title: New York City Subway

paragraphs: The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that is in New York City, United States. It is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It is one of the biggest rapid transit systems in the world, with 472 stations. It has 245 miles (or 394 km) of routes on 691 miles (or 1112 km) of track. The New York City Subway almost never closes; the trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year. The system has only closed three times.

paragraphs: The first elevated trains started working on October 9, 1863, and the first underground trains started working on October 27, 1904.

paragraphs: Alfred Ely Beach built an underground subway tunnel to test in 1869. His Beach Pneumatic Transit only extended under Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The subway car in the tunnel was pneumatic, or pushed by air. The tunnel was never made longer. It could have gone to Battery Park to the south and the Harlem River to the north.

paragraphs: The first underground subway line opened on October 27, 1904. The oldest elevated train line in the subway system opened in 1885. The oldest right-of-way was a steam railroad called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road. That railroad opened in 1863.

paragraphs: By the time the first subway opened, there were two private subway companies. They were the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Corporation (BRT) and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). Most subway lines built after 1913 were built by the New York City government. These tracks were leased to the companies. The first line of the city-owned and city-run Independent Subway System (IND) opened in 1932.

paragraphs: In 1940, the two private systems were bought by the city. Some elevated train lines closed and were destroyed. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) was made in 1953 to run subway, bus, and streetcar operations. It was made part of Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968.

paragraphs: By the 1970s and 1980s, the New York City Subway was really bad to ride. There were very few people riding the subway. There was a lot of graffiti and crime on the subway. This was fixed in the 1990s.

paragraphs: After the September 11 attacks, there were train disruptions on lines running through Lower Manhattan. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded the subway system. It closed many lines for a long time.

paragraphs: There are subway stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. About 40% of the tracks are above ground and the other 60% are below ground. Every day about 5,076,000 people take rides on the subway. 463 out of the system's 468 stations are always open.

paragraphs: Many stations have "mezzanines". These are the levels of the station where you pay a fare before entering the subway platforms. Everyone must pay a fare to enter the subway system. They are usually between street level and platform level.

paragraphs: Many station entrances and exits have lamp posts. At the top of the lamp posts are colored balls. Green balls usually show the station is open all day. Red balls can show two things. An entrance lamp post with a red ball can show that you can only enter during the daytime. There are also red exit lamp posts, which show that you can only exit the station. Some of the balls do not show the right information about an entrance or exit.

paragraphs: Most subway stations have waiting platforms that are from long. People wait for trains on these platforms.

paragraphs: All new stations have platforms with air conditioning.

paragraphs: Many stations also have artwork on the subway station walls.

paragraphs: Most of the stations wers built before 1990. That is when a new law said that many new buildings, like subway stations, should have elevators and ramps so people with wheelchairs can enter these buildings.

paragraphs: The MTA has run the "Music Under New York" (MUNY) program in the subway since 1987. People must compete in order to be allowed to play music in a station. There are now more than 100 musicians and performers in the subway system.

paragraphs: There are only 129 open restrooms in 77 of the system's stations.

paragraphs: Some platforms have newspaper stands as well. They sell many things, including newspapers and food. There are also stores in some stations.

paragraphs: In other cities' subway systems, a train "line" is the same as a train "route". In New York City's subway system, however, the "line" is the actual tracks, which a train "route" uses. "Routes", also called "services", have a letter or a number, such as "1" or "A". "Lines" have names, like "Broadway Line".

paragraphs: There are 24 train services. This includes 3 short "shuttle" routes. Each route has a color. R. Raleigh D'Adamo, a lawyer who entered a contest in 1964, planned the colors that are used on subway maps now. Before, subway maps used different colors for every route. People who live in New York City do not call lines and services by color (such as, Blue Line or Green Line). However, tourists often use colors to tell between routes.

paragraphs: There are three different types of subway services. "Local" trains make all stops at "local" stations as well as at "express" stations. "Express" trains skip some stations, but stop at "express" stations. There is one "skip-stop" service, the J/Z, where two train routes run on the same line; each route only stops at every other station along the line.

paragraphs: The subway system runs 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, but some routes do not run when not many people ride the subway. When a line is closed, the transit authority uses free shuttle buses. The transit authority shows planned service changes on its website, on station walls, inside subway cars, and through its Twitter page.

paragraphs: There are many routes on the subway. Many people who have never ridden on the Subway get confused because there are so many routes going to so many different places. The Subway has signs that hang from the stations' ceilings to show the routes and where they go.

paragraphs: From 1904 until 1948, people paid a nickel to go into the subway. On July 1, 1948, the fare was raised to a dime. In July 1953, the fare was raised to 15 cents. The MTA gave out subway tokens, which people used to enter the subway. People stopped using tokens in 2003.

paragraphs: The fare is $2.75. Riders must pay with MetroCards. The subway started using them in 1994. At subway stations, riders can buy MetroCards from the station booth or from vending machines. Riders can also buy MetroCards from many places in New York City, like convenience stores and newspaper sellers.

paragraphs: Riders are allowed to take pictures using cameras, but are not allowed to take pictures with cameras that flash or with cameras that are on tripods.

paragraphs: Subway police can search riders to make sure they do not have weapons or other items that could be used to hurt other people.

paragraphs: When riders get hurt, usually it is because they slip when they are getting on or off the train. This is because there is a gap between the train and the platform. In recent times, workers have made the gaps smaller to prevent people from slipping. Often messages are played from loudspeakers that say "Please watch the gap when entering and exiting the train".

paragraphs: The MTA makes sure that New York City Subway trains run without accidents. There are railroad switches, railroad signals, and speed limits on the subway. All tracks also have a stopper on the side. If the train passes a red signal, the stopper will stop the train.

paragraphs: A black-and-white striped board hangs above the middle of each platform. The conductor has to point to the board in front of him or her. After the conductor points to the board, the train doors will open.

paragraphs: The subway has had over 56 train accidents since 1918. The Malbone Street Wreck on November 1, 1918 was the most deadly. That crash killed 93 people.

paragraphs: Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, the MTA has experimented with Automatic train operation. New York City Subway trains normally run with a train conductor and a train engineer. In 2006, the L train was the first route to be run by computers. The 7 train is becoming the second route to be run by a computer. There are computers both on the train and along the side of the tracks. The computer does the engineer's job by driving and stopping the train.


title: Fundamentalism

paragraphs: Fundamentalism was used at first to describe some people in the Protestant community in the United States in the early 20th century. These people had a set of well-defined ("fundamental") values. These values were in opposition to more modern ideas. The group also said it was important to stick to what faith (and a more literal translation of the Bible) told them. When people look at religion this way they see the ideas in the religion as "absolute". This means that it is not possible for them to change. When religion is seen as absolute it becomes fundamentalism.

paragraphs: Today, the term is used more generally. It is now often used to describe groups of people who are committed to behave or act according to their (mostly moral, and religious) values and beliefs even though these values may be criticised by many people or unpopular. Modern-day fundamentalists want to go back to the roots of certain ideological or religious positions.

paragraphs: Religious fundamentalism has been prevalent in society since its beginnings in the late 19th- and early 20th-century. People today who study fundamentalism see it as a response to modern society. Today society is not as simple as it was: many people live in societies that can be difficult to understand. Changes in familiar things can make people feel unsafe. So some people look in their religion to see something that does not change. They also want rules about how to act that do not change. So they see their religion as this thing that does not change.

paragraphs: See Reformation for an older historical precedent.

paragraphs: Fundamentalism is also a trademarked brand of belts "to Beat Children." Fundamentalism Leather Belts have been in countless art exhibits to satirize Fundamentalist Christians who think their God wants them to hit children. The artist and the only publicly recognized owner of Fundamentalism, Daniel Vander Ley, is a child-rights advocate who uses his brand "Fundamentalism America's Premier Child Abuse Brand" as a way to confront governments around the world about corporal punishment practices in schools and homes. Corporal Punishment still occurs in public schools in 19 American states.

paragraphs: Some people who are called religious fundamentalists do not like that name, as the term has other meanings. They do not like it because 'religious fundamentalist' has some negative ideas about it. Many people who are politically "progressive" or "liberal" sometimes do not like religious fundamentalists. They believe bad things about them like that they are not clever, they are not educated, or that they do not respect people's human rights.

paragraphs: Some people who are Christian fundamentalists "do" like that term and use it to name themselves. But they do not like being called religious fundamentalists because Islamic fundamentalists are in this same group.

paragraphs: Fundamentalism began as a movement in the U.S., starting among conservative Presbyterian academics and theologians at Princeton Theological Seminary in the first decade of the Twentieth Century. It soon spread to conservatives among the Baptists and other denominations during and immediately following the First World War. The movement's purpose was to "reaffirm" orthodox Protestant Christianity and zealously defend it against the challenges of liberal theology, German higher criticism, Darwinism, and other movements which it regarded as harmful to Christianity.

paragraphs: The term ""fundamentalism"" has its roots in the Niagara Bible Conference (1878–1897) which defined those things that were "fundamental" to Christian belief. The term was also used to describe ""The Fundamentals"", a collection of twelve books on five subjects published in 1910 and funded by Milton and Lyman Stewart

paragraphs: Not all religious fundamentalists believe the same things. But there are many issues that they have strong beliefs about. Some of these issues are similar even in different religions. Some of these issues are:

paragraphs: Many criticisms of fundamentalist positions have been offered. One of the most common is that some claims made by a fundamentalist group cannot be proven, and are irrational, demonstrably false, or contrary to scientific evidence. . For example, some of these criticisms were famously asserted by Clarence Darrow in the Scopes Monkey Trial.

paragraphs: Another is that religious beliefs do not translate well into laws or social policy in diverse tolerant societies. This criticism favors secularism as a better foundation for social harmony and stability.

