title: Mary Robinson

paragraphs: Mary Robinson (; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997. She had been an academic, barrister, and member of the Irish senate from 1969 to 1989.

paragraphs: She defeated "Fianna Fáil's" Brian Lenihan and Fine Gael's Austin Currie in the 1990 presidential election, the first time Fianna Fáil had lost a presidential election.

paragraphs: She resigned the presidency four months ahead of the end of her term of office to begin a five-year term in the United Nations, as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2002 Robinson became Honorary President of Oxfam International. She signed the Yogyakarta Principles in meeting of International Commission of Jurist and from 2008 to 2010 she was the predident of the International Commission of Jurists.

paragraphs: Born Mary Therese Winifred Bourke in Ballina, County Mayo in 1944, Mary Robinson was the daughter of two medical doctors. The Bourke family has been in Mayo since the thirteenth century. One ancestor was a leading activist in the Irish National Land League in Mayo and the Irish Republican Brotherhood; an uncle, Sir Paget John Bourke, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II after a career as a judge in the Colonial Service; while another relative was a Roman Catholic nun.

paragraphs: Robinson got the permission of the then Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid to study in Trinity College, Dublin (TCD); at the time Roman Catholics were forbidden by church rules from studying in TCD without special permission, called a dispensation. TCD once did not allow Catholics to study. In her twenties, she was appointed Professor of Law in the college.

paragraphs: She was elected one of Trinity College's three members of Seanad Éireann in 1969.

paragraphs: She was also on several Senate/Oireachtas committees:

paragraphs: In 1982, the Labour Party entered into a coalition government with Fine Gael. Many expected Robinson to be the attorney-general, but the Labour party leader instead picked an unknown, new senior counsel called John Rogers. Shortly afterwards, Robinson resigned from the party in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement, she said that unionist politicians in Northern Ireland should have been consulted as part of the deal.

paragraphs: Robinson decided not to seek re-election to the senate in 1989. One year later she agreed to become the first Labour candidate for the presidency and the first woman candidate in what was only the second presidential election to be contested by three candidates since 1945.

paragraphs: The main opposition party, Fine Gael was no well organised. They gambled that former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald would run as its candidate (but for two years he had been saying no), then they asked Peter Barry, who had previously been willing to run but had run out of patience and was no longer interested. The party's third choice was the former civil rights campaigner Austin Currie, a new TD and former minister in Brian Faulkner's power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland from 1973-1974.

paragraphs: Fianna Fáil chose Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Brian Lenihan. Lenihan was popular and widely seen as humorous and intelligent. Like Robinson he had made liberal policy reforms. In the 1960s he abolished censorship, for example. He was seen as a near certainty to win the presidency. The only question asked was whether Robinson would beat Currie and come second.

paragraphs: But Taoiseach Charles Haughey of Fianna Fáil was not popular, and the Labour Party leader Dick Spring was becoming more popular.

paragraphs: During the campaign people found out that what Lenihan had told friends in private showed he had lied in public about the 1982 dissolution of Dáil Éireann.

paragraphs: Lenihan denied he had pressured the President but then a tape was produced of an 'on the record' interview he had given to a postgraduate student the previous May where he talked about trying to apply pressure. Lenihan claimed that "on mature recollection" he had not pressured the President and had been confused in his interview with the student. But the government threatened to fall over the issue.

paragraphs: Lenihan was dismissed as Tánaiste and Minister for Defence.

paragraphs: Lenihan still managed to win the first count. In the Single Transferable Vote system Austin Currie was eliminated and his second choice votes were counted. Most were for Robinson. Lenihan became the first Fianna Fáil presidential candidate in the history of the office to lose a presidential election. Robinson now became President.

paragraphs: Robinson was a popular president, before he died in 2002 Brian Lenihan said that she was a better president than he ever could have been. She often visited Britain, and became the first Irish president to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She welcomed visits by senior British royals, most notably the Prince of Wales to Áras an Uachtaráin. On one trip to Belfast she met with the local MP, Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Féin. Foreign Minister Dick Spring, who was leader of the Labour Party, privately advised her not to meet Adams. However the Government did not formally advise her not to meet with him, so she felt it would be wrong,not to meet the local member of parliament during her visit, and was photographed publicly shaking his hand. During her various visits to Northern Ireland, she in fact regularly met politicians of all parties, including David Trimble of the Ulster Unionist Party and John Hume of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

paragraphs: Charles Haughey died not like her, even stopping her from delivering the important BBC Dimbleby Lecture. Haughey's successors as Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds (Fianna Fáil: 1992-94), John Bruton (Fine Gael: 1994-97) and Bertie Ahern (Fianna Fáil:1997- ) never hid their admiration of her work. Bruton and Ahern both tried to get her the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

paragraphs: Robinson became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 12 September 1997, resigning the Presidency a few weeks early with the approval of Irish political parties in order to take up the post. Newspaper reports say that she had been asked by Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan to become a public campaigner

paragraphs: Robinson was the first High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Tibet, making her trip in 1998. During her tenure she criticised the Irish system of permits for non-EU immigrants, and criticised the United States' use of capital punishment. Though she had initially announced her intention to serve a single four-year period, she extended the term by a year following an appeal from Annan, allowing her to preside over the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, as Secretary-General. Robinson's posting as High Commissioner ended in 2002.

paragraphs: Mrs Robinson is the twenty fourth, and first female, Chancellor of University of Dublin.

paragraphs: On 18 July 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, his wife Graça Machel, and Desmond Tutu convened a group of world leaders to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and honesty to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. Nelson Mandela announced the formation of this new group, The Elders, in a speech he delivered on his 89th birthday.

paragraphs: Archbishop Tutu will serve as the Chair of The Elders. The founding members of this group also include Graça Machel, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus.

paragraphs: The Elders will be independently funded by a group of Founders, including Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Ray Chambers; Michael Chambers; Bridgeway Foundation; Pam Omidyar, Humanity United; Amy Robbins; Shashi Ruia, Dick Tarlow; andThe United Nations Foundation.

paragraphs: As president she signed two very important Bills that she had fought for throughout her political career

paragraphs: Media coverage in "The Irish Times", "The Irish Independent", "The Examiner" (now renamed the "Irish Examiner"), "The Star", The Irish Mirror, "The Irish Sun", "Sunday Tribune", "The Sunday Independent", "The Sunday Times", "The Times", "The Daily Telegraph" and "The Guardian". Also briefing notes issued on various occasions (notably state, official or personal visits by Robinson abroad) supplied by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Buckingham Palace, Áras an Uachtaráin, the Holy See and the press offices of the United Nations (including the text of her Romanes Lecture in November 1997). Some background came via an interview with Mrs. Robinson.

paragraphs: "The Korea Liberator:" Criticism of Robinson's failure to speak out while North Korea deliberately starved two million of its people to death, largely during her tenure (warning: graphic image).


title: MotorStorm

paragraphs: MotorStorm is a racing video game. It is only available for the PlayStation 3. The goal of the game is to win a series of races and to be the winner of the MotorStorm Festival. Players can control seven different types of vehicles throughout the game including rally cars, big rigs, dirt bikes, ATVs, racing trucks, buggies and mudpluggers. MotorStorm has a sequel called .


title: Athletic shoe

paragraphs: An athletic shoe is a name for a shoe designed for sporting and physical activities, and is different in style and build than a dress shoe. Originally used mainly during sports, today they are worn as casual footwear. They are often very comfortable and usually have lots of padding.

paragraphs: Athletic shoes, depending on the location and the actual type of footwear, can also go by the name trainers (British English), sandshoes (Australian English) running shoes or runners (Canadian English, Australian English, Hiberno-English), sneakers (American English, Australian English), sport shoes, gym shoes, tennis shoes, tennies, sneaks, kicks (American English), takkies (South African English).

paragraphs: They are made of flexible kinds of material featuring soles made from rubber and an upper part made with leather or canvas. Sneakers were originally for sporting use, although today they are used as casual footwear. They are worn in school for their versatility and comfort. They are almost silent; somebody wearing sneakers can sneak up on another person. They are worn for many different types of sports.


title: Achtung Baby

paragraphs: Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was put in stores on 19 November 1991. The album came almost two years after the lead singer, Bono, said that the band would "have to go away and dream it all up again," after their 1988 album, "Rattle and Hum" was criticized.

paragraphs: "Achtung Baby" shows a very big change in U2's sound because they began to use alternative rock and electronic sounds in the rhythm, more production, and more guitar effects, also including darker and more personal song words. The results were much more adventurous and less traditionally rock-based than their previous albums, and "Achtung Baby" is one of U2's best-selling and most-liked albums.


title: Trail of Tears

paragraphs: The Trail of Tears was a forced movement of Native Americans in the United States between 1836 and 1839. The United States government forced Native Americans to leave their lands and move outside the United States. The U.S. then took over the Native Americans' lands and made the United States bigger.

paragraphs: Because thousands of Native Americans died during this forced move, it is called the "Trail of Tears."

paragraphs: In 1827, gold was found near Dahlonega in Georgia. This resulted in a gold rush. But at that time, a Native American nation called the Cherokees lived in Georgia. Many Cherokee children went to American schools. The Cherokees had their own newspaper and built three-story houses. Some even owned slaves.

paragraphs: Even so, President Andrew Jackson wanted this land to belong to the United States. The land was worth over $7,000,000 (about $179.5 million in 2015 U.S. dollars). Jackson signed a law that forced the Cherokees to move. This was called the Indian Removal Act. However, at that time, the Cherokees had their own nation and their own government. They did not have to follow laws made by the United States. Therefore, Jackson signed laws that let him take nearly all the Cherokees' rights.

paragraphs: The Cherokee nation did not want to accept those laws or the Indian Removal Act, so the Cherokees' Chief John Ross decided to try to defend the Cherokee rights through the United States courts. In 1832, the Supreme Court of the United States said that the Cherokee were living in their own country, "in which the laws of Georgia can have no force." The Court said Georgia had no right to make the Cherokee do anything.

