title: Regular polygon

paragraphs: A regular polygon is a polygon which is both equilateral (which means all its sides have the same length) and equiangular (which means that all its angles are the same).

paragraphs: The simplest examples of regular polygons are:


title: Straightedge and compass construction

paragraphs: Straightedge and compass construction, also known as ruler-and-compass construction, is drawing of lengths, angles or shapes using only a ruler and compass. Some things cannot be drawn this way. For example, there are only 32 regular polygons with an uneven number of sides which are known to be constructible. It has been proven that a square with the same area as the area of a circle can not be constructed. This is called "Squaring the circle".


title: Carnation

paragraphs: A carnation is a type of flower. It has been grown for so many years, we are not sure where it came from.


title: Air Force One

paragraphs: Air Force One is the air traffic call sign (name) of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States.

paragraphs: The president usually flies in one of the two specially changed Boeing 747 jumbo jets (airplane) kept by the United States Air Force.

paragraphs: They are only called Air Force One when the President is on board. Otherwise it is called by its number like any other airplane.

paragraphs: When Richard Nixon resigned as President in 1974 he flew back to his home in California in Air Force One, but halfway to California he stopped being President and the airplane was then given a new name, SAM (Special Air Mission) 2700.


title: Incubus

paragraphs: In the Middle Ages, people in Europe believed that Incubi (one Incubus, several Incubi) were male demons. There were also female demons, called succubi. They lay on sleeping people, to have sexual intercourse with them. They would also do this to make other incubi. While they had sex with their victim, they drained its energy to sustain themselves. Sometimes, having sex with an incubus may result in a child, as in the legend of Merlin. Some sources say that the incubus may be identified by its unnaturally cold penis. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with such a spirit by either males or females may result in bad health, or even death.

paragraphs: People have come up with different explanations for the incubus legends. In the Middle Ages, people worried a lot about sin, especially sexual sins of women. Victims may have been experiencing waking dreams or sleep paralysis. Also, nocturnal arousal, orgasm or nocturnal emission could be explained by the idea of creatures causing an otherwise guilt-producing and self-conscious behavior. The influence of incubi could also have been used to explain how pregnancies happen outside marriage; such pregnancies were often "unexplainable".

paragraphs: Victims who claimed to have fallen prey to the influence of incubi, could in reality have been victims of sexual assault by a real person. Rapists may have attributed the rapes of sleeping women to demons in order to escape punishment. A friend or relative may have assaulted the victim in her sleep. The victims and, in some cases the clergy, may have found it easier to explain the attack as supernatural in origin rather than confront the idea that the attack came from a trusted person.

paragraphs: One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian kings' list, ca. 2400, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu (Lila). It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams. Two other demons appear as well: Ardat lili visits men by night and bears ghostly children from them. Irdu lili, is the male counterpart to Ardat lili. He visits women by night. These demons were originally storm demons. Because the etymology was interpreted wrongly, they were later seen as night demons. Also considered to be vampires which is another form of a demon that is said to drink blood from its victims.

paragraphs: Incubi and succubi were said by some not to be different sexes, but the same demon able to change its sex. A succubus would be able to sleep with a man and collect his sperm, and then transform into an incubus and use that seed on women. Their offspring were thought to be supernatural in many cases, even if the actual genetic material originally came from humans.

paragraphs: Many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual, but some indicate that it is strictly heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental. There are also many stories involving the attempted exorcism of incubi or succubi who have taken refuge in the bodies of men or women.

paragraphs: Incubi are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. The most famous legend of such a case includes that of Merlin, the famous wizard from Arthurian legend.

paragraphs: According to the "Malleus Maleficarum", exorcism is one of the five ways to overcome the attacks of Incubi, the others being Sacramental Confession, the Sign of the Cross (or recital of the Angelic Salutation), moving the afflicted to another location, and by excommunication of the attacking entity, "which is perhaps the same as exorcism." On the other hand, the Franciscan friar Ludovico Maria Sinistrari stated that incubi "do not obey exorcists, have no dread of exorcisms, show no reverence for holy things, at the approach of which they are not in the least overawed."


title: Commonwealth realm

paragraphs: A Commonwealth realm is a country in the Commonwealth of Nations which has Queen Elizabeth II as monarch. It includes her home country of the United Kingdom and many of its former colonies or territories, including:

paragraphs: In each of the countries outside the UK, the Queen appoints a Governor-General to represent her, who, after consulting with the government of the realm, has all of the powers and duties of the queen. Usually the Governor-General signs all acts of parliament into law, but can wait and ask the Queen for advice or wait for her to sign the act herself. This happened in 1982 when Queen Elizabeth signed the important "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" during a visit to Ottawa, and the Australia Act 1986 in Canberra.

paragraphs: Although Queen Elizabeth II is monarch of many countries, the British government has no power in the other realms, just as the governments of the other realms have no power in the UK. This is why each realm decides on the Queen's official title. Usually it is "Queen of (realm) and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth". But two countries mention the UK in their title for the Queen: Grenada uses "Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Grenada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth", while Canada uses the old fashioned form, which reads "by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith." Not all countries use the title "Defender of the Faith".


title: Dashiki

paragraphs: A Dashiki is a loose fitting, brightly coloured garment associated with African culture. It is also associated with the counterculture of the 1960s in the United States. The most popular styles cover the top half of the body. It originated in West Africa. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar. It often has an embroidered neck and sleeve lines. There are both casual and formal versions.

paragraphs: The dashiki originated in West Africa and East Africa. Twelfth and thirteenth centuries burial mounds in Mali (West Africa) have revealed versions of dashikis. Dashikis were worn by both men and women. They may have been influenced by the thawb worn by Arabs who came to the region. Both garments keep the wearer cool in the hot African climate. The dashiki was worn as a work shirt in the shorter version. Another much longer version was called the grand boubou. It is also similar to the kaftan. All three are common to West Africa.

paragraphs: The dashiki became popular in the hippie culture of the 1960s. Peace Corps members returning from Africa brought back dashikis. African diplomats to the United Nations in New York were often seen and photographed wearing colorful dashikis. Dashikis were seen as a symbol of support for black racial struggles. Groups like the Black Panthers wore the Dashiki as a symbol of their black heritage. The Afro hairstyle, faded blue jeans and the Dashiki were all popular expressions of the Black is beautiful cultural movement.

paragraphs: Many of the rock groups of the 60s and 70s wore Dashikis. But black performers of the 60s 70s preferred the more conventional suit and tie look. But in the 80s several black groups wore the dashiki to show their heritage. One South African vocal group, 'Ladysmith Black Mambazo', wore dashikis extensively. This identified them more as Africans than Zulus.


title: Colorado Avalanche

paragraphs: The Colorado Avalanche are an American ice hockey in the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. They play in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The team has won the Stanley Cup championship two times, in 1996 and in 2001.


title: Battle of Midway

paragraphs: The Battle of Midway was an important naval battle of World War II, between the United States and the Empire of Japan. It took place from 4 June 1942 to 7 June 1942. This was about a month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, and six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

paragraphs: The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll (northwest of Hawaii) and destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser.

paragraphs: The battle was a decisive victory for the Americans. It was the most important naval battle of the Pacific area in World War II. The battle weakened the Imperial Japanese Navy for the rest of the war. Japan could not build up its forces again. The United States replaced their lost ships and planes with better ones very quickly. Japan could only make a few poor quality replacements.

paragraphs: The Japanese planned to bring America's carriers into a trap and sink them. The Japanese also tried to take Midway Atoll to build defenses far from their homeland and prepare to invade Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii.

paragraphs: The Midway operation, like the attack on Pearl Harbor, was made to destroy the American strength in the Pacific Ocean. This way, Japan could become the biggest power in the area and unify Asia under its control. It was also hoped that another defeat would force the U.S. to ask for peace soon.

paragraphs: After the defeat, Imperial Japanese Navy forces retired. Japan lost four out of their six carriers, and hundreds of their best air pilots. This stopped the expansion of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific, and the Americans began to slowly advance towards Japan.

paragraphs: Japan had reached its first goals quickly, taking the Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). This gave Japan petroleum, which it needed to make more war. Planning for a second part of the operations started in January 1942. However, disagreements between the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, and among naval commanders, prevented finishing the plan until April 1942. Admiral Yamamoto said he would quit if his plan for the Central Pacific was not accepted. It was accepted.

paragraphs: Yamamoto's main goal was to destroy America's carrier forces, which he saw as the main threat to the Pacific campaign. This concern was increased by the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942. In this raid, 16 US Army Air Forces B-25 Mitchell bombers launched from bombed targets in Tokyo and several other Japanese cities. The raid, while militarily unimportant, showed that American bombers could reach Japanese territory. This and other successful raids by American carriers showed that they were still a threat.

paragraphs: Yamamoto thought that another attack on the U.S Naval base at Pearl Harbor would make all of the American fleet to sail out to fight, including the carriers. However, because of the many American land-based airplanes on Hawaii, he thought that it was too risky to attack directly. Instead, he decided to attack Midway, a tiny atoll at the northwest end of the Hawaiian Island chain, approximately from Oahu. The Japanese didn't need Midway but they felt the Americans would try hard to defend it.

paragraphs: The U.S. did consider Midway to be important. After the battle, they set up a submarine base on Midway. That meant submarines operating from Pearl Harbor could refuel and get new supplies, so they could go farther west. Midway's airstrips were also used for bomber attacks on Wake Island.

