title: Worms, Germany

paragraphs: Worms (pronounced /voɐms/) is a city in southwestern Germany in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). It lies on the River Rhine. Worms is famous for its local Liebfraumilch wine. It is an industrial center, producing chemicals and metal goods. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.

paragraphs: Along with Cologne and Trier, Worms is one the oldest cities in Germany. But, there is a disagreement which of the three is actually the oldest. The town is mentioned in the "Nibelungenlied", an old Germanic saga. The town was also very important because of Martin Luther who defended his case against the emperor Charles V in Worms.

paragraphs: The Cathedral of Saint Peter is a very large church in the town. It is one of only three Romanesque cathedrals in Germany. The other two are in Mainz and Speyer. The Worms cathedral is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Germany.


title: Transistor

paragraphs: A transistor is an electronic component that can be used as part of an amplifier, or as a switch. It is made of a semiconductor material. Transistors are found in most electronic devices. The transistor was a major advancement after the triode tube, with using much less electricity, and lasting many years longer, to switch or amplify another electronic current.

paragraphs: The transistor can be used for a variety of different things including amplifiers and digital switches for computer microprocessors. Digital work mostly uses MOSFETs. Some transistors are individually packaged, mainly so they can handle high power. Most transistors are inside integrated circuits.

paragraphs: Transistors have three terminals: the gate, the drain, and the source (on a bipolar transistor, the wires can be called the emitter, the collector, and the base). When the source (or emitter) is connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the drain (or collector) to the positive terminal, no electricity will flow in the circuit (if you have only a lamp in series with the transistor). But when you touch the gate and the drain together, the transistor will let electricity through. This is because when the gate is positively charged, the positive electrons will push other positive electrons in the transistor letting the negative electrons flow through. The transistor can also work when the gate is just positively charged, so it doesn't need to be touching the drain.

paragraphs: An easy way to think of how a transistor works is as a hose with a sharp bend that stops the water from going through. The water is the electrons, and when you positively charge the gate, it unbends the hose, letting water flow.

paragraphs: The basic Darlington transistor circuit is formed from two bipolar transistors wired emitter to base so they act as one transistor. One of the transistors is connected so that it controls the current to the base of the other transistor. This means that you can control the same amount of current with a very small amount of current going into the base.

paragraphs: When the gate of a P-channel MOSFET is positively charged, electricity will flow through, this is useful for electronics that require a switch to be turned on, making it an electronic switch. This rivals the mechanical switch, which requires a constant force pressing on it.

paragraphs: In a MOSFET used as an amplifier, transistors take the flow of the drain and source, and since the source current is so much larger than the drain's current, it is common for the drain's current to rise to the value of the sources, amplifying it.

paragraphs: Transistors are made of semiconductor chemical elements, usually silicon, which belongs to the modern Group 14 (formerly Group IV) in the periodic table of elements. Germanium, another group-14 element, is used together with silicon in specialized transistors. Researchers are also studying transistors made from special forms of carbon. Transistors can be also made from compounds like gallium arsenide.

paragraphs: The transistor was not the first three terminal device. The triode served the same purpose of the transistor 50 years earlier. Vacuum tubes were important in household technology before transistors. Unfortunately, tubes were big and fragile, used a lot of power, and didn't last very long. The transistor solved these problems.

paragraphs: Three physicists were credited with the invention of the transistor in 1947: Walter H. Brattain, John Bardeen, and William Shockley who contributed the most.

paragraphs: The transistor is a very important component today. If not for the transistor, devices such as cell phones and computers would be very different, or they might have not been invented at all. Transistors have been made very small (dozens of atoms wide) so that billions of them can be put into a small computer chip.


title: Sex toy

paragraphs: A sex toy is a device that helps humans get more pleasure when they have sex or when they masturbate. Sometimes these devices are also called Adult toy, or Marital aid. "Marital aid" can also apply to certain herbs or drugs that have such an effect. Herbs with such an effect are called aphrodisiac.


title: Compsognathus

paragraphs: Compsognathus was a small carnivorous theropod dinosaur, from the end of the Jurassic period, 144 million years ago. It was about a metre long, and ran on two legs, using its long tail to keep its balance.

paragraphs: "Compsognathus" is known from two nearly complete specimens, one from Germany (89 cm 35 in long), and another from France (125 cm 49 in long). The German specimen was found in the Solnhofen limestone in Bavaria, over 150 years ago.

paragraphs: The larger French specimen (MNHN CNJ 79) was discovered in 1972 in the Portland limestone, near Nice in southeastern France. Although originally described as a separate species called "Compsognathus corallestris", others have since renamed it as another example of "Compsognathus longipes".

paragraphs: It is one of the few dinosaurs whose diet is known with certainty: the remains of small, agile lizards are preserved in the bellies of both specimens.

paragraphs: Thomas Henry Huxley ("Darwin's bulldog"), who was a comparative anatomist, made a study of it nearly 150 years ago. He compared the first fossil bird, "Archaeopteryx", with "Compsognathus". These two fossils were found in the same rocks: Solnhofen limestone in Bavaria, Germany. The strata come from the end of the Jurassic, about 144 million years ago. Huxley showed that the two were almost identical, except for the front limbs and feathers of "Archaeopteryx". He showed the basic affinity of birds and reptiles, which he united them under the title of "Sauropsida". Huxley concluded that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs.

paragraphs: The remains of a lizard in the German specimen's thoracic cavity show that "Compsognathus" preyed on small vertebrates. Marsh, who examined the specimen in 1881, thought that this small skeleton inside "Compsognathus" belly was an embryo, but in 1903, Franz Nopcsa concluded that it was a lizard. Ostrom identified the remains as belonging to a lizard of the genus "Bavarisaurus", which he concluded was a fast and agile runner owing to its long tail and limb proportions. This in turn led to the conclusion that its predators, "Compsognathus", must have had sharp vision and the ability to rapidly accelerate and outrun the lizard. The "Bavarisaurus" is in a single piece, indicating that the "Compsognathus" must have swallowed its prey whole. The French specimen's gastric contents consist of unidentified lizards or sphenodontids.

paragraphs: "Comsognathus" was once thought to be the smallest dinosaur. However, if we assume the smaller specimen was a juvenile, then there are other slightly smaller species. The smallest dinosaur is probably "Anchiornis"; other candidates are: "Micropachycephalosaurus"; "Caenagnathasia"; "Microraptor"; and "Parvicursor".


title: Micropachycephalosaurus

paragraphs: Micropachycephalosaurus, a tiny thick headed lizard, is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous. It was a herbivore, and lived in what is now Shandong, China. It was one of the smallest dinosaur ever discovered, just over a meter long, but with the longest name. Before it was discovered "Compsognathus" was the smallest known dinosaur.

paragraphs: The lack of the skull roof means the fossil cannot be placed at family level. It might or might not be a pachycephalosaur. Butler and Zhao therefore classified it as an indeterminate member of the Cerapoda. In 2011, cladistic analysis showed that "Micropachycephalosaurus" is a basal member of the Ceratopsia. In this context, basal does not mean 'ancestral'; the fossil is far too late for that. It means simply 'unspecialized', or lacking derived traits.


title: Velociraptor

paragraphs: Velociraptor was a small theropod dromaeosaur of the Upper Cretaceous, about 75–71 million years ago, and also a smaller relative of the famous "Deinonychus".

paragraphs: It was a slender, lightly built carnivore. It was about two meters long (nearly seven feet) and 0.62 meters tall at the hip, bigger than the common chimpanzee.

paragraphs: "Velociraptor" had one sickle-shaped claw on its foot which measured 6.5 centimeters along its length, and a smaller one on each hand. "Velociraptor" was warm blooded and had feathers.

paragraphs: Fossils from China suggest that the whole clade had similar traits.

paragraphs: Fossils of "Velociraptor" were first found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia in 1922. In 1988, scientists from China found "Velociraptor" skeletons in northern China.

paragraphs: A famous "Velociraptor", discovered in 1971, was found attacking a "Protoceratops" in a fossil from Mongolia.

paragraphs: In September 2007 researchers found quill knobs on the forearm of a "Velociraptor" found in Mongolia. These bumps on bird wing bones show where feathers anchor, and their presence on "Velociraptor" indicate it too had feathers.

paragraphs: Turner and colleagues interpreted the presence of feathers on "Velociraptor" as evidence that the ancestors of dromaeosaurids could fly, making "Velociraptor" and "Deinonychus" secondarily flightless. This idea has since been discarded; the unmodified forearms count against it. Therefore, the feathers in the ancestors of "Velociraptor" had another function. The feathers of the flightless "Velociraptor" may have been used for display, for covering their nests while brooding.

paragraphs: The majority view is that dinosaur feathers were primarily adaptations for temperature regulation, and that other uses came later.

paragraphs: Specimens from two species have been found:

paragraphs: In both cases the ecology of the time was dry, with sand dunes with occasional streams.

paragraphs: Films such as "Jurassic Park" and some of "The Land Before Time" films helped make "Velociraptor" popular. However, the raptors in Jurassic Park were far larger than the real thing. They were the size of "Deinonychus", a larger member of the same clade. The films also exaggerated its probable intelligence.


title: Rhea (moon)

paragraphs: Rhea (; ) is Saturn's second largest moon. It is made of ice and rock.

paragraphs: Rhea may have a thin ring system with three narrow bands in a disk of solid particles. These would be the first rings seen around a moon. The discovery was announced in the journal "Science" on March 6, 2008.


title: Mimas (moon)

paragraphs: Mimas (from the Greek "Μίμᾱς") is one of Saturn's largest moons. It is also called Saturn I. Mimas is best known for its large crater, Herschel. In the centre of the crater is a very high mountain. Mimas was discovered by the English astronomer William Herschel on September 17, 1789. The moon is believed to have created the Cassini Division. This is a 4,800 km gap between Saturn's A and B rings.

paragraphs: Mimas was discovered in 1789 by William Herschel. He discovered it on September 17. Herschel discovered it along with another Saturnian moon, Enceladus

paragraphs: Mimas was named after one of the Titans in mythology. Mimas was the giant.

paragraphs: Mimas is full with craters like our Moon. But unlike the craters on the Moon, Mimas has icy craters like going through an icy object.