paragraphs: Nevertheless, the U.S. government used a treaty, called the Treaty of New Echota, to remove the Cherokee nation by force. The treaty was signed by the leader of a small group of Cherokees who had different opinions than the rest of the Nation. Since the treaty was not signed by an official Cherokee leader, it was not legal under Cherokee law. About 15,000 Cherokees signed a petition against the treaty. Newspapers and people around the United States (including John Quincy Adams) protested the treaty. The United States Senate approved the treaty by just one vote. President Jackson signed the treaty into law on May 23, 1836. The treaty gave the Cherokees two years to leave their lands.

paragraphs: The deadline for Cherokees to leave their land voluntarily was on May 23, 1838. President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott to lead the soldiers who would force the Cherokee to leave. Scott ordered his soldiers to "show every possible kindness to the Cherokee and to arrest any soldier who [gave] a [cruel] injury or insult [to] any Cherokee man, woman, or child."

paragraphs: On May 26th, the operation began. 7,000 soldiers forced about 15,000 Cherokees and 2,000 of their slaves to leave their land. All Cherokees had to leave their homes right away. Within three weeks, the Cherokees were all forced into internment camps. They were forced to stay in these camps for the summer of 1838. 353 Cherokee died from dysentery and other diseases.

paragraphs: Finally Chief Ross got General Scott to agree to a deal. Chief Ross promised that he and other Cherokee leaders would bring the Cherokee people to their new lands on their own. General Scott agreed and even got the U.S. Army to pay the costs for the trip.

paragraphs: The Cherokee travelled in groups of 1000 to 3000 people on three main routes. Different groups started in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Guntersville, Alabama; and Charleston, Tennessee. Most Cherokees had to walk; others, if they were wealthy men, could use wagons. The United States government also gave the Cherokee about 660 wagons.

paragraphs: The trip was about 1,200 miles long. During the trip, the Cherokees had to deal with winter weather, blizzards, and diseases. Not everybody agrees on how many people died on the trip. Some say 2,000 and others say 6,000, but most say about 4,000 people died. This was one out of every four people in the Cherokee population. They died from diseases like pneumonia, from freezing to death, from drinking bad water, and from other causes. About half of them died in camps, and the other half during the trip.

paragraphs: It is said that many Cherokees sang a Cherokee version of the song Amazing Grace, which became a kind of anthem for the Cherokee nation.

paragraphs: Finally the Cherokee who were still alive arrived in what is now Oklahoma.

paragraphs: There were different routes the Cherokees took. Some were by land and others by water. Some boats were destroyed, which was a danger on water routes. On the ground, people had to walk through mud and cold weather and it was harder walking on land.

paragraphs: This route was taken by three groups, in total 2,800 Cherokees. The first group left on June 6 and reached the territory after 13 days. All groups started at Ross's Landing at the Tennessee River. They used boats to travel to the Ohio River. They then took this river southward, which took them to the Mississippi River. From there they moved through the Arkansas River westwards. They arrived near Fort Coffee, Oklahoma. The second and third group had a lot of problems with diseases, so their trip took longer.

paragraphs: All others took land routes. They traveled in groups with a size of 700-1,600 people, all led by conductors chosen by John Ross, except for those, who signed the Treaty of New Enchota. They were led by United States soldiers. They usually took the southern route, and John Ross' groups the northern route. Both sides used already existing "roads". Most Cherokees took the northern route. The route lead through central Tennessee, southwestern Kentucky, and southern Illinois. The groups crossed the Mississippi north of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, then traveled through southern Missouri and west of Arkansas. Many died because of diseases, lack of water and bad road conditions. All land routes usually ended near Westville, Oklahoma. There were many more different land routes only taken by few people. These routes cover more than 2,200 miles in 9 states.


title: Tropical cyclogenesis

paragraphs: Tropical cyclogenesis is a meteorological word used to describe tropical cyclone formation, and its strengthening over the atmosphere. Tropical cyclogenesis happens when the development of a warm-core cyclone, is associated with a lot of convection in a favorable atmospheric environment. Usually, about 86 tropical cyclones of tropical storm strength form worldwide every year, with 47 reaching hurricane/typhoon strength, and 20 becoming strong tropical cyclones (at least Category 3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale).


title: Archbishop

paragraphs: In Christianity, an archbishop is an important bishop. The jurisdiction or area governed of an archbishop; an archdiocese; is called an archbishopric. In the Catholic Church, when a bishop becomes an archbishop, he is not given any more Holy Orders or any other sacrament. The word comes from the Greek αρχι, which means "first" or "chief", and επισκοπος, which means "over-seer" or "supervisor".


title: Devolution

paragraphs: Devolution is when a central government transfers powers to a local government. It is sometimes called "Home Rule" or decentralisation.

paragraphs: In the United Kingdom devolution has happened in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each of these three countries now has an elected legislature which can pass some laws and a government to administer those laws and propose new ones.

paragraphs: England does not currently have its own parliament, but there have been increasing calls today for one.

paragraphs: Devolved assemblies depend on the parent body. The British government could change its mind and abolish the devolved assemblies. This happened in 1972 to the government and parliament of Northern Ireland. It had been set up in 1920, with the parliament of Southern Ireland.

paragraphs: This is different from a federal country. In a federal country like Germany the states, and their powers, exist because of the constitution, not because of the national parliament.


title: 5566 (band)

paragraphs: 5566 is a Taiwanese boy-band. The name of the band comes from the fact that there were originally five members, who worked in six areas of media and entertainment. These six areas are singing, acting, television hosting, modeling, CMs and dancing. They are signed under the record labels Jungiery Star. and Avex

paragraphs: 5566 is made up of Tony Sun (lead singer), Jason Hsu, Sam Wang, Zax Wang and formerly, Rio Peng.

paragraphs: 5566's members not only work together as one, but they also work separately. For example, Sam Wang is also a member of 183 Club. Tony Sun and Zax Wang are actors in many television programmes, while Jason Hsu has been in many promotional campaigns.

paragraphs: Each of 5566's members has had some success before joining to make one band.

paragraphs: Tony Sun had released some solo albums in Taiwan dialect in the 1990s. They were quite well received. He was even called the "Taiwanese little champion." However, his lost a bit of popularity when he had to do military service.

paragraphs: Sam Wang was a national soccer player and a model. He is a member of another Taiwanese boyband, 183 Club.

paragraphs: Jason Hsu was at first "obese and unpopular in high school". However, he started appearing in several CMs when he lost weight.

paragraphs: In 2002, 5566's first appearance and sudden rise to popularity has been a controversial topic. They showcased their multiple talents in their first interview, yet their hard work was not respected, drawing lots of criticism and earning them a negative nickname, "Turkey." Their first TV series "My MVP Valentine" aired on local television, starring the band as the lead roles. The show exceeded expectations by having a higher viewership rating than several drama shows at the time. Not only did this drama help skyrocket 5566 to fame, it was also the driving force behind the careers of Angela Zhang and Johnny Yan.

paragraphs: Due to a serious injury while filming a variety show, Rio Peng temporary pulled out from group activities to recover. Although the remaining 5566 members confirmed that Peng was still part of the group, Peng eventually left, forming his own management company, Wingman Entertainment.

paragraphs: In December of the same year, 5566 released their first album, which sold 240,000 copies in Taiwan. Because the album was re-released in two additional versions, 5566 became infamous for regularly repackaging their albums. This holds true till today; "Westside Story OST" and "Top of the Forbidden City OST" are the only two albums that remain unrepackaged.

paragraphs: The members of the band are said to have disrespectful behaviour. The band has also been accused of having "most of their songs" as cover versions, "showing no originality and no talent in their song-writing." On the Internet, many debates have been created surrounding the band.

paragraphs: Some believe that the controversy was created to increase media attention and fame.

paragraphs: 5566 have released the following Mandarin-language albums:


title: Fahrenheit (band)

paragraphs: Fahrenheit (Traditional Chinese: 飛輪海; Pinyin: Fēi Lún Hǎi) is a Taiwanese boy band. Fahrenheit has been a great success around Asia, particularly in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. The group has four members: Calvin Chen, Jiro Wang, Wu Zun and Aaron Yan. They record albums with HIM International Music record label.

paragraphs: The name Fahrenheit comes from each of the members representing a season or temperature matching their different personalities. Calvin Chen represents spring, warmth; Jiro Wang represents summer, hot; Wu Zun represents autumn, cool; and Aaron Yan represents winter, cold. Each of the four members also has a temperature symbolising them on the Fahrenheit scale: Calvin is at 77 degrees, Jiro is at 95 degrees, Wu is at 59 degrees and Aaron is at 41 degrees.

paragraphs: Wu was born and raised in Brunei for most of his life, later graduating at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia. He was entered the entertainment business while on a trip to Taiwan, when a television producer discovered him during this trip and recommended him to play the lead male role of Tokyo Juliet, which he accepted.

paragraphs: Aaron moved to New York, United States at a young age but later returned to Taiwan for high school and college at Chinese Culture University. Around early 2005, Comic producers had been searching for good bloggers on the Internet. They discovered him, who at that time, was popular online, and thus recommended him to go casting for a role in a TV show.

paragraphs: After Calvin finished high school in Taiwan, he studied in university in Canada, where he completed his master's degree in Economics at University of Victoria. He then further continued his life in Vancouver by joining the pageant-like competition Sunshine Boyz, where he won first place with a free ticket to Taiwan and a contract with a music company, as well as a role in a TV drama.

paragraphs: Jiro graduated in Taiwan's Fu-Shin College. He was first asked to join the entertainment industry from a singing competition. But he failed to release an album because of company difficulties, so he decided to continue his career in the industry by working backstage, mainly in fashion designing and modeling. He was approached again around 2004, when his acting career began.

