title: FC Twente

paragraphs: FC Twente is a football club from Enschede in the Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie and also in the UEFA Champions League.

paragraphs: Twente plays its games in the Grolsch Veste (a capacity of 30 000).

paragraphs: FC Twente currently holds the national cup and the Johan Cruijff Schaal. In season 2010/11 they ended second in the league.

paragraphs: FC Twente was founded on 1 July 1965 as a combination of Sportclub Enschede and Enschedes Boys. The two professional football teams in Enschede at that time (Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys) had both money problems and were forced to merge. FC Twente started in the Eredivisie (highest Dutch league) and within a few years they were part of the top of Dutch football. Between 1970 and 1980 they came close to several prizes, but they always lost the final. In 1974 the ended second in the Eredivisie and in 1975 the lost the Dutch cup final as well as the UEFA Cup final (after beating Juventus in the semi-final). Only in 1978 they won the Dutch Cup (by beating PEC Zwolle in the final with 3-0). In the next decade (1980-1990) the club went down hill, with the relegation to the Eerste Divisie (second tier of Dutch football) in 1983 as all-time low. Twente was back in the Eredivisie within a year however. In the nineties Twente played a modest role in Dutch football, usually ending around the 5th place in the Eredivisie.

paragraphs: In the first decade of the 21st century the golden era started. In 2001 FC Twente won the Dutch cup by beating PSV Eindhoven in the final with a penalty shootout. This victory caused huge celebrations in the eastern part of the Netherlands. This showed the popularity of the club in the region, eventhough FC Twente almost never wins a prize. In 2003 the club almost went bankrupt and Joop Munsterman took over as chairman. He understood the potential of this club and developed a plan to increase the sportive, economic and social capacity of Twente. In 2008 the stadium size was increased from 13,500 to 24,000 seats. In 2011 the stadium was further increased to 30,000 seats. FC Twente again played on the top of the Dutch league, resulting in their first national title in 2010. Also the Intertoto Cup was won in 2006, the Johan Cruijff Schaal was won in 2010 and 2011 and the Dutch cup in 2011. In these years FC Twente also started a social programm to help unemployed people to find a job, encourage handicaped people to do sports and to give away free seats in the stadium to people that cannot afford a ticket.

paragraphs: "For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers winter 2011–12 and List of Dutch football transfers summer 2012."


title: James and the Giant Peach (movie)

paragraphs: James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 Disney animated movie and released to movie theaters by Buena Vista Pictures.

paragraphs: Based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same name, the movie is about a boy named James.


title: Eddie Griffin (basketball)

paragraphs: Eddie Jamaal Griffin (May 30, 1982 – August 17, 2007) was an American professional basketball player. He last played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. Months later, he was killed in a car crash. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


title: Target Field

paragraphs: Target Field is the home baseball park of the Minnesota Twins. It is in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the team's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field in 2010 after 28 seasons at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It is the first stadium built just for the Twins. Twins staff moved in on January 4, 2010.


title: Xcel Energy Center

paragraphs: Xcel Energy Center (The X) is a multi-purpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy.

paragraphs: It is home of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League and the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League.

paragraphs: It is owned by the city of Saint Paul and operated by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.

paragraphs: It is on the same block as the RiverCentre convention facility, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.


title: Honeycrisp

paragraphs: Honeycrisp ("Malus domestica" 'Honeycrisp') is an apple cultivar that was made at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's Horticultural Research Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Named in 1974 as the MN 1711, and released in 1991, the Honeycrisp has rapidly become a prized commercial commodity, as its sweetness, firmness, and tartness make it a good apple for eating raw. The Honeycrisp also keeps its pigment well and has a long shelf life when kept in cool, dry areas.


title: Tom Pyatt

paragraphs: Thomas Cullum Pyatt (born February 14, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre that played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also played for the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. He has also played for the Montreal Canadiens from 2009 to 2011. He is the son of former NHL player Nelson Pyatt and brother of New York Rangers forward Taylor Pyatt.


title: Paper mill

paragraphs: A paper mill is a factory that produces paper, usually using vegetable fibers or wood pulp. Wood and other raw materials are cut into small chips and cooked with chemicals in large vessels. The chemicals separate a substance called "cellulose" from the wood fibres. The cellulose is then added with other chemicals and additives, and pressed into paper in large machines called "paper machines". Most paper is made from pine, spruce and eucalyptus. Other things often used include rags.


title: Louise Glück

paragraphs: Louise Elisabeth Glück (born April 22, 1943) is an American poet. She was born and raised in New York City. She has won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1993 for her book "The Wild Iris" and National Book Award of Poetry in 2014 for her book "Faithful and Virtuous Night". She was the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2003.

paragraphs: In 2020, she was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature.


title: Sailing

paragraphs: Sailing is the craft of controlling a boat that uses the force of the wind as a source of movement. Sailing boats were very important to move cargo and people. Starting at the end of the 19th century they were gradually replaced by the boats that used steam to generate motion. Today, sailing is a hobby some people have. In some regions of the world, sailing vessels still keep their importance.

paragraphs: Many military forces also have sailing vessels for the purpose of training.

paragraphs: Sailing is also a competitive sport. It is one of the sports in the Olympic Games.


title: Ben Gibbard

paragraphs: Ben Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American singer. He is the lead singer of the indie bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. He is also a solo artist. He was married to actress and musician Zooey Deschanel from 2009 to 2012.


title: Danny Lennon

paragraphs: Danny Lennon (born 6 April 1970) is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is currently the manager of Scottish Premier League side St Mirren.


title: Chip Ganassi Racing

paragraphs: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an American racing team that is one of the best teams in American racing. They compete in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, and sportscar racing. Their IndyCar drivers are Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, and Charlie Kimball. Dixon is the current IndyCar champion, which he won for the third time in 2013. Ganassi's NASCAR team's drivers are Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson. Their sportscar team's drivers are Scott Pruett, Marino Franchitti, and Memo Rojas.

paragraphs: Two of Ganassi's IndyCar cars and one of their NASCAR teams are sponsored by Target. The drivers of the Target sponsored cars are often in Target advertising and posters of them can be seen in many Target stores.


title: Ishmaelites

paragraphs: Ishmaelites are the descendants of Ishmael, the oldest son of Abraham. Today, the descendants of Ishmael are mainly living in Arabian Peninsula and are called Arabs. Ishmael was born of Hagar, the servant of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Isaac, Sarah's son, is the father of the Israelites.


title: SOAP (protocol)

paragraphs: SOAP, or the Simple Object Access Protocol is a protocol used in computing. Web services use this protocol to communicate. SOAP uses XML to encode a message. It uses other application-layer protocols, for transport, and content negotiation, for example HTTP and Remote procedure call. The most common combination is to use SOAP with HTTP and TCP. There are different versions, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2. Since version 1.2 the protocol is simply called "SOAP". This is because the protocol is not "simple", and that it can be used for other purposes than accessing objects.

paragraphs: SOAP is a lightweight protocol intended for exchanging structured information in a decentralized, distributed environment. SOAP uses XML technologies to define an extensible messaging framework, which provides a message construct that can be exchanged over a variety of underlying protocols. The framework has been designed to be independent of any particular programming model and other implementation specific semantics.

paragraphs: The core section of the SOAP specification is the messaging framework. The SOAP messaging framework defines a suite of XML elements for "packaging" arbitrary XML messages for transport between systems.

paragraphs: The framework consists of the following core XML elements: Envelope, Header, Body, and Fault, all of which are from the http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/ namespace in SOAP 1.1. I've provided the full XML Schema definition for SOAP 1.1 in the following code for your reference as you read through the remainder of this section. Personally, I find it helpful to inspect the schema whenever familiarizing myself with XML constructs.SOAP UI is a tool use to test whether SOAP is sending and receiving the messages properly as part of Unit testing in IT projects.


title: Jamaica, Land We Love

paragraphs: "Jamaica, Land We Love" is the national anthem of Jamaica. The words were written by Hugh Sherlock and the music was composed by Robert Lightbourne and arranged by Mapletoft Poulle.


title: Bethel, Maine

paragraphs: Bethel is a town in northern Maine. It is part of the Oxford County. In 2002, there were 2,411 people living in the town.


title: Usain Bolt

paragraphs: Usain St. Leo Bolt was born in 1986 and is a Jamaican runner and eight-time Olympic gold-medal winner. He is also known as "Lightning Bolt". Some people call him the fastest man in the world. He has run 100 metres in 9.58 seconds and 200 metres in 19.30 seconds. He took part in the 2012 London Olympics, and won gold in the 100

paragraphs: Usain Bolt won the IAAF Grand Prize in 100 meter dash on May 31st, 2008 at Icahn Stadium in New York City. He finished the race in 9.72 seconds and broke the world record. On August 16th, 2008, he broke his world record again at the Olympic Games in Beijing. On August 20th, 2008 he broke the world record for the men's 200 meter race.

paragraphs: On August 16th, 2009, he went to the 12th World Championships in Athletics and broke his own world record in the 100 meter race. He ran that race in 9.58 seconds. Surprisingly, in this race, he didn't try his hardest. He looked around for the last five meters.

paragraphs: On August 28th, 2011, he ran in the 13th World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea. He made a false start in the 100 meter race and was disqualified.

paragraphs: On August 5th, 2012, he won the men's 100 meter final in the London Olympics. His finishing time was 9.63 seconds. He also won the 4 x 100 meter relay race.

paragraphs: He also won a gold medal in the 100 meter race in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

paragraphs: In 2017, his gold medal for the 2008 relay was disqualified because his teammate Nesta Carter had used drugs. He had to give up his gold medal.

paragraphs: He is known to be a fan of the English Premier League soccer club, Manchester United F.C. He watched their games in person. He also met the coach and players.


title: Ghebaleh

paragraphs: Ghebaleh, Ghbeleh (غباله) in Arabic is a Village in Keserwan, Lebanon

paragraphs: At 40 KM from the capital of Lebanon, Ghebaleh is considered the capital of Ftouh Kesrwan, with an altitude of 700-1100 meters above sea level.

paragraphs: A Christian conservative village in the Lebanese mountain, wild nature and historical heritage.

