title: Classical mechanics

paragraphs: Classical mechanics is the part of physics that describes how everyday things move and how their motion changes because of forces. If we know how things are moving now, classical mechanics allows us to predict how they will move in the future and how they were moving in the past. We can use classical mechanics to predict how things like planets and rockets move.

paragraphs: There are two parts of mechanics. The two parts are classical mechanics and quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics is used most of the time for most of the things we can see, and that are not moving too fast. When the things are too small, classical mechanics is not good. Then we need to use quantum mechanics.

paragraphs: Newton's three laws of motion are important to classical mechanics. Isaac Newton discovered them. Newton's laws tell us how forces change how things move, but they do not say what causes the forces.

paragraphs: The "first law" says that if there is no external force (a push or pull), things that are not moving will stay not-moving, and things that are moving will keep moving in the same way. Before, people thought that things would slow down and stop moving even if there was no force making them stop. Newton said this was wrong. Often, people say, "Objects that are not moving tend to stay not-moving, and objects that are moving tend to stay moving, unless acted upon by an outside force, such as gravity, friction, etc..."

paragraphs: The "second law" says how much a force changes how a thing moves. When there is a net outside force on an object, its velocity (speed and direction of motion) will change. How fast the velocity changes is called the acceleration. Newton's second law says that bigger forces produce more acceleration. But objects with a lot of stuff in them (mass) are harder to push, so they do not accelerate as much. Another way of saying this is that the net force on an object equals the rate of change of its momentum. The momentum measures how much mass is in a thing, how fast it is going, and which direction it is going. So forces change the momentum, but how much they can change the speed and direction of motion still depends on mass.

paragraphs: The "third law" says that if one thing puts a force on another thing, the second thing also puts a force on the first thing. The second force is equal in size to the first force. The forces act in opposite directions. For example, if you jump forward off a boat, the boat moves backward. For you to jump forward, the boat had to push you forward. Newton's third law says that for the boat to push you forward, you had to push the boat backward. Often, people say, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

paragraphs: In physics, kinematics is the part of classical mechanics that explains the movement of objects without looking at what causes the movement or what the movement affects.

paragraphs: 1-Dimensional (1D) Kinematics are used only when an object moves in one direction: either side to side (left to right) or up and down. There are equations with can be used to solve problems that have movement in only 1 dimension or direction. These equations come from the definitions of velocity, acceleration and distance.

paragraphs: 2-Dimensional kinematics is used when motion happens in both the x-direction (left to right) and the y-direction (up and down). There are also equations for this type of kinematics. However, there are different equations for the x-direction and different equations for the y-direction. Galileo proved that the velocity in the x-direction does not change through the whole run. However, the y-direction is affected by the force of gravity, so the y-velocity does change during the run.


title: Moai

paragraphs: Moai are stone statues on Easter Island. Each moai is made out of one large stone but some have an extra stone on top of the head. Most were made from the volcanic rock in the Rano Raraku area of the island. Moai are sometimes called "heads" but they do have shoulders, arms, and a body but these are usually too small for the head, also some of the best known ones had been partly buried over the years and only the heads were showing. Most moai are between 2.5 and 10 metres high and, usually, weigh 14 tonnes. There are about 1000 moai placed mainly around the coast of the island plus nearly 400 more which were left not yet finished at Rano Raraku.

paragraphs: When, why, and how they were made is still a mystery today. It is believed that they were made almost 1000 years ago by Polynesians, who lived there at the time and were made to honour their ancestors (older family members long dead) and bring good luck. Making the statues would have needed a lot of time and effort. To move them, they may have used wooden sledges or rollers or even "walked" them by rocking the moai along. The youngest moai found was built around 1350. It is believed that, around that time, there began a time of cold weather, little food, and war between the peoples. By the 19th century, all the moai had been pushed over. Today, some have been restored.123


title: Diogenes of Sinope

paragraphs: Diogenes of Sinope (or Diogenes the Cynic) was an Ancient Greek philosopher. He was born in the town of Sinope (now called Sinop, Turkey) around the year 412 BC and died in the city of Corinth, Greece on the year 323 BC.

paragraphs: After being exiled for debasing the currency, he moved to Athens. He had a simple life-style and behaviour. This gave him a basis to criticize the social values and institutions of the corrupt, confused society he saw around him.

paragraphs: Diogenes made a virtue of poverty. He begged for a living and often slept in a large ceramic jar in the marketplace. He became notorious for his philosophical stunts. He used to carry a lamp during the day, and claimed he was looking for an honest man.

paragraphs: He criticized Plato, disputed his interpretation of Socrates. He sabotaged Plato's lectures, distracting attenders by bringing food and eating during the discussions. Diogenes was also noted for having publicly mocked Alexander the Great.

paragraphs: Diogenes helped Antisthenes create cynicism, a philosophy that focuses on living a simple life without the need for money, fame, power, or possessions.

paragraphs: Diogenes was captured by pirates and sold into slavery. Eventually he settled in Corinth. There he explained cynicism to Crates, who taught it to Zeno of Citium. Zeno worked on stoicism, which became one of the main schools of Greek philosophy.

paragraphs: None of Diogenes' writings have survived, but there are some details of his life from anecdotes. The anecdotes come from Diogenes Laërtius' book "Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers" and some other sources.


title: Vaccination

paragraphs: A vaccination is a treatment which makes the body stronger against an infection.

paragraphs: The body fights infections using the immune system, which is made up of millions upon millions of cells including T cells and B cells. An important part of the adaptive immune system is that it is much stronger when fighting a disease that it has already fought against before. Vaccination involves showing the immune system something which looks very similar to a particular virus or bacteria, which helps the immune system be stronger when it is fighting against the real infection.

paragraphs: Another word used for vaccines is immunization. These words mean things that are a little different. Vaccination is when a person is "given" something to make the immune system learn to fight an infectious disease.

paragraphs: Immunization is when a person's immune system learns to fight an infection. Immunization can happen from vaccination. But immunization can also happen from getting the "infection". For example, a person can be immune to hepatitis B if he gets sick with hepatitis B. After a person gets hepatitis B and then gets well, he is immunized from getting it again. A person can also be immunized from hepatitis B by taking the hepatitis B vaccination.

paragraphs: So vaccination and immunization have meanings that are a little different. But when people say these words, they usually mean the same thing. People say immunization to mean the same thing as vaccination.

paragraphs: Herd immunity is an important part of how vaccines work. A herd is a group of animals. Herd immunity happens when most of the animals in a group are immune to an infection. If most animals are immune they cannot get the disease. If they do not get the disease, they cannot give it to other animals. So even one animal who is not immune is safer. If none of the other animals in a herd get the infection, they cannot give the infection to the one who is non immune.

paragraphs: This is important in people too. If 95% of people in a place are immune to a disease, the other 5% are safer. They are not near infected people, so they won't get infected.

paragraphs: The people who are in the 5% are there for many reasons. Some got the vaccine but did not react to it. Their immune system did not learn how to fight it well. Some of them are too sick to get the vaccine. It can be children who are too sick with other diseases to get vaccines. It can be a pregnant woman who cannot get the vaccine because it could hurt her baby. It can be a person with cancer who does not have a strong immune system. It can be an older person who has a weak immune system.

paragraphs: So if everyone in a place gets vaccinated, it protects these people too. If they are not protected by "herd immunity", they can get more sick from an infection. They get the infection more easily and they get sicker from it. So it is important that people who are healthy get their vaccinations. It protects the healthy people. But it also is important to protect other people who are old, weak, or sick.

paragraphs: Today in modern countries almost all people are vaccinated, which has caused many serious diseases to become rare. However, some people argue against vaccination, as they are worried about possible side effects from the vaccination.

paragraphs: Vaccinations do have some side effects. These include swelling and redness around the injection site, a sore arm, or fever. These effects are because of the immune system fighting with the viruses or bacteria which have been injected. Very rarely, the immune system overreacts so much to the virus that the immune system damages other areas in the body.

paragraphs: As well as these real side effects of vaccinations, some people believe that vaccines cause other serious problems like autism, brain damage, or diabetes. There is no evidence for this. Almost all doctors and scientists believe that vaccination does not cause any of these things.

paragraphs: Overall, the vast majority of medical professionals and scientists believe that vaccinations are a good thing and that the benefits of avoiding diseases are far greater than the very small risk of side effects. All medical organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization(WHO), the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the United States Centers for Disease Control support vaccination.

paragraphs: The word "vaccine" was created by Edward Jenner. The word comes from the Latin word "vacca", meaning cow. A virus that mainly affects cows (Cowpox) was used in the first scientific demonstration that giving a person one virus could protect against a related and more dangerous one.

paragraphs: The first vaccination ever was for smallpox. In 1796 an English doctor, Edward Jenner, noticed something. He saw that people who got cowpox did not get sick from smallpox. He gave a young boy the cowpox virus to protect him from smallpox. This was done by scratching liquid from cowpox sores into the boy's skin. This same method using the liquid from sores was also used to give people smallpox. People did this so they might get smallpox on "one place" on their bodies. Then they could "pick" which body part got scars from smallpox. But sometimes people who did this got very sick from smallpox. Some even died. This was a dangerous thing to do. But people did it because it was less dangerous than getting smallpox.

paragraphs: Edward Jenner gave the boy cowpox in the same way people tried to give smallpox. Six weeks later, he scratched smallpox into the boy's skin. The boy did not get sick from smallpox. This boy was the first person ever to get a vaccination.

paragraphs: It was not almost 100 years after the smallpox vaccination the medicine was found the next vaccination for cholera in 1879. After that, vaccines for 28 different types of diseases have been found.


