title: Colin Davis

paragraphs: Sir Colin Rex Davis, CH, CBE, (Weybridge, Surrey, 25 September 1927 – London, England 14 April 2013), was a British conductor. He was born in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Davis went to school at Christ's Hospital before studying the clarinet at the Royal College of Music in London. He was not allowed to take conducting lessons there because he did not play the piano well enough. He still managed to get some experience as conductor of the Kalmar Orchestra with other music students.

paragraphs: In 1952 Davis worked at the Royal Festival Hall, and in the late 1950s conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He started to become well-known when he was suddenly asked to conduct Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" at the Royal Festival Hall because Otto Klemperer was ill. A year later, in 1960, he conducted Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at Glyndebourne because Thomas Beecham was ill.

paragraphs: In the 1960s he worked at Sadler's Wells Opera and with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1971 he took over from Georg Solti as principal conductor at the Royal Opera House. He stayed there until 1986. He particularly liked conducting the operas of Michael Tippett, giving the first performances of "The Knot Garden" (1970), and "The Ice Break" (1977). In 1977 he became the first English conductor to appear at the Bayreuth Festival where he conducted "Tannhäuser".

paragraphs: Davis was Principal Guest Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1972 to 1984. He was Chief Conductor at the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 1993. In 1991, Davis was given the honorary title 'Conductor Laureate' of the Staatskapelle Dresden, the first conductor in the orchestra's history to hold that title. In 1995, Davis became Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He stayed there until 2006, when the orchestra gave him the title of President. From 1998-2003, he was also Principal Guest Conductor of the New York Philharmonic.

paragraphs: He has received many honours, including CH and CBE

paragraphs: In 1949, Davis married the soprano April Cantelo. They had two children, Suzanne and Christopher. Their marriage ended in 1964, and in that same year, Davis married the young Iranian woman who had been the family "au pair", Ashraf “Shamsi” Naini. To satisfy both the Iranian and British authorities, the couple were married three times, once in Iran and twice in the UK, in the Iranian Embassy as well as in a regular UK civil ceremony. They have five children.

paragraphs: On 14 April 2013, it was announced via the London Symphony Orchestra, of which Davis had been the president, that he had died that evening, aged 85, after a short illness.

paragraphs: Davis was not related to the conductor Sir Andrew Davis.


title: Sea caves

paragraphs: Sea caves are a hollow chamber in a coastal cliff, made by the pounding power of crashing waves. ""Sea arches"" and ""sea stacks"" are also carved from these rocky cliffs.Sea waves carry on both erosional and depositional activities .The process of sea erosion is called marine erosion.


title: Valery Gergiev

paragraphs: Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (born Moscow, 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company director of Ossetian birth. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Valery Gergiev is the artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.

paragraphs: Gergiev was born in Moscow but was brought up in North Ossetia in the Caucasus. He was not a child prodigy, but he began to play the piano at secondary school, before going on to study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Leningrad from 1972 to 1977. His main conducting teacher was Ilya Musin who was one of the greatest conductors and teachers of conducting in Russian musical history.

paragraphs: In 1978, he became assistant conductor at the Kirov Opera, now the Mariinsky Opera. His first conducting appearance was with Sergei Prokofiev's "War and Peace". He was chief conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 until 1985 - the year he made his first appearance in the United Kingdom, together with pianist Evgeny Kissin, and violinists Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin, at The Lichfield Festival.

paragraphs: In 1991 Gergiev conducted the Bavarian State Opera in a performance of Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" in Munich. In the same year he made his American début, performing "War and Peace" with the San Francisco Opera. Since then he has conducted operas and concerts all over the world. Gergiev performs at many music festivals, including the "White Nights" festival in Saint Petersburg.

paragraphs: He became the chief conductor and artistic director of the Mariinsky in 1988, and overall director of the company, appointed by the Russian government, in 1996.

paragraphs: From 1995 to 2008 he was conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1997, Gergiev became principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

paragraphs: In 2003, he conducted at the Mariinsky Theatre the first complete cycle of Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" to be performed in Russia for over 90 years. He also conducted this production in Cardiff in 2006 at the Wales Millennium Centre, and in Costa Mesa, California in October 2006 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. This production was presented at the Lincoln Center in New York City in July 2007 where it was an enormous success.

paragraphs: In 2005 he became conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.

paragraphs: Gergiev is well known for conducting without a baton, but a toothpick.

paragraphs: Gergiev has worked hard in England to bring music to a wide audience including children. He has often supported peace in the Caucasus during times of conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. After the 2004 Beslan school massacre, Gergiev made an appeal on television for calm and against any revenge. He conducted concerts in tribute to the victims of the massacre.

paragraphs: In August 2008 Gergiev conducted the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre in a concert given in the ruined headquarters of the South Ossetia separatist government. There had been a short war between Georgia and Russia because South Ossetia, which had been part of Georgia, wanted to be independent. The Georgian government tried to force them not to break away, but the Russian government did not want Georgia to do this. The concert, which was broadcast live on Russian television, was in support of the Russian action. Some people in the West did not agree that Gergiev should have supported Russia in this way.

paragraphs: In 1999, Gergiev married the musician Natalya Debisova and they have three children.


title: Chris Rock

paragraphs: Chris Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Brooklyn, New York City. He is known for his jokes about racial stereotypes; he talks a lot about differences that are common between black people and white people in the United States. Rock has been in many television shows, such as "Everybody Hates Chris" and movies, such as "Dogma".


title: Province of Bari

paragraphs: Bari is a province in the region of Apulia in Italy.


title: Province of Brindisi

paragraphs: Brindisi is a province in the region of Apulia in Italy.


title: Province of Foggia

paragraphs: Foggia is a province in the region of Apulia in Italy.


title: Province of Lecce

paragraphs: Lecce is a province in the region of Apulia in Italy.


title: Province of Taranto

paragraphs: Taranto is a province in the region of Apulia in Italy.


title: Province of L'Aquila

paragraphs: The province of L'Aquila () is a province in the Abruzzo region of Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of L'Aquila.

paragraphs: It is the largest province of the region but the one with fewest people living in it; it is a landlocked province, that is, surrounded by other provinces by all sides.

paragraphs: L'Aquila is the largest province in the Abruzzo region with almost half of the area of the region; it has area of . The province is bordered to the north with Tuscany, to the northeast by the province of Teramo, to the east by the Pescara and Province of Chieti provinces, to the south and southeast with the Molise region (province of Isernia), and to the west and southwest by the Lazio region (province of Frosinone, Rome and province of Rieti).

paragraphs: The main river in the province is the Aterno-Pescara river, known here as "Aterno"; it starts in the "Monti della Laga" and flows through the province.

paragraphs: L'Aquila is the province of the Abruzzo region with more mountains; there are three mountain ranges that go from the northwest to the southeast, and that are parallels to the coastline: "Monti della Gaga", "Gran Sasso" and "Majella massif". The highest mountain in the province is "Monte Amaro",() in the "Majella massif", Apennines; it is high and is the highest mountain of three provinces: Chieti, L'Aquila and Pescara of the Abruzzo.

paragraphs: There are 301,910 persons living in the province (January 2017), for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: There are 108 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is L'Aquila, with and the smallest is Villa Sant'Angelo, with . The "comune" with fewest people living in it is Carapelle Calvisio with 88 inhabitants.

paragraphs: The following table shows the 10 "comuni" with more inhabitants with their population, and their area and altitude.


title: Province of Chieti

paragraphs: The province of Chieti () is a province in the Abruzzo region of Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Chieti, and the province borders the Adriatic Sea.

paragraphs: Chieti is the most eastern province in Abruzzo and has an area of , the second largest province in the region after the province of L'Aquila. The province is bordered to the north and east by the Adriatic Sea, to the northwest by the province of Pescara, to the southwest by the province of L'Aquila and to south and southeast with Molise (to the south with the province of Isernia and to the southeast with the province of Campobasso).

paragraphs: The highest mountain in the province is "Monte Amaro",() in the "Majella massif", Apennines; it is high and is the highest mountain of three provinces: Chieti, L'Aquila and Pescara of the Abruzzo.

paragraphs: There are 389,169 persons living in the province (January 2017), for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: There are 104 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Atessa, with and the smallest is Pietraferrazzana, with . Two "comuni" have less than 100 inhabitantsː Montebello sul Sangro with 92 inhabitants, and Montelapiano with 83 inhabitants.


title: Province of Teramo

paragraphs: The province of Teramo () is a province in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo, and the province borders the Adriatic Sea.

paragraphs: Teramo is in the northeast of Abruzzo and has an area of , the third largest province in the region after the provinces of L'Aquila and Chieti. The province is bordered to the east by the Adriatic Sea, to the north by the province of Ascoli Piceno (Marche region), to the northwest by the province of Rieti (Lazio region), to the southwest by the province of L'Aquila and to the south by the province of Pescara.