paragraphs: the 400 year old Church St. Sarkis & Bakhos is one of the major religious monuments in the region, in addition to St. Georges Church at Hakl al Rayes, St. Chalita, St. Antoine, St. Nohra, Ste Al Shekiff and the Immaculate conception Church.

paragraphs: 22nd of july comemorates the "Eid Mar Nohra" the Patron Saint of the El Hosri Family a very renown family in Ghbeleh since they were the first Maronites to settle in Ghebaleh in the 16th century and who played a crucial and historical role in the rise of this heavenly village on the religious and social forefront throughout the years and across borders. to name a few; Yousef Semaan El Hosri designated by the Wali as ruler of the Area, Dr. Chucri Nassif El Hosri one of the first 4 medical doctors in Lebanon graduated in 1900, Dr. Antoine Chucri El Hosri 1st Gastroentirologist in lebanon and president of the Order Of Doctors, Mr. Fernand Antoine Hosri a visinory Business Man who has dedicated years in the service of Mar Nohra and the renovation of this historic church. Eid Mar Nohra spreads over a full week of festivities with the hype on the eve of the 22nd of July (21st Of july).

paragraphs: On September 13th each year, Ghebaleh hosts the "Eid Al Saleeb", (feast of the Cross) festival, that includes a carnival, musical and religious events, attendees come from all over Lebanon, and locals living abroad.

paragraphs: During summer, Ghebaleh is a destination for people looking for cool weather (comparing with Lebanese coast), beautiful nature and very close to city facilities, where they can enjoy tasty Lebanese food in exceptional restaurants.


title: Cinchona pubescens

paragraphs: Cinchona pubescens, the Quinine Tree, is known for because its bark has a lot of quinine. It has similar uses to "Cinchona officinalis" in making quinine, used for treatment of malaria. It is native to Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. In Ecuador, "C. pubescens" is found at altitudes from 300 to 3900 m above sea level. It grows to about 10 metres in height. It has the widest distribution of all Cinchona species

paragraphs: Planted on other tropical islands it has become an invasive species. It grows quickly, and spreads by both seeds and root suckers. Other plants are unable to grow in the shade that it creates. In the Galapagos Islands the tree was planted by farmers as a crop for the quinine. It has become a dominant species on Santa Cruz Island, taking over from the shrub Miconia and Fern-Sedges. It is also invasive in Hawaii on Maui and the Big Island.

paragraphs: Attempts have been made to control the plant in the Galapagos National Park using a variety of methods. It is not affected by many poisons, it will regrow from a stump or any piece of root left in the ground. Controlling it over all of Santa Cruz island would cost several million US dollars according to research by the Charles Darwin Foundation.


title: International Friendship Day

paragraphs: International Friendship Day celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August every year. On this day, people spend time with their friends and express love for them. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards, and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.

paragraphs: In 1935, the United States Congress proclaimed the 1st Sunday of August as National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event.

paragraphs: Many other countries around the world adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by many nations.

paragraphs: Many friends wish each other with exchange of gifts and cards on this day. "Friendship bands" are very popular in India, Nepal and parts of South America. Members of social networking sites celebrate Friendship Day on-line.

paragraphs: You do not have to buy a gift or spend money to enjoy Friendship Day. This avoids accusations the fun is only a "marketing gimmick".


title: Joseph Merrick

paragraphs: Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an Englishman. His face and body were deformed because of an illness. To earn money, he was shown at freak shows. He was called the Elephant Man. He then became famous after he went to live at the London Hospital. Some people who wrote about him wrongly thought he was called John Merrick.

paragraphs: Merrick was born in Leicester, England. He started to become deformed when he was very young. He was also disabled after he hurt his hip. When he was 10, his mother died and his father married another woman. Merrick left school aged 13 and tried to find a job but it was difficult because he was deformed and disabled. His father and stepmother did not want him at home so he left home. When he was 17, he went to live in a workhouse.

paragraphs: In 1884 Merrick wrote to a showman called Sam Torr. Merrick asked Torr to show him as a "freak" exhibition. Torr showed Merrick around the East Midlands, and then Merrick went to London. He stayed in a shop on Whitechapel Road. People would pay to look at him. A surgeon, Frederick Treves, came to see Merrick and took photographs of him. Soon afterwards, Merrick's shop was closed by the police and he went to Belgium.

paragraphs: In Belgium, Merrick was robbed by his manager and left in Brussels alone. He found his way back to London. Frederick Treves took him to the London Hospital where Treves worked. Merrick was allowed to live there for the rest of his life. Rich and famous people of Victorian London came to visit him there.

paragraphs: Merrick died on 11 April 1890, aged 27. He died of either asphyxia (not being able to breathe properly) or a broken neck. He had tried to lie down to go to sleep, but his head was too heavy for him to do that. Today, nobody knows for sure what was wrong with Merrick. Scientists think that he either had an illness called neurofibromatosis type I, one called Proteus syndrome, or both of these illnesses. In 1980, movie director David Lynch made a movie about Merrick. It is called "The Elephant Man".


title: John Logie Baird

paragraphs: John Logie Baird (13 August 1888 – 14 June 1946) was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first working television system, and the world's first fully electronic colour television tube.

paragraphs: Baird was born in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. He went to school at Larchfield Academy in Helensburgh and then went to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College (which later became the University of Strathclyde); and the University of Glasgow. He stopped being a student at the beginning of World War I.

paragraphs: Although lots of inventors helped to make television, Baird was an important person and made big advances. Especially in Britain, lots of people say that Baird was the first person to make a live, moving, greyscale television picture from reflected light. Baird did this by making a better photoelectric cell and making the signal conditioning better.

paragraphs: In 1925, Baird showed people his moving pictures on television at Selfridges department store in London. In 1928, he showed the world's first colour television transmission.

paragraphs: In 1927, Baird made a signal go over between London and Glasgow; Baird sent the world's first long-distance television pictures to the Central Hotel at Glasgow Central Station.

paragraphs: Baird then started the Baird Television Development Company Ltd, and in 1928 it made the first transatlantic television transmission, from London to Hartsdale, New York, and the first television programme for the BBC.

paragraphs: Baird's television systems were replaced by the electronic television system developed by EMI-Marconi.

paragraphs: Baird did lots of work for the field of electronic television after mechanical systems stopped being used. In 1939, he showed colour television using a cathode ray tube.

paragraphs: Some of Baird's early inventions did not work. In his twenties he tried to make diamonds by heating graphite and ruined Glasgow's electricity supply. Later Baird made a glass razor which did not get rusty

paragraphs: From December 1944 until he died two years later, Baird lived at a house in Station Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, immediately north of the station. Baird died in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England on 14 June 1946 after a stroke in February 1946. The old house was knocked down in 2007.

paragraphs: John Logie Baird was buried with his mother, father and wife in Helensburgh Cemetery, Dunbartonshire.


title: The Co-operative Food

paragraphs: The Co-operative Food, sometimes simply known as the Co-op, is a brand used by the supermarket divisions of several consumer co-operatives in the United Kingdom, with The Co-operative Group being the largest most well known user. Co-operatives are businesses which are ultimately owned by their customer-members and staff-members with each member having an equal say in the business is run. Members elect the board and may vote on the strategic decisions of the business but are not usually involved in its day-to-day operations. Members also receive a percent of the company's earnings each year as a 'Dividend'.

paragraphs: The Co-operative Group purchased Somerfield in early 2009 and encorporated it into The Co-operative Food branding.


title: Co-operative Group

paragraphs: The Co-operative Group is a United Kingdom consumers' cooperative, and, after the acquisition of Somerfield supermarkets, is the world's largest consumer-owned business, with over 4.5 million members and 123,000 employees across all its businesses. Regional and local retail co-operative societies are corporate members of the Group.

paragraphs: Each member (each person registered to the 'Co-operative Membership' scheme) and every person employed has an equal say in how business is run. Everyone has a right to help shape the company. The Co-operative Group runs several businesses, including the famous Co-op supermarket chain.

paragraphs: Every year members receive a share of the profits that they helped to create, based on the amount made in profits that year and the how much they had spent with any of its businesses.


title: Somerfield

paragraphs: Somerfield was a small UK supermarket chain. It was founded in 1875 and is similar to the Co-op.

paragraphs: In early 2009 It was bought out by the Co-operative Group.


title: Alvin and the Chipmunks (movie)

paragraphs: Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 family comedy movie using Live-action/CGI. The movie stars Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson and Jane Lynch and the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney.

paragraphs: Dave Seville, a desperate song producer, meets three talking, singing chipmunks named Alvin (the awesomest one), Simon (the smart one), and Theodore (the cute one). Dave says that they can live with him if they sing his songs, but he later thinks that he made a terrible mistake when they ruin his house, his friendship with Claire Wilson (his girlfriend and next-door neighbor), and his job. Dave gets along with them better when they became very popular singers. Later on Dave's old friend and roommate, Ian Hawke trys to take the chipmunks away for fame and money. Eventually, Dave gets the chipmunks back, and he learns to consider them as his family. Also he and Claire get back together.


title: AIDS orphan

paragraphs: An AIDS orphan is a child who became an orphan because at least one of their parents died of AIDS. (An orphan is a child with no parents.)

paragraphs: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), use the term "AIDS orphan" to talk about children whose mothers died of AIDS before the child's 15th birthday, whether the child's father is still alive or not. Because of this, some people say that 80% of all "AIDS orphans" still have one parent who is still alive.

paragraphs: There are 70,000 new AIDS orphans a year. People in the past have guessed that by the year 2010, over 20 million children would be AIDS orphans.

paragraphs: Because most people who get AIDS are people who have sex, most people who die of AIDS are people who make most of their family's money (because most people who have sex are old enough to work). This means that many AIDS orphans need help from their country's government to live, and need money. This happens a lot in Africa especially.

paragraphs: In 2007, South Africa had more AIDS orphans than any other country, (although South Africa uses the term "AIDS orphan" differently than UNICEF and WHO. South Africa uses the term to talk about children under age 18 who lost either their father or their mother to AIDS). In 2005, the country with the highest percentage of AIDS orphans among the country's orphans was Zimbabwe.


