title: Hurricane Vince

paragraphs: Hurricane Vince was an unusual hurricane that began in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. It was part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The waters where it formed were thought to be too cold for tropical cyclones to exist. Vince was the 20th named storm and 12th hurricane of the season.

paragraphs: The storm that became Vince started out as an extratropical cyclone. It became a subtropical storm on October 8 to the southeast of the Azores. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) did not officially give the storm a name until the next day. Vince grew into a hurricane before beginning to weaken at sea. On October 11, it made landfall on the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. At that time, it was a tropical depression. It may have been the first storm to hit the area since a hurricane in 1842. Vince died out over Spain. However, it did drop rain on the country. What was left of the storm passed into the Mediterranean Sea.

paragraphs: On October 5, a storm now known as the 2005 Azores subtropical storm was absorbed by another low pressure area. It then began to develop and become more organized. It became a subtropical cyclone early on October 8. The storm was 580 miles (930 km) southeast of Lajes in the Azores. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) did not name the system Vince at the time, because the waters here were thought to be too cold for tropical or subtropical cyclones to exist. The storm slowly became more tropical, with a warm center. It became a tropical storm the next day in water cooler than 24 °C (75 °F), colder than the 26.5 °C (80 °F) usually needed for tropical storms.

paragraphs: After becoming a tropical storm, it had an eye, a clear opening at the center of the storm. The NHC named it Tropical Storm Vince, but at the time, it was not known whether Vince was tropical or subtropical. A later analysis of the storm found that Vince became tropical before it was given a name. The storm's eye became more settled and had a diameter of 15 mi (25 km). The storm also became stronger; it reached its highest force on October 9. At the time, it had wind speeds of 75 mph (120 km/h), a very weak Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. One NHC weather forecaster said that "if it looks like a hurricane, it probably is, despite its environment and unusual location".

paragraphs: Hurricane Vince quickly began to weaken because wind shear began to erode it. Vince weakened to a tropical storm. A type of weather system called a trough moved towards Vince from the northwest It pulled thunderstorms related to Vince away from the storm, and its center quickly moved to the east. On October 10, two short bursts of thunderstorms surprised forecasters. However, because the water was so cold, the storm kept weakening. Vince became weaker as it came closer to the Iberian Peninsula. It became a tropical depression on October 11. This was just before it made its landfall in Huelva, Spain. The fast-moving tropical depression quickly died out over land. What was left of the cyclone moved across southern Spain. It moved into the Mediterranean Sea south of Alicante early on October 12.

paragraphs: The Spanish Center for Emergency Coordination declared a rain pre-emergency for the province of Castellón. They were afraid that Hurricane Vince would bring rains which would flood the area. The Instituto Nacional de Meteorología (INM) issued a bulletin. It warned of a 40% chance of flooding. Four autonomous regions (Asturias, Cataluña, Castile and León and Galicia) issued flood warnings. Canarias issued a wind warning. Fishing fleets from Spain off the Andalusian coast went back to port. They were hit by the storm while anchored. The storm did not hit them in the open ocean.

paragraphs: Spain had been fighting a record drought that year. They welcomed the rains brought by Vince's remnants. In two days the storm brought a lot of rain to the province of A Coruña. This eased the sinking water levels in the reservoirs. But this also caused bad traffic and small floods. In Cordoba province, the A-303, A-306 and OC-293 roads were slightly flooded. The entrance of the University of A Coruña was blocked for some time. It was blocked by flood waters on October 11. A nearby roundabout was submerged. There were limited damages. No one died in the storm. The highest winds reported on land were 48 mph (77 km/h). These winds were reported at Jerez, Spain.

paragraphs: Some ships reported stronger winds. The rainfall as a result of the hurricane was like normal rains from temperate systems. Only one to two inches (25 to 50 mm) of rain fell. Using the words of a song in the movie "My Fair Lady", National Hurricane Center forecaster James Franklin in the Tropical Cyclone Report for Vince wrote, "the rain in Spain was mainly less than 2 inches, although 3.30 inches (84 mm) fell in the plain at Cordoba."

paragraphs: Hurricane Vince began in an odd place, an area where tropical cyclones do not usually originate from. However, it does not hold any important records. Tropical Storm Alberto of the 1988 season formed farther north than any other storm, at 41.5° N. Also, Hurricane Ginger of the 1967 season formed at 18.1° W, the farthest east of any tropical cyclones. Hurricane Vince became a "hurricane" further east than any known storm, at 18.9° W, prior to 2019’s Hurricane Pablo, at 18.8°W. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when wind speeds grow higher than .

paragraphs: The National Hurricane Center said that Vince was the first tropical cyclone known to hit the Iberian Peninsula. However, some documents claim that the 1842 Spain hurricane struck the Iberian Peninsula on October 29, 1842. That hurricane may have been stronger. More recently, Tropical Storm Grace formed farther north than Vince.

paragraphs: When Subtropical Storm Vince began on October 8, it was earliest in a season that the twenty-first tropical or subtropical storm formed. It was 38 days ahead of the record before that, which was set by Tropical Storm 21 of the 1933 season. Because Vince did not cause bad damage, the World Meteorological Organization did not retire (stop using) the name "Vince". It will be on the list of names for the 2011 season.


title: Life insurance

paragraphs: Life insurance is money for your family to use to pay your bills and death expenses when you die. A person must be healthy to purchase a life insurance policy. The amount of life insurance needed depends on the person’s family’s needs when they die. Some things to consider when purchasing a life insurance policy are, marital status, number of dependents, (wife, kids etc.) family size, income, and wealth. Life insurance has different types of policies.


title: Polytetrafluoroethylene

paragraphs: In chemistry, Polytetrafluoroethylene (often shortened to PTFE) is a polymer of tetrafluoroethylene. It is a fluoropolymer, because the polymerization is based on strong bonds of fluorine and carbon. Polytetrafluoroethylene is not very reactive. It also repels oil and water. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company developed it in 1938. It is better known by its trade-names, "Teflon", and Gore-Tex. Teflon is a coating done to frying pans, among others. Gore-Tex is a membrane used in clothing.

paragraphs: Perfluorooctanoic acid is needed to produce Polytetrafluoroethylene. Perfluorooctanoic acid is because it is very toxic for people and may cause cancer. The precursors for many chemical weapons are highly corrosive, their containers are therefore often treated with Polytetrafluoroethylene. For this reason, the export of Polytetrafluoroethylene from the European Union may need a special permit.


title: Mannerism

paragraphs: Mannerism is a style of art that was created in the Late Renaissance period, from about 1520 until about 1600. The Mannerist style of painting or sculpture often shows figures that are "elongated" (made longer) and "distorted" (made into strange shapes"). The aim of the Mannerist artist was usually to make art that looked "elegant".

paragraphs: The Mannerist style began in Italy, where the artists were influenced by the figures that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling and in the "Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel. During the Renaissance, artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael had tried very hard to learn from nature, and to paint things in a way that was very realistic. These two famous painters both died around 1520. Many artists then decided that they were going to use the art of painting to "express themselves". They were not going to follow the rules of anatomy and perspective in the way that Leonardo and Raphael did. Mannerist paintings are often full of figures that seem to be twisting, writhing or fighting. The faces of the figures often show strong emotions such as sadness, fear, hatred or sexual feelings.

paragraphs: Not all the painters who were working during the Mannerist period painted in the Mannerist style. Many artists continued to work in the style of the High Renaissance. Painters in the Mannerist style were Tintoretto, Jacopo Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, Parmigianino and Rosso Fiorentino. Giambologna and Benvenuti Cellini were Mannerist sculptors. Giulio Romano was a Mannerist architect.

paragraphs: Mannerism spread from Italy to France, Germany and Spain. One of the most famous Mannerist painters was El Greco who worked in Spain. Some other artists who worked in the Mannerist style are the French sculptor Jean Goujon, the Dutch painter Abraham Bloemaert and the German painter Bartolomeus Spranger. Possibly the strangest paintings from this time were by Giuseppe Arcimboldo who did pictures in which people's faces seem to be made from fruit, flowers, fire and even fish.


title: Copa do Brasil

paragraphs: Copa do Brasil is a Brazilian football competition. It is a knockout competition played by 87 teams.


title: Tricolour

paragraphs: Tricolor or tricolour (meaning "three colours") is, in most cases, a flag or banner that has three colours. Tricolour is a specific type of a flag with three stripes.


title: Palombia

paragraphs: Palombia is a fictional country in the Belgian comic "Spirou and Fantasio". In the world of the comic, Palombia is found between Paraguay and Colombia. Its name is a portmanteau of both countries.


paragraphs: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is an animated movie based on the Adult Swim program "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". The movie is rated R for crude and sexual humor, violent images, and language. The movie was written and directed by the show's creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro.

paragraphs: The Aqua Teens, Carl, the Plutonians, the Cybernetic Ghost, Dr. Weird, and the Mooninites are all after the exercise machine called the Insanenoflex. Carl goes on it and gets stuck, so the Aqua Teens try to stop it with music. The plan works, but the Aqua Teens realize that the world is still in danger, and then they set out to find more about themselves. Later on the Aqua Teens find out how they were created by Dr. Weird. Also they learn that there was a fourth Aqua Teen called Chicken Bittle. Finally they learn that their father turns out to be a watermelon whose accomplice is Neil Peart of the band Rush and that their mother is a 9-layer burrito.

paragraphs: A script for a sequel entitled "Death Fighter" has been written. The project was scrapped and never produced. Co-creator Dave Willis has stated he would be open to using Kickstarter to fund the project in the future.


title: Banner

paragraphs: A banner is a flag or other piece of cloth with a symbol, logo, slogan or other message. Sometimes, churches use banners to evangelize people.


title: Ray Romano

paragraphs: Ray Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known as the star of the television series "Everybody Loves Raymond". He acted in that series with Patricia Heaton.


title: Dave Willis

paragraphs: David "Dave" Willis (born May 1, 1970) is an American voice actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work on the Adult Swim programs "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Squidbillies".

paragraphs: His first job was on the show "". There he met Matt Maiellaro. He and Maiellaro later made "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".