paragraphs: One of the critics, Elliot N. Dorff wrote:

paragraphs: In order to carry out the fundamentalist program in practice, one would need a perfect understanding of the ancient language of the original text, if indeed the true text can be (found...) among variants. Furthermore, human beings are the ones who transmit this understanding between generations. Even if one wanted to follow the literal word of God, the need for people first to understand that word (requires) human interpretation. Through that process human fallibility is inextricably mixed into the very meaning of the divine word. As a result, it is impossible to follow the indisputable word of God; one can only achieve a human understanding of God's will.


title: Agostino Carracci

paragraphs: Agostino Carracci (sometimes also spelled Agostino Caracci, August 16, 1557 – March 22, 1602) was an Italian painter and printmaker. His brother Annibale and cousin Lodovico Carracci were more famous than he was.

paragraphs: He thought nature was an ideal. He founded a school that was competing with that of Caravaggio. Together with his brothers, he founded the Accademia degli Incamminati. The academy helped painters of the School of Bologna to become famous.


title: Vogtlandkreis Rural District

paragraphs: The Vogtlandkreis is a "Landkreis" (rural district) in the southwest of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It borders Thuringia, Bavaria, and the Czech Republic. Plauen is the capital of the district.

paragraphs: The first German cosmonaut, Sigmund Jähn was born in the Vogtland. His hometown, the small village "Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz" in the south-west of the district houses a small space exhibition.


title: Zwickauer Land Rural District

paragraphs: Zwickauer Land was a Landkreis (rural district) in the south-west of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The independent city of Zwickau is in the middle of the district. It is nearly completely surrounded by the district. In July 2008, the city lost its right to administer itself, and become a city under the control of the district government.

paragraphs: The rural district was created on 1 August 1994. Its capital is Werdau. On January 1, 1999, the district was reorganised. Cainsdorf, Mosel, Oberrothenbach and Schlunzig were made a part of to Zwickau even though the people living in those towns wanted to stay independent.

paragraphs: The district is located in the Ore Mountains ("Erzgebirge"), with the main rivers being the "Zwickauer Mulde" and the "Pleiße".


title: Chemnitzer Land Rural District

paragraphs: Chemnitzer Land was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: The district has a very big population because the East German government tried to make the area very industrial.

paragraphs: The district was created in 1994 by joining the old districts of Glauchau and Hohenstein-Ernstthal. In 2008, part of city of Zwickau will become part of the district. The rest of the city will become part of Zwickauer Land.


title: Meißen (district)

paragraphs: Meißen is a district ("Kreis") in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.


title: Sächsische Schweiz (district)

paragraphs: The Sächsische Schweiz ("Saxon Switzerland") was a rural district ("Landkreis") in the south of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: It borders the Czech Republic. Vehicles registered in the district have PIR, for the city of Pirna. This is because the districts own abbreviation would be "SS", and this is not used because it is the same as the Nazi SS, the "Schutzstaffel"

paragraphs: The district was created in 1994 when the two districts Sebnitz and Pirna were merged.

paragraphs: The district is named after the landscape - the "Saxon Switzerland" - as it is the most mountainous region of Saxony.


title: Weißeritzkreis

paragraphs: The Weißeritzkreis was a district ("Kreis") in the south of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It borders the Czech Republic. The district was created in 1994 when the two districts Dippoldiswalde and Freital were merged. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: During the flooding in August 2002 the river Weißeritz had to drain many times the normal amount of water, and a lot of buildings in the river valley - houses, streets and bridges were destroyed


title: Sächsische Schweiz (tourism)

paragraphs: Sächsische Schweiz means "Saxon Switzerland" in English. It is a mountainous climbing area and national park near Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Part of the area is in the Czech Republic. It is called the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic.

paragraphs: Sächsische Schweiz has some 1,000 climbing peaks, as well as several hollows. The area is popular with Dresden locals and international climbers.

paragraphs: The administrative district for the area is Sächsische Schweiz Rural District.

paragraphs: Sächsische Schweiz area has a number of fortresses built to protect trade routes; remaining fortresses include Festung Königstein and Castle Hohnstein. Hardly anything is left of other castles and fortresses.

paragraphs: The area became popular with tourists during the 19th century. Romantic artists were inspired by the beauty of wilderness, like the painter Ludwig Richter or the composer Carl Maria von Weber, who set his famous opera Der Freischütz with its Wolfsschlucht ("wolf's gorge") scene near the city of Rathen.

paragraphs: Saxon Switzerland is characterized by its sandstone rocks which draw many rock climbers. At the beginning of the 20th century the 'Saxon Rules' for rock climbing were made, the first ever of their kind worldwide.


title: Epic of Gilgamesh

paragraphs: The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. It is one of the earliest works of literary fiction known.

paragraphs: The most complete version that exists today was preserved on twelve clay tablets in the library collection of the 7th century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.

paragraphs: A series of Sumerian legends and poems about the mythological hero-king Gilgamesh were probably gathered into a longer Akkadian poem some time before the 7th century BC.

paragraphs: The essential story is about the relationship between Gilgamesh, a king who has become distracted and disheartened by his rule, and a friend, Enkidu, who is half-wild and who undertakes dangerous quests with Gilgamesh. Much of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's thoughts of loss following Enkidu's death. It is often credited as being one of the first literary works with emphasis on immortality.

paragraphs: The epic is widely read in translation, and the hero, Gilgamesh, has become an icon of popular culture.

paragraphs: Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, an ancient city of Sumer. His supposed historical reign is believed to lie within the period 2700 to 2500 BC, 200–400 years before the earliest known written stories. His father was the third king, Lugalbanda.


title: Sorbian languages

paragraphs: The Sorbian languages are Slavic languages, a branch of the Indo-European languages.

paragraphs: They are the Sorbs' native languages, who are a Slavic minority in eastern Germany. The languages used to be known as Wendish or Lusatian.

paragraphs: There are two languages: Upper Sorbian ("hornjoserbsce"), spoken by about 40,000 people in Saxony, and Lower Sorbian ("dolnoserbski"), spoken by about 10,000 people in Brandenburg. Both languages are spoken is an area known as Lusatia ("Łužica" in Upper Sorbian, "Łužyca" in Lower Sorbian and "Lausitz" in German).

paragraphs: In Germany, Upper and Lower Sorbian are officially recognized and protected as minority languages by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In the home areas of the Sorbs, both languages are officially equal to German.

paragraphs: The city of Bautzen, Upper Lusatia, is the centre of Upper Sorbian culture. Bilingual signs can be seen around the city, including the name of the city, "Bautzen/"Budyšin"".

paragraphs: The city of Cottbus ("Chóśebuz") is considered the cultural centre of Lower Sorbian. Cottbuss also has bilingual signs.

paragraphs: Sorbian is also spoken in the small Sorbian (“Wendish”) settlement of Serbin in Lee County, Texas. Until recently newspapers were published in Sorbian there. The local dialect has been heavily influenced by surrounding speakers of German and English.

paragraphs: American and Australian communities often prefer to call themselves “Wends” or “Wendish” since think that “Sorb” and “Sorbian” are bad words.


title: Bautzen

paragraphs: Bautzen (, , ; ) is a city in eastern Saxony, Germany, and capital of the Bautzen Rural District. It is on the Spree River.

paragraphs: In 2005, 42,189 people lived in Bautzen. Asteroid "11580 Bautzen" is named in honour of the city.

paragraphs: Bautzen is historical capital of Upper Lusatia, and it is the most important cultural centre of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority.

paragraphs: During World War II and the Nazi era, there was a subcamp of the Groß-Rosen concentration camp in Bautzen. Ernst Thälmann was imprisoned there before being deported to Buchenwald.

paragraphs: After the war Bautzen was well known in the German Democratic Republic because of its prison. Bautzen I was used as an official prison, Bautzen II was a secret prison for prisoners of conscience (people arrested for their political beliefs, not because of an ordinary crime). Bautzen I is still used as a prison, and Bautzen II has been a memorial since 1993.

paragraphs: In 2002 the city commemorated its thousandth birthday.


title: Jim Root

paragraphs: James "Jim" Root (born October 7, 1971) is an American musician. He is the guitarist for both Slipknot and Stone Sour. In Slipknot he is named #4. He is the tallest member of the band at 6 feet and 6 inches tall. Jim wears a court jester's mask with a zip-up mouth. Jim enjoys fishing and playing video games in his free time.


title: Ghetto

paragraphs: Originally the word 'ghetto' meant the Jewish quarter of Venice, and later of any European town. Many places had a ghetto. The term "ghetto" is now commonly used to refer to any poverty-stricken urban area with a concentration of minority groups. The word has a few possible sources:

paragraphs: It is also used to refer to areas that are considered to be undesirable.


title: ECW (WWE)

paragraphs: ECW (which at one time stood for Extreme Championship Wrestling) was a professional wrestling brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion that lasted from 1992 to 2001. It started on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series. The ECW brand was one of WWE's three brands, the other two being RAW and SmackDown.

paragraphs: WWE got Extreme Championship Wrestling and its video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ECW through a series of DVDs and books. The big popularity of ECW merchandise prompted WWE to organize ECW One Night Stand, an ECW reunion pay-per-view in 2005. The financial and critical success of the event encourages WWE to start a second One Night Stand the next year. With rejuvenated interest in the ECW product, WWE began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full-time. On May 26, 2006, WWE announced the launch of ECW as a stand-alone brand, congruous to Raw and SmackDown!, with its own show on the Sci Fi Channel. Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by the Sci Fi Channel's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer said that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". Sci Fi Channel is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of WWE programming.

paragraphs: The ECW brand initially tried to differentiate itself from WWE's other brands. The hard cameras were placed in a different location and the ring mat had an ECW logo on it. The male performers were also referred to as "Extremists" as opposed to Superstars, and female performers were called "Vixens" instead of Divas. It also had the first ECW talent. Later however, changes were made to differentiate it from the original ECW promotion, including changing the original promotion's rules where weapons were legal in all matches and there were rarely any count outs or disqualifications. WWE now classifies such matches as having "Extreme Rules", and are only fought when specified. The only pay-per-view event hosted exclusively by the ECW brand since its launch was December to Dismember in December 2006. On March 14, 2007, before another one could be scheduled, WWE announced that all future pay-per-views would feature all three brands.