paragraphs: The main river in the province is the Vomano, long, that flows into the Adriatic Sea.

paragraphs: The highest mountain in the province (and in the Abruzzo region) is Corno Grande (), with an altitude of .

paragraphs: There are 309,859 persons living in the province (January 2017), for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: There are 47 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Teramo, with and the smallest is Nereto, with . Two "comuni" have less than 300 inhabitantsː Fano Adriano with 288 inhabitants, and Pietracamela with 263 inhabitants.

paragraphs: From north to south, the province of Teramo has seven blue flag beaches on the Adriatric Seacoast, called the "Seven Sisters"; they are:


title: Province of Pescara

paragraphs: The province of Pescara () is a province in the Abruzzo region of Southern Italy, along the Adriatic Sea. Its capital is the city of Pescara.

paragraphs: Pescara is the smallest province in Abruzzo with an area of . The province is bordered to the northeast by the Adriatic Sea, to the north by the province of Teramo, to the east by the province of Chieti, and to the south and west by the province of L'Aquila.

paragraphs: The final part of the Aterno-Pescara river flows through this province; other rivers are smaller and most of them are tributaries of the Aterno-Pescara river. The city of Pescara, the capital of the province, is at the mouth of this river.

paragraphs: There are 321,309 persons living in the province (January 2017), for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: There are 46 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Penne, with and the smallest is Cappelle sul Tavo, with . The "comune" with fewest people living in it is Corvara with 247 inhabitants.


title: Province of Perugia

paragraphs: The province of Perugia () is a province in the Umbria region of Central Italy. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The city of Perugia is also the capital of Umbria.

paragraphs: The province of Perugia was created in 1860 as "Province of the Umbria". At that time, the province was larger than now because the present Province of Terni was included.

paragraphs: In 1927, the old province of the Umbria was divided in two provinces, Perugia and Terni.

paragraphs: The province of Perugia, with an area of , is the larger of the two province in Umbria.

paragraphs: The province is bordered to the north and east by the Marche (Pesaro and Urbino, Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno provinces), to the south with Lazio (province of Rieti) and with the province of Terni, and to the west with Tuscany (Siena and Arezzo provinces).

paragraphs: The main river in the region is the Tiber. The largest lake of the province, and of Umbria, is the Trasimeno, one of the largest lake of Italy.

paragraphs: The highest mountain in the province is Cima del Redentore, in the same group of mountains of the Monte Vettore, with an altitude of .

paragraphs: There are four regional natural parks in the province of Perugia: "Parco di Colfiorito", "Parco del Lago Trasimeno", "Parco del Monte Cucco" and "Parco del Monte Subasio". The Monti Sibillini National Park () is mainly in the Manche region but part of it is in Umbria.

paragraphs: , there are 662,110 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: The province has 59 "comuni". The "comuni" with more people living in them areː

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Gubbio, with and the smallest is Paciano, with . The "comune" with fewest inhabitants is Poggiodomo with 117 inhabitants.


title: Province of Terni

paragraphs: The Province of Terni () is a province in the Umbria region of Central Italy. Its capital is the city of Terni.

paragraphs: The province of Terni was created in 1927 when the old "Province of the Umbria", created in 1860, was divided in two provinces, the Perugia and Terni provinces.

paragraphs: The province of Terni has an area of , one-third of both the area and population of the Umbria region.

paragraphs: The province is bordered to the north with the province of Perugia, to the east, south and west with the Lazio (the Rieti and Viterbo provinces) and to north-west with the Tuscany (province of Siena).

paragraphs: The province is in the southwest of the Umbria region, in the last part of the Nera river valley near the confluence with the Velino river, and the eastern part of the valley of the Tiber river.

paragraphs: The highest mountain in the province is Monte Aspra (), in the eastern part of the province, with an altitude of .

paragraphs: There are two fluvial parks, to protect two rivers and their areas around them, in the province of Terni: "Parco fluviale del Tevere" ("Fluvial park of the Tiber") and "Parco fluviale del Nera" ("Fluvial park of the Nera").

paragraphs: , there are 229,071 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: The province of Terni has 33 "comuni". There are only four "comuni" with more than 10,000 people living in them; they areː

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Orvieto, with and the three smallest are Attigliano (), Montefranco () and Penna in Teverina (). Only two "comuni" have less than 1,000 inhabitantsː Parrano with 534 inhabitants, and Polino with 233 inhabitants


title: Spurgeon's

paragraphs: Spurgeon's (it used to be called Spurgeon's Child Care) is a charity based in England. It has international projects in Mexico, Africa and Eastern Europe. Spurgeon's was founded in 1867 by Charles Spurgeon. He started it to care for fatherless boys. The first girls were accepted in 1879.

paragraphs: Spurgeon's originally started as an orphanage. It was called Stockwell Orphanage, and was started by Spurgeon in 1867. It was located in what is now Stockwell Park Estate, in Stockwell, London. It opened on 9 September 1869, and was originally for boys only. The orphanage had places for 250 children to live. These children were fed, clothed and taught at the orphanage. This all cost about £5,000 each year. The money to pay for this mainly came from donations.

paragraphs: The orphanage was a home for boys without fathers between the ages of six and ten. Even though the orphanage was created by Baptists, boys of any religion were accepted there. In 1879, other buildings for children to live in were added to the orphanage. This allowed the orphanage to begin letting girls live there also.

paragraphs: Stockwell Orphanage was open until London was bombed in the Second World War. It later turned into Spurgeon's Child Care (and then into Spurgeon's). It is now mainly in England, but has international projects in Mexico, Africa and Eastern Europe.


title: Mastodon

paragraphs: Mastodons or Mastodonts are elephants of the extinct genus "Mammut" and the family Mammutidae. Mastodons became extinct about 11,000 years ago.

paragraphs: Mastodons, with mammoths, modern elephants and various older families, are members of the order Proboscidea. As adults they stood between 2.5 and 3 meters (8-10 feet) at the shoulder and weighed between 3500 and 5400 kilograms (4-6 tons).

paragraphs: Mastodons were browsers on leaves and branches, as shown by their molar teeth.

paragraphs: Stone tools and bones from a butchered mastodon were found at the bottom of a river in Florida. After a four-year investigation, researchers decided that humans lived there and made a meal of a mastodon 14,550 years ago.


title: Lost Boys (book)

paragraphs: Lost Boys (1992) is the first horror novel written by Orson Scott Card.


title: Isleham

paragraphs: Isleham is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire.


title: River Lark

paragraphs: The River Lark is a river in England. It flows into the River Great Ouse.


paragraphs: Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus (1996) is the first science fiction book in the Pastwatch series, and is written by Orson Scott Card. The book's story about the explorer named Christopher Columbus. Most of the book is about scientists who traveled back to the 1400s to change European meetings with the Americas.


title: New Park Street Chapel

paragraphs: The New Park Street Chapel was a Reformed Baptist church in Southwark, London. It was built in 1833. The Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle still worships there.


title: Exeter Hall

paragraphs: Exeter Hall was a hall on the north side of The Strand, London, England. It was built between 1829 and 1831. The hall could hold about 3,000 people. It was used for religious and philanthropic meetings.


title: William Jewell College

paragraphs: William Jewell College is a private, four-year Christian liberal arts college. It has around 1,274 undergraduate students. It is in Liberty, Missouri, United States


title: Liberty, Missouri

paragraphs: Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri. It is suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2000 census the city population was 26,232. It is the county seat of Clay County. Liberty is also home to William Jewell College.


title: WWE Draft

paragraphs: The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Draft Lottery, also known as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Draft, is a device used to provide new brand competition and to refreshen the promotion's rosters. The Draft was first used during the brand extension of 2002 and the brand extension of 2006, but was officially created and used in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008.

paragraphs: On June 10, 2002, McMahon became the kayfabe sole owner of World Wrestling Entertainment when he beat Ric Flair in a No-Holds-Barred match. The following month, he named general managers (Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon) to lead each brand. Since then, there have been five further drafts:

paragraphs: Whether a champion keeps their championship after being drafted is unpredictable. During the 2005 Draft, John Cena, the WWE Champion, was drafted from SmackDown! to RAW and kept his championship. General Manager Theodore Long announced that a new SmackDown! World Championship was to be created but the idea was abandoned when Batista, the World Heavyweight Champion, was drafted to SmackDown! from RAW, bringing the title with him. During the 2007 Draft, however, the ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley was stripped of the title after being drafted to RAW.