paragraphs: Although unsure at first, Fahrenheit first gained great fame around 2005 when all of the members first starred in the series KO One on television in Taiwan. Because it felt awkward to have only three members in a boyband, Wu Zun joined the group later in late 2005. On 28 December 2005, Fahrenheit officially became a quartet boy band.


title: Laborschule Bielefeld

paragraphs: Laborschule Bielefeld (Laboratory school Bielefeld) is school in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The school was created in 1974. It is based on the ideas of Hartmut von Hentig. Laborschule Bielefeld tries new ways of teaching. The University of Bielefeld runs the school.

paragraphs: Laborschule Bielefeld has students from grade 0 through grade 10. Each grade has 60 students in it with a total of 660 students in the school. Laborschule Bielefeld does not group children by age. It groups them by level of learning. In that way, there are groups of children of different ages that are together to learn. Only students in grades nine and ten get written marks for their work.

paragraphs: The school was rated with a PISA-Test. The test showed that students at the school were generally better at reading and in sciences than students of the same age who went to other schools.


title: Jody Scheckter

paragraphs: Jody David Scheckter (born January 29, 1950) is a South African former auto racing driver. He won the Formula One driver's title in 1979 driving for Ferrari.

paragraphs: He is only South African ever to win the formula one driver's title. Scheckter is of Jewish descent.


paragraphs: The Programme for International Student Assessment is a test done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is done every 3 years. In the test, 15-year-old schoolchildren are tested in different subjects. Their grades can then be compared. It is used to say that a certain school (or schooling system) does better or worse than a different one, on a certain subject.


title: Doris Lessing

paragraphs: Doris Lessing (Doris May Tayler, 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British writer. In 2007, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Reporters told Doris that she had won the Nobel prize and they asked her "Are you not surprised?". She said she had already "won every other European literature prize" so winning prizes was normal.

paragraphs: Lessing was born in Iran on 22 October 1919. Her parents were both English. They met at the Royal Free Hospital. Her father, Captain Alfred Tayler, was a patient because he had lost his leg in World War I. Her mother, Emily Maude Tayler (maiden name McVeagh), was a nurse.

paragraphs: Alfred Tayler and his wife moved to Kermanshah, Iran. He started a job there as a clerk for the Imperial Bank of Persia. Doris was born here in 1919. Later, the family moved to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) in 1925 to farm maize.

paragraphs: Lessing studied at the Dominican Convent High School in Salisbury (now Harare). It was a Roman Catholic convent school for girls. She left school aged 14, and taught herself after that. She left home at 15 and worked as a nursemaid. She started reading about politics and sociology and began writing around this time. In 1937, Lessing moved to Salisbury to work as a telephone operator. She soon married her first husband, Frank Wisdom. They had two children (John and Jean), before the marriage ended in 1943. She took care of future author Jenny Diski after her parents abused her. Diski lived with Lessing for four years in London.

paragraphs: After her divorce, Lessing became more involved with members of the Left Book Club. She had joined this communist book club the year before. She met her second husband, Gottfried Lessing there. They married soon after she joined the group, and had a child named Peter. This marriage ended in divorce in 1949. Gottfried Lessing later became the East German ambassador to Uganda. He was murdered in the 1979 rebellion against Idi Amin Dada.

paragraphs: She went to London to pursue her writing career and communist ideals. Lessing left two young children with their father in South Africa. Peter, from her second marriage, went with her. She later said that she thought she had no choice at that time. She felt she had done the best she could and that she was not the best person to raise the children. She would have been very frustrated like her mother had been because it was diificult for an intelligent woman to spend all of her time with young children.

paragraphs: The largest collection of Lessing's writing is at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. There are 45 boxes of Lessing's materials at the Ransom Center that contain nearly all of her available manuscripts and typescripts up to 1999. Lessing kept none of the originals of her early manuscripts. Other institutions, including the McFarlin Library at the University of Tulsa, hold smaller collections.

paragraphs: During the late 1990s, Lessing suffered a stroke which stopped her from travelling during her later years and focused her mind on death. Lessing died on 17 November 2013 at her home in London, aged 94.


title: An Najaf

paragraphs: Najaf (Arabic:النجف; Transliterated: An Najaf; Persian:نجف) is a city in Iraq. It is about 160 km south of Baghdad. In 2008, about 900.583 people lived there. The city is the capital of Najaf province. It is one of the seven holy cities of Shia Islām. It is the center of Shia political power in Iraq.

paragraphs: The city is home to the Imam Ali Mosque, where Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the fourth caliph is buried. Shia Muslims consider the mosque to be the third holiest Islamic site.

paragraphs: Hārūn ar-Rashīd founded the city on the site of Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib's grave in the 8th century.

paragraphs: Najaf was badly damaged during the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War. In 1991, there was a Shiite uprising in Najaf, which was suppressed by Saddam Hussein. This conflict caused many deaths, there are mass graves around the city. In 2003, a suicide bombing caused widespread damage. 120 people died, including the moderate imam Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim.

paragraphs: In April 2004, forces of Muqtada as-Sadr captured the city, as well as the city of Kut. Before the 2004 elections, a part of the occupying forces left the city.

paragraphs: This mosque is the most important Shi'a mosque in Iraq. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. Shia Islam's second most important figure is buried in Najaf. the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shias as the third holiest Islamic site.

paragraphs: The Imam Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, reputed to be the largest in the world. It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised from the dead with Imām Alī on Judgement Day. Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and Sufi convents were built around the shrine to make the city the centre of Shīʻa learning and theology.

paragraphs: The Najaf seminary is one of the most important teaching centres in the Islamic world. Ayatollah Khomeini lectured there from 1964 to1978.

paragraphs: Many of the leading figures of the new Islamic movement that emerged in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon in the 1970s studied at Najaf.


title: Karbala

paragraphs: Karbala (Arabic:كربلاء; Transliterated:Al Karbala; also known as Karbala al-Muqaddasah, in the West, sometimes spelled Kerbela) is a city in Iraq. It is about 100 km southwest of Baghdad. It is the capital of Karbala Province. For Shi'a Muslims the city is one of the holiest cities, after Mekka,Medina, Jerusalem, and An Najaf.


title: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

paragraphs: Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? is a television game show based on asking grade-school level questions to adults. The format started with the United States version, which first aired on FOX in February 2007. The show was created by Mark Burnett, the same person behind the hit show "Survivor". The show has since been made in many other countries; some use the same title, and some use different titles.

paragraphs: In Australia, the show is on the Ten Network. The top prize is AU$500,000.

paragraphs: A syndicated version of the show aired in the United States from September 2009 to March 2011. Contestants answer eight questions (ten in Season 1), and can answer a 5th grade bonus question for ten times the amount they earned from those questions. Unlike other versions of the show, the game does not end after a wrong answer. Instead, the contestant loses their earnings up to that point.


title: Washington State University

paragraphs: Washington State University is a university in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a land-grant university in Pullman. It is also the original and largest land-grant university in the state. The university was founded on March 28, 1890. Their team is the Washington State Cougars.


title: Land-grant university

paragraphs: A land-grant university is a college or university first built on land the United States government owned. They were made so that more people could go to college, and to do research that helps farmers. Every state has at least one.


title: Pullman, Washington

paragraphs: Pullman is a city in Whitman County, on the eastern border of Washington. The town's population was measured in 2000 as 24,675.

paragraphs: The main campus of Washington State University is located in Pullman, along with primary and secondary schools.


title: Vought F-8 Crusader

paragraphs: The F-8 Crusader was an American fighter plane made by Vought. It first flew in 1955, and went into the Navy and Marine corps in 1957. It was the only fighter plane in the Vietnam War to have both guns and missiles on it. It was slowly replaced by the F-4 Phantom II and was retired in 1999. There was also a different type of it called the RF-8 Crusader, meant for spying. It also took the pictures of Soviet missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis.


title: LTV A-7 Corsair II

paragraphs: The A-7 Corsair II was an attack plane like the F-8 Crusader. It was made by Ling-Temco-Vought. It first flew in 1965, and went into militaries in 1967. It can take off from aircraft carriers, and can carry bombs meant to destroy enemies on the ground.

paragraphs: Note that it is called the "Corsair II" because there was an airplane called the F4U Corsair.


title: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

paragraphs: The F-4 Phantom II was an American fighter-bomber. It was mainly used during the Vietnam War. It was first flown in 1958 and was shown in 1960. The plane could carry four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and four long range AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, but it did not have a gun. Later, the E model had a cannon mounted on it. After the F-15 Eagle replaced it, it was used as a bomber and the G model was used as a Wild Weasel.


title: Kappa (folklore)

paragraphs: The Kappa (also called Kawatarou, Kawako, Kawaranbe, Gatarō) is a character in Japanese folklore. It is water spirit ("yōkai") that is responsible for mischief. The Kappa is said to be the size of a 6 to 10 year old boy. It has the body of a tortoise and an ape-like head. The most notable thing about its body is a hole in its head that holds the kappa's strength giving water. They are said to live off of blood and to drain the life out of people. They are known for innocent pranks such as theft, but it is also said that they will rape women and eat children. The only things kappas enjoy more than children are cucumbers. To write a name on a cucumber and to throw it into a river is said to save that person from being eaten by the kappa.

paragraphs: Bowser (known as "Kuppa" in Japan), the main antagonist of the popular Nintendo's "Mario" videogame series, was based on the creature.


title: Oni (folklore)

paragraphs: An Oni is a creature from Japanese folklore. They are described as large monsters who resemble ogres, trolls and demons. Sometimes they are described with horns usually wearing a jaguar skin loincloth and are very masculine.


title: Tengu

paragraphs: Tengu are a group of creatures from Japanese folklore. They are recognized for either a bird-like appearance or occasionally a human with a large nose or beak.