title: Hejaz

paragraphs: Hejaz is the western region of Saudi Arabia, stretching along the Red Sea (Sea of Hejaz). It extends from Taif in the south to Jordan in the north. There are four important cities in this region:


title: Endianness

paragraphs: Endianness refers to how hexadecimal data is ordered in machine language, the simplest, most understandable code that a computer can use.

paragraphs: In computer coding, certain numbers, usually two bytes long (1 byte = 8 bits) that are called "words", can be written or input in two ways: little-endian and big-endian. It depends on the data format and the way the computer reads the data.

paragraphs: Now, the way it's written right now is big-endian, because the bigger number is on the end. (In hexadecimal, the numbers go from 0 to 9, then from A to F. After F, a 1 is added to the front. [e.g. F+1=10, which is 16 in our numbering system])

paragraphs: To write it in little-endian, we simply switch the positions of the first two and the last two pieces, so it becomes:


title: Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains

paragraphs: Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd. is an English-based Formula One engine builder. The company used to be known as Mercedes-Ilmor. They are owned by Mercedes-Benz. Since 1995, their engines have been used by the McLaren Formula One race cars. For the season, Mercedes-Benz also supplied the Brawn GP and Force India teams with engines. In the season Mercedes supplied McLaren, Force India. They also supplied the engines for the new Mercedes-Benz factory team, Mercedes GP, which was formed from the Brawn GP team.

paragraphs: Ilmor was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in 1983, as an independent British Formula One engine manufacturer. The company name was taken from the last names of the founders. It originally started building engines for IndyCars. They received financial support from IndyCar team owner and builder Roger Penske.

paragraphs: The Daimler-Benz company purchased Chevrolet's 25% share of Ilmor in 1993. In 2002 Daimler AG increased its share to 55% and renamed the company Mercedes-Ilmor. In 2005 Daimler became the sole owner of Ilmor and renamed the company Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd.

paragraphs: One division of the company was called Special Projects. Since 2003, Special Projects had been building Honda's Indy Racing League engines. In 2005, Special Projects split from Mercedes-Ilmor and became a separate company named Ilmor Engineering Ltd. Ilmor Engineering is owned by Mario Illien and Roger Penske. This new company is totally independent of Mercedes-Benz.

paragraphs: In Ilmor entered Formula One as an engine supplier. They supplied engines to the Leyton House team. Leyton House was formerly known as March. In 1992, Leyton House changed its name back to March and continued using Ilmor engines.

paragraphs: Ilmor also supplied engines to the Tyrrell team in . Powered by an Ilmor V10, Tyrrell scored 8 points, and March 3 points in the Formula One Championship.

paragraphs: Ilmor had developed a good name in F1. When the Sauber sportscar-team and Mercedes-Benz were planning to enter Formula One together, they made a deal with Ilmor. However, Ilmor deceided not to put the slogan "Concept by Mercedes-Benz" on the engines. Since the engines were officially called Ilmor, Mercedes backed out of the project with Ilmor.

paragraphs: After an unexpectedly fast performance in , Sauber convinced Mercedes to join officially in 1994. In Ilmor also supplied the new Pacific GP team of Keith Wiggins with the old 1993 version of the engines. Pacific only managed to qualify seven times in thirty-two tries. The Ilmor engine was not the cause of this poor performance.

paragraphs: Ilmor became the engine partner to McLaren in . The partnership received its first win at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. Mika Häkkinen won the driver's championships in the and seasons. The McLaren team won the constructor's championship in . After not winning a single race in the season, McLaren bounced back and won the driver's championship in season with Lewis Hamilton.

paragraphs: In 2001 Paul Morgan was killed while landing his vintage (antique) plane at Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire. This led to Mercedes-Benz increasing their financial involvement in Ilmor, and renamed the company Mercedes-Ilmor Ltd.


title: Age of majority

paragraphs: The age of majority is the age that children become adults by law. This means that they are legally in control over their own actions and decisions, and their parents are no longer responsible for them. When used this way, the word "majority" means having the full number of years to be an adult. The opposite is "minority", which means being a minor or child. The law in a given place may never actually use the words "age of majority" when deciding when people become adults. The age of majority is a legally fixed age and idea of adulthood which is different in different places. It may not match the actual maturity of a person's body or mind. The age of majority is 18 in the vast majority of jurisdictions, but ages as low as 15 and as high as 21 exist in some.

paragraphs: Once a person reaches the age of majority, there are some things they can do that they could not do before. These may include buying stocks, voting, buying or drinking alcohol, driving cars on public roads, and marrying without having to ask for permission. The ages that these things can be done are different depending on where the person lives.

paragraphs: Even after a person reaches the age of majority, there may be other age-based rules that they still have to follow, such as the right to stand for office in elections or become a judge. For example, the youngest a person is allowed to purchase alcohol is 21 in all U.S. states even though the age of majority is 18 in most states. The age of majority in the Republic of Ireland is 18, but a person must be over 21 years old to stand for election.

paragraphs: "Emancipation" is when a child is freed from the responsibility and care of their parents or legal guardians before they reach the age of majority.

paragraphs: In almost all places, minors who are married are automatically emancipated. Some places also do the same for minors who are in the armed forces or who have a certain degree or diploma.

paragraphs: This is a list of the age of majority in various countries (or administrative divisions):


title: Parvicursor

paragraphs: Parvicursor (meaning "small runner") is a genus of tiny maniraptoran dinosaur with long slender legs for fast running. At only about 39 cm (~15 in) from snout to end of tail, and 162 grams (5.7 ounces) in weight, it is one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs known from an adult specimen.


title: Caenagnathasia

paragraphs: Caenagnathasia (meaning 'recent jaw from Asia') was a small oviraptorosaurian dinosaur (superfamily Caenagnathoidea), measuring only 1 m (3 ft) in length and weighing around 8 kg (18 lb). Like all oviraptorosaurs, "Caenagnathasia" had three fingers on each 'hand' and three toes on each 'foot', with bone fusion similar to that of birds.

paragraphs: "Caenagnathasia" lived in the Upper Cretaceous, around 90 million years ago.


title: Anchiornis

paragraphs: Anchiornis ('near bird') is a genus of small, feathered, troodontid dinosaurs. "Anchiornis huxleyi" is named in honour of Thomas Henry Huxley, the first to propose a close evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. A complete individual would be 34 cm (13 in) and weigh only 110 g (3.9 oz), making it the smallest known feathered dinosaur.

paragraphs: "Anchiornis" fossils have been found in Liaoning, China, dating to the first part of the late Jurassic period, 160 to 161 million years ago.

paragraphs: "Anchiornis" is a small, early troodontid dinosaur with a triangular skull like other troodontids. Also, "Anchiornis" had long legs, usually an indication of a strong runner. However, the extensive leg feathers indicate that long legs may be an vestigial trait, because running animals tend to have reduced, not increased, hair or feathers on their legs. The forelimbs of "Anchiornis" were also very long, unusual among troodontids (which tend to be short-armed) but similar to dromaeosaurids and early birds, emphasizing its basal ('primitive') position among dinobirds.

paragraphs: While the first specimen of "Anchiornis," found in the 2000s, preserved only faint traces of feathers around the preserved portion of the body, the well-preserved second specimen showed nearly complete feather preservation, allowing researchers to identify the structure of the feathers and how they were distributed.

paragraphs: As in other early birds, such as "Microraptor", "Anchiornis" had large wings, made up of flight feathers attached to the arm and hand (as in modern birds) as well as flight feathers on the hind legs, forming an arrangement of fore and hind wings. The forewing of "Anchiornis" was composed of 11 primary feathers and 10 secondary feathers. Unlike "Microraptor", the primary feathers in "Anchiornis" were about as long as the secondaries and formed a more rounded wing, with curved but symmetrical central vanes, a small and thin relative size, and rounded tips, all indicating poorer aerodynamic ability compared to its later relative. In "Microraptor" and "Archaeopteryx", the longest forewing feathers were closest to the tip of the wing, making the wings appear long, narrow, and pointed. However, in "Anchiornis", the longest wing feathers anchored near the wrist, making the wing broadest in the middle and tapering near the tip for a more rounded, less flight-adapted profile.

paragraphs: The hind wings of "Anchiornis" were also shorter than those of "Microraptor", and were made up of 12–13 flight feathers anchored to the tibia (lower leg) and 10–11 to the metatarsus (upper foot). Also unlike "Microraptor", the hind wing feathers were longest closer to the body, with the foot feathers being short and directed downward, almost perpendicular to the foot bones. Unlike any other known Mesozoic dinosaur, the feet of "Anchiornis" (except for the claws) were completely covered in feathers (much shorter than the ones making up the hind wing).

paragraphs: Two types of simpler, downy (plumaceous) feathers covered the rest of the body, as in "Sinornithosaurus". Long downy feathers covered almost the entire head and neck, torso, upper legs,and the first half of the tail. The rest of the tail bore pennaceous tail feathers (rectrices).

paragraphs: In 2010, a team examined numerous points among the feathers of an extremely well-preserved "Anchiornis" specimen to survey the distribution of melanosomes, the pigment cells that give feathers their colour. By studying the melanosomes and comparing them with those of modern birds, the scientists were able to map the colours and patterning present on "Anchiornis" when it was alive. Though this technique had been used before, "Anchiornis" became the first Mesozoic dinosaur for which almost the entire life colouration was known.

paragraphs: Most of the body feathers of "Anchiornis" were grey and black. The crown of head feathers was mainly reddish with a grey base and front, and the face had rufous speckles among predominantly black head feathers. The fore and hind wing feathers were white with black tips. The coverts (shorter feathers covering the bases of the long wing feathers) were grey, contrasting the mainly white main wings. The larger coverts of the wing were also white with grey or black tips, forming rows of darker dots along mid-wing. These took the form of dark stripes or even rows of dots on the outer wing (primary feather coverts) but a more uneven array of speckles on the inner wing (secondary coverts). The shanks of the legs were grey other than the long hind wing feathers, and the feet and toes were black.