paragraphs: In the 2008 draft, ECW Champion Kane was drafted to RAW. WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown. WWE United States Champion Matt Hardy was drafted to ECW. This caused SmackDown to have two championships and RAW had the ECW Championship. ECW had no top championship but did gain the United States Championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was moved back to RAW on June 30, 2008, when CM Punk defeated Edge. ECW wrestler Mark Henry won the ECW championship on June 29, 2008, at the Night of Champions pay-per-view to return that championship to ECW. This caused each brand to have its own top championship once again.

paragraphs: In 2009, WWE Champion Triple H was drafted back to Raw with the championship. Also Intercontinental Champion, Rey Mysterio was drafted to SmackDown and United States Champion, MVP was drafted to Raw. Divas Champion, Maryse was drafted to Raw and Women's Champion, Melina was drafted to SmackDown. At Backlash, Edge beat John Cena in a Last Man Standing match (with help from Big Show) to bring the World Heavyweight Championship back to SmackDown and to have the championships evenly divided.

paragraphs: In 2011, United States Champion, Sheamus was drafted to SmackDown. At Extreme Rules, Kofi Kingston defeated him in a tables match to bring the title back to Raw.


title: Battle of Iwo Jima

paragraphs: The Battle of Iwo Jima was the American capture of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The USA needed to capture Iwo Jima to be able to defeat Japan. Many films were made about it, for example "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", both directed by Clint Eastwood.

paragraphs: It lasted from 19 February – 26 March 1945. It was major battle in which the United States Armed Forces captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire.

paragraphs: The Americans wanted to capture the island, including its three airfields, and use this area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. This five-week battle had violent fighting.

paragraphs: After suffering such heavy losses, people questioned why the US went into the battle. The island was not useful for the Navy or Air Force.

paragraphs: The Imperial Japanese Army had thick defenses and underground tunnels for cover. The Americans had ships that could fire on the island and total control of the air.

paragraphs: This invasion was the first American attack on Japanese home territory.

paragraphs: The Japanese general, Tadamichi Kuribayashi, and his soldiers refused to surrender. He and his officers said they would fight until they died.

paragraphs: There were 22,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, and only 216 were taken prisoner at the end.

paragraphs: About 3,000 Japanese soldiers kept fighting for weeks.

paragraphs: With no retreat and no possibility of reinforcements, the Japanese had dug in and prepared to fight to the death. This meant that winning the battle meant the Americans would have to destroy the entire Japanese force stationed on the island.

paragraphs: The battle was made famous by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the Mount Suribachi.

paragraphs: This photo became an important image of this battle, of the war in the Pacific, and of the Marine Corps.

paragraphs: After the Americans captured the Marshall Islands in January 1944, the Japanese military leaders thought about their situation.

paragraphs: It looked like the Americans would go toward the Mariana Islands and the Carolines. The Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy (I.J.N.) set up a line of defences.

paragraphs: In March 1945, the Japanese 31st Army, commanded by General Hideyoshi Obata, was ordered to defend this line.

paragraphs: The commander of the Japanese group on Chichi Jima was placed in command of Army and Navy units in the Volcano Islands. The Americans had started bombing Japan every day after they captured the Marianas. The Japanese were using Iwo Jima to transmit radio reports of American bomber activity.

paragraphs: After the U.S. captured bases in the Marshalls in February 1944, Japanese Army and Navy troops were sent to Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima had more than 5,000 men.

paragraphs: The loss of the Marianas during the summer of 1944 made the Japanese worried about the Volcano Islands. They knew that the Americans could launch airattacks on Japan if these islands were captured. However, it was hard for Japan to defend the Volcano Islands because the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost almost all of its ships.

paragraphs: Japan could not build new airplanes until March or April 1945. Even then, these planes could not fly to Iwo Jima from Japan. Japan did mot have enough pilots and other aircrew.

paragraphs: Iwo Jima was important for two reasons: it was an air base for Japanese fighter planes, and it was a safe place for Japanese ships. In addition, it was used by the Japanese to do air attacks on the Mariana Islands.

paragraphs: Capturing Iwo Jima would deny the air base from the Japanese and provide a place from which to launch the invasion of Japan.

paragraphs: When the US decided to invade Iwo Jima, experts thought it would be captured in one week, but hundreds of tons of Allied bombs had not harmed the entrenched Japanese defenders.

paragraphs: By June 1944, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi was ordered to defend Iwo Jima. He knew that Japan could not win the battle, but hoped to inflict enough casualties to dissuade the Allies from invading Japan.

paragraphs: Kuribayashi created strong defences with heavy weapons such as heavy machine guns and artillery. Extensive tunnels were dug, and Land mines were placed all over the island.

paragraphs: Starting on 15 June 1944, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army Air Forces began to attack the island. Naval artillery shellings and air bombings were done for nine months. Each heavy warship fired for approximately six hours.

paragraphs: These efforts failed to achieve desired effects due to the Japanese defenses. The American bombings continued until 19 February 1945: the day the Marines landed on the island.

paragraphs: About 450 American ships were near Iwo Jima. The battle involved about 60,000 U.S. Marines.

paragraphs: At 08:59, 30,000 Marines began landing on the island. The Japanese held their fire for some time while men and material began to fill the beaches. Then the Japanese opened fire, and many in the first group of Marines were killed by the machine guns.

paragraphs: Japanese heavy artillery was protected by steel doors that closed to protect the guns between shots. This made it difficult for American units to destroy Japanese artillery. The Japanese soldiers hid in the tunnel system.

paragraphs: With tanks, naval artillery, and air bombing on Mount Suribachi, the Marines were able to get past the beaches. About 40,000 more Marines landed later.

paragraphs: The fighting on Iwo Jima was very violent. The Marines’ advance was stopped by defensive positions and artillery. The Marines used flamethrowers and grenades to kill Japanese troops in the tunnels.

paragraphs: Eight Sherman M4A3R3 medium tanks with a flamethrower destroyed Japanese defences. The Japanese ran out of water, food, and supplies. The Japanese made more nighttime attacks. Most Japanese soldiers fought to the death.

paragraphs: "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" is a photograph taken on 23 February 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. It shows five Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States on Mount Suribachi. The photograph was popular. It won a Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

paragraphs: The Japanese troops stayed in the tunnels . They were all killed.

paragraphs: The Japanese still held positions on the north end. Kuribayashi had eight infantry battalions, a tank regiment, two artillery battalions, and three heavy mortar battalions. He also had about 5,000 gunners and naval infantry.

paragraphs: The Marines' tanks were destroyed by Japanese fire and mines. Many Americans were killed or wounded.

paragraphs: The Marines attacked in the darkness with no bombing before the attack. Many Japanese soldiers were killed while still sleeping.

paragraphs: On the evening of 8 March, Captain Samaji Inouye and his 1,000 men attacked the Americans causing 347 casualties (90 deaths). The Marines counted 784 dead Japanese soldiers the next day.

paragraphs: There was also a "kamikaze" air attack on the ships anchored at sea on 21 February. This sunk the escort carrier and severely damaged the . There was minor damage to the escort carrier , an LST, and a transport.

paragraphs: On 16 March, Kuribayashi's soldiers were still alive on the northwestern end of the island. On 21 March, the Marines blew up the Japanese with four tons of explosives. On 24 March, Marines sealed up the caves.

paragraphs: A 300-man Japanese force attacked Airfield No. 2. There was a 90-minute fight and it suffered heavy casualties (53 killed, 120 wounded). The island was finally captured at 09:00 on 26 March.

paragraphs: In the Pacific the United States used the M2 flamethrower. These flamethrowers were used to kill Japanese in caves. Marines also had flamethrowers on tanks which were used during battle. They were less useful because of Iwo Jima's rough land. Many other infantry weapons were utilized, including the infamous M1 Garand.

paragraphs: Of the 22,060 Japanese soldiers on the island, 18,844 died from fighting or by suicide. Only 216 were captured during the battle. After Iwo Jima, 3,000 hid in the tunnels.

paragraphs: The 36-day battle for Iwo Jima resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. By comparison, the 82-day battle for Okinawa resulted in casualties of over 62,000, of whom over 12,000 were killed or missing. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the Americans suffered more casualties than the Japanese.

paragraphs: Because they had all been removed, there were no civilian casualties at Iwo Jima, unlike at Saipan and Okinawa.

paragraphs: Given the number of casualties, the importance of the island's capture is controversial.

paragraphs: Iwo Jima was not used by the US Army Air Corp to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. Tinian was the Island both bombers left to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were 12 hours out and back.

paragraphs: The argument for capturing Iwo Jima was that it provided a landing and refueling airfield for fighter escorts. Yet, only ten missions were ever flown from Iwo Jima.

paragraphs: Japanse fighter aircraft based on Iwo Jima sometimes attacked US forces. Only 11 B-29s were lost.

paragraphs: The Japanese on Iwo Jima had radar and could notify Japanese forces at home of B-29 Superfortresses flying from the Mariana Islands.