title: Johnny Clegg

paragraphs: Jonathan "Johnny" Clegg (7 June 1953 – 16 July 2019) was a British-born musician from South Africa. He was in the bands Juluka and Savuka.

paragraphs: Juluka were able to tour in Europe. They had two platinum and five gold albums. They were an international success. The Savuka album "Shadow Man" sold 250,000 copies within a week after its release. It went on to sell more than 1,000,000 copies in France alone),

paragraphs: His song "Scatterlings of Africa" was on the soundtrack to the 1988 Oscar winning movie "Rain Man". This song is his only entry in the UK Singles Chart to date. It reached #75 in May 1987. He also did music for the movie "The Lion King 1½", "George of the Jungle" and "Opportunity Knocks".

paragraphs: Clegg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. He retired in 2017. Clegg died on 16 July 2019 at his home in Johannesburg from the disease at the age of 66.


title: Kick-Ass

paragraphs: Kick-Ass is a comicbook and movie about superheroes. The movie opened in theatres in the United Kingdom 26 March 2010 and 16 April 2010 in the United States.

paragraphs: The movie and comic tell the story of a teenager called Dave Lizewski. Lizewski is an average teenager who wonders why nobody in real life has ever decided to become a superhero like the ones in the comic books. He decides to become a real-life superhero despite having no special power or ability of any kind. He purchases a suit on the Internet and calls himself Kick-Ass.


title: Boeing 707

paragraphs: The Boeing 707 is a jet airliner. It flew -5 total flights. It was made by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from 1958 until 1979. It only has two rows of seats, which means it is a narrow-body plane. It also has four engines. The name is often said as "Seven Oh Seven". There are many different types of 707, and they can hold from 140 to 189 passengers. They can also fly from .

paragraphs: The Boeing 707 was Boeing's first jet airliner. It was the most common plane in the 1960s and it was still used a lot during the 1970s. The 707 was the first jet to have a lot of passengers fly on it. The 707 was not the first jet airliner, but it was the first one to make a lot of money. It made Boeing one of the biggest makers of airliners. It also started the group of planes with "7x7" names. The Boeing 727, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 have some parts of the 707's design.

paragraphs: The 707's design came from the Boeing 367-80, which was a prototype jet. The very first 707, the 707-120, had Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines. Pan American World Airways started using the 707 on October 26, 1958. Other types of 707 are the 707-138 and the 707-320. Both of these started being used in 1959. A smaller version, the Boeing 720, was made in 1960. The 707-420 had Rolls-Royce Conway 508 turbofan engines. It was made in 1960.

paragraphs: The 707 has been used for many different types of flights. Versions of the 707 used by militaries are the E-3 Sentry and the C-137 Stratoliner. Boeing made 1,011 707s (including the 720). More than 800 military planes were made. In August 2011, 10 707s were being used by airlines.

paragraphs: During World War II, and after it, Boeing was known for its military planes. Boeing had made very important bombers, like the propeller B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress and the jet B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. However, Douglas and other companies were far ahead of Boeing in the airliner market. The only successful airliners Boeing made before the 707 were the Boeing 314 Clipper and Boeing 307 Stratoliner. During 1949–1950, Boeing started looking at jets. Back then, aerial refueling (when a plane can get more fuel while flying) was being used a lot. The United States Air Force had ordered 800 KC-97 Stratotankers. Since planes were beginning to use jet engines, the USAF needed a jet tanker.

paragraphs: Boeing looked at many wing designs and engines for the new tanker. Eventually, it chose the 367–80. The "Dash 80" took less than two years to make. It first took off on July 15, 1954. It had Pratt & Whitney JT3C engines.

paragraphs: Nobody knew if the 707 would make money. Back then, Boeing was making almost all of its money from military planes. The last airliner it made, the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, lost the company $15 million before the United States Air Force bought some and called them the KC-97 Stratotanker. In a demonstration flight over Lake Washington outside of Seattle, on August 7, 1955, test pilot Tex Johnston performed a barrel roll in the 367-80 prototype.

paragraphs: The Dash 80 was wide. This meant that it was wide enough to have two seats on each side of the plane. Boeing decided to make it wide. However, Douglas had made the DC-8, which was wide. Because of this, Boeing made the 707 wider again, so it was wide.

paragraphs: The first flight of the 707 happened on December 20, 1957. The FAA allowed it to fly on September 18, 1958.

paragraphs: The very first type of 707 was the 707-120. Qantas ordered a shorter version, which was called the 707-138. The -138 could fly for as long as Qantas needed. Braniff International Airways ordered a version with Pratt & Whitney JT4A engines. This version was called the 707-220.

paragraphs: Even though the 707 should have had turbojet engines, the Pratt & Whitney JT3D was used the most. The JT3D was a turbofan engine.

paragraphs: The last type of 707 was the 707-320C (C means "Convertible"). It had a big door for cargo. It also had a better wing.

paragraphs: Boeing stopped making passenger 707s in 1978. 1,010 707s were made for airlines, but a lot of these went to militaries. Boeing made military 707s until 1991.

paragraphs: Some parts of the 707's design can be seen in the 737, 727 and 757.

paragraphs: The 707's wings are swept back at 35 degrees. This means that the wings are not straight lines. Boeing made a yaw damper for swept-wing planes, which was needed because swept-wing planes move strangely if there is not a yaw damper.

paragraphs: On one flight, the yaw damper was switched off to give the new pilots some more experience with the plane. One pilot made a bad move, and the plane went out of control. Three of the engines were ripped off of the wing. The plane crashed near Seattle at Arlington, Washington. Four people on board died.

paragraphs: In his autobiography, Tex Johnston said he was flying on a 707 and he thought that there was something wrong with the yaw damper, because the plane was moving strangely. He went to the cockpit and helped fix the plane.

paragraphs: The 707 used air from the engines to pressurize the cabin.

paragraphs: The P&W JT3D-3B engines have special doors which open when the plane is taking off. The doors help to give more air to the engines. The doors close when the plane is in the air.

paragraphs: Pratt & Whitney decided to make the JT8D-219 the new engines for planes made from the Boeing 707. A lot of these are for military planes which were designed from the Boeing 707.

paragraphs: The first orders for the 707 happened on October 13, 1955. Pan Am ordered 20 707s. There was a lot of competition between the 707 and the Douglas DC-8. A lot of big airlines only used the DC-8. Boeing decided to make some more changes to the 707's wing so that it could fly further. The new version was called the 707-320.

paragraphs: Pan Am was the first airline that used the 707. The plane's first flight was from New York to Paris on October 26, 1958. It stopped for fuel in Gander, Newfoundland. Qantas was the first airline from outside the United States to use the 707.

paragraphs: The 707 became a very popular jet airliner. It helped air travel grow a lot. Air traffic control was also upgraded.

paragraphs: At the end of the 1960s, the 707 was too small to fly all the passengers that wanted to fly. Boeing made the Boeing 747 because of this. The 707's engines were also too old.

paragraphs: During the Falklands War the Argentine Air Force used 707s to patrol. Some of them were caught by Royal Navy Sea Harriers.

paragraphs: Trans World Airlines was the last U.S. airline to fly passengers on a 707. The flight happened on October 30, 1983.

paragraphs: Most 707s are now private jets or cargo planes.

paragraphs: What the Boeing 720 was first called. American Airlines always called its 720s 707s.

paragraphs: The "707-120" was the first type of 707. The plane could hold 179 passengers. This type often had to stop for fuel in the North Atlantic. It had four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojets. The first flight with passengers was on October 26, 1958. 56 were built, plus 7 short body −138s; the last −120 was delivered to Western in May 1960.

paragraphs: The "707-138" was a −120 which was ten feet shorter than the others. It could also fly further.

paragraphs: The "707-120B" had Pratt & Whitney JT3D-1 turbofan engines. They were a lot better than the others. The −120B had some changes made to the wings. 72 were made.

paragraphs: The "707-220" had more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT4A-3 turbojet engines. Five of these were made, but only four were delivered. The first one began being used in December 1959.

paragraphs: The "707-320 Intercontinental" is a longer version of the 707-120. This type could hold more passengers, and had some changes made to the wings. It first took off on January 11, 1958.

paragraphs: The 707-420 was the same as the −320, but it had Rolls-Royce Conway 508 engines. Lufthansa was the first to carry passengers on this type of plane in March 1960.

paragraphs: The "707-320B" had a few changes made to the outside of the plane, as well as new engines. The wing was changed. This plane was first used in June 1962 by Pan Am.

paragraphs: The "707-320C" could be changed from a passenger plane into a cargo plane. More 707-320Cs were made than any other type. The 707-320C had a cargo door added, as well as some other changes to the wing and the floor.

paragraphs: Many militaries have used the 707 for many different things.

paragraphs: The Boeing E-3 Sentry is a U.S. military airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft. It has some of the Boeing 707's design.

paragraphs: The Canadian Forces also used Boeing 707s. These were called the CC-137 Husky (707-347C) from 1972 to 1997.

paragraphs: "Boeing 717" was what Boeing called the C-135 Stratolifter and KC-135 Stratotanker. The McDonnell Douglas MD-95's name was changed to Boeing 717 after Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas.

paragraphs: In the 1980s, the USAF bought 250 used 707s for parts for the KC-135E Stratotanker.

paragraphs: 707s are not used anymore by big airlines. However, as of December 2012, 10 707s were being used. John Travolta owns a 707-138B.

paragraphs: As of May 2011, the 707 has had 170 hull-loss accidents. 2,739 people have died in Boeing 707 accidents. A hull-loss accident is when the plane is damaged so much that it cannot be fixed.


title: Fischer-Tropsch process

paragraphs: The Fischer–Tropsch process (or Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis or F-T) is a set of chemical reactions that changes a mixture of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen gas into liquid hydrocarbons (like gasoline or kerosene).

paragraphs: The Fischer–Tropsch process involves many kinds of reactions, which lead to both wanted and unwanted results. The desirable reactions create chemicals called alkanes. Sometimes the gas methane (natural gas) is produced, which is generally undesirable. Sometimes, different kinds of alcohol are produced in small amounts.