paragraphs: Mimas has craters, but the most famous is the Herschel crater. It is 130 km (80 mi) in diameter. The diameter of Herschel is about 1/3 of Mimas. If a comet or asteroid that hit Mimas were to hit Earth, the crater would be seen from space with all the Earth shown in view.

paragraphs: Mimas would evaporate away if it was too close to the Sun.

paragraphs: Mimas has been visited by 4 or 5 spacecrafts.


title: Aphrodisiac

paragraphs: An aphrodisiac is a type of food or drink that gives one a higher libido. The name comes from the Greek goddess Aphrodite. A food or drink that makes a person less aroused is called an anaphrodisiac.

paragraphs: Some things thought by some to be aphrodisiacs are ginko, ashwaganda, oysters and chocolate.


title: Protoceratops

paragraphs: Protoceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur from Mongolia. It was shown in a fossil being attacked by a "Velociraptor".


title: Vidar

paragraphs: Víðarr (Old Norse: "the wide ruling one") is the god of vengeance in Norse mythology. A member of the Æsir, he is the son of Odin and the giantess Gríðr. During Ragnarök, when the monstrous wolf Fenrir swallows Odin whole, Víðarr is told to avenge his father's death, as he takes Fenrir by the jaw and tears his head apart, killing Fenrir. He will ultimately survive Ragnarök, as he will then meet with his brother Váli in Iðavöllr, where Asgard once lay; there they are joined by their brothers, Höðr and Baldr, as well as Thor's sons, Magni and Móði.


title: Anchisaurus

paragraphs: Anchisaurus was a small sauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic. It was shown in the movie "When Dinosaurs Roamed America" getting attacked by a pack of "Megapnosaurus" and eaten by a "Dilophosaurus".


title: Segisaurus

paragraphs: Segisaurus was a small dinosaur from the Triassic. It was a relative of "Coelophysis".


title: Psittacosaurus

paragraphs: Psittacosaurus was a small ceratopsian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of what is now Asia, about 130 to 100 million years ago. It was more basal than other members of the Ceratopsia: it was bipedal, and had no horns or frill on its head. What made it a ceratopsian was its beak.

paragraphs: It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus, but there is no general agreement on these species. Nine to eleven species are named for fossils found in different regions of China, Mongolia and Russia, with a possible additional species from Thailand.

paragraphs: All species of "Psittacosaurus" were gazelle-sized bipedal herbivores with a high, powerful beak on the upper jaw. At least one species had long, quill-like structures on its tail and lower back, possibly with a display function. Psittacosaurs were early ceratopsians. They developed adaptations of their own, but they also shared features with later ceratopsians, such as "Protoceratops" and the elephant-sized "Triceratops".


title: Zuniceratops

paragraphs: Zuniceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur. It grew up to 13 feet (or 4 meter long. His dinosaur family came from Asia.

paragraphs: His scientific name is "Zuniceratops christopheril", had 2 tons.


title: Quilmesaurus

paragraphs: Quilmesaurus was a predatory dinosaur from the Cretaceous period. It lived 95 million years ago.


title: Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia

paragraphs: Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov (12 August 1904 – 17 July 1918) was the heir apparent of Russia during the Russian Revolution. He would have become Tsar Alexei II. He was the youngest of five children and the only son of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Alexandra Fyodorovna. His sisters were Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia.

paragraphs: He had the disease hemophilia. He inherited the disease from his mother. The disease can be traced back to his great grandmother Queen Victoria. His father gave up the throne in 1917 and his family was exiled and then murdered in Ekaterinburg in 1918. When Alexei was struggling with hemophilia a Russian Orthodox monk named Grigori Rasputin, commonly known as Rasputin, healed Alexei better than any doctor could. This might have led to the family's murder, because they were so fond of Rasputin. Once Rasputin was murdered, Alexei and his family were murdered only two years later.

paragraphs: In 2000, Alexei and his family were made saints by the Russian Orthodox Church.

paragraphs: In 2008 his body was one of those found near the site where the family was murdered. DNA tests proved all 5 of the Tsar's children had been killed.


title: Zalmoxes

paragraphs: Zalmoxes is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Romania. It was a relative of Iguanodon and, like all its order, it was a herbivore.

paragraphs: Most of the skeleton is known with exception of the end of the tail, the hands and the feet.


title: Oviraptor

paragraphs: Oviraptor is a genus of dinosaurs from what is today Mongolia. "Oviraptor" was a relatively large-brained dinosaur which cared for its eggs. In 1924, an "Oviraptor" fossil was found on top of some eggs, and some thought that it had been eating the eggs. Others thought that the fossilized "Oviraptor" was probably a parent of the eggs in the nest, and not an egg stealer.

paragraphs: "Oviraptor" lived in the Upper Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago. Only one definite specimen is known (with associated eggs), from Mongolia, though a possible second specimen (also with eggs) comes from the northeast region of Inner Mongolia, China.

paragraphs: "Oviraptor" is usually drawn with a distinctive crest, similar to that of the cassowary. However, re-examination of several oviraptorids show that this well-known, tall-crested species may actually belong to a relative of "Oviraptor", the genus "Citipati". It is likely that "Oviraptor" did have a crest, but its exact size and shape are unknown due to crushing in the skull of the only recognized specimen.

paragraphs: Judging by its relatives, "Oviraptor" probably had feathers. It had a toothless beak, but its feeding habits are unknown. The only "Oviraptor" fossil preserved the remains of a lizard in the region of its stomach cavity, implying that the species was at least partially carnivorous.

paragraphs: In 1976, Barsbold put six more brooding (nest sitting) specimens into the genus "Oviraptor", but these were later reclassified in the new genus "Conchoraptor". Another specimen, IGN 100/42, is perhaps the most famous, owing to its well-preserved complete skull and large size. This specimen was referred to the genus "Oviraptor" by Barsbold in 1981, and was presented as "Oviraptor" in popular magazines and scientific studies. However, this specimen, with its distinctive tall, cassowary-like crest, was re-examined by the scientists who described the nesting oviraptorids, and found to resemble them more closely than the original specimens of "Oviraptor". For this reason, they removed IGN 100/42 from the genus "Oviraptor", suggesting it was a species of "Citipati".


title: Oyster

paragraphs: Oysters are a family of bivalves with rough, thick shells, the Ostreidae. Some other types of shellfish are also called 'oyster'. Many species are edible, and are usually served raw. They are also good when cooked.

paragraphs: In the past, they were an important food source, especially in France and Britain. They used to grow in huge oyster beds, but were "overfished" in the 19th century. Nowadays they are more expensive, so eaten less often.

paragraphs: Oysters are usually harvested before they are fully grown. Left to themselves, they do grow quite large. A recent example was an oyster which was 11 inches long (29cm) and 3.7 lbs in weight (1.7kg). The BBC report says "The family (firm) estimated it could be between '15 and 20 years old' due to its size. The world's largest oyster was 13.97 inches long (35.5cm) and 4.21 inches (10.7cm) in width. It was found in Denmark in December 2013, Guinness World Records said".

paragraphs: Oysters are picked up from their muddy beds by dredging. The oysters are "shucked" from their shells before sale. Shucking is done with a short knife inserted between the upper and lower shell. The adductor muscle, which holds it closed, is cut away, and that releases the oyster. The oyster is sold loose but within its shell. Shucking method:

paragraphs: The seawater the oysters were in does not stay in the oyster. Oysters (and shellfish generally) are purified while still alive before sale. That starts after they are harvested. The oysters are put into tanks pumped with clean water for 48 to 72 hours. That protects the consumer from any foul bacteria that the oyster might have picked up from the sea or river water.

paragraphs: Some of the unrelated 'oysters' are the pearl oyster, "Pinctada", which is a clam, and a few mussels which look a bit like oysters when they are taken out of their shells.


title: Tumour

paragraphs: A tumour (or tumor) is tissue that is growing where it should not be. Another name for a tumor is neoplasm. Tumours are either malignant (harmful) or benign (safe). Cancer, for example is malignant and sometimes spreads to other places on the body. Some tumours have a cause that makes them grow. For some tumours no cause is known. A tumour usually forms as a lump or mass.

paragraphs: The Tasmanian Devils in Tasmania, Australia are in danger of becoming extinct because of a malignant tumour that grows on their face.


title: Sony Ericsson

paragraphs: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a mobile phone manufacturer. The company is a joint venture that was established in 2001 by Japanese consumer electronics company Sony and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. The two companies no longer make mobile phones independently.


title: Australian dollar

paragraphs: The Australian dollar (AUD) is the official currency of the Commonwealth of Australia. It has been in use since February 14, 1966. The Australian dollar is also used on Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, and the independent Pacific Islands of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. In Australia the dollar symbol $ is usually used. The signs A$ or AU$ are often used to show that it is the Australian dollar. It is subdivided into 100 cents.

paragraphs: In 2011 the Australian dollar was the fifth-most-traded currency in world. The most traded currencies were the US dollar, the Euro, the yen, and the pound sterling.

paragraphs: The Australian dollar is liked by people who trade in currencies. This is because Australia has high interest rates and little government control on currency trading. Australia's economy and political systems are also seen to be stable.

paragraphs: The dollar was introduced on 14 February 1966, replacing the Australian pound.

paragraphs: From 1966, coins were made in amounts of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents. One-dollar coins were made from 1984. Two-dollar coins were made from 1988. The one- and two-cent coins were not made after 1991 and are no longer used. Cash sales are made to the nearest five cents. All coins have the image of the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II on the back. They are made by the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.

paragraphs: Australia has often made special 50-cent coins. The first was in 1970, to honor Captain Cook's finding the east coast of Australia. In 1977 a coin was made for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. In 1981 a coin was made for the wedding of Charles and Diana. The Brisbane Commonwealth Games had a special coin in 1982. Another one was made for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. There have been many more special coins made since the 1990s. They are popular with people who collect coins. Australia has also made special 20-cent and one-dollar coins.

paragraphs: Australia has made special five-dollar coins, of aluminium/bronze and bi-metal, and many silver and gold bullion coins in bigger values. These are not normally used, although they are legal tender.

paragraphs: Current Australian 5-, 10- and 20-cent coins are the same size as the old Australian, New Zealand and British sixpenny, shilling and two shilling (florin) coins. In 1990. the UK replaced these coins with smaller versions, as did New Zealand in 2006 - at the same time discontinuing the five-cent coin. The Australian 50-cent coin is a large coin. It weighs 15.55 grams and is 31.51 mm across.