title: Vice President of the United States

paragraphs: The Vice President of the United States of America (often shortened to VP or VPOTUS) is the second highest executive office of the US federal government and the chief deputy to the President of the United States. In their capacity as the deputy head of government, the Vice President is also the President of the Senate who is the presiding officer of the US Senate - the upper house of the U.S legislature. This position is first in line to succeed as President if the current President resigns, dies or is impeached.

paragraphs: Originally, the Vice President was the person who got the second most electoral votes in the presidential election. This worked well until Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the . After that the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution said that the President and Vice President are elected separately, and if they tie they would be chosen by the Senate.

paragraphs: Soon after that, political parties began running the President and Vice President on one platform. As such, the Vice Presidential candidates are usually chosen by the leadership of a political party, with a strong influence by that party's presidential candidate. The Vice President and President are usually from the same political party (for example, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were both Democrats, and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were both Republicans).

paragraphs: The Vice President only has one official duty. That is to preside over the Senate and to cast a vote in the Senate if there is a tie. However, recently the duties have been seen to include being a member of the President's Cabinet, or a top advisor to the President (Dick Cheney was the Vice President to take this duty the most seriously). The Vice President is a member of the National Security Council and serves on the board of the Smithsonian. Also, the 25th Amendment says that the Vice President can act as President if the President is incapacitated (can not do the job of President). For example, Vice President George H.W. Bush acted as President when Ronald Reagan was having an operation.

paragraphs: Before 1967, if the President died, it was unclear whether the Vice President was President or merely Acting President. However, John Tyler and others who took over the office said they were not merely Acting President. Also, if the Vice President died, nobody was Vice President until a new one was elected.

paragraphs: This uncertainty was corrected after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Under the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution, if the President dies, the Vice President automatically becomes the President. If the Vice President dies, resigns, or becomes President, the President can appoint a new Vice President. The appointment needs to be confirmed by a majority vote of both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. This has happened twice. Gerald Ford became Vice President after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and Nelson Rockefeller became Vice President when Gerald Ford became President after Richard Nixon resigned.

paragraphs: The following Vice Presidents either became President after the death or resignation of the President, or were elected in their own right:


title: Dick Cheney

paragraphs: Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is an American Republican politician and businessman who was Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. As a Republican, he ran in the 2000 US Presidential Election with George W. Bush, and successfully won re-election in the 2004 US Presidential Election.

paragraphs: Cheney was born at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, He was son of Richard Cheney and Marjorie Cheney, He was grew up in Casper, Wyoming.

paragraphs: Cheney is popular among the Bush family, and served in the George H. W. Bush administration from 1989-1993 as a cabinet member. He was a Congressman, and White House Chief of Staff.

paragraphs: He was also in charge of a large defense company called Halliburton when he was out of office during the Clinton presidency.

paragraphs: As Vice President, Cheney was the head of the Senate and cast six tie-breaking votes and he was replaced by Joe Biden as Vice President on January 20, 2009.

paragraphs: Cheney lives in Wyoming. He is an active hunter. In 2006, he shot a friend by mistake while hunting. He did not run for President in 2008. He has criticized President Barack Obama. His wife Lynne Cheney is a distant cousin of President Barack Obama and he is an 8th cousin of President Barack Obama. He is a 9th cousin, once removed of George W. Bush. Cheney is distantly related to Harry S. Truman and Robert Duvall by the Duvall family. He is distantly related to American Express founder Benjamin Pierce Cheney.

paragraphs: On 24 March 2012, Cheney underwent a seven-hour heart transplant process. Cheney has had several heart attacks.

paragraphs: Dick and Lynne Cheney have 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. Mary is openly lesbian and Dick supports same sex marriage along with Mary. Liz is a Congresswoman from Wyoming in the United States House of Representatives.


title: Toad the Wet Sprocket

paragraphs: Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band from California. They formed in 1986, while they were in high school. Their name comes from a monologue (one person doing all the talking) performed by Eric Idle, called "Rock Notes" on the 1980 album, "Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album".


title: Boyz II Men

paragraphs: Boyz II Men is an American boy band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were popular in the early 1990s. Founded in 1988 as a quintet (group of five people), Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet (group of four), with members Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris, on Motown Records during the early 1990s.

paragraphs: Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. It has recorded five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and has since sold more than 90 million albums and 50 million singles. Three of its #1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.


title: Johnny Nash

paragraphs: John Lester "Johnny" Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940 – October 6, 2020) was an American reggae and soul singer. His best known singles were "I Can See Clearly Now", "Hold Me Tight" and "Tears on My Pillow".

paragraphs: His biggest hit was "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1972.

paragraphs: In his late teens Johnny Nash came to the attention of Arthur Godfrey and put in many appearances on his TV show. He also had a featured role in the motion picture "Take A Giant Step". Johnny began recording for the ABC Paramount label, and under the guidance of arranger producer Don Costa, he made a number of albums of standards. Including "Johnny Nash", "Let's Get Lost", "The Quiet Hour", "Studio Time" and "I Got Rhythm". Even though he possessed a superb singing voice, it seems that in the early 1960s, all young black male ballad singers were overshadowed by another Johnny. Johnny Mathis. Johnny Nash never really came into the forefront of pop music. He made a couple of obscure jazz tinged albums for the Argo label. Then after being off the scene for a couple of years, he emerged with a new music genre, the reggae, soul and caribbean type song stylings. This was the mid 70's and he found new fans and a new popularity.

paragraphs: On June 25, 2019, "The New York Times" listed Johnny Nash among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

paragraphs: Nash was born in Houston, Texas. He died on October 6, 2020 in Houston at the age of 80.


title: Linda Ronstadt

paragraphs: Linda Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American retired singer. She was born in Tucson, Arizona. She has won ten Grammy Awards and many other awards.

paragraphs: Ronstadt has never married. She has an adopted daughter and adopted son. She has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Her autobiography was published in 2013.


title: Heart

paragraphs: The heart is an organ found in every vertebrate. It is a very strong muscle. It is on the left side of the body in humans and is about the size of a fist. It pumps blood throughout the body. It has regular contractions, or when the heart squeezes the blood out into other parts of the body.

paragraphs: "Cardiac" and "cardio" both mean "about the heart", so if something has the prefix "cardio" or "cardiac", it has something to do with the heart.

paragraphs: Myocardium means the heart muscle: 'myo' is from the Greek word for muscle - 'mys', cardium is from the Greek word for heart - 'kardia'.

paragraphs: The human heart has four chambers or closed spaces. Some animals have only two or three chambers.

paragraphs: In humans, the four chambers are two "atria" and two "ventricles". Atria is talking about two chambers; atrium is talking about one chamber. There is a right atrium and right ventricle. These get blood that comes to the heart. They pump this blood to the lungs. In the lungs blood picks up oxygen and drops carbon dioxide. Blood from the lungs goes to the left atrium and ventricle. The left atrium and ventricle send the blood out to the body. The left ventricle works six times harder than the right ventricle because it carries oxygenated blood.

paragraphs: Blood is carried in blood vessels. These are arteries and veins. Blood going to the heart is carried in veins. Blood going away from the heart is carried in arteries. The main artery going out of the right ventricle is the "pulmonary artery". (Pulmonary means about lungs.) The main artery going out of the left ventricle is the "aorta".

paragraphs: The veins going into the right atrium are the "superior vena cava" and "inferior vena cava". These bring blood from the body to the right heart. The veins going into the left atrium are the "pulmonary veins". These bring blood from the lungs to the left heart.

paragraphs: When the blood goes from the atria to the ventricles it goes through heart "valves". When blood goes out of the ventricles it goes through valves. The valves make sure that blood only goes one way in or out.

paragraphs: The heart has three layers. The outer covering is the pericardium. This is a tough sack that surrounds the heart. The middle layer is the myocardium. This is the heart muscle. The inner layer is the endocardium. This is the thin smooth lining of the chambers of the heart.

paragraphs: A "heart beat" is when the heart muscle "contracts". This means the heart pushes in and this makes the chambers smaller. This pushes blood out of the heart and into the blood vessels. After the heart contracts and pushes in, the muscle "relaxes" or stops pushing in. The chambers get bigger and blood coming back to the heart fills them.

paragraphs: When the heart muscle contracts (pushes in) it is called "systole". When the heart muscle relaxes (stops pushing in), this is called "diastole". Both atria do systole together. Both ventricles do systole together. But the atria do systole "before" the ventricles. Even though the "atrial systole" comes before "ventricular systole", all four chambers do diastole at the same time. This is called "cardiac diastole"

paragraphs: The order is: atrial systole → ventricular systole → cardiac diastole. When this happens one time, it is called a "cardiac cycle".

paragraphs: Systole (when the heart squeezes) happens because the muscle cells of the heart gets smaller in size. When they get smaller we also say they "contract". Electricity going through the heart makes the cells contract. The electricity starts in the "sino-atrial node" (acronym SA Node) The SA Node is a group of cells in the right atria. These cells start an "electrical impulse". This electrical impulse sets the rate and timing at which all cardiac muscle cells contract. This motion is called 'atrial systole'. Once electrical impulse goes through the "atrio-ventricular node" (AV Node). The AV Node makes the impulse slow down. Slowing down makes the electrical impulses get to the ventricles later. That is what makes the ventricular systole occur "after" atrial systole, and lets all the blood leave the atria before ventricle contracts ("meaning squeeze").