title: John McCain

paragraphs: John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician. At the time of his death, he was a United States Senator from Arizona. McCain was the Republican Party's candidate in the 2008 United States presidential election. McCain married businesswoman Cindy McCain in 1980.

paragraphs: McCain's father and grandfather had been Admirals in the United States Navy. He served as a naval aviator during the Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down, he was captured by the North Vietnamese military. He was a prisoner of war with Colonel and future Washington State Senator Leo K. Thorsness for more than five years. During that time, he was tortured.

paragraphs: In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona. In 1987, he became a U.S. Senator for Arizona. In 2000, McCain tried to be the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States, but George W. Bush was chosen. In 2008, he was chosen as the Republican candidate. His running mate was Sarah Palin. He opposed several foreign policies of the Obama administration. On November 4, 2008, he lost to Barack Obama.

paragraphs: McCain was popular for his support of the Arab Spring, protests and uprisings inside the Arab World, and protests outside those regions like many Russian protests. He said that the recent protests were worldwide and he encouraged intervention in the Syrian civil war.

paragraphs: In July 2017, McCain under went surgery to remove a blood clot, causing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay a vote on the Better Care Reconciliation act to replace Obamacare. On July 19, 2017, it was announced McCain had glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

paragraphs: On April 15, 2018, he underwent surgery for an infection complicated by diverticulitis and the following day was reported to be in stable condition.

paragraphs: On August 24, 2018, McCain's family announced that he was stopping treatment for his brain cancer. McCain died the next day at his home in Cornville, Arizona at the age of 81.

paragraphs: After McCain's death, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he would introduce a resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain.


title: WikiHow

paragraphs: wikiHow is a wiki-based website with a collection of articles which tell people how to do things. The site uses version 1.12.0 of MediaWiki. As of August 2017, wikiHow contains more than 190,000 free how-to articles and over 1.6 million registered users. wikiHow's mission is to create the world's largest collection of how-to information. In May 2011, wikiHow had 36 million unique readers.

paragraphs: In January 2005, Jack Herrick and Josh Hannah started wikiHow. On April 28, 2006, wikiHow was launched on its own www.wikihow.com domain.

paragraphs: wikiHow's censorship policy "usually" does not allow articles about things that:

paragraphs: Some people complain that this does not support the idea behind an educational resource.


title: Oregano

paragraphs: Oregano or Pot Marjoram ("Origanum vulgare") is a species of "Origanum". It is native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia. It is a perennial herb. It can grow to 20–80 cm tall. Its leaves are opposite each other. They are 1–4 cm long. The flowers are purple. They can grow 3–4 mm long. The name of the plant comes from the Greek "origanon" [ὀρίγανον]: oros [ὄρος] “mountain” + the verb "ganousthai" [γανοῦσθαι] “delight in”.

paragraphs: The subspecies of oregano "Origanum vulgare hirtum" is an important herb. It is used for cooking, especially in Turkish cuisine and Italian cuisines. The leaves are used for cooking.

paragraphs: Oregano is often used for tomato sauces, fried vegetables and grilled meat. Together with basil, it adds much to the special character of many Italian dishes.

paragraphs: Oregano is an ingredient needed for Turkish cuisine. It adds flavour to the Turkish choban salad. It can be used separately. It can also be added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that goes with almost every fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles.

paragraphs: Oregano has an aromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste. The taste varies in intensity; good quality is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue, but the cultivars adapted to colder climates have often unsatisfactory flavour. The influence of climate, season and soil on the composition of the essential oil is bigger than the difference between the various species.

paragraphs: The related species "Origanum onites" (Turkey, Asia Minor) and "O. heracleoticum" (Italy, Balkan peninsula, West Asia) have similar flavours. A closely related plant is marjoram from Asia Minor. That plant has a completely different taste. This is because phenolic compounds are missing in its essential oil. Some breeds show a flavour intermediate between oregano and marjoram. The Oregano plant is also commonly found in the mediterranean region, and the black sea.

paragraphs: The dish most associated with oregano is pizza.

paragraphs: Oregano is high in antioxidant activity,because of a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids (PMID 16218659, PMID 12730411). Additionally, oregano has shown antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as "Listeria monocytogenes" (PMID 16218659). Both of these characteristics may be useful in both health and food preservation. In the Philippines, oregano (coleus aromaticus) is not commonly used for cooking but is rather considered as a primarily medicinal plant, useful for relieving children's coughs.


title: Origanum

paragraphs: Origanum is a genus of herbs. They are native to the Mediterranean and Asia. well-known members include Oregano and Marjoram. Some of the species are used by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.


title: Basil

paragraphs: Basil ("Ocimum basilicum") ( or ) is a plant of the Family Lamiaceae. It is also known as Sweet Basil or Tulsi. It is a tender low-growing herb that is grown as a perennial in warm, tropical climates. Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia. It has been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. It is prominently featured in many cuisines throughout the world. Some of them are Italian, Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian cuisines. It grows to between 30–60 cm tall. It has light green, silky leaves 3–5 cm long and 1–3 cm broad. The leaves are opposite each other. The flowers are quite big. They are white in color and arranged as a spike.

paragraphs: The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell. Basil is very sensitive to cold. It is best grown in hot, dry conditions. While most common varieties are treated as annuals, some are perennial, including African Blue and Holy Thai basil.

paragraphs: The word "basil" comes from the Greek βασιλεύς ("basileus"), meaning "royal". This is because it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross. The "Oxford English Dictionary" quotes speculations that basil may have been used in "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine". Basil is still considered the "king of herbs" by many cookery authors. An alternative etymology has "basil" coming from the Latin word "basilicus", meaning dragon and being the root for basilisk, but this likely was a linguistic reworking of the word as brought from Greece.

paragraphs: Most of the time, Basil should be used fresh. In recipes it is generally added at the last moment. Cooking it quickly destroys the meal. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Using a freezer will allow for it to be kept a longer time. In both cases, it needs being blanched quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavour, and what little flavour remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavour, like hay.

paragraphs: Mediterranean and Indochinese cuisines frequently use basil. In Mediterranean cuisines it is often combined with tomato. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa. The other two main ingredients of Pesto are olive oil and pine nuts. The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are "Genovese", "Purple Ruffles", "Mammoth", "Cinnamon", "Lemon", "Globe", and "African Blue". Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves into thick soups (羹湯; gēngtāng). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves.

paragraphs: Basil is sometimes used with fresh fruit and in fruit jams and sauces. Most commonly this is done with strawberries, but also raspberries or dark-colored plums. Some people say that the flat-leaf basil used in Vietnamese cooking is more suitable for use with fruit.

paragraphs: When soaked in water the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous. They are used in Asian drinks and desserts such as falooda or sherbet. Such seeds are known variously as "sabja", "subja", "takmaria", "tukmaria", "falooda", or "hột é". They are used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India.

paragraphs: Several other basils, including some other "Ocimum" species, are grown in many regions of Asia. Most of the Asian basils have a clove-like flavour that is generally stronger than the Mediterranean basils. In China, the local cultivar is called 九層塔 ("jiǔcéngtǎ"; literally "nine-level pagoda"), while the imported varieties are specifically called 羅勒 ("luólè") or 巴西里 ("bāxīlǐ"), although [巴西里] often refers to another different kind plant—parsley.

paragraphs: 'Lemon basil' has a strong lemony smell and flavour very different from those of other varieties because it contains a chemical called citral. It is widely used in Indonesia, where it is called "kemangi" and served raw, together with raw cabbage, green beans, and cucumber, as an accompaniment to fried fish or duck. Its flowers, broken up, are a zesty salad condiment.

paragraphs: Basil grows well in hot weather. It behaves like an annual if there is any chance of a frost. In Northern Europe, the northern states of the U.S., and the South Island of New Zealand it will grow best if sown under glass in a peat pot. It can be planted out in late spring/early summer, when there is little risk of frost. It fares best in a well-drained sunny spot.

paragraphs: Although basil will grow best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot. Like most herbs, it will do best on a south-facing windowsill (in the Northern Hemisphere). It should be kept away from extremely cold drafts. It grows best in strong sunlight. A greenhouse or cloche is ideal if available. Basil plants can even be grown in a basement, under fluorescent lights.

paragraphs: If its leaves have wilted from lack of water, it will recover if watered thoroughly and placed in a sunny location. Yellow leaves towards the bottom of the plant are an indication that the plant needs more sunlight or less fertilizer.

paragraphs: In sunnier climates such as Southern Europe, the southern states of the U.S., the North Island of New Zealand, and Australia, basil will thrive when planted outside. It also thrives over the summertime in the central and northern United States, but dies out when temperatures reach freezing point, to grow again the next year if allowed to go to seed. It will need regular watering, but not as much attention as is needed in other climates.

paragraphs: Basil can also be propagated very reliably from cuttings in exactly the same manner as "Busy Lizzie" (Impatiens), with the stems of short cuttings suspended for two weeks or so in water until roots develop.

paragraphs: If a stem successfully produces mature flowers, leaf production slows or stops on any stem which flowers, the stem becomes woody, and essential oil production declines.To prevent this, a basil-grower may pinch off any flower stems before they are fully mature. Because only the blooming stem is so affected, some can be pinched for leaf production, while others are left to bloom for decoration or seeds.

paragraphs: Once the plant is allowed to flower, it may produce seed pods containing small black seeds. These can be saved and planted the following year. Picking the leaves off the plant helps "promote growth", largely because the plant responds by converting pairs of leaflets next to the topmost leaves into new stems.

paragraphs: Basil suffers from several plant diseases that can ruin the crop and reduce yield. Fusarium wilt is a soilbourne fungal disease that will quickly kill younger basil plants. Seedlings may also be killed by Pythium damping off.

paragraphs: A common foliar disease of basil is gray mold caused by "Botrytis cinerea", can also cause infections post-harvest and is capable of killing the entire plant. Black spot can also be seen on basil foliage and is caused by the fungi genus "Colletotrichum".