paragraphs: However, the capture of Iwo Jima did not affect the Japanese radar system.

paragraphs: The United States Navy has several ships of the name .

paragraphs: On 19 February 1985, the 40th anniversary of the landings, an event called the Reunion of Honor was held. The veterans of both sides who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima attended the event. A memorial was built. Representatives of both countries shook hands.

paragraphs: The importance of the battle to Marines today can be seen. Marines go to the island and to the summit of Suribachi.

paragraphs: The Japanese government continues to search for the bodies of Japanese military troops who were killed during the battle.

paragraphs: The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is given to a member of the United States armed forces who show bravery and risks his life in a battle. The medal is often awarded after death. It has been given only 3,464 times.

paragraphs: During this one-month-long battle, 27 U.S. military personnel were given the Medal of Honor for their actions, 14 of them after death.


title: John 3:16

paragraphs: John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is a verse from the Christian Bible. It has been called the "Gospel in a nutshell." It is also thought to be one of the most important doctrines of Christianity.


title: Le Chatelier's principle

paragraphs: The Le Châtelier's principle is a principle used in Chemistry and Physics to describe how a system at equilibrium reacts to external changes.

paragraphs: It is used to show how the point of equilibrium of a system will move to oppose a change in the conditions of the system, following Newton's third law. This is most commonly seen in reversible reactions in chemistry, where a chemical reaction has reached a point where the formation of products happens at the same rate the products decay back into reactants. This principle can then be used to increase the amount of desired products made by moving equilibrium towards that side in chemical industries.

paragraphs: If the concentration of reactants in a reaction increases, the point of equilibrium moves towards the products as this gets rid of the excess reactants and cancels the change. Similarly, if the concentration of products increases, the equilibrium moves towards the reactants.

paragraphs: If the pressure of a system increases, the point of equilibrium will shift to the side with less moles, as that side will occupy less volume and therefore will reduce the pressure.

paragraphs: If the temperature of a system is increased, the point of equilibrium moves towards whichever side is more endothermic as this will take in the excess energy as part of the products and so cancels the change of increased temperature.

paragraphs: This principle is also shown by Lenz's law, which states that a changing magnetic flux will produce an opposing magnetic flux (and therefore a magnetic and electric field) in any nearby metals. This will then produce a second current in the nearby metal in the opposite direction to the original current.


title: Continental United States

paragraphs: The continental United States is the area of the United States of America that is located in the continent of North America. It includes 49 of the 50 states (48 of which are located south of Canada and north of Mexico, known as the "lower 48 states", the other being Alaska) and the District of Columbia, which contains the federal capital, Washington, D.C. The only state which is not part of this is Hawaii (as they are islands in the Pacific Ocean and not part of North America).

paragraphs: "On May 14, 1959, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names issued the following definitions based partially on the reference in the Alaska Omnibus Bill, which defined the Continental United States as "the 49 States on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia..." The Board reaffirmed these definitions on May 13, 1999."

paragraphs: Some sources incorrectly mix up the "continental United States" with the "contiguous United States" (which consists simply of the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia). The contiguous United States (also known as the United States Mainland) does not include Alaska, Hawaii, or any other territories under the control of the United States.

paragraphs: Alaska is unique among the US states as it is part of the North American continent, meaning it is attached via Canada, and so is part of the "Continental United States". However, Alaska is not part of the "Contiguous United States", because it is not attached directly to the lower 48 states.


title: Bible Belt

paragraphs: The Bible Belt is term for a part of the United States in which many people believe in conservative Evangelical Protestantism. This makes it a dominant part of the culture.


title: British people

paragraphs: British people, or Britons, are the people who live in Great Britain or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories.


title: Scissor-tailed flycatcher

paragraphs: The Scissor-tailed flycatcher ("Tyrannus forficatus") is a type of bird that lives in North America, in the United States and Mexico. It eats insects. It is grey on top and light grey underneath with pink on the sides. The wings are dark and it has a long black tail. It is named "scissor-tailed" because its tail looks like a pair of scissors. The tail is shorter when it is young, and the bird is not as colorful.

paragraphs: The scissor-tailed flycatcher is closely related to the kingbirds. It is also the state bird of Oklahoma. The common name is derived from its former Latin name-Muscivoria forficata, meaning "flying"-"scissors" and "to devour." In Oklahoma, scissortails can be found on open prairies, along tree-lined roads, and along roadsides perched on fences, limbs and in isolated trees. They consume a great number of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, and other ground-dwelling insects making them economically important and popular with farmers and ranchers.

paragraphs: Soon after the birds arrive in the state, the males begin their famous "sky dance," a popular site along roadsides during spring and early summer. After climbing about 100 feet in the air, the male makes a series of V-shaped flights, then plunges down in an erratic zigzag course often somersaulting while uttering a rolling, cackling call. The performance has been described as "an aerial ballet of incomparable grace." Nesting usually takes place in an isolated tree 7–30 feet above ground. Often two broods of 4-6 each are raised during the summer.

paragraphs: Scissor-tailed flycatchers are easily identified by their long scissor-like tail, which may reach nine inches in length. During flight the bird opens its tail like a pair of scissors and folds or closes the "scissors" when perching. The nape of its neck and its back are pearl gray, and the breast is white. Wings are sooty black with a touch of scarlet at the shoulders. The principal threat to scissortails is poaching. A great number of birds have been killed by poachers who wanted only the bird's tail.


title: Eastern redbud

paragraphs: Cercis canadensis L. (eastern redbud) is a large shrub or small tree native to eastern North America from southern Ontario, Canada south to northern Florida, United States. The tree is also the state tree of Oklahoma.


title: Black Mesa

paragraphs: Black Mesa is a mountain in Oklahoma. It is the highest point in the state.


title: Exit

paragraphs: EXIT or exit (lat. "exit" "he/she leaves", pl. "exeunt") may mean:


title: Cassowary

paragraphs: Cassowaries ("Casuarius") are a kind of large bird which cannot fly. They are part of a group of flightless birds called the ratites. The ostrich, emu, moa (now extinct) and small kiwi are other ratites.

paragraphs: The cassowary lives in the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and north eastern Australia. They are shy birds living deep in the forest. They can also become angry, and they will attack people. This makes it hard to learn about them.

paragraphs: A group of cassowaries is called a shock.

paragraphs: There are three living species of cassowary:

paragraphs: The southern cassowary is the largest forest bird in the world, and the second heaviest bird in the world after the ostrich. It is third tallest after the ostrich and emu. Females are bigger and more brightly coloured. Adult Southern Cassowaries are between to tall. Some females may get as big as , and weigh about . They do not have feathers on their necks. The necks are brightly colored in red, blue, purple and yellow. The southern cassowary has two wattles, loose skin, which hangs down from their neck. The Northern Cassowary has one wattle. The Dwarf Cassowary has no wattles.

paragraphs: Cassowaries have three toes on each foot. Each has a sharp claw. The middle toe has a claw like a dagger, which is long. Because a cassowary can kick, this claw is very dangerous and can hurt or kill enemies. Scientists believe they can run up to . They can jump up to and they can swim. There have been reported attacks on people and animals by cassowaries. In April 1926, a cassowary killed a 16-year-old boy near Mossman, Queensland.

paragraphs: The cassowary's wings are small, and are not flight feathers. They are not adapted for flying.

paragraphs: Females lay between three and eight large, pale green-blue eggs at a time. These large eggs are about by and weigh about 600 grams. Ostrich and emu eggs are bigger. The male sits on the eggs for two months until they hatch. He then looks after the brown-striped chicks for nine months. The female mates with two or three males each year. A cassowary at the Healesville Sanctuary lived for 61 years.

paragraphs: All three types of cassowary have a horn-like helmet called a "casque" on the top of their head. The casque is a keratinous skin (like a finger nail) over an inside made of firm, but foam like material. This material can be bent and squeezed but it goes back to its proper shape. The name "cassowary" comes from two Papuan words meaning "horned head". The reason for the casque is unknown. There are a number of different ideas, such as:

paragraphs: Biologist Andrew Mack has watched cassowaries and disagreed with many of these ideas. He thinks that the casques play a part in the way cassowaries hear sounds or the way that they make sounds. He discovered that the dwarf Cassowary and southern cassowary make a very low sound. It is the lowest known bird call, like a "boom", which people can only just hear. The southern cassowary sound was measured at 32 hertz, and the Dwarf Cassowary was even lower at only 23 hertz. The birds live by themselves, they do not live in groups so the "booming sound" might be a way for the birds to communicate (talk) over a long distance in thick rainforest. Scientists think that this way of talking may be how dinosaurs communicated with each other.