paragraphs: After the electrical impulse goes through the AV Node, the electrical impulse will go through the "conduction system" of the ventricle. Conduction means heat or electricity traveling through something. This brings the electrical impulse to the ventricles. The first part of the conduction system is the "bundle of His". "His" is named for the doctor (Wilhelm His, Jr) who discovered it. Bundle means strings or wires grouped together in parallel. Once the bundle ("meaning a group of strings or wires going in parallel directions") goes through the ventricle muscle, it divides into two "bundle branches", the left bundle branch and the right bundle branch. The left bundle branch travels to the left ventricle and the right bundle branch travels to the right ventricle. At the end of the bundle branches, the electrical impulse goes into the ventricular muscle through the Purkinje Fibers. This is what makes ventricle contraction take place and makes ventricular systole.

paragraphs: Sino-Atrial Node → Atria (systole) → Atrio-Ventricular Node → Bundle of His → Bundle branches → Purkinje Fibers → Ventricles (systole)

paragraphs: ECG is an acronym for ElectroCardioGram. It is also written EKG for ElectroKardioGram in German. The ECG shows what the electricity in the heart is doing. An ECG is done by putting electrodes on a person's skin. The electrodes see the electricity going through the heart. This is written on paper by a machine. This writing on the paper is the ECG.

paragraphs: Doctors learn about the person's heart by looking at the ECG. The ECG shows some diseases of the heart like heart attacks or problems with the "rhythm" of the heart (how the electricity goes through the heart's conduction system.)

paragraphs: The ECG shows atrial systole. This is called a P-wave. Then ventricular systole happens. This is called the QRS or QRS-complex. It is called a complex because there are three different waves in it. The Q-wave, R-wave, and S-wave. Then the ECG shows ventricular diastole. This is called the T-wave. Atrial diastole happens then too. But it is not seen separate from ventricular diastole.

paragraphs: The PR-Interval is the space between atrial systole (P) and ventricular systole (QRS). The QT-Interval is from when the QRS starts to when the T ends. The ST-segment is the space between the QRS and T.


title: Heart disease

paragraphs: Heart disease is a general term that means that the heart is not working normally. Babies can be born with heart disease. This is called congenital heart disease. If people get heart disease later, it is called acquired heart disease. Most heart disease is acquired.

paragraphs: The three most common types of acquired heart disease are:

paragraphs: A person can have heart disease and not feel sick. Some people with heart disease have symptoms. This is when there are changes or pain in the body to show a disease is there. Some symptoms of heart disease are:

paragraphs: Heart disease is the biggest killer of both men and women in the United States, England, Wales, and Canada. For example, heart disease causes 4 out of every 10 deaths in the United States. This is more than all kinds of cancer put together. Also, one person dies of heart disease about every minute in the United States alone.

paragraphs: Congenital heart disease refers to a form of heart problem that starts before birth (congenital). Congenital heart disease includes a large number of conditions. The formation of the heart before birth is very complex and is sometimes abnormal. For example, if a part of the main artery that comes from the heart is narrowed, that is called coarctation of the aorta. There may be holes inside the heart which keep the blood from flowing normally inside the heart. Other congenital heart problems are caused by abnormal heart valves. In some cases, congenital heart problems are discovered at birth. Other times the problems may not be detected until the person is an adult


title: North Dakota

paragraphs: North Dakota is a state in the United States. 672,591 people lived in North Dakota in the year 2010. The capital and seat of government is Bismarck.

paragraphs: North Dakota is south of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, east of Montana, north of South Dakota, and west of Minnesota. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are provinces - part of Canada. Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota are other states in the United States.

paragraphs: North Dakota is not close to any big bodies of water (oceans or seas). Because of this, temperatures in North Dakota are "very" hot in the summer and "very" cold in the winter. In the summer, there are sometimes "strong" thunderstorms. These storms can have tornadoes and hail.

paragraphs: Before European people came, Native American people lived in the area now called North Dakota. One important tribe was the Mandan.

paragraphs: North Dakota was one of the last US states to be "settled". (To have people go there to make homes and live.) On November 2, 1889, North Dakota (and South Dakota) became part of the United States.

paragraphs: Most of the economy is based on agriculture. The most important agricultural crops are durum, a type of wheat, which is grown all across the state. In the Red River Valley, there is more rain, and maize (corn) and sugar beets are grown as well. In the Badlands, there is less rain, and more cattle are raised than crops.

paragraphs: North Dakota has the only bank in the United States that is "owned" by the state. The Bank of North Dakota is where all of the money from all government agencies is held. Most banks in the United States are guaranteed by the FDIC (acronym for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.) The FDIC guarantees that people will not lose money if a bank fails. But the Bank of North Dakota is insured by the "state" of North Dakota.


title: LGBT

paragraphs: LGBT is an initialism connected with human sexuality. It means lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, but it can refer to a community of people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. It is a word which has been used since the 1990s, and was a change from the previous acronym LGB or the group of words gay community, because many people in the LGBT community did not think that the group of words accurately described everyone it was referring to.

paragraphs: The acronym has become more normal to use now and has been taken up by most sexuality and gender identity-related community centres in America, the English-speaking countries and in other countries where the acronym means something in their languages, such as France and Argentina.

paragraphs: Before the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s, there was no neutral word or group of words for people who were not heterosexual. The group of words "third gender", or third sex, had existence in the 1860s. However, this did not become popular in America.

paragraphs: The word "homosexual" was used a great amount in America to describe sexual orientations that were not heterosexual, as it still is today. However, this word began to have bad connotations, and therefore the word "homophile" was used instead. After that, the word "gay" replaced the word "homophile" in the 1970s.

paragraphs: As lesbians became more public about their sexuality in the 1970s, the group of words "gay and lesbian" was often used, and a phase of lesbian feminism started. This meant that certain lesbian feminist groups separated because did not have knowledge of if they should put feminism or gay rights first.

paragraphs: Lesbian feminists viewed the separation between "butch" and "femme" in mainstream gay (male) culture of the time in the same way that they viewed the separation in society over gender roles between men and women. They saw these ideas as patriarchal and did not want to join the mainstream gay rights movement because of what they saw as the chauvinism of gay men, and refused to take up their cause. Many lesbians who were not lesbian feminists saw this as not giving help to the gay rights movement.

paragraphs: This was followed by many bisexual and transgender people wanting to be seen as respected groups in the LGBT community.

paragraphs: After the Stonewall riots, there was a change in points of view among the gay and lesbian community. Many gays and lesbians became less accepting of bisexual and transgender persons in general. Many gays and lesbians thought that transgender people were acting out stereotypes and that bisexuals were actually gay, but in too much fear to "come out of the closet". This separation still exists today, and it only became common to speak of all members of the LGBT community with equal respect in the trouble for LGBT rights in the late 1990s.

paragraphs: Some people who are LGBT may not "come out", as they may be a target of discrimination or prejudice, such as homophobia or transphobia. Many countries have discriminatory laws against LGBT people, some even giving out the death penalty for being gay or bisexual.

paragraphs: When not including transgender persons in general, the acronym is sometimes shortened to just ""LGB"".

paragraphs: Many other letters are added to the acronym, so much so that it has been described as an "alphabet soup" by some. A few of the other letters added are:

paragraphs: Not everyone is in agreement what should or should not be covered in the acronym, or which order the letters should go in.

paragraphs: The group of words gender and sexual diversity (GSD) has been shown as a different option to LGBT by some, as it is seen as more inclusive and less limiting.

paragraphs: SGL (same-gender loving) is sometimes used among gay male African Americans as a way of distinguishing themselves from what they think of as white LGBT groups of persons.

paragraphs: MSM (men who have sex with men) is used to describe men who have sex with other men without having relation to their sexual orientation, often in a medical context.

paragraphs: WSW (women who have sex with women) is the opposite of MSM. It includes all women who have sex with women.


title: Rainbow flag

paragraphs: The rainbow flag is a multi-colored flag consisting of stripes in the colors of the rainbow that is displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness. The German pastor Thomas Müntzer used a rainbow flag as a symbol of solidarity as early as the German Peasants' War of the 16th century. It is common as a symbol of the Peace movement, first used this way in a peace march in Italy in 1961.

paragraphs: In 1924 the Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba designed a rainbow flag. It is flown each year near his tomb near Ahmednagar, India during the anniversary of his death on January 31, 1969. Baba explained the symbolism, saying, "The colors in the flag signify man's rise from the grossest of impressions of lust and anger – symbolized by red – to the culmination in the highest state of spirituality and oneness with God – symbolized by sky blue."

paragraphs: The rainbow is also a symbol in the Christian and Jewish Bible. It shows God's promise to Noah and his family to never cover the world in water again.

paragraphs: A Christian movement known as Cursillo, founded in 1944, uses these traditional rainbow symbols, including flags. Their version can have 5 to 7 colors, with red at the top, blue or purple at the bottom, and the Spanish words "De Colores!" ("of colors") in large letters on the front.

paragraphs: This rainbow flag in Italy was first used in a peace march in 1961, inspired by similar multi-coloured flags used in demonstrations against nuclear weapons. The most common variety has seven colours, purple, blue, light blue, green, yellow, orange and red, and is emblazoned in bold with the Italian word "PACE", meaning "peace".

paragraphs: It has also been the symbol of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community since it's creation in 1978. It is also called the 'Pride Flag.' The flag was created by Gilbert Baker of San Francisco, California in 1978.


title: Dualism

paragraphs: Dualism is the idea or theory that something (an object, an idea or the whole world) is split into two parts. These parts are separate from each other, and the thing cannot be divided up in any other way. The idea or theory that something cannot be split into any parts is called monism. The idea that something can be split into many parts is called pluralism.

paragraphs: In philosophy there are many kinds of dualism.