paragraphs: Many steps are required to make the gases needed for the F-T process. For example, all chemicals entering the reactor must have all sulfur removed. For factories that start out with methane and want to make a liquid hydrocarbon (like kerosene), another important reaction is "steam reforming", which turns the methane into CO (carbon monoxide) and H (hydrogen gas).

paragraphs: This is the chemical equation for how steam reforming works.

paragraphs: The reaction above describes one molecule of HO (steam) plus one molecule of CH (methane) converts into one molecule of CO (carbon monoxide) and three molecules of H (hydrogen gas).

paragraphs: A catalyst is a substance added to change the rate of a chemical reaction, generally to make it faster. Many different catalysts can be used for the Fischer–Tropsch process. The most common catalysts are the metals cobalt, iron, and ruthenium. These metals are all transition metals. The metal nickel can also be used, but generally with unwanted results. A nickel catalyst in the reaction usually produces a lot of methane, which is undesirable.

paragraphs: Cobalt seems to be the most active catalyst (it has the greatest and fastest effect on the process). When the input is a natural gas, cobalt catalysts are very good for the Fischer-Tropsch process. Iron catalysts are better when the input gas is of lower quality (less pure) such as coal or biomass.

paragraphs: Most metals used for this process (like cobalt, nickel, and ruthenium) remain in their metal form when added to the process. However, iron catalysts behave very differently. Often, iron catalysts change form and chemical phase, like converting into various oxides and carbides during the reaction. It is important to control all of the iron reactions during the process, or else the process may not work correctly.

paragraphs: Fischer-Tropsch catalysts are famous for being extremely sensitive to the addition of sulfur. Even a tiny amount of sulfur can have an undesirable impact on the reaction. Cobalt catalysis is more sensitive to sulfur than iron.

paragraphs: High-Temperature Fischer-Tropsch (or HTFT) is performed at temperatures of 330°C-350°C. HTFT uses an iron-based catalyst. Sasol used HTFT in Coal-to-Liquid plants (CTL). Low-Temperature Fischer-Tropsch (LTFT) is performed at lower temperatures and uses a cobalt-based catalyst. Shell used LTFT in an integrated Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) plant in Bintulu, Malaysia.

paragraphs: Some F-T factories use coal, biomass or other solid compounds as a starting point. Before these factories can begin the F-T process, they must turn the solids into gases such as CO, H, and alkanes. Changing solid chemical compounds into gas is called gasification. The gas collected from coal gasification often has a CO/H ratio of ~0.7 instead of the optimal ratio of ~2. This ratio can be adjusted from 0.7 to 2.0 using the water-gas shift reaction. Gasification is a dirty and expensive process. Coal-based Fischer–Tropsch factories start out with coal, gasify the coal, and then use the resulting gas as feed stock for the Fischer-Tropsch process. These factories can produce large volumes of CO in this way. One of the main reasons for this approach is the large amounts of energy required for a coal-based gasification process.

paragraphs: The original process was invented by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch while working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in the 1920s. Since then, many improvements have been made. The term "Fischer-Tropsch" now is used for many similar processes. Fischer and Tropsch submitted several patents, like US patent no. 1,746,464, applied for in 1926, and published in 1930. It was given to the factories in Germany in 1936. Germany had an abundance of coal but very little petroleum. The F-T process enables the conversion of coal into gasoline, which is important for gasoline-based transport like cars, airplanes, and trucks. As a result, during World War II, the F-T process enabled Nazi Germany and Japan to produce substitute fuels for tanks and cars. F-T fuel production made up about 9% of German wartime fuel production and 25% of the automobile fuel.

paragraphs: The United States Bureau of Mines ran a program started by the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act. The Bureau hired seven fuel scientists from Operation Paperclip to work in a Fischer-Tropsch plant in Louisiana, Missouri in 1946. Operation Paperclip was a project to recruit German scientists to work for the US after World War II.

paragraphs: The F-T process has been used by many large companies, however the process is unpopular for many reasons. F-T factory equipment is expensive, and has high operating and maintenance costs. Also, petroleum, which competes with F-T products, has very unpredictable prices. Usually, factories are only profitable when they have access to "stranded gas". "Stranded gas" is the name for sources of natural gas very far from major cities that are too expensive to pump to consumers. If the natural gas could be pumped to these cities and sold directly to consumers, it would be much more profitable. Therefore, several companies are developing processes to enable practical exploitation of so-called stranded gas reserves.

paragraphs: The largest F-T factories with the largest application of F-T technology are owned and operated by the company Sasol in South Africa. South Africa is a country with large coal reserves but not enough oil to meet demand. Germany is in a similar situation. Sasol employs coal and natural gas in the F-T Process. They produce many different substitutes for oil products, and produce most of the country's diesel fuel.

paragraphs: One of the largest uses of F-T technology is in Bintulu, Malaysia. This Shell factory turns natural gas into low-sulfur diesel fuels and food-grade wax. They produce approximately 12,000 barrels/day.

paragraphs: In October 2006, Finnish paper and pulp manufacturer UPM announced its plans to produce biodiesel using the Fischer–Tropsch process. It said that it will do this along with the manufacturing processes at its European paper and pulp plants. It will use waste biomass from paper and pulp manufacturing as raw material for biodiesel.

paragraphs: In 2009, chemists working for the U.S. Navy studied Fischer-Tropsch for making fuels with hydrogen from electrolyzed seawater. With the usually optimal cobalt catalyst, this study produced mostly methane gas. Use of an iron catalyst, however, resulted in only 30% methane in the product; the rest consisted of short-chain hydrocarbons. Further refining of the hydrocarbons produced could lead to the creation of kerosene-based jet fuel.

paragraphs: The abundance of CO2 makes seawater look like a good alternative fuel source. Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory said that, "although the gas forms only a small proportion of air – around 0.04 per cent – ocean water contains about 140 times that concentration". However this often-repeated statement is misleading because while the density of CO2 and related compounds in seawater is about 200x the density of CO2 in air on a per cubic meter basis, carbon dioxide compounds are only about 1/4 the density on a per kg basis.


title: John Brown (abolitionist)

paragraphs: John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist. Brown supported using violence to end slavery in the United States. He first got national attention when he led small groups of people during the Bleeding Kansas crisis of 1856.

paragraphs: In October 1859, Brown led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (today West Virginia). He wanted to start a slave liberation movement that would spread south through the areas of Virginia and North Carolina. He took control of the armory, but seven people were killed, and ten or more were injured. Brown wanted to slaves with weapons from the armory. However, few local slaves joined his attack. Within 36 hours, Brown's men were killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines. Brown was executed by hanging for treason against the state of Virginia on December 2, 1859. He was the first person executed for treason in the history of the United States.

paragraphs: Brown is still make him a controversial person today. He is both remembered as a heroic martyr, and he is hated as a madman and a terrorist.

paragraphs: John Brown was born May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut. He was the fourth of the eight children of Owen Brown (1771–1856) and Ruth Mills (1772–1808) and grandson of Capt. John Brown (1728–1776). Brown's ancestors were 17th-century English Puritans.

paragraphs: In 1805, the family moved to Hudson, Ohio. Owen Brown opened a tannery here. Hudson had a lot of anti-slavery activity. Owen was a part of it. Owen provided a safe house to Underground Railroad fugitives. There was not a high school in Hudson at that time, so John studied at the school of the abolitionist Elizur Wright. Elizur Wright was the father of Elizur Wright, in nearby Tallmadge.

paragraphs: The father of Ulysses S. Grant, Jesse R. Grant, was Owen Brown's apprentice.

paragraphs: When he was 16 years old, Brown left his family and went to Plainfield, Massachusetts. He joined a program. Shortly afterward, he went to the Morris Academy in Litchfield, Connecticut.

paragraphs: In 1820, Brown married Dianthe Lusk. Their first child, John Jr, was born 13 months later. In 1825, looking for a safer place (for fugitive slaves), Brown and his family moved to New Richmond, Pennsylvania. He bought of land. He cleared an eighth of it, and he built a cabin, a barn, and a tannery. The tannery had a secret room to hide escaping slaves. The John Brown Tannery Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It "was a major stop on the [Underground] Railroad, marking its place in history from 1825 to 1835." During that period, "Brown helped an estimated 2,500 slaves escape."

paragraphs: In 1829, some white families asked Brown to help them remove Native Americans who hunted annually in the area. Brown told them, "I will have nothing to do with [such a] mean act. I would [rather] take my gun and help [remove] you from the country." Throughout his life, Brown kept peaceful relations with his Native American neighbors. Sometimes he would go with them on hunting trips, and he invited them to eat in his home.

paragraphs: In 1831, one of his sons died. Brown became sick, and his businesses started to do poorly. This made Brown have a lot of debt. In the summer of 1832, shortly after the death of a newborn son, his wife Dianthe died. The only family he had left were his children John Jr., Jason, Owen, and Ruth. (Another three of their children died before they became adults.) On June 14, 1833, Brown married 16-year-old Mary Ann Day (April 15, 1817 – May 1, 1884). She was from Washington County, New York. They had 13 children; those alive at John Brown's death were Salmon, Annie, Sarah, and Ellen.

paragraphs: In 1836, Brown moved his family to Franklin Mills, Ohio (now known as Kent). There, he borrowed money to buy land in the area. He built and operated a tannery along the Cuyahoga River. His partner was Zenas Kent.

paragraphs: In 1837, when he learned that Elijah P. Lovejoy was murdered, Brown promised: "Here, before God, [with witnesses around me], from [now on], I my life to the destruction of slavery!"

paragraphs: He strongly believed in Christianity. He believed that Christians should treat people the same no matter what color their skin was. Many white Christians in America at this time did not agree with this.

paragraphs: Brown lived mostly in Springfield, Massachusetts before moving to the Kansas Territory. This would later become the state of Kansas in 1861. Several of his sons were already living there. Brown's sons wanted his help to fight people from Missouri. The people in Missouri wanted slavery to be legal in Kansas. On May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons killed five people in Kansas who wanted slavery to be legal. They dragged the people out of their homes and killed them with swords. This came to be known as the Pottawatomie massacre. Many people in Kansas were shocked and upset about this. More violent things happened after this. This was the beginning of the period in the Kansas Territory known as Bleeding Kansas. Before leaving Kansas, Brown and his followers were attacked at the Battle of Osawatomie on August 30, 1856. His son Frederick was killed there.