paragraphs: Like most Japanese naval planning during World War II, Yamamoto's battle plan was very complex. His was also based on incorrect information. He thought that and were the only carriers available to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, had been sunk and so badly damaged that the Japanese thought she had been sunk. The Japanese also knew that was being repaired on the US West Coast after getting torpedo damage from a submarine. and were in the Atlantic, but the Japanese were not sure this was so.

paragraphs: Yamamoto thought that the Americans had been demoralized by their defeats in the last six months. He thought a trick would lure the U.S. fleet into a dangerous situation. He spread out his ships, especially his battleships, so that they would be hard to find. Yamamoto's battleships and cruisers went behind Vice-Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's carrier force by several hundred miles. Japan's heavy surface forces would wait for the U.S. ships to come to defend Midway, and destroy them.

paragraphs: The plan was for Nagumo's carriers to cause so much harm to US ships that the Japanese could fire on them by daylight.

paragraphs: Yamamoto did not know that the U.S. had broken the main Japanese naval code. Yamamoto's choice to spread out his ships meant that none of his groups of ships could support each other. The only warships larger than the 12 destroyers that protected Nagumo's fleet were two battleships, two heavy cruisers, and one light cruiser.

paragraphs: The Japanese attacks in the Aleutian Islands (Operation AL) took away yet more ships that could have attacked Midway. Many histories once saw the Aleutians attack as a feint to draw American forces away. Early twenty-first century research shows that AL was supposed to be launched at the same time as the attack on Midway. However, a one-day delay in the sailing of Nagumo's ships resulted in Operation AL beginning a day before the Midway attack.

paragraphs: To battle with an enemy expected to have four or five carriers, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, needed every U.S. carrier he could get. He already had Vice Admiral William Halsey's two-carrier ("Enterprise" and "Hornet") force. Halsey was sick with psoriasis and had to be replaced by Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. Nimitz also called back Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's force, including the carrier "Yorktown" (which had major damage at Coral Sea), from the South West Pacific Area. It reached Pearl Harbor just in time to sail.

paragraphs: The damaged "Yorktown" however, was not completely crippled. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard worked all day and all night, and in 72 hours she was ready to battle for two or three weeks. Her flight deck was patched, sections of internal frames were replaced, and several squadrons of aircraft were taken from "Saratoga". The pilots did not get time to train. Repairs on Yorktown continued even as she sailed out.

paragraphs: On Midway, by 4 June the USN had stationed four groups of PBYs—31 aircraft in total—for long-range reconnaissance duties, and six new Grumman TBF-1 Avengers. The Avengers were taken from "Hornet"s VT-8. The Marine Corps had 19 Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, seven Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats, 17 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicators, and 21 Brewster F2A-3s. The USAAF sent a group of 17 B-17 Flying Fortresses and eight B-26 Marauders with torpedoes: in total 126 aircraft.

paragraphs: During the Battle of the Coral Sea one month earlier, the Japanese light carrier "Shōhō" had been sunk and the fleet carrier had three bomb hits, and was in drydock undergoing repairs. Although the carrier was undamaged, she had lost almost half her airplanes and was in port in Kure awaiting new planes and pilots. No new pilots were available because none had been trained. Flight instructors were used in an effort to make up the missing aircrew.

paragraphs: Japan's two most advanced aircraft carriers were not available and Admiral Nagumo would therefore have only four fleet carriers: and ; and . At least part of this was due to overwork; Japanese carriers had been constantly operating since 7 December 1941, including raids on Darwin and Colombo.

paragraphs: The main Japanese carrier-based aircraft were the Aichi D3A1 dive bomber and the Nakajima B5N2, which was used either as a torpedo bomber or as a bomber. However, production of the D3A had been reduced, while production of the B5N had been stopped. None were available to replace losses. In addition many of the aircraft being used during the June 1942 operations had been operating since late November 1941; many were almost worn out and had become increasingly unreliable. These factors meant that all carriers of the "Kido Butai" had fewer aircraft than normal and there were not enough spare aircraft or parts. I

paragraphs: Japan's main carrier fighter was the fast Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero".

paragraphs: Japanese scouting before the battle was disorganized. A line of Japanese submarines was late getting into position. This let the American carriers reach their meeting point northeast of Midway (known as "Point Luck") without being found by the subs. A second attempt at scouting, using four-engine Kawanishi H8K flying boats to fly to Pearl Harbor prior to the battle and see whether the American carriers were there did not work out because Japanese subs could not refuel the planes. Japan did not know where the American carriers were before the battle.

paragraphs: Japanese radios did pick up more American submarine activity and messages. Yamamoto knew this before the battle, but Japanese plans were not changed. Yamamoto, at sea on , assumed that Nagumo had received the same message from Tokyo, and he did not send the message, because he did not want the US to hear the message. Nagumo's radio antennas could not get the message from Tokyo.

paragraphs: Admiral Nimitz had one advantage: code experts had broken the Japanese Navy's JN-25b code. Since the early spring of 1942, the US had been decoding messages stating that there would soon be an operation at objective "AF". They guessed that it was Midway and sent an uncoded radio message that Midway needed fresh water. The code breakers then picked up a Japanese message that "AF was short on water." was also able to determine the date of the attack as either 4 or 5 June, and to tell Nimitz exactly which Japanese ships were coming. Japan had a new codebook, but it was not used for several days. The new code, which had not yet been figured out, was used shortly before the attack began, but the important information had already been figured out.

paragraphs: Americans knew where, when, and in what strength the Japanese would arrive at Midway. Nimitz knew that the Japanese had ruined their advantage in number of ships by dividing their ships into four groups, all too separated to be able to support each other. Nimitz calculated that the aircraft on his three carriers, plus those on Midway Island, gave the U.S. rough parity with Yamamoto's four carriers, mainly because American carrier air groups were larger than Japanese ones. The Japanese, by contrast, remained almost totally unaware of their opponent's true strength and dispositions even after the battle began.

paragraphs: At about 09:00 on 3 June, a US Navy patrol plane spotted the Japanese Occupation Force to the west-southwest of Midway. Three hours later, the Americans found the Japanese transport group to the west. They attacked, but none of the bombs hit and no major damage resulted. Early the following morning the Japanese oil tanker "Akebono Maru" was hit by a torpedo from an attacking PBY. This was the only successful air-launched torpedo attack by the U.S. during the entire battle.

paragraphs: At 04:30 on 4 June, Nagumo launched his attack on Midway. It consisted of 36 dive bombers 36 torpedo bombers, escorted by 36 Mitsubishi Zero fighters. At the same time he launched a defensive combat air patrol. His eight search planes launched 30 minutes late.

paragraphs: Japanese reconnaissance plans were poor, with too few aircraft to cover the search areas. Yamamoto's decisions had now become a serious problem.

paragraphs: As Nagumo's bombers and fighters were taking off, 11 PBYs were leaving Midway to search for Japanese ships. They reported sighting two Japanese carriers with empty decks, which meant an air strike was on its way. American radar picked up the enemy at a distance of several miles, and planes were sent off to defend Midway. Bombers headed off to attack the Japanese carrier fleet. US fighters remained behind to defend Midway. At 06:20 Japanese carrier aircraft bombed and heavily damaged the U.S. base. Midway-based Marine fighter pilots, flying F4Fs and obsolescent F2As, intercepted the Japanese and had many losses. Most of the U.S. planes were shot down in the first few minutes; several were damaged, and only two could fly. In all, 3 F4Fs and 13 F2As were shot down. American anti-aircraft fire was accurate damaging many Japanese aircraft and destroying four.

paragraphs: Of the 108 Japanese aircraft involved in this attack, 11 were destroyed, 14 were heavily damaged, and 29 were damaged. The initial Japanese attack did not destroy Midway: American bombers could still use the airbase to refuel and attack the Japanese invasion force. Most of Midway's land-based defenses were intact. Another air attack to destroy Midway's defences would be necessary if troops were to be able to go ashore by 7 June.

paragraphs: American bombers based on Midway made several attacks on the Japanese carrier fleet. These included six Grumman Avengers from the s VT-8 (Midway was the first combat mission for the VT-8 airmen, and it was the first combat of the TBF), Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241), consisting of eleven SB2U-3s and sixteen SBDs, plus four USAAF B-26s, armed with torpedoes, and fifteen B-17s. The Japanese fought off these attacks. The US lost two fighters, five TBFs, two SB2Us, eight SBDs and two B-26s.

paragraphs: One B-26, after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, dove straight toward the "Akagi". The plane just missed the carrier's bridge, which could have killed Nagumo and his command staff. This may have made Nagumo decide to launch another attack on Midway, against Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve force for anti-ship operations.

paragraphs: Admiral Nagumo had kept half of his aircraft in reserve. These were two squadrons of dive bombers and torpedo bombers. At 07:15 Nagumo ordered his reserve planes to be re-armed with bombs for use against land targets. At 07:40 a scout plane from "Tone" saw a big American naval force to the east. It seems that Nagumo did not receive the report until 08:00. Nagumo reversed his order, but it took 40 minutes before "Tone"'s scout finally radioed that there was a carrier in the American force. This was one of the carriers from TF 16; the other carrier was not sighted.

paragraphs: Nagumo was now unsure of what to do. Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi recommended that Nagumo strike with the forces at hand: 18 Aichi D3A dive bombers each on "Sōryū" and "Hiryū", and half the cover patrol aircraft. Nagumo's opportunity to hit the American ships, however, was now limited. The Midway strike force would be returning shortly and needed to land or crash into the sea. Because of the constant flight deck activity, the Japanese did not get their reserve planes on the flight deck for launch. The few aircraft that were ready were defensive Fighter aircraft. Launching aircraft would have required at least 30 to 45 minutes. By launching right away, Nagumo would be using some of his reserve without proper anti-ship weapons. He had just seen how easily unescorted American bombers had been shot down. Poor discipline caused many of the Japanese bombers to get rid of their bombs and attempt to fight intercepting F4Fs. Japanese carrier rules preferred full strikes, and since Nagumo did not know the American force included a carrier, his response followed Japanese rules. In addition, the arrival of another American air strike at 07:53 made Nagumo want to attack the island again. Nagumo decided to wait for his first strike force to land, then launch the reserve, which would by then be armed and ready.

