to Vince. The WWF roster ran to the ring to the aid of Vince, but Booker T and Shane McMahon escaped through the crowd. This incident marked the official start of the Invasion storyline, to which "RAW" announcer Jim Ross announced, "The battle lines have been drawn!"

paragraphs: The WWF eventually began to recognize WCW and tested the idea of a brand extension by giving WCW the final twenty minutes of "RAW" with Scott Hudson and Arn Anderson doing announcing duties in place of Jim Ross and Paul Heyman. During a match between Buff Bagwell and Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WWF wrestlers Kurt Angle and WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin interfered in revenge by beating Booker T up, with Bagwell joining Angle and Austin by attacking Booker T. A

paragraphs: On the July 9 episode on "RAW", Kane was scheduled to go into a handicapped match against Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. Chris Jericho came out and offered to be Kane's partner, thus turning it into a tag team match. Near the end of the match, Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho on Lance Storm. As the move was being applied, however, Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer ran through the audience and into the ring and started to beat on Kane and Jericho. In response, WWF wrestlers consisting of The Dudley Boyz, Tazz, Justin Credible, Rhyno, and Raven ran to the ring. After a brief stand-off, the WWF group turned around and attacked Kane and Jericho. This prompted Paul Heyman to leave the announce table and enter the ring. After high-fiving the wrestlers, he announced that ECW has been brought into the Invasion. Heyman talked about how tired he was sitting beside Jim Ross and discussing WCW vs. WWF, stating that he felt that everyone had forgotten about ECW and announced, "This Invasion just got taken to the extreme."

paragraphs: Later during the night, Shane and Vince McMahon bumped into each other backstage. Shane told his father that ECW needed to be taken care of and pointed out that there were 10 ECW wrestlers under Heyman's belt. He suggested that he would take five of his WCW wrestlers and have them team up with five of Vince McMahon's WWF wrestler's later that night to take out ECW. Vince agreed but insisted that WCW would eventually meet its demise when all was said and done.

paragraphs: At the end of the night, the WCW wrestlers came into the ring, accompanied by Shane McMahon. The WWF wrestlers then came into the ring and, before ECW entered, the WCW and WWF wrestlers started to brawl. The WWF wrestlers cleared the ring but then were stormed by the ECW wrestlers and taken out. After this, WCW's men came into the ring and high-fived the ECW men. Paul Heyman and Shane McMahon then hugged and started to dismantle the WWF wrestlers. Vince McMahon, stunned, came out and asked what was going on. Shane McMahon responded that he was responsible for all the events that just transpired and announced that ECW and WCW merged to form The Alliance. He then announced that the new owner of ECW was Stephanie McMahon.

paragraphs: At InVasion, the Inaugural Brawl took place between Team WCW/ECW and Team WWF. The WWF consisted of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Kane, and the Undertaker, who all wrestled against the team of DDP, Booker T, Rhyno, and the Dudley Boys. Near the end of the match, all of the wrestlers were outside of the ring except Booker T and Angle. Kurt Angle applied the ankle lock on Booker T, who tapped out, but no referee was there to witness it. Stone Cold then dragged a referee into the ring, but then kicked Kurt Angle in the face, Stunned him, and placed Booker T on top of Kurt Angle and told the referee to count. Team WCW/ECW won the match due to Stone Cold's actions.

paragraphs: Shane McMahon, on the July 26 edition of "SmackDown!", extended an invitation to The Rock, who had not been seen since the "RAW" following WrestleMania X-Seven, to the Alliance. Also that night, Kurt Angle challenged Booker T to a WCW World Heavyweight Championship match, which Booker T accepted. The WWF gained momentum when Angle beat Booker T with an ankle lock, taking the WCW Championship away from the Alliance. Angle's title run proved to be short-lived, as Booker T won it back on the July 30 episode of "RAW".

paragraphs: On that same "RAW", The Rock returned for the first time since his suspension on the April 2 edition of "RAW". Shane and Vince McMahon were in the ring that night, and each tried to convince The Rock to join their respective side. Shane McMahon took the liberty of reminding The Rock of how Vince screwed him out of the WWF Championship earlier that year at WrestleMania and also in a steel cage match the day after WrestleMania. Vince McMahon replied that Shane was somewhat accurate in his accusations but ceded that it was wrong for him to back Stone Cold, as he was a rattlesnake that he should have known would eventually bite him. He promised to The Rock that he had no intention of screwing him if he returned to the WWF but also ceded that he could not promise that he never would; if it was good for business, he said, then he just might do it. He told The Rock that he was at least being honest with him and pleaded for The Rock to trust himself, stating that his future was with the fans and the WWF. The Rock, however, Rock Bottomed Vince McMahon and proceeded to shake Shane's hand, but he then proceeded to Rock Bottom him as well.