paragraphs: In 1859, Brown decided to attack the Harpers Ferry Armory in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). He was planning on giving the weapons to slaves. The slaves would use the weapons to fight against their masters and become free. Brown attacked the arsenal in October 1859. His sons and several other men, including several black men, helped him with the attack. His attack failed. Brown was captured, and was executed by hanging for treason against the state of Virginia on December 2, 1859.

paragraphs: On the morning of December 2, 1859, Brown wrote:

paragraphs: I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be away but with blood. I had, as I now think, [naively thought] that [it could be done without much bloodshed].

paragraphs: He read his Bible and wrote a final letter to his wife. The letter included his will. At 11:00 a.m. he was taken from the county jail through a crowd of 2,000 soldiers a few blocks away. He was taken to a small field where the gallows were. Among the soldiers in the crowd were future Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, and John Wilkes Booth (Booth borrowed a militia uniform to watch the execution). The poet Walt Whitman, in "Year of Meteors", described watching the execution.

paragraphs: Brown chose to receive no religious services in the jail or at the scaffold. He was hanged at 11:15 a.m. He was dead at 11:50 a.m.

paragraphs: The raid on Harpers Ferry is generally thought to have pushed the United States towards civil war. Southern slaveowners, hearing early reports that hundreds of abolitionists were involved, were glad the action was so small. However, they feared other abolitionists would also try to lead slave rebellions. Therefore, the South reorganized the old militia system. These militias became a ready-made Confederate army, making the South better prepared for war.

paragraphs: Many abolitionists in the North believed Brown was a martyr, and that he sacrificed for the evils of the nation. Immediately after the raid, William Lloyd Garrison published a column in "The Liberator". He said Brown's raid "[meant well] but sadly " and "wild and [pointless]". However, he defended Brown's character from haters in the Northern and Southern press. He argued that those who supported the ideas of the American Revolution could not consistently oppose Brown's raid. On the day Brown was hanged, Garrison said in Boston: "whenever [it happens], I all slave revolts succeed".

paragraphs: After the Civil War, Frederick Douglass wrote, "His in the cause of my race was far greater than mine ... I could live for the slave, but he could die for him."

paragraphs: People had strong feelings about John Brown. Some people thought that he was crazy or evil. Other people thought that he was a hero. His attack on Harpers Ferry helped lead to the American Civil War. The war would start in 1861.

paragraphs: Many Black leaders of the timeMartin Delany, Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubmanknew and respected Brown. "Tubman thought Brown was the greatest white man who ever lived." Douglass called him "a brave and glorious old man."

paragraphs: Black businesses in the North closed on the day of his execution. Church bells rang across the North.


John Brown


title: Sinocentrism

paragraphs: Sinocentrism is the belief that China is the cultural center of the world.

paragraphs: This idea may have possibly been reinforced by the Chinese Isolationist policy enforced by Emperor Hongwu during the Ming Dynasty.


title: Thoroughfare Gap

paragraphs: Thoroughfare Gap is an album by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills. The album was released in 1978.

paragraphs: Most tracks were composed by Stephen Stills.


title: Annabeth Chase

paragraphs: Annabeth Chase is a fictional character in Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and Hereos of Olympus" series. She is a demigod, meaning she is half-mortal and half goddess. Her father is the mortal Frederick Chase and her mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom, crafts, arts, and battle strategy. She is first cousins with Magnus Chase, who's mother is her paternal aunt. She appears first in the first novel of the series, "The Lightning Thief". Throughout the series she becomes close friends with Percy Jackson, later becoming his main love interest and girlfriend.

paragraphs: Annabeth is architect of Olympus and one of the leaders in Camp Half Blood for half bloods/demigods.

paragraphs: She is played by the actress Alexandra Daddario in the movie "", which is based off the first book, "The Lightning Thief. Also played the same part in the movie " The Sea of Monsters", which is based on the novel "Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters"."

paragraphs: The writer of the books, Rick Riordan, was asked in an interview, "Do you feel those who said the main characters, such as Grover and Annabeth, are heroes in their own right?". He answered, "Annabeth is Percy's rational side. She can think through things and look at options that sometimes evade Percy in his moments of battle panic." This means she can think even when there is a fight going on, unlike Percy, and can find solutions to problems. That is also why Annabeth is a daughter of Athena because she is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.

paragraphs: Annabeth Chase is the half-blood daughter of the goddess Athena and the mortal man Frederick Chase. She was born July 12, 1993. Being a daughter of Athena, who is a virgin, she was not physically born, but is a literal 'brain child'; she was born as a gift to the man her mother loved. When she was seven, she ran away from home. On her journey, she met Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, and Grover Underwood. Together, they traveled to Camp Half-Blood, running from and fighting hordes of monsters. When they got to the borders of Camp half blood,Thalia made her final stand fighting monsters so that Luke, Grover and Annabeth could safely get into camp. Thalia's father, Zeus, changes her into a pine tree on top of a hill that comes to be known as Thalia's Pine Tree. Annabeth lived at Camp Half-Blood for five years prior to Percy Jackson's arrival.

paragraphs: It has been shown that Annabeth does not get along with her father and step-family. According to her, her father was not very happy when she first appeared and tends to look at her as a nuisance. Her step-siblings appear to dislike her and feel afraid of her. Her stepmother seems to hate her and feel that she endangers the family by being only half-mortal. At the end of "The Lightning Thief", Annabeth returns to her family to see if she can get along with them. She is able to stay with them for approximately a year, but it is unknown if her feeling towards her family have changed; however, in "The Titan's Curse", her father and stepmother seem to care for her deeply, and her father helps fight off Kronos's army to save Annabeth.

paragraphs: Annabeth is a good fighter, and has been shown to be able to think on her feet in very hard situations. Despite this, Annabeth dreams of being an architect (building things), and the story has made many references to this. In "The Lightning Thief", she enjoys and quickly becomes addicted to the 3-D holographic SimCity-esque game at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, and in "The Sea of Monsters", it was shown that Annabeth’s greatest dream is to redesign the whole world to make it better, make Luke good again, and be accepted by her mother and father. In "The Last Olympian", she is granted the status of being the architect of Olympus.

paragraphs: Hubris, or deadly pride, is Annabeth's fatal flaw. Annabeth thinks that she is able to do anything: get her parents back together, build great monuments, and save Luke, as shown in the second book. She sometimes even thinks she can rebuild the world into an even better place than the immortals did. She also has a deep fear of spiders, (arachnophobia), due to the contest between Athena and Arachne.

paragraphs: Annabeth is described as being athletic and having curly blond hair (like a princess's), tan skin, and stormy gray eyes. Percy Jackson describes her as "cute" at first but eventually she becomes "seriously beautiful."

paragraphs: Annabeth first appears in "The Lightning Thief" and is twelve years old. She was nicknamed "Wise Girl" by Percy, in a spat of insults. The name was meant as an insult but, now it's an affectionate pet name.

paragraphs: She first meets Percy Jackson after he was attacked by the Minotaur and makes his way into Half-Blood Hill. When he first saw her, Percy described Annabeth as "pretty" with blond hair curled "like Cinderella's" After Percy heals from the Minotaur attack, Annabeth hears that he is to go on a quest (search) and she wants to go along, thinking Percy is "the one" from The Great Prophecy. Together, she, Percy, and Grover go searching for Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. Throughout the book, Annabeth shows her unique intelligence, which she inherited from her mother, and also her arachnophobia (fear of spiders) that she shares with all her siblings on her mother's side (originating from the story of Arachne and Athena)

paragraphs: Annabeth, Percy and Tyson, having not been allowed to go on the quest for the Golden Fleece to save Thalia's Pine Tree and find Grover by Chiron's temporary replacement, sneak out of Camp Half-Blood to do so. During the book it is revealed that Annabeth's greatest dream is to redesign the whole world to improve it, save Luke (from himself), and be accepted by her mother and father. After getting stranded on the island of the Queen-Witch Circe, Annabeth saves Percy after he is turned into a Guinea Pig using the multivitamins given to them by Hermes. During the fight with Polyphemus Annabeth (while invisible with the use of her Yankee's Cap) pretends to be Nobody and distracts him long enough for Percy to vanquish him. Annabeth is injured fatally during the fight but is healed with the help of the Golden Fleece.

paragraphs: Annabeth is kidnapped along with the goddess Artemis and has to be saved by Percy, Thalia, Grover, and the huntresses Zoë Nightshade and Bianca di Angelo. In a dream Percy has, Annabeth is on a mountain, and she sees Luke holding up a black roof (unknown to Percy, it is the sky). Annabeth helps him hold it, and then Luke slips out from underneath, making Annabeth hold it. This is later used to trick Artemis into holding the sky, as Artemis would not be able to resist helping a maiden. Unlike the other books, Annabeth's role is quite small. It is hinted in this book that there will be a romantic future for her and Percy. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, also convinced Percy about his feelings for Annabeth, though she also made it even harder for them to fall in love. In the end, Percy saves both Annabeth and Artemis, while Thalia is fighting Luke until he falls off a cliff.

paragraphs: By this book, Annabeth is fourteen. Percy and Annabeth find an entrance into the Labyrinth. She realizes that Luke may try to use this entrance to invade Camp.

paragraphs: Annabeth leads the quest into the Labyrinth, fulfilling one of her ambitions. She goes into the Labyrinth with Percy, Grover, and Tyson to find a way to stop Kronos's evil forces from entering the borders of Camp Half-Blood by searching for the Labyrinth's inventor, Daedalus. The prophecy the Oracle gave her appears to have scared her and she refuses to say the last line. As they go into the Labyrinth, they face many hardships. Annabeth faces a Sphinx and finds the riddles (which are actually factual questions) not challenging and an insult to her intellect. They escape the claws of the Sphinx and continue on to find Hephaestus so he can tell them about where to find Daedalus.