paragraphs: Fletcher's carriers had launched their planes beginning at 07:00, so the aircraft that attacked Nagumo were already on their way. There was nothing Nagumo could do about it. This was the flaw with Yamamoto's plans.

paragraphs: The Americans had already launched their carrier aircraft against the Japanese. Admiral Fletcher, in command aboard "Yorktown", and having PBY sighting reports from the early morning, ordered an attack on the Japanese as soon as possible. He held "Yorktown" in reserve in case any other Japanese carriers were found. (Fletcher's directions to Spruance were sent by Nimitz, who had remained ashore.)

paragraphs: Spruance thought that even though the range was far, an attack could succeed. He gave the order to launch the attack at around 06:00. Fletcher, upon completing his own scouting flights, followed at 08:00 from "Yorktown".

paragraphs: Admiral Fletcher, commanding the "Yorktown" task force, along with Captain Elliott Buckmaster,"Yorktown"s commanding officer, and their staffs had experience in doing a full strike against an enemy force in the Coral Sea. But they could not pass on what they had learned to "Enterprise" and "Hornet" which were ordered to launch the first strike. Spruance ordered the aircraft to go to the target right away, since destroying enemy carriers was important to the safety of his ships. Spruance decided it was more important to attack as soon as possible, rather than coordinate the attack by aircraft of different types and speeds (fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers). American squadrons went to the target in several different groups. He hoped that he would find Nagumo with his flight decks full of planes.

paragraphs: American carrier aircraft had difficulty locating the target. The strike from "Hornet", led by Commander Stanhope C. Ring, did not fly in the right direction. Air Group Eight's dive bombers missed the Japanese carriers. Torpedo Squadron 8 flew in the correct direction. However, the 10 F4Fs from "Hornet" had run out of fuel and had to crash into the ocean. Waldron's squadron saw the enemy carriers and began attacking at 09:20, followed by Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6, from "Enterprise") whose Wildcat fighter escorts also ran low on fuel and had to turn back at 09:40. Without fighter escort, all fifteen TBD Devastators of VT-8 were shot down without being able to do any damage, with Ensign George Gay the only survivor. VT-6 lost 10 of their 14 Devastators, and 10 of "Yorktown's" VT-3's 12 Devastators were shot down with no hits. Part of the problem was the poor performance of the Mark 13 torpedoes. Senior Navy and Bureau of Ordnance officers never asked why six torpedoes, released so close to the Japanese carriers, produced no hits. The Japanese combat air patrol, flying Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros shot down the unescorted, slow, under-armed TBDs. A few TBDs managed to get close enough to drop their torpedoes and shoot their machine guns at the enemy ships. This made the Japanese carriers to make sharp turns. The TBD Devastator was never again used in combat.

paragraphs: Despite their failure to get any hits, the American torpedo attacks made the Japanese carriers unable to prepare and launch their own strike. They also pulled the Japanese combat air patrol (CAP) out of position. As well, many Zeros ran low on ammunition and fuel. The appearance of a third torpedo plane attack from the southeast by Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3 from "Yorktown") at 10:00 made the Japanese CAP fly to the southeast corner of the fleet. Better discipline and using more Zeroes for the CAP might have enabled Nagumo to prevent the damage caused by the coming American attacks.

paragraphs: Three squadrons of SBDs from "Enterprise" and "Yorktown" (VB-6, VS-6 and VB-3, respectively) were approaching from the southwest and northeast. The two squadrons from "Enterprise" were running low on fuel because of the time spent looking for the enemy. However, the squadron commander decided to continue the search. He spotted the Japanese destroyer "Arashi". It was moving to rejoin Nagumo's carriers after having unsuccessfully depth-charged U.S. submarine . Nautilus had earlier unsuccessfully attacked the battleship . Some bombers were lost from lack of fuel before the attack started.

paragraphs: McClusky's decision to continue the search was a great help to the US carrier task force and the forces at Midway. All three American dive-bombers squadrons (VB-6, VS-6 and VB-3) arrived at the right time to attack. Most of the Japanese CAP were looking for the torpedo planes. Armed Japanese strike aircraft filled the hangar decks, fuel hoses lay on the decks and bombs and torpedoes were near the hangars, making the Japanese carriers very at risk of being damaged.

paragraphs: Beginning at 10:22, the two squadrons of "Enterprise"s air group split up and attacked two targets. By accident, both groups attacked the "Kaga". Lieutenant Commander Richard Halsey Best and two other planes headed north to attack "Akagi". Coming under an attack from almost two full squadrons, "Kaga" was hit by four or five bombs, which caused heavy damage and starting fires that could not be put out. One of the bombs landed near the bridge, killing most of the senior officers.

paragraphs: Several minutes later, Best and two planes dove on the "Akagi". Although "Akagi" getting one direct hit (dropped by Lieutenant Commander Best). It struck the deck elevator and went all the way through to the upper hangar deck. It exploded among the armed and fueled aircraft. Another bomb exploded underwater which bent the flight deck and caused rudder damage.

paragraphs: "Yorktown"s VB-3, commanded by Max Leslie, attacked "Sōryū". They got at least three hits and caused a lot of damage. VT-3 targeted "Hiryū", but got no hits.

paragraphs: Within six minutes, "Sōryū" and "Kaga" were on fire. "Akagi" was also seriously damaged. The Japanese hoped that "Akagi" could be saved or towed back to Japan. Eventually, all three carriers were eventually abandoned and sunk.

paragraphs: "Hiryū", the sole surviving Japanese aircraft carrier attacked. "Hiryū"'s first attack consisted of 18 dive bombers and six fighter escorts. They followed the retreating American aircraft and attacked the "Yorktown", hitting her with three bombs, which blew a hole in the deck, put out her boilers, and destroyed several anti-aircraft guns. Despite the damage, repair teams were able to fix the flight deck and fix several boilers in an hour. Twelve Japanese dive bombers and four escorting fighters were lost in this attack.

paragraphs: Approximately one hour later, "Hiryū"'s second attack was made. It consisted of ten torpedo bombers and six escorting A6Ms. The US repair efforts had been so well done that the Japanese assumed she must be a different, undamaged carrier. In the attack, "Yorktown" was struck by two torpedoes; she lost all power and developed a tilt to port, which put her out of action. Admiral Fletcher moved his command staff to the heavy cruiser . Neither of the carriers of Spruance's Task Force 16 was damaged.

paragraphs: News of the two strikes, with the reports each had sunk an American carrier (actually "Yorktown" in both cases), greatly improved morale in the "Kido Butai". Its few surviving aircraft were all recovered aboard "Hiryū" where they were prepared for an attack against what was believed to be the only remaining American carrier.

paragraphs: Late in the afternoon, a "Yorktown" scout aircraft located "Hiryū". "Enterprise" launched a strike of dive bombers (including 10 SBDs from "Yorktown"). Despite "Hiryū" being defended by more than a dozen Zero fighters, the attack by "Enterprise" was successful: four, possibly five bombs hit "Hiryū", leaving her on fire and unable to operate aircraft. ("Hornet"s strike aimed at the escort ships but it did not get any hits.) After hopeless attempts to control the fire, most of the crew remaining on "Hiryū" were taken off the ship. The rest of the fleet continued sailing northeast to catch the American carriers. "Hiryū" stayed afloat for several more hours. She was discovered by an aircraft from the light carrier "Hōshō". This led to hopes she could be saved or towed back to Japan. However, soon after being spotted, "Hiryū" sank. Rear Admiral Yamaguchi chose to go down with his ship, costing Japan her best carrier officer.

paragraphs: As darkness fell, both sides thought about the situation and made plans for action. Admiral Fletcher had to abandon the "Yorktown". He felt he could not command from a cruiser. He gave command to Spruance. Spruance knew the United States had won a great victory, but he was still unsure of what Japanese forces remained. He wanted to protect Midway and his carriers. He followed Nagumo during the day and continued to follow as night fell. Finally, fearing a possible night battle with Japanese ships and believing Yamamoto still intended to invade, Spruance pulled back to the east. He turned back west towards the enemy at midnight. Yamamoto decided to continue the attacks and sent his remaining ships searching eastward for the American carriers. He also sent a cruiser raiding force to bomb the island. The Japanese ships failed to make contact with the Americans due to Spruance's decision to pull back eastward, and Yamamoto ordered a withdrawal to the west.

paragraphs: Spruance failed to regain contact with Yamamoto's forces on 5 June even though he made many searches. Towards the end of the day he launched an attack on any ships from Nagumo's carrier force. This strike missed Yamamoto's main group of ships. It did not hit a Japanese destroyer. The strike planes returned to the carriers after nightfall. Spruance to ordered "Enterprise" and "Hornet" to turn on their lights to aid the landings.

paragraphs: At 02:15 on the night of 5/6 June, Commander John Murphy's , in the water west of Midway, made the second of the submarine force's major contributions to the battle's outcome. Sighting several ships, neither Murphy nor his executive officer, Ray Spruance, Jr., could identify them. Considering that they might be US ships, Murphy did not fire, but reported the ships to Admiral Robert English, Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC). This report was sent to Nimitz, who then sent it to Spruance. Spruance assumed this was the invasion force and moved to block it while staying northeast of Midway.