paragraphs: His return led to a WCW Title match between The Rock and Booker T at SummerSlam 2001, which The Rock won, marking the second time the WCW Championship belt changed sides to the WWF. At that same pay-per-view, Austin retained his WWF Championship against Angle after Angle won by disqualification.

paragraphs: The following "RAW" and "SmackDown!" showings featured primarily inter-promotional matches between the two companies. Austin stole Kurt Angle's medals during one of the shows, and on the August 30 edition of "SmackDown!", tied them to a cinder block and threw them in a river. The following "RAW", Debra and Stephanie bought a new truck for Stone Cold, but Angle came up from behind and nailed Austin in the back of the head with a pipe. He put a cinder block and rope in the truck, put Austin in it, and drove away on the truck. He threatened to throw Stone Cold into a river if he did not get a title shot. Austin complied and gave him a shot at the upcoming pay-per-view, Unforgiven. Angle said, however, that Austin was "still going into the water", but instead simply embarrassed Austin by throwing him into a kiddie pool.

paragraphs: The WWF gained even more momentum at Unforgiven, as The Rock retained the WCW Championship against Booker T, and Kurt Angle made Austin submit to the ankle lock, winning the WWF Championship from Stone Cold, putting both belts into the hands of the WWF.

paragraphs: There were several inter-promotional matches after Unforgiven. Furthermore, a crucial plot point formed when, on the October 8 airing of "RAW", Jericho and The Rock teamed up against Shane McMahon and Rob Van Dam. Jericho's face was drenched in blood and, with a steel chair in his hand, accidentally nailed The Rock when he was trying to hit Shane McMahon. This caused a stir backstage later on in the night when The Rock checked to make sure Jericho, who was being treated by EMTs, was in good condition but stated that Jericho made a big mistake in the match. Jericho, irritated, countered that everyone makes mistakes, including The Rock. The Rock responded that everyone should own up to their mistakes but was more concerned with Jericho's condition. As he went to leave the room, Jericho made a comment to the EMT wondering "what the hell" The Rock wanted for him. The Rock overheard this, walked back, and asked Jericho to repeat himself. Jericho did just that, and The Rock countered that his mistake actually cost them the match. Jericho countered that he maybe should have hit The Rock instead with a chair on purpose and proceeded to taunt The Rock by stating that he should knock the People's Eyebrow off of The Rock's face. The Rock provoked Jericho to do just that, and a brawl ensued.

paragraphs: Also that night, Stone Cold and Kurt Angle faced off for the WWF Championship, and William Regal, who sat at ringside to ensure a fair match would take place, hit Kurt Angle with the championship, thereby backstabbing the WWF and costing Angle the title.

paragraphs: The feud between Jericho and The Rock built up to a match at No Mercy on October 21, where Jericho beat the Rock to win the WCW Championship, and Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Angle and Rob Van Dam to retain his WWF Championship.

paragraphs: On the October 29 edition of "RAW", Shane McMahon told his father, Vince McMahon, that a member of the WWF would jump ship to the Alliance that night. Later that same night, Kurt Angle backstabbed the WWF by hitting Jericho, The Rock, Undertaker, and Kane with steel chairs. On the November 1 edition of "SmackDown!", Angle, who originally led the WWF wrestlers, explained that he represented what is great about America—he was a winner, and his defection came from his decision to fight along the winning side. That side included Stone Cold, a man, Kurt Angle claimed, knew how to win.

paragraphs: On the November 5 airing of "RAW", Vince McMahon countered Kurt Angle's defection by stating that a member of Team Alliance would defect during a match at the upcoming Survivor Series. Stone Cold came out to confront Vince about it, and Vince stated that Stone Cold would be the one to defect. Because of this announcement, many Alliance members began to distrust Stone Cold, looking at him with suspicious eyes, to which Stone Cold denied the charges and called Vince a liar. Stone Cold went on to interrogate members of Team Alliance, questioning Booker T and sitting Rob Van Dam down in a room with a light shining on him.