paragraphs: Basil, like other aromatic plants such as fennel and tarragon, contains estragole, a known carcinogen and teratogen in rats and mice. While human effects are currently unstudied, the rodent experiments indicate that it would take 100–1000 times the normal anticipated exposure to become a cancer risk.

paragraphs: There are many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. The French call basil ""herbe royale"". Jewish folklore suggests it adds strength while fasting. It is a symbol of love in present-day Italy, but represented hatred in ancient Greece, and European lore sometimes claims that basil is a symbol of Satan. African legend claims that basil protects against scorpions, while the English botanist Culpeper cites one "Hilarius, a French physician" as affirming it as common knowledge that smelling basil too much would breed scorpions in the brain.

paragraphs: Holy Basil, also called 'Tulsi', is highly revered in Hinduism and also has religious significance in the Greek Orthodox Church, where it is used to prepare holy water. It is said to have been found around Christ's tomb after his resurrection. The Serbian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Church and Romanian Orthodox Church use basil (Macedonian: "босилек"; Romanian: "busuioc", Serbian: "босиљак") to prepare holy water and pots of basil are often placed below church altars.

paragraphs: In Europe, they place basil in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.

paragraphs: In Boccaccio's "Decameron" a memorably morbid tale (novella V) tells of Lisabetta, whose brothers slay her lover. He appears to her in a dream and shows her where he is buried. She secretly disinters the head, and sets it in a pot of basil, which she waters with her daily tears. The pot being taken from her by her brothers, she dies of her grief not long after. Boccaccio's tale is the source of John Keats' poem "Isabella or The Pot of Basil". A similar story is told of the Longobard queen Rosalind.


title: Cockapoo

paragraphs: A Cockapoo (also called a Spoodle or Cockerpoo) is a hybrid dog. It is a mix of an American Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle; (in most cases the Miniature Poodle or Toy Poodle), or by breeding a Cockapoo with another Cockapoo.

paragraphs: The Cockapoo has been around since 1950 and the first dictionary reference was a 1960 Oxford English Dictionary citation. Because it is a mixed breed, it is not recognised by purebred kennel clubs.


title: Short story

paragraphs: The short story is a genre of literature. It is usually fictional narrative prose and tends to be more direct and less-detailed than longer works of fiction, like novels.

paragraphs: Short stories are closely related to oral (spoken) story-telling traditions and prose anecdotes. They all develop the story very quickly and come to a conclusion quickly too.

paragraphs: Many authors today release their short stories together in a book, instead of one at a time. A short story can be written in only 10 words or less.


title: 2014 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is the 22nd Games of the Winter Olympics. It is an international winter sports event that was held from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The host city was Sochi in Russia. It was chosen on July 4, 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Guatemala City, Guatemala. This was Russia's first time hosting the Winter Olympics (the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow though). These were also the first winter games in a subtropical city.

paragraphs: Fifteen winter sports were played in the 2014 Winter Olympics program. Sports included were ones that are generally played in the winter. They include skiing, ice skating, ice hockey, and curling. A total of twelve new events was contested to make it the largest Winter Olympics to date. The following sports were played:

paragraphs: Most of the stadiums will be built at a place called Sochi Olympic Park near the Black Sea coast All of the venues(stadiums) being used are new. The venues are near each other. This will provide a great compactness of the concept with the Olympic Stadium and all indoor venues of the Olympics will be gathered within walking distance.

paragraphs: Hoewever, some parts of the Olympics, mainly skiing and snowboarding, will take place away from the main area. These events will take place at Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster)

paragraphs: The opening ceremony of the Games was held on 7 February 2014. It was held from 20:14 to 23:02 local time. The Games were officially opened by Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. There was an audience of about 40,000 people. The performance part of the ceremony was mainly about Russian classical music. The pop duo t.A.T.u performed as well.

paragraphs: The site of the opening ceremony was Fisht Olympic Stadium. This was built just for the games. It will be used only for the opening and closing ceremonies.

paragraphs: In 2013, a law against 'homosexual propaganda' was made in Russia. Cher chose not to perform at the Winter Olympics because of the law.

paragraphs: On 27 January 2014, the mayor of Sochi said that there are no gay people living in Sochi.

paragraphs: On the first day of the Olympics, 7 February 2014, four gay rights activists were arrested in St Petersburg, including one pregnant woman.

paragraphs: Organizers received several threats prior to the Games. In a July 2013 video release, Chechen Islamist commander Dokka Umarov called for attacks on the Games, stating that the Games were being staged "on the bones of many, many Muslims killed ...and buried on our lands extending to the Red Sea."

paragraphs: Threats were received from the group Vilayat Dagestan, which had claimed responsibility for the Volgograd bombings under the demands of Umarov, and a number of National Olympic Committees had also received threats via e-mail, threatening that terrorists would kidnap or "blow up" athletes during the Games. However, while the IOC did state that the letters "[contained] no threat and appears to be a random message from a member of the public", the U.S. ski and snowboarding teams hired a private security agency to provide additional protection during the Games.


title: 1944 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1944 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were not held.

paragraphs: The games would have been held in 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Cortina d'Ampezzo had won the right to host the event in June 1939.

paragraphs: The games were cancelled because of World War II.


title: 1940 Winter Olympics

paragraphs: The 1940 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were not held.

paragraphs: The games were planned to be in Sapporo, Japan, but the Japanese organisers withdrew in 1938 because of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

paragraphs: The IOC decided to give the Winter Olympics to St. Moritz, Switzerland. There were some problems between the Swiss organisers and the IOC so the Games were cancelled again. The IOC then gave the 1940 Winter Olympics to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Garmisch-Partenkirchen had hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics. The Games were to be held from February 2 - 11 1940.


title: Alonso Berruguete

paragraphs: Alonso González de Berruguete, or (Alonso Berruguete) (1488 - 1561) was a Spanish painter, sculptor and architect. He is considered to be the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance, and is known for his emotive sculptures, which had religious meanings.


title: Alonso Sánchez Coello

paragraphs: Alonso Sánchez Coello, (1531/32, Benifairó de les Valls, near Valencia - August 8, 1588, Madrid) was a portrait painter of the Spanish Renaissance. He was one of the pioneers of the great tradition of Spanish portrait painting.


title: Western European Union

paragraphs: The Western European Union (WEU) was a European defence and security organization. It was set up by Treaty of Brussels of 1948, West Germany and Italy joined in 1954. It should not be confused with the European Union (EU). The WEU headquarters were in Brussels. After the Cold War its functions were gradually transferred to the European Union and the Council of Europe. It was dissolved on 31 March 2011.

paragraphs: The Treaty of Brussels was signed by the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands on March 17, 1948. It was changed on October 23, 1954 when West Germany and Italy joined.

paragraphs: The WEU was led by a Council of Ministers, helped by a Council of Permanent Representatives (ambassadors). The Parliamentary Assembly eventually had the same members as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe). Social and cultural activities were handed to the Council of Europe to avoid duplication.


title: Guy Fawkes Night

paragraphs: Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night) is a firework festival in Britain. It remembers the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605.


paragraphs: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States government that is focused to monitor the oceans surrounding the United States and the atmosphere. NOAA warns people for dangerous weather, charts seas and sky, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research to help understanding and stewardship of the environment. In addition to its civilian employees, NOAA research and operations are supported by 300 uniformed service members who make up the NOAA Corps.

paragraphs: NOAA is currently celebrating 200 years of Science, Service, and Stewardship.


title: Tracey Ullman

paragraphs: Dame Tracey Ullman, (born 30 December 1959) is a British-American comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author. She is most famous for being the host of her variety television show, "The Tracey Ullman Show".

paragraphs: Ullman was born in Buckinghamshire. She emigrated to the U.S. and ended up having her own network television series, "The Tracey Ullman Show", from which "The Simpsons" was spun off in 1989.

paragraphs: She was the voice of Little Lulu for a while.


title: The Tracey Ullman Show

paragraphs: The Tracey Ullman Show was a weekly American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and former pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the FOX network's second primetime series (after "Married... with Children"), and ran until May 26, 1990. The show featured sketch comedy along with many musical numbers, featuring Emmy Award-winning choreography by Paula Abdul. It also produced the hugely successful spin-off, "The Simpsons".


title: Joaquín Sorolla

paragraphs: Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (February 27, 1863 – August 10, 1923), was a Spanish painter, born in Valencia. He excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes, and large works of social and historical themes. His most typical works are skillful pictures of the people and landscape under the Spanish sun.


title: Laienspiegel

paragraphs: The work commonly referred to as Laienspiegel is a book of law. It was published in Mainz, in 1509. Its full title is "Laijen Spiegel. von rechtmässigen ordnungen in Burgerlichen vnd peinlichen regimenten. mit allegation[en] vn[d] bewerungen auß geschribnen rechten vnnd gesatzen". This can be roughly translated as "A layman's guide, of the correct order of civil and criminal regiments, with illustrations of written rights and laws.". It was written by Ulrich Tengler, and published by Sebastian Brant. There was a second edition in 1511. The work was very important, there were 14 editions of it in the 16th century.

paragraphs: The work is divided in three parts. It contains private law, criminal law, and law of the public institutions. The publication is much like the Klagspiegel of 1436. Other similar works are the Malleus Maleficarum of the 13th century, and the Constitutio Criminalis Bambergensis.


title: Berlin Blockade

paragraphs: The Berlin Blockade was from 24 June 1948 to 11 May 1949. It began when the Soviet Union "blocked" railway and road access by the three Western powers (the Americans, British, and French) to the Western-occupied sectors of Berlin. The Blockade stopped after the Western powers used airplanes to airlift food and other things that people needed.

paragraphs: The Soviet Union began the blockade because they thought that monetary reform in the three German Occupation zones controlled by the Western powers which started on 21 June 1948 made the western parts of Germany too strong and wanted to force the west out of their occupation zone.