paragraphs: Former ECW owner Paul Heyman served as the on air "ECW Representative". According to an interview in the UK newspaper The Sun, Heyman wrote the brand's weekly scripts and gave them to writers for possible changes, and then Vince McMahon for final approval. After the December to Dismember 2006 Heyman was relieved from both his on and off air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment. After Heyman left, there was no ECW authority figure until August 14, 2007, when Armando Estrada was announced as the General Manager.

paragraphs: ECW's weekly series was first given a thirteen episode run as a "summer series" on the Sci Fi Channel. The first episode got a 2.79 rating, making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot. Because of its good ratings it was given an extended run through the end of 2007. On October 23, 2007, the network renewed the series through 2008.

paragraphs: While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on. This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction "old school" fans gave the main event of Batista vs. the Big Show at the show of August 1, 2006 from Hammerstein Ballroom.

paragraphs: On October 16, 2007 a "talent exchange" was started between the SmackDown! and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand.

paragraphs: At ECW's launch, WWE.com introduced Hardcore Hangover, a video feature which allowed fans only in the United States to stream or download video footage from the weekly show. On October 16, 2007 it was replaced by a new feature which made full episodes of the show available for streaming on WWE.com the day after they were shown. After making a list of names from fans and conducting an online poll, the feature was named ECW X-Stream on October 31, 2007.

paragraphs: ECW brand shows are held in big arenas as a part of the SmackDown! brand's Tuesday taping schedule. This is in sharp contrast to the first Extreme Championship Wrestling which ran most of its events in smaller venues. The show usually airs live on Tuesdays directly before – when touring the west coast – or after "SmackDown!" has taped, though it has been recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictate.

paragraphs: ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling since before the brand was established. Since then the theme song has changed between a number of different songs before settling on ""Don't Question My Heart"", sung by Kyle Morrison of the band Shattersphere. A remix of ""Don't Question My Heart"" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith is now used.

paragraphs: Starting with the January 22, 2008 version, "ECW" began broadcasting in HD, along with a new HD set, which is shared among all three WWE brands.

paragraphs: ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling since before the brand was established. Since then the theme song has changed between a number of different songs before settling on ""Don't Question My Heart"", sung by Kyle Morrison of the band Shattersphere. A remix of ""Don't Question My Heart"" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith was in use when the show ended.

paragraphs: On February 2, 2010, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced that "ECW" would be going off the air and would be replaced with a new weekly program in its slot in what McMahon announced as "the next evolution of WWE; the next evolution of television history." It was later announced that the show would air its final episode on February 16, 2010. On the February 4, 2010 episode of "WWE Superstars", the new show's name was announced as "WWE NXT". The ECW brand is set to be disbanded, with every ECW wrestler becoming a free agent after the show ends.

paragraphs: In addition to being broadcast on Syfy in the United States, "ECW" was broadcast on a number of channels in many different countries.


title: YHWH

paragraphs: For Jewish people YHVH is the most holy name of God, as written in the ancient Hebrew language. The written language showed no vowels, so the pronunciation is not agreed on. However, most academics agree that "Yahweh" is the most accepted way to say it.

paragraphs: It has also been pronounced as "Yehova" in Hebrew as a substitute word for the tetragrammaton. This is because Hebrew pointing, or vowel symbols, are often put under the YHVH, making . The vowels used come from the Hebrew word for Lord, "Adonai", which after the last captivity, was substituted and the vowels of "Adonai" forced into the tetragrammaton,incorrectly spelling God's Hebrew name as "YaHoVaH".

paragraphs: It was never meant to be anything more than a substitute to avoid pronouncing the tetragrammaton.

paragraphs: Traditionally, religious Jews today do not often say this name aloud. This is because it is believed to be too holy to be spoken. However, they often use substitutes when referring to the name of their God. For example, they use HaShem ("The Name") or Shem HaMeforash (“the indescribable Name”).

paragraphs: Today, the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) say that there is only one God, defined in the Judeo/Christian

paragraphs: Scriptures as Yahweh almost 7,000 times, with the general name "Elohim" a distant second at 2,500 times. Yahweh was spoken often by Jews. In

paragraphs: the New Testament, Yahweh is also present with the expanded name of Yahshua (Jesus), meaning "Yahweh(Yah) Saves(shua).

paragraphs: Sometimes the four letters are called the "Tetragrammaton", which is Greek for "four letters"

paragraphs: These four letters are usually JHWH in German, French and Dutch, and either YHWH, YHVH, JHWH or JHVH in English. In some English language Bibles, it is written in all capital letters as "LORD," as in Jewish tradition. Others, such as the Jerusalem Bible use "Yahweh". The Holman Christian Study Bible uses

paragraphs: "Yahweh" when there is a reference to his name; God's Word Translation uses all of the Hebrew transliterations for the name of God.

paragraphs: The name Jehovah is used by the religious organisation of Jehovah's Witnesses based on early English Bible translations repeated by the KJV.

paragraphs: In 2008, the "Vatican" reiterated a directive that the full name YAHWEH should not be used in Catholic liturgy out of respect for the Jews who never pronounce the full word and YHWH was to be used instead.


title: Oriana Fallaci

paragraphs: Oriana Fallaci (29 June 1929 - 15 September 2006) was an Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer. A young partisan during World War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career.

paragraphs: She has interviewed many internationally known leaders and celebrities such as the Dalai Lama, Henry Kissinger, the Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, Willy Brandt, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Walter Cronkite, Omar Khadafi, Federico Fellini, Sammy Davis Jr, Nguyen Cao Ky, Yasser Arafat, Indira Gandhi, Alexandros Panagoulis, Archbishop Makarios III, Golda Meir, Nguyen Van Thieu, Haile Selassie and Sean Connery.

paragraphs: After retirement, she returned to writing a series of articles and books critical of Islam and Arabs and some people interpreted the articles under the guise of racism and so-called Islamophobia.

paragraphs: Fallaci was born in Florence, Italy. During World War II, she joined the resistance in the democratic armed group "Giustizia e Libertà". Her father Edoardo Fallaci, was a famous antifascist political activist, in Florence.

paragraphs: Fallaci began her journalistic career in her teens, becoming a special correspondent for the Italian paper "Il mattino dell'Italia centrale" in 1946. After 1967 she worked as a war correspondent, in Vietnam, for the Indo-Pakistani War, in the Middle East and in South America. For many years, Fallaci was a special correspondent for the political magazine "L'Europeo" and wrote for a number of leading newspapers and "Epoca" magazine. During the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre prior to the 1968 Summer Olympics, Fallaci was shot three times, dragged down stairs by her hair, and left for dead by Mexican forces. The demonstrations by immigrants in the United States these past few months "disgust" her, especially when protesters displayed the Mexican flag. "I don't love the Mexicans," Fallaci said, invoking her nasty treatment at the hands of Mexican police in 1968. "If you hold a gun and say, 'Choose who is worse between the Muslims and the Mexicans,' I have a moment of hesitation. Then I choose the Muslims, because they have broken my balls."

paragraphs: In the late 1970s, she had an affair with the subject of one of her interviews, Alexandros Panagoulis, who was a big rebel in the Greek resistance against the 1967 dictatorship, having been captured, heavily tortured and imprisoned for his (unsuccessful) assassination attempt against dictator and ex-Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos. In 1972 she interviewed Henry Kissinger.

paragraphs: Fallaci has twice received the St. Vincent Prize for journalism, as well as the Bancarella Prize (1971) for "Nothing, and So Be It"; Viareggio Prize (1979), for "Un uomo: Romanzo"; and Prix Antibes, 1993, for "Inshallah". She received a D.Litt. from Columbia College (Chicago). She has lectured at the University of Chicago, Yale University, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Fallaci’s writings have been translated into 21 languages including English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Greek, Swedish, Polish, Croatian, Hungarian and Slovenian.

paragraphs: Fallaci, smoked always during her life, died on 15 September 2006 where she was born, in Florence, from lung cancer.


title: Solange Knowles

paragraphs: Solange Piaget Knowles (born Solange Piaget Knowles in 1986), also known as Solange, is an American singer and actress.

paragraphs: She began her musical career at age 14. She has been acting since 2003. She is also now an entrepreneur promoting "Baby Jamz".

paragraphs: Knowles is the younger sister of Beyoncé. She appeared in her sister's music video for "B'Day" and in "". She has always been compared to her more famous sister by the media. In the lyrics to "God Given Name", she says her thoughts about this: "I'm not her and never will be".

paragraphs: Knowles started her own record label, Saint Records in 2013.

paragraphs: Knowles' father is African American. Her mother is Louisiana Creole.

paragraphs: She started her musical career at age 14.

paragraphs: At age 17, Knowles married a man called Daniel Smith. She gave birth to their son Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr. at 18. She then later divorcing Smith. She now lives with her son and family in Louisiana. Her hometown is Houston, Texas.

paragraphs: Knowles has been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.


title: Jessie Redmon Fauset

paragraphs: Jessie Redmon Fauset (April 27, 1882 – April 30, 1961) was an American editor, poet, essayist and novelist. She wrote more books than any other African-American female novelist of the Harlem Renaissance.

paragraphs: Fauset was born in Fredericksville, New Jersey, in Camden County. She was the daughter of Anna Seamon and Redmon Fauset, a Presbyterian minister. Her mother, Annie, died when she was still a little girl.

paragraphs: Fauset attended Philadelphia High School for girls. She was the only African-American student to graduate. After high school Fauset graduated from Cornell University in 1905. She was also the first African-American woman to be honoured by being made a member of the "Phi Beta Kappa" Society which encourages talented undergraduate students. In 1912, when she was only 16 years old she started work at the NAACP's journal, "The Crisis". The NAACP is the "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People", an organization that was begun in 1902 to help African-Americans, and is now one of the oldest civil rights organizations in America. From 1919 to 1926 Fauset was the literary editor of "The Crisis". She wrote 77 published works of which 58 were first published in the journal.