paragraphs: Like many modern birds, "Anchiornis" exhibited a complex pattern of coloration with different colours in speckled patterns across the body and wings, or "within- and among-feather plumage coloration". In modern birds, such colour patterning is used in communication and display, either to members of the same species (e.g. for mating or territorial threat display) or to threaten and warn off competing or predatory species.

paragraphs: "Anchiornis" is notable for its long forelimbs, which were 80% of the total length of the hind limbs. This is similar to "Archaeopteryx"; long forelimbs are necessary for flight. "Anchiornis" also had a more avian wrist than other non-avialan theropods. The authors first thought that "Anchiornis" could fly or glide. However, further finds showed that the wings of "Anchiornis", while well-developed, were short when compared to later species like "Microraptor", with relatively short primary feathers that had rounded, symmetrical tips, unlike the pointed, aerodynamically proportioned feathers of "Microraptor". So the animal could glide, but probably not fly.

paragraphs: "Anchiornis" has long hind legs, suggesting a fast-running lifestyle. However, the legs and even feet and toes of "Anchiornis" were covered in feathers, making it unlikely that "Anchiornis" was a capable ground runner. A tree-based glider is the probable life-style.


title: Šumadija

paragraphs: Šumadija (Serbian Cyrillic: Шумадија) is a geographical region in Serbia. The area was heavily forested, hence the name ("Šuma" - forest). The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the Šumadija District in Central Serbia.

paragraphs: Šumadija is located between rivers Sava and Danube in the north, river Velika Morava in the east, river Zapadna Morava in the south, and Kolubara, Ljig and Dičina in the west. According to some interpretations (for example, physiologists such as Jovan Cvijić and ethnologist such as Erdeljanović.), the northern border of Šumadija lay between Avala and Kosmaj mountain. According to that view, the capital of Serbia, Belgrade does not belong to this region.

paragraphs: During the 18th century, the forests of Šumadija were the refuge for the Hajduks that fought against Ottoman occupation. The first Serbian uprising in 1804 was led by national hero Karađorđe. The second Serbian uprising in 1815 was led by Miloš Obrenović who successfully repelled the Turkish forces and, by 1830, Serbia had gained its full autonomy. Because of Miloš's efforts and negotiations Serbia was finally an independent state, after centuries under Ottoman reign.

paragraphs: Between 1922 and 1929, one of the administrative units of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was named Šumadijska Oblast. It roughly included territory of present-day Šumadija District with its administrative seat in Kragujevac, which is the seat of the modern district as well.

paragraphs: Some of the large cities and towns in Šumadija are:


title: New York Hall of Science

paragraphs: The New York Hall of Science is a science and technology museum in New York City. It has over 400 exhibits on biology, chemistry and physics. The museum occupies one of the only remaining structures of the 1964 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City.


title: Guadarrama

paragraphs: Guadarrama is a village in the nothwestern part of the community of Madrid, in Spain. The population of Guadarrama is almost 15,000 people. In summer, there can be 60,000 people.

paragraphs: Guadarrama has become an important tourist point. It is a second home for many people from Madrid.

paragraphs: Guadarrama is near the "Sierra of Guadarrama".


title: Cia-Cia language

paragraphs: The Cia-Cia language (Hangul: 바하사 찌아찌아, Roman: Bahasa Ciacia), also known as South Buton(ese), is an Austronesian language spoken principally around the town of Bau-Bau on the southern tip of Buton Island off the southeast coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia.


title: Elmer Gedeon

paragraphs: Elmer John Gedeon (April 15, 1917 – April 20, 1944) is one of only two Major League Baseball players killed in action during World War II. He was also a multi-sport star in college at the University of Michigan.

paragraphs: At Michigan, Gedeon became an All-American in track and field, and earned varsity letters in both American football and baseball. He tied a world record in the high hurdles in 1938. After graduating, Gedeon had a position in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Washington Senators. Gedeon spent most of the 1939 and 1940 baseball seasons in the minor leagues. He was called up to the Senators in September 1939.

paragraphs: Gedeon's was drafted by the United States Army in early 1941. Since he was drafted, he had to stop baseball. He trained as a bomber pilot. He served in combat, and was shot down and killed in France, April of 1944.


title: Scott Hall

paragraphs: Scott Oliver Hall (born October 20, 1958 in Chuluota, Florida) is a former American professional wrestler who is best known for wrestling with both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name, Razor Ramon and in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he wrestled under his real name.

paragraphs: Hall was a founding member of the professional wrestling stable, the New World Order (nWo).

paragraphs: In 1983, he was charged with second-degree murder after he wrestled a gun away from a man and shot him in the head at point blank range with it during an altercation outside of a nightclub. He said it was in self-defense and the charges were dropped because of lack of evidence. He did admit to killing the man, and says he is unable to forget the incident in a 2011 interview with ESPN.

paragraphs: Hall has had many other legal and drug problems since the 1990s. Retired professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page invited Hall to join stay at his house to stay sober and rebuild his life. He also invited him to join his yoga program which many current and former professional wrestlers are involved in.


title: August Rush

paragraphs: August Rush is a 2007 American drama movie. It was directed by Kirsten Sheridan. It was written by Paul Castro, Nick Castle, and James V. Hart. It was produced by Richard Barton Lewis. "August Rush" has been thought to as an up-to-date reworking of the "Oliver Twist" story by Charles Dickens.


title: Wikimania

paragraphs: Wikimania is an international conference on wikis like Wikipedia. It is organized by the Wikimedia Foundation and brings together authors, programmers, and researchers. It was started in 2005.

paragraphs: Wikimania has been in the following places:

paragraphs: , the sixteenth Wikimedia conference, will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.


title: Bob the Builder

paragraphs: Bob the Builder is a British-American television program for children. It is broadcast on the BBC and around the world. It was first broadcast on November 28, 1998. It is developed by Hit Entertainment for BBC Television.

paragraphs: The show is about the life of a builder named Bob, and his talking vehicles who help him fix things. Bob has a wife named Wendy and a cat named Pilchard. The slogan of the show is "Can we fix it? Yes we can!".

paragraphs: There are albums of songs from "Bob the Builder". Out of these songs, there are 2 number 1 hits, "Can We Fix It?" and "Mambo No. 5". There is also the number 81 hit "Big Fish Little Fish" and "Rock-A-Bye Your Bear". There is also merchandise which is based on the show.


title: Free license

paragraphs: A free license refers to a free copyright license. Some examples are the GNU Free Documentation License, Wikipedia itself and the Creative Commons licenses.


title: Padlock

paragraphs: A padlock is a type of portable lock that has a U-shaped shackle that will not come apart from the body of the lock unless the correct key is inserted or the correct combination is dialed. The U-shape of the lock allows for a wide variety of uses. Typically the padlock is used to lock two things together, for example, a door and its frame, two or more chains, or a chain and a fixed object. Padlocks are not recommended for high-security applications because the shackle is easily cut with a bolt cutter or hacksaw. Some newer padlocks have hardened boron alloy shackles or shrouded (hidden or covered) shackles to make them more difficult to cut.

paragraphs: The combination padlock is usually made with a metal "can" with three tumblers inside connected to a dial on the front. The mechanism is very similar to that used in safes. When the correct combination is entered, the notches on the tumblers line up and allow a latch to fall into the notches, releasing the shackle. Combination locks of this type are not recommended for outdoor use because they can fill up with rain water which causes them to rust. The laminated padlock is constructed from a series of metal plates that are riveted together.

paragraphs: The shackle of most padlocks is made from hardened steel, although more expensive padlocks may have boron alloy steels to make them more difficult to cut. Inexpensive padlocks usually have a shackle made of ordinary steel. Corrosion-resistant padlocks usually have a brass or stainless steel shackle although these materials have low hardness and are easily cut with bolt-cutters. The material that the shackle is made of is usually stamped in the center of the shackle. For example, a hardened steel shackle will be stamped "HARDENED" or a boron alloy shackle will be stamped "BORON ALLOY". Alloy steels with appropriate heat treating provide much higher cutting resistance to bolt-cutters. Alloy steel shackles are plated with another metal such as nickel or chrome to protect them from rust. The body of the padlock is usually also plated. Brass and stainless steel padlocks do not need plating, although they are sometimes plated anyway for appearance.

paragraphs: The stamp on the shackle indicates what material it is made of. The most common are:


title: Market economy

paragraphs: A market economy is economy in which the prices of the products and services are chosen in a free price system that is decided by supply and demand. It began around the late 18th century, after the Industrial Revolution. A key work was Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations", 1776.

paragraphs: Market economics has been widely used because of its efficiency (ability to work well). However, it has also been criticized for its selfishness and the difference between the rich and poor. In the real world, market economies are not purely market economies, as societies and governments control them in some ways instead of market forces. The expression "free-market economy" is sometimes used as the same as market economy. Nobel Prize in Economics winner Ludwig von Mises said that a market economy is still a market economy even if the government joins in pricing.

paragraphs: In a market economy, the following will be true:

paragraphs: Sometimes, market economy does not work as expected, the following may be observed:


title: Mayra Verónica

paragraphs: Mayra Verónica (named Mayra Verónica Aruca Rodríguez) was born in Havana, Cuba. She grew up in the United States where she became famous as a model and singer. Verónica appeared on Hispanic Univision, TV commercials, FHM magazines and calendar, and music videos. She works with the USO.

paragraphs: Mayra Verónica was born in Havana, Cuba on 20 August 1980. Sometimes her birth date appears as 20 August 1980 or 20 August 1983. "Celebrity Birthday" lists her as 32 years old (July 2010), born in 1977.

paragraphs: In 1984, she came to the US with her mother, Mayra Rodriguez. They left behind the rest of her family– her father Arturo Aruca, and sister Giselle Guzman. Her father came to the US a year later and reunited with Veronica and her mother, while her sister was unable to meet them until 13 years later. Verónica spoke about her difficult childhood. She grew up with little money and food was sometimes scarce.

paragraphs: Verónica was a good student. She learned ballet with help from paying students from her school who could afford the training. In junior high school, her now famous curves developed. She said it made ballet difficult, but boys liked it. Her first boyfriend at the age of 15 was an artist of the same age who often painted her in little or no clothing.

paragraphs: Verónica attended Florida International University where she studied psychology and theater.