paragraphs: As they head towards Hephaestus' forge in Mount St. Helens, they find telekhines there making a weapon for Kronos. Percy tells Annabeth to escape while she can. She kisses him for luck and they part ways. Annabeth believes that he dies when Mount St. Helens erupts, but this is not the case. Percy fell onto the island Ogygia, prison of the nymph Calypso, a daughter of Atlas. When Percy comes back to camp, Annabeth is performing a funeral ritual for him. When she notices him, she hugs him, making a scene. However, when she finds out about Calypso, she is very jealous. Percy then asks a mortal girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, to help them on their way through the Labyrinth (Rachel has a rare ability to see through the Mist). Annabeth becomes very jealous at how close Percy and Rachel are getting. The three of them discover Luke, who has become Kronos's vessel. After a battle, Luke is forced back into the Labyrinth, leaving two casualties. Annabeth refuses to believe that Luke is all bad, and gets quite mad at Percy for saying otherwise.

paragraphs: After they fulfilled their mission, Annabeth and Percy are standing on Half-Blood Hill, and are matching their goals with the prophecy, Annabeth reveals the last line of her prophecy, "To lose a love to worse than death" and is confused, not sure about her feelings for Luke, or a secret love for Percy. At the end she leaves with her dad to go to a private school in San Francisco.

paragraphs: In the final book, Annabeth first appears when Percy returns from blowing up Kronos's ship, the "Princess Andromeda". Following his arrival, Annabeth helps Percy hear the Great Prophecy. Percy bathes in the River Styx (he narrowly escapes by imagining Annabeth pulling him out of the river) and calls Annabeth, telling her to meet him in front of the Empire State Building with all the demigods from Camp Half Blood. When Annabeth and Percy go to Olympus, they meet Hermes, to whom Annabeth tries to apologize about Luke turning into Kronos. Hermes becomes angry at her and blames her for not saving Luke. Hermes leaves, and they return to the other campers to defend Manhattan and Mount Olympus. In battle, Ethan Nakamura attempts to stab Percy in the small of his back, his Achilles spot, and Annabeth jumps in front of him, taking the knife. After a few hours of rest, Annabeth, though still weak from poison, goes back into battle. Kronos goes to Olympus, and Grover, Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth follow him. Kronos attacks Percy, and Annabeth joins the fight, but is knocked out of the fight when Kronos slams her into Athena's throne. In the end, she saves Percy and Olympus by finally realizing the prophecy's true meaning. She convinces Percy to give Luke her knife (which was given to her by Luke when she was seven) so he can stab himself, killing himself and banishing Kronos to Tartarus yet again. She is rewarded by the gods, who allow her to use her talents as an architect to rebuild Mount Olympus. Percy Jackson refuses immortality because of his feelings for Annabeth. At Camp Half-Blood in the dining hall later that day, Annabeth kisses Percy after he admits his feelings for her. She warns him that she will never make things easy for him. After this, they kiss underwater after eavesdropers dump them into the canoe lake.

paragraphs: Magnus Chase And The Gods Of Asgard, Book 1 The Sword of Summer

paragraphs: Annabeth appears in this book searching, with her dad, for cousin Magnus.

paragraphs: Magnus Chase And The Gods Of Asgard, Book 2 The Hammer of Thor

paragraphs: Percy appears at the end of the book when Magnus Chase learns that he needs to go somewhere called the "Ship of Dead". He goes to ask Annabeth for tips, in which Annabeth quotes "I don't know much about the sea, but my boyfriend does. It's time you met Percy..."

paragraphs: Magnus Chase And The Gods Of Asgard, Book 3 The Ship of Dead

paragraphs: In the beginning of the book the first chapter is called "Percy Jackson Does His Level Best to Kill Me". Annabeth and Percy give tips about the sea get kind've itchy because Magnus sucks at everything that came to the ocean, nearly getting himself killed.

paragraphs: In the movie, Alexandra Daddario plays Annabeth, a warrior at Camp Half-Blood with Percy and potential romantic interest. In the movie trailer, Annabeth says to Percy, "I definitely have strong feelings for you. I just haven't decided if they are positive or negative yet." Another scene shows them leaning in, seemingly to kiss. It was really a tease, which was revealed when she suddenly steals Percy's sword from his sheath and at the brings her own sword to his throat and says, "First rule of battle strategy, never let your opponent distract you." In the movie, Annabeth is seen with brown, straight hair, a definite change from the book's description of her (with curly blonde hair). She is shown in the movie with blue eyes not gray. She does not display much love towards Luke.

paragraphs: A key subplot in the series is the relationship between Annabeth, Percy, and Luke. Luke is Annabeth's hero and one of her first half-blood friends. Annabeth likes Percy, which she hints at, but she still has feelings towards Luke. At the end of "The Last Olympian", Luke shows slight feelings for her, sort of like an older brother. These feeling are present despite the fact that Luke and Percy are arch enemies and he has attempted to kill Percy many times. In "The Sea of Monsters", it is shown that one of her life's wishes is to save Luke from Kronos.

paragraphs: In the beginning of "The Lightning Thief", Annabeth is shown to dislike Percy when she finds out that Percy is the hero of the prophecy. She thinks he is weak, and is influenced by the rivalry between her mother, Athena, and Percy's father, Poseidon. But while they are on their quest, they have to ride a truck to get to their destination. This is the first time they actually talk. In "The Mark of Athena", Annabeth says that's when she chose to "like" him. At the very end of "The Sea of Monsters" Annabeth kisses Percy on the cheek after winning the chariot race. In "The Titan's Curse", there are suggestions of some romance between Annabeth and Percy, although this is complicated by her lingering feelings towards Luke and the fact that her mother, Athena, disapproves of her "friendship" with Percy. In "The Battle of the Labyrinth", Annabeth finally expresses her feelings for Percy by kissing him good luck before vanishing using her Yankee's cap. When Percy returns, she is highly jealous, because she knows he has been with the sad but seductive Calypso. It is implied that Percy is trying to tell Annabeth about his feelings, but Annabeth remains distant,still due to her lingering feelings towards Luke.

paragraphs: In "The Last Olympian", after the defeat of Kronos and the saving of Luke's soul, the romantic relationship between Percy and Annabeth is solidified. Annabeth also states Percy looks 'cute when he's worried' when he first checks on her after she took a knife that was meant for him. Annabeth tells Luke as he dies that she always saw him as a brother, but never loved him. Later, she and Percy share their second kiss after she tells him that she will never, ever make things easy for him. He describes it as if his brain felt it was melting through his body. But nosy campers snoop on this and throw them into the camp lake. Then comes a third kiss underwater in an air bubble made by Percy. They are together at the end of the series. It is hinted that they might be married one day in the future, as Annabeth said she wanted "to build something permanent," and Percy states that maybe they were "getting a good start together.”

paragraphs: B. Allison Gray praises how in "Battle of the Labyrinth: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4", Riordan "successfully conveys Annabeth's emotions."

paragraphs: The casting for the movie has had a different reception. On one hand, as "Rama's SCREEN" reports, "the one that’s been causing argument is Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase...apparently some of Rama’s SCREEN readers out there did and the comments on her casting were in mixed response...Ashley thought Annasophia Robb (Race To Witch Mountain) should’ve played that role meanwhile Kara and Victoria saw Daddario as too old because apparently, the character Annabeth Chase in the book is about 12 years old but Lily thought Daddario should be given a chance to prove herself worthy and Joe said that to make this work, the movie needs to make her hot, athletic, with blond hair and grey eyes." On the other hand, Katey Rich writes that Daddario "looks just right for that Hermione-esque role of the brainy brunette...Daddario, who has been in movies like "The Hottest State" and the recent , may have just signed on for a role that will take over her life, poo and bring her plenty of Emma Watson-scaled fame in the process. I hope she's got her wizard's wand-- oh, wait, I mean mythical god powers-- ready for the challenge."


title: Percy Jackson

paragraphs: Perseus "Percy" Jackson is the main character and narrator of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series. He is a demigod, meaning he is half-mortal and half god. His father is Poseidon, the god of the sea, and his mother is the mortal Sally Jackson.

paragraphs: First introduced in "The Lightning Thief" as a troubled twelve-year old who finds out that he is a demigod, Percy goes on many adventures in the series to save his friends and the gods of Mount Olympus.

paragraphs: Percy is played by Logan Lerman in the movie "" and in "."

paragraphs: Percy is good-natured, friendly, brave, and willing to risk his life to save his friends, strangers, and even his enemies. He is angered by Thalia Grace because their personalities are similar, they argue even though they are good friends. Percy has a sarcastic sense of humor and is funny in his writing.

paragraphs: Percy dislikes nicknames or titles being given to him, with the exception of those given by Annabeth Chase. He always tells horses, which his father is said to have created, not to call him "boss" or "lord" whenever they talk to him, but does not get annoyed when Annabeth calls him "seaweed-brain". His fatal flaw is loyalty. Percy, like most boys his age, has trouble talking to girls.

paragraphs: Athena said that Percy's fatal flaw is personal loyalty. He will do anything to save his friends and loved ones. Kronos uses this flaw to control him several times in the series, such as when his mother is held hostage, when Grover is trapped on Polyphemus' island, and when Annabeth is kidnapped.

paragraphs: Perseus "Percy" Jackson is introduced as a troubled 12-year-old boy who is a student with dyslexia, which makes it hard for him to read, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which makes it hard for him to pay attention. He has been kicked out of every single school he has gone to. He has just been kicked out of Yancy Academy in Upstate New York. He has few friends at the school, his best friend being Grover Underwood, a satyr (half human, half goat) disguised as a human.

paragraphs: During a field trip to a museum, Percy is annoyed by the school bully, Nancy Bobofit, for intimidating Grover and in a fit of rage, accidentally summons water from a nearby fountain to pull her in, but he didn't know how he did it. Mrs. Dodds, his pre-algebra teacher, witnesses the whole scene and tells him to follow her into the museum for a "talk." Suddenly, she turns into the Fury Alecto, and attacks him, looking like a bat-like figure with humongous fangs. Percy manages to destroy her using Mr. Brunner’s pen, Riptide, that transforms into a sword in his hand. However, when Percy returns to the bus and asks his classmates, nobody remembers Mrs. Dodds because of a force known as the Mist. The only person that may remember her was Grover, who always hesitated before he answered. Everybody else believed her name was Mrs. Kerr.