paragraphs: She is the author of four novels," There Is Confusion " (1924), "Plum Bun" (1928), "The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life" (1931), and "Comedy, American Style" (1933). She was made an honorary member of the women's society for academics whose work has really helped other people, "Delta Sigma Theta".

paragraphs: Fauset worked as a school teacher for many years. She stopped teaching in 1944. She died in 1961 from heart failure.

paragraphs: Kevin De Ornellas has written five articles about Fauset in "Writing African American Women: An Encyclopedia of Literature by and about Women of Color" (Greenwood Press, 2006), edited by Elizabeth Ann Beaulieu. One article is a biography; the other four pieces analyze her four novels.)


title: Ruins

paragraphs: Ruins are the parts of buildings that are left after they have been destroyed and cannot be used properly any more. Many ruins are ancient and famous like the ruins of the forum of Ancient Rome, or the ruins of Tintagel Castle on the coast of Cornwall. Ruins can be caused by wars or by natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires and volcanos. Sometimes people leave a house or a village to stand empty, and move somewhere else. When this happens, the house or village slowly becomes a ruin.

paragraphs: Historic ruins are often a good place for archaeologists to search for evidence of the way people used to live. Often the ruins have all sorts of interesting things buried in them. Archaeologists call the things that they find "artefacts". Artefacts might include beautiful artworks, jewellry and gold coins but usually they are ordinary things like cooking pots, mugs, spoons, hair combs, pipes, old shoes, broken toys and rats' nests. Historians use the evidence found by the archaeologists to write about the place and what might have happened there.

paragraphs: Other people who find ruins very interesting are artists. Many artists have drawn or painted pictures of ruined buildings. In the 18th and 19th centuries, pictures of ruins became very popular.


title: Annaberg district

paragraphs: Annaberg was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended on August 1, 2008.

paragraphs: The district of Annaberg was established in 1874. The capital city was formed in 1945 when the towns of Annaberg and Buchholz were joined to form Annaberg-Buchholz.


title: Golden age

paragraphs: Golden age is an expression (or term) that people use when they are talking or writing about a time that is past, when everything seemed to be good.

paragraphs: There are several ways that the term can be used.


title: 617 Patroclus

paragraphs: 617 Patroclus "(pə-troe'-kləs," ) is a binary minor planet made up of two similarly-sized objects orbiting their common centre of gravity. It is a Trojan, sharing an orbit with Jupiter. It was found in 1907 by August Kopff, and was the second Trojan asteroid to be found. Recent evidence suggests that the objects are icy comets, rather than rocky asteroids.

paragraphs: Patroclus orbits in Jupiter's trailing Lagrangian point, L, in an orbit called the 'Trojan node' after one of the sides in the legendary Trojan War (the other node is called the 'Greek node'). Patroclus is the only object in the Trojan camp to be named after a Greek character; the naming rules for the Trojan asteroids were not made until after Patroclus was named (similarly, the asteroid Hektor is the only Trojan character to appear in the Greek camp).

paragraphs: In 2001, it was found that Patroclus is a binary object, made up of two asteroids which are almost the same size. In February, 2006, a team of astronomers led by Franck Marchis measured accurately the orbit of the system using the Keck Laser guide star adaptive optics system. They thought that the two asteroids orbit around their center of mass in 4.283±0.004 d at a distance of 680±20 km, describing a close to circular orbit. Putting together their sightings with thermal measurements taken in November 2000, the team thought what the size of the asteroids of the system could be. The slightly bigger asteroids, which measures 122 km in diameter, continues to have the name Patroclus. The smaller asteroid, measuring 112 km, is now named Menoetius (full name (617) Patroclus I Menoetius), after the legendary Patroclus's father. Its provisional designation was S/2001 (617) 1.

paragraphs: Because of the density of the asteroids (0.8 g/cm³) is less than water and about one third that of rock, the team of researchers led by F. Marchis suggest that the Patroclus system, previously thought to be a pair of rocky asteroids, is more similar to a comet in make up. It is thought that many Trojan asteroids are in fact small planetesimals captured in the Lagrange point of Jupiter-Sun system during the farther migration of the giant planets, 3.9 billion years ago. This scenario was suggested by A. Morbidelli and colleagues in a series of articles published in May 2005 in "Nature" journal.


title: Aue-Schwarzenberg Rural District

paragraphs: Aue-Schwarzenberg was a rural district in the Free State of Saxony, in the country of Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: The districts of Aue and Schwarzenberg were formed in 1873. In 1994 both districts were joined together in order to form a new district, which was called "Westerzgebirgskreis" (the Western Ore Mountains District). It was renamed Aue-Schwarzenberg in 1995.

paragraphs: The district is located in the western part of the Erzgebirge (ore) Mountains. The tops of these mountains are also the German-Czech border. The highest peak in the district is the Auersberg , second highest mountain in Saxony.


title: Delitzsch (district)

paragraphs: Delitzsch is a former rural district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.

paragraphs: After the Congress of Vienna in 1815 Saxony had to give a lot of its land to Prussia, including the region of Delitzsch. The Prussian government made the district of Delitzsch.

paragraphs: Prussia was dissolved after the end of the Nazi era. Delitzsch was made a part of the new state of Saxony-Anhalt. In 1953 the East German government dissolved the states. After the German reunification in 1990, the states were made again, but now Delitzsch and Eilenburg (two districts made of the former Delitzsch district) were given to Saxony instead of Saxony-Anhalt. The two districts were joined in 1994 and gave the district in its present borders. In 2008 Delitzsch Rural district was merged with Torgau-Oschatz Rural District to Nordsachsen Rural District.

paragraphs: The district is in the triangle between the big cities of Leipzig, Halle and Bitterfeld. It is mostly countryside, and used for farming. The Mulde River runs through the east part of the district. On the eastern banks there is the Düben Heath ("Dübener Heide") nature park.


paragraphs: Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on the 19th century legend of Sweeney Todd and is similar to the 1973 play "The String of Pearls", by Christopher Bond. A movie based off the play was made in 2007, starring Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd.

paragraphs: "Sweeney Todd" opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller, and starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett. The musical played 557 times. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

paragraphs: The story is about Sweeney Todd, who was first named Benjamin Barker. Todd comes back from the prison camps in Australia, where he was sent for fifteen years on false charges by a judge named Turpin. He then learns from a lonely pie-maker known as Mrs. Lovett that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin. He also finds out that the Judge is keeping his daughter. Todd decides to take revenge. Sweeney and Mrs Lovett become partners in a plan that ends in murder, and increasing business for Lovett's pie shop,


title: WayOutWest Records

paragraphs: WayOutWest Records is an independent record label from London. They have made singles and EPs by the following artists:

paragraphs: WayOutWest also manage a number of bands and solo artists, such as the Cascade Mountain Boys.


title: McFly

paragraphs: McFly is a British pop rock band who first became famous in 2004. They are the youngest band to have an album debut, or be released, at number one on the charts. The band was started by Tom Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) and also has Danny Jones (born 12 March 1986), Dougie Poynter (born 30 November 1987), and Harry Judd (born 23 December 1985). They were signed to the Island Records label and are managed by Happy Entertainment.<ref>


title: The Maccabees (band)

paragraphs: The Maccabees are a English indie band based in Brighton. They first came from south London.

paragraphs: The band thought of the name 'The Maccabees' by opening the Bible to a random page. Even though the name has religious meaning, lead singer Orlando Weeks said that none of the band are religious in an interview on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 1 show.

paragraphs: The Maccabees' debut single, 'X-Ray', was released on the Promise record label on 28 November 2005. It was played a little in the evenings on London radio station Xfm London. The band got very attentiong until six months later, when they released their second single, 'Latchmere'. The song was about the wave machine at the band's local Latchmere Leisure Centre in Battersea, south London. It was released on Fierce Panda Records in April 2006. This song was talked about by Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacqu and was played on MTV2. The video, directed by Hugh Frost and Samuel Bebbington, also became a hit after it was put on YouTube.

paragraphs: In mid-2006, the music magazine NME wrote favourable things about the band, such as a review of their show at Cafe dé Paris in London. The magazine called the band "the best new band in Britain".

paragraphs: In November 2006 the band toured, or traveled and played, with Fields, ¡Forward, Russia!, and Wolfmother as part of the MTV Two "Brand Spanking New Music" tour. Drummer Robert Dylan Thomas broke his wrist just before the band were due to begin touring, and was replaced by drummer Elliott Andrews. Elliot toured with the band until early 2007, and now plays drums for Kate Nash.

paragraphs: The band are currently signed to Fiction Records, and released their debut album 'Colour It In' in May 2007. Because the album had been leaked, or accidentally put, on the internet, 'Colour It In' became available to download exclusively from iTunes on 17 April before its release on 14 May. The song First Love was the Maccabees' first to chart in the UK top 40. It was followed by 'About Your Dress', which charted at #33. Their next album was released to positive reviews, and charted at #24. They toured the USA with fellow Indie group Bloc Party. A UK tour happened in October 2007, ending in a show at the Roundhouse venue in London, where all the tickets were sold.

paragraphs: During late 2007, Samsung used the song Toothpaste Kisses in advertising for its SGH-G800 mobile phone.

paragraphs: The band is currently writing music for another album.

paragraphs: The band worked together to write the lyrics.

paragraphs: Orlando makes the band's artwork. Guitarist Felix White was once in a band called 'Jack's Basement'with close friend and current solo artist Jack Peñate, but he is not anymore. Felix and Hugo White are brothers, along with Will White, who is the lead singer and guitarist with another band, Talk Taxis.


title: Amy Deasismont

paragraphs: Amy Linnéa Deasismont, known as Amy Diamond, (born on April 15, 1992 in Norrköping) is a Swedish singer. At the young age of 16, she already has had a number of hits worldwide. On February 9, 2008, Diamond performed an entry in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in hopes of representing the Nordic country at Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia. She later did not win the finale but her entry became a hit in Sweden.