paragraphs: Their main food is fruit, but they eat other things such as snails, fungi, ferns and flowers. They are important because they spread plant and fruit seeds through the forest. Each cassowary is known to live in an area of up to , so they carry seeds a long way. At least 70 rainforest trees need the cassowary to spread their seeds. Their seeds are too big for other rainforest animals to carry. Seeds from 21 plants have to be eaten and pass through the cassowary or they will not grow. Some seeds are poisonous to all other animals; only the cassowary can eat them. Scientists have worked out that about 150 rainforest plants need the cassowary.

paragraphs: The southern cassowary is now listed as endangered in Australia. Scientists think there are only between 1200 and 1500 cassowaries left in Australia. Many of the forest places that they like to live in have been cleared for farming and other development. It has been worked out that 75% of rain forest, where cassowaries used to live, have been cleared in Australia. When Cyclone Larry hit the Mission Beach area in 2006 a lot of cassowary forest was flattened. It is thought that 18% of the birds were killed by the storm. Animals such as wild pigs, dogs and cats, have become a big threat to the birds. Motor cars are a big danger to the birds. Scientists say that 70% of known cassowary deaths at Mission Beach, Queensland, were birds killed trying to cross roads.

paragraphs: The northern cassowary in New Guinea is listed as vulnerable. They could easily become an endangered animal unless things are done to protect them. Scientists do not know how many birds there are, but they think there may be anywhere from 2,500 to 9,999 northern cassowaries left.

paragraphs: The CSIRO are studying cassowary faeces to see if they can use their DNA to count how many birds are left. In 2008, the Australian Government stopped rainforest land being used to build houses at Mission Beach. They are going to try and keep corridors (narrow forest areas) so the birds can move between rainforest areas safely. People will be asked to replant forest trees and plants on their land to help make these corridors. The government is looking at buying land for more corridors. Scientists are finding out when and where cassowaries cross roads. This will mean strict limits on motor car speeds to protect cassowaries that might try to cross some roads. Plans are being looked at to build raised roads so the birds can pass underneath.

paragraphs: Many zoos, such as the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford, the Airlie Beach Wildlife Park and the Denver Zoo are trying to breed cassowaries. Cassowaries in zoos have lived for up to 60 years. The first cassowary kept in a zoo was in Amsterdam in 1597. It had been brought back as a present for the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II.

paragraphs: In 2007, Australian singer Christine Anu, made an album called "Chrissy's Island Family". This is a collection of songs for children. One of the songs is called "Cassowary". It is about Samu, the Wakka Woo cassowary. There is picture book for children, called "Sisi and the Cassowary", by Arone Raymond Meeks. It has drawings in traditional aboriginal style to tell a Dreamtime like story.

paragraphs: English natural history writer and artist, John Gould, had drawings of the cassowary in his set of seven books called "The Birds of Australia". These were printed in London between 1851 and 1869. The cassowary drawings were completed by Henry Richter. Richter's watercolor painting of the cassowary is in the museum in Melbourne, Victoria.


title: Province of Belluno

paragraphs: The Province of Belluno (; German: "Provinz Belluno") is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.

paragraphs: The province of Belluno has an area of and is the most northern of the provinces of the Veneto region, and is almost entirely occupied by mountain areas. In the eastern part of the province are the Dolomites, part of the eastern Alps, with high mountains, including the highest point of the province and of the region, the Marmolada () that is high.

paragraphs: The province is rich in water, with the presence of the wide Piave river that flows through the province from north to south.

paragraphs: The southern part of the province is called "Valbelluna", the widest and most populous valley of the province.

paragraphs: The province of Belluno borders to the north with Austria (Tyrol and Carinthia), to the east with the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Udine and Pordenone provinces), to the south with the Treviso and Vicenza provinces) and to the west and northwest with the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region (Trento and South Tyrol provinces).

paragraphs: , there are 206,856 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: Evolution of the population in the Belluno province

paragraphs: In the province, there are two language minorities, which are now recognized by law:

paragraphs: There are 64 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The following shows the 10 "comuni" with the population, and the area and altitude.


title: Province of Padua

paragraphs: Padua (or ) is a province in the region of Veneto in Italy.


title: Province of Rovigo

paragraphs: The Province of Rovigo () is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rovigo.

paragraphs: The province of Rovigo has an area of and is the most southern of the provinces of the Veneto region, and its territory is almost flat, without mountains. The highest point of the province is in the Bergantino "comune", to the west of the province; it is only high.

paragraphs: The province is rich in water, with the presence of the two longest rivers of Italy: the Po and the Adige rivers. Both flow from west to east and into the Adriatic Sea and most of the territory of the province is between these two rivers: the Adige in the north of the province and the Po in the south of it.

paragraphs: The province of Rovigo borders to the northwest with the Verona province, to the north with the Padua province and the Metropolitan City of Venice, to the west with the Lombardy region (Mantua province) and to the south with the Ferrara Emilia-Romagna region. The Adriatic Sea is to the east.

paragraphs: , there are 240,540 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: Evolution of the population in the Rovigo province

paragraphs: There are 50 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:


title: Oded Fehr

paragraphs: Oded Fehr (; born 23 November 1970 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli film and television actor. He acted in "The Mummy".


title: Cascade

paragraphs:
Cascade may also mean:
Cascade, Rhymney Valley,


title: Dromaeosauridae

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs are a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs, which included the famous "Velociraptor" and "Deinonychus". They were small to medium-sized feathered carnivores which flourished in the Cretaceous period.

paragraphs: They are often called raptors, a term popularized by the movie "Jurassic Park". They were fast-running predators.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs had a world-wide distribution. They first appeared in the Middle Jurassic, 167 million years ago (mya). The larger types are not found before about 124 mya in the Lower Cretaceous, and are only found in the northern hemisphere. They survived until the end of the Cretaceous, 65.5 mya at the K/T extinction event.

paragraphs: The presence of dromaeosaurs in the Middle Jurassic is shown by isolated fossil teeth, though no dromaeosaurid body fossils have been found this early.

paragraphs: The Dromaeosaur skeleton suggests they were active, fast-running, and closely related to birds.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs have a relatively large skull, serrated teeth, narrow snout, and forward-facing eyes with some degree of binocular vision.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs, like most other theropods, had an S-curved neck, and their trunk was relatively short and deep. Like other maniraptorans, they had long arms, and relatively large hands with three long fingers ending in large claws.

paragraphs: The dromaeosaur hip structure featured a large 'pubic boot' (part of the hip) projecting beneath the base of the tail. These hip bones were places muscle and tendons attached.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaur feet bore a large, recurved claw on the second toe. Their tails were slender, and mainly used as a counterbalance.

paragraphs: Some, and probably all, dromaeosaurs were covered in feathers, including large, vaned, wing and tail feathers.

paragraphs: Like other theropods, dromaeosaurs were bipedal; that is, they walked on their hind legs. Whereas other theropods walked with three toes on the ground, fossilized footprint tracks show that most dromaeosaurs held the second toe off the ground, with only the third and fourth toes bearing the weight of the animal. The enlarged second toe bore an unusually large, curved sickle-shaped claw. It is thought to have been used in capturing prey and, in the smaller species, climbing trees.

paragraphs: One dromaeosaur species, "Balaur bondoc", had a first toe which was highly modified in parallel with the second. Both the first and second toes on each foot of "B. bondoc" were also held retracted and bore enlarged, sickle-shaped claws.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs had long tails. Most of the tail vertebrae bear bony, rod-like extensions, as well as bony tendons in some species. In his study of "Deinonychus", Ostrom proposed that these features stiffened the tail so that it could only flex at the base, and the whole tail would then move as a single, rigid, lever. However, one well-preserved specimen of "Velociraptor mongoliensis" (IGM 100/986) has an articulated tail skeleton which is curved horizontally in an S-shape. This suggests that, in life, the tail could bend from side to side with some degree of flexibility. It has been proposed that this tail was used as a stabilizer and/or counterweight while running. In "Microraptor", an elongate diamond-shaped fan of feathers is preserved on the end of the tail. This might have been used as a stabilizer and rudder during gliding.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs were small to medium-sized dinosaurs, ranging from about 0.7 meters in length (2.3 ft, in the case of "Mahakala") to over 6m (20 ft, in "Utahraptor" and "Achillobator"). Some were larger; undescribed specimens of "Utahraptor" in BYU collections may have been up to long. Large size appears to have evolved at least twice among dromaeosaurs. A possible third lineage of giant dromaeosaurs is represented by isolated teeth found on the Isle of Wight, England. The teeth belong to a "Utahraptor"-sized animal but are more similar in shape to the teeth of velociraptorines.