paragraphs: Percy asks what just happened, and Mr. Brunner says he saw nothing and that Percy should bring his own things to write with in the future. Percy asks his classmates about it, but they act like there was never any "Mrs. Dodds". Percy sees that Grover is lying when he hesitates whenever Percy mentions "Mrs. Dodds". Percy overhears Grover and Mr. Brunner talking about him later in the school year. As he is going home on a bus with Grover, he sees three old ladies knitting a giant sock. Grover looks really worried about them. Percy leaves Grover at the bus stop and takes a taxi to his apartment on his own.

paragraphs: His mother arrives soon after he gets home and tells him that they can go to Montauk Beach for the entire weekend. Percy is happy that something good has finally happened and packs his things and leaves. At the beach, Percy wakes up in the middle of the night in a storm and is shocked to see Grover coming to him and his mom, telling them to leave. Percy is confused, but his mother takes them both in the car and drives quickly away.

paragraphs: After hearing a growl behind them, his mom arrives at a hill and pushes both boys out of the car. Percy sees that the thing chasing them is a Minotaur, who charges them. Percy and his mom dodge it, but Grover is too slow and the Minotaur charges him. Percy manages to defeat the Minotaur, but not before it dissolves Percy's mother into light and sends her to the Underworld. Percy drags Grover up the hill to Camp Half-Blood, where Percy passes out on the doorway of the Big House.

paragraphs: Percy learns that Camp Half-Blood is a place for demigods like him. He meets a future friend, Annabeth Chase. He learns that Mr. Brunner is actually the centaur (half human, half horse) Chiron, the camp's activity director. He also learns that the director of the camp is the god Dionysus. He is introduced to Luke Castellan, the leader of the Hermes cabin. Later, in a capture-the-flag game, Percy single-handed defeats Clarisse, leader of the Ares cabin, and three others when he healed his injuries in water. This is when he learned that he is the son of Poseidon as a holographic trident appears over his head. Soon after learning that Zeus's lightning bolt has been stolen, Percy embarks on his first and eventually successful quest along with Grover and Annabeth to retrieve it.

paragraphs: Thalia's tree, the magical border of Camp Half-Blood, has been poisoned. Chiron is blamed for the poisoning and is dismissed from camp; Tantalus, who comes from the Fields of Punishment and cannot have food or water, takes the job. The only thing able to rid the tree of its poison is the Golden Fleece, which is located on the island of Polyphemus (another son of Poseidon), in the Sea of Monsters (the Bermuda Triangle).

paragraphs: Clarisse, the daughter of Ares and longtime enemy of Percy, is given the quest to go into the Sea of Monsters to bring back the Golden Fleece, which has healing powers for plants, animals, and humans. Percy and Annabeth decide to go also, not just for the Golden Fleece, but for their friend Grover who is trapped in Polyphemus' cave. Tyson, a young Cyclops whom Percy befriended at school that year, joins them on their journey. Tyson is Poseidon's son and therefore Percy's half-brother.

paragraphs: As they enter the Sea of Monsters, they have to get past Scylla and Charybdis. Instead of trying to sail in between the two, Clarisse automatically goes for Charybdis and Tyson supposedly dies in Clarisse's ship after it sinks. After that, Percy and Annabeth journey to many dangerous islands, and Annabeth tells Percy many things about how Thalia died and she also mentions her prophecy and tells Percy that he has a choice to make when he becomes 16 years old. Fighting their way through many other obstacles, like the Sirens and Circe's island, they join up with Clarisse, Grover, and later Tyson (who did not die), and leave with the Golden Fleece.

paragraphs: When they return to the mortal world, they send off Clarisse on an airplane to camp alone, and Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson are kidnapped by Luke. In a duel with him, Percy is nearly killed. He is saved by Chiron, who is proven innocent, and his relatives, the Party Ponies. When they return to camp the Fleece is put on the tree. The Fleece not only revives Thalia's tree, but Thalia too. It turns out that this was actually Kronos's plan, done so that he would have another chance to control the prophecy which governs the future of Olympus and the Olympians.

paragraphs: At the end Percy and Annabeth win a chariot race and Annabeth kisses Percy on the cheek.

paragraphs: In the third book, Grover finds two demigods at a school, Bianca and Nico di Angelo. Percy, Grover, Thalia and two of Artemis' hunters, Zoë and Bianca (who later chose to become a hunter, upsetting Nico), are sent on a quest to save Artemis, who has been kidnapped. Percy is really going to save Annabeth, who was captured while they were saving the di Angelo's.

paragraphs: During the journey, Percy meets a mortal girl at Hoover Dam, named Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who can see through the Mist. She helps him escape from skeletal warriors who were trying to attack Percy and his friends.

paragraphs: While warning them about the junkyard of the gods, Aphrodite, goddess of love, tells Percy there is a romantic future waiting for him with Annabeth. Bianca is killed by a crazed robot in the junkyard of the gods while trying to get a figurine for her brother Nico. She said it was the only figurine he was missing in his collection. During the battle with Atlas, Zoë receives deadly injuries; she is poisoned by her old friend Ladon; her father, Atlas, makes the final strike that kills her and Atlas holds the burden of holding the sky again. Upon entering Olympus, the Gods decide whether to kill Thalia, Percy and Bessie (the ophiotaurus) who may hold the decision to tear down Olympus according to the Great Prophecy. Thalia becomes one of Artemis' hunters, eliminating her as a potential recipient of the Great Prophecy. In the end, the gods decide to leave Percy alive and keep the Ophiotaurus in safety at the throne room. Afterward, a feast is held in honor of the heroes and Athena tells Percy that she disapproves of his friendship with her daughter. At camp, Percy tells Nico about Bianca's death; he sprints into the woods. From then on, Nico hates Percy, blaming him for his sister's death. Annabeth, Percy and Grover search for Nico and cannot find him. Percy then holds the figurine of the god Bianca gave him at the junk yard. Suddenly, he realizes who Nico's father is: Hades, lord of the dead.

paragraphs: In book four, the Labyrinth of Daedalus is discovered. Camp Half-Blood is in danger of being invaded by Kronos' army by means of the Labyrinth. Chiron sends Annabeth along with Percy, Grover, and Tyson into the Labyrinth on a quest to find Daedalus. In this, they hope to use his knowledge to help thwart any attacks that are carried out using the giant underground maze. They eventually find Daedalus, who has made himself a new body, and has disguised himself as the swordplay counselor.

paragraphs: There is a battle, as Kronos' army attacks Camp Half-Blood through the Labyrinth. Many are injured and some are left dead. Daedalus shows up to help along with his giant pet hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. Daedalus has escaped death for centuries, but gives himself over to Nico di Angelo, a son of Hades, so he can accept his punishment in the Underworld and also so he can see his son Icarus and his nephew Perdix. Percy inherits Mrs. O'Leary; they have grown fond of each other. Percy and Annabeth's relationship starts to take on a new edge to it. Annabeth saves Percy several times and kisses him once because she thinks he is going to die. She also makes a big scene in front of all the campers when she realized that Percy was alive.

paragraphs: In book five, Percy discovers the truth behind the Great Prophecy. The campers find out there is a spy among them who is reporting everything to Kronos, who took over Luke's body in the fourth book. Percy battles Kronos many times, and eventually becomes invincible from bathing in the River Styx.

paragraphs: In the beginning, Percy and Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus are sent on a quest to blow up Luke's demon cruise ship, and Beckendorf is killed.

paragraphs: Percy and Nico sneak out of camp, and meet Hestia, who shows Percy part of Luke's past, and they meet Luke's mother.

paragraphs: A war between the Titans and Olympians ensues, one that has been in the making for much of the series. In the end, Luke, who is also invincible from bathing in the River Styx, kills himself in order to send Kronos back to Tartarus. Silena Beuregard turns out to be the spy. She is a good person inside, but Luke threatens her, and they make a deal that Beckendorf will not be hurt, as she was Beckendorf's girlfriend. Silena dies trying to kill a drakon, disguised as Clarisse, which upsets Clarisse greatly.In the end of the book, Luke commits suicide to save the Olympians.

paragraphs: Annabeth admits she never loved Luke, and that she cared for him only as a brother. She and Percy finally cement their relationship. Percy tries to tell her about his feelings at the River Styx, but says that she is not making it easy. She says: "I will never, ever make it easy for you Seaweed Brain. Get used to it", then kisses him, after which the other campers throw them into the canoe lake. Percy then creates an air bubble and they share "pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.".

paragraphs: Percy was played by Logan Lerman in the movie "Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief". That movie was adapted from the first book in the series, "The Lightning Thief". A movie of the second book, "The Sea of Monsters" was released on August 7, 2013 in the United States.

paragraphs: Percy, like most demigods, has two main disabilities:

paragraphs: In "The Lightning Thief", Percy is given a magically enchanted sword called Anaklusmos (Riptide). It is made of celestial bronze, a fictional metal which will injure immortals and monsters, but not wound mortals. Many demigods use celestial bronze weapons.

paragraphs: Children of the "big three" (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) are more powerful than demigods of the other Greek gods and goddesses. Hence, Percy has a wide range of abilities.

paragraphs: Percy has a lot of powers specifically connected to the things controlled by of Poseidon: seas, horses, sea creatures, and earthquakes. His water-related abilities tend to be stronger in sea water than in fresh water.


title: IPad

paragraphs: The iPad is a small tablet computer made by Apple Inc. Apple first showed it on January 27 2010. It is larger than a smartphone and smaller than a laptop computer. It has a multiple touch interface (use two or more fingers to do certain things). It is different than a laptop in that it doesn't have a keyboard. Instead, it has a "virtual keyboards" using the touch screen, and a physical keyboard can be added. It doesn't have Adobe Flash. This keeps it from crashing, but some websites will not display correctly. Also you cannot have multiple windows open at the same time and drag and drop things between them.

paragraphs: Apple made an early version of a tablet computer in 1993 called the Newton MessagePad. It had similar functions to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad except it didn't have advanced things like the internet or a voice program. Apple stopped making Newtons in 1998.