title: Marija Šerifović

paragraphs: Marija Šerifović (born November 14, 1984) is a singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 with the ballad Molitva, which was sung in Serbian. She was born in Kragujevac, Serbia. Nina Badrić


title: Bo'az Ma'uda

paragraphs: Boaz Mauda, born on the 23th of April, 1987 in Elyakim, Israel, is a singer and "Pop Idol" winner.


title: Rebeka Dremelj

paragraphs: Rebeka Dremelj (born July 25, 1980 in Brežice, Slovenia) is a Slovenian singer. She competed in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.


title: Chemnitz Government Region

paragraphs: Chemnitz is one of the three government regions of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, and is found in the south-west of the state.


title: InSuggest

paragraphs: inSuggest is a World Wide Web service, which gives suggestions based on users' taste and interest.

paragraphs: inSuggest has two different alternatives, Image inSuggest and Web inSuggest

paragraphs: It is a Web 2.0 service. When users make their searches better, they are also making inSuggest.


title: Prescription

paragraphs: A prescription (℞) is a message given by a doctor to a patient saying what to do. It may say to get special medicine that is only for people with a prescription. Those drugs are often very strong, and they cannot be bought normally from a pharmacy as you could with over-the-counter drugs. Some prescription drugs, for example Oxycontin or Hydrocodone, are used illegally to become intoxicated. Using prescription drugs illegally may result in drug addiction, illness, and death.


title: Harold Shipman

paragraphs: Harold Frederick Shipman (14 January 1946 – 13 January 2004) was a British general practitioner (a type of doctor) and serial killer. He is thought to have killed 250+ of his patients. He was a psychopath.

paragraphs: Shipman was born in Bestwood council estate in Nottingham. He studied Medicine at the Leeds School of Medicine on scholarship. In 1974 he became a GP in Todmorden. In 1993 he started his own doctors' surgery in Hyde.

paragraphs: In 1975, he was convicted of forging prescriptions for pethidine, to which he was addicted.

paragraphs: In 1999 he was put on trial and found guilty of 15 murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for each murder. An investigation identified another 235 suspicious deaths. His usual way of killing was using morphine. Most of the patients he killed were old women.

paragraphs: While he was an inmate in Wakefield prison, West Yorkshire, he committed suicide on the day before his 58th birthday. It is not known why. At the time of his death he was still married to Primrose Shipman.

paragraphs: A garden in memory of Shipman's victims was opened in Hyde Park on 30 July 2005.

paragraphs: Post-punk band The Fall released a song about Shipman called "What About Us?".


title: Clinic

paragraphs: A clinic is a medical facility that gives health care for patients in an area. It is different from a hospital, because people do not stay in a clinic for a long time. Some clinics can become as large as hospitals, but still have the name Clinic. Small clinics are run by one or more general practitioners or practice managers. Physiotherapy clinics are run by physiotherapists, psychology clinics run by clinical psychologists, and so on for each type of health care. Some clinics are operated, or run, by employers. Other clinics are owned by people who do not have medical education, like in China.

paragraphs: Some clinics are a place for people with injuries or illness to come and be seen by triage nurse or other health worker. In these clinics, the injury or illness may not be large or dangerous enough to warrant a visit to an emergency room, but the person can be moved to one if they need to be. These clinics sometimes can use equipment such as X-ray machines. Doctors at these clinics can send patients to specialists, a doctor who is very good at one kind of medicine.

paragraphs: The word "clinic" comes from the Greek word "klinein", which means to put something at an angle, or to lie down. Latin has the word "clinicus", which is a lot like the word we use today. An early meaning of the word clinic was, 'one who gets baptism on a sick bed'.


title: Döbeln (district)

paragraphs: Döbeln was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: The region was originally populated by Sorbian peoples.

paragraphs: The present borders of the district were made in 1952, when the government of East Germany formed the new districts. Döbeln is one of the few districts which have not been changed after the German reunification.

paragraphs: The district is on the banks of the Freiberger Mulde in the triangle between the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz.


title: Leipzig Government Region

paragraphs: Leipzig is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, in the northwest of the country.


title: Fra Angelico

paragraphs: Fra Angelico (c. 1395– February 18, 1455), was an Italian Early Renaissance painter. Giorgio Vasari, who wrote the "Lives of the Artists" said he had ""a rare and perfect talent"".

paragraphs: Fra Angelico has been known by many different names. When he was born, he was called Guido di Pietro. People who knew him when he was older called him Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John from Fiesole). When Giorgio Vasari wrote about him in "Lives of the Artists", in the 1500s, he was already known as Fra Giovanni Angelico (Brother Giovanni who is like an Angel).

paragraphs: The Italians usually call him il Beato Angelico (the Blessed Angelico). He has been called this for a long time, because he was thought to be blessed by God who gave him the talent of painting, and also because he was such a good and holy man. The name "Blessed Angelico" has now been made official, because in 1982 Pope John Paul II "conferred beatification" which means that he is now on the way to being made a saint.

paragraphs: Vasari says about him: ""It is impossible to think of enough good things to say about this holy father, who was so humble and modest in everything that he did and said, and whose pictures were painted with such cleverness and holy faith.""

paragraphs: Fra Angelico was born in Mugello near Fiesole in Tuscany, Italy probably about 1385–87 and died in Rome in 1455. Nothing is known about his parents. He was baptized Guido or Guidolino.

paragraphs: In 1407, he joined the Dominican Order at Fiesole. In 1423, when he became officially a friar, he changed his name from Guido to Fra Giovanni (Brother John). (People who are accepted into a holy order, usually take a new name.) Like the other "brothers" (friars) of the Dominican Order, he wore a white robe and a black cloak, and shaved part of his head.

paragraphs: Fra Angelico had a brother called Benedetto who was also a Dominican friar. Fra Benedetto painted illuminated manuscripts. Fra Angelico possibly learnt to paint manuscripts as well. The convent of San Marco in Florence has several manuscript books that he is thought to have painted. He was very busy with other work at the convents where he lived, but he still found time to paint pictures, which very soon became famous. In January and February of 1418, he was paid for paintings that he did in the church of Santo Stefano del Ponte.

paragraphs: Between 1418 and 1436, Fra Angelico painted an altarpiece for the church in Fiesole, which has been damaged. Age caused the some of the paint to come off, or fade, and other artists have painted over some of Fra Angelico's work while trying to repair the paintings. The top part of the altarpiece is in the National Gallery, London. It shows Christ in Glory, surrounded by more than 250 figures, and is a large and magnificent piece of work. It has been described as one of the best works in the gallery.

paragraphs: In 1436, a new Dominican Convent of San Marco was established in Florence in some older monastery buildings. Fra Angelico was one of the friars from Fiesole who moved to Florence. This was an important move for Fra Angelico because Florence already had a great number of artists from whom he could learn. The convent had a very wealthy "patron of the arts" called Cosimo de' Medici who loved to buy works of art for himself and his favourite churches. Cosimo took the largest of the friars' rooms, called cells, at the convent so that he could have a quiet place for religious thought. Fra Angelico painted a picture showing the Magi at Bethlehem on the wall of Cosimo's cell.

paragraphs: Cosimo employed Fra Angelico to paint more pictures for the convent. All the cells for the friars were built upstairs around the sides of a square courtyard with a garden in the middle (called a cloister). On the wall at the top of the stairs, Fra Angelico painted a fresco of the Angel Gabriel announcing the birth of Jesus to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one of his most famous pictures. Fra Angelico then began to paint a picture in each of the monk's cells. Each cell has large picture with a round top on the wall beside the window. At least six of these paintings were done be by Fra Angelico, and others were done by artists who copied his style of painting. These pictures were to help the friars with their prayers.

paragraphs: In 1439, he finished one of his most famous works, which is the altarpiece for San Marco's Church, which is where the friars worship. It shows the Madonna and Child on a throne, surrounded by saints from different dates, who are all grouped together as if they were standing in a room in Heaven, talking about holy things. This type of painting called a "Sacred Conversation" later became very popular, but this is one of the first ones.

paragraphs: In 1445, Pope Eugenius IV sent a message for Fra Angelico to come to Rome to paint the frescoes of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament at St Peter's. The chapel was later demolished by Pope Paul III to make way for the new St.Peter's Basilica and Fra Angelico's work was lost. Vasari says that one of the popes (it might have been Eugenius or Pope Nichoas V) asked Fra Angelico if he would like the very important job of Archbishop of Florence. But Fra Angelico did not want such a high job and he suggested the name of another friar for the position. In 1447 Fra Angelico went to the city of Orvieto with his pupil, Benozzo Gozzoli, to paint some pictures for the Cathedral there . One of his other pupils was called Zanobi Strozzi, but he did not become as famous as Benozzo.

paragraphs: From 1447 to 1449, Fra Angelico was back at the Vatican, where Pope Nicholas V had built a small chapel where he could pray privately. The pictures that Fra Angelico and his pupils painted there are the lives of two young saints St. Stephen and St. Lawrence, who were both "martyrs" (they were killed because of their Christian faith). The small chapel, with its bright colours and gold leaf decorations is like a jewel box. From 1449 until 1452, Fra Angelico was back at his old convent of Fiesole, where he was the Prior (the head man). Fra Angelico's pupils were probably left in Rome to finish the work on the chapel.

paragraphs: In 1455, Fra Angelico went back to Rome, probably to look at the work in Pope Nicholas' Chapel. He died at the Dominican Convent and was buried in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Pope John Paul II beatified Fra Angelico on October 3, 1982, making him "officially" known as the "Blessed Angelico". In 1984 the pope made him the patron of Catholic artists.

paragraphs: Fra Angelico never wanted to be important, and even though he was so talented he never put himself above other people. He thought his most important job was caring for others. He always prayed before he picked up his brushes to paint, and he never made any changes to his pictures later, because he believed that the Holy Spirit was guiding him. He painted a great number of scenes of the Crucifixion and he would always cry while he was painting them.