paragraphs: "Mahakala" is both the most primitive dromaeosaur ever described and the smallest. This evidence, and "Microraptor" and the troodontid "Anchiornis", suggests the common ancestor of dromaeosaurs, troodontids, and birds – the 'ancestral paravian' – may have been very small, at around 65 cm in length and 600 to 700 grams of mass.

paragraphs: Fossils show that dromaeosaurs were covered in feathers. Some fossils preserve long feathers on the hands and arms ("remiges") and tail ("rectrices"), as well as shorter, down-like feathers covering the body.

paragraphs: Other fossils, which do not preserve actual impressions of feathers, still preserve the associated bumps on the forearm bones where long wing feathers would have attached in life. Overall, this feather pattern looks very much like "Archaeopteryx".

paragraphs: The first known dromaeosaur with definitive evidence of feathers was "Sinornithosaurus", reported from China by Xu "et al." in 1999.

paragraphs: Many other dromaeosaur fossils have been found with feathers covering their bodies, some with fully-developed feathered wings. "Microraptor" even shows evidence of a second pair of wings on the hind legs. While direct feather impressions are only possible in fine-grained sediments, some fossils found in coarser rocks show evidence of feathers by the presence of quill knobs, the attachment points for wing feathers possessed by some birds. The dromaeosaurids "Rahonavis" and "Velociraptor" have both been found with quill knobs, showing that these forms had feathers despite no impressions having been found.

paragraphs: In light of this, it is most likely that even the larger ground-dwelling dromaeosaurs bore feathers, since even flightless birds today retain most of their plumage, and relatively large dromaeosaurs, like "Velociraptor", are known to have had feathers.

paragraphs: There is some discussion about the function of the enlarged "sickle claw" on the second toe. When John Ostrom described it for "Deinonychus" in 1969, he interpreted the claw as a blade-like slashing weapon, much like the canines of some saber-toothed cats, used with powerful kicks to cut into prey. Adams (1987) suggested that the talon was used to disembowel large ceratopsian dinosaurs. The interpretation of the sickle claw as a killing weapon applied to all dromaeosaurs.

paragraphs: In Manning's interpretation, the second toe claw would be used as a climbing aid when subduing bigger prey and also as stabbing weapon.

paragraphs: Ostrom compared "Deinonychus" to the ostrich and cassowary. He noted that the bird species can inflict serious injury with the large claw on the second toe. The cassowary has claws up to long. The seriema also has an enlarged second toe claw, and uses it to tear apart small prey items for swallowing.

paragraphs: The Manning team also compared the curvature of the dromaeosarid "sickle claw" on the foot with curvature in modern birds and mammals. Previous studies had shown that the amount of curvature in a claw corresponded to what lifestyle the animal has: animals with strongly curved claws of a certain shape tend to be climbers, while straighter claws indicate ground-dwelling lifestyles. The sickle-claws of the dromaeosaurid "Deinonychus" have a curvature of 160 degrees, well within the range of climbing animals. The forelimb claws they studied also fell within the climbing range of curvature.

paragraphs: Paleontologist Peter Mackovicky said that small, primitive dromaeosaurids (such as "Microraptor") were likely to have been tree-climbers, but that climbing did not explain why later, gigantic dromaeosaurids such as "Achillobator" retained highly curved claws when they were too large to have climbed trees.

paragraphs: "Deinonychus" fossils have been uncovered in small groups near the remains of the herbivore "Tenontosaurus", a larger ornithischian dinosaur. This had been interpreted as evidence that these dromaeosaurs hunted in coordinated packs like some modern mammals. However, not all paleontologists found the evidence conclusive, and a study in 2007 by Roach and Brinkman suggests that the "Deinonychus" may have actually displayed a disorganized mobbing behavior.

paragraphs: The first known extensive dromaeosaur trackway was found in Shandong, China.

paragraphs: The trackway, (made by a large, "Achillobator"-sized species), showed the sickle-claw was held off the ground. Six individuals of about equal size moved together along a shoreline. The individuals were spaced about one meter apart, and retained the same direction of travel, walking at a fairly slow pace. The trackways are evidence that some species of dromaeosaurs lived in groups. While the trackways clearly do not represent hunting behavior, the idea that groups of dromaeosaurs may have hunted together can not be ruled out.

paragraphs: The ability to fly or glide has been suggested for at least two dromaeosaur genera. The first, "Rahonavis" was originally classified as avian bird, but found to be a dromaeosaur in later studies. It may have been capable of powered flight. The forelimbs of "Rahonavis" were more powerfully built than "Archaeopteryx", and show evidence that they bore strong ligament attachments necessary for flapping flight. Luis Chiappe concluded that, given these adaptations, "Rahonavis" could probably fly but would have been more clumsy in the air than modern birds.

paragraphs: Another species of dromaeosaur, "Microraptor", may have been capable of gliding using its well-developed wings on both the fore and hind limbs. A 2005 study by Sankar Chatterjee suggested that the wings of "Microraptor" functioned like a split-level "biplane", and that it likely employed a style of gliding, in which it would launch from a perch and swoop downward in a 'U' shaped curve, then lift again to land on another tree, with the tail and hind wings helping to control its position and speed. Chatterjee also found that "Microraptor" had the basic requirements to sustain level powered flight in addition to gliding.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurs share many features with early birds (clade Avialae or Aves). The nature of their relationship to birds is under discussion.

paragraphs: Mark Norell and colleagues analyzed a survey of coelurosaur fossils and suggested that dromaeosaurs were most closely related to birds, with troodontids as a more distant outgroup. In 2002, Hwang and colleagues suggested that birds (avialans) were better thought of as cousins to the dromaeosaurids and troodontids.

paragraphs: The current consensus among paleontologists agrees with Hwang that dromaeosaurids are most closely related to the troodontids, and together with the troodontids form the clade Deinonychosauria. Deinonychosaurians in turn are the sister taxon to avialans, and therefore the closest relatives of avialan birds.

paragraphs: A consensus of paleontologists has concluded that there is not yet enough evidence to say whether any dromaeosaurs could fly or glide, or whether they evolved from ancestors that could.

paragraphs: At least two schools of researchers have proposed that dromaeosaurs may actually be descended from flying ancestors.

paragraphs: In 2002, Hwang "et al." found that "Microraptor" was the most primitive dromaeosaur. Xu and colleagues in 2003 cited the basal position of "Microraptor", along with feather and wing features, as evidence that the ancestral dromaeosaur could glide. In that case the larger dromaeosaurs would be secondarily terrestrial—having lost the ability to glide later in their evolutionary history.

paragraphs: A few researchers, like Larry Martin, believe that dromaeosaurs, along with all maniraptorans are not dinosaurs at all. Martin asserted for decades that birds were unrelated to maniraptorans, but in 2004 he changed his position, and now he agrees that the two are the closest of relatives. Martin believes that maniraptorans are secondarily flightless birds, and that birds evolved from non–dinosaurian archosaurs, so that most of the species formerly called theropods would now not even be classified as dinosaurs.

paragraphs: A challenge to all of these alternative scenarios came when Turner and colleagues in 2007 described a new dromaeosaur, "Mahakala", which they found to be the most basal and most primitive member of the Dromaeosauridae, more primitive than "Microraptor".

paragraphs: "Mahakala" had short arms and no ability to glide. Turner "et al." also inferred that flight evolved only in the Avialae, and these two points suggested that the ancestral dromaeosaurid could not glide or fly. Based on this cladistic analysis, "Mahakala" suggests that the ancestral condition for dromaeosaurids is non-flying.

paragraphs: The family Dromaeosauridae was named in 1922, with only one new genus "Dromaeosaurus". Dromaeosauridae, along with Troodontidae, make up the infraorder Deinonychosauria.

paragraphs: Dromaeosauridae was first defined as a clade by Paul Sereno in 1998, as the most inclusive natural group containing "Dromaeosaurus" but not "Troodon", "Ornithomimus" or "Passer". The various "subfamilies" have also been re-defined as clades.

paragraphs: The subfamilies of Dromaeosauridae is not yet settled. "Mahakala", for example, the most primitive dromaeosaur in terms of structure, falls outside any named sub-group. The most basal subfamily of dromaeosaurs is often found to be the Unenlagiinae.

paragraphs: All known dromaeosaur skin impressions come from this group, and all show an extensive covering of feathers and well-developed wings. Some species may have been capable of active flight.

paragraphs: The following classification of the various genera of dromaeosaurids is based on studies by Sereno (2005), Senter (2004), Makovicky "et al." (2005), Norell "et al." (2006), and Turner "et al." (2007).

paragraphs: A "Deinonychus" appears in John Brosnan's 1984 novel "Carnosaur" and its movie adaptation though the book itself received little press attention.