paragraphs: The ships sighted by "Tambor" were the four cruisers and two destroyers Yamamoto had sent to bomb Midway. At 02:55 these ships received Yamamoto's order to pull back and changed course. At about the same time as the course change, "Tambor" was sighted, and to avoid a submarine attack and hit into each other, causing serious damage to "Mogami"s bow. The less severely damaged "Mikuma" slowed to . This was the most damage any of the 18 submarines deployed for the battle achieved. Only at 04:12 did the sky brighten enough for Murphy to be certain the ships were Japanese, by which time staying surfaced was hazardous, and he dived to approach for an attack. The attack was unsuccessful, and at around 06:00 he finally reported two westbound "Mogami"-class cruisers.

paragraphs: Over the following two days, first Midway and then Spruance's carriers launched several attacks. "Mikuma" was sunk by Dauntlesses, while "Mogami" survived damage and returned home for repairs. The destroyers "Arashio" and "Asashio" were also bombed and machine-gunned during the last of these attacks.

paragraphs: The "Yorktown" was towed by USS "Vireo". In the late afternoon of 6 June, however, fired torpedoes; two struck "Yorktown", but a third struck and sank destroyer , which had been providing power to "Yorktown". "Hammann" broke in two with the loss of 80 lives. "Yorktown" sank just after 05:00 on 7 June.

paragraphs: By the time the battle ended, 3,057 Japanese had died. Casualties aboard the four carriers were:

paragraphs: "Akagi": 267; "Kaga": 811; "Hiryu": 392; "Soryu": 711; a total of 2,181. The heavy cruisers "Mikuma" (sunk; 700 casualties) and "Mogami" (badly damaged; 92) accounted for another 792 deaths.

paragraphs: In addition, the destroyers "Arashio" (bombed; 35) and "Asashio" (strafed by aircraft; 21) were both damaged during the air attacks which sank "Mikuma" and caused further damage to "Mogami". Floatplanes were lost from the cruisers "Chikuma" (3) and "Tone" (2). Dead aboard the destroyers "Tanikaze" (11), "Arashi" (1), "Kazagumo" (1) and the fleet oiler "Akebono Maru" (10) made up the remaining 23 casualties.

paragraphs: After winning a victory, and as pursuing the Japanese ships became too dangerous near Wake, American forces pulled back. Spruance pulled back to the east to refuel his destroyers and meet with the carrier "Saratoga", which was carrying replacement aircraft. The American carriers eventually returned to Pearl Harbor. Historian Samuel E. Morison wrote in 1949 that Spruance was criticized for not pursuing the retreating Japanese, allowing their fleet to escape. Clay Blair argued in 1975 that had Spruance followed Yamamoto, he would have been unable to launch his aircraft after nightfall, and his cruiser escorts would have been destroyed by Yamamoto's larger and more powerful ships, including the battleship , with 18-inch guns.

paragraphs: On 10 June, the Japanese Navy gave an account of the results of the battle that did not tell the whole story. Nagumo's battle report was given to the high command on 15 June. It was intended only for the highest officers in the Japanese Navy and government. It was guarded closely throughout the war. Nagumo stated that the enemy was not aware of our plans. The Japanese public, and much of the military, were not told about the defeat: Japanese news announced a great victory. Only Emperor Hirohito and the highest Navy officers were told about the carrier and pilot losses. Army planners continued to believe that the fleet was in good condition.

paragraphs: On the return of the Japanese fleet to Hashirajima on 14 June the wounded were transferred to naval hospitals. Most were called "secret patients" and kept away from other patients and their families. The Navy did this to keep this major defeat secret. The remaining officers and men were quickly spread out to other units of the fleet and sent to the South Pacific, where the majority were killed. None of the flag officers or staff of the Combined Fleet was penalized, with Nagumo later being placed in command of the rebuilt carrier force.

paragraphs: The Japanese Navy learned some lessons from Midway. Aircraft were refueled and re-armed on the flight deck, rather than in the hangars. All unused fuel lines were drained. The new carriers being built with only two flight deck elevators and new firefighting equipment. More carrier crew members were trained in damage-control and firefighting techniques. The losses later in the war of , ', and ' showed that there were still problems in this area. Replacement pilots went through a short training program, meeting the short-term needs of the fleet. This led to a decline in the quality of training. These inexperienced pilots were sent into front-line units, while the veterans who remained after Midway and the Solomons campaign were kept flying continually. As a result, Japanese naval air groups declined in quality during the war.

paragraphs: Three U.S. airmen, Ensign Wesley Osmus (pilot, "Yorktown"), Ensign Frank O'Flaherty (pilot, "Enterprise") and Aviation Machinist's Mate B. F. (or B. P.) Bruno Gaido (radioman-gunner of O'Flaherty's SBD) were captured by the Japanese during the battle. Osmus was held on the "Arashi", with O'Flaherty and Gaido on the cruiser "Nagara" (or destroyer "Makigumo", sources vary), and later killed. O'Flaherty and Gaido were tied to five-gallon kerosene cans filled with water and dumped overboard several days after the battle.

paragraphs: The Battle of Midway has been called "the turning point of the Pacific". However, even after Midway, the Japanese continued to try to get more territory in the South Pacific. The U.S. did not become the more powerful navy until after several more months of hard combat. Midway was the Allies' first major victory against the Japanese.

paragraphs: However, it did not change the course of the war by itself. It was the combined effects of the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway that reduced Japan's ability to do major attacks. In addition Midway helped make US landings on Guadalcanal possible. The prolonged attrition warfare (a type of battle in which each side tries to wear down the other side) of the Solomon Islands campaign allowed the Allies to take an offensive stance for the rest of the Pacific War. Finally, Midway bought the United States time until the first of the new Essex-class fleet carriers became available at the end of 1942.

paragraphs: The battle also showed the worth of pre-war naval code breaking and intelligence-gathering. These efforts continued in both the Pacific and Atlantic areas of war. There were many successes. Navy code breaking made possible the shooting down of Admiral Yamamoto's airplane.

paragraphs: Some authors have stated heavy losses in carriers and veteran aircrews at Midway permanently weakened the Imperial Japanese Navy. Parshall and Tully, however, have stated that the losses in veteran aircrew, while heavy (110, just under 25% of the aircrew embarked on the four carriers), were not as bad for the Japanese naval air-corps as a whole. The Japanese navy had 2,000 carrier-qualified aircrew at the start of the Pacific war. A few months after Midway, the JNAF sustained similar casualty rates at both the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and Battle of Santa Cruz. It was these battles, combined with the constant death of veterans during the Solomons campaign, which weakened Japan. However, the loss of four large fleet carriers, and over 40% of the carriers' aircraft mechanics and technicians, plus the flight-deck crews were very damaging to the Japanese carrier fleet. After the battle and were the only large carriers of the original Pearl Harbor strike-force left for offensive actions. Of Japan's other carriers, was the only Fleet carrier that could be used with "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku", while , , and , were second-rate ships. By the time of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, while the Japanese had somewhat rebuilt their carrier forces, the planes were flown by inexperienced pilots.

paragraphs: In the time it took Japan to build three carriers, the U.S. Navy commissioned more than two dozen fleet and light fleet carriers, and numerous escort carriers. By 1942 the United States was already three years into a shipbuilding plan which aimed make the navy larger than Japan's. The greater number of USN aviators survived the Battle of Midway and subsequent battles of 1942, and combined with growing pilot training programs, the US had many skilled pilots.

paragraphs: Yamamoto did not know that the U.S. had broken the main Japanese naval code (JN-25). This let the U.S. fleet go to the right place at the right time.

paragraphs: Yamamoto scattered his forces to keep the attack secret, but that meant his formations could not help each other. For instance, Nagumo's fleet had few big ships. When the carrier planes were carrying out the strikes, the carriers were relatively undefended. By contrast, the flotillas of Yamamoto and Kondo had more big ships, "none of which saw any action at Midway". Their distance from Nagumo's carriers also meant he could not use their reconnaissance planes, so he knew little of what was happening.


title: Minnesota Wild

paragraphs: The Minnesota Wild are a NHL team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The team's name was chosen by a fans' contest. The logo suggests the "wild" lands of northern Minnesota. It includes trees, the moon, stars and a river. Those things are surrounded by the outline of the head of a wild animal, possibly a bear.

paragraphs: The Wild joined the NHL in 2000. They play at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.


title: Ghassanids

paragraphs: Ghassanids, are an Arab clan who came to the Levant from Yemen before Islam. Ghassanids were Christians. Some of them remain Christians until modern days especially in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel.


title: Boeing B-29 Superfortress

paragraphs: The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a heavy bomber aircraft with four engines used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II, and by other countries' military after that. The name "Superfortress" came from its famous previous model, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

paragraphs: The B-29 Boeing Model 345 was one of the biggest aircraft to serve during World War II. It was one of the most advanced bombers of its time. It was the most used aircraft in the U.S. bombing against Japan in the final months of World War II, and B-29s carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 stayed in service for a long time after the war ended. By the time it was retired in the 1960s, some 3,900 planes had been built.


title: Sewing

paragraphs: Sewing is stitching cloth, leather, furs, or other materials, using a needle and thread. Sewing can be done on a sewing machine, or by hand.

paragraphs: "Plain" sewing is mostly done to make or mend clothing and household furnishings such as curtains, sheets, upholstery, and table linens. It is also used for sails, bellows, skin boats, banners and other items shaped out of flexible materials.

paragraphs: "Fancy" sewing is done to decorate materials, such as embroidery or quilting.

paragraphs: Sewing is an important part of shoemaking and bookbinding. Wounds are often sewn shut.