paragraphs: When the Allied Powers met at Potsdam they agreed to divide Germany into four occupation zones, American, British, Soviet, and French. They divided Berlin into four zones as well. Berlin was surrounded by the Soviet occupation zone, so the only way to get to the three western controlled sectors was driving through Soviet-controlled territory.

paragraphs: The Soviet Union began the blockade because they thought the western half of Germany (controlled by the UK, USA and France) was becoming too strong, because one currency had recently been introduced throughout the entire western half - the Deutsche Mark. The Soviets were worried that a single currency would help the economy of the western half recovered quickly from the damage caused by the Second World War, and that this stronger western half would eventually develop into a country (it eventually did, called West Germany). The Russians wanted one Germany, without an army, that they could easily control. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union had killed one in seven Soviet people, and the Soviets feared that Britain, France and America might try to launch their own invasion at some point in the future. They therefore wanted as much land between them and France as possible, so that any major war would be fought in central Europe, and not in the Soviet Union where Soviet civilians might be killed (which is what had happened during WWII).

paragraphs: Germany also has lots of coal and iron near its border with France. The Soviets wanted to use the coal and steel to help rebuild their own country, but these resources woudl be difficult to access if the western half of Germany turned into a capitalist country that was allied to Britain, France, and the USA. If Germany was a single neutral country, gaining access to these resources would be easier because Germany could be bullied by the Soviet Union.

paragraphs: On 24 June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked access to the three Western-held sectors of Berlin. They cut off all rail and road routes going through Soviet-controlled territory in the United States. They also blocked routes by river and canal to the Baltic Sea. The Western powers had arranged a treaty with the Soviets guaranteeing the right to use the roads, railways and waterways.

paragraphs: The commander of the U.S. occupation zone in Germany, General Lucius D. Clay, wanted to send some tanks along the Autobahn from West Germany to West Berlin, with instructions to fire if they were stopped or attacked. President Truman said no, because that may start a war. Clay was told to ask General Curtis LeMay, commander of United States Air Forces in Europe, to see if an airlift was possible. General Albert Wedemeyer, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, was in Europe when the blockade began. He had been commander of the American forces in India and China in 1944–45. He knew about the Allied airlift from India over "The Hump" of the Himalayas to China. He was in favour of starting an airlift.

paragraphs: The first flight of the airlift was thirty-two C-47 cargo planes on 26 June 1948. They carried 80 tons of cargo including milk, flour, and medicine.

paragraphs: So many things had to be flown into Berlin that aircraft took off every three minutes. If an aircraft missed its landing place it could not fly around the airfield and try again, it had to return to its base. This was easier and safer than holding up the aircraft following behind.

paragraphs: The Americans also recruited ex-Luftwaffe aircraft mechanics to help with maintenance, when the Allies realised that the blockade was going to last longer than the expected three weeks.

paragraphs: British, U.S., Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and South African pilots flew in the airlift. The French were fighting in their colonies in South-East Asia and could not spare many aeroplanes for the airlift. Instead they built a new and larger airport in its sector, on the shores of Lake Tegel. They completed the building in less than 90 days. Today it is the Berlin-Tegel International Airport.

paragraphs: Hundreds of aircraft, nicknamed "Rosinenbomber" ("raisin bombers") by Berliners, were used to fly in a wide variety of cargo, ranging from large containers to small packets of candy with tiny individual parachutes intended for the children of Berlin, were flown out of Berlin on return flights.

paragraphs: 278,228 flights were made, and 2,326,406 tons of food and supplies, including more than 1.5 million tons of coal, were delivered to Berlin.

paragraphs: The USSR lifted its blockade at midnight, on 11 May 1949. But, the airlift did not end until 30 September 1949, because the Western states wanted to build up enough supplies in West Berlin in case the Soviets blockaded it again.

paragraphs: The three major Berlin airfields involved were Tempelhof, in the American Sector, RAF Gatow in the British and Tegel in the French. To keep everything safe, air traffic control was located at Tempelhof. A new four-power organization also started, Berlin Air Safety Center (BASC). BASC only closed down in 1990, when Germany was reunited and the ordinary German civilian air traffic control took over.

paragraphs: The British had about 150 C-47 Dakotas and 40 Avro Yorks. The RAF was also using 10 Short Sunderlands and later by Short Hythe flying boats. These flew Finkenwerder on the Elbe near Hamburg to the Havel river. The flying boats were designed to resist rust and water damage so were very useful for transporting bulk salt, which would have rusted the other planes. Many other aircraft were later used, and the British had flown in about 100,000 tons of cargo by the end of the blockade.

paragraphs: 39 British and 31 U.S. pilots died during the blockade. There is a monument with their names in front of Tempelhof airport. Similar monuments can be found at the military airfield Wietzenbruch near Celle and at Rhein-Main Air Base

paragraphs: Tegel was developed into west Berlin's principal airport, and by 2007 had been joined by a redeveloped Berlin-Schoenefeld in Brandenburg. As a result of these two airports Tempelhof has been closed, whilst Gatow no longer serves as an airport and now hosts the Museum of the German Luftwaffe. During the 1970s and 1980s Schoenefeld had had its own crossing points through the Berlin Wall for western citizens.


title: Francisco Herrera the Younger

paragraphs: Francisco Herrera the Younger (Sevilla, 1622 - Madrid, 1685), was a Spanish Baroque painter and architect.


title: Francisco Herrera the Elder

paragraphs: Francisco Herrera (1576-1656) was a distinguished Spanish painter, born at Seville. He was the founder of the Seville school.


title: Lancelet

paragraphs: The lancelets, or Cephalochordata, are a group of primitive chordates which were formerly called "Amphioxus". It includes "Pikaia".

paragraphs: Lancelets are the modern survivors of an ancient chordate lineage, with a fossil record dating back to the Cambrian period. The lancelets are usually said to be the sister group of the craniates. They are a small group of about 30 species in two genera.

paragraphs: Lancelets are usually found buried in sand in shallow parts of temperate or tropical seas. In Asia, they are harvested commercially as food for humans and domesticated animals. They are an important object of study in zoology as they give indications about the origin of vertebrates.

paragraphs: Lancelets serve as an intriguing comparison point for tracing how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. Although lancelets split from vertebrates more than 520 million years ago, their genomes hold clues about evolution, particularly how vertebrates have employed old genes for new functions. They are regarded as similar to the archetypal vertebrate form.

paragraphs: The genome of the Florida lancelet ("Branchiostoma floridae") has been sequenced. "Most authors regard amphioxus as the closest relative of the Vertebrata on the basis of 10–15 [morphological] features that are not seen in tunicates".


title: Regional internet registry

paragraphs: A regional Internet registry (RIR) is an organization which is responsible for registering Internet numbers in a special part of the world.


title: Anna Göldi

paragraphs: Anna Göldi (or Anna Göldin, Göldin is the female form of the name) (24 October 1734 - 13 June 1782) was probably the last person in Europe to be executed as a witch.

paragraphs: Göldin was born into a poor family and worked as a servant. She had two children. Her first child died shortly after being born, and Göldin was accused (and sentenced) for killing it. She later worked for a physician from Glarus, Jakob Tschudi, who was one of the richest and most influential people in the Canton of Glarus. When she worked there, small needles were found in the milk for one of the daughters of Tschudi. Additionally, Tschudi's relatives claimed that the daughter had spewn nails on several occasions.

paragraphs: For this reason, Göldin was accused of bewitching Tchudi's daughter. Under torture, she confessed that she had used the powers of the Devil. On 13 June 1782, she was sentenced to die by the sword, but the verdict did not mention witchcraft. The execution followed soon afterwards. After the execution, the paper trail was destroyed. Despite these efforts, the case created an uproar in other parts of Switzerland and in Germany because the public saw Göldin as an innocent victim.

paragraphs: Walter Hauser, a journalist, looked at sources that were not known to date. He thinks Göldin might have had an affair with her master, Johann Jakob Tschudin. During this affair, he might possibly have raped her. Adulterers were seen as unfit to hold a public office, at the time. For this reason, Tschudi may have decided to do away with Göldi. He initiated the trial for witchcraft, which ended in her execution.

paragraphs: Gertrud Pinkus made a film about Anna Göldin's life, in 1992. It is called "Anna Göldin - Letzte Hexe". In it Cornelia Kempers plays Anna Göldin.

paragraphs: In March 2007, both the government and the Church of Glarus refused to say Anna Göldin had been innocent, 225 years after her execution. They said that in the minds of the people of Glarus, this rehabilitation had already taken place.

paragraphs: On 20th September 2007, the Swiss parliament decided that in Anna Göldin's case, justice was wrong. Fritz Schiesser, as representative for Glarus in the Swiss parliament, called for Anna Göldin's exoneration. A museum is open in Glarus dedicated to her.

paragraphs: What is the Neue Zürcher Zeitung today published a description on the 9th of February, 1782. In it, the authorities of Glarus offered a reward to whoever captured Anna Göldin, and bring it to them:


title: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

paragraphs: The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (often shortened to NZZ) is a Swiss daily newspaper. It is based in Zürich. It is one of the oldest newspapers that is still published today. It was first published (as "Zürcher Zeitung") on January 12, 1780. Politically, the paper holds liberal values. Other newspapers which are still published, and have a similar age, are the Wiener Zeitung (published since 1703) and the Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung (published since 1705).


title: KOffice

paragraphs: KOffice is a free office suite for the K Desktop Environment (KDE). All its components have been released under free software/open source licenses. The latest version of KOffice is 1.6.3, which was released on June 7, 2007.

paragraphs: KOffice is primarily designed for Unix operating systems, but in the future there will likely be a Microsoft Windows and native Mac OS X version of all the applications.

paragraphs: KOffice applications uses OpenDocument as their native file format when possible.