paragraphs: The first paper banknotes in Australian dollars were printed in 1966. The one, two, ten and 20-dollars notes matched the old pound banknotes. The five-dollar note was printed in 1967, after the public were used to decimal currency.

paragraphs: The one-dollar note was replaced by a coin in 1984. The two-dollar note was replaced by a coin in 1988. The 50-dollar note was first printed in 1973. In 1984 Australia printed the 100-dollar note.

paragraphs: Notes are different sizes depending on their value. This is to help people are visually impaired (unable to see properly). They are the same height but different lengths. The $5 is the smallest, $100 the largest. Notes are also colour coded: $5 pink (there are two designs); $10 blue; $20 red; $50 yellow; and $100 green.

paragraphs: In 1988, the Reserve Bank of Australia gave out plastic, (polypropylene) polymer banknotes (produced by Note Printing Australia), to celebrate 200 years of European settlement in Australia. All Australian notes are now made of polymer.

paragraphs: To make it hard to copy these notes, they have see through windows with a picture image of Captain James Cook. Every note also has a seven-pointed star which has only half the printing on each side. Australian banknotes were the first in the world to use such features.


title: Washing machine

paragraphs: A washing machine is a machine that washes dirty clothes. It contains a barrel into which the clothes are placed. This barrel is filled with water, and then rotated very quickly to make the water remove dirt from the clothes. Most washing machines are made so that detergent (liquids or powders) can be put into the machine. These can help make the clothes cleaner.

paragraphs: Washing machines have ways to control how the machine operates. Some of the possible controls are:

paragraphs: Washing machines may be fully automatic or partly automatic.

paragraphs: Semi-automatic washing machines have separate sections for Dryer and Washer. These washing machines are often termed as semi-manual as here you have to manually put clothes into washer tub, put water & detergent according to your laundry size, and once washing is finished, you again have to manually put washed clothes for drying in dryer section. These are mostly cheaper machines.

paragraphs: Fully-automatic washing machines are easier to use. They have only one section for washing and for spin-drying. Once you put clothes in a fully-automatic washing machine, it automatically takes required quantity of water, detergent and just with one click provided your washed & dry clothes.

paragraphs: Washing machines may load from the top or the front.

paragraphs: A front loading washing machine has a door in the front. The clothes to be washed have to be put in and the door closed before the barrel can fill with water. This type of machine can have a clothes drying machine stacked on top to save space on the floor. Because of the water used, the washing machine is heavier than the dryer so the washer is at the bottom.

paragraphs: With a top loading washing machine, the opening is at the top. The barrel can be filled with water and soap before the clothes are put in for washing. This type of machine can not have anything placed on top of it because of the opening there.

paragraphs: Sometimes a washing machine and a clothes dryer are put together. The washing machine is usually on the bottom of the stack because the water in it makes the machine heavier than the dryer. In this arrangement the washing machine may be front-loading or top-loading. For the top-loading washing machine, room must be left to open the door at the top to add the clothing to be washed. A front-loading washing machine can have the dryer sitting on top of it.


title: Benign

paragraphs: The word benign is often used to refer to a medical condition that will not become life-threatening if it is not treated, but can also mean that something is not harmful. It is often used in relation to tumours that do not metastasise to other parts of the body. Tumours that are referred to as being benign may still be life-threatening because of other reasons. Because of this, the term applies mainly to their biological behaviour.

paragraphs: Tumors that are benign may be at risk of changing into malignancy. These are termed "premalignant".


title: Frankfurt U-Bahn

paragraphs: The Frankfurt U-Bahn is an underground railway network in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. It is run by the "Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt", short VGF. It has 9 lines and a network of 65 kilometers (40 miles) and has exactly 86 stations, apart 27 underground and 59 above ground. Two lines, the U2 and the U3 crosses the city border in Oberursel and Bad Homburg.


title: Geraldton, Western Australia

paragraphs: Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia 424 km north of Perth. 29,996 people live there, which makes it the fifth-largest city in Western Australia.

paragraphs: Today the city is an important for mining, fishing, wheat, sheep and tourism.


title: Frankfurt Airport

paragraphs: Frankfurt Airport ("in German": Rhein-Main-Flughafen) is the biggest airport in Germany and the third largest in Europe (in terms of passengers, in cargo second largest), it is in Frankfurt.

paragraphs: In 2005, 52 million passengers flew from Frankfurt and 1.89 million tonnes of cargo.

paragraphs: The airport has two train stations, the terminal for the commuter trains is under the terminal and the station for the long-distance trains is five minutes to walk.

paragraphs: Until 2005, the Rhein-Main Air Base was in the south of the civil airport. Frankfurt airport recorded its all-time hottest temperature in July 2015 at 101.8 °F (38.8 °C).


title: Marki

paragraphs: Marki is a town near Warsaw, in Poland. About 23,300 people live there.


title: William Harvey

paragraphs: William Harvey was an English medical doctor. He was born in Folkestone, Kent, England on 1 April 1573. He was the first to explain how blood was moved through the body by the heart. He died on 3 June 1657 in Roehampton.

paragraphs: A hospital in Ashford, Kent is named after Harvey. He went to The King's School, Canterbury, then Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He then went to University of Padua where he graduated in 1602.

paragraphs: When Harvey returned to England he married Elizabeth Browne, the daughter of Elizabeth I's royal physician. He became a doctor at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London from 1609 until 1643.

paragraphs: William Harvey is famous for his idea on blood being pumped around the body by the heart. He was the first to describe correctly and in detail the circulation and its properties. A few men knew about the lesser circulation of the blood through the lungs, but their work was lost. One 16th century work on theology, entitled "Cristianismi restitutio", was written by Miguel Serveto. After he had been burnt at the stake for heresy (by Calvin), his book was destroyed. Three copies survived. A century and a half later, long after Harvey, someone noticed he had said something about the blood circulating.

paragraphs: Harvey announced his discoveries about the circulatory system in 1616 during a series of lectures (his lecture notes still exist). He wrote a book ("Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et sanguinis in Animalibus") about it in 1628. He said that blood was pumped around the body in a closed system. Blood was pumped by the heart through the body before coming back to the heart to repeat the process. This went against what was believed at the time to be true.

paragraphs: The Roman doctor, Galen believed that there were two systems in the body dealing with blood. It was thought at the time that the dark red blood in veins came from the liver and the bright red blood in arteries came from the heart. It was believed that the liver and heart made the blood and it was used up by the body parts it was pumped to.

paragraphs: Harvey's ideas came from dissecting human bodies. Harvey found that the liver would have to make 540 pounds of blood every hour for Galen to be right. This showed him that the blood was not being used up. It was being reused by the body. He said blood flowed through the heart in two loops. One loop went to the lungs and got oxygen. The other loop went to the organs and body tissue giving them the oxygen. He said the heart was just a pump that pumped blood around the body.


title: Zoey 101

paragraphs: Zoey 101 is an American television series. It was on Nickelodeon from 9 January 2005 until 2 May 2008. It is about on the lives of teenagers at a boarding school, Pacific Coast Academy (PCA). The main character is Zoey Brooks, played by Jamie Lynn Spears. The series was created by Dan Schneider. It was nominated for an "Outstanding Children's Program" Emmy Award in 2005. "Zoey 101" was the most expensive production ever for Nickelodeon series. It was shot completely on location in Malibu. It was also Nickelodeon's best performance for a series premiere in almost eight years. However, many critics have made negative comments about the show. Jamie Lynn Spears has been playing Zoey for 3 years from 2005 till 2008.

paragraphs: Zoey Brooks goes to a once all-boys boarding school in California, where she must fit in, even though she is a girl. The series focuses on normal problems that a teenage girl may have to deal with. Zoey has two best friends called Lola and Quinn.

paragraphs: Several video games based on the television series were developed by THQ. They were published by Barking Lizards.

paragraphs: The original was released on 2 March 2007 for Gameboy Advance. Players play mini-games in trios for three semesters (levels), with a final game at the end. Players must successfully complete each mini-game, then a dare, and then a challenge. Dares and challenges are randomly chosen from three games. Players can choose to play mini-games freely in the main menu. Mini-games can only be unlocked in story mode. The game received negative reviews from sites such as Nintendo World Report and Common Sense. Game Rankings had a percent of 40% based on 2 reviews.

paragraphs: "Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco" was released for Nintendo DS. It was released in the U.S. on September 11, 2007. The plot involves Zoey wanting to do a documentary movie about the local national park. The player controls Zoey. The player has to go around the Pacific Coast Academy delivering things to people, or collect objects scattered around the school before time runs out. A map can be pulled out to help. After finishing fetch quests, the player plays a Minigame. Minigames require Scribbling on the touch screen to hose off cars or picking up Frisbees. Minigames last about 2 minutes. This game also received bad reviews. Metacritic had a score of 31/100 and Game Rankings had a score of 41.25% both based on 4 critics.


title: Velocisaurus

paragraphs: Velocisaurus was a theropod dinosaur related to "Ceratosaurus". Its remains were found in Patagonia, in strata from the Cretaceous period.

paragraphs: This animal is known only from its leg and feet bones. "Velocisaurus" was probably around 1.2 meters long (4 ft). The foot is unique in that the middle (third) metatarsal (foot bone) was the main weight-bearing element. Its upper end has thickened and the shafts of the adjoining second and fourth metatarsals have thinned considerably. Such a condition is unknown for other theropods, including birds, but a similar set-up occurred in three-toed horses (like "Mesohippus"). José Bonaparte explained it as an adaptation for a cursorial (running) lifestyle. He suggested that "Velocisaurus" was itself an omnivore, because the sole claw found, of the fourth toe, was not curved, but relatively straight.


title: Valdosaurus

paragraphs: Valdosaurus ("Weald Lizard") is a type of dinosaur. It walked on two legs and ate plants. It was found on the Isle of Wight and other places in England. It lived during the Lower Cretaceous.

paragraphs: It is part of the Dryosauridae family. It is related to the Iguanodonts.


title: Irish Potato Famine

paragraphs: The Great Famine, Great Hunger, or Great Famine is the name given to the famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. Outside Ireland, it is usually called the Irish Potato Famine. The famine was caused by "the potato blight", a fungus-like organism which quickly destroyed the potatoes in Ireland, and throughout Europe. The effect was particularly severe in Ireland because potatoes were the main source of food for most Irish people at the time.