title: Saipan

paragraphs: Saipan (IPA: in English) is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands which are part of the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean (15°10’51”N, 145°45’21”E) with a total area of 115.39 km² (44.55 sq mi). At the 2000 census, there were more than 62,392 people.

paragraphs: Saipan is at latitude of 15.25° north and longitudeof 145.75° east, about 200 km (120 mi) north of Guam. Saipan is about 20 km (12.5 mi) long and 9 km (5.5 mi) wide. It is a popular tourist destination in the Pacific.


title: Knitting

paragraphs: Knitting creates flexible fabric by looping thread or yarn together using two or more knitting needles or a knitting machine.

paragraphs: Flat knitting, which is usually done on two straight needles, makes a length of cloth and is used to create things like blankets, scarves, and the backs, fronts, and sides of sweaters.

paragraphs: Circular knitting, which is done on circular needles, or needles that have points on both ends, produces a seamless tube and is used to create things like hats, socks, mittens, rings, and sleeves.

paragraphs: Patterns called "cables" are typically used on sweaters, particularly on fancy Aran sweaters from Ireland.

paragraphs: Different kinds of stitches create different patterns in knitting. For example, the stretchy ends of knitted sleeves are called "ribbing".

paragraphs: Yarn for knitting can be made from any number of natural or synthetic (man made) fibers such as wool, cotton, silk, or acrylic. Some yarns are made from a blend of several kinds of fibers.

paragraphs: Yarns come in many thicknesses or "weights" from fine to thick: lace, fingering, sock, sport, double-knit (or DK), worsted, Aran, bulky, and super-bulky. Thinner yarns are generally used with smaller knitting needles, and thicker yarns are used with larger knitting needles.

paragraphs: Knitting needles come in various shapes: straight, double-pointed, cable, and circular. They can be made from bamboo, aluminum, steel, or plastic.


title: Yarn

paragraphs: Yarn is a long, continuous length of fibers that have been spun or felted together. Yarn is used to make cloth by knitting, crocheting or weaving. Yarn is sold in the shape called a skein to prevent the yarn from becoming tangled or knotted.

paragraphs: Yarn can be made from any number of natural or synthetic fibers such as wool, cotton, silk, or acrylic. Some yarns are made from a blend of several kinds of fibers.

paragraphs: Yarns come in many thicknesses or weights from fine to thick: lace, fingering, sock, sport, double-knit (or DK), worsted, aran, bulky, and super-bulky. Very fine yarn is called thread and is used in sewing and embroidery.


title: Royal Australian Navy

paragraphs: The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy of Australia. It is part of the Australian Defence Force. It was created in 1901, and was formed out of the Commonwealth Naval Forces to become the small navy of Australia. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom continued to defend Australia in the Pacific Ocean until World War II, when the RAN became much bigger and modern, adding many ships including aircraft carriers.

paragraphs: Today the RAN is one of the largest naval forces in the Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. As of December 2011, the RAN fleet consisted of 54 vessels. This includes frigates, submarines, patrol boats and auxiliary ships. Ships commissioned into the RAN are given the prefix "Her Majesty's Australian ships" (Or HMAS for short), because by constitution the Queen owns them and has command over them.

paragraphs: The head of the Royal Australian Navy is the Monarch presently Queen Elizabeth II. The professional head of the force is the Chief of the Navy who holds the rank "Vice-Admiral". The present Chief is Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs. He was appointed in 2011. The Navy is ran by the Department of Defence and the Naval Headquarters (NHQ).

paragraphs: Beneath NHQ are two subordinate commands:

paragraphs: Fleet Command was previously made up of seven Force Element Groups. Due to changes it was made into four Force Commands:

paragraphs: The RAN currently has forces deployed on three major operations:

paragraphs: The RAN has two primary bases for its fleet:

paragraphs: In addition, three other bases are home to the smaller warships (e.g. Patrol boats):

paragraphs: As of June 2011, the RAN has 14,215 permanent full time personnel, 161 gap year personnel, and 2,150 reserve personnel. The permanent full time force consisted of 3,357 commissioned officers, and 10,697 enlisted personnel. As of June 2010 male personnel make up 82% of the permanent full time force, while female personnel make up 18%. The RAN has the highest percentage of women in the ADF, compared to the RAAF's 17.8% and the Army's 9.7%.


title: Torpedo

paragraphs: The torpedo, is an explosive projectile weapon that moves by itself (using a propeller), launched above or below the water surface, that goes underwater toward a target, and made to explode when it hits a target or is near to it. Torpedoes may be launched from submarines, surface ships, helicopters, aircraft, land etc. Robert Whitehead invented the torpedo in 1866.


title: Undercarriage

paragraphs: In aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels) that supports an aircraft and allows it to move across the surface of the Earth when it is not flying.


title: Seven Years' War

paragraphs: The Seven Years' War lasted from 1756 to 1763. It involved most of the great European powers. At first it was made up of two conflicts. One was mainly between Britain and France. The other was between Prussia and its enemies: France, Austria, Russia and Sweden. Its roots are in an earlier conflict, the War of the Austrian Succession. The war was known by different names in different places. In the United States it is called the French and Indian War. In French Canada it is called the War of the Conquest. In both Sweden and Prussia it was called the Pomeranian War. In India it is known as the Third Carnatic War. When it regards the conflict between Prussia and Austria, it is called the Third Silesian War.

paragraphs: Colonialism was common at the time. In the war, the trade interests of the British Empire were opposed to those of the Bourbons (in France and Spain). The Hohenzollerns (in Prussia) and Habsburgs (Holy Roman Emperors and archdukes in Austria) confronted each other. There were also conflicts about who controlled what parts of Silesia. A "diplomatic revolution" established an Anglo-Prussian camp, allied with some smaller German states and later Portugal, as well as an Austro-French camp, allied with Sweden, Saxony and later Spain.

paragraphs: The Russian Empire left its offensive alliance with the Habsburgs on the death of Empress Elizabeth and the succession of Peter III. Sweden also concluded a separate peace with Prussia in 1762.

paragraphs: The war ended with the peace treaties of Paris (Bourbon France and Spain, Great Britain) and of Hubertusburg (Hohenzollerns, Habsburgs, Saxon elector) in 1763. The war was characterized by sieges and arson of towns as well as open battles involving extremely heavy losses; overall, some 900,000 to 1,400,000 people died.

paragraphs: Great Britain succeeded in the contested overseas territories, gaining the bulk of New France, Spanish Florida, some Caribbean islands, Senegal and superiority over the French outposts on the Indian subcontinent. The native American tribes were excluded from the peace settlement, and were unable to return to their former status after the resulting Pontiac's rebellion.

paragraphs: In Europe, Frederick II of Prussia failed to complete a preemptive strike against Austria, and his opponents repulsed and at Kunersdorf nearly destroyed his forces. Frederick however recovered, regained ground and managed to avoid any concessions in Hubertusburg, where the status quo ante bellum was restored. William Pitt's saying that "America was won in Germany" referred to the Prussian war effort, which enabled Great Britain to limit her continental commitments and focus on her "blue water policy," successfully establishing naval supremacy. While French and allied forces were able to occupy Prussian and Hanoverian territories up to East Frisia, French ambitions to invade Britain and to continue with their guerre de course were thwarted by a British naval blockade, which also impaired French supply routes to the colonies.

paragraphs: The involvement of Portugal, Spain and Sweden did not return them to their former status as great powers. Spain's short intervention resulted in the loss of Florida, though it gained French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River in exchange and Britain returned Cuba as well as the Philippines.

paragraphs: The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war for Britain and France.


title: Battlefield 2

paragraphs: Battlefield 2 is a first-person shooter developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by EA Games.

paragraphs: By playing online the players can gather points for the global ranking. If a player has enough points, he is promoted to the next higher rank and can unlock new weapons and awards.

paragraphs: The storyline takes place in Middle- and Eastern-Asia in the near future. In this fictional war, the US Marine Corps fights against China and the fictional "Middle Eastern Coalition". So the players can use the most modern weapons like the F-35 Lightning II fighter or the T90 tank. It´s also possible to choose between different classes like medic, assault, sniper and others.

paragraphs: Because Battlefield 2 is a tactic shooter, teamplay is very important. One player by team can be the commander who issues instructions on his team. The other players can group themselves into squads.

paragraphs: In every round two teams are playing. At the beginning of the round, both teams have a certain number of tickets. By eliminating an enemy the teams can reduce the number of tickets of the other team. The team that has more tickets at the end of the round wins.

paragraphs: Battlefield 2 is the sequel of Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam. The most recent game of the Battlefield series is .

paragraphs: There is also an addon named "Special Forces" in which several special forces (e. g. SAS) can be played. Also two so called "booster packs" are available: "Euro Forces" which brings the army of the European Union into the game and "Armored Fury" which relocates the storyline to North America.

paragraphs: Battlefield 2 is one of the most popular games in it´s genre. Although being released in 2005 it´s still played by many persons around the world and has a big community.


title: Battlefield (series)

paragraphs: The Battlefield series consists of the following first-person shooter games that were developed by Digital Illusions CE, and published by Electronic Arts:


title: Tangent

paragraphs: The word "tangent" can mean different things:


title: Subset

paragraphs: In set theory, a subset is a set which has some (or all) of the elements of another set, called superset, but does not have any elements that the superset does not have. A subset which does not have all the elements of its superset is called a proper subset. We use the symbol ⊆ to say a set is a subset of another set. We can also use ⊂ if it is a proper subset. The symbols ⊃ ⊇ are opposite - they tell us the second element is a (proper) subset of the first.