paragraphs: After joining a local beauty and becoming Miss Miami, she met a photographer who took pictures for the event. The photographer invited her to his studio for free photo sessions. Mayra's first modeling job led to another job as a reporter for a local TV celebrity news show. She had no reporting experience, but she was a competent reporter.

paragraphs: She was promoted to hostess for the show, where she interviewed Donald Trump, Ivana Trump, Oscar de la Renta, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Rodman, Hugh Hefner, Marc Anthony, and many more. Verónica continued actress training in New York.

paragraphs: Verónica obtained a made-for-TV movie role called "The Suitor". She also worked in commercials for Nike, L'Oréal, Ford, Colgate, Burger King, and Coca-Cola. When Univision started a new TV talk show, they asked her to be their model and co-host, but there was one catch. Due to her ample curves, her last appearance on screen for the day would show her backside on camera before she turned to face the camera. Verónica did it gladly. Once the show aired, the model with the great backside became the talk of Latinos everywhere. Eventually her fame spread through North America.

paragraphs: Veronica appeared in "FHM" magazine ("For Him Magazine"), and also on the cover of the FHM book, which included top sex symbols such as Pamela Anderson, Eva Longoria, and Carmen Electra. Verónica appeared on more than 100 magazine covers. Her web site became very popular and FHM received many letters requesting that she appear again.

paragraphs: The US Marines voted Verónica their favorite girl. When soldiers stationed in Iraq sent emails asking for her posters and calendars, Verónica's managers sent the soldiers 5000 posters. The USO asked her to tour with US soldiers in Iraq.

paragraphs: The Thanksgiving USO tour included General James Cartwright, actor Wilmer Valderrama, and comedian Russell Peters. They traveled 6 places in 6 days (Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Turkey, Africa, and Greenland). The troops' appreciation was . Although Veronica had decided not to do more calendars, she changed her mind and decided to do one in 2008, dedicating proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project.

paragraphs: Upon her return from the tour, fans described Verónica as a "modern day Betty Grable". Verónica continued touring with the USO and became an official .

paragraphs: In 2009, the New York Stock Exchange asked Verónica to ring the bell for the Fourth of July celebration. Verónica promoted organizations for which she advocates, the USO and UNICEF, and brought them to the bell ringing ceremony.

paragraphs: During her time with the Univision TV Network, Veronica met top music producers who worked with her on her first music album. It was titled "Vengo Con To"' (I'm coming at you with everything). It was a popular time for music and Verónica's album included as its first single "Vengo Con To". The song soared to number 1 in New York and made top 40 on "Billboard". The video was banned from Latin television because her curves appeared too much for TV.

paragraphs: Europe did not seem to mind and Mayra signed a contract with a German company for the release of the album in Europe. The album's popularity brought Verónica a deal with Motown, which put out a second single from the album titled "Mamma Mia" which performed well on radio.

paragraphs: A third single, "Es Tan Dificil Olvidarte", dedicated to the soldiers who died, put Verónica in the top 10 on the pop contemporary charts. Verónica continued her work with the troops by visiting the wounded at Camp Lejeune.

paragraphs: Verónica began 2010 on the cover of Billboard magazine with a new single, "If You Wanna Fly," that reached #13 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart and #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart. She continues working with producer Eddie Galan of Mach 1 Music, with a new album titled "Saint Nor Sinner" due out in 2010.

paragraphs: Verónica has been a Maxim (magazine) cover girl in other countries such as Philippines, Spain, and Germany She was also the first Cuban-American to ring the bell at NASDAQ on 3 July 2008

paragraphs: Verónica is unmarried but otherwise keeps her personal relationships private.

paragraphs: Verónica likes to invest in the stock market.

paragraphs: Verónica is not athletic, but she enjoys soccer and supports the USA team.


title: Epidexipteryx

paragraphs: Epidexipteryx ('display feather') is a genus of small maniraptoran dinosaurs, known from one fossil specimen in Beijing. "Epidexipteryx" is the earliest known example of ornamental feathers in the fossil record. It is a small maniraptoran dinosaur from the Middle or Upper Jurassic age Daohugou Beds of Inner Mongolia, China (perhaps 160 to 168 million years ago).

paragraphs: It is known from a well preserved partial skeleton that includes four long feathers on the tail, composed of a central rachis and vanes. However, unlike in modern-style tail feathers, the vanes were not branched but made up of a single ribbon-like sheet. "Epidexipteryx" also preserved a covering of simpler body feathers. They are unique in that some appear to arise from a "membranous structure".

paragraphs: In all, the skeleton of "Epidexipteryx hui" measures 25 centimeters (10 inches) in length (44.5 cm or 17.5 in including the incomplete tail feathers), and the authors estimated a weight of 164 grams, smaller than most other early dinobirds.

paragraphs: The skull of "Epidexipteryx" is also unique in a number of features. It had teeth only in the front of the jaws, with unusually long front teeth angled forward, a feature only seen in "Masiakasaurus" among other theropods. The tail of "Epidexipteryx" bore unusual vertebrae towards the tip which resembled the feather-anchoring pygostyle of modern birds and some oviraptors.

paragraphs: Despite its close relationship to avialan birds, "Epidexipteryx" appears to have lacked wing feathers, and so it could not fly. Zhang "et al." suggest that unless "Epidexipteryx" evolved from flying ancestors and subsequently lost its wings, this may indicate that advanced display feathers on the tail may have predated flying or gliding flight.

paragraphs: There is uncertainty about the age of the Daohugou Beds in which this fossil was found. Various papers have placed the fossils here anywhere from the Middle Jurassic (169 million years ago) to the Lower Cretaceous (122 ma). The age of this formation has implications for the relationship between similar dinosaurs, as well as for the origin of birds in general. A Middle Jurassic age would mean that the bird-like dinosaurs in the Daohugou beds are older than the 'first bird', "Archaeopteryx", which was late Jurassic in age. Until this question is decided, the significance of "Epidexipteryx" (and other early dinobirds from that area) is not clear.


title: Driver

paragraphs: A driver is a person who controls a vehicle. A driver may be a job such as a bus driver or a hobby such as a race car driver.


title: Taylor Lautner

paragraphs: Taylor Daniel Lautner (; born February 11 1992) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Jacob Black in the "Twilight Saga" movie series, though he has also been in family movies and done voiceover work for animated cartoons.

paragraphs: Lautner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents are Deborah, who works for a software development company, and Daniel Lautner, a commercial airline pilot. Lautner was raised as a Roman Catholic in Hudsonville, Michigan. He went to Jamestown Elementary School until the age of eleven, when the family moved to the Santa Clarita area. Lautner is of mostly Dutch, French, and German ancestry, and claims some Native American ancestry through his mother. He has a younger sister, Makena. He has learnt karate since the age of six.


title: Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi

paragraphs: The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, (simplified Chinese: 汉语水平考试; traditional Chinese: 漢語水平考試; hanyu pinyin: Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì), shortened as HSK, is the People's Republic of China's only standardized test of Standard Mandarin Chinese proficiency for non-native speakers, such as foreign students, overseas Chinese, and members of ethnic minority groups in China. It is also known as the "Chinese Proficiency Test".

paragraphs: Every year, HSK certificates are issued to those who score well enough. The HSK is primarily conducted in Simplified Chinese.


title: Foxtrot

paragraphs: The Foxtrot, or "Slow foxtrot", is an English ballroom dance which developed from American band music. It is now one of the international standard ballroom dances. All ballroom dance competitions controlled by the World Dance Council include the Foxtrot.

paragraphs: All the standard ballroom dances had their origins abroad, but were adapted and modified by English dancers into their modern style. The Waltz came from Germany around 1810. The Tango came from Argentina. The Foxtrot and Quickstep were greatly influenced by American music.

paragraphs: An American dance called the Boston arrived in England about 1903. This had fairly slow, gliding steps. It is a characteristic of the Foxtrot that in the basic steps, unlike the other dances, the feet slide past each other rather than coming together. The Boston seems to have been the first dance to move the feet in this way. The Boston also was the first ballroom dance to be done with feet parallel (rather than turned out, as in ballet).

paragraphs: The Boston, like much else, was finished off by the First World War. Crowded dance floors in wartime left no room for it, and new musical imports arrived from America.

paragraphs: Ragtime and jazz came to Europe, and were great sensations. Both the music, and the many 'craze' dances contributed. After the war the big bands of Paul Whiteman took centre stage. He played 'arranger's jazz', meaning, the band played from charts rather than by ear. Whiteman's bands were hugely successful (there were several).

paragraphs: "The decade between 1910 and 1920", said one writer, "was the period in which America went dance mad". "From 1912 through 1914", said another, "over one hundred new dances found their way in and out of our fashionable ballrooms".

paragraphs: These are a few examples: The Shimmy, The Grind, The Turkey Trot, The Bunny Hug, The Texas Tommy, The Cakewalk... Almost all these dances originated in the black community in the United States, and some moved over into white society.

paragraphs: During the 1920s, English professional dancers and dance teachers set out to find ways of dancing to the new music. In their opinion, what was needed was separate dances for different tempos. So what happened was that the Foxtrot, which had started off as a mid-tempo dance influenced by ragtime, gradually split into two dances, a Slow foxtrot and a quick foxtrot. The difference in tempo allowed the dances to become, in time, different in style as well as music. The Quickstep (as it was soon called) was influenced by the Charleston, and the Slow foxtrot by ideas from the Boston. The syncopation which is still common in the quickstep is an example of ragtime influence on modern dancing.

paragraphs: Where did the name 'foxtrot' come from? It is often said that Foxtrot took its name from its inventor, the vaudeville actor Harry Fox; however the exact origins are not clear. The dance was premiered in 1914, quickly catching the eye of the talented husband and wife duo Vernon and Irene Castle, who lent the dance its signature grace and style.

paragraphs: W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues" was said to be the inspiration for the Foxtrot. The Castles' music director would play the Memphis Blues during breaks from the fast paced Castle Walk and One-step. The Castles were intrigued by the rhythm. They introduced the 'Bunny Hug' in a magazine article. They went abroad and in mid-ocean sent a wireless to the magazine to change the Bunny Hug to the 'Foxtrot'.