paragraphs: Dualism is also a common sense idea. For example, it is a form of dualism to say that a thing is either hot or cold, good or bad, mine or somebody else's, with no allowance for possible states in between.

paragraphs: In theology, dualism may also refer to "duotheism", "bitheism" or "ditheism". This the doctrine or belief that there are two independent divine beings or eternal principles, one good and the other evil. Examples of ditheism include Zoroastrianism, Wicca and Marcionism. Although the Bible mentions Satan, this is not ditheism as he is not equal to God, but merely an angel. (See Epistle of Jude, verse 6). Ditheism is not the same as dualism, but they are similar. Ditheism implies (at least) two gods, while moral dualism does not imply any "-theism" (belief in a god) whatsoever.


title: Vomit

paragraphs: Vomiting, also called puking, is emptying the contents of stomach through mouth. It can be either food or liquid in the stomach. It can be from infection, contaminated food or drink (food poisoning), foul smells or foul-tasting food, the brain being injured, a block in the small intestines so food and liquid cannot go through, too much alcohol or other drugs. Also, people can make themselves vomit (self-induced) which is called purging. Usually people who have eaten or drunk poison are made to vomit any residual (leftover) poison off. Excessive vomiting may lead to dehydration, which can be dangerous, if not fatal as it will shut down a person's organs and twist the intestines.


title: Ancient Greece

paragraphs: Ancient Greece was a large area in the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea, where people spoke the Greek language. It was much bigger than the nation of Greece we know today. It was the civilization of Greece, from the archaic period of the 8th/6th centuries BC to 146 BC. The period ended with the Roman conquest of Greece in the Battle of Corinth.

paragraphs: For most of this time, the Greeks did not have a single government or ruler. There were a number of city states, each with its own constitution. Athens, Sparta and Corinth are examples of city-states. Some had kings, and some, like Athens, had a form of democracy. As time went on, the most-powerful cities collected other cities into groups known as "leagues". This applied to many of the Greek colonies in Asia Minor, most of which had close ties to one or another of the large three cities.

paragraphs: In the middle of this period, there was Classical Greece, which flourished during the 5th to 4th centuries BC. Athenian leadership successfully repelled the threat of Persian invasion in the Greco-Persian Wars. The Athenian golden age ends with the defeat of Athens at the hands of Sparta in the Peloponnesian War in 345Bc

paragraphs: In the last, Hellenistic, period, Greece was unified by the conquests of Alexander the Great. The city-states continued, under the overall influence of Macedonia.

paragraphs: Greek culture had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean region and Europe. In this way, classical Greece was part of the foundation of Western civilization. Greek was also the language, and partly the culture, of the Byzantine Empire.

paragraphs: The history of Greece went through these stages:

paragraphs: In the 8th century B.C., the Greeks learned how to read and write a second time. They had lost literacy at the end of the Mycenaean culture, as the Mediterranean world fell into the Dark Ages. The Greek Dark Ages (~1100 BC–750 BC), or Bronze Age collapse, is a period in the history of Ancient Greece and Anatolia from which there are no written records, and few archaeological remains.

paragraphs: The Greeks learned about the alphabet from another ancient people, the Phoenicians. They made some adjustments to it. In particular, the Greeks introduced regular letters for vowels, which was necessary for their language. Their alphabet was, in turn, copied by the Romans, and much of the world now uses the Roman alphabet.

paragraphs: Ancient Greece had one language and culture, but was not unified until 337 BC, when Macedonia defeated Athens and Thebes. That marked the end of the Classic period, and the start of the Hellenistic period. Even then, the conquered cities were merely joined to Philip II of Macedon's Corinthian League; they were not occupied, and ruled themselves.

paragraphs: Ancient Greece consisted of several hundred more-or-less independent city states. This was different from other societies, which were tribal, or kingdoms ruling over relatively large territories.

paragraphs: Undoubtedly the geography of Greece—divided and sub-divided by hills, mountains and rivers—contributed to the nature of ancient Greece. On the one hand, the ancient Greeks had no doubt that they were 'one people'; they had the same religion, same basic culture, and same language. Yet each city-state or "polis" was independent; unification was something rarely discussed by the ancient Greeks. Even when, during the second Persian invasion of Greece, a group of city-states allied themselves to defend Greece, most "poleis" remained neutral, and after the Persian defeat, the allies quickly returned to infighting.

paragraphs: The major features of the Ancient Greek political system were:

paragraphs: Later, in the Classical period, the leagues were fewer and larger, and dominated by one city (particularly Athens, Sparta and Thebes). Often cities would be compelled to join under threat of war (or as part of a peace treaty). After Philip II of Macedon 'conquered' the heartlands of ancient Greece, he did not attempt to annex the territory, or unify it into a new province. However, he did force most of the cities to join his own Corinthian League.

paragraphs: Some cities were democratic, some were aristocratic, and some were monarchies. Some had many revolutions in which one kind of government replaced another. One famous Greek kingdom is Macedon, which became briefly the largest empire the world had seen at the time by conquering the Persian empire (including ancient Egypt) and reaching into modern-day India. Other famous kingdoms are Epirus and Thessaly.

paragraphs: Monarchies in ancient Greece were not absolute because there was usually a council of older citizens ("the senate", or in Macedonia "the congress") who gave advice to the King. These men were not elected or chosen in a lottery like they were in the democratic city-states.

paragraphs: Citizens that could participate in government in Ancient Greece were usually men who were free-born in that city. Women, slaves and (usually) residents born elsewhere, did not have the right to vote. Details differed between cities. Athens is an example: The residents of Athens were of three groups: citizens, metics (resident aliens) and slaves. Citizens were residents whose forebears had been Athenians for three generations. Male citizens had the rights of free men and could be chosen to fulfill any official state position. "Of the estimated 150,000 residents of the city state of Attica, only about one fifth held the privilege of citizenship". Women who were citizens in Athens could not participate in political offices, but in Sparta they could.

paragraphs: The number of Greeks grew and soon they could not grow enough food for all the people. When this happened, a city would send people off to start a new city, known as a colony.

paragraphs: Because the terrain was rough, most travel was by sea. For this reason, many new cities were established along the coastline. First new cities were started in Anatolia (Asia Minor) and later along the Black Sea, in Cyprus, in southern Italy, in Sicily, and around what today is Benghazi in Libya. They even started a city, Naucratis, on the river Nile in Egypt. The cities of today, Syracuse, Naples, Marseille and Istanbul started as the Greek cities Syracusa, Neapolis, Massilia and Byzantium.

paragraphs: By the 6th century BC some cities became much more important than the others. They were Corinth, Thebes, Sparta, and Athens.

paragraphs: The Spartans were very well disciplined soldiers. They defeated the people who lived near them and those people had to farm the land for the Spartans. These "helots" had to give the Spartans part of the food they grew and so the Spartans did not have to work. Instead, they learned how to be better soldiers. There were not many Spartans but there were many helots. Spartan military strength controlled the helots. The Spartans had two hereditary kings who led them in war. At home they were also ruled by a group of old men called the Gerousia (the senate).

paragraphs: Athens became a democracy in 510 BC. The men came to a place in the center of the city and decided what to do. It was the first place in the world where the people decided what their country should do. They would talk and then vote on what to do at the Boule (the parliament). But the women did not vote. Athens had slaves. These slaves were owned by their masters and could be sold to someone else. The Athenian slaves were less free than the Spartan helots. Every year, Athenian citizens elected eight generals who led them in war.

paragraphs: In 499 BC, the Greek cities in Anatolia rebelled. They did not want Persia to rule them anymore. Athens sent 20 ships to fight the Persians on the sea. The Greeks in Anatolia were defeated. The Persian King, Darius decided to punish Athens. He sent soldiers and ships to fight Athens.

paragraphs: Athens asked for help from Sparta. Sparta wanted to help but could not; they had a religious festival at that time. Athens sent her soldiers against the Persian soldiers: at the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) they defeated the Persians. Then the help from Sparta came.

paragraphs: At the Battle of Thermopylae The Spartans were led by Leonidas, and resisted the huge Persian army. After a couple of days, a traitor called Ephialtes led the Persians around the pass behind the Greek army. Realising that defeat was inevitable, Leonidas released many of his men. Those who stayed knew it would be a fight to the death. Leonides kept elite "hoplites" (foot soldiers) who had living sons at home. There were also allied Thespians and Thebans who volunteered to stay.

paragraphs: On the third day, Leonidas led his 300 Spartan hoplites and their allies against Xerxes and his mighty army. The Spartan-led forces fought this Persian force to their deaths in order to block the pass long enough to keep Xerxes and his army occupied while the rest of the Greek army escaped.

paragraphs: After Thermopylae many Greeks wanted to go south to the Peloponnese. Because the Isthmus of Corinth, the way into the Peloponnese, is very narrow, many wanted to fight the Persians there.

paragraphs: Athens was north of Corinth and she had a navy. Athens' leader Themistocles wanted to fight the Persians by the island of Salamis. Xerxes decided to send his fleet against the Greek fleet before the Greek ships could go to the Peloponnese. The Greek fleet defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. Xerxes then went home with many of his soldiers but a Persian army stayed in Greece. This army was defeated at the Battle of Platea in 479 BC.

paragraphs: After the Persians were defeated at Platea, the Spartans did very little. However, Persia was still dangerous. Athens asked the Greek cities on the islands in the Aegean and in Anatolia to join her. These cities agreed because they were afraid of Persia. These cities formed the Delian League and Athens was their leader. Many of the cities of the Delian League had to pay Athens tribute money. Athens used the money to build many ships and the Parthenon. Sparta was still strong on land, but Athens was stronger on the sea. Several times there was war between Athens and Sparta. Then Athens decided to send many ships to Sicily to fight against the city Syracuse. Sparta sent help to Syracuse, and Athens was defeated. None of the Athenian ships came back.