paragraphs: It is believed that between 1 million to 1.5 million people died in the three years from 1846 to 1849 because of hunger or disease. Another million became refugees because of the famine. Many people who left Ireland moved to Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.

paragraphs: In Ireland this time is referred to as "the starvation". The potato was the only crop affected, yet Ireland continued to produce corn, wheat, barley, and beef. However, the mostly English landlords made a bigger profit by selling these food products elsewhere.

paragraphs: By the late 17th century, potatoes had become common as a supplementary rather than a major food. The diet was mainly around butter, milk, and grain products. Potato became a base food of the poor, especially in winter. The lack of genetic variability among the potato plants in Ireland caused the emergence of "Phytophthora infestans" which had devastating effects in Ireland. Another factor is that holdings were so small that no crop other than potatoes would be able to feed a family.

paragraphs: Starting in 1801, Ireland had been directly governed, under the Act of Union, as part of the United Kingdom. In the 40 years after the union, British governments grappled with the problems of governing the country. One historian calculated that, between 1801 and 1845, there had been 114 commissions and 61 special committees enquiring into the state of Ireland. "Without exception their findings prophesied disaster. Ireland was on the verge of starvation, her population rapidly increasing, three-quarters of her labourers unemployed, housing conditions appalling and the standard of living unbelievably low". It was caused by monoculture because they only planted one main crop and let its disease infest all other potatoes in the Irish territory.


title: Wannanosaurus

paragraphs: Wannanosaurus is the smallest known ornithischian dinosaur. Its length is estimated at just less than a metre. It lived in the Upper Cretaceous, about 80 million years ago, and was found in Anhui, China.

paragraphs: It is known from a single partial skeleton, including a partial skull roof and lower jaw, an upper leg and lower leg, part of a rib, and other fragments. It was herbivorous, but may also have eaten insects. "Wannosaurus" means Wanno lizard. It is one of several pachycephalosaurs with flat-topped skulls.


title: Chihuahua (dog)

paragraphs: A chihuahua is a very small kind of dog and is bred to be a pet.

paragraphs: They can reach a height of 6-9 inches (12.7–20.3 cm) and a weight of 2–6 pounds (0.9–2.7 kg). Chihuahuas can have a long or short coat, and come in many different colors. These are black, white, beige, brown, and dark brown. They only need grooming once a week if short coat or it may be twice if you have a long coat. Chihuahuas can have up to six puppies because of their small bodies.

paragraphs: The Chihuahua's start goes back to Mexico as the descendants of the Techichi, a long haired and silent dog. The Techichi was liked by the Toltec people, one of the indigenous (original) people of Mexico. Chihuahuas are believed to have been made by breeding the Techichi and Chinese Crested Dogs (a type of small hairless dog) to form today's Chihuahuas.

paragraphs: Another possible start for Chihuahuas was the breeding of Techichis with Spanish terriers, which were well liked at the time and were known for their small body and black and tan colors. Mating with another type of dog increased the loudness of the Techichi's bark while making it smaller.

paragraphs: Chihuahuas were named after the Chihuahua state in Mexico. The word Chihuahua comes from the Na'huatl word "xicuagua", which means "sandy, dry place".


title: Minmi

paragraphs: Minmi is a genus of small ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Lower Cretaceous of Australia, about 119 to 113 million years ago.

paragraphs: A recent cladistic analysis suggests that "Minmi" is the most basal known ankylosaur.

paragraphs: That does not mean it was the ancestor of the group; it is far too late for that. It means its body is not specialized, and is relatively unchanged from whatever was the ancestral group.

paragraphs: Two good specimens of "Minmi" have been described, including a mostly complete skeleton, and additional fragments may belong to this genus. The dinosaur grew to about 2 m (6.5 ft) long (Holtz), or 3 m long and weighed about 300 kilograms (Paul). It was roughly 1 m (3 ft) tall to the top of the shoulder.

paragraphs: "Minmi" is classified in the Ankylosauria, but is too 'primitive' (basal) to be included in either the Ankylosauridae or Nodosauridae.

paragraphs: As with other ankylosaurians, "Minmi" was herbivorous Unlike most herbivorous dinosaurs, there is direct evidence of the diet of "Minmi": gut contents are known from the well-preserved nearly complete specimen. The gut contents consist of fragments of fibrous or vascular plant tissue, fruiting bodies, spherical seeds, and tissue (possibly from fern sporangia). The most common remains are the fibrous or vascular fragments, which have clean cut ends.

paragraphs: Because of the small size of the fragments, they are probably nibbled from plants or chopped in the mouth. These small fragments may have come from twigs or stems, but their size is more suggestive of vascular bundles in leaves. The clean cuts, and lack of gastroliths, suggest that the animal relied on chewing to grind food. The seeds (0.3 mm [0.01 in] across) and fruiting bodies (4.5 mm [0.18 in] across) were apparently swallowed whole. When compared to gut contents and scat from modern herbivorous lizard, emu and goose, this shows "Minmi" had a more sophisticated process for cutting up plant material.

paragraphs: It had bony protrusions on its head, back, abdomen, legs and along the tail. Several types of armour are known in place in "Minmi", including small ossicles, small keeled scutes on the body, large scutes without keels on the snout, large keeled scutes on the neck, shoulders, and possibly tail, spike-like scutes on the hips, and a combination of ridged and keeled scutes and triangular plates on the tail. There was one preserved ring of scutes around the neck. The arrangement of armour is unclear on the tail, although the triangular plates may have run on the sides of the tail, with long scutes forming a row along the top of the tail. However, unlike other ankylosaurians, "Minmi" had horizontal plates of bones that ran along the sides of its vertebrae (hence its species name, "M. paravertebra").


title: Rugops

paragraphs: Rugops was a dinosaur related to "Carnotaurus". It lived in what is now Africa, about 95 million years ago. It was a medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur, up to 27 feet long.

paragraphs: "Rugops" lived at the same time "Spinosaurus", "Carcharodontosaurus", and "Deltadromeus", in the Upper Cretaceous.

paragraphs: "Rugops" was a carnivore, with weak jaws and small teeth. It may have been a scavenger, feeding on dead animals. It also may have preyed on sauropods, such as "Paralititan" and "Aegyptosaurus", and ornithopods, such as "Ouranosaurus". The name "Rugops" means "wrinkled face". The bony wrinkles on its snout may have helped to support a structure, such as horny crest or a wattle, like on a rooster or a turkey.


title: Abrictosaurus

paragraphs: Abrictosaurus was a heterodontosaurid dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of what is now southern Africa. It was a small bipedal herbivore or omnivore, about 1.2 meters (4 feet) long, and weighing less than 45 kilograms (100 pounds).

paragraphs: "Abrictosaurus" is usually thought to be the most basal member of the family Heterodontosauridae. "Lycorhinus" and "Heterodontosaurus" both had high-crowned cheek teeth, which went over each other in the jaw, making a continuous chewing surface analogous to those of Cretaceous hadrosaurids. "Abrictosaurus" had more widely-split cheek teeth, with lower crowns, more similar to other early ornithischians.

paragraphs: The family as a whole has canine-like tusks. Tusks were clearly present on one of the two specimens of "Abrictosaurus". The upper caniniform measured 10.5 millimeters (0.4 inches) high, while the lower reached 17 mm (0.67 in).

paragraphs: "Abrictosaurus" had smaller, less powerful forelimbs than "Heterodontosaurus" and one fewer phalanx bone (finger joint) in both the fourth and fifth digits of the forelimb.


title: Heterodontosaurus

paragraphs: Heterodontosaurus (meaning "different toothed lizard") is a genus of small herbivorous dinosaur with prominent canine teeth.

paragraphs: It lived in the Lower Jurassic of South Africa, 200–190 million years ago. It was related to "Abrictosaurus". It had three different kinds of teeth.


title: Camarasaurus

paragraphs: Camarasaurus (meaning "chambered lizard") was a large plant-eating sauropod. It was about 18 meters long and weighed about 18 metric tones. Its name comes from its skull, which is in the shape of an arch. It lived during the late Jurassic, between 155 and 145 million years ago. These dinosaurs may have lived in herds.

paragraphs: It was first discovered in 1877 in Colorado by Oramel W. Lucas. Its fossil remains have been found in the Morrison Formation of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

paragraphs: It was shown in the movie "When Dinosaurs Roamed America".

paragraphs: "Camarasaurus" is among the most common and frequently well-preserved sauropod dinosaurs. The maximum size of the most common species, "C. lentus", was about 15 meters (50 ft) in length. The largest species, "C. supremus", reached a maximum length of 23 meters (75 ft) and maximum estimated weight of 47 tonnes (51.8 tons).

paragraphs: The arched skull of "Camarasaurus" was remarkably square and the blunt snout had many fenestrae (openings). It was sturdy and is often found in good condition by paleontologists. The 19 centimeter long (7.5 in) teeth were shaped like chisels (spatulate) and arranged evenly along the jaw. The strength of the teeth indicates that "Camarasaurus" probably ate coarser plant material than the slender-toothed diplodocids.

paragraphs: There is a fossil record of two adults and a 12.2 meter (40 ft) long juvenile that died together in the late Jurassic leriod, about 150 million years ago (northeast Wyoming). It is assumed that their bodies were washed to their final resting place, in river mud. This suggests that "Camarasaurus" traveled in herds or, at least, 'family' groups. Also, recovered camarasaur eggs have been found in lines, rather than in neatly arranged nests as with some other dinosaurs, which appears to suggest that, like most sauropods, "Camarasaurus" did not tend its young.


title: Zizhongosaurus

paragraphs: Zizhongosaurus was a very large plant-eating dinosaur. It was a large sauropod, related to "Camarasaurus".


title: Burping

paragraphs: Burping is when gas comes out of the stomach through the mouth. Burping happens when air is trapped in the stomach. "Esophageal speech" means to "burp" words.


title: Great Fire of London

paragraphs: The Great Fire of London happened in Central London in 1666. The fire lasted for three days, from 2 September until 5 September.

paragraphs: It is believed to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the 80,000 people that lived in the city. It is not known how many people died in the fire. Only a few deaths are certain, but for many of the victims there were no records. Also, the fire may have cremated many, leaving no recognisable remains. It threatened the aristocratic district of Westminster (the modern West End), Charles II's Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. However, it did not reach these districts.