paragraphs: For the International or English style foxtrot


title: United Service Organizations

paragraphs: The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) offers recreational support for members of the U.S. military. The USO provides programs in 140 centers worldwide funded by private and public donations and support from the United States Department of Defense. It is not a government agency.

paragraphs: USO works to boost military . Since 1941, the USO became the soldier's "home away from home" and began a tradition of entertaining the troops with live performances called "Camp Shows" that continues today. These "tours" typically feature big name actors or actresses, comedians, pop musicians, and models.

paragraphs: The USO serves both in time of war and during time of peace. During the 1990s, the USO provided services to 5 million active duty service members and their families, and more support after start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.


title: Symphony No.8 "Symphony of a Thousand" (Mahler)

paragraphs: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) is one of the largest choral works in classical music. It needs a huge orchestra to play it and a huge choir to sing. Because so many performers are needed it is often called "Symphony of a Thousand", but that is not a name that Mahler gave to it.

paragraphs: Mahler worked very hard at it, composing it in quite a short time at Maiernigg in southern Austria in the summer of 1906. It was the last of Mahler's works that was to be given its first performance in his lifetime. The symphony was given its first performance in Munich on 12 September 1910.

paragraphs: Symphonies are usually pieces of music played just by an orchestra, but Beethoven started a tradition of having singing in symphonies: his Ninth Symphony is the famous one with the Ode to Joy in the last movement. Mahler took up this idea of combining singing with symphony. His Symphonies Nos 2, 3, and 4 all have singing in them. The next three are just for orchestra, but in No. 8 he uses singing again.

paragraphs: Symphony No. 8 is very unusual because he does not have the usual three or four movements with traditional forms such as sonata form. The whole symphony is in two parts. Part I is based on the Latin text of a ninth-century Christian hymn for Pentecost, "Veni creator spiritus" ("Come, Creator Spirit"). Part II is in German. The words come from the closing scene of Goethe's "Faust".

paragraphs: The two parts have a common idea: the idea of being saved through the power of love. Musically Mahler does this by sharing tunes throughout the symphony. The symphony expresses the confidence of the eternal human spirit.

paragraphs: For many years after Mahler’s death it was not often performed. It is, of course, a very expensive symphony to perform because of the vast numbers of musicians needed. It also needs to be performed in a very large concert hall. Today it is played more often. The 100th anniversary of its first performance will be celebrated in July 2010in the opening concert of the BBC Proms is the Royal Albert Hall, London.

paragraphs: Opinions about the symphony have been divided. Some people did not think the optimism expressed in the music was really convincing. Other people have said it is one of the greatest musical expressions of humanity.


title: Simon Boccanegra

paragraphs: Simon Boccanegra is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It is divided into a prologue and three acts. The libretto is by Francesco Maria Piave. The story was based on a play "Simón Bocanegra" (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez.

paragraphs: "Simon Boccanegra" was first performed at Teatro La Fenice, Venice on 12 March 1857. It was not very successful, and many years later Verdi made a lot of changes to it. He was helped by the writer Arrigo Boito who made changes to the plot. The new version was first performed at La Scala, Milan on 24 March 1881. This is the version that is normally performed today.

paragraphs: The story is supposed to take place in the middle of the 14th century in Genoa. Genoa (in Italian: Genova) is now a town in Italy, but in those days Italy was not yet one country, and Genoa, like Venice, was a small republic, ruled by a Doge (pronounced “Doadz” in English. It is an Italian word meaning “duke”). Until the time of this story the Doge had always been chosen from one of the rich patricians. The ordinary, common people (the plebeians), could not be chosen to be the Doge.

paragraphs: At the beginning of the story Fiesco is the Doge of Genoa. He has a daughter Maria. Maria has fallen in love with Simon Boccanegra who is a plebeian, so he would not be important enough to be allowed to marry her, even though he has become a hero because he has fought lots of pirates. Simon and Maria had a child, a young girl. After she was born she was given to an old woman to look after, but one day the old woman died and the small child wandered off alone. She was found wandering by the sea shore by Count Grimaldi who took her and looked after her as if she were his own child.

paragraphs: No one knows what has happened to the child. Count Grimaldi does not know who she is. He thinks she is an orphan.

paragraphs: When the opera begins, Paolo, the leader of the Plebeian party, persuades Pietro to encourage the plebeians to vote for Simon Boccanegra as the new doge of Genoa. Boccanegra arrives and agrees that he would be doge if he were chosen. Simon thinks this would make Fiesco allow him to marry Maria. For the past three months Fiesco has locked his daughter in the palace because she had had a child with Simon.

paragraphs: Maria dies (we never see her in the opera). Fiesco now laments the death of his daughter. Simon begs Fiesco to forgive him. Fiesco does not tell him Maria has just died. He promises to forgive him only if Simon lets him have his granddaughter. Simon explains he cannot because the child has disappeared. He goes into Maria’s room and finds she is dead. The people sing happily because Simon is the new Doge.

paragraphs: The story of Act I takes place 25 years later. Simon is still the Doge. He has sent many of his enemies into exile and taken away their property. Count Grimaldi is one of the people who has been exiled. In the Grimaldi castle, Fiesco is calling himself Andrea Grimaldi so that people do not know who he is. He is plotting with Simon’s enemies to overthrow him. He does not know that his granddaughter (Simon’s daughter) is the young lady called Amelia Grimaldi who is living in the castle.

paragraphs: At the beginning of Act I we see Amelia singing a beautiful song about the morning and the sea and the stars. She has a lover, Gabriele Adorno. When he arrives she warns him of the dangers of political plotting. The news is brought that the Doge is coming. Amelia is worried that the Doge will make her marry Paolo, so she asks Gabriele to ask Andrea (who is actually Fiesco) immediately for permission for them to marry. Fiesco agrees. He tells Gabriele that she was a poor orphan who had been found (he does not realize that it is his granddaughter). Gabriele says that he does not care about that, so Fiesco blesses the marriage.

paragraphs: Simon enters. He tells her that Count Grimaldi is forgiven and can return home. He asks her whether she would like to marry Paolo, but she refuses. She tells him that she is an orphan and she shows him a locket with a picture of her mother. Simon realizes that Amelia is his long-lost daughter. They are very happy to have found one another. When Paolo enters, Simon tells him he cannot marry her. Paolo is furious and decides to kidnap Amelia.

paragraphs: In the next scene we see Simon surrounded by the plebeian and patrician members of his Council. They are discussing whether they should make peace with the republic of Venice. Suddenly a crowd enters shouting for death to Simon. They are chasing Gabriele. Gabriele confesses that he killed Lorenzino for trying to kidnap Amelia. As Lorenzino lay dying he had said that he had been told by an important person to kidnap her. Adorno guesses that Simon must have ordered the kidnapping. He is about to attack him when Amelia rushes in and stops the fight Simon arrests Gabriele. He realizes that Paolo must be the real kidnapper, and makes everybody (including Paolo) curse him. Simon and his daughter are left alone on stage at the end of the act.

paragraphs: Paolo is frightened. He is furious with Simon and decides he must poison him. Fiesco and Gabriele are brought in. He tells Fiesco he can be free if he murders Simon. Fiesco refuses. Just as Fiesco and Gabriele are about to leave, Paolo asks Gabriele whether he knows Amelia is here in the palace having an affair with Simon. Gabriele is furious. When Amelia enters she denies the story. She tells Gabriele she loves him and tries to persuade him to leave, but Simon is coming and Gabriele hides.

paragraphs: Amelia tells Simon that she would die for Gabriele. Simon agrees to pardon him. He drinks from a poisoned glass of wine, which Paolo had put on the table, and falls asleep. Gabriele tries to kill him, but Amelia stops him. Simon wakes up. He tells Gabriele that Amelia is his daughter. Gabriele begs Simon for forgiveness and promises he will fight for him.

paragraphs: This takes place in a great hall which looks out on the harbour. Fiesco has been set free, but Paolo is condemned to death for leading the uprising against the Doge. Paolo tells Fiesco that he has poisoned Simon. Fiesco goes to Simon, who is now dying (the poison is working slowly). Simon recognizes his old enemy who he thought was dead. He is happy to tell him that Amelia is his long-lost granddaughter. Fiesco feels terribly sad and tells Simon about the poison. Gabriele and Amelia have just got married. They find her father and grandfather are now friends. Simon asks for Gabriele to be the next Doge when he dies. Fiesco goes to the window and announces to the crowd that Gabriele Adorno is now the new Doge and that Simon Boccanegra is dead.


title: Fire hydrant

paragraphs: A fire hydrant, also known as a fire plug or johnny pump, is a tool used for fighting fires. They are usually found easily on streets, stuck to the road. The first fire hydrant recorded was in Philadelphia.


title: Betty Grable

paragraphs: Betty Grable (18 December 1916 – 2 July 1973) was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, Missouri. She was an American actress, dancer, singer, and model, famous for her sexy, perfect legs. She insured her legs for $1,000,000.

paragraphs: Her swimsuit photo made her the number 1 pin-up girl during World War II. Her photo later appeared in "LIFE magazine's" "100 Photos that Changed the World".

paragraphs: She was awarded a star (a metal award plaque set in sidewalk cement) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California at age 56.


title: Geyser

paragraphs: A geyser is a hot spring which shoots out water and steam. They erupt when pressure has built up, often at regular intervals. There are about a thousand geysers around the world. About half are in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States.

paragraphs: Geysers are made in special geological conditions. Only a few places on Earth have these conditions. Because of this, geysers are not very common. One place is the Yellowstone National Park, which is the remains of a gigantic volcano. Another is Iceland, which sits on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where new Earth's crust is formed.

paragraphs: Geysers are often near active volcanos. This is because the geyser is caused by magma. Surface water usually goes down to about . There, it mixes with hot rocks. The pressurized water begins to boil. When it is pressured enough, hot water and steam burst out of the geyser.

paragraphs: Individual geysers do not last forever, but "systems" of geysers last as long as the geological situation continues. The oldest individual geysers are only a few thousand years old. Geysers are usually near volcanic areas. As the water boils, the pressure increases. This forces hot steam and water to the surface through the geyser. Geysers are usually made because of three things that are around volcanoes.