title: Middle Temple

paragraphs: The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English bar as barristers. (The others are the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn.) It is near the Royal Courts of Justice, within the City of London.


title: Albanian Orthodox Church

paragraphs: The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is one of the Eastern Orthodox churches. It is very new. It was created in 1922 by the fathers of the Albanian Orthodoxy Fan Noli, Visarion Xhuvani, and others. The Albanian Orthodox Church is autocephalous, meaning its bishop does not have to answer before any superior clerical authority.

paragraphs: Since its beginning it has had a difficult time. The church suffered during the Second World War, and in the communist period that came after. This became worse after 1967 when Albania was declared an atheist state, and no public or private expression of religion was allowed. After religious freedom returned in 1991, the church has become very active again. More than 250 churches have been created or repaired, and more than 100 clergy being ordained.

paragraphs: The Church currently has four dioceses, Tirana, Durrës and Elbasan; Berat and Kanina; Gjirokastër; and Korçë.


title: University of Padua

paragraphs: The University of Padua (Italian "Università degli Studi di Padova", UNIPD) is in Padua, Italy. It was created in 1222. It is one of the oldest European universities and the second oldest in Italy. As of 2003, the university had about 65,000 students.

paragraphs: The university is usually said to have been founded in 1222 when a big group of students and professors left the University of Bologna. They did this to look for more academic freedom ('Libertas scholastica').

paragraphs: The first subjects to be taught were law and theology. The curriculum got bigger quickly, and by 1399 the institution had divided in two: a "Universitas Iuristarum" for civil law and Canon law, and a "Universitas Artistarum" which taught astronomy, dialectic, philosophy, grammar, medicine, and rhetoric.


title: Anti-aircraft warfare

paragraphs: Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defence, is any way of fighting military aircraft in combat from the ground. Different guns and cannons have been used for this since the first military aircraft were used in World War I. They have become more powerful over the years. After World War II, Surface to Air Missiles began to be used too. Today, both are used to fight against aircraft.

paragraphs: Nicknames for anti-aircraft guns include AAA or triple-A, an abbreviation for anti-aircraft artillery", and flak or flack (from the German Flugabwehrkanone", "aircraft defence cannon"). An anti-aircraft missile is another name for a surface-to-air missile, also said SAM for short.


paragraphs: The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. Over 400 aircraft and missiles are on display, most of them indoors. Admission is free.

paragraphs: The museum has many rare and important aircraft and other exhibits, including one of four surviving Convair B-36s, the only surviving XB-70 Valkyrie, and "Bockscar"–the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the second atomic bomb in World War II. In contrast to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, nearly all of the museum's exhibits are extremely accessible. Most are easily touched, even investigated, by visitors.


title: Inner Temple

paragraphs: The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. They may call members to the Bar and allow them to practice as barristers. (The other Inns are Middle Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn.)

paragraphs: The Inner Temple was first recorded as being used for legal purposes when lawyers' houses were burned down in Wat Tyler's revolt in 1381. Before that date, the Temple was occupied by the Knights Templar. The Inner Temple was damaged during the wartime bombings in the areas surrounding the River Thames.


title: Inns of Court

paragraphs: The Inns of Court are a group of four legal societies in Britain that have the exclusive right to train barristers and to regulate their admission to the British bar. The buildings, which house these societies, are called Inns of Court. The Inns of Court have directing and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional accommodations to members. Each Inn also has a church or chapel.

paragraphs: Over the centuries the number of active Inns of Court was reduced to four, which are Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple.


title: Lincoln's Inn

paragraphs: The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. They may call members to the Bar and allow them to practice as barristers. (The other Inns are Middle Temple, Gray's Inn and Inner Temple.)

paragraphs: Lincoln's Inn is thought to be the oldest of the four Inns of Court. The history of the Inn can be traced back to 1422, although its actual origins are even older.

paragraphs: It is situated in Holborn, in the London Borough of Camden, just on the border with the City of London and the City of Westminster.

paragraphs: The office of Preacher of Lincoln's Inn or Preacher to Lincoln's Inn is a clerical office in the Church of England. Past Preachers of Lincoln's Inn include:


title: Gray's Inn

paragraphs: The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. They may call members to the Bar and allow them to practice as barristers. The other Inns are Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn and Inner Temple.


title: Battle of Okinawa

paragraphs: The Battle of Okinawa was a great battle of World War II. It took place on Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu Islands (south of the four big islands of Japan). The battle was between the military forces of the Empire of Japan and the Allies. It was the second biggest amphibious battle (from sea to land) of World War II, after the Battle of Normandy. It was also one of the longest battles in history, from April to June 1945. The Allies won the battle and occupied Okinawa. Today, Okinawa is Japanese territory, but there are still American military bases there.

paragraphs: The Battle of Okinawa is considered to be the last major battle of World War II. The Americans were planning Operation Downfall, the invasion of the four great islands of Japan. This never happened, since the Japanese surrendered after the American use of the atomic bomb in August 1945 (first in Hiroshima, and a second time in Nagasaki) and the Soviet Union declaring war on Japan.

paragraphs: The battle has been called ""Typhoon of Steel"" in English, and ""tetsu no ame," "tetsu no bōfū"" by the people of Okinawa, which mean ""rain of steel"" and ""violent wind of steel"", because of the very heavy firing of guns and bombs at this battle.

paragraphs: Some battles, such as the Battle of Iwo Jima, had no civilians present, but Okinawa had a large civilian population. The civilians killed or injured in the battle were at least 150,000. American deaths were 18,900 killed or missing and 53,000 injured, more than double of the soldiers killed at Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal put together. Several thousand soldiers who died from wounds and other causes after the battle had finished, are not included. About a third of the civilian population of the island were killed.

paragraphs: There were about 100,000 Japanese soldiers killed and 7,000 captured. Some of the soldiers committed seppuku or simply blew themselves up with grenades. Some of the civilians, convinced by Japanese propaganda that the Americans were barbarians who did terrible things to prisoners, killed their families and themselves to avoid capture.

paragraphs: In 1945, Winston Churchill called the battle ""among the most intense and famous in military history.""'

paragraphs: Overall Allied command authority for battle was Fifth Fleet (under Admiral Raymond A. Spruance). Fifth Fleet was divided into several task forces and groups.

paragraphs: TF 56 was the largest force within TF 50 and was built around the 10th Army. The army had two corps under its command. In all, the Army had over 102,000 Army (of these 38,000+ were artillery, combat support and HQ troops, with another 9,000 service troops), over 88,000 Marines and 18,000 Navy personnel (mostly Seabees and medical personnel).

paragraphs: At the start of the Battle of Okinawa the 10th Army had 182,821 men under its command. The U.S. Navy had greater casualties in this operation than in any other battle of the war.

paragraphs: The Japanese land campaign (mainly defensive) was had 67,000 men (77,000 according to some sources). As well, there were 9,000 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) troops at Oroku naval base. There were also 39,000 local Ryukyuan people who were forced to fight.

paragraphs: The United States Navy's Task Force 58 was east of Okinawa. It had 6 to 8 destroyers and 13 carriers. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz gave his naval commanders time to rest.

paragraphs: Japanese air attacks had been light during the first few days after the landings. However, on 6 April, there was an attack by 400 planes from Kyushu. From 26 March-30 April, 20 American ships were sunk and 157 damaged.

paragraphs: The Japanese had lost up to more than 1,100 planes in the battle.

paragraphs: Between 6 April and 22 June, the Japanese flew 1,465 "kamikaze" aircraft attacks. Several fleet carriers were severely damaged.

paragraphs: Operation "Ten-Go" ("Ten-gō sakusen") was the attack by ten Japanese ships. In all, the Imperial Japanese Navy lost 3,700 sailors, including Admiral Itō. The US lost just 10 U.S. aircraft and 12 airmen.

paragraphs: The British Pacific Fleet was ordered to attack Japanese airfields in the Sakishima Islands.

paragraphs: The land battle took place over about 81 days beginning on 1 April 1945. The first Americans ashore were soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division, who landed west of Okinawa on 26 March.

paragraphs: On 31 March, Marines of the Fleet Marine Force Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion landed without opposition on Keise Shima.

paragraphs: The main landing was made by XXIV Corps and III Amphibious Corps on the western coast of Okinawa on 1 April.

paragraphs: The 10th Army moved across the south-central part of the island. They captured the Kadena and the Yomitan airbases.

paragraphs: Six days later on 13 April, the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment reached Hedo Point (Hedo-misaki) at the northern part of the island. Japanese forces in the north were on the Motobu Peninsula.

paragraphs: The 77th Infantry Division attacked Ie Island (Ie Shima) on 16 April.

paragraphs: The U.S. Army 96th Infantry division and 7th Infantry Division went south across Okinawa. The 96th Infantry Division had violent fights with Japanese troops in fortified positions.

paragraphs: They had 1,500 battle casualties, while killing or capturing about 4,500 Japanese.

paragraphs: The next American goal was Kakazu Ridge. The Japanese soldiers hid in caves. There were many casualties on both sides.

paragraphs: On the evening of 12 April, the 32nd Army attacked U.S. positions. The attackers retreated. A final attack on 14 April was again stopped.

paragraphs: The launched a new attack on 19 April with 324 guns, the largest ever in the Pacific Ocean war. Then 650 Navy and Marine planes attacked with napalm, rockets, bombs, and machine guns.

paragraphs: A tank attack failed with the loss of 22 tanks. XXIV Corps lost 720 men KIA, WIA and MIA.

paragraphs: On 4 May, the 32nd Army launched another attack. This time, Ushijima tried to land troops on the coasts behind American lines. Japanese artillery fired 13,000 rounds. The attack failed.