paragraphs: Now Sparta wanted to build ships to fight Athens. It took a long time for Sparta to defeat Athens, but then at the Battle of Aegospotami the Spartans destroyed most of Athens's ships. The Athenians used a highly advanced type of ship known as Triremes. These highly advanced battle craft had sophisticated combat systems, and were propelled by oarsmen. On the front of the Trireme was a large bronze ram. The oarsmen would row the Trireme at an enemy boat very fast, and ram a hole into its hull. This was the most effective way for the trireme to destroy other boats. Sometimes, the soldiers (called hoplites) on the trireme would board the enemy ship and keep it for their own. Nevertheless, the Athenian fleet of Triremes was destroyed in a battle in 405 BC. Athens surrendered the following year and the war was over.

paragraphs: Men, if not working, fighting or discussing politics, could, at festival times, go to Ancient Greek theatre to watch dramas, comedies or tragedies. These often involved politics and the gods of Greek mythology. Women were not allowed to perform in the theatre; male actors played female roles.

paragraphs: Women did domestic work, such as spinning, weaving, cleaning and cooking. They were not involved in public life or politics. Women from rich families however, had slaves to carry out domestic work for them.

paragraphs: The famous Olympic games were held at Olympia every four years. They were for men only, and women were not allowed to attend, even as spectators. The sports included running, javelin throwing, discus throwing and wrestling. The Games were unusual, because the athletes could come from any Greek city.

paragraphs: Another competition, the Heraean Games, was held for women. It was also held at Olympus at a different time from the men's event.

paragraphs: The rules for girls in Sparta were different from other cities. They were trained in the same events as boys, because Spartans believed that strong women would produce strong babies who would become future warriors. Their girl athletes were unmarried and competed nude or wearing short dresses. Boys were allowed to watch the athletes, in the hopes of creating marriages and offspring.

paragraphs: Later, in the Classical period, girls could compete in the same festivals as males.


title: Samuel Beckett

paragraphs: Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was a writer of books, plays, and poetry. He also translated other famous works of literature. He was given the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

paragraphs: His most best-known play is "Waiting For Godot". It has often been acted on stage and has been on TV.

paragraphs: Beckett was stabbed in Paris in 1938. He died of emphysema in the city in 1989.

paragraphs: Many writers of plays (playwrights) and others think he is one of the most important writers of the 20th century. There have been many books written about him.


title: Vegetarianism

paragraphs: Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat or fish. People who follow vegetarianism are called vegetarians. Vegetarians eat foods like vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans and grains. Some vegetarians eat or drink animal products, like milk and eggs. They are called lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegetarian people may like tofu, falafel and other meat substitutes.

paragraphs: There are many reasons for not eating meat. Vegetarians are healthier than other people in some ways. Some people think that it is wrong to kill animals; others think that eating meat is bad for their health or the world. This is because land used for animals can be used to grow food. Some people may become vegetarians because their religion says not to eat animals.

paragraphs: Vegetarians who do not drink milk and eat eggs are called vegans. Vegans also often will not use animal products like leather, but many vegetarians do use animal products.

paragraphs: Some people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish or sea food are not vegetarians, because fish and sea creatures are also animals. Such people are sometimes called "pescetarians". There are also many people who are not vegetarians, but do not eat too much animal food. Some eat only very little meat (so-called "flexitarians" or "semi-vegetarians"), some eat only fowl ("pollotarians"). There is also a philosophy called freeganism, it means eating animal products only if otherwise they will be thrown away to garbage - such as food thrown away by restaurants.

paragraphs: There are several reasons why people choose to be vegetarians. It has many proven benefits on human health. Some think it is wrong or cruel to eat animals, since animals are killed and often feel pain. Other people may feel disgusted by meat or do not like the taste. A fourth reason is the effect on the environment. Producing meat (especially beef) uses more of the earth's land and water than eating food from plants. People may have more than one different reason for being a vegetarian.

paragraphs: A vegetarian diet or a diet very low in meat has proven good effects on human health. It takes work to put together a healthy vegetarian diet that has everything the human body needs. When people decide to become vegetarian, they usually think carefully about what they eat and choose healthy food. They also go to the trouble of finding fresh food more often. Vegetarians eat lots of antioxidants and natural fiber. Scientists say vegetarians are less likely to have heart disease, some kinds of cancer, obesity and diabetes.

paragraphs: Most vegetarians in the world are Hindu. Hinduism and Jainism in general teach vegetarianism, while Buddhism may or may not. Without any specific religion, some people in the Western world also follow a vegetarian diet because it may deepen inner spiritual connections (for example, James Redfield). Mahatma Gandhi said that spiritual experiences are greatly enhanced on a vegetarian diet.

paragraphs: Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. In today’s world, about twenty percent of all Hindus are vegetarians. There are approximately 200 million vegetarians in India, which has more people that do not eat meat than any other country. More vegetarians live in the South of India than in the North, possibly because the North is colder. For yoga and meditation, it is wise to be vegetarian.

paragraphs: The Hindu who believes in non-injury or nonviolence (ahimsa) naturally adopts a vegetarian diet. It is a matter of conscience more than anything else. The Vedic and Puranic scriptures of Hinduism explain that animals have souls and the act of killing animals brings bad karma because the killer will suffer the pain of the animal he has killed in this life or the next. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami adds that when we eat meat, fish, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration of the creatures into our nerves. This promotes fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment and the like. The Manu Dharma Shastras state, “When the diet is pure, the mind and heart are pure.” Generally there is the belief, based on scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, that one's food shapes the personality, mood and mind.


title: British

paragraphs: A British person or object comes from the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Northern Ireland. It is sometimes used by the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands (near France). It can also be used for some overseas places like Gibraltar (near Spain) or the Falkland Islands (near South America).

paragraphs: The term "British" is often used to describe something unique to the UK, for example British people, 'the British way of life' or 'the British weather'.

paragraphs: A British person can also be called a Briton. A unique symbol of the "British" is the Union Jack flag which is recognised globally as a symbol of the United Kingdom. The flag is made up of a combination of the flags of the countries that are part of the United Kingdom.

paragraphs: The British Isles are Great Britain, Ireland, and some smaller islands. The British Isles include the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

paragraphs: Although being British is a collective identity, the countries of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have separate identities and flags which make them unique.


title: Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

paragraphs: Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis is a video game for the PC and PlayStation 2. The goal of the game is to create a theme park and keep the park guests safe. The player can choose the island they build on and what dinosaurs to place in their park. They can choose up to 25 dinosaurs to add to the park. After the park is created, they can play 12 missions. After winning all missions, a game option called Site B is unlocked. With Site B, the player can create an island without any fences or people, just like the 3rd "Jurassic Park" movie.


title: Think Quest

paragraphs: ThinkQuest was an educational website. It was used by students of schools in the United States and other countries. It was run by the Oracle Education Foundation.

paragraphs: As of July 1, 2013, ThinkQuest was discontinued.


title: Terry Gilliam

paragraphs: Terry Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American-British cartoonist and filmmaker. He was born in Minnesota and grew up in California, but he now lives in England and is a British citizen.

paragraphs: He was a member of the British comedy team Monty Python. He designed animated sequences and acted in both their TV show and movies. He also directed the movies "Jabberwocky" (1976), "Time Bandits" (1981), "Brazil" (1985), "Baron Münchhausen" (1989), "Fisher King" (1991), "12 Monkeys" (1996), "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998), and "The Brothers Grimm" (2005).


title: John Cleese

paragraphs: John Marwood Cleese (born 27 October 1939) is an English actor and writer. He was born in Weston-super-Mare, England. He graduated from Downing College, Cambridge. Cleese has a degree in law. He was a member of the comedy team, Monty Python. He starred in the television sitcom, "Fawlty Towers" that he co-wrote with his first wife, Connie Booth, who played the role of Polly Sherman on the show. He plays Q in some of the James Bond movies.


title: Arthur Conan Doyle

paragraphs: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish doctor and author. He is well known because he wrote short stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. He also wrote science fiction and historical stories.

paragraphs: He became an agnostic by the time he left school. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University from 1876 to 1881. He wrote short stories in his spare time. In 1882, he started working as a doctor in Southsea. He carried on writing short stories while he waited for patients. His first Sherlock Holmes story that was published was "A Study in Scarlet".

paragraphs: Doyle's great gifts as a writer were story-telling and character. He created really memorable characters. Holmes' gift for deduction has been copied many times in fiction. The character was probably based on a doctor called Joseph Bell. Holmes himself and Watson were balanced by the evil genius Moriarty, one of the great villains in fiction.

paragraphs: After "A Study in Scarlet" came "The Sign of the Four", "The Valley of Fear" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The other Holmes stories were published in the "Strand Magazine". They were later collected together in five volumes, starting with "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes".

paragraphs: Conan Doyle also wrote "The Lost World", published in 1912. In it, Professor Challenger and his companions travel to find a large plateau in South America where dinosaurs still live.

paragraphs: Doyle's wife Louisa died in 1906. After the death of his son Kingsley just before the end of the First World War, and the deaths of his brother Innes, his two brothers-in-law and his two nephews shortly after the war, Doyle sank into depression. He found solace supporting spiritualism and its attempts to find proof of existence beyond the grave. He was a member of the renowned supernatural organisation The Ghost Club.


title: Ray Charles

paragraphs: Ray Charles (born Ray Charles Robinson) (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American musician.