paragraphs: Most importantly, the temperatures near the bottom of the geyser become high enough to start boiling the water. Steam bubbles come out of the top of the column. They burst through the geyser's vent. Some water flows or splashes out. This makes the weight of the column of water and the pressure on the water below less. When this pressure is released, the hot water turns into steam. It boils violently.

paragraphs: There are several bodies in the Solar System where jet-like eruptions, often called "geysers" and "cryogeysers", have been seen. Unlike geysers on Earth, these are eruptions of gas, together with dust or ice particles, but without liquid.

paragraphs: Water vapor streams have been seen near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Nitrogen eruptions have been seen on Neptune's moon Triton. Carbon dioxide eruptions from the southern polar ice cap of Mars have also been seen.


title: Charles Mackerras

paragraphs: Sir Charles Mackerras, (born 17 November 1925; died 14 July 2010) was an Australian conductor. He was very famous for his conducting of operas, especially the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

paragraphs: Mackerras was born in Schenectady, New York, and was brought up in Sydney, Australia. He went to the New South Wales Conservatory to study oboe, piano and composing. He became an oboe player with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra during World War II, and was made the principal oboist in 1946. He conducted the orchestra at the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973. Five years later he was the first Australian conductor to be the orchestra's principal conductor.

paragraphs: Mackerras received many honours, including Companion of the Order of Australia, Order of the Companions of Honour, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1979).

paragraphs: He died from cancer in London, where he lived for many years.


title: Renault Mégane

paragraphs: The Renault Mégane is a automobile produced by Renault in three generations since 1995.

paragraphs: The first Mégane arrived in late 1995 to replace the 19. It came in many bodystyles and engines, the model formed the basis for the Scenic, Europe's first compact MPV which arrived in late 1996. The range was facelifted in April 1999 and an estate/wagon version appeared but wasn't sold in the UK. Although a new Mégane arrived in late 2002, the original was sold into 2003 until all bodystyles were redesigned.

paragraphs: The second Mégane arrived in late 2002 with the hatchback models, other versions appeared during 2003. The hatchback models became known for their distinctive rear end styling which resulted in Renault doing an advert for it based on that. It was facelifted in early 2006.

paragraphs: The third Mégane arrived in late 2008 with the hatchback and coupe models. Other models arrived during 2009. It received a mild facelift in 2012 then a more thorough one in late 2013. It entered its fourth generation in 2016.


title: Ryan Atwood

paragraphs: Ryan Atwood is a fictional character on the show The O.C. He is played by Benjamin Mckenzie. He is from Chino, California. He is with Marissa Cooper as his girlfriend. He also graduated from Berkely University.


title: Renault Laguna

paragraphs: The Renault Laguna is a automobile produced by Renault in three generations from 1994 to 2015.

paragraphs: The first Laguna arrived in early 1994 to replace the 21, it came as a hatchback at first and then it was joined by an estate/wagon version in late 1995. It got a facelift in 1998.

paragraphs: The second Laguna arrived at the end of 2000 and again, hatchback and estate/wagon bodystyles were offered. In 2001, it became the first car to receive 5 stars in the Euro NCAP crash testing, making it one the safest models at the time. It received a facelift in March 2005.

paragraphs: The third Laguna went on sale in October 2007 and became available in hatchback, estate/wagon and coupe bodystyles. It received a mild facelift in late 2010. Then in 2015 it was replaced by a new model called the Talisman.


title: Tata Indica

paragraphs: The Tata Indica is a automobile produced by Tata Motors in two generations since 1998.


title: Market capitalization

paragraphs: Market capitalization (often market cap) is a measurement of the size of a business corporation. It is equal to the price of one share of stock, times the number of shares of stock in a public company. Owning stock in a company is owning a part of the company. Market capitalization shows the public opinion of a company's value. The total market capitalization of all publicly traded companies in the world was US$51.2 trillion in January 2007. In May 2008 it rose to US$57.5 trillion, but by September 2008 had dropped to a little more than US$40 trillion.

paragraphs: Market capitalization represents the public opinion of the value of a company's equity. A public corporation, including all of its assets, may be bought and sold as stock. These purchases and sales will define the price of the company's share price. Market capitalization is the share price times by the number of shares in issue. This provides a total value for the company's shares and the value the company.

paragraphs: Some companies have stock that is privately owned, and not publicly traded. Many Stock markets adjust the market cap on the value of the publicly traded part of the company. In this case, market capitalization is based on the publicly traded stocks.

paragraphs: Note that market capitalization is a market estimate of a company's value. It is based how the public believes the company will perform in the future. There are many things that can affect the stock price. These include economic conditions and mergers and acquisitions.

paragraphs: In the past, companies were separated into large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap. New categories 'micro-cap' and 'nano-cap' have been added. There are general guidelines to know what category a company is in. These guidelines are adjusted over time due to changes in the market and the economy. For example, $1 billion was a large market cap in 1950 but it is not very large now.

paragraphs: Different numbers are used by different stock markets. There is no official definition of the exact cutoffs. They also may be done by percentiles rather than fixed cutoffs.

paragraphs: Market cap reflects only the "equity" value of a company. A more comprehensive measure is enterprise value (EV), which includes debt and other factors.

paragraphs: Insurance firms use a value called the embedded value (EV).


title: Vernon and Irene Castle

paragraphs: Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century. They were famous for developing and promoting dancing in the period of the First World War.

paragraphs: Vernon Castle (2 May 1887 – 15 February 1918) was born William Vernon Blyth in Norwich, Norfolk, England. Irene Castle (17 April 1893 – 25 January 1969) was born Irene Foote, the daughter of a prominent physician in New Rochelle, New York.

paragraphs: Vernon chose 'Castle' as a stage name when he first performed as a comic, because his sister (also on the stage) already used the family name, Blyth. He had already taken the name before Irene met him in 1910.

paragraphs: Vernon was initially trained to become a civil engineer. He moved to New York in 1906. There he became established as a comic actor and conjuror.

paragraphs: Irene studied dancing and performed in several amateur theatricals before meeting Vernon in 1910. The next year, over her father’s objections, the two were married. The English-born Vernon had already established himself as a dancer in comedic roles. His specialty was playing a gentleman drunk, who elegantly fell about the stage while trying to hide his condition.

paragraphs: After their marriage, Irene joined Vernon in The Hen-Pecks (1911), a production in which he was a featured player. The two then travelled together to Paris to perform in a dance revue. The show closed quickly, but the couple were hired as a dance act by the Café de Paris. Performing the latest American dances, the Castles were soon the rage of Parisian society. They introduced American ragtime dances, such as the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Bear.

paragraphs: When the Castles returned to the U.S. in 1912, their success was repeated on a far wider scale. Making their New York debut at a branch of the Cafe de Paris, the duo were soon in demand on stage, in vaudeville and in motion pictures. In 1914, the couple opened a dancing school in New York called "Castle House", a nightclub called "Castles by the Sea" on the Boardwalk in Long Beach New York, and a restaurant, the "Sans Souci".

paragraphs: In addition to cabaret, the Castles also became staples of Broadway. The Castles' greatest success was on Broadway, in Irving Berlin's debut musical "Watch Your Step" (1914). In this extravaganza, the couple refined and popularized the Foxtrot, which vaudeville comedian Harry Fox may have invented. After its New York run, "Watch Your Step" toured through 1916.

paragraphs: The Castles helped remove the stigma of vulgarity from close dancing. The Castles’ performances, often set to ragtime and jazz rhythms, also popularized African-American music among well-heeled whites. Irene’s fashion sense, too, started national trends. Her elegant, yet simple, flowing gowns were often featured in fashion magazines. She also introduced American women to the bob—the short hairstyle favored by flappers in the 1920s (see also Louise Brooks).

paragraphs: The Castles appeared in a newsreel called "Social and Theatrical Dancing" in 1914 and wrote a bestselling instructional book, "Modern Dancing", later the same year. The pair also starred in a feature film called "The Whirl of Life" (1915), which was well-received by critics and public alike. As the couple's celebrity increased in the mid-1910s, Irene Castle became a major fashion trendsetter, with her bobbed hair and shorter skirts. Her chic wardrobe was supplied almost exclusively by the couturière 'Lucile', (Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon) but Irene also designed some of her clothes herself.

paragraphs: The slim, elegant Castles were trendsetters in many ways: they travelled with a black orchestra, had an openly lesbian manager, and were animal rights advocates long before it became a public issue.

paragraphs: The Castles endorsed Victor Records and Victrolas. They issued records by the Castle House Orchestra, led by James Reese Europe –– a pioneering figure in Black music. They also lent their names to advertising for other products, from cigars and cosmetics to shoes and hats. They were, in short, personalities of the modern kind, who had a gift for self-publicity. They were as famous as any film stars of the day.

paragraphs: Vernon returned to the UK to become a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Flying over the Western Front he shot down two aircraft and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre in 1917. He was posted to Canada to train new pilots, and then promoted to Captain and posted to the US to train American pilots.

paragraphs: While flying at Benbrook Field, near Fort Worth, Texas, he took emergency action shortly after take off to avoid another aircraft. His plane stalled, and he was unable to recover control. Vernon was the only casualty. Fatally injured, he died soon after the crash, on . Irene paid tribute to Vernon in her memoir "My Husband", 1919.

paragraphs: Irene starred solo in about a dozen silent movies between 1917 and 1924 and appeared in several stage productions before retiring from show business. She married three more times –– to Robert Treman, Frederic McLaughlin, and George Enzinger.

paragraphs: In 1939, her life with Vernon was turned into a movie, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle", produced by RKO and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Irene served as a technical advisor on the movie, but clashed with Rogers, who refused to short bob or darken her hair. Irene also objected to white actor Walter Brennan playing their servant: "Walter was BLACK".

paragraphs: For the rest of her life, Irene was a staunch animal-rights activist, ultimately founding the Illinois animal shelter "Orphans of the Storm", which is still active.

paragraphs: Irene died . Vernon and Irene Castle are interred together in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. There is a large monument to Vernon Castle near the site of his crash in Benbrook, Texas.