paragraphs: Buckner launched another American attack on 11 May. By the end of May, monsoon rains turned hills and roads into mud.

paragraphs: On 29 May, Maj. Gen. Pedro del Valle ordered Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines to capture Shuri Castle.

paragraphs: The Japanese retreat moved nearly 30,000 men into its last defense line on the Kiyan Peninsula. The 4,000 Japanese sailors — including Admiral Minoru Ota — all committed suicide.

paragraphs: On 18 June, Gen. Buckner was killed by enemy artillery fire. The last Japanese stopped fighting on 21 June, although some Japanese stayed hidden.


title: Naomi Nari Nam

paragraphs: Naomi Nari Nam (born July 6, 1985 in Anaheim, California) is a figure skater from the United States.

paragraphs: Nam was a very good skater as a child. She won the silver medal (second place) at the 1999 United States national championships behind Michelle Kwan at age 13. She would have normally gone to the World Championships after doing this, but she was too young according to the rules. She could have gone if she had won a medal at the World Junior Championships, but that was the last year the World Junior Championships were held before Nationals and Nam did not go to those championships.

paragraphs: Nam had a bad career after this. She had an injury in her hip and had to stop skating as a single skater.

paragraphs: In 2005, she started skating as a pairs skater with Themistocles Leftheris. They placed 5th at the 2006 Nationals, a very good result for a new team. They won the bronze medal (third place) at the 2006 Skate America competition, which was even more good. They won the bronze at the 2007 Nationals and then placed 6th at the 2007 Four Continents.

paragraphs: Naomi Nari Nam is a very graceful and flexible skater. She and Leftheris are a good pairs team. They do very hard jumps for a pairs team, which is helped by Nam's good singles career.


title: Themistocles Leftheris

paragraphs: Themistocles "Themi" Leftheris (born December 20, 1982) is a figure skater from the United States.

paragraphs: Leftheris has skated pairs for most of his life. He has had many partners and has done very well with them.

paragraphs: In 2005, he started skating as a team with Naomi Nari Nam. They placed 5th at the 2006 Nationals, a very good result for a new team. They won the bronze medal (third place) at the 2006 Skate America competition, which was even more good. They won the bronze at the 2007 Nationals and then placed 6th at the 2007 Four Continents.

paragraphs: Themistocles Leftheris is a very powerful skater. He and Nam are a good pairs team. They do very hard jumps for a pairs team, which is helped by Nam's good singles career.


title: Ohka

paragraphs: The Yokosuka MXY-7 "Ohka" (櫻花 "cherry blossom") was a type of airplane rocket, used for suicide attacks by the Empire of Japan in the last months of World War II. The United States gave the aircraft the name "Baka" (Japanese for "stupid").

paragraphs: It was carried by a bomber that dropped it when close enough to an enemy ship. The pilot guided it to crash with the target. When dropping down, it could go so fast that it was almost impossible to stop it. The operational record of Ohkas used in action includes three ships sunk and three other ships with great damage.


title: Stéphane Lambiel

paragraphs: Stéphane Lambiel (born 2 April 1985 in Martigny, Valais) is a figure skater from Switzerland. He is famous for his very good spins.

paragraphs: Lambiel was a good skater as a child. When he was 12 years old, he was picked to perform an exhibition at the 1997 World Championships.

paragraphs: He has won the Swiss national championships every year he has entered them, and at every level.

paragraphs: In 2002, when he was 16, the Swiss Olympic Committee told him he could go to the 2002 Winter Olympics if he placed in the top 15 at the European Championships. Lambiel placed 4th at the European Championships and he went to the Olympics.

paragraphs: In 2006, Lambiel won the silver medal (second place) at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He was World Champion in 2005 and 2006.

paragraphs: Lambiel is famous for having everything a skater needs to do well, called the "full package". He is very artistic, and has all the technical elements needed, including a quadruple jump. He is very consistent, except for the triple axel, which is a bad jump for him.

paragraphs: Lambiel has had a lot of injuries, which has kept him out of the Grand Prix a lot. After the Olympics, he did not feel very motivated. He missed the 2007 European Championships because he said he was burnt out. But he came back for the 2007 World Championships, where he won the bronze medal.

paragraphs: In 2010 he said he was no longer going to compete in skating.


title: Daisuke Takahashi

paragraphs: Takahashi was born in Kurashiki, Okayama.

paragraphs: Takahashi won the Japanese national championships in 2006 and 2007.

paragraphs: Takahashi is the first male skater from Japan to win the World Junior Championships and the first male skater from Japan to win a silver medal at the World Championship.

paragraphs: He was a member of the Japanese team at the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turin in Italy. In 2010, he won a bronze medal in the Winter Olympic Games at Vancouver in Canada.


title: Evgeni Plushenko

paragraphs: Evgeni Plushenko (born 3 November 1982) is a figure skater from Russia. He was born and raised in the Soviet Union. He is the last of the "Soviet System" figure skaters, which took children from their parents at a young age and raised them in a training system away from home while giving them everything they needed, including housing and food and equipment, so they could become the best.

paragraphs: Plushenko was a very good skater as a child. At age 14, he won the World Junior Championships. At age 15, he won the bronze medal at the World Championships. He has always been coached by Alexei Mishin, a very famous Soviet and Russian skater coach. At the time of Plushenko's rise, Mishin was also coaching Alexei Yagudin. When Yagudin saw all the attention Mishin was giving Plushenko, it made Yagudin leave and find another coach. Plushenko and Yagudin had a very big rivalry that ended in 2002, when Yagudin won the Olympic Gold and Plushenko won the silver.

paragraphs: Between the 2002 Olympics and the 2006 Olympics, Plushenko only lost a competition twice. The first time was to Emanuel Sandhu at the 2003-2004 Grand Prix Final. The second was to Brian Joubert at the 2004 European Championships. Plushenko came close to losing the 2003 World Championships to American Timothy Goebel, but won.

paragraphs: Plushenko withdrew from the 2005 World Championships with injury. But he won the 2006 Olympics with a very big lead over everyone else there.

paragraphs: Plushenko took the 2006-2007 season away from skating. He was married and had a child, but he is now getting a divorce. He is trying to come back to competitive skating, but still has a lot of injuries.

paragraphs: Plushenko is known for his consistency and his strong jumping ability. He has done a lot of quadruple jumps in competition and in combination with other jumps. He was the first to do a lot of quadruple-jump combinations. He has also done the Biellmann spin in competition, although he has not done that recently.


title: Bald eagle

paragraphs: The bald eagle ("Latin name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus") is a bird of prey that lives in North America. It is the national bird of the United States of America. The bald eagle is a kind of sea eagle. It can be found in most of Canada, all of the United States, and the northern part of Mexico. It lives near big areas of water, where there are trees to nest in and there is a lot of food to eat. It is called "bald" because of its white head and neck. (There is more information on the bald eagle's name in the section below called "Name.")

paragraphs: The species almost died in the United States (while its numbers were growing in Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century. Now it has a more stable population.

paragraphs: The bald eagle is a large bird. It is usually as tall as and its wingspan is . Female eagles are about 25 percent larger than males. Adult females weigh , while males weigh . The adult bald eagle has a brown body, and its head and tail are white. It also has yellow feet with large talons, and a hooked yellow beak. The males and the females' wings have the same colors.

paragraphs: Before bald eagles become adults, their wings are brown. Their wings are usually speckled with white dots until the fifth year.

paragraphs: The size of the bird depends on where it lives. The smallest birds are in Florida, where an adult male is only about . The largest Bald Eagles are in Alaska, where large females may be as much as .

paragraphs: The bald eagle is closely related to a species called the golden eagle. The bald eagle is physically and mentally different from the golden eagle. The bald eagle has a bigger head and a bigger beak, and its legs do not have feathers.

paragraphs: When bald eagles "call," (make sounds), they chirp weakly and whistle. The young birds whistle more shrilly than adults.

paragraphs: Bald eagles usually live for around 20 years if they live in nature. The oldest ones sometimes live for 30 years. When bald eagles live in captivity, such as in zoos, they can live much longer.

paragraphs: This sea eagle gets both its common and scientific names from its head. "Bald" in the English name is from the word "piebald", which means, "one with a white head". The scientific name is from "Haliaeetus", which is Latin for "sea eagle".

paragraphs: The bald eagle was one of the many species written in Carolus Linnaeus's 18th century book "Systema Naturae". Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist who made the binomial nomenclature system.

paragraphs: There are two main subspecies of the bald eagle:

paragraphs: The bald eagle's natural home is in most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the United States, and northern Mexico.

paragraphs: The most bald eagles live near seas, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large places with open water and a lot of fish.

paragraphs: Bald eagles need old trees with hard wood to live, sleep, and make nests. They like trees that have holes and are safe from predators. However, the height or kind of tree is not as important as its distance from a body of water. Bald eagles need to live near water.

paragraphs: The bald eagle does not like to be near humans. It is are found mostly in places where there are no humans, or very few of them. However, a few bald eagles live in places with trees inside of big cities. They may live in city parks. Bald eagles live in a city in Oregon. A family of bald eagles recently moved into Harlem, which is a place in the middle of New York city.

paragraphs: The bald eagle flies very fast. It can move at speeds of 56–70 kilometers per hour (35–43 mph) when gliding or flapping its wings. However, when it is carrying fish, it flies about . Its dive speed is , though it does not dive a lot. The bald eagle is usually migratory, which means that it travels (migrates) between homes which are very far away from each other. In some places, bald eagles are not migratory. If a bald eagle's territory has water near by, it will remain there all year. But if the water where it lives freezes in the winter, it must migrate to the south or to the coast to find something to eat.