paragraphs: The suite is released separately from KDE and can be downloaded at the KOffice homepage.

paragraphs: KOffice includes the following components:

paragraphs: KOffice includes import filters for some file formats provided by competitors.


title: Senna (herb)

paragraphs: Senna candolleana or Golden Senna associates with "Lithrea" and "Porlieria chilensis" in Central Chile Matorral or forms pure stands..

paragraphs: Traditionally "Senna", a genus including 250 species, was classified as "Cassia". Near 200 species appear in South America, fourteen of them in Chile .

paragraphs: This evergreen shrub, 5 to 6 feet tall (1.5-1.8 m), 6 feet wide (1.8 m); dark green leaves is suitable as ornamental.


title: Tropical Storm Gabrielle (2007)

paragraphs: Tropical Storm Gabrielle was a tropical storm that moved over eastern North Carolina before turning out to the sea. It was the seventh named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. Gabrielle formed as a subtropical cyclone on September 8 about 385 miles (625 km) southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Wind shear affected the storm for much of its existence, although a brief decrease in the shear allowed the system to strengthen into a tropical storm. On September 9, Gabrielle made landfall on the coast of North Carolina. Turning to the northeast, the storm quickly weakened and died out on September 11. The storm dropped heavy rainfall near its actual landfall location but little precipitation in other areas. Total damage was minor, and there were no reported deaths.

paragraphs: A dying cold front moved off the coast of Georgia on September 2, leaving an area of clouds and showers that slowly moved eastward. This area began to organize, and by late on September 4, the

paragraphs: thunderstorms had built up to the east of the system's center. On September 5, a Hurricane Hunters aircraft reported that the system had not yet become a tropical or subtropical cyclone. A trough caused some wind shear, which stopped the storm from gaining any strength. However, the area soon became more favorable for the storm to strengthen.

paragraphs: Because of this, the storm started to develop, about halfway between North Carolina and Bermuda. The storm began to turn slowly toward the west-northwest. On September 7, its center became slightly stronger. On September 8, the storm was named Subtropical Storm Gabrielle by the National Hurricane Center. At this time, Gabrielle was about 385 miles (625 km) southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

paragraphs: After becoming a subtropical cyclone, Gabrielle was found to be in an area with cooler air to the north, dry air to the south and west, some wind shear, and cooler water temperatures along the storm's path. These conditions made it so the storm could not strengthen much. However, a curved band of thunderstorms formed in the storm's northern and western sections, and the circulation became better organized. Later, the rainbands died out, leaving the center of the low pressure system far away from the area of thunderstorms. To be a strong tropical cyclone, the center and the thunderstorms need to be located over each other. Soon, the storm began to gain more strength, and it was renamed to Tropical Storm Gabrielle on September 7 while located about 185 miles (300 km) southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

paragraphs: Wind shear slowly went down as the storm passed over the Gulf Stream, allowing strong thunderstorms to quickly form near the center, and at about 15:45 UTC, Tropical Storm Gabrielle hit the coast of North Carolina. It had winds possibly as strong as 60 mph (95 km/h) at time. The storm turned to the north and north-northeast, and re-entered the ocean on September 10. Gabrielle weakened to a tropical depression, and still kept scattered thunderstorms near it as it tracked along the northern part of the Gulf Stream. By midday on September 11, Gabrielle died out to the south of Canada. By early the next day, the remnants of Gabrielle were absorbed by another cold front.

paragraphs: When Gabrielle became a subtropical storm, the National Hurricane Center sent out a tropical storm watch from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Oregon Inlet in North Carolina, including the Pamlico Sound. As the storm came close to land, the storm watch for areas south of Cape Fear, North Carolina was taken away. At the same time, a tropical storm warning was declared from Surf City, North Carolina to the North Carolina – Virginia state border. A tropical storm watch was also issued for parts of the Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay.

paragraphs: Before the storm arrived, the National Park Service closed visitor centers and campgrounds along the Outer Banks. For about 12 hours, the ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke was closed down. The governor of North Carolina put rescue teams on standby. Some people were told to tighten down loose objects, and to stay inside when the storm passed over. Because the tropical storm was expected to be minor, no evacuations were ordered. On Ocracoke Island, boats were taken out to prepare for Gabrielle. The threat of the storm made it so a fishing contest was canceled at Atlantic Beach.

paragraphs: At first, forecasters, or weather men, were not sure where Gabrielle would go. They said it was possible for the storm to hit areas as far north as New York. Big waves and rip currents were predicted, so the Coast Guard helped to prepare for the storm in the Northeastern United States. On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a jet airplane flew along the coastline, giving storm advisories to offshore boats. A Coast Guard patrol boat was sent offshore for search and rescue. Sailors were told to be very careful in the storm. However, the storm passed well to the south with little effect.

paragraphs: Big waves from Gabrielle along the coast of Florida caused a surfer to drown. Around 200 others had to be rescued from the rough seas. People at New Smyrna Beach, Florida said waves reached .

paragraphs: By September 9, the outer rainbands of the cyclone began hitting southeastern North Carolina. Constant high winds occurred along coast, reaching 44 miles per hour (71 km/h) at Frisco. Wind gusts were sometimes stronger; a gust of 61 miles per hour (98 km/h) was recorded at Ocracoke. Along the coast of North Carolina, waves were high. Rip currents caused many swimmers to be rescued by lifeguards. There was not much rain from the storm in most areas, but near the storm's center, 9.03 inches (229 mm) of rain fell.

paragraphs: Where the most rain fell, some flooding formed. This prevented farmers from harvesting their crops. Much of North Carolina was considered to be in a drought, so people hoped Gabrielle would bring needed water. However, in most locations, no rain occurred. The storm left part of North Carolina Highway 12 on Hatteras Island closed for three hours because of flooding. Other streets in Morehead City and Beaufort were closed. A few buildings in the area had minor damage from the flooding. In Carteret County, the flood waters did $5,000 in damage. Storm surge from Gabrielle was small, at just above normal at Hatteras Island. Overall damage in the state was minor and no people died.

paragraphs: When the storm was called "Gabrielle", it was the fourth time that the name was used for a tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean. The name was used previously in 1989, 1995, and 2001. Because Tropical Storm Gabrielle was not bad, the name Gabrielle was not retired and was later used for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season.


title: Donkey vote

paragraphs: A donkey vote is when someone puts numbers on an election ballot paper in the same order that the candidates are listed. For example, if a ballot paper had J. Smith on the top line, M. Doe on the middle line and N. Citizen on the bottom line, and the voter put a 1 beside J. Smith, a 2 beside M. Doe and a 3 beside N. Citizen, that would be called a donkey vote. Donkey votes are counted in election results because a person could have wanted to vote in that way, the votes are formal, a number is placed in all boxes.


title: Mariano Fortuny (painter)

paragraphs: Marià José María Bernardo Fortuny y Carbó (June 11, 1838 - November 21, 1874), was a Spanish painter. His brief career encompass both the Romantic fascination with orientalist themes, but also moved towards a prescient loosening brush-stroke and color.

paragraphs: He was born at Reus, a town near Taragon in the province of Catalonia in Spain. His father died when he was an infant, his mother by age 12, thus Mariano was raised by his grandfather, a cabinetmaker, raised him. His grandfather taught him to make wax figurines. At the age of 9, at a public competition in his town a local patron, Domingo Soberano, encouraged further study.

paragraphs: At the age of 14 years he moved to Barcelona with his grandfather. A sculptor, Domingo Talarn, secured him a pension of to allow him to attend the Academy of Barcelona. There he studied for four years under Claudio Lorenzale, and in March of 1857 he gained a scholarship that entitled him to two years of studies in Rome starting in 1858. There he studied drawing and grand manner styles.

paragraphs: In 1859, he was called by the Spanish government to depict the campaigns of the Spanish-Moroccan War (1859)|Spanish-Moroccan War. The expedition lasted for only about six months, and he returned to Spain in the summer of 1860.


title: No Doubt

paragraphs: No Doubt was a third wave ska and alternative rock band from Anaheim, California, United States. There are four members in the band currently: Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Adrian Young and Tom Dumont. Eric Stefani and John Spence (now dead) were former members. No Doubt was formed in 1986. Their most successful album was "Tragic Kingdom", which spawned many singles, including "Don't Speak", which was at number-one for sixteen weeks in the "Billboard" Hot 100 Airplay Chart.

paragraphs: The band's trademark sound combines ska and reggae with alternative rock, pop, and punk.

paragraphs: The band is currently on an hiatus and performed their last shows in 2015. Tony, Tom & Adrian has formed a band called "Dream Car" while Gwen Stefani continues to puruse he career as a soloartist.

paragraphs: No Doubt formed in 1986 in Anaheim, California, but with the name "Apple Core", and with members Gwen Stefani, her brother Eric Stefani, and their friend John Spence. They played several concerts under that name. During one of the concerts, Tony Kanal was there. He was impressed with the band, and became their bassist. He later began dating Gwen (which lasted for seven years.)

paragraphs: However, Spence committed suicide in December 1987. The rest of the band was shocked, and broke up, but reformed a few weeks later because they thought that's what Spence would have wanted. They soon got Tom Dumont as a new guitarist. He was formerly in a band called Rising with his sister. One year later, the band hired Adrian Young as a drummer. When he joined, he said he had been playing the drums for five years, even though he had only been playing for two months.

paragraphs: The band released their first album, "No Doubt", in 1992. One single was released from it, "Trapped in a Box".

paragraphs: In 1995 they released their second album, "The Beacon Street Collection". It got better reviews than "No Doubt" and two singles were released from it.

paragraphs: On October 10, 1995 "Tragic Kingdom" was released. It was their first album to chart, and it was very successful. It has sold over sixteen million copies.

paragraphs: On April 11, 2000 "Return of Saturn" was released on Interscope. Four singles were released from it.

paragraphs: The band's fifth album "Rock Steady" was released December 11, 2001.