paragraphs: The fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) in Pudding Lane. It began just after midnight on Sunday 2 September and grew very fast. Firefighters of the time usually made firebreaks by destroying buildings around the fire so it could not spread. This did not happen soon enough. Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Bloodworth was not certain what to do. By the time he ordered such measures, it was too late. The Tower of London guard used gunpowder to make good firebreaks that stopped the fire from spreading to the east.

paragraphs: The fire pushed north on Monday into the center of the city. Some people thought that foreigners were setting the fires. They believed it was the French and Dutch, who at that time were England's enemies in the Anglo-Dutch Wars. On Thursday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St. Paul's Cathedral and crossed over the River Fleet. It was close to setting fire to Charles II's court at Whitehall.

paragraphs: The social and economic problems created by the disaster were very big. Leaving London to go and live elsewhere was strongly encouraged by Charles II. He feared a London rebellion amongst the refugees who had lost their property. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire.

paragraphs: The fire is said to have also helped to get rid of the Great Plague which had hit London in 1665, and killed about 70,000 of the 90,000 population, who may have died in the fire.


title: Golgi complex

paragraphs: The Golgi complex, also known as the Golgi apparatus or simply the Golgi, is a cytoplasmic organelle. It is found in eukaryote cells, as in animals, plants, and fungi.

paragraphs: The complex was discovered by Camillo Golgi in 1898. Golgi, who worked at Pavia, Italy, was ignored. His discovery was said to be dirt on his lenses. Years later, electron microscope pictures showed structures just like in the original Golgi drawings. It is made of several flattened sac-like membranes which look like a stack of pancakes.

paragraphs: The main function of the Golgi apparatus is to process and package macromolecules, such as proteins and lipids. They come to the Golgi after being built, and before they go to their destination. In general, what the Golgi does is Much of the enzymatic processing is post-translational modification of proteins. The Golgi complex inspects them for flaws and discards extra material added during their manufacture, wraps them up and then targets them for packaging. The Golgi complex is especially active in processing proteins for secretion. The Golgi releases special enzymes called lysosomes, which clean off any extra amino acids. When the package is ready, it is pinched off the Golgi and released into the cytoplasm.

paragraphs: The Golgi complex is part of the cellular membrane system, and so is the endoplasmic reticulum.


title: Institut Teknologi Bandung

paragraphs: Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) is a public government-funded, higher education, technology school located in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Institut Teknologi Bandung are the one of most popular university in Indonesia, together with Gadjah Mada University and University of Indonesia. The symbol of Institut Teknologi Bandung is Ganesha, a Hindu god representing wisdom.


title: Superconductor

paragraphs: A superconductor is a substance that conducts electricity without resistance when it becomes colder than a "critical temperature." At this temperature, electrons can move freely through the material. Superconductors are different from ordinary conductors, even very good ones. Ordinary conductors lose their resistance slowly as they get colder. In contrast, superconductors lose their resistance all at once. This is an example of a phase transition. High magnetic fields destroy superconductivity and restore the normal conducting state.

paragraphs: Normally, a magnet moving by a conductor produces currents in the conductor by electromagnetic induction. But a superconductor actually pushes out magnetic fields entirely by inducing surface currents. Instead of letting the magnetic field pass through, the superconductor acts like a magnet pointing the opposite way, which repels the real magnet. This is called the Meissner effect, and it can be demonstrated by levitating a superconductor over magnets or vice versa.


title: Alan Freeman

paragraphs: Alan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman (born 6 July 1927 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, died 27 November 2006 in London, England) was an Australian radio presenter who worked for most of his career in the United Kingdom.

paragraphs: In May 2000 he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.

paragraphs: Freeman was best known for presenting "Pick of the Pops" on BBC Radio 1 throughout the 1960s and 1970s.


title: Sunflower

paragraphs: The sunflower ("Helianthus annuus") is a living annual plant in the family Asteraceae, with a large flower head ("capitulum"). The stem of the flower can grow up to 3 metres tall, with a flower head that can be 30 cm wide. Other types of sunflowers include the California Royal Sunflower, which has a burgundy (red + purple) flower head.

paragraphs: The flower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.

paragraphs: The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. That is why Kansas is sometimes called the Sunflower State.

paragraphs: To grow well, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, wet, well-drained soil with a lot of mulch. In commercial planting, seeds are planted 45 cm (1.5 ft) apart and 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.

paragraphs: The outer petal-bearing florets are the sterile florets and can be yellow, red, orange, or other colors. The florets inside the circular head are called disc florets, which mature into seeds.

paragraphs: The flower petals within the sunflower's cluster are always in a spiral pattern. Generally, each floret is oriented toward the next by approximately the golden angle, 137.5°, producing a pattern of interconnecting spirals, where the number of left spirals and the number of right spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers. Typically, there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other; on a very large sunflower there could be 89 in one direction and 144 in the other.

paragraphs: Sunflowers commonly grow to heights between 1.5 and 3.5 m (5–12 ft.). The tallest sunflower confirmed by Guinness World Records is 9.17 m (2014, Germany). In 16th century Europe the record was already 7.3 m (24 ft., Spain). Most cultivars are variants of "H. annuus", but four other species (all perennials) are also domesticated. This includes "H. tuberosus", the Jerusalem Artichoke, which produces edible tubers.

paragraphs: Sunflower "whole seed" (fruit) are sold as a snack food, after roasting in ovens, with or without salt added. Sunflowers can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, Sunbutter. In Germany, it is mixed together with rye flour to make Sonnenblumenkernbrot (literally: sunflower whole seed bread), which is quite popular in German-speaking Europe. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads.

paragraphs: Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking, as a carrier oil and to produce margarine and biodiesel, as it is cheaper than olive oil. A range of sunflower varieties exist with differing fatty acid compositions; some 'high oleic' types contain a higher level of healthy monounsaturated fats in their oil than Olive oil.

paragraphs: The cake remaining after the seeds have been processed for oil is used as a livestock feed. Some recently developed cultivars have drooping heads. These cultivars are less attractive to gardeners growing the flowers as ornamental plants, but appeal to farmers, because they reduce bird damage and losses from some plant diseases. Sunflowers also produce latex and are the subject of experiments to improve their suitability as an alternative crop for producing hypoallergenic rubber.

paragraphs: Traditionally, several Native American groups planted sunflowers on the north edges of their gardens as a "fourth sister" to the better known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash.[9] Annual species are often planted for their allelopathic properties. However, for commercial farmers growing commodity crops, the sunflower, like any other unwanted plant, is often considered a weed. Especially in the midwestern USA, wild (perennial) species are often found in corn and soybean fields and can have a negative impact on yields.

paragraphs: Sunflowers may also be used to extract toxic ingredients from soil, such as lead, arsenic and uranium. They were used to remove uranium, cesium-137, and strontium-90 from soil after the Chernobyl disaster (see phytoremediation).


title: Peter Cushing

paragraphs: Peter Cushing, OBE (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. He is best known for his roles in horror movies and "".

paragraphs: Born Peter Wilton Cushing in London, England. His movie career began in 1939 in a small role in "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1939), followed by "Laddie" (1940). He interpreted the role of Osric, in the classic written by William Shakespeare, "Hamlet" (1948), with Laurence Olivier.

paragraphs: His best roles he played in his career were the Victor Frankenstein, in the British horror movie "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), by Terence Fisher he plays of role brilliantly, Victor creates a monster in the attic of his castle. His other role was that of Doctor Van Helsing in "Dracula" (1958), in this movie he must fight Dracula. In these two movies he was accompanied by another great actor Christopher Lee. They formed a very successful duo, starring in dozens of Hammer movies as "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1959), "The Mummy" (1959), "The Gorgon" (1964), "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" (1965). They clashed again as Van Helsing and Dracula, in "Dracula A.D. 1972" (1972), and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1974).

paragraphs: Also re-interpret the character of Baron Frankenstein, in "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958), "The Evil of Frankenstein" (1964), by Freddie Francis, "Frankenstein Created Woman" (1967), "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" (1969), and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1974), directed by Terence Fisher.

paragraphs: Peter Cushing also teamed with Vincent Price in movies including "Scream and Scream Again" (1970), "Dr. Phibes Rises Again" (1972), "Madhouse" (1974), which plays an evil agent movie., and "House of the Long Shadows" (1983).

paragraphs: In 1977 he obtained the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, in "Star Wars" by George Lucas.

paragraphs: In the last years of his career had appearances in some comedies "Top Secret!" (1984).

paragraphs: His last job was in 1986 in the movie "Biggles" (1986).

paragraphs: In 1982 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died of the disease in 1994.

paragraphs: Cushing also made television, in mystery series, including "Sherlock Holmes" (1968), as Sherlock Holmes, "The Avengers", "Great Mysteries", "Space: 1999", "The New Avengers", "Hammer House of Horror", and the TV movies "The Masks of Death" (1984), as Sherlock Holmes


title: Brian Krause

paragraphs: Brian Krause (born February 1, 1969) is an American actor. He grew up in El Toro, California. He is best known for his role as Leo Wyatt on the WB Network television series "Charmed" from 1998 to 2006.

paragraphs: Krause made his first movie as Richard Lestrange in the movie sequel "Return to the Blue Lagoon" (1991). A year later, he also starred opposite Alice Krige, playing Charles Brady in the horror movie "Sleepwalkers".

paragraphs: Brian and his wife Beth Bruce had their first child, Jamen, in 1996. They divorced in 2000. He dated co-star Alyssa Milano. During his time off the set, he enjoys being a handyman which was his job before acting (and was his character's job when he played Leo Wyatt on "Charmed"). He also enjoys golf and auto racing.


title: Julian McMahon

paragraphs: Julian McMahon (born 27 July 1968, in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian actor and former model. His father, Sir William McMahon was Prime Minister of Australia from 1971–1972. McMahon is best known for playing Cole Turner on the television series "Charmed" and Christian Troy on the series "Nip/Tuck".


title: Ted King

paragraphs: Theodore William King (born October 1, 1965) is an American actor. He was born in Hollywood, California. Ted King is also credited as T.W. King.

paragraphs: King is first known to soap opera fans as Danny Roberts on "Loving" in 1999 and "The City" until the series was went off the air in March 1997. He had the starring role in the series "Timecop" on ABC in the fall of 1997. He was on the series "Charmed" as Inspector Andy Trudeau from 1998 to 1999. In 2002, King returned to soaps operas as Luis Alcazar on "General Hospital" for a few months until his character was killed on the series. In 2003, he returned to "General Hospital" as Luis' twin brother, Lorenzo Alcazar.