paragraphs: Apple re-entered the mobile device market in 2007 when the iPhone was released. Some of the iPhone's features are based on the Newton.

paragraphs: By the end of 2009 rumors about the iPad had been around for several years, and on January 27, 2010 Steve Jobs announced the iPad. It was not the first tablet to be sold, but it was the first one to sell in large numbers. It also was the first one that was controlled almost entirely by fingers touching the screen. Many of the earlier tablets (and PDAs, or personal digital assistants) used a lot of buttons or a stylus to control the tablet.

paragraphs: The first generation iPad was able to be bought in the United States in April 2010 and most of the rest of the world within several months.

paragraphs: Apple announced the iPad 2 on March 2, 2011 and it was released on March 11, 2011. It had a new sleeker design and had a front and back video camera. It was also a lot thinner and had curved edges because people were complaining that the first gen iPad made their hands sore.

paragraphs: On March 16, 2012 Apple released the iPad 3. It kept the iPad 2's design but was slightly thicker and was the first iPad to have a retina screen for a sharper picture. It has 50% more pixels than a standard HDTV screen.

paragraphs: On November 2, 2012, Apple released the iPad 4 which featured an A6 processor, a new connector called Lightning which replaces the old 30 pin dock connector, and an updated FaceTime camera. They also released a new iPad called the iPad Mini which featured a 7.9 inch screen instead of the normal 9.7 inch screen, though it didn't have a retina display.

paragraphs: On October 22, 2013, the new iPad Air was announced which looked like the iPad Mini but still had the full size screen. It also had the newer A7 processor that the iPhone 5s had. At the same time, a new version of the iPad mini was announced that had the better Retina display.

paragraphs: On October 16, 2014, the iPad Air 2 was announced along with the iPad Mini 3. The iPad Air 2 has a thinner design than the iPad Air and has new features, such as a better camera and a Touch ID fingerprint reader. The iPad Mini 3 has the same design as the iPad Mini 2, but has a better camera and also has the Touch ID fingerprint reader that the iPad Air 2 has.

paragraphs: On September 9, 2015, Apple announced a new version of the iPad, the iPad Pro. It comes with either a 12.9 inch and a 9.7 inch screen and the A9X processor. Apple made a hardware keyboard that plugs into its side, and a stylus pen, the Apple Pencil, that can be used to draw on the screen as if it was a piece of paper.

paragraphs: On October 30, 2018, Apple announced the new update to their iPad Pro line. The update showcased the thinnest iPad ever, at 5.7mm thin, an improved processor, dubbed the A12x processor, a larger screen, and FaceID support. The screen uses Apple's all new liquid LED technology, first seen in the 2018 released iPhone XR. The new iPad Pro's also came with a slew of accessories, including a brand new Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil, and multiple cases. Apple also changed the charging system from their long used Lighting connector, for a USB-C charger. Apple's new iPad Pro line come in two sizes.

paragraphs: All iPads, like most of Apple Inc's products, are made in China, and designed by Apple in California


title: Pseudocode

paragraphs: Pseudocode (sometimes written as pseudo-code) is a description of the source code of a computer program or an algorithm in a language easily understood by humans.

paragraphs: It uses the general structure of a computer programming language, but omits details that are required by machines to execute the code. The primary purpose of writing pseudocode is to enable humans to understand the computer program or algorithm without having to understand the programming language.

paragraphs: Pseudocode does not follow the syntax and grammar of any specific computer programming language. Variable declarations are generally omitted. Function calls and blocks of code, such as code for a loop, are often replaced by a one-line natural language sentence.

paragraphs: Reads the for loop and prints all the integers from 1 to 50.

paragraphs: The above pseudocode sample computes a logical and function.


title: University of Central Florida

paragraphs: The University of Central Florida is the biggest university in the state of Florida, and the second-biggest in the entire United States. It also has more undergraduate students than any other single campus in the U.S. It is located in Orlando, one of the most popular places to visit in the entire world. Living in such an exciting city makes the University of Central Florida very attractive to students who want to get jobs or internships nearby.

paragraphs: Sometimes the University of Central Florida's name is shortened to UCF, especially when talking about the school's sports teams. UCF was founded in 1969 and has continued growing ever since.

paragraphs: UCF's sports teams, known as Knights, now play in the American Athletic Conference after leaving Conference USA in July 2013.


title: CAPTCHA

paragraphs: A CAPTCHA is a test that is used to separate humans and machines. CAPTCHA stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart." It is normally an image test or a simple mathematics problem which a human can read or solve, but a computer cannot. It is made to stop computer hackers from using a program to automatically set up hundreds of accounts, such as email accounts. It is named after mathematician Alan Turing's Turing test.


title: GNU Lesser General Public License

paragraphs: The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) is a free software license created by the Free Software Foundation. It is similar to the GNU General Public License and is also an open source license. It's mostly used for "library" software (meaning parts of other software), with the license name formerly meaning Library General Public License.


title: Maple (CAS)

paragraphs: Maple is a commercial computer algebra system created (made) by Waterloo Maple Inc.


title: Waterloo Maple

paragraphs: Waterloo Maple Inc. (Maplesoft) is a Canadian software company. They are in Waterloo, Ontario. They are most well known for creating the Maple computer algebra system.


title: Null device

paragraphs: In some operating systems, the null device is a device file that ignores anything written to it but returns that the write worked. This device is called codice_1 on Unix and Unix-like systems, codice_2 or codice_3 on CP/M and DOS (internally codice_4), codice_5 on newer Windows systems (internally codice_6 on Windows NT), codice_7 on Amiga systems, and codice_8 on OpenVMS. In Windows Powershell, the equivalent is codice_9. It returns nothing to any process that reads from it, returning EOF immediately. In IBM DOS/360, OS/360 (MFT, MVT), OS/390 and z/OS operating systems, such files would be assigned in JCL to codice_10.


title: Magenta rose

paragraphs: Magenta rose is a color that is a representation of the color of a particular type of rose called a "magenta rose", which can come in various tones of magenta or rose.

paragraphs: The first recorded use of "magenta rose" as a color name in English was in 1927.


title: Grover Underwood

paragraphs: Grover Underwood is a fictional character in Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. He is a satyr, a mythological Greek being that is half goat and half human. He has the upper body of a human and the legs and horns of a goat. He uses fake feet when he wants to look like a human. His horns are usually hidden by his curly brown hair (although they do eventually grow too tall for him to hide them) and sometimes an orange rasta cap. Although he is 32 years old, he is like a sixteen year-old human because satyrs age half as fast as humans do.

paragraphs: Grover is played by Brandon T. Jackson in the movies "" and "" the film adaptations of the first and second books in the series, "The Lightning Thief" and The Sea of Monsters.

paragraphs: Grover is the best friend of Percy Jackson. He is also a satyr, which means that he is half human (top) and half goat (bottom). He has an empathy link with him. This means if one of them dies, the other will probably die, too (or that they will be left forever in a vegetative state, where they are asleep and never wake up).

paragraphs: Grover gets afraid easily. When this happens, his eyes turn into slits like a goat's. He starts eating furniture and tin cans . He always tries to defend his friends. He is very loyal. Grover also can deal with dangerous situations well. An example would be when he was kidnapped by Polyphemus the Cyclops. He likes enchiladas. He is afraid of rabbits (which Thalia calls his "bunny phobia")

paragraphs: Grover loves nature very much and hates pollution because he is a satyr. He secretly loves Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. He says, "She's so...into nature." He also likes to be near the Hunters of Artemis. Grover's girlfriend is a nymph named Juniper. They are first seen together in "The Battle of the Labyrinth". He helps out animals. He can also talk to them. Grover likes to look for Pan, the god of the wild. He is also afraid of cyclopes.

paragraphs: Grover the satyr and a keeper, goes undercover at Yancy Academy as a disabled student in order to discover if there are any half-bloods who attend it because most half-bloods have AD-HD and dyslexia and can do special things. There he discovers Percy Jackson, a half-blood, and alerts Mr. Brunner the Latin teacher, who turns out to be Chiron, Camp Half-Blood's activities director. Grover reveals his satyr form to Percy when the Jacksons go to a beach house in Montauk, New York before they are attacked by a minotaur. He accompanies Percy along with Annabeth Chase, Athena's daughter, on a quest to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's stolen Master Lightning Bolt. At the end of the book Grover gets his searchers license to go look for Pan, the god of the Wild.

paragraphs: In The Sea of Monsters, Grover is searching for the lost god Pan, god of the Wild, when he is captured by Polyphemus the Cyclops. Grover is trapped in a bridal boutique, mistaken for a female Cyclops and is taken to Polyphemus's lair in the Sea of Monsters, where he creates the empathy link between him and Percy. In his dreams, Percy sees how Grover is trapped by Polyphemus, the blind cyclops that once held Odysseus captive, and is about to meet the same gruesome ending as all satyrs before him, including his father, who went searching for Pan. Along with Annabeth and Percy's half brother Tyson, Percy journeys on an unapproved quest to find Grover. At the end, the Golden Fleece (a powerful healing item) releases Thalia's spirit from the pine tree that kept it.

paragraphs: Grover is undercover once again, this time at a military school, where he discovers two children, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, that he suspects are half-bloods. In the excitement of his discovery, Grover asks Percy to come and help him safely bring the half-bloods to camp half-blood. In the process of trying to get to the di Angelos, a manticore (Dr. Thorn) attempts kidnaps Percy, Bianca, and Nico, only to lose them to Thalia, Annabeth, and Grover. As they battle Dr. Thorn, the Hunters of Artemis step in and rid of the monster by making him trip off a cliff, which led to the loss of Annabeth, her being on Thorn's back. Artemis leaves her Hunters to be escorted to Camp Half-Blood by Percy, Grover, and Thalia. Artemis is then kidnapped, which means that a quest must be launched to save her. That quest consists of Grover, Bianca (who is a new Hunter of Artemis), Zoe Nightshade (The chief Hunter of Artemis), Thalia, and Percy, who journey across the country to Mt. Tampalais. On the way, Grover is involved in several situations where Pan, god of the Wild, speaks to him. The first was in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, where the presence of Pan made the birds on Grover's coffee cup and a rubber rat come to life, also bringing a giant wild boar to help Percy, Thalia, him, Bianca and Zoe escape the skeletal army. The second incident happened when Grover was alone. Pan spoke to him, saying, "I await you." Both times, Grover was drinking coffee, so he and the other satyrs believe, that this had something to do with Pan's appearance.