paragraphs: Charles was born in Albany, Georgia and was raised in Greenville, Florida. When he was six he started going blind and was completely blind by age 7. He played jazz, soul, and R&B music. Charles never knew exactly why he lost his sight, though there are sources which suggest his blindness was due to glaucoma. He attended school at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. He also learned how to write music and play various musical instruments. While he was there, his father died, and his mother died five years later. Charles died in 2004 from liver failure.


title: Jalisco

paragraphs: Jalisco is a state of Mexico. The capital of Jalisco is called Guadalajara. It is next to the Pacific Ocean and the states of Nayarit, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, and Michoacan. It also has half of the Chapala Lake.


title: Ferrari

paragraphs: Ferrari is an Italian car company that makes fast luxurious cars. They are made in Italy and are very expensive. They usually cost $150,000 - $1,500,000.

paragraphs: Ferraris first car was the Ferrari 125 S

paragraphs: Ferrari has a rich racing history and is a well known premium car brand. The fastest street Ferrari is the F50 GT1, which can go over 370 kph (about 222 mph).

paragraphs: The most powerful Ferrari is the FXX, which has about 800 horsepower. The FXX is a lighter, improved version of the F60 Enzo; it is Ferrari's most exclusive model, which you have to be chosen to own. It is basically a race car that you can buy from Ferrari. The car is so extreme (completely flat tires, low ride height, and no roadcar safety features such as Airbags) that it cannot be driven on roads legally. Ferrari will keep it for you at their Factory in Maranello in Italy. You can go to Italy and drive it on their private race track, or have it transported to another race track around the world, the same as if you were driving for a racing team. Thirty have been built and all but two were sold to customers for $2,500,000 each. Ferrari gave one to seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacer, who had driven for Ferrari for ten years when he retired in 2006, having brought Ferrari much success. Ferrari made his FXX different by painting it black. The other twenty-nine are either red or white, with stripes painted in the other colour.


title: Fiat

paragraphs: Fiat is a car company in Italy. It was founded in Turin in 1899. It also made some planes between 1920s and 1970s. Some of their cars by year: Fiat is currently owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles or F.C.A for short, the company was formed by merging Chrysler and Fiat S.p.a.


title: Daihatsu

paragraphs: The Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd. makes small cars and trucks. The company is part of the same manufacturing group that includes Toyota Motor Ltd. The company was set up in 1907. Examples of their cars are the Daihatsu Charade, the Rocky Four Wheel Drive SUV and the Daihatsu Copen. Daihatsu cars and trucks are notable for their rugged construction and high level of finish. After a brief, unsuccessful attempt at the U.S. market toward the end of the 20th century, the company withdrew from the U.S. in 1999. The Subaru Sambar is also made by this company.


title: Hydrocarbon

paragraphs: A hydrocarbon is a type of chemical compound. It is made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.

paragraphs: They can be found in crude oil and are separated by fractional distillation (which means they are separated into different groups). The hydrogen and carbon are bonded with non-polar covalent bonds. Because of its lack of polar covalent bonds, hydrocarbons cannot create hydrogen bonds with water and are hydrophobic.

paragraphs: Hydrocarbons are grouped into "families" or "homologous series". There are five main families. The hydrocarbons in each family have a general formula and similar chemical properties, and similar trends in physical properties. This system was approved in 1892 by the International Congress of Chemists, meeting in Geneva.

paragraphs: Alkanes are the simplest hydrocarbons. Their general formula is CH.

paragraphs: Alkenes are similar to alkanes. The main difference between them is that alkenes have a carbon to carbon double bond. The general formula for the alkenes is CH.

paragraphs: Note that there is no "Methene". Methene is not possible as alkenes require a carbon-carbon double bond and methane only has one carbon atom.

paragraphs: Alkynes have a carbon to carbon triple bond. CH is their general formula.

paragraphs: "Methyne" does not exist because of methane's one carbon atom.

paragraphs: Cycloalkanes are isomers of alkenes. They have the same general formula (CH), the only difference is that they do not have a carbon to carbon double bond.

paragraphs: Note that the alkene Ethene does not have a cycloalkane as it can only form a straight line.

paragraphs: Alkadienes have two carbon to carbon double bonds. Their general formula is CH. They are isomers of Alkynes.

paragraphs: In a similar manner, there can also exist alkatriene (three carbon to carbon bonds) and other forms. The versatile nature of Carbon's chemistry allows for a nearly infinite number of configurations and compounds.

paragraphs: Aromatic hydrocarbons are aromatic organic molecules that form flat ring-shaped bonds. The most simplest of aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene and indole. They can have one ring, "heterocyclic", like benzene or 2 rings, "bicyclic" like napthalene (primary ingredient in mothballs) or many rings, "polycyclic" like anthracene (red dye colourant).

paragraphs: Their general formula is CH, where n is a number greater than or equal to 6.


title: Shanghai

paragraphs: Shanghai (, ; ) is the biggest city in China and one of the world's largest cities. It had about 24,000,000 people in 2017. It is so big and important that it is a special province-level city ("municipality"), like Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing. Right now, it is the biggest port in the world.

paragraphs: The Mandarin Chinese name of Shanghai is "Shànghǎi", which is written as in Chinese characters. This name means "On-the-Sea" because Shanghai used to be next to the East China Sea. Today, dirt from the Yangtze River has made Pudong much bigger and downtown Shanghai is about from the open sea. The city has become so big, though, that its government now controls other areas like Pudong and Fengxian that are still beside the sea.

paragraphs: Shanghai's name is a little simpler than most other Chinese cities' names, because it was a small fishing village for a long time. The short way to say its name in Chinese is still "Hù" (). A hu was an old kind of fishing trap that was made with bamboo and nets. The people around Shanghai used to use them to catch fish and crabs in Suzhou Creek and other waterways.

paragraphs: Shanghai is at the mouth of the Yangtze River, where it meets the East China Sea in the middle of China's east coast. Downtown Shanghai is located just south of the place where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River. This is about southwest of where the Huangpu meets the Yangtze River. The area between downtown and the Yangtze used to be farmland and other cities like Wusong and Baoshan, but now Shanghai is so big that they are part of it.

paragraphs: For most of China's history, Shanghai was a small fishing village. The big cities nearby were Suzhou and Hangzhou. Under the Ming and Qing, Shanghai had a big city wall and started to grow.

paragraphs: Under the Ming and the Qing, people from other countries could only buy and sell things with China on an island near Guangzhou. The British began selling Indian drugs to pay for all the tea and other things they were buying from China. In the 1840s, China tried to stop them and the British started a war. To keep them from hurting Nanjing, the Chinese agreed to let them keep selling drugs. They also let the British start buying and selling things at four other cities, including Shanghai. Soon, parts of Shanghai were controlled by the UK, the US, and France. This control was ended by the Japanese during World War II.

paragraphs: The Chinese Communist Party was founded in Shanghai.

paragraphs: Shanghai attracts many tourists each year. Its landmarks include:

paragraphs: Shanghai Disneyland Park, Happy Valley, Jinjiang Amusement Park

paragraphs: Shanghai Library, Shanghai Grand Theater, Tianzifang arts, crafts, and folklore

paragraphs: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China Art Museum, Shanghai Natural Museum,

paragraphs: Sheshan, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, Shanghai Wildlife Park

paragraphs: Nanjing Road, People's Square, Wan State Building Expo Group, the Bund, Zhujiajiao, Old City of Shanghai

paragraphs: City God Temple of Shanghai, Confucian Temple of Shanghai, Jing'an Temple, Jade Buddha Temple, Longhua Temple

paragraphs: Shanghai World Financial Center, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower

paragraphs: Shanghai is home to the China Stock Exchange, along with Shenzhen, and is the financial center of China.


title: Hunter S. Thompson

paragraphs: Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American writer.

paragraphs: He was known for a unique style of writing which he called Gonzo journalism, where the writer writes about himself trying to write about what was happening around him.

paragraphs: He was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and spent most of his adult life on his ranch in Colorado. He committed suicide in Woody Creek, Colorado by shooting himself in the head. His main topic was the health of the American Dream.


title: Johnny Depp

paragraphs: John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, producer and musician.

paragraphs: Depp is the son of an engineer and a waiter. He is of, Belgian (Flemish), Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, Northern Irish (Scotch-Irish), Scottish and Welsh descent. He grew up with his brother Danny and his sisters Debbie and Christie spent a lot of time with his grandfather. When his grandfather died, Depp was seven years old. His family went to Florida and in the next years, they had to change homes often. Johnny became worse at school and had his first experiences with drugs at the age of 12. He was thrown out of school for smoking pot in the back of the school and started to make music in a band called "The Flame", and later on "The Kids".

paragraphs: His first movie was "Nightmare on Elm Street" in 1984, which was a success. Afterwards, he decided to go to an acting school in Los Angeles. He got a small part in the movie "Platoon" and shortly after this, he was offered a part in the TV series "21 Jump Street" which he first turned down but finally accepted.

paragraphs: Since then he has been a star. He became a teen idol, which he didn't like. His drug use at that time generated headlines, but his career went on and he acted in lots of movies.

paragraphs: Depp is one of Hollywood's most popular actors who can play a huge range of roles. Normally he plays rather odd characters, for example in "Finding Neverland". He is not only liked for his looks but also for his acting talent and his funny (and sometimes strange) actions.

paragraphs: His ex-wife is Lori Allison. He was engaged to Sherilyn Fenn in the late 1980s. He had a four-year relationship with Winona Ryder in the mid-1990s. He has a daughter, Lily-Rose Melody (born 1999) and a son John (Jack) Christopher III (born 2002) by his former partner, French singer Vanessa Paradis. He began a relationship with Amber Heard in 2012. The couple married in February 2015. She filed for divorce in May 2016.