paragraphs: Fra Angelico was working at a time when the style of painting was in a state of change. The changes had begun a hundred years before his time with the works of Giotto. Fra Angelico would have seen the famous pictures of the "Life of Saint Francis" that Giotto did for the church of Santa Croce in Florence. In Giotto's paintings the figures look more real and solid and lifelike than in the pictures of other painters of the 1300s. Giotto was also very good at painting the emotions on peoples faces and the actions that showed how they were feeling. His work was a big influence on every artist who saw it.

paragraphs: At the same time, rich patrons like Cosimo de Medici liked to show off their wealth. They often did this by ordering paintings that had lots of bright colour and real gold backgrounds. The red colour called "vermilion" was one of the most expensive. But the most expensive colour was a beautiful blue made by grinding up a semi-precious stone called Lapis lazuli. This type of painting is called "International Gothic". Some artists of Fra Angelico's day were expert at doing paintings that would make very rich people happy. But other painters, like Masaccio were followers of Giotto and painted in a very plain way.

paragraphs: Fra Angelico was able to paint in both ways. If the Pope or a rich family wanted an altarpiece or a fresco that had gold and expensive bright colours, then Fra Angelico could do it. But his most famous paintings have no gold and no bright colours. They are the simple gentle paintings of the life of Jesus that he did for the friars in their cells at San Marcos.

paragraphs: This gallery shows stories from the life of Jesus. The square paintings are in tempera. They are all parts of a big altarpiece and are about 25 cm wide. The "tondo" (round painting) is a small altarpiece about 1.4 metres wide. All the paintings with arched tops are frescos and were painted for the Dominican brothers.


title: Milwaukee Brewers

paragraphs: The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They play in the Central Division of the National League.

paragraphs: The team first played in Seattle, Washington for one season (1969). They were called the "Seattle Pilots". In 1970 they moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee has been the home city for several beer companies, including Miller Beer. The old minor league baseball team in Milwaukee had also been called the "Brewers".

paragraphs: The team played in the American League from 1969 to 1997 and they won the American League championship in 1982. They started playing in the National League in 1998.

paragraphs: The name of the stadium where they play baseball is Miller Park, which was built in 2001. Before Miller Park was built, the team played in Milwaukee County Stadium, which was nextdoor to where Miller Park was later built.


title: Giorgio Vasari

paragraphs: Giorgio Vasari, (1511–1574), was an Italian painter, architect and writer. He is most famous for his book ""The Lives of the Great Architects, Painters and Sculptors of Italy"", which is usually known as ""Vasari's Lives"". Although some other writers had written about art, this book, which was published in 1550 makes Vasari the first art historian.

paragraphs: Vasari was born in 1511 to a rich family in the city of Arezzo in Tuscany. When he was 13 he was sent to Florence to study at the workshops of the well-known artists Andrea del Sarto. Florence is so famous for the arts that students like Vasari have been going there to learn painting and sculpture, ever since Giotto in the 1200s. The two most famous artists in the world, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were both alive when Vasari was a boy and had both studied in Florence. Vasari had the good luck to meet Michelangelo, who was like a great hero to Vasari.

paragraphs: Vasari learnt well, and became one of the favourite artists of the Grand Duke Cosimo I of the Medici family who ruled Florence at that time. He did all sorts of important jobs for them. One of the most important buildings in the city was the Palazzo Vecchio (the "Old Palace") which was really a Medieval fortress, where the town council had always met. Vasari got the job of decorating the walls of the enormous meeting room with painted frescos.

paragraphs: Vasari was very good at directing important artistic jobs, but he was not really as good a painter as he was architect. One of his most important architectural jobs was to begin the building of the Uffizi (Offices) in Florence. These are two long buildings that face each other across a long narrow courtyard with one end opening on the town square, and the other end opening onto the Arno River. At the end where the river is, Vasari designed a beautiful "loggia" which is a sort of two-storey veranda that joins the two buildings. It makes the narrow courtyard and the view of the river look like a stage set where wonderful things might happen. The Uffizi is now one of the most famous art galleries in the world.

paragraphs: Vasari had another important job for the Medici family. Eleanor, the wife of Duke Cosimo I, had bought a house. It was by far the biggest house in the city, and was across the river from the Uffizi. The Medici family was not always popular. The previous duke, Alessandro, had been murdered. So to keep the family safe, they needed an escape route from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace on the other side of the river. Vasari was expected to design it. The escape route is named after its designer. It is called the "Vasari Corridor".

paragraphs: The corridor begins at the Palazzo Vecchio and runs along the top floor of the Uffizi and across the loggia near the river, then it runs on top of arches along the street by the riverbank, above a nice covered walkway at street-level where nowadays people can buy souvenirs. The Vasari Corridor then gets to a bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. It is the oldest, most famous bridge in the city, and on both sides it had rows of shops and houses. But the Medici did not mind that! They just had anything that was in the way pulled down. When the Corridor gets to the other side of the river, it makes some twists and turns. Some buildings were knocked down to make way, but the Mannelli family who lived in a large tower were not so obliging and so the corridor is made to go around its walls. Eventually it gets to the Pitti Palace, which is an enormous building of brown stone, with big carved lions' heads beneath all the windows. Vasari built other buildings that are more beautiful, but the Vasari Corridor is probably his most famous.

paragraphs: Vasari's masterpiece is his book, ""The Lives of the Great Architects, Painters and Sculptors of Italy"", first published in 1550. It is a book of biography. It tells the stories of the lives of Italian artists from Giotto who lived around 1300 to Michelangelo who was still alive when Vasari was writing his book. For some of the artists, very little is known about them except the stories that Vasari heard and wrote in his book. Even though nowadays it is known that Vasari sometimes made mistakes, he gives a wonderful picture of the characters of the artists, and tells all sorts of amusing stories.

paragraphs: Vasari does not just tell the stories of the artists' lives. He also describes their artworks in great detail. It is because of Vasari that art historians know of many important artworks that have been lost. It is because of Vasari that we know that the Mona Lisa once had eyebrows. Vasari writes about the artworks as a history. He believed that the Gothic art of the Middle Ages was not as good as the art of Florence in the 15th century (1400s) and that Michelangelo, who painted in the early 16th century (1500s) was the greatest artist since the days of Ancient Greece. He believed that the change towards the great art of the Renaissance began with Giotto around 1300. Vasari puts all these ideas into his book and shows how one artist learnt from each other, and how the changes in art came about. "Vasari's Lives" is the first art history book that was ever written.


title: Dziecinów (Otwock County)

paragraphs: Dziecinów is a voivodeship village in Poland, Masovia. It has approximately 704 inhabitants and an area of 6 km.


title: Leipziger Land

paragraphs: Leipziger Land was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: It was southwest of the city of Leipzig. Leipzig City has its own government.

paragraphs: The district was formed in 1994 by joining the old districts of Leipzig, Borna and Geithain.

paragraphs: The area south of Leipzig City is a big lignite mining area. It will be turned lakeland in the near future. The lignite made the Leipzig area the biggest industrial part of East Germany.


title: Muldentalkreis

paragraphs: The Muldentalkreis was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: The district was formed in 1994 when the two old districts of Grimma and Wurzen were joined together. A few municipalities from other districts around Bad Lausick were added as well.

paragraphs: The district is named after its major river, the "Mulde" - the name means . The Mulde is starts in the south of the district where two smaller rivers, the "Freiberger Mulde" and the "Zwickauer Mulde" join.


title: Torgau-Oschatz

paragraphs: Torgau-Oschatz was a rural district ("Landkreis") in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The district was created in 1994 by joining the two districts Oschatz and Torgau, and 6 municipalities from the former district Eilenburg. It ended in 2008.


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title: Amt (political division)

paragraphs: In Germany, an Amt, or Samtgemeinde, or Verbandsgemeinde, or Verwaltungsgemeinschaft is a collection of towns or municipalities in a rural district. The name used depends on which state the district is in.

paragraphs: The Amt joins together several small villages to help with land-use plans, sanitation, the cemetery and fire brigade services or other services that one village is too small to provide for itself.

paragraphs: Larger towns, usually called "free towns", can carry out these services for themselves, and are not part of an "amt".


title: Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis Rural District

paragraphs: The Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: The district was formed in 1994 by joining the two previous districts Marienberg and Zschopau.

paragraphs: The district is located in the Erzgebirge mountains. The highest point is the high "Hirtstein". The lowest point, , is in Witzschdorf. 40% of the district is covered by forests.


title: Stollberg Rural District

paragraphs: Stollberg Rural District was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitzer Land. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: It was first created in 1910. In 1950 the district was dissolved. In 1952 it was set up again. In the big reform of 1994 the Stollberg Rural District got bigger, because some smaller towns and villages from the city of Zwönitz and districts of Chemnitz and Aue, were transferred to Stollberg.

paragraphs: Stollberg Rural District is on the northwestern slope of the Erzgebirge Mountains.

paragraphs: Since 1990 the district has a partnership with the district Fürth in Bavaria.


title: Stollberg

paragraphs: Stollberg is a town in the Free State of Saxony, and was capital of the Stollberg Rural District. It is east of Zwickau, and southwest of Chemnitz.


title: Mittweida (district)

paragraphs: Mittweida () was a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It ended in 2008.

paragraphs: In 1994 the district was created, when the previous districts Hainichen, Rochlitz and part of the district of Chemnitz were joined.


title: Mittweida

paragraphs: Mittweida () is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the Landkreis Mittweida.

paragraphs: The town was started in the 13th century, and is now one of the biggest textile producing centres in Saxony.

paragraphs: Mittweida University has about 5000 students. It was started in the late 19th century. Among its students were August Horch, Walter Bruch, Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, and Gerhard Neumann.

paragraphs: During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenburg concentration camp was located here.


title: Canton of Zürich

paragraphs: Zürich is a canton of Switzerland. About 1.2 million people live there. The canton is in the northeast of Switzerland. The city of Zürich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called "Züritüütsch". English writers often write the name of the Canton of Zürich as Canton of Zurich.