title: Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

paragraphs: Coffs Harbour is a city on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is 540km north of Sydney and 440km south of Brisbane. Coffs Harbour is famous for its bananas (and home of the Big Banana) and is also an important diving spot. It also has a campus of the Southern Cross University.


title: Yggdrasil

paragraphs: Yggdrasil (Old Norse: "Yggdrasill") is the name of the immense cosmic tree that serves as the connection between the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology. Known as the World Tree, Yggdrasil was said to lie at the very center of the universe, supported by three roots which extend far away into varying locations. Various creatures dwell within Yggdrasil. Upon the onset of Ragnarök, Yggdrasil will shutter and groan, ultimately crumbling as the universe meets its end.

paragraphs: Yggdrasil's roots extend into three locations: Urðarbrunnr (Old Norse: “Well of Urðr”), Hvergelmir (Old Norse: “bubbling" or "boiling spring"), and Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse: “Well of Mímir"). As seen in the Poetic Edda poem, Grímnismál (Old Norse: "Sayings of Grímnir"), various creatures dwell within the World Tree, including:

paragraphs: Níðhöggr (Old Norse: "Níðhǫggr" - “Malice striker”), a massive dragon/serpent-like being that gnaws at its root(s), an unnamed eagle, and the hawk Veðrfölnir (Old Norse: “wind bleached” or “wind-witherer”), who sits between its eyes, along with the four stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Duraþrór.

paragraphs: The Three Norns (Old Norse: "Nornir") - Urðr (Old Norse: “fate”), Verðandi (Old Norse: possibly “happening” or “present”), and Skuld (Old Norse: possibly “debt” or “future”) - attend to Yggdrasil, weaving the fates of both gods and men.


title: Impeachment

paragraphs: Impeachment is a way to remove government officers from office in some countries. It happens when the official does not want to leave his or her job. It is like an indictment (something that the prosecutor needs to get before the trial). Someone is impeached when a legislature votes to do that. Later, there is another vote on whether or not to convict, which is like guilty or not. The second vote may be by the same people who did the impeachment, or someone else as in a bicameral legislature. Several different types of office holders may be impeached, but cases against the President or leader of a country usually attract the most attention.

paragraphs: Two well-known heads of state who were impeached and removed from office were Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in 2016 and South Korean president Park Geun-hye in 2017. Three American presidents were impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but none were removed from office. President Richard Nixon resigned from the office of President before the House could impeach him, resulting in him being the only president to resign.


title: Indictment

paragraphs: In common law, an indictment is a charge saying that a person committed a very serious crime. They used to be given out by grand juries (a special jury usually made up of 24 people that is used to see if a person should be charged), but many places do not have grand juries anymore. Sealed indictments are kept secret until they are unsealed.


title: Trial

paragraphs: A trial is where two people or two groups of people argue in a court.

paragraphs: In a civil trial, there is a plaintiff and a defendant. The plaintiff tries to prove that he or she has a reason why the defendant needs to give him or her money.

paragraphs: In a criminal trial, there is a prosecutor and a defendant. The prosecutor works for the government and tries to prove that the defendant committed a crime. It often takes a long time to get a trial scheduled as the courts can be very busy. In the United States, Federal court can take up to 10 months to get a court date.

paragraphs: The judge contols the courtroom. He or she decides who speaks when, and they decide what evidence and arguments can be used. Sometimes, a jury is brought in to determine whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. If there is no jury, the judge or judges decide whether the defendant is proven guilty or not. If the defendant is proven guilty of the crime, the judge will decide the punishment, which is also called the "sentence". If the crime is serious, the defendant may go to prison or, in some countries, be executed. For smaller crimes, there is often a fine—money that must be paid, in addition to having a criminal record.

paragraphs: Trials are different in places where the laws are different. Different countries, cities and states all have different laws that change how trials happen. Trials in some places are very short. In some places, however, important trials can take as long as a few years while the two sides gather information and put together their arguments.


title: Belinda Peregrín

paragraphs: Belinda Peregrin Schüll born (August 15, 1989 or 1992)A, is a Mexican singer and actress. She is often called just Belinda. Her first album, "Belinda" (2003), was very popular and sold over 1.1 million copies worldwide. Her second album "Utopía" (2006) gave her two Latin Grammy Award nominations.

paragraphs: She has also been in many movies, such as the Disney Channel Original Movie "The Cheetah Girls 2" (2006). She was also in the telenovela "Camaleones" (2009) and the TV series "Mujeres asesinas 3" (2010). After this, she released her third album "Carpe Diem" (2010), which had a hit single "Egoísta". Her fourth album "Catarsis" (2013) went straight to number one in Mexico.

paragraphs: A According to Belinda's official websites, she was born in 1992. However, multiple sources mark "1989" as her birth year.


title: Ngo Dinh Diem

paragraphs: Ngo Dinh Diem or "Ngô Ðình Diệm" in Vietnamese was the first President of South Vietnam. He was born on 3 January 1901 in Hue, Vietnam. Even though most Vietnamese are Buddhist, Diem was Catholic.

paragraphs: He was overthrown and killed on 2 November 1963 by the South Việtnamese army during the Buddhist crisis. The army then set up a military dictatorship.


title: Great Plague of London

paragraphs: During the Great Plague of London (1665-1666), the disease called the bubonic plague killed about 200,000 people in London, England. In seven months, almost one quarter of London's population (one out of every four Londoners) died from the plague. At its worst, in September of 1665, the plague killed 7,165 people in one week. After this, the number of people dying from the plague began to slow down.

paragraphs: Around September of 1666, the great outbreak ended. The Great Fire of London, which happened on 2-6 September 1666, may have helped end the outbreak by killing many of the rats and fleas who were spreading the plague.

paragraphs: Though most of the people who died during the Great Plague lived in London, the plague also killed people in other areas of England. By the time the Great Plague ended, about 2.5% of England's population had died from the plague. To compare, about 2% of the entire United Kingdom's population (including soldiers and civilians) died in World War I, and about 1% of the entire United Kingdom's population died in World War II.

paragraphs: The Great Plague of 1665 was the last major plague in England. Before the Great Plague, England had had outbreaks of plague (meaning many people got the disease) every few decades. For example:

paragraphs: Historians think the plague spread to England from the Netherlands. Dutch trading ships carrying cotton from Amsterdam may have brought the plague to England. Amsterdam was badly hit by the plague in 1663–1664; the disease killed about 50,000 people.

paragraphs: In London, the first places hit by the plague were the dock areas outside of the city and the parish of St Giles in the Fields. In these places, poor workers lived crowded together in bad conditions. Nobody kept records about the deaths of very poor people, so nobody knows how many of these people may have died from the plague. However, records say the first person to die of the plague in London was Rebecca Andrews, on 12 April 1665.

paragraphs: By July 1665, plague was in the city of London itself. Many of the people who could afford to leave the city left for the countryside. King Charles II of England, his family, and his court left the city for Oxfordshire. Most wealthy merchants and professionals left the city, so most businesses were closed. As the plague got worse, more and more people left. London got so empty that grass started to grow on the streets.

paragraphs: However, most of the city's government officials stayed in London. So did the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Lawrence. As the plague got worse, more and more people left, but a small number of clergymen, physicians and apothecaries chose to stay. Also, people who were too poor to move to the countryside had no choice but to stay in the city.

paragraphs: Some of the people who stayed in London wrote about the Great Plague. Samuel Pepys's diary about living through the plague has given historians a lot of information about what the plague was like. Henry Foe, a saddler who lived in East London, also decided not to leave the city. Years later, in 1722, Foe's nephew Daniel Defoe wrote "A Journal of the Plague Year", a story about the plague, which he may have based on Foe's journals.

paragraphs: People in London tried many different things to try to treat the plague and stop it from spreading. At the time, nobody understood what caused the plague, how it spread, or how to treat it. Antibiotic medications, which are the only treatment for plague, would not be discovered for another 300 years. People were so afraid of catching the plague from other people that they threw dead plague victims' bodies in overcrowded pits and buried them all together, as quickly as possible. In one parish in London, 1,114 dead plague victims were buried together in a hole that was fifty feet long and twenty feet wide.

paragraphs: As the plague got worse, people began to do worse things. Some people refused to help sick family members. Other people forced sick servants to leave, even though they had nowhere to go. Eventually, if one person in a home got the plague, the whole family was forced to stay in the home. A red cross and the words "Lord have mercy upon us" would be painted on the door. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: "the plague [is] making us cruel as dogs to one another."

paragraphs: Government officials tried several public health programs to prevent more people from getting the plague. For example:

paragraphs: "Plague doctors" walked the streets diagnosing victims, although many of them were not actual doctors. Wearing special costumes, they tried to treat plague victims with bloodletting, frogs, and leeches.

paragraphs: Though the plague was worst in London, it also affected other parts of England. Perhaps the most famous example was the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. Nobody knows for sure how the plague got to Eyam. However, stories say that a merchant carrying cloth from London accidentally brought the plague with him. The villagers quarantined themselves - kept themselves apart from other people and other villages - to make sure the disease would not spread any further. This kept the plague from spreading outside Eyam. However, about 80% of the people in Eyam died from the plague within a little over a year.

paragraphs: As time went on, more and more people died from the plague. This continued until the week of 19-26 September, 1665. This was the worst week of the Great Plague: 7,165 people died from the plague in that week. After that, the number of deaths from the plague began to slow down. By February 1666, the King and his court decided it was safe enough to return to London.

paragraphs: Some people - though not nearly so many - continued to get the plague until September 1666. Around that time, the plague outbreak ended. The Great Fire of London is believed to have helped the plague.