paragraphs: The bald eagle eats mostly fish. In the Pacific Northwest, spawning trout and salmon are the main food of the Bald Eagle.

paragraphs: Sometimes, eagles may eat a lot of carrion, especially in winter. They will also scavenge dead bodies up to the size of whales. However, eagles eat more large dead fish than whales. They also sometimes eat the leftover food from campsites or garbage dumps. The mammals they eat include rabbits, hares, raccoons, muskrats, beavers, and deer fawns. Some of the birds they eat include grebes, ducks, gulls, and geese. Reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans (especially crabs) are also eaten.

paragraphs: To hunt fish the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have special things on their toes called "spiricules" that help them hold the fish more easily. Bald eagles have powerful talons. They have been seen flying with a 7 kg fawn. Sometimes, when the fish is too heavy, the eagle will be dragged into the water with it. Sometimes, eagles swim back to the shore and live, but sometimes they may drown or die because of hypothermia (a condition when one’s body gets so cold the body temperature drops below normal). Other times, bald eagles steal fish and other kinds of food away from other animals. Healthy adult bald eagles are not eaten anywhere in the wild. This makes them thought as one of the top animals of the food chain.

paragraphs: Bald eagles become adults when they are four or five years old. When they are old enough to mate, they usually come back to the place where they were born. It is thought that bald eagles mate for life. However, if one of the pair dies or disappears, the other will choose a new mate. A pair which can not get a chick after trying for a long time, may split up and look for new mates. When bald eagles court, they call and show their flying skills. When they do so, two mates may fly high, and then lock their talons together, and fall, parting again right before hitting the ground.

paragraphs: The nest of the bald eagle is larger than any other nest in North America. This is because it is used again and again, and every year more is added to the nest until it may soon become as large as deep, across and weigh 1 tonne. One nest in Florida was found to be deep, across, and to weigh . The nest is built out of branches, usually in large trees near water. If there are no trees, the bald eagle will make its nest on the ground. Eagles have between one and three eggs per year. Both the male and female take turns incubating the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for more to add onto the nest. The eggs are about long.

paragraphs: Once easily seen on the continental United States, the bald eagle was close to becoming extinct because of the use of the pesticide DDT. The DDT destroyed an adult bird's calcium, and it would become unable to lay more healthy eggs. Female eagles laid eggs that were too weak to withstand the weight of its parents. In the early 1700s, the number of bald eagles were 300,000–500,000, but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the United States.

paragraphs: Other things that stopped bald eagles from producing well was the loss of habitat and illegal hunting of bald eagles. Also, oil and lead were other big reasons why bald eagles began to die out.

paragraphs: The species was first protected in the United States and Canada by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty. The 1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act in the United States also tried to stop the killing of the bald eagle and the golden eagle. The bald eagle was an endangered species in 1967, and the penalties for people who killed the species grew more and more. Also, in 1972, DDT was banned in the United States. DDT was completely banned in Canada in 1989.

paragraphs: Because of all this hard work, the bald eagle's population began to rise again. It was officially taken out from the United States list of endangered species on July 12, 1995.

paragraphs: To keep bald eagles in captivity, the workers had to be experienced in caring for eagles. The bald eagle can live a long time in captivity if well cared for, but does not mate well, even under the best care.

paragraphs: The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It appears on most of its seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States. The Continental Congress made the design for the Great Seal of the United States with a bald eagle holding thirteen arrows and an olive branch with thirteen leaves in its talons on June 20, 1782.

paragraphs: The bald eagle can be found on both national seals and on the back of several coins (including the quarter dollar coin until 1999). Between 1916 and 1945, the Flag of the President of the United States showed an eagle facing to its left.

paragraphs: There is a popular legend that Benjamin Franklin once supported the wild turkey as a symbol of the United States instead of the bald eagle. However, there is no evidence that this is true. The legend comes from the letter Franklin wrote to his daughter in 1784 from Paris. However, this letter was about the Society of the Cincinnati, and it did not say anything about the bald eagle or the wild turkey.

paragraphs: The Bald Eagle is a holy bird in some North American cultures. Its feathers are thought to be special. They are used very much in spiritual customs among the Native Americans. Eagles are thought as messengers between gods and humans. Eagle feathers are often used in traditional things, especially in fans. The Lakota people, for instance, give an eagle feather as a symbol of honor to a person who achieves a task. In modern times, it may be given on an event such as a graduation from college. The Pawnee people thought eagles as symbols of nature and fertility. This is because their nests are built high off the ground, and because they protect their young very bravely. The Choctaw explained that the bald eagle, who can see the sun more directly, is a symbol of peace.

paragraphs: During the Sun Dance, which is danced by a lot of Native American tribes, the eagle is included in many different ways. A whistle made from the wing bone of an eagle is used during the dance. Also during the dance, a medicine man may direct his fan, which is made of eagle feathers, to people who need healing. The fan is then held up toward the sky, so that the eagle may send all the sick prayers to the god.

paragraphs: However, Native American tribes cannot use bald or golden eagle feathers for their religious or spiritual use anymore. This is because of a law called the eagle feather law. The eagle feather law usually defends Native Americans by providing many exceptions to wildlife laws, but it presently does not yet allow Native American tribes to use them yet. This made the Native American groups angry because they insisted that it was stopping their ability to use their religion freely.


title: End of days

paragraphs: "End of Days" has also been the title of a number of movies and television episodes:


title: Stacy London

paragraphs: Stacy London (born May 25, 1969 in New York City, New York) is an American fashion consultant and media personality. She known best for her role as a co-host on the makeover reality program "What Not to Wear".


title: Kaiten

paragraphs: The Kaiten (Japanese: 回天, translated ""Change the World"" or ""Reverse Destiny"") was a torpedo that was changed to become a suicide weapon, and used by the Navy of the Empire of Japan in the last months of the Second World War. It was basically a torpedo with a pilot, and it could be thrown from a submarine or a ship.

paragraphs: The "Kaiten" was not very effective. Out of more or less 100 attacks made with them, only two enemy ships were sunk.


title: Blanket

paragraphs: A blanket is a large, usually rectangular piece of cloth, generally used on a bed over a sheet to keep the sleeping person warm. Some blankets are knitted or crocheted while others are made of two layers of cloth sewn together with stuffing in the middle. Blankets can be made with hollow fibre or feathers.

paragraphs: Other names for blankets are quilts, duvets, and comforters, depending on their thickness, construction and/or stuffing.

paragraphs: The word blanket probably came from the 14th century. A special kind of fabric called Blanket fabric was created by a Flemish weaver who lived in Bristol, England.

paragraphs: Blankets may also be used on the ground for a picnic or other places where people want to sit without their clothing getting dirty or wet.

paragraphs: Firefighters use a special fire blanket to protect household items such as chairs from water damage.

paragraphs: Electric blankets are heated by electricity. Blankets were traditionally made of wool because it is warm, naturally fire-retardant, and allows air to circulate well, while today synthetic fibers are frequently used. Throw blankets are smaller blankets, often in decorative colors and patterns, that can be used for extra warmth outside of bed.

paragraphs: Other kinds are horse blankets, used to keep horses warm, and saddle blankets, used to prevent the horse's saddle from rubbing on its skin.

paragraphs: Blanket terminology is also used in the printing industry. A blanket is a rubber coating over different layer of compressible material. It wraps around a cylinder and insures transfer of ink form the printed material (where the image is ink defined) to the paper. Blankets are used for offset, gravure, flexo, etc.


title: Crochet

paragraphs: Crochet is a way of creating fabric from yarn or thread using a crochet hook to pull loops of yarn through other loops. It is similar to knitting, except that usually only one loop is active at one time, and that a crochet hook is used instead of knitting needles. Also, crochet can not be made by machine. Crochet uses more yarn than knitting but is faster to make by hand.

paragraphs: Crochet is used to make clothing, household items like tablecloths, blankets and potholders, and toys. Lace is often made by crocheting, though it can be made by knitting and weaving as well.

paragraphs: Crocheting is also a great craft for younger children. The stitches are easy and their small hands are able to hold the crochet hook. They are also able to see progress very quickly and that motivates them to continue. It is very easy to start again after setting the project down, which will help to keep young people involved in the craft.


title: Weaving

paragraphs: Weaving is the interlacing of two sets of threads at right angles to each other to form cloth. Weaving is usually done on a loom.

paragraphs: One set of threads is called the "warp". These threads are held taut and in parallel order on the loom by "harnesses" creating a space called the "shed". The "weft" thread is wound onto "bobbins". The bobbins are held in a "shuttle", which carries the weft thread through the shed. The warp threads are moved over and under the weft threads.


title: Loom

paragraphs: A loom is a machine for weaving thread or yarn into textiles. Looms can range from very small hand-held frames, to large free-standing hand looms, to huge automatic mechanical devices.

paragraphs: The invention of the power loom by Edmund Cartwright was very important in the Industrial Revolution.


title: Sweater

paragraphs: A sweater is a piece of clothing worn on the upper body to keep the person warm. Sweaters are usually knitted or crocheted. Other names for sweaters are pullover, jersey, or jumper. Sweaters that open in the front are often called "cardigans". They are named after James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British general during the Crimean War, who led the famous charge of the Light Brigade. Sweaters without sleeves are often called "vests". Sweaters can be worn all year long for comfort and warmth.


title: Scarf

paragraphs: A scarf is a piece of fabric worn on or near the head or around the neck for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons. Neck scarves are usually knitted or crocheted, while headscarves are usually woven.

paragraphs: Many Muslim women wear a headscarf known as a hijab. In the Persian Gulf Region it is called a sheila.