paragraphs: "Velociraptor", a dromaeosaur, got attention after it was featured in the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie "Jurassic Park". However, the size of the "Velociraptor" in the movie is much larger than the largest members of that genus. Robert Bakker recalled that Spielberg had been disappointed with the dimensions of "Velociraptor" and so upsized it.

paragraphs: Michael Crichton ultimately used the name "Velociraptor" for the slightly close known larger relative "Deinonychus" in his novels, on which the first two movies were based. The depiction of the dromaeosaur in the original "Jurassic Park" movie, while accurate for its time, is now known to have been inaccurate in some respects, such as the lack of feathers. While "Jurassic Park III" attempted to address this last oversight by adding quill-like structures around the head of some of its dromaeosaurs, they did not resemble the structure or distribution of actual dromaeosaurid feathers known from fossil remains.

paragraphs: Dromaeosaurids also appear in many of "The Land Before Time" movies, beginning with the third.


title: Province of Treviso

paragraphs: The Province of Treviso () is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso.

paragraphs: The province of Treviso has an area of and is formed mainly by plains but there are hills in the northern part. In the border with the Belluno province, there are some mountains over high, found mainly in the Dolomites, part of the eastern Alps; the highest mountain of the province is Monte Grappa ) that is high and is on the border with the Belluno and Vicenza provinces.

paragraphs: The province is rich in water; the main river is the Piave river that flows through the province from north to south.

paragraphs: The province of Treviso borders to the north with the Belluno province, to the east with the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Pordenone province), to the south with the Padua province and the Metropolitan City of Venice, and to the west with the Vicenza province.

paragraphs: , there are 885,447 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: Evolution of the population in the Treviso province

paragraphs: There are 95 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The following shows the 12 "comuni" with the population, and the area and altitude.


title: Province of Venice

paragraphs: Venice (or ) is a province in the region of Veneto in Italy.


title: Bullfrog

paragraphs: The American bullfrog ("Rana catesbeiana" or "Lithobates catesbeianus") is a semi-aquatic frog. It belongs to the family Ranidae, or 'true frogs'. Bullfrogs are native to most of North America, Canada and Mexico. The ones that live in northern America hibernate during winter. However, bullfrogs in southern US states are active all the time. Bullfrogs have been seen in South America, Asia, Western Europe and the Caribbean. These bullfrogs were brought on ships. Many people, including pet owners, have placed bullfrogs outside of their native area. They have done this: on purpose because they no longer want them, to control the pest population, or by accident by catching them in fishing nets.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs can adapt and live almost anywhere if there is water nearby. They can eat rodents, insects, small fish, arachnids, small birds, crustaceas, small mammals, worms, and other frogs. Because of this, they have been blamed for many animal extinctions. Bullfrogs live in large bodies of water such as swamps, lakes, and ponds. They like to stay near the edge of the water. During a rainstorm, they may travel on land. They travel in search of a new habitat.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs are prey to various birds like herons, and their life in the wild is much less than in captivity. One captive bullfrog lived almost 16 years. The name "bullfrog" was given because males roar when mating with a female. Bullfrogs can be kept as pets. Captive bullfrogs are given rodents, small fish, crickets, worms, and fruit flies as food and treats. Pet owners may add supplements on the frogs food for health. Bullfrogs can host many viruses, bacteria and parasites. They were blamed for an intraerythrocytic virus outbreak in Canada in 1997. Bullfrogs are the cause of the chytrid fungus spreading into Arizona. The fungus is one of the main reasons that there are fewer amphibians.

paragraphs: A female bullfrog can lay up to 20,000 eggs. Bullfrog tadpoles take up to a year to become a young frog. Males will stay behind and take care of the tadpoles. Males are territorial and will attack any animal, including their own kind, if they come near them. Bullfrogs can reduce the mosquito population. They do this by eating most of the mosquito's larvae. Bullfrogs do not move during the day, except if there is food nearby or when threatened.

paragraphs: Bullfrog legs are eaten by humans. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rates the bullfrog as "Least Concern", which means that they are not an endangered species. However, they are dying because of habitat loss, water pollution, pesticides, and over harvesting.

paragraphs: The American bullfrog ("Rana catesbeiana") is its common name. It is one of 90 species of the genus "Rana".

paragraphs: In Quebec, Canada and Louisiana US the bullfrog is called ouaouaron "(wa'wa'ron)"; a word originating in the Wendat language and borrowed in the 17th century"." The American bullfrog is also known as "Lithobates catesbeianus". The parent family for "Rana" is Ranidae, or "true frogs".

paragraphs: The Ranidae is split into nine sub families. "Ceratobatrachinae" (southeast Asia), "Conrauinae" (Africa), "Dicroglossinae", "Micrixalinae" (India), "Nyctibatrachinae" (India), "Petropedetinae" (Africa), "Ptychadeninae" (Africa), "Raninae" (Australia, South America), and "Ranixalinae" (India). The American bullfrog's genus name comes from the Latin word rana, which means frog.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs were first described in 1802 by George Shaw. Shaw described the bullfrog in his book "General Zoology or Systematic Natural History". A bullfrogs call is a slow deep "g-r-r-u-u-u-u-m". Young bullfrogs will make a high pitch chirp before going in the water. Bullfrogs have toxic skin, though it is not harmful to humans. The toxins make it less likely that other animals will eat them.

paragraphs: The American bullfrog is the largest of the "true frogs" family. Bullfrogs can reach a length of . Females are larger than males. Bullfrogs can weigh up to . Bullfrogs are either brown or green. They also have darker spots on their back. Bullfrogs have webbed feet for swimming. They can leap up to . Male bullfrogs can be heard roaring when mating with a female. Males also have bigger tympanic membranes which cover their ears. Bullfrogs have brown or gold eyes. They also have broad flat heads and bodies. The mouth of a bullfrog are small and have tiny teeth inside.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs can live up to 4–5 years. There was one captive bullfrog that had lived up to 18years. Males are territorial and will attack any animal, including their own kind, if they come near them. They will jump, wrestle, and even chase any animal away. Bullfrogs are good at hearing. A group of bullfrogs are called an "army".

paragraphs: Bullfrogs are known to have many viruses and bacteria. However, only a few of them are important to nature. Bullfrogs were blamed for an intraerythrocytic virus outbreak in Canada in 1997. They were also blamed for a chytrid fungus that spread into Arizona in 2000. The chytrid fungus is believed to be one of the major causes of the decline in amphibian populations. Many bullfrogs can have parasites including helminths, trematodes, nematodes, protozoans and leeches.

paragraphs: In a 1913 study, it was found that bullfrogs will eat any animal it can overpower and stuff down its throat. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to have rodents, baby muskrats, small turtles, snakes, frogs (including bullfrogs), birds, and a bat, as well as the many invertebrates, such as insects. These studies show the bullfrog's diet is unique among North American "Rana". Bullfrogs are also known to eat ducklings and tadpoles. Bullfrogs have teeth on the top of their mouths. Their tongues are capable of flipping their food into their mouths. Bullfrogs will eat at night.

paragraphs: In captivity, pet bullfrogs are given crickets, worms, small fish, rodents, and fruit flies. In the wild they like to eat crayfish, water beetles, snails, and dragon fly larvae. Bullfrogs may eat each other, this makes up of 80% of their diet. In a 1935 study, it was found that smaller bullfrogs eat mostly insects. However, larger bullfrogs eat crayfish, frogs and mice. In an Arizona study in 1988, it was found that bullfrogs there eat invertebrates such as snails and insects. While two other studies, one in 1977 (in New Mexico) and the other in 1993 (in New York), found that bullfrogs in New York eat mostly "Ranidae" frogs. The study from New Mexico, found that bullfrogs there eat mostly toads. Adults can help decrease the mosquito population by eating most of their larvae.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs will become sexually active after 2–4 years of becoming a frog. Females are attracted to males who have territories that provide the most food. Bullfrogs mate between early spring to early summer. A male bullfrog grabs the female and begins roaring. A female bullfrog makes an aggressive call. The female lays her eggs in shallow waters. The male releases sperm on the eggs as fertilizer. A female can lay up to 20,000 eggs. The eggs of the bullfrogs are laid on the surface of water. They are then exposed to harmful UV-B radiation. Because of this, many bullfrogs may have abnormal (not normal) development. The eggs hatches after four days. They are called "tadpoles" and live in the water eating algae. Bullfrog tadpoles are larger in length than other tadpoles by other frogs. They become frogs in more than a year. In captivity, they can become frogs in twelve weeks. If a bullfrog tadpole remains as a tadpole for more than a year, it will become larger when it is an adult. Because of this, they will have a better chance at survival in the wild.