title: Fiat Stilo

paragraphs: The Fiat Stilo is an automobile produced by Fiat from 2001 to 2007. The car was a modest sales success across Europe.


title: Fiat Doblò

paragraphs: The Fiat Doblò is a automobile produced by Fiat in two generations since 2000.


title: Payment

paragraphs: A payment is the transfer of something from one party to another. Giving money to a company is a payment, for example. A payment is usually made for goods or services.

paragraphs: The oldest form of payment is barter. Barter is a simple form of payment. It is the transfer of one good or service for another.

paragraphs: Today, payment is usually with money, cheque, debit, credit, bank transfer, or mobile payment. In transfers between businesses, sometimes payments can be complicated, with stock and other things.

paragraphs: In law, the "payer" is the party that sends the payment and the "payee" is the party that gets the payment.


title: Pedro Martinez

paragraphs: Pedro Jaime Abreu Martínez, known as Pedro Martínez (born October 25, 1971), is a Dominican pitcher who played for five Major League Baseball teams from 1992 to 2008—the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies. Martínez is one of 18 pitchers in MLB history with 3,000 career strikeouts, was named to eight All-Star Game rosters, won the Cy Young Award as the top pitcher in the National League once and the American League twice, and helped the Red Sox to a World Series victory in 2004, the team's first since 1918. Martínez was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, the first year in which he could be elected.

paragraphs: He is also notable for having pushed aside New York Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer during a baseball brawl.


title: Remy Zero

paragraphs: Remy Zero was a alternative rock band. The band made the theme song for the television series "Smallville". The band broke up in 2003.


title: Matthew Broderick

paragraphs: Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He was born and raised in New York City. He is partly of Jewish descent (his mother was Jewish), and considers himself Jewish. He starred in many movies, including "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Godzilla" and "The Lion King". Broderick married Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997.


title: Everyone Says I Love You

paragraphs: Everyone Says I Love You is a 1996 movie directed by Woody Allen. It stars Allen, Alan Alda, Drew Barrymore, Tim Roth, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts. It was released in December 1996.


title: Hurricane Allen

paragraphs: Hurricane Allen was an extremely powerful hurricane in 1980. The storm smashed through the Caribbean, Mexico and South Texas in August 1980. Over 200 were killed and damages were $1 billion (1980 USD). The winds of this hurricane reached 190 miles an hour, tying Hurricane Camille for highest wind speeds in any Atlantic Tropical Cyclone. Allen was one of the most powerful Atlantic tropical storms in recorded history. The name Allen was later retired in Spring of 1981 and replaced with Andrew, which in turn was retired because of the destructive 1992 hurricane.


title: Housecleaning

paragraphs: Housecleaning is what people do to remove mess, trash, and dirt from houses and put things where they belong so the house looks neat.

paragraphs: Housecleaning makes it easier to see the floor and furniture without clutter in the way. It also leaves fewer places for spiders and insects to live and removes dust so that people in the house can breathe more easily. Housecleaning may be sweeping the floor with a broom, cleaning rugs with a vacuum cleaner, cleaning clothes and putting them away, and washing windows. Washing a sponge, squeezing out the water, and placing it on a dish rack to dry is also part of housecleaning.

paragraphs: Clutter is things that either should not be in the house at all or have been put in the wrong place. A teacup in the middle of the floor is clutter. A teacup on its shelf is not clutter. Places people put things away on shelves, in drawers, and on hangers.

paragraphs: Cleaning the house removes germs, dust and other things that can harm health.

paragraphs: Dust can make people sneeze, cough, and get watery eyes. Dust can give people esrash and trouble breathing. Dust can come from smoke, cotton, small bits of soap, pollen, mold spores, dried cat saliva, pieces of spider web, skin flakes, cloth fibers, insect fibers, or tiny bits of food.

paragraphs: There are five main kinds of chemicals that people use for housecleaning:


title: Tom Welling

paragraphs: Tom Welling (born 26 April 1977) is an American actor and is the main character on Smallville as Clark Kent.


title: Make Way for Ducklings

paragraphs: Make Way for Ducklings is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. It was first printed in 1941. The book is about two mallard ducks who decide to raise their family on an island in the lagoon in Boston Public Garden, a park in the middle of Boston, Massachusetts.

paragraphs: "Make Way for Ducklings" won the 1942 Caldecott Medal for McCloskey's pictures, drawn in charcoal, then lithographed on zinc. In 2003, the book had sold more than two million copies. The book was so popular a statue of a mother duck and her eight ducklings were set up in the Public Garden. In 1991, Barbara Bush gave a copy of this statue to Raisa Gorbachev as part of the START Treaty, and the work is in Moscow's Novodevichy Park.

paragraphs: The book is the official children's book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The book is still highly praised for over 60 years because of its pictures and pace. However, it was criticised for having a loose plot (story) and weak characters. The book is very popular around the world.


title: Sequence dance

paragraphs: Sequence dancing is a form of dance in which there is a preset pattern of movements, to music. The music is usually also preset. Sequence dancing may include dances of many different styles. The term may include ballroom dances, which move round the floor, as well as line, square and circle dances.

paragraphs: Sequence dancing in general is much older than modern ballroom dances. With the exception of the waltz, invented around 1800, all dances in ballrooms were sequence dances until the early 20th century. The quadrille was one example, the minuet another.

paragraphs: After modern ballroom dancing developed, in England, sequence dancing continued. It included so-called 'Old Time' dances and also adapted versions of the new ballroom dances, and then versions of Latin dances. Sequence dancing is a competitive sport as well as a social pastime.

paragraphs: The British Sequence Championships is the most famous annual sequence dance competition and is part of the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival. This is held in the Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England, since 1949.


title: Škoda Felicia

paragraphs: The Škoda Felicia was a automobile produced by Škoda Auto. It replaced the Favorit in 1994 with a facelift in 1998. Its successor, Škoda Fabia, was introduced in 1999, but the Felicia still continues until 2001 in estate form until it was replaced by the Fabia version.


title: Minos

paragraphs: Minos was the mythical first king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. The following stories are mythological, and have no real historical basis.

paragraphs: Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus' creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten by the Minotaur. After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in the underworld.

paragraphs: He once had a wife named Pasophae. Minos upset the Greek gods by cheating them in a sacrifice. He told Poseidon that he would sacrifice a beautiful bull that Poseidon gave him after he used it. Instead, he switched it with another bull. They punished him by having Pasophae fall in love with a bull.

paragraphs: Pasophae asked Daedalus to help her, so Daedalus made a mechanical cow for her, and she got into it. The bull mated with the wooden cow and Pasophae had a child. It was the Minotaur, half human, half bull.

paragraphs: King Minos took the Minotaur and put it in a labrynth, or maze, built by Daedalus. When he was in possession of all of Crete he ordered that fourteen young people come to him to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. Theseus volunteered to be one of them, and went there with daughter, Ariadne. He killed the Minotaur in the labyrinth.

paragraphs: The Minoan civilization was later named after him by Arthur Evans. Evans was the archaeologist who discovered and excavated the palace of Knossos in Crete.


title: Paso doble

paragraphs: The Paso doble is a dance and music based on the Spanish bullfight. It is the music played at bullfights at the procession of the bullfighters, between stages, and at the end of each session. The dance is based on the way matadors perform in the ring.

paragraphs: In the dance, the man takes the part of the matador, and the woman takes the part of the man's cape ("not" the bull!). The man's stance (the way he stands) should be proud, and when he has a free arm it should be held slightly bent, rather as matadors do. The photograph of the ice dancers gives a perfect example of what dancers should aim for in this style.

paragraphs: The paso doble is one of the five International Latin ballroom dances. It gives a very good contrast in style with the four other dances. Although so Spanish in style and origin, the dance techniques were first developed in Paris. Later, in mid 20th century London, the Latin and American dances took on their present form.

paragraphs: The music is scored in 2/4 time. It is a march-like type of music, and as a dance it is a two-step ("paso doble" = two-step). It is played at about 60/62 bars (measures) a minute for dancers.

paragraphs: The most famous piece of paso doble music is the "España Cañí" or "Spanish Gypsy Dance". A sample of "La Gracia de Dios" gives an idea of the rhythm.


title: Daedalus

paragraphs: Daedalus was King Minos' head architect in ancient Greece and son of Athena. When King Minos of Crete was having some sovereignty problems, he asked Poseidon, god of the sea, for an offering to sacrifice to him as a sign as true kingship. So Poseidon sent a snow-white bull straight out of the sea foam. Once the people of Crete saw the bull, they all agreed that it was a sign of true kingship. However, once King Minos saw the bull, he refused to sacrifice the bull, kept it for himself, and sacrificed another bull to Poseidon, thus angering him. Poseidon put a curse on Minos’ wife, making her fall in love with the bull. She loved it so much that she wanted to mate with it. Minos called for the help of Daedalus, who built a wooden bull and put Queen Pasiphae inside it, thus calming her anxiety for mating with the bull. She soon became pregnant with half-man, half-bull (also called the Minotaur).

paragraphs: King Minos was horrified and asked Daedalus to build some kind of prison to keep the Minotaur from destroying Crete. So Daedalus built a labyrinth that was so complicated that the Minotaur could not get out. Only Daedalus knew the course of the labyrinth. Minos was afraid that Daedalus would tell the route through the labyrinth, and that he would tell that the Minotaur was the son of Minos' wife, he imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus, in a high tower. Daedalus made some wings that he strapped to his and Icarus’ arms and together they escaped from the tower. However, Icarus, forgetting his father’s words, flew too close to the sun, and the wax that held the feathers together melted. Icarus fell into the ocean and drowned. Daedalus landed safely on an island, and in grief, he named the sea that he and Icarus had flown across the Icarian Sea.


title: Emergency medical dispatcher

paragraphs: An emergency medical dispatcher is a person who answers telephone calls to the emergency medical services and sends out the ambulances. For each call they much decide if an ambulance is needed and which one should be sent. They also help the caller with their problems until the ambulance arrives.


title: Santa Cruz, Chile

paragraphs: Santa Cruz is a Chilean commune in the Province of Colchagua, O'Higgins. The town was founded as Santa Cruz de Unco, in an unknown date.