paragraphs: All of this led to a "Winner Take All" match at Survivor Series 2001, which pitted Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show) against Team Alliance (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon). The final three men in the match were The Rock and Jericho vs. Austin. Jericho was eliminated and, to continue the feud between the two men, attacked the Rock, even though Jericho's future was on the line if The Rock lost. The Rock and Austin continued to battle it out, and the referee was knocked down in the match. Austin stunned the Rock and pinned him, but there was no referee to count it. Austin approached the downed referee to try to revive him. As this was occurring, Angle ran to the ring, picked up the WWF championship belt, and nailed Austin with it, revealing himself to be the defector to which McMahon was referring the entire time. The Rock followed this with a Rock Bottom and a pin on Austin, to which the referee woke up and counted Austin down to three. Team WWF prevailed, thus ending the storyline.

paragraphs: After The Alliance was disbanded, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship would be simply renamed the World Championship, and later unified with the WWF Championship to form the WWF Undisputed Championship. The Undisputed Championship was originally represented with both the original WWF and WCW title belts, as the champion would carry both belts around, until being replaced with a single belt. At the beginning of the WWE Brand Extension, the champion would appear on both RAW and SmackDown! until then champion Brock Lesnar took the title to Smackdown. Eric Bischoff would reward Triple H with the former WCW championship belt, as he was the last person to have it, renaming it the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undisputed Championship would be renamed the WWE Championship, as having two world titles contradicted the term "undisputed."

paragraphs: Another WCW championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, was rebranded as a WWE title and replaced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship as the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Additionally, the WCW United States Championship was revived in 2003 as a "SmackDown!"-exclusive title, thus becoming the WWE United States Championship.

paragraphs: Although the WCW brand effectively died once and for all following the end of this storyline, ECW was "temporarily" revived by WWE in 2005 for the purposes of a special "reunion" show, ECW One Night Stand, held on June 12 2005. The build-up to this one-shot event featured former ECW talent putting over the virtues of the brand versus the WWE product and appearances by several former ECW wrestlers not under contract to WWE. In 2006, it was announced that WWE would be reviving ECW as its third "brand" (to complement "RAW" and "SmackDown!"). The second One Night Stand, held on June 11 2006, led to the official debut of the new ECW the following Tuesday.

paragraphs: Test won the Immunity Battle Royal, which granted him immunity from being fired for an entire year, beginning a storyline in which he would bully other wrestlers simply because he could. Every Alliance member who held championships were also immune from being fired, such as Christian, the Dudley Boyz, and Rob Van Dam. William Regal got his job back by being the first to join Vince McMahon's infamous Kiss My Ass Club. The remaining Alliance members (with the exception of RVD) would associate themselves with Vince, who immediately turned heel, against Austin, who immediately turned face. Kurt Angle remained a heel, despite being the one responsible for the end of the Alliance. It was during this storyline that Stone Cold Steve Austin coined the "What?" catchphrase, which fans continue to chant to this day. Ric Flair would make a return and become the kayfabe co-owner of the WWE with Vince.

paragraphs: The Invasion angle was a large storyline that spanned for almost half of 2001 and brought about financial success for the WWF, such as the InVasion pay-per-view being one of the highest non-major event buyrates in the history of pay-per-views. However, the Invasion storyline has come under criticism by wrestling fans and wrestling media, with the storyline being called a flop. Other media refer to the storyline as "one of the most poorly handled, ego-filled storylines in wrestling history." The Invasion storyline was awarded the 2001 Gooker Award by WrestleCrap for worst gimmick, storyline, or event in wrestling.

paragraphs: Throughout the storyline, many inter-promotional matches had WWF wrestlers winning over WCW/ECW wrestlers, usually cleanly. In contrast, most of the Alliance's wins were due to interference or disqualification. For example, it took Tazz assisting Raven at InVasion for Raven to beat William Regal. The Rock, however, won cleanly at SummerSlam 2001, despite Shane McMahon's helping Booker T.

paragraphs: One particular example of this was during the Inaugural Brawl at the InVasion pay-per-view. Besides Austin's turn in the match that was needed to secure a WCW/ECW win over the WWF, Slam! Wrestling alleged that the Alliance wrestled poorly in comparison to the WWF wrestlers:

paragraphs: ""Portrayed as disorganized and inferior grapplers, the ECW-WCW Team had more than its fair share of mistimed moves which hurt their own team members while the "WWF squad" of course wrestled like a well-oiled machines. The weakening of the ECW-WCW dubbed superstars didn't stop there either. The WWF faction battered their enemy tag partners off the ring apron over and over again making them appear weak and more times than not, the ECW-WCW grapplers gained an advantage only by double-teaming or employing underhanded tactics. The message sent was loud and clear. The best of ECW-WCW is not good enough to hang with the WWF.""