title: Empress Matilda

paragraphs: F, #102037, b. circa August 1102, d. 10 September 1167

paragraphs: Matilda 'the Empress' of England was born circa August 1102 at Winchester, Hampshire, EnglandG.2 She was also reported to have been born on 7 February 1102 at England. She was the daughter of Henry I 'Beauclerc', King of England and Editha of Scotland. She married, firstly, Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, son of Heinrich IV, Holy Roman Emperor, on 7 January 1114 at Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, GermanyG.2 She married, secondly, Geoffrey V Plantagenet, Comte d'Anjou et Maine, son of Fulk V d'Anjou, 9th Comte d'Anjou and Aremburga de la Fleche, Comtesse de Maine, on 22 May 1128 at Le Mans Cathedral, Le Mans, FranceG.3 She was also reported to have been married on 20 May 1127. She died on 10 September 1167 at Abbey of the Notre Dame des Prés, Rouen, Caux, FranceG.2 She was buried at Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, Caux, FranceG.2

paragraphs: She was given the name of Adelaide at birth.2 After her marriage, Matilda 'the Empress' of England was styled as "Empress Matilda of Germany" on 7 January 1114.2 She gained the title of "Lady of the English" on 7 April 1141.2 She was deposed as Lady of the English on 1 November 1141.2

paragraphs: Daughter of Henry I and Editha of Scotland, she was nominated by her father as his successor. However, on the death of Henry I, the council considering a woman unfit to rule offered the throne to Stephen. Matilda invaded England and fought (1139 - 1148) to wrest rule from the usurping Stephen. She won much of the west, and after Stephen's capture in April 1141 a clerical council proclaimed Matilda 'Lady of the English'. She entered London but made cash demands that provoked Londoners to expel her before a coronation. On Stephen's release, she suffered defeats (fled from Oxford Castle Dec 1142), and eventually left England for Normandy, now controlled by her husband. The cause of her death is obscure. Although Matilda failed to secure the English throne, she laid a basis for successful claims by descendants of her husband Geoffrey of Anjou.

paragraphs: Empress Matilda (c. 7 February 1102–10 September 1167), sometimes called Empress Maud, was the second child of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. Her brother, William Adelin, died in the wreck of the White Ship in 1120. This made Matilda the hereditary heir to the English throne. At her father's death in 1135, her cousin King Stephen rushed to take the throne. This led to a civil war between Stephen and Matilda, known as the Anarchy.


title: Kaiser

paragraphs: Kaiser was title used for the Emperor of Germany from the creation of unified Germany in 1871 until the end of World War I. The Holy Roman Emperor was also called "Kaiser". The word "Kaiser" is the German way to say Caesar, the name the ancient Romans used for their Roman Emperor, just as "Tsar" is the Russian way to say it.


title: Orange, New South Wales

paragraphs: Orange is a city in New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Mitchell Highway about 250 kilometres west of Sydney. The main street (where people do all the shopping) is quite large for a country town. There are five high schools and five primary schools in Orange. Orange has two tennis centres, a big pool, an indoor sports centre, a netball centre, football pitches, a university, hockey pitches and lots of parks. There is also a big mine called Cadia and a big fun lake located outside of the town.


title: Endometrium

paragraphs: The endometrium is the innermost membrane of the uterus. It sensitive to hormone changes. The endometrium is shed each month as menstrual flow.


title: Nibelungenlied

paragraphs: The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. It tells the story of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, and of the revenge of his wife Kriemhild, which leads to the death all the heroes of the Bugundians and of Kriemhild as well.

paragraphs: The saga of Siegfried was also used in the opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" of Richard Wagner. Nibelung in this context means "dwarf".

paragraphs: The Nibelungenlied is based on earlier works. It was part of oral tradition, meaning it usually was not written down. During the Middle Ages people started to write down stories more and more. Overall there are about 35 German sources and one Dutch source for the story. There was an original manuscript but it has been lost. The three oldest manuscripts have been labelled "A", "B", and "C".

paragraphs: "B" seems to be closest to the original; however, the real relation between the three manuscripts is unknown. The Nibelungenlied probably had a broad oral tradition, as there were many different versions. It is difficult to judge how these oral versions influenced the written ones.

paragraphs: Manuscripts A and B end with "daz ist der Nibelunge not" (that is the fall of the "Nibelungs"); for this reasons, they are known as the "Not versions". Manuscript C ends with "daz ist der Nibelunge liet" (). It is known as the "Lied-version". In total, the C text has been edited with regard to the public of the time. It is less dramatic. This probably made it more popular. Aesthetically, the B text would have been the greatest artistic achievement for a contemporary public.

paragraphs: The author who wrote down the original that is now lost is unknown. However, there are a few candidates:

paragraphs: Serious researchers tend to ignore the last three options, because there is not enough evidence to support them.

paragraphs: This was probably not in the original though, but added later. The original probably began by introducing Kriemhild:


title: Dwarf (mythology)

paragraphs: A dwarf is a short, humanlike creature from Norse and Germanic mythologies. They have been used in many fairy tales, fantasy, fiction and role-playing games.

paragraphs: In some stories, dwarves are mean, living under bridges, and having a bad reputation for stealing treasure. One example is the Norwegian Troll. It is an ugly and foolish creature who tells lies. It causes problems everywhere it goes. That is how the Internet troll got its name. In Robert Louis Stevenson's story, "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Edward Hyde is described as "a dwarf."

paragraphs: On the other hand, J. R. R. Tolkien's hobbits and the munchkins in The Wizard of Oz are likeable, honest, good and smart.


title: Vanir

paragraphs: The Vanir are one of the two tribes of deities in Norse mythology, the other being the Æsir. Native to Vanaheimr, the Vanir are peace-loving gods, associated with nature and fertility, while the Æsir were chaotic and warlike. Members of the Vanir include:

paragraphs: A number of them live in Asgard alongside the Æsir as a token of goodwill following the war between the two tribes, which resulted in them uniting into a single pantheon. The goddess Freyja receives half of those slain in battle as a share of power between the two clans.


title: Mole (unit)

paragraphs: Mole is the SI unit of measurement used to measure the number of things, usually atoms or molecules. One mole of something is equal to of same things (Avogadro's number). For example, one mole of grapes is grapes.

paragraphs: The measurement of Avogadro's number was refined in 2019 to .

paragraphs: Scientists use this number because it is the number of carbon atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12, which is the most common kind of carbon. Anything can be measured in moles, but it is not practical for most tasks because the value is so massive. For example, one mole of grapefruits would be as big as the earth.

paragraphs: The number does not lend itself to easy expression in words. The nearest "casual" number is one million-million-million-million, which is 10.

paragraphs: Because different molecules and atoms do not have the same mass, one mole of one thing does not weigh the same as one mole of something else. Atoms and molecule mass is measured in amu. One amu is equal to one gram per mole. This means that if an atom has a mass of one amu, one mole of this atom weighs one gram.

paragraphs: Moles = mass (g) / Relative mass (grams per mole)

paragraphs: Example: How many moles are there in 20 grams of hydrogen?

paragraphs: A value of 1 can be used for hydrogen's relative mass, although the correct value is slightly larger. So: moles = mass/relative mass = 20/1 = 20 moles.

paragraphs: Moles = concentration (mol/dm) x volume (dm)

paragraphs: Example: How many moles are there in 100cm of 0.1M HSO?

paragraphs: 1 dm is the same as 1000 cm, so the value in cubic centimetres needs to be divided by 1000. 100/1000 x 0.1 = 0.01 moles.

paragraphs: A methane molecule is made from one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Carbon has a mass of 12.011 u and hydrogen has a mass of 1.008 u. This means that the mass of one methane molecule is 12.011 u + (4 × 1.008u), or 16.043 u. This means that one mole of methane has a mass of 16.043 grams.

paragraphs: A mole can be thought of as two bags of different sized balls. One bag contains 3 tennis balls and the other 3 footballs. There is the same number of balls in both bags but the mass of the footballs is much larger. It is a different way to measure things. Moles measure the number of particles, not the mass. So both bags contain three moles.

paragraphs: A mole is simply a unit of the number of things. Other common units include a dozen, meaning  12, and a score, meaning 20. Similarly, a mole refers to a specific quantity-- its distinguishing feature is that its number is far larger than other common units. Such units are typically invented when existing units can not describe something easily enough. Chemical reactions typically take place between molecules of varying weights, meaning measurements of mass (such as grams) can be misleading when compared the reactions of individual molecules. On the other hand, using the absolute number of atoms/molecules/ions would also be confusing, as the massive numbers involved would make it all too easy to misplace a value or drop a digit. As such, working in moles allows scientists to refer to a specific quantity of molecules or atoms without resorting to excessively large numbers.

paragraphs: The SI units for molar concentration are mol/m. However, most chemical writing uses mol/dm, or mol dm, which is the same as mol/L. These units are often written with a capital letter M (pronounced "molar"), sometimes preceded by an SI prefix, for example, millimoles per litre (mmol/L) or millimolar (mM), micromoles/litre (µmol/L) or micromolar (µM), or nanomoles/L (nmol/L) or nanomolar (nM).

paragraphs: The absolute yield of a chemical reaction mostly stated in moles (called the "molar yield").


title: Plesiosaurus

paragraphs: Plesiosaurus was a large fossil marine reptile, a genus in the order Plesiosauria.

paragraphs: The first specimen discovered by Mary Anning in 1820-21 was missing its skull. She found it on the 'Jurassic Coast' of Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. In 1823 she found another one, this time complete with its skull. The name "Plesiosaurus" was given by the Rev. William Conybeare.

paragraphs: "Plesiosaurus" was a predator, living mostly on fish and belemnites. It would swim through schools of fish and use its long neck and sharp teeth to snap them up.

paragraphs: "Plesiosaurus" was a fairly typical member of its order, and measured around 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 ft) in total length. The snout was short, but the jaws were able to open very wide, and had a series of conical teeth in sockets. The neck was quite long, and the short tail was used for steering. Like all plesiosaurs, it used its large paddles to swim.

paragraphs: Only two species are known, and the genus existed for about 25 million years from the beginning of the Jurassic period.

paragraphs: Scientists have wondered whether ancient reptiles like pleisiosaurs were warm-blooded or cold-blooded. Scientists from the University of Plymouth studied many animals of different sizes from insects to whales that dive and hold their breath. They found that larger animals can hold their breath longer than smaller animals because they can store more oxygen. They also found this difference was much bigger for warm-blooded animals than for cold-blooded animals. They said this could be why whales became so large. They think since plesiosaurs were also large, like whales, they were more likely to be warm-blooded than cold-blooded.

paragraphs: Scientists also looked at the phosphate molecules inside plesiosaurs' teeth and saw the oxygen isotopes that suggested they had been warm-blooded.