paragraphs: Depp lives in Los Angeles. Depp has bought an island, which helps him calm his nerves. Amber Heard falsely accused him of abuse and tried to ruin his career, however in 2020 Johnny released audios where she admitted to be the abuser.

paragraphs: Throughout his life, Depp has had many jobs. He has owned a nightclub, called 'The Viper Room'.


title: Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

paragraphs: Uncle John's Bathroom Readers is the name of a series of books aimed at people who like to read while using the restroom. The books are full of trivia.

paragraphs: There are several other books in the series, aside from the "Classics" and the "For Kids Only." Over 3 million of the books have been sold in total.


title: Catalonia

paragraphs: Catalonia (; ; ) is a Spanish autonomous community. It is south of the eastern Pyrenees, and has a northern border with France. Catalonia is made up of four provinces: Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona () and Lleida (). It has a population of over 7 million people. Catalonia has three official languages: Catalan, Spanish and Occitan. The last is spoken in a small region of northern Catalonia that borders France and is known in Occitan as Val d'Aran.

paragraphs: The capital of Catalonia is the Barcelona, the home of the Olympic Games in 1992. and is on the Mediterranean Coast. Between Costa del Garraf and Costa del Maresme, Barcelona very popular in summer for tourists, foreign or national.

paragraphs: The Catalan people have autonomy within Spain and so they have their own local government and their own police and some control over their own community. In September 2005, the Catalan Parliament decided to call Catalonia a 'nation' in the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which was approved in 2006. According to the Spanish Constitution, Spain is a group of historical nationalities and regions, but that declaration has no judicial status since it appears in only the preamble to the constitution.

paragraphs: Catalonia is one of Southern Europe's most prosperous regions, mostly because industrialization, especially in the textile industry, began in it earlier and took place faster than in other Spanish territories. The region is also greener than Southern Spain as it gets more rain, and it has different kinds of crops agrown. Catalonia, especially the northern part, is much less hot than the rest of Spain.

paragraphs: On 27 October 2017, Catalonia declared independence from Spain after a vote in parliament, but that has not been recognised by the international community.


title: Civil engineering

paragraphs: Civil engineering is the term for the work of designing and building infrastructure. It usually means large structures, like bridges, dams, buildings, and tunnels. It also covers complicated networks such as water, irrigation and sewerage networks. It also covers the construction of houses and homes. Civil engineers can be involved in all stages in the life of infrastructure, from planning and construction to maintenance and demolition. Civil engineering often overlaps with architecture.

paragraphs: Civil engineering has many different areas or disciplines. Some important areas are geotechnical, structures, environmental, construction management, hydrology, transportation, and materials. It is important for civil engineers to have an understanding of all these disciplines as projects often involve many of them at the same time.

paragraphs: Civil engineers are responsible for lots of the things that are required for a society to function properly. Safe water supplies, sewage treatment, roads, railways and buildings are all part of civil engineering.

paragraphs: To work in civil engineering requires training. Construction workers will train at a center and 'on the job' (training while doing the job), sometimes with apprenticeship.

paragraphs: To be a professional in civil engineering requires study at a university or college. Civil engineers often study subjects like structures, materials, physics and calculus.

paragraphs: The profession of civil engineering is represented by professional bodies in various countries. In the UK the Institution of Civil Engineers promotes civil engineering as a discipline and supports engineers throughout their careers. The American Society of Civil Engineers performs a similar task in the USA.

paragraphs: Professional engineers often choose to become Chartered Engineers. Chartership shows employers and clients that they are both qualified and experienced in their jobs. Civil engineers usually have to write a big essay and take an interview with a panel of experienced engineers to gain chartership.


title: Comparison

paragraphs: A comparison is an evaluation of similarities and differences.


title: Golden Gate Bridge

paragraphs: The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses over the San Francisco Bay, going from San Francisco to Marin County, in the U.S. state of California. It was opened for use in 1937. When the bridge was finished, its length of 9,266 ft (2824 m) made it the longest bridge in the world. It carries U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1. There is also a footpath for people and bicycles.

paragraphs: Before the bridge, the only way to go north from San Francisco to Marin County was by ferryboat. The trip by ferry took 20 minutes to complete. Before the bridge was built, San Francisco was the biggest American city still served mostly by ferries. Some experts did not think that people could build a bridge because the water currents between Marin and San Francisco were very strong. Also, the water was very deep in the middle - 102 m - and there was a lot of wind and fog that could make building a bridge difficult.

paragraphs: In 1916, San Francisco's city engineer asked other engineers to offer ideas for a bridge. One man, Joseph Strauss, designed a very cheap bridge - only $17 million, but many thought it was ugly. Local authorities asked him to change the design and to work with other experts. He agreed. He and other experts, especially architect Irving Morrow, designed the bridge again, this time as a suspension bridge. A suspension bridge has tall towers that hold long cables, and the cables hold up or "suspend" the bridge.

paragraphs: The bridge is called the Golden Gate Bridge because it crosses the Golden Gate Strait, the area of water between the San Francisco peninsula and the Marin County peninsula.

paragraphs: In 1930, people in San Francisco and Marin County agreed that the local governments could sell bonds to the public to raise money for the bridge. The new bridge was going to cost $30.1 million. But it was difficult for the governments to sell the bonds at the time because of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Finally, the Bank of America, which was based in San Francisco, agreed to buy all the bonds to help the local economy.

paragraphs: Construction began on January 5, 1933 and was finished in April 1937. Eleven men died during the construction, so the builders put a net under the bridge for the safety of the builders. Nineteen men were saved by the net.

paragraphs: When they finished the bridge, they painted it with a reddish-orange sealant, a type of paint that protects the bridge from water and humidity. People liked the color because it looked good with the bridge's surroundings and it was easy to see in the fog, so the bridge was officially painted with the color, called International Orange.

paragraphs: People can cross the bridge in cars or motorcycles any time. During daylight hours, they can cross by bicycle or on foot. They can not cross the bridge on roller skates, skateboards, or mopeds.

paragraphs: People often jump off the bridge to commit suicide (kill themselves). They fall 75 meters and most of them die when they hit the water. Over 1600 people committed suicide by jumping off the bridge.

paragraphs: When the bridge opened, drivers had to pay 50 cents to cross the bridge in either direction. Today, when drivers go north on the bridge (leaving San Francisco) they do not have to pay, but starting on September 2, 2008, when going south (entering San Francisco), they have to pay $6 if they pay cash or $5 if they buy a Fastrak pass. On April 7, 2014, the tolls increased as part of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District five-year toll and transit fare programs.


title: Kitchen

paragraphs: The kitchen is the room in the house where food is cooked. Sometimes, people eat in their kitchens, too. Hotels, schools, and places where people work often have kitchens as well. A person who works in a kitchen in one of these places may be a kitchen worker or a chef (depending on where he/she cooks). An outdoor kitchen at a campsite might be placed near a well, water pump, or water tap, and it might provide tables for food preparation. A kitchen have many cooking appliances such as cookers, air fryers etc.


title: Software engineering

paragraphs: Software engineering is a field of engineering, for designing and writing programs for computers or other electronic devices. A software engineer, or programmer, writes software (or changes existing software) and compiles software using methods that improve it. Better quality software is easier to use. Better documentation helps other people understand and maintain it and add new features. Becoming a software engineer requires experience and practice writing code. Software engineering may be very difficult work. It may be repeated during the software release life cycle.

paragraphs: Software engineering can broadly be split into the following steps:

paragraphs: Software engineers use many tools and practices in making software. Some of the most common are:


title: Student

paragraphs: A student is a person who goes to school and is learning something. Students can be children, teenagers, or adults who are going to school, but it may also be other people who are learning, such as in college or university. A younger student is often called a pupil. Usually, students will learn from a teacher or a lecturer if at university. They also do much reading. A student can also be a person studying for a specific profession. Where the teaching is called "training" the student may be called a "trainee".

paragraphs: Students in school learn subjects. There are many subjects in school like:


title: Suburb

paragraphs: A suburb is an area of a town or city, a little away from Downtown, where there are fewer big buildings and mainly houses, schools and shops. Such places are called suburbs. Sometimes, the suburbs cover a very large area. The suburbs are part of the metropolitan area and may be legally part of the main city.

paragraphs: Since the Industrial revolution, urbanization has spread very quickly and far. Transport in the form of trams, buses, trains and cars allows commuting from distant homes to work in the inner city. This led to the growth of suburbs as residential areas. Housing commonly includes Detached houses and semi-detached houses and flats. Houses are built farther apart than in the inner city and there is often space for gardens and parks.

paragraphs: As cities grow outwards, they begin to take over the surrounding countryside. Authorities have created Green belts on the undeveloped land around a city to prevent urban sprawl and to prevent the towns and cities merging into one. They also encourage development within the town, and protect the countryside. The need for new houses, particularly large detached and semi-detached houses in pleasant surroundings, means that some areas of green belt land have been built on and others are threatened. That's because it is cheaper to build on empty land than to redevelop brownfield sites in older parts of the town or city.


title: Skyscraper

paragraphs: A skyscraper is a very tall high-rise building, usually more than 152 metres (500 feet) in height. Most skyscrapers are built in urban areas such as cities, and they are very common in the central business district (also called downtown) areas of many large cities including New York City, Chicago, London, Paris, Sydney, Beijing, Berlin, Toronto, Moscow, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

paragraphs: Originally, the word skyscraper meant a tall sail on a sailing ship. Over time, the word's meaning has changed, and today it means a tall building. Until the nineteenth century, buildings taller than six stories tall were not common. Tall buildings made of weak materials would fall down. In addition, people did not like walking up many steps and running water could only be brought up to fifty feet (15m) high.