paragraphs: There are many predators such as larger fish, crustaceans, and some birds that eat some of the eggs and tadpoles. Because bullfrog tadpoles are not very active, they are less likely to be eaten by any animal. However, if spotted, bullfrog tadpoles will be eaten by salamanders and invertebrates. When they become adult frogs, the predators become food for the bullfrogs. Males will stay with their tadpoles and protect them. Males will even take their tadpoles, by digging through mud, to other large bodies of water. They do this if the water is drying up. The tadpoles of a bullfrog are not a favorite food source for fish. This is because of their awful taste. This gives bullfrog tadpoles a better chance in surviving than tadpoles of other frogs. Bullfrog tadpoles spend most of their time not swimming. This makes them less noticeable. Tadpoles of a bullfrog have also raised concerns. Their favorite food is algae and while growing up, they consume large amounts of it. They can also live anywhere where a human house is, if there is water nearby.

paragraphs: Once the tadpoles become "froglets", they begin hopping out of the water and into land. They loose their tails once they are at this stage. The froglets will stop using their gills and use them as lungs. They begin eating small insects. The froglets will remain near the water where they were laid. If there is a drought, they will search for a new habitat. At the time, froglets become easy prey to larger frogs, reptiles, raccoons, foxes, and birds. Froglets become adult bullfrogs after four months they began hopping on land.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs in southern US states are active all the time. Bullfrogs in northern US states hibernate during the winter time. Mating season begins in spring and ends in early summer. In northern US states, bullfrogs will begin coming out of hibernation. They will begin eating and swimming. During the summer, bullfrogs will spend most of their time in the water. They will feed on mosquito larvae. During the fall, northern US states bullfrogs will begin hibernating. Southern US states bullfrogs will become semi-aquatic. During the winter time, they will continue to be semi-aquatic.

paragraphs: If the weather outside is cold, they will hibernate for a few days. Bullfrogs are active at night. They can be seen hopping around gardens and streets. During the day, they will be near the edge of the water. During the daytime, they become motionless (not moving). They will begin moving if food is nearby, or if they feel threatened.

paragraphs: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rates the bullfrog as "Least Concern". This is because they are found almost in every continent. "Least Concern" means that the bullfrog is not an endangered species. There are more bullfrogs in southern United States than there is in the north. However, bullfrogs populations are decreasing because of habitat loss, water pollution, pesticide and over harvesting. In 2012, Mark W. Stone chairman of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, is currently trying to ban the import, sale, and the keeping of bullfrogs in Santa Cruz, California. If the board signs the bill, Santa Cruz will be the first county in the United States to ban bullfrogs. Stone is trying ban bullfrogs because of the bullfrogs appetite. They have been blamed for making many animals become an endangered species in that state.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs are an invasive species in Puerto Rico. Bullfrogs were accidentally introduced starting in the 1900s in Colorado and California. Fishermen went out fishing and took their catchings back home, some had bullfrogs in their nets still alive. They have been introduced by pet owners who no longer wanted them. Some pet owners bought bullfrogs to control pests near their homes. The impact of bullfrogs being introduced has negative outcomes. Because of their diet, they can decrease populations of other frogs. Bullfrogs have been blamed for making the California Red-legged Frog a near-threatened species. They have also been blamed for many other amphibian extinctions in California.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs compete with other frogs for food, and can even kill their own kind if food is no where to be found. Bullfrogs are considered one of the worst alien invasive species (AIS). The AIS are animals who are able to decrease other species and even make them extinct worldwide. Bullfrogs are responsible for the decline of garter snakes in Mexico. In a laboratory experiment by Alford in 1989, bullfrogs decreased the population of Cope's gray treefrog. The study introduced the bullfrogs with Cope's gray treefrog in a controlled environment.

paragraphs: Bullfrogs are a source of food for Southern United States and the Midwestern United States. People hunt bullfrogs at night near rivers. The bullfrogs' legs are cooked, while their backs are fried. In China, bullfrogs are sold alive for eating. They are then killed and cooked with vegetables. In the state of California, people must have a license to catch bullfrogs for food. In schools, bullfrogs are dissected in biology classes. Usually, this is done in middle school. The dissecting is a method for teaching students the anatomy of a bullfrog. Bullfrogs are also kept as pets. They are kept in aquariums or a terrarium. A terrarium is a tank that is decorated with plants and soil on one side. On the other side, there is water. A bullfrog would need one place for land and another for water.


title: Irritator

paragraphs: Irritator (say: "irr-irr-it-at-or") is a genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Brazil during the Lower Cretaceous. Its fossils are known from the Romualdo Formation. "Irritator" had straight and cone-shaped teeth. Its jaws were low, long and slender, with the nostrils placed well back from the front of the snout (all consistent with fish eating). "Irritator" also had a narrow crest made of nasal bones on top of the skull. "Irritator"'s name comes from the English word "Irritation". It was given its name due to the feelings of the scientists who described it when they found that fossil dealers had added plaster to the front of the snout.


title: Kate Hudson

paragraphs: Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress, movie director, screenwriter and producer. In 2001 she won Golden Globe for this role in "Almost Famous" and was nominated for Oscar, but Marcia Gay Harden won.

paragraphs: Kate is the younger child of musician Bill Hudson and Oscar-winning actress Goldie Hawn who were divorced in 1980. She has one older brother, Oliver Hudson. She also has one half-brother and three half-sisters.

paragraphs: Kate began a career as an actress in 1996.

paragraphs: In 2000 she played Penny Lane in "Almost Famous" and won a Golden Globe for this role. She was also nominated for an Oscar for this role, but Marcia Gay Harden won.

paragraphs: She is also a movie director, screenwriter and producer.

paragraphs: From 2000 to 2007 she was married to musician Chris Robinson. They had one child, Ryder Russell Robinson (born on January 4, 2004).

paragraphs: She has been in a relationship with musician Matthew Bellamy since 2010. They have one child, Bingham Hawn Bellamy (born on July 9, 2011).


title: Province of Verona

paragraphs: The Province of Verona () is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Verona.

paragraphs: The province of Verona has an area of , the second largest province in the Veneto region, after the Belluno province, and is the most western of the provinces of the region. Most of its territory is almost flat, with few mountains. The highest point of the province is "Cima Valdritta", that is high.

paragraphs: The main river in the province is the Adige; it flows through the capital of the province. To the west of the province is the Lake Garda (), the largest lake of Italy.

paragraphs: The climate in the city of Verona is Humid Subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

paragraphs: The province of Verona borders to the north with the Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region), to the east with the Vicenza and Padua provinces, to the southeast with the Rovigo province, to the south and west with the Lombardy region (Mantua province) and to the northwest with the Brescia province (Lombardy region).

paragraphs: , there are 922,383 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: There are 98 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The largest "comune" is Verona, with and the smallest is Concamarise, with . The "comune" with fewest inhabitants is Ferrara di Monte Baldo, with 226 inhabitants.

paragraphs: The following shows the 10 "comuni" with more inhabitants with their population, and their area and altitude.


title: Province of Vicenza

paragraphs: The Province of Vicenza () is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Vicenza.

paragraphs: The province of Vicenza has an area of . The southern part is largely flat (the "Pianura Padana", here known as "Pianura veneta") except for a group of small hills (the "Berici Hills"), south of the city of Vicenza. There are many high mountains in the northern part of the province; the highest mountain of the province is Cima Dódici ) that is high and is on the border with the province of Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region).

paragraphs: The province is rich in water; the main rivers in the province are:

paragraphs: The province of Vicenza borders to the north with the Trento province (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region), to the northeast with the Belluno province, to the east with the Treviso province, to the south with the Padua province, and to the west with the Verona province.

paragraphs: , there are 867,314 persons living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².

paragraphs: Evolution of the population in the Vicenza province

paragraphs: There are 120 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are:

paragraphs: The following shows the 12 "comuni" with the population, and the area and altitude.


title: Petroleum product

paragraphs: Petroleum products are organic compounds made in oil refineries. They result from "refining" (changing) crude oil (also called "Petroleum") into more useful products.

paragraphs: In addition, oil-refineries also sell other things that come form the refining process, most notably


title: Thomas Spurgeon

paragraphs: Thomas Spurgeon (20 September 1856–October 1917) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher. He was the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. He was one of two non-identical twin sons of the famous Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892).


title: Billings, Montana

paragraphs: Billings is a city in the U.S. State of Montana. Just over 100,000 people live there. It was founded in 1882 as a railroad town. it is the largest city in Montana by population.

paragraphs: Billings Logan International Airport is in the city. It is also home to the Pictograph Cave National Historic Landmark, Lake Elmo State Park and Four Dances Natural Area.

paragraphs: The Yellowstone River flows through the town.

paragraphs: Billings is also the birthplace (and hometown) of the beautiful Miss Teen USA Katie Blair.


title: West Jordan, Utah

paragraphs: West Jordan is a city in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. It is in the U.S. State of Utah. Just over 100,000 people live there.