paragraphs: The Canton of Zürich is divided into 12 districts:

paragraphs: The canton of Zürich has 171 municipalities:


title: Affoltern District

paragraphs: Affoltern District (also known as Knonaueramt or Säuliamt) is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Its capital is Affoltern am Albis.


title: Andelfingen District

paragraphs: Andelfingen is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zürich, Switzerland.


title: Bülach District

paragraphs: Bülach is one of 12 districts of the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. With about 117,000 people living there, it is the third largest in the canton.


title: Dielsdorf District

paragraphs: Dielsdorf is a district in the northwestern part of the Swiss canton of Zürich.

paragraphs: The district contains 21 municipalities:


title: Dietikon District

paragraphs: Dietikon is a district of the Swiss canton of Zürich. The capital city is Dietikon.


title: Hinwil District

paragraphs: Hinwil is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zurich, Switzerland. The capital is the city of Hinwil.

paragraphs: The district contains 11 municipalities:


title: Horgen District

paragraphs: Horgen is a district of the Swiss canton of Zürich. Its capital is Horgen.


title: Meilen District

paragraphs: Meilen is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zurich, Switzerland.


title: Freiberg, Saxony

paragraphs: Freiberg (i.e. "free mountain") is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the Freiberg Rural District.

paragraphs: The town was founded in 1186, and has been a centre of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries.

paragraphs: In 1944 the Flossenburg concentration camp built a subcamp outside the town of Freiberg. It housed over 500 female survivors of other camps, including Auschwitz Birkenau. Altogether 50 or so SS women worked in this camp until its evacuation in April 1945. The female survivors later reached the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.


title: Pfäffikon District

paragraphs: Pfäffikon is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Pfäffikon.


title: Uster District

paragraphs: Uster is one of the twelve districts of the canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Its capital is the city of Uster.


title: Winterthur District

paragraphs: Winterthur is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Its capital is the city of Winterthur.


title: Adlikon bei Andelfingen

paragraphs: Adlikon bei Andelfingen is a municipality of the district Andelfingen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.


title: My Story

paragraphs: My Story is a series of books by many different writers. Each book is a diary of a fictional girl who lived through a famous time in history.

paragraphs: Sometimes, the main character from one book is the mother of the main character from another book. For example, Tilly Middleton from "Bloody Tower" is the mother of Kitty Lumsden from "The Queen's Spies".

paragraphs: At the end of each book, there is some information about the time in history the book was about. Sometimes there is a timeline, or a fictional biography of the main character.


title: Yair Auron

paragraphs: Yair Auron, Hebrew: יאיר אורון , (born April 30, 1945) is an Israeli historian, scholar and expert specializing on Holocaust and Genocide studies, racism and contemporary Jewry. Since 2005 he is the head of the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication, The Open University of Israel, Associate Professor.

paragraphs: From 1974 to 1976 Auron worked as the Director of the Education Department, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, in the 1980s he was a researcher of the Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew University and Academic director of European Section, The Israel Diaspora Institute, Tel-Aviv University. In 1996-1999 he was a Senior Lecturer in College of Yezreel, Head of the Division of Cultural Studies.


title: Gniezno

paragraphs: Gniezno ( ) is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. Situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the administrative capital of the Gniezno County (powiat).

paragraphs: Gniezno is a cradle of the Polish state and until 1038 was capital of Poland. In the 1000 here took place Gniezno Congress, meeting beetwen duke Boleslaus I the Brave and Otto III, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In Gniezno Cathedral until 14th century took place royal coronations. Patron of Gniezno is saint Adalbert of Prague.


title: Birmingham to Peterborough Line

paragraphs: The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is an important cross-country train track in the United Kingdom, making a connection from the Midlands to East Anglia. Passenger services are given by CrossCountry and East Midlands Trains, serving the following places:

paragraphs: On other tracks (Ely to Peterborough, Breckland and West Anglia) the trains keep going after Peterborough, through March and Ely to Thetford and Norwich or Wendens Ambo (Audley End) and Stansted Airport. Many of them run to Stansted. Services for Norwich come back out of Ely.

paragraphs: Other services using part of the Birmingham to Peterborough Line include Birmingham to Leicester local (close by) trains. The tracks also have a lot of cargo on the trains, being one of the big train tracks to Birmingham Freightliner Terminal (on the site of Birmingham Lawley Street railway station).

paragraphs: Stations that are not on these tracks anymore are:


paragraphs: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a novel by E. L. Konigsburg that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1968.

paragraphs: This book tells the story of Claudia Kincaid, an 11-year-old girl who feels unappreciated by her parents. She decides to run away from home just long enough to show her family what they would be missing without her. Unfortunately, she does not enjoy hardship or discomfort, so running away has lots of problems. To solve this problem, Claudia decides to stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She tells her brother Jamie to accompany her: he's quiet, but most importantly, he has a secret stash of cash he's gotten by cheating at card games with his best friend, Bruce.

paragraphs: Much of the first part of the novel details how Claudia and Jamie settle in at the museum: blending in with school groups on field trips during the day to get a free presentation, hiding in the restroom at closing time to stay there, and emerging at night to bathe in the fountain and sleep on antique beds. During their stay, they become fascinated with the newest exhibit: a beautiful statue of an angel, thought to have been crafted by Michelangelo. Their time and money are spent trying to find the secret of the statue, hidden somewhere in the unorganized files of the statue's old owner, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who lives in Farmington, Connecticut.

paragraphs: She says,"You can know the secret only if you can find the truth from my mixed up files." They find the truth under the file "Bologna". They go home, and by their choice, Jamie and Claudia turn out to be the grandchildren of Mrs Frankweiler's lawyer, Saxonberg.

paragraphs: This novel was made into a movie in 1973, starring Ingrid Bergman in the title role. It later became a made-for-TV movie in 1995, starring Lauren Bacall in the title role.

paragraphs: In the television series "The Simpsons", the plot was mimicked in the episodes "Smart and Smarter," in which Lisa hides in a local science museum in embarrassment at finding her baby sister is smarter than she, and the episode "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" features Bart and Milhouse hiding out in the shopping mall for one week while on a camping trip. The movie "The Royal Tenenbaums" has a scene in which characters Margot and Richie hide in a museum; in the movie's DVD commentary, Wes Anderson states that this was an homage to the novel, the aquarium.


title: Citizenship of the European Union

paragraphs: Citizenship of the European Union was started by the Maastricht Treaty signed in 1992. It is extra to being a citizen of one of the member countries of the European Union, and gives extra rights to nationals of European Union Member States.

paragraphs: Before the Maastricht Treaty (1992), the European Communities treaties allowed workers, and their families, to travel and live in any member country. This idea started when the European Coal and Steel Community was set up by the Treaty of Paris in 1951. This allowed workers in the coal and steel industries to move to another country for work. In 1957, the European Economic Community was set up by the Treaty of Rome. That treaty allowed all workers to move freely.

paragraphs: The European Court of Justice took a wider idea of freedom of movement. The Court said people should be allowed to move to another country to get a better life style, not just to earn more money by working. The law made by the European Court, the reason the reason a worker wanted to move abroad does not matter, they could start part-time and full-time work, and get extra help from the new country.

paragraphs: Other decisions of the ECJ allowed any citizen of a member country live anywhere in the EU and be treated the same as a citizen of the new country.

paragraphs: The idea of EU citizenship was started by the Maastricht Treaty, and was extended by the Treaty of Amsterdam. The Treaty of Amsterdam said that union citizenship will not replace national citizenship, but only be extra it.

paragraphs: Article 17 (1) of the amended EC Treaty states that Citizenship of the Union is hereby established. Every person holding the nationality of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall complement and not replace national citizenship.

paragraphs: The amended EC Treaty provides the following rights to EU citizens:

paragraphs: Citizens of new countries which join the EU can have some of the rights limited for up to seven years after they join.

paragraphs: The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union. It is still unclear whether UK citizens will continue to enjoy EU citizenships after Brexit.


title: Messiah (Handel)

paragraphs: Messiah is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It is Handel’s most famous work, and in England, the most often performed of any big choral work. The title Messiah means “the anointed one” and is the name given to Jesus Christ in the Christian teaching.

paragraphs: Georg Frideric Handel was born in Germany. When he was a young man he came to England and he liked it so much that he soon visited England again and stayed there for the rest of his life, becoming a naturalised Englishman says the legend. Actually he was composer for the King of Hannover, who then became King of England, and Handel followed his "employer".

paragraphs: The main reason why Handel liked England at that time was because the people liked his music and gave him support. At this time Handel was known as a composer of operas. For about 20 years Handel spent most of his time working on operas: composing them, organising performances and looking for opera singers to sing his works.

paragraphs: By the late 1730s, however, people’s tastes started to change and opera was not so popular. Handel changed to writing oratorios. Although it is thought that Handel invented the oratorio he in fact did not.Oratorio is Italian, after the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri at Rome, where famous musical services were held in the 16th century. Handel is just one composer of many who wrote oratorios. His oratorios are based on the English tradition of the Masque, which was something between a play and an opera. However, oratorios were about stories from the Old Testament. Instead of ancient Gods or Roman emperors (which is what operas were about at that time) he used dramatic stories from the Bible. Among many great oratorios that he wrote, "Messiah" is his most famous one. However, it is different from his other oratorios in some ways.

paragraphs: The words of "Messiah" were written by a librettist Charles Jennens. He chose several passages from the Bible and made a libretto, which he sent to Handel in 1741 (although people today often call the work "The Messiah”, both Handel and Jennens call it "Messiah" without the word “the”). Handel immediately realized that a great work of music could be made from Jennens’ libretto. He thought that Jennens was a very clever person, and in his letters to him he calls the work “Your Oratorio "Messiah"”. Handel sat down in the front room of his house in Brook Street, London, and wrote the whole oratorio in twenty four days. It is a long work, lasting over four hours, and when one thinks that Handel had to write out all the parts for the choir and orchestra, he must have worked unbelievably hard. When he had finished the work, he put it in a drawer for seven weeks. Perhaps he thought it would never be played in London, because at that time the London audiences did not seem to like him.