title: Doraemon

paragraphs: Doraemon (ドラえもん) is a Japanese manga and anime series. It was written by Fujiko F. Fujio. It was started in a children’s magazine in 1969. Doraemon is the name of a robot cat that came from the future to help a boy named Nobita Nobi. Doraemon is about the life of Nobita Nobi. In a typical story Doramon uses a gadget to solve a problem for Nobita, but Nobita goes too far and ends up being punished and learning a lesson.

paragraphs: Doraemon was turned into an anime television show in 1979. It still is being shown on television. As of 1996, about 100 million comic books have been sold. A Japanese-to-English version of the original called "Doraemon: Gadget Cat from the Future" was published from 2002. A local translation is published in each Asian country such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam. It is in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, but it is not as popular as it is in Asia. Doraemon is endorsed by 7-11 in Thailand as a mascot.

paragraphs: Apart from these, there are many characters like Nobita's mother, Nobita's father, Sensei, Mr. Kaminari (Mr. Rumbleton in US), etc.


title: Alfred the Great

paragraphs: Alfred the Great (c. 849 - 26 October 899) was King of Wessex from 871 to 899. He was the first monarch from the British Isles to style himself as 'King of the Anglo-Saxons' and so he is sometimes considered the first English king. Alfred started the Royal Navy in the 9th century

paragraphs: Alfred was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburga. She was the daughter of Osburga, Athelwulf's butler. Alfred was born in 849 in the royal village of Wantage then in Berkshire. In the world he grew up in there was constant talk and fear of Viking raiders. For fourteen years they had been raiding but a year after Alfred's birth they remained all winter. The Viking menace was now settled on the island of Thanet in Kent.

paragraphs: When he was about four, Alfred's mother, Osburga, died. At age twelve, Alfred had difficulty finding a qualified teacher to help him learn to read and write. He finally overcame the problem and learned to read and write by using the writings of the church. At some point in his childhood Alfred was made a (a high rank in Anglo-Saxon England styled on the Roman office of consul). The ceremony involved him receiving a red cloak, a jeweled belt and a sword. This ceremony meant he was not destined to join the church, as the younger sons typically were. His life as an adult would be as a nobleman and possibly, if he survived his four older brothers, as king, someday.

paragraphs: Before he was seven years old, he had traveled to Rome twice. In 853, Alfred was sent with an escort and met Pope Leo IV. In 855 King Æthelwulf traveled to Rome taking his young son Alfred with him. They stayed in Rome a year and returned through France. There, king Æthelwulf and his son Alfred stayed at the court of Charles the Bald. Æthelwulf became engaged to Charles's eldest daughter, Judith, then about aged twelve. That same October, they were married at Verberie in northern France.

paragraphs: While Alfred and his father were in Rome and France, 855-856, his older brother Athelstan had died. On the king's return his son Ethelbald, with his followers. was threatening a civil war. To prevent this from happening Æthelwulf stepped down as king. He gave the rule over Wessex to his son Ethelbald. He took over the rule of Kent, Essex, Sussex and Surrey ruling Wessex as the under-king with his child bride Judith sharing his throne. In 858 king Æthelwulf died.

paragraphs: Ethelbald, now the undisputed king, next did the unexpected. He married his and Alfred's stepmother Judith. According to Asser, all men in England were horrified. Two years later in 860, Ethelbald was dead. Alfred's third brother, Ethelbert, succeeded to the throne. He united all of Wessex into one kingship. Queen Judith sold all of her extensive holdings in England and returned to France.

paragraphs: The next brother to rule Wessex was Ethelbert. In the same year he succeeded his brother there was a great Viking raid on the south coast of England. The Vikings plundered Winchester the chief city of Wessex and obtained a great deal of . As they returned to their ships they were ambushed by Anglo-Saxons from Hampshire and Berkshire. A few survived and returned to their ships. For the next three years Southern England was free of Viking raids. But the year 865 saw the arrival of the Great Heathen Army in East Anglia. For a time they were more interested in Northumbria. They gained control of York and moved south into Mercia then made their winter camp in Nottingham.

paragraphs: Meanwhile, King Ethelbert died in early 866. So far all the brothers had been childless and so the succession was passed from brother to brother. The fourth brother in line was Ethelred. He became king in 866. It was at this time Alfred was given the title of "Secundarius" (Latin for secondary). In effect it meant he was given regal power over part of the kingdom or limited joint authority over the entire kingdom. in 868 Burgred, the King of Mercia, asked King Ethelred and Alfred for their help against the Danes (Vikings). But their forces together could not defeat the Danes. By 871 the Mercians and East Anglians had been defeated. Only Wessex could mount an army against the Vikings. That year Wessex was invaded by a large Danish army. After many battles the Anglo-Saxons were able to slow the Danes' progress. Ethelred died. He left a young son named Ethelwald who later rebelled against Edward the Elder.

paragraphs: Alfred became king in the middle of this conflict. But before the end of the year he succeeded in effecting a peace, probably by paying a sum of money to the invaders.

paragraphs: Alfred earned the name 'the Great' by defending the kingdom from Viking invasions. Alfred was a scholar and encouraged education in the kingdom as well as improving the legal system.

paragraphs: By the close of the ninth century the four independent kingdoms of England had been reduced to just one. Wessex was the only remaining kingdom not destroyed by the Vikings. Beginning about 886 Alfred claimed to be the king of all the English. The exception was those parts of England that were under Danish rule. This was the beginning of unifying England under a single king. For many Alfred was the first king of the English. But he did not technically rule all of England. That distinction was given to Athelstan (ruled 924–939). King Ethelstan was Alfred's eldest grandson.

paragraphs: In the 880s Alfred formed a marriage alliance with Mercia, still a powerful kingdom. his daughter, Æthelflæd, married king Æthelred, of Mercia. After his death Ethelflaeda ruled as Queen of Mercia.

paragraphs: By 890 Alfred was making literacy among his people a priority. There were still Viking attacks and Alfred was still telling his people to continue fighting and not give up. Alfred died in 899. He was succeeded by his son, Edward the Elder who was crowned on (8 June) 900.

paragraphs: In 868 Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of Ethelred, surnamed Mucill, Ealdorman of the Gainas. Together they had several children:


title: Festival

paragraphs: A festival is a gathering of people to celebrate something. It can also refer to a particular day or group of days when people in a country have a holiday so that they can celebrate something. Festivals may be religious festivals. They may also be events which feature music, dancing, poetry, movies, etc.


title: Oort cloud

paragraphs: The Oort cloud, or Öpik–Oort cloud, is a cloud of comets and other objects. Astronomers believe it is way beyond the orbits of Pluto and the Kuiper belt. The Oort cloud is believed to be the source of long-period comets in the Solar System.

paragraphs: The Oort cloud may lie about 50,000 AU, or nearly a light-year, from the Sun. This means the cloud is nearly a quarter of the way to Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun.

paragraphs: The Kuiper belt and scattered disc, the other two reservoirs of trans-Neptunian objects, are less than one thousandth of the Oort cloud's distance. The outer limit of the Oort cloud defines the boundary of the Solar System and the region of the Sun's gravitational dominance.

paragraphs: The Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort published the Oort cloud idea in 1950. The Oort cloud was named after him, as were the Oort comet, and Oort constants.

paragraphs: The Oort cloud takes up a lot of space and is thought to have trillions of comets about tens of millions of kilometers apart.

paragraphs: The Oort cloud is made up of an inner Oort cloud and an outer Oort cloud. The outer cloud is weakly bound to the Sun; long-term comets are thought to come from there. The Inner cloud is also called the Hills cloud and may be the maker of comets.

paragraphs: The objects in the Oort cloud are believed to consist of much ice. Since the object 1996 PW was found to be a rocky body in an orbit typical of long-period comets, it is believed that rocky objects might be in the Oort cloud.

paragraphs: The Oort cloud is thought to be the remains of a disk made out of gas which surrounded the Sun long ago.


title: Dynasty

paragraphs: Dynasty means rulers who belong to the same royal family for generations. The term is also used to describe the era during which that family ruled.


title: Han dynasty

paragraphs: The Han dynasty came to power in 202 B.C. They followed the philosophies of Confucianism and legalism. This was called 'the Han synthesis'.

paragraphs: Under this dynasty, China made progress in arts and science. The empire also became larger and larger. China started trading with a number of other countries. They started the Silk Road. Merchants used the Silk Road to reach China. During this dynasty Buddhism was introduced in China. Today, the dominant ethnic group of China calls themselves the Han Chinese since this was the dynasty where many of the norms of Chinese culture found a firm foundation in the culture, including Confucianism and Traditional Chinese characters. The first emperor of the han dynasty is Liu Bang, known in Chinese as Emperor Gaozu of Han.

paragraphs: The Han dynasty ruled China from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. The new emperor maintained a legalist ideology just like the Qin dynasty but also had ideas of Confucianism to have a centralized system showing benevolence. After eighty years, Emperor Wu of Han launched a period of military expansion. The Han armies controlled many territories, including Silk Road in Mongolia and Xinjiang. The Silk Road  helped make a political, economic, military, and culture center, but it was very expensive to manage and further expansion was cut off.  Several factors contributed to the fall of the Han dynasty, including uprisings of desperate and hungry people, the spread of attacks by nomadic groups, and official corruption.

paragraphs: Fairbank, John King and Merle Goldman 1992. "China: a new history". 2nd enlarged edition 2006. Cambridge: MA; London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.


title: Zhou Dynasty

paragraphs: The Zhou Dynasty defeated the Shang Dynasty using the mandate of heaven and said they where immortal at about 1046 BC, and came to power. They changed the capital from Henan to a place near present-day Xi'an, near the Yellow River. The Zhou Dynasty also brought a new theory. This theory told the people that kings had the order of the gods to rule the country (Mandate of Heaven). Almost all dynasties of Chinese rulers continued to repeat this theory. The kings of this dynasty won many new areas. For the first time in the history of China, large numbers of persons also moved from one area to other area for settlement.

paragraphs: During the Zhou Dynasty, the origins of matured Chinese philosophy developed. The greatest Chinese philosophers were "Kong Fuzi" (Latin: Confucius), founder of Confucianism, and Laozi, founder of Daoism. Other philosophers, theorists, and schools of thought in this era were Mozi (Latin: Micius), founder of "Mohism", Mengzi (Latin: Mencius), a famous Confucian who expanded upon Kong Fuzi's legacy, Shang Yang and Han Feizi, responsible for the development of ancient Chinese Legalism (the core philosophy of the Qin Dynasty), and Xunzi.