paragraphs: On 25 November 2003 "The Singles 1992-2003" was released. No Doubt made a new song for it, a cover of "It's My Life" by Talk Talk. It was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2005 Grammy Awards.

paragraphs: "Everything in Time (B-sides, Rarities, Remixes)" was released October 12 2004.

paragraphs: Between 2004 and 2008 the band's members did things separate from the band. Singer Gwen Stefani released a solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby".

paragraphs: In 2012 the band released their first studio album in over ten years, "Push and Shove". Two singles were released from the album, "Settle Down" and "Looking Hot".


title: Matchbox Twenty

paragraphs: Matchbox Twenty (or MB20, MBT, matchbox twenty, originally spelled Matchbox 20) is an alternative rock band from Orlando, Florida, United States. The members of the band are Rob Thomas (vocals, piano), Kyle Cook (guitar), Brian Yale (bass), Paul Doucette (guitar) and Ryan MacMillian (drums). Matt Beck is a live member, playing several instruments in their shows. Adam Gaynor was formerly with the band. He left it in 2005. Their three studio albums have been popular worldwide, and they have sold more than 29 million copies. They are "Yourself or Someone Like You", "Mad Season" and "More Than You Think You Are". They released recently an album with new material and their biggest hits, called "Exile on Mainstream".

paragraphs: Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette were part of the band Tabitha's Secret, which was based in Orlando, Florida, with fellow members Jay Stanley and John Goff, before splitting to start a new band (what was to become Matchbox Twenty). After recruiting Adam Gaynor from Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and Kyle Cook from the Atlanta Institute of Music, the band named themselves "Matchbox 20" and won a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

paragraphs: Matchbox Twenty released their debut album, "Yourself or Someone Like You", in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a rock radio-only success, the album soon spawned several Top 40 singles throughout 1997 and 1998, including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Real World", and "Back 2 Good". "Push" and "3 A.M." did not chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart due to the rule in effect prior to 1998 that required a song to be released as a single in order to appear on the Hot 100. "Real World" and "Back 2 Good" proved to be the band's first entries into the "Billboard" Hot 100, after the rule was terminated. The album eventually sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, achieving a diamond certification. In 1998, Matchbox Twenty recorded a live version of their single, "3 A.M." for release on the charity album "Live in the X Lounge", benefiting United Cerebral Palsy research. The band was sued by New Yorker Frank Torres for using his image without his permission on the cover of "Yourself or Someone Like You". Torres had been walking down the street when he was asked by a photographer to pose for a picture.

paragraphs: Before recording their second album, Rob Thomas collaborated with Itaal Shur on a song called "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, "Supernatural". Thomas was supposed to act only as a songwriter for "Smooth", but Carlos Santana had him sing for it after hearing the song's demo. "Smooth" was the album's lead single and became a hit in 1999. Thomas won three Grammy Awards for writing and performing on "Smooth": Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Popular Music Collaboration with Vocals.

paragraphs: During 2000, Matchbox 20 renamed themselves to Matchbox Twenty and released their second album, "Mad Season". The album, on the strength of several successful singles, including "Bent" (which peaked No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart) and "If You're Gone", was certified 4x platinum in the United States. The video for "Bent" made fun of singer Thomas' increased fame from "Smooth" by showing the other band members assaulting him. The next two singles, "Mad Season" and "Last Beautiful Girl" were not as successful.

paragraphs: For their third album, "More Than You Think You Are", the band revived more of a rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other band members on several songs. The album again spawned successful singles "Disease" (written with Mick Jagger), "Unwell", and "Bright Lights". The album was not as successful commercially as the previous two, and received mixed reviews from critics. However, the album had an enormous radio presence for well over a year.

paragraphs: During 2003, the band released "EP", consisting of six songs. The EP had never before released live and acoustic versions of previously released songs like "Push" and "If You're Gone", as well as a new track, "Suffer Me".

paragraphs: In May 2004, the band released a live DVD, "Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty", filmed in Atlanta and featuring 20 songs, including all of their previous successful singles.

paragraphs: In February 2005, rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor officially left the group, which had been on hiatus to allow other members to pursue side projects. Rob Thomas released a solo album, "…Something to Be", which debuted at No. 1 on the "Billboard" 200. The album featured four successful singles: "Lonely No More", "This Is How a Heart Breaks", "Ever the Same", and "Streetcorner Symphony".

paragraphs: In January 2007, Rob Thomas released a single, "Little Wonders", which he wrote for the Disney movie "Meet the Robinsons".

paragraphs: The group reunited and began performing during 2007, with the release of their 'retrospective' album "Exile on Mainstream", on October 2, 2007. "How Far We've Come" was the first single from the new album, which was followed by the second single, "These Hard Times". "Exile on Mainstream" included four other new songs and a complete collection of all eleven of their previously released singles. The album was also released in the new MVI (Music Video Interactive) format, which included two video interviews discussing the six new songs and eleven greatest hits, plus extras including a photo gallery, U-MYX (to remix "How Far We've Come"), buddy icons and wallpapers. "How Far We've Come" was released on the band's MySpace page in July 2007, with the video released on September 6, 2007.

paragraphs: Matchbox Twenty toured during early 2008 with Alanis Morissette and opener Mutemath. The band began their US tour on January 25, 2008, in Hollywood, FL, and concluded in Las Vegas, NV, on March 18, 2008 before heading to Australia and New Zealand, where the Australian band Thirsty Merc was the supporting act. Following Australia, Matchbox Twenty visited the UK for the first time in five years to play six concerts in Cardiff, Wembley, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. Matchbox Twenty performed at the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup award ceremony.

paragraphs: When the band finished touring later during 2008, Rob Thomas began work on his second solo album, "Cradlesong". He stated in an interview to "Billboard" that he expected that the other members of the band might begin work on Matchbox Twenty's next album without him. At the concert at Mohegan Sun Casino on December 18, 2009, Rob Thomas said that he was not frequently playing Matchbox Twenty songs at his 2009 tour stops because the band was planning to tour together in 2010.

paragraphs: At the Taste of Chicago on July 2, 2010, Thomas said that Matchbox Twenty would be recording in the fall for their fourth studio album. On September 4, 2010, while on VH1's Top 20 Music Video Countdown, Thomas stated that Matchbox Twenty was planning to start working on their next studio album in mid-September and that he was 80% sure that the album would be released sometime in 2011. Rob Thomas posted on Twitter that he was "heading out next week to start writing the new mb20 record" on September 13, 2010. It was stated on Matchbox Twenty's web site that the next show they will do together is on January 1, 2011 in Oklahoma. According to Paul Doucette, the new Matchbox Twenty album will likely be completed in the beginning of 2012. He explained, "That's the same question I was asking. We don't know -- the beginning of next year, we hope. It's a real important record for us. We haven't done anything in a long time. The older we get, the more we realize and appreciate the good fortune we have to do what we do at this level. Realistically, how many more times do we get? So we're going to really make this record the one we want it to be."

paragraphs: Matchbox Twenty played a one-off live show in Temecula, California on July 9, 2011, but no new material was played. During the show Rob Thomas stated the show was a "love letter to our fans."

paragraphs: "North" was released on September 4, 2012. The album's first single, "She's So Mean," was released on June 12, 2012.

paragraphs: In 2012, the band embarked on a worldwide tour, the North Tour, to promote the album. The tour continued as the 2013 Summer Tour, when they co-headlined with the Goo Goo Dolls.


title: Albany, Western Australia

paragraphs: Albany is a city on the south coast of Western Australia. In 2006, there were 25,196 people living in Albany. The city centre is in between two hills, Mount Melville and Mount Clarence.

paragraphs: Albany is built on King George Sound, named by Captain Vancouver in 1791. Major Edmund Lockyer started the first settlement here on 21 January 1827. The Governor of Western Australia, James Stirling, named the city Albany in 1832 after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III.


title: Kalgoorlie

paragraphs: Kalgoorlie is a city in Western Australia. It is 600 kilometres east of Perth. It is the largest urban centre in the Goldfield-Esperance region, with an population of 30,000. It was founded in the 1890s in response to the gold rush at the time. It has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh in the Koeppen climate classification).


title: Joondalup, Western Australia

paragraphs: Joondalup is a suburb and regional city in Perth, Western Australia. It was established in the 1980s. In 2001, the suburb had a population of 6,927. The suburb was named after Lake Joondalup which is located on the eastern side of the suburb. In relation to the other establishments in Perth, Joondalup is a relatively new settlement, as it was undeveloped until the 1960s.


title: Mandurah, Western Australia

paragraphs: Mandurah is a city south of Perth, Western Australia. It has a population of 65,000. It is the fastest-growing regional city in Australia. Mandurah connected with the new Mandurah railway line late in 2007 strengthening the transport connection with Perth. The foreshore of the city is home to many marine animals.


title: Bunbury, Western Australia

paragraphs: Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia, behind Perth and Mandurah, with a population of 54,967. It is 175 kilometres south of the Perth CBD. It was founded in 1836. Bunbury is connected to Perth via transport by the Transwa Australind passenger train.


title: Rockingham, Western Australia

paragraphs: Rockingham is a coastal suburb in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It in 2006 it had a population of 13,000.

paragraphs: Rockingham was connected with Perth by the Mandurah railway line in 2007.


title: Esperance, Western Australia

paragraphs: Esperance is a town in Western Australia. Around 16,400 people live in Esperance. Started in 1896, Esperance is found near the south-east coast of the state. It is halfway between Albany, Western Australia and the South Australian border. Esperance's main industries are tourism, fishing and agriculture.


title: Mandurah railway line, Perth

paragraphs: The Mandurah railway line is a suburban railway line in Perth, Australia. It was opened around Christmas in 2007. The line is a major transport route in Perth, connecting with the four other main Transperth railway lines: Joondalup, Midland, Fremantle and Armadale.