paragraphs: It has been speculated that the reason for this was because Vince McMahon did not want the WWF to look weak while fighting the Alliance, as he worked very hard to put down his competition, especially WCW. Smash Wrestling alleges that WWF wrestlers needed to defect to make the Alliance appear to be a credible threat.

paragraphs: The Invasion storyline was presented with a backdrop of a McMahon feud. In storyline, WWF was owned by Vince McMahon, WCW was owned by Shane McMahon, and ECW was owned by Stephanie McMahon. Although the feud did not center completely around the McMahons, the family feud storyline had been done many times before. In addition to this, the Stone Cold versus Vince McMahon feud was to start again when Vince McMahon hit Austin in the back of the head with a chair at No Mercy. As stated by a Slam! Wrestling synopsis of No Mercy 2001:

paragraphs: "For fans who didn't catch it the fifth, tenth or twentieth time they've run the angle, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon are about to feud once again... First up was Vincent McMahon labeling Austin with a steel chair as he was waiting to put a dazed RVD away... Three minutes later, it was Shane McMahon's turn to hurl Kurt Angle out of the ring and into a steel ring post. Vince tackled Shane over the announce table and the two began pummeling one another. Back in the ring, Austin laid a "Stone Cold" Stunner on to retain the belt as a disgruntled Vince scowled. Gee, how many times have we seen that scenario play itself out before? Austin wins. Vince fumes. Fans snore. Whatever."

paragraphs: The storyline also allegedly centered too much on the McMahons, who were getting more airtime than the wrestlers.

paragraphs: It has been argued that the Invasion angle may have been more successful if Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were perceived as controlling ECW and WCW, respectively, instead of Stephanie and Shane McMahon.

paragraphs: Many fans had dreamed of a day where they could pit WWF and WCW wrestlers against each other, but the storyline's final match ended with four WWF wrestlers brawling it out. As a column in "Online World of Wrestling" stated:

paragraphs: ""While it was good TV, it wasn't what everyone thought the WCW vs WWF would have been all about... When the fans of WWF and WCW reminisced about a WCW vs WWF match back in the glory days of Monday Night Wars of around 1997, their match would have probably gone like this: WCW would probably have a team of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, and Ric Flair against... maybe the WWF team of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Mick Foley. Something like that anyway, obviously, even if Vince had done this thing right and signed some good WCW talent we would have had a match a little different due to... factors such as retirement or injuries or something, but still similar to that.""

paragraphs: It is important to note that some of the WCW wrestlers' absences were out of the WWF's control. Many of WCW's top wrestlers had contracts with AOL Time Warner, WCW's parent company, and were willing to sit at home rather than wrestle for less money. Ric Flair and Rey Mysterio were not signed until the end of the Invasion because they were tied to their contracts, and therefore their absence was out of the WWF's control. In addition, Scott Steiner was recovering from an injury. Others, such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Goldberg, were not signed until well after the storyline finished. Because of this, the WWF's opponent allegedly lacked the strong identity of WCW.

paragraphs: To bolster the ranks of WCW (in lieu of big WCW names), some WWF wrestlers (such as Stone Cold Steve Austin) defected and joined the Alliance. Although both WWF and WCW featured talents who had worked for both companies, wrestlers such as Stone Cold had their greatest success in WWF and were seen by fans as WWF wrestlers. Kurt Angle had never wrestled a match for either WCW or ECW, but was a main player for the Alliance towards the end of the storyline. In fact, despite both being viewed as prominent WWF wrestlers, they ended up not only being main players of the Alliance, with Stone Cold being the leader that carried championship gold, but also playing a bigger role than the WCW and ECW stars during the Invasion. For example, the final two Alliance members were Stone Cold and Angle at Survivor Series 2001—Booker T and Rob Van Dam were eliminated only after Shane McMahon.

paragraphs: Several top WCW and ECW talent who were top superstars in their previous company such as Diamond Dallas Page, Justin Credible, Raven and Tazz were put down into low-mid card matches, while lesser-ranked WWF wrestlers who defected to the Alliance, such as Test, were given a greater push.