paragraphs: Just at that time he got an invitation to go to Dublin. He was asked to give a concert to get money for charity. The main charity for which money was being raised was the debtor’s prison. In those days people who ran into debt (meaning that they owed lots of people money but had no money to pay them) were sent to prison. There they were fed by charity (people who fed them out of kindness). If no one fed them they just starved to death. Handel had nearly been sent to a debtor’s prison himself a few years earlier.

paragraphs: He went to Dublin as soon as he could, and he was there by November. On 23 December he performed his oratorio "L’Allegro". Unlike the London audiences, people in Dublin loved it. This was followed by "Alexander’s Feast", "Imeneo" and, in April, "Messiah". He was a very great success in Dublin, and he stayed there until August, when he returned to London.

paragraphs: "Messiah" tells the story of Christ. It is divided into three parts. Part One tells of the coming and the birth of Christ. Part Two is about his death on the cross, and his Ascension into Heaven, and Part III concentrates on Paul's teaching of the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in heaven. Handel usually performed his oratorios in theatres, not in churches, and his audience went as a change from going to the opera. They did not go for religious worship.

paragraphs: Handel’s oratorios are normally dramatic, with the four solo singers (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) each taking the part of a character from the Bible. "Messiah" is different. The soloists sing about the story of Christ. The great choruses, where the choir sings, praise the Lord in the wonderful music. Some of the music is homophonic (e.g. the "Hallelujah" chorus), some of the choruses are dramatic dialogues (e.g. "Lift up your heads"), or they are a fugue ("He trusted in God" and "Amen"), or they describe things dramatically ("All we like sheep").

paragraphs: The most well known of all the movements in "Messiah" is the one popularly known as the "Hallelujah Chorus," because of the frequently sung exclamation “Hallelujah”. It occurs at the end of the Part Two of the oratorio.'

paragraphs: It has become a tradition for the audience to stand up for the "Hallelujah Chorus," although it is unknown when this practice began.

paragraphs: There is a well-known but apocryphal story of King George II

paragraphs: attending a royal performance of "Messiah" and supposedly rising to his feet during the "Hallelujah Chorus"."" Whenever the king stood up, everyone in his presence had to stand, hence the whole audience rose to their feet as well. However, this story does not appear to be based on any historical source.


title: John Murray (general)

paragraphs: "Major General" John Joseph Murray DSO & Bar, MC (born 26 April 1892 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, died 8 September 1951 in Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australian Army Officer and businessman with a special role in both world wars. During World War I, he was "mentioned in despatches" and got got medals while fighting on the Western Front in France. In World War II and he was made commander of the 20th Brigade that helped beat Erwin Rommell's "Afrika Korps" in "Libya".

paragraphs: Murray was born on born 26 April 1892 in Sydney, New South Wales. His father was working man from Ireland. His father was also called John Murray and his mother was called Margaret.

paragraphs: When he left the local Catholic school John Murray started training as a salesman for Sydney firm Anthony Hordern & Sons in 1910. He then joined the Australian Citizens Military Forces where he served two years before joining the 33rd Regiment in 1913.

paragraphs: John Murray was already in the Australian Army when World War I started on 28 July 1914. He was quickly (fast) made a Second Lieutenant on 6 March 1915. When he started being Second Lieutenant, Murray was moved to the Australian Imperial Force, and went by ship to Egypt. After being posted to the 1st Battalion at first, in March, 1916 he was moved to the 53rd Battalion, which was part of the 5th Division, when the Australian Imperial Force was helped by new soldiers from Australia. The 5th Division was soon moved from Egypt to France where they were put into the hard fighting of the Western Front.

paragraphs: By 19 July 1916 Murray's 53rd Battalion were in the first fighting by the Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front. It was the Battle of Fromelles. 5,533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner, because the fighting plan went wrong. The Australian War Memorial sayss the fighting was "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history"

paragraphs: John Murray became a Major in June 1917 and was soon known for his very good leadership and very brave "night raiding" (crossing at night into enemy trenches). In September 1918 during the very hard fighting of the Second Battle of the Somme, Murray's good leadership was mentioned again, and after fights near Peronne, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

paragraphs: Murray was still fighting on the Western Front when peace started 11 November 1918. Having been awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order, and also having twice being told of in dispatches he went back home to Australia in May, 1919.

paragraphs: By 25 August 1919 the all of the men in the Australian Imperial Force had been sent home. Murray was happy to go back to his job at Anthony Hordern & Sons in Sydney, but he did not want to stop being a soldier, and he joined the Australian Citizens Military Forces.

paragraphs: On 4 January 1923 John Murray married Mary Madeline Cannon at St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, and soon after became the manager of the delivery department at Anthony Hordern & Sons.

paragraphs: By 1925 Murray became a of Lieutenant-Colonel. From 1934 to 1938 Murray was the Commanding Officer of the Australian Army Service Corps, 1st Division.

paragraphs: With war coming again, John Murray was given the command of the 9th Infantry brigade, and they got ready to move for war in February, 1940. He was chosen for the Second Australian Imperial Force in April 1940 and was given command of the 20th Brigade which went by ship to the Middle East in October 1940 to begin training in Palestine.

paragraphs: Murrays brigade was made a part of the 9th Division. Even though the troops were not ready to fight, the 9th Division was sent to Libya to help the 6th Division win Tobruk.

paragraphs: On 4 April 1941, the "Afrika Korps" starting fighting Murray's 20th Brigade. The Australians slowed down Rommell's forces, but there were so many Germans they could not be forced back. Murray and his troops moved into Tobruk itself. For his leadership, John Murray was granted a "bar" to his Distinguished Service Order (the bar is given instead of a second medal).

paragraphs: Murray's knowledge of Trench warfare and night-raiding was very helpful to the defenders during the Siege of Tobruk. In November 1941, Murray was mentioned in dispatches for the third time in his career for his excellent resistance to Rommell.

paragraphs: Murray returned to Australia in January 1942, just as the Japan was fighting south towards New Guinea. Instead of the recruiting job he expected, Murray was put in charge of the Newcastle Covering Force, and immediately promoted him to temporary Major-General.

paragraphs: The Newcastle Covering Force was soon re-named the 10th Division and Murray was sent to Western Australia in August 1942 to lead the 4th Division which was then moved to North Queensland due to fears of Japanese invasion during April and May 1943.In October 1944, he was made General of the Rear Echelon at Mareeba, before commanding the Northern Territory Force from March, 1945 until January, 1946, when he retired.

paragraphs: John Murray was made Australian trade commissioner to New Zealand from 1946 until 1949 and then the same role for "Ceylon" in 1949.

paragraphs: General John Murray died on 8 September 1951 at the Military Hospital, Concord, Sydney. He received a funeral with full military honours, and was buried in French's Forest Cemetery. His wife, three sons and two daughters survived him.


title: Dippoldiswalde

paragraphs: Dippoldiswalde is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It was the capital city of the Weißeritzkreis district. Today, Dippoldiswalde is a city in Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Rural District. It is east of Freiberg, and south of Dresden.

paragraphs: The town is on the Weisseritz railway, a narrow gauge railway powered by steam locomotives.


title: Großenhain

paragraphs: Großenhain is the capital of the Riesa-Großenhain Rural District, Saxony, Germany.

paragraphs: Großenhain was originally a Sorbian settlement. It was first mentioned in 1205.

paragraphs: Großenhain is on the river Röder, 30 km northwest of Dresden, and 17 km east of Riesa.

paragraphs: It is also on Via Regia from Görlitz to Santiago de Compostela.


title: Meissen

paragraphs: Meißen () is a town of about 30,000 near Dresden on both banks of the Elbe in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meißen is the home of Meißen porcelain. Meißen is the capital city of Meißen Rural District

paragraphs: During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenburg concentration camp was in Meißen.

paragraphs: Meißen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain. This is because there are big local deposits of china clay (kaolin) and potter's clay (potter's earth). Meißen porcelain was the first high quality porcelain to be produced outside of China.

paragraphs: The first European porcelain was made in Meißen in 1710, when the Royal Porcelain Factory was opened in the Albrechtsburg. In 1861, it was moved to the Triebisch valley of Meißen, where the Meißen porcelain factory can still be found today.


title: The Best Damn Thing

paragraphs: The Best Damn Thing is an album and hit song by musical artist Avril Lavigne. It was released April 17, 2007. The lead single off the album, "Girlfriend" was released on February 27, 2007. The song was very successful and peaked in a lot of countries #1. This was Lavigne's first Billboard Hot 100 chart number one. The second single, "When You're Gone" was released on June 19, 2007. The song was quite successful, peaking at #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single, "Hot" was released on October 2, 2007. The song was unsuccessful in the U.S, it debuted two months after its release on the Billboard Hot 100 at #95. But the song was successful in Canada, it peaked at #10 on the Canadian Hot 100. The fourth and final single from the album was "The Best Damn Thing". It was released on June 24, 2008. The single was not very successful, it peaked at #76 on the Canadian Hot 100. The Best Damn Thing sold 6 million copies worldwide.


title: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

paragraphs: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a series of books by Ann Brashares. It is about a group of girls named Bridget (the leader), Lena Kigales (the shy and beautiful), Carmen (the dramatic one), and Tibby (the rebellious girl). These girls find a pair of pants that fit all four of them, though one girl is fat, one girl is short and one girl is super thin. There are 4 books in the series. It was made into a film in 2005.


title: Complicated

paragraphs: Complicated was the first and perhaps the most popular song sung by Avril Lavigne. It was released in 2002. It was on her album "Let Go". Other songs on the same CD single are "I Don't Give" and additional "Why" on maxi-cds.

paragraphs: It was at one point #1 in the charts in Canada, UK, Australia and the US. She was 17 when she sang it and she and her band wrote it together.