paragraphs: It is in this book that we meet Juniper, Grover's nymph girlfriend, who is sobbing hysterically as The Council of Cloven Elders' decide that Grover has been searching far too long for the god Pan — they give him a week to find Pan, and if he does not, his searcher's license will be revoked. He, Percy, Annabeth and Tyson head into the Labyrinth this time to find its creator, Daedalus, and his workshop. Sometime in the book, Grover and Tyson split up from Percy and Annabeth. However, Grover meets a monster. Later, Grover finds Pan and learns the truth about his disappearance and that he, the God of Wild Things, must fade away and leave the job of making the earth green again to Grover, Annabeth, Percy, Tyson and everyone else on the planet. Grover unleashes the cry of Panic, greatly disrupting the Battle, and distracting the enemy long enough for the campers to surge and eventually drive them back into the Labyrinth.

paragraphs: Grover has been missing for 2 months; Percy and Nico decide to look for him on their way to the Underworld. Percy locates Grover through his empathy link in Central Park and finds him under a giant elm tree. Percy wakes him up by yelling, (via empathy link) "FOOD, PANCAKES!". He tells them he just took a nap and they figure out that Morpheus, the god of dreams, put Grover to sleep. In that way, Grover gives Percy and Nico info that some minor gods are on Kronos' side. He helps Nico and Percy get into the Underworld by playing his reed pipes to open up an entrance in Central Park.

paragraphs: After, his exile is ended and he is given a position in the Council of Cloven Elders. Grover is then appointed as the new Lord of the Wild, causing him to collapse with joy on the spot.


title: Right whale

paragraphs: The right whales (Eubalaena spp.) are baleen whales with bow-shaped lower jaw and a head that is up to one-quarter of the body length. The head is hairier than most whales; up to 300 hairs are found on the tip of the lower jaw and 100 are on the upper jaw. There are also callosities (a series of horny growths) behind the blowhole, on the chin, above the eyes, on the lower lip, and on the rostrum (the beak-like upper jaw).

paragraphs: Right whales are similar to bowhead whales, but smaller. These whales are rich in blubber and have 2 blowholes. The eyes are very small and lips are large. Right whales were named by whalers who considered them the "right" whales to hunt, since they were rich in blubber, they were easy to catch (they are relatively slow swimmers) and they floated after being killed.

paragraphs: Hunters needed the right whale's blubber for meat, because blubber could be boiled to make oil.

paragraphs: The right whale's name came from hunters, who thought that they were the "right" whales to hunt. This was because they had lots of blubber. They were also easy to catch (because they were relatively slow swimmers) and they floated on the surface of the water after being killed. Because of these things, right whales are the most endangered of the great whales.


title: Rick Riordan

paragraphs: Richard Russell "Rick" Riordan, Jr. (born June 5, 1964) is an American author best known for the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. He also wrote the "Tres Navarre" mystery series for adults and helped to edit "Demigods and Monsters", a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series. He helped develop the 10 books in "The 39 Clues" series, published by Scholastic Corporation, and wrote the first book in the series, "The Maze of Bones".

paragraphs: Riordan was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he double-majored in English and history. For fifteen years, he taught in public and private schools in California and in San Antonio. He was awarded St. Mary's Hall's first Master Teacher Award in 2002.

paragraphs: Riordan is the multi-award-winning author of the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults; his "The Maze of Bones" reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list on September 28, 2008. His "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series features a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he is the modern-day son of an ancient Greek god. Film rights were purchased by Twentieth Century Fox and a feature film was released on February 12, 2010. Riordan lives in San Antonio with his wife and their two sons. Recently, Riordan has stated that he is working on a new series based upon the Egyptian pantheon, which then turned out to be "The Kane Chronicles", with the first book, "The Red Pyramid", to be released May 4, 2010. He also won 13 awards the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original, the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Middle Grade & Children's ( 5 times 2011-2015 ), Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original ( 5 times 2011-2015 ), Hampshire Book Award, and the Shamus award for best first PI novel!

paragraphs: Note: This is the first and last book series written by Rick Riordan, the rest of the books were written by 2 other authors with him.

paragraphs: Note: This book series is the sequel to Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

paragraphs: To know more about the author and his books go to www.rickriordan.co.uk


title: Luke Castellan

paragraphs: Luke Castellan is one of the main antagonists (being a traitor) in Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" series. He is a demigod son of the Greek god Hermes.

paragraphs: Luke is played by Jake Abel in the movies "", the film adaption of the first book, "The Lightning Thief" and "", the film adaption of the second book "The Sea of Monsters".

paragraphs: Luke is first introduced in "The Lightning Thief" as the 19-year-old counselor for the Hermes cabin. He was born the year 1986. While the rest of Percy's cabin mates complain about him because he is undetermined, Luke tries to make him feel at home, even stealing a toiletry bag for him. Luke first came to Camp Half-Blood when he was 14, alongside Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Luke has a scar on his face, a relic from his battle with the dragon Ladon, guardian of the Garden of Hesperides, while on a quest. In "The Last Olympian", it is shown that his mother attempted to become the Oracle of Delphi and has succumbed to the curse of Hades. Her crazed prophetic ramblings affected Luke greatly, and forced him to run away when he was nine. In "The Battle of the Labyrinth", Luke's body becomes the vessel that harbors Kronos' essence.

paragraphs: Luke dies in "The Last Olympian" when he is given Annabeth's knife by Percy. He sacrifices himself to defeat Kronos by stabbing himself under his left arm where his mortality was still kept intact after his bath in the River Styx (known as his Achilles heel). As he dies, he asks Percy to make sure all the demigods are claimed to avoid this happening again which might mean that they had become friends again because he is forgiven by Percy. Although he is seen as a villain throughout the series, in the end he is treated like a hero and forgiven by everyone. He is also the hero mentioned by the prophecy of the Oracle in "The Last Olympian".


title: Rachel Elizabeth Dare

paragraphs: Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a red haired fictional character in Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" stories. Unlike other big characters in the series, none of her parents are gods. Instead, they both are mortal. Despite this, Rachel has the ability to see through Mist, a thing that makes most humans unaware of the Olympians and immortals. She has the power to predict things, which is not common even with demigods. Because of these powers, the Oracle of Delphi passes into her from the cursed remains of the previous oracle. She therefore becomes the next Oracle of Apollo, Oracle of the Gods as well as the resident oracle at Camp Half-Blood. By becoming the Oracle, she gives up her romance with Percy because the Oracle must end all of their romance in their oath to become Oracle.

paragraphs: In this book, Rachel first appears at the Hoover Dam (in which they have a dam problem). Percy is being chased by a group of Skeletons when she sneezes. Percy turns around and his sword, Riptide, goes through her body. He realizes she knows it is a sword. He also finds out that she can see through the Mist. She saves Percy from the Skeletons by sending him into a restroom behind her and the skeletons to the generator room, which makes electricity.

paragraphs: In "The Battle of the Labyrinth", more details on Rachel's life are given. She shows up at Percy's new school, Goode High School. She can see that two cheerleaders are really empousai and helps Percy escape from Kelli, one of the "empousai". Later, Percy asks her to help him navigate Daedalus's Labyrinth, a maze he built, to find him. She goes with Percy and Annabeth through the maze. After finding out Daedalus has made a deal with Kronos, she escapes with Percy and Annabeth. Eventually, the three find Kronos's headquarters. Kronos has started to live in Helo Castellan's body and tries to catch Percy. Rachel appears with Annabeth and Nico di Angelo and throws her blue plastic hairbrush at Luke's eye. This confuses Kronos and lets Percy escape. She also helps find Pan, the lost god of nature. She is there when he dies.

paragraphs: Later, she leaves Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Grover Underwood, and Tyson. Before she does, she tells them that her father is a rich businessman who buys forests. He cuts them down and use them to build shopping malls. Pan's death affects her, mainly because of her father's job. She wants to hang out with Percy again. Annabeth is not happy about this. Percy promises to call her. He says that he has memorized her phone number. Rachel is happy about this. Percy thinks of inviting her to his birthday party. He is too afraid to do so.

paragraphs: Rachel and Percy become good friends in "The Battle of the Labyrinth". Annabeth becomes jealous of her. Rachel also sees that Percy and Annabeth like each other more than they will admit.

paragraphs: "The Last Olympian" begins with Percy driving her to the beach in Paul Blofis's Toyota Prius. She asks him to go with her and her parents on a vacation in St. Thomas, which he refuses nicely. They are interrupted by Percy's pegasus, Blackjack. He lands on the car with Charles Beckendorf riding him.

paragraphs: Percy goes to sink the "Princess Andromeda", a ship which Kronos is using as his base. Rachel kisses him for good luck before he leaves. In Percy's dreams, he sees Rachel writing things in Ancient Greek. She is drawing pictures of things she has never seen before, like a picture of Luke Castellan at age nine. When she goes on vacation with her parents, she asks them to return to New York by making a deal with her father to go Clarion Academy. Clarion Academy is a finishing school (a girls' school that teaches culture and social things) for girls that her mother also went to. This was all because she felt that Percy was in danger. Later on, Rachel flies to Camp Half-Blood on Blackjack. She takes in the spirit of the Oracle because Hades lifts the curse he had put on it. She says the next Great Prophecy. Rachel then goes back to the mortal world for the school year, leaving the campers without their oracle until the next summer.

paragraphs: Rachel's father is extremely wealthy, but she does not like the way her familly lives. She prefers helping charity. She also likes art, and sketched multiple realistic images of the past and future (sometimes things she never could have seen, like a 9-year-old Luke Castellan).

paragraphs: Rachel is a love interest for Percy, which created tension between her and Annabeth. However, she explains that she was attracted to Percy because he was the one who led her to her destiny as the Oracle. As the Oracle, she cannot fall in love or have children. She has respect for Annabeth and Percy's relationship.