paragraphs: Better technology helped make skyscrapers more common. Stronger building materials such as steel and reinforced concrete were developed, so stronger buildings could be made. Water pumps brought water up to heights above fifty feet.

paragraphs: The first building to be considered a skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago, Illinois in the United States, and was designed by William LeBaron Jenney. The building, ten stories high, was built from 1884 to 1885. It was destroyed in 1931 because they wanted to build another building in its previous place.

paragraphs: In the same year the Home Insurance Building was destroyed, one of the oldest and most famous skyscrapers, the Empire State Building, opened in New York City. Later in the 20th century, people started building skyscrapers in cities that did not have many tall buildings in the past. In 1973, the then-called Sears Tower in Chicago was finished and became the world's tallest building until the late 1990s. It took the record from the World Trade Center in New York City, which opened in 1970 but was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

paragraphs: Many taller buildings have been built since then, including Taipei 101 in Taipei. This building was the world's tallest from 2004 until 2008, when the Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened. Burj Khalifa is at this time the tallest building and man-made structure ever made, but the Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, which is still being built, will be even taller.


title: Integer

paragraphs: In mathematics, integers are the natural numbers and their negatives. Integers can also be shown on a number line as follows:

paragraphs: In particular, zero is also an integer, but it is not positive nor negative. "Integer" is another word for "whole". An integer is a rational number with no "fraction", or part. An integer is a decimal number with all zeros after the decimal separator. For example, the integer 17 is the same as the decimal 17.0 or 17.0000.

paragraphs: An integer has a next smaller number and a next larger number. There is no smallest integer, just as there is no largest integer. Each integer is either larger than, equal to, or smaller than any other integer. Consecutive integers are integers that come after each other (as in formula_2).

paragraphs: The sum of integers is an integer. The difference between integers is an integer. The product of integers is an integer (for example, (12 + 2345 x (67 - 8) ) x 9 is an integer). An integer divided by an integer is sometimes not an integer (as in the case of 123 / 45).

paragraphs: formula_3 or formula_4 is the name of the set of integers, and formula_5 the set of positive integers. (formula_3, +, 0) is an abelian group.

paragraphs: The number of integers is infinite. The cardinal number of formula_3 is formula_8. The ordinal number of formula_3 is formula_10.

paragraphs: To sum up, an integer is a whole number that has no decimals.

paragraphs: In some programming languages, like C, there are types called "int" or "integer."


title: Natural number

paragraphs: Natural numbers, also called counting numbers, are the numbers used for counting things. Natural numbers are the numbers small children learn about when they first started to count. Natural numbers are always whole numbers (integers excluding negative numbers) and often exclude zero, in which case one is the smallest natural number. The set of natural numbers can be represented by the symbol formula_1.

paragraphs: There is no largest natural number. The next natural number can be found by adding 1 to the current natural number, producing numbers that go on "forever". There is no natural number that is infinite in size. Any natural number can be reached by adding 1 enough times to the smallest natural number.

paragraphs: The following types of numbers are not natural numbers:

paragraphs: formula_19 or formula_1 is the way to write the set of all natural numbers. Because some people say 0 is a natural number, and some people say it is not, people use the following symbols to talk about the natural numbers:


title: Golden Rule

paragraphs: The Golden Rule is a moral which says "treat others as you would like them to treat you". This moral in various forms has been used as a basis for society in many cultures and civilizations. It is called the 'golden' rule because there is value in having this kind of respect and caring attitude for one another.

paragraphs: People of many religions see the value of this mandate and have similar expressions. In Christianity, Jesus Christ taught this idea to his disciples and others when he gave his Sermon on the Mount. It is recorded in the Holy Bible in the book of Matthew, Chapter 7 and verse 12. Jesus explained to his listeners that all the things that were recorded in the Jewish law and that the prophets had taught about concerning morality was summed up in this one rule. The context of this statement (Matthew 7) is about God's mercy and kindness. The principle that was shared is to not always treat others as they might deserve to be treated, as we may judge some as undeserving, but instead to always be merciful and charitable, not withholding good.

paragraphs: In other religions and belief systems there is a similar concept of "the ethic of reciprocity", also called the Golden Rule. They usually give a similar idea, although sometimes it has been expressed in the form such as "Do not treat others as you would not like to be treated."

paragraphs: One of the earliest rules of this type is from the Old Testament days of Moses: "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18). Similar rules have also appeared over time:


title: Leicester

paragraphs: Leicester () is a city in the East Midlands region of England and it is the county town of Leicestershire.

paragraphs: In the 2011 census the population of Leicester was about 330,000. The city is also the 11th largest by population in England and the 13th largest in the United Kingdom.

paragraphs: Leicester is about 2,000 years old and was called "Ratae Corieltauvorum" when it was founded by the Romans. After the Romans had gone and the Anglo-Saxons settled there the town of Leicester was founded and named after the River Soar (then called Leire) and "cester" meaning the Roman ruins. Much later, after the invasion by the Danes, Leicester was within the area under Danish rule and one of the fortified "Five Burghs". In early modern times it became a centre of the manufacture of boots, shoes and knitted clothes such as socks.

paragraphs: Since 1926 there has been a Church of England diocese of Leicester and in 1927 the Church of St Martin became Leicester Cathedral. As well as different forms of Christianity many other religions have followers in the city including Islam and Hinduism. The UK census in 2001 showed that 17.4% of people in Leicester said that they had no religion.

paragraphs: Leicester has a wide variety of people from other countries, including many from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Leicester also has communities of people from the Caribbean, Somalia, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Iran, Poland and many other countries. Many of these communities have their own community organisations. As well as English about 70 other languages are spoken in the city.

paragraphs: Leicester is well known for having residents from many different cultural backgrounds. People who believe that they are having problems because of racism can get help from The Race Equality Centre.

paragraphs: Leicester has three MPs: Jon Ashworth (Leicester South), Liz Kendall (Leicester West) and Claudia Webbe (Leicester East). All three are members of the Labour Party.

paragraphs: On 5 May 2011, Sir Peter Soulsby became the first directly elected Mayor of Leicester. He is called the City Mayor. Leicester also has a Lord Mayor for ceremonies.

paragraphs: Leicester City Council has 54 councillors. At the moment there are 52 from the Labour party and one Independent and one Liberal Democrat. Leicester is divided into 22 wards for local government which include the city centre and many suburban areas.

paragraphs: Leicester has a very large covered outdoor market. The market has been in the same place for 700 years. The city also has two shopping centres: Haymarket and the much larger Highcross.

paragraphs: Leicester has several museums. The biggest and best known is the New Walk Museum.

paragraphs: The city has many parks, including Abbey Park and Victoria Park. There is also a botanical garden in Oadby, which is a town south of Leicester.

paragraphs: Leicester has a race course, which is also in Oadby.

paragraphs: There are two hospitals in the city (Leicester General Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary) and one just outside the city (Glenfield Hospital).

paragraphs: The city is the home of Leicester City F.C. the Leicester Football Club who are also known as the Foxes. Leicester is also home to a rugby club called the Leicester Tigers. It also has a cricket team for adults and juniors called Leicestershire CCC (county cricket club).

paragraphs: Leicester has two universities: the University of Leicester and De Montfort University. It also has several further education colleges, the largest one is Leicester College.

paragraphs: There are two bus stations: Haymarket and St. Margaret's (which is also a coach station). The train station is on London Road. Leicester is about 75 minutes from London by train.

paragraphs: Many trade union branches in the city and county are members of Leicester and District Trades Union Council.

paragraphs: The local newspaper is called "The Leicester Mercury".


title: Hollywood

paragraphs: Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California. It is very famous around the world as a place where movies and television series are made. It has many different attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios and the famous Hollywood Sign. Many tourists come to Hollywood to see all of these things. Because of the importance of Hollywood in the movie industry of the United States, the whole industry is often called "Hollywood", even though not all movies are made in Hollywood. This use of the word "Hollywood" is called metonymy.

paragraphs: Many historic Hollywood theatres are used as venues and concert stages to premiere major theatrical releases (Hauptkinostarts) and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism and home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 and the first star was placed in 1960. It is a sidewalk along the Hollywood Boulevard and the USA. There are more than 2000 five-points stars on the walk featuring the names of artists working in the entertainment industry.

paragraphs: The first movie to be made entirely in Hollywood was the 17-minute short "In Old California". It was directed by D. W. Griffith. It was released in 1910.

paragraphs: On the mountain overlooking Hollywood, there is a sign that is made of very big letters, spelling out its name. It´s called the "Hollywood sign". The huge Hollywood sign was built in 1923.


title: Saturday Night Live

paragraphs: Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a popular American television program. It has been broadcast on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. It is one of the longest-running television programs in American television. It is broadcast from NBC studios in New York City. The name comes from the fact that the program is aired live on Saturday nights at 11:30 PM EST. This is a rarity in the age of filming and videotape. "SNL" is shown in re-runs in the summer and on cable TV. The program usually consists of the following:

paragraphs: "Saturday Night Live" was created and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels and started in 1975 as "NBC's Saturday Night". Many famous comic actors got their starts being cast members on the program. The show has led to several movies, books, DVDs, and has been the inspiration for a couple of other TV shows. It has been nominated for 183 Emmy Awards and won 42.

paragraphs: ""Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"" is said near the beginning of every episode.

paragraphs: Many actors have come and gone in the history of Saturday Night Live. Here is a list of some of those actors and how long they lasted on the show.