AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Sir Peter Brian Medawar OM CBE FRS (28 February 1915 – 2 October 1987) was a British biologist.
His work was important to skin grafts and organ transplants.
Transplants of skin and organs from other people are usually rejected. This is an action by the immune system. Medawar showed that sometimes this reaction can be avoided, and why.
He worked on graft rejection and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet.
Until he was partially disabled by a stroke, Medawar was Director of the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill, London.
Medawar was professor of zoology at the University of Birmingham (1947–51) and University College London (1951–62). In 1962 he was appointed director of the National Institute for Medical Research, and became professor of experimental medicine at the Royal Institution (1977–83), and president of the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (1981–87). Medawar was a scientist of great inventiveness who was interested in many other subjects including opera, philosophy and cricket.
He was knighted in 1965, and appointed to the Order of Merit in 1981.
Medawar was awarded his Nobel Prize in 1960 for work in tissue grafting, which is the basis of organ transplants. He and his team discovered "acquired immunological tolerance".
At birth, babies are protected by antibodies from the mother. During embryonic life and immediately after birth, immune cells develop. They 'learn' to distinguish between their own tissues on the one hand, and unwanted cells and foreign material on the other.
Medawar's work resulted in a shift of emphasis in the science of immunology from one that attempts to deal with the fully developed immunity mechanism to one that attempts to alter the immunity mechanism itself. Various ways have been found to suppress the body's rejection of organ transplants.
His books include
Werethekau
Joe Don Baker
Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American actor.
He began his career as a guest on TV series "Honey West" (1965), "Judd for the Defense" (1967), and "Bonanza" (1968) among other. Her first major role was in the western movie, "Guns of the Magnificent Seven" (1969), starring with George Kennedy
Baker is known for starring in emblematic action movie in the '70s as "Walking Tall" (1973), which plays the incorruptible sheriff Buford Pusser of Tennessee, the movie was one of the most violent in the '70s and launched Baker star in action movies.
His second movie "Charley Varrick" (1973), was directed by Don Siegel. Here he plays a hired killer who should be responsible for eliminating Charley Varrick played by Walter Matthau
In the 1980 Baker appeared on television and movies as "The Natural" (1984), "Final Justice" (1985), "The Abduction of Kari Swenson", TV (1987), and the TV series "In the Heat of the Night" (1989) as Chief Tom Dugan.
In 1992 he starred as Claude Kersek in charge of guarding Sam Bowden; Nick Nolte, in "Cape Fear" (1991), with Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese.
He also worked in the James Bond movies "The Living Daylights" (1987), "GoldenEye" (1995) and "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997).
One of his last jobs was at "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005), Baker as Governor Jim Applewhite.
1967 episode Judd For the Defense. Character: Meryl Varney
Princess of Orange
Princess of Orange is the title ("name") used for the women who were married to the Ruling Princes of Orange in the time between 1171 to 1815. Since 1815, it was also used for the wives of the heirs to the Dutch throne, who were titled Prince of Orange. The only woman who became a "Princess of Orange" without being married to a "Prince of Orange" was Marie, Princess of Orange (1393-1417). Together with her husband John, Prince of Orange (1393-1418), they governed the land.
Because the title "Prince of Orange" was only used for 'the eldest son of the King' (the "crown prince"), Dutch crown princesses did not get the title. There were no "oldest sons" for a few generations, and so the title was not used since 1877. Because Dutch law was changed in 1983 to include "oldest daughters of the King", Catharina-Amalia, the next Princess of Orange became the first Dutch Princess of Orange in her own right once her father, Prince Willem-Alexander, became King of the Netherlands.
Finke River
The Finke River is one of the largest rivers in central Australia. It starts in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. it is formed where Davenport and Ormiston Creeks join together, just north of Glen Helen. The Finke River flows about 600 km to the western edge of the Simpson Desert in northern South Australia. Usually the river is a collection of waterholes, but it can become a raging torrent during rare flood events. In a big flood water from the Finke River can flow into the Macumba River, and then into Lake Eyre, a total distance of about 750 km. Major tributaries include Ellery Creek, and the Palmer and Hugh Rivers. The Finke River flows through the West MacDonnell and Finke Gorge National Parks.
The Finke River was named by John McDouall Stuart in 1860 after William Finke, an Adelaide man, who was one of the people who paid part of the cost of his expeditions. The indigenous name for the river in parts of the Northern Territory is Larapinta. Larapinta Drive is a road which runs west from Alice Springs, and the Larapinta walking trail.
The Finke River has been called ""the oldest river in the world"", particularly by tour operators, and in popular books and brochures. In places such as the James Range, the Finke flows through deeply incised meanders (see Google Maps image). Because meanders only form on flat plains, the river must have formed before the ranges were pushed up. This happened in a mountain building event known as the Alice Springs Orogeny which happened between 400 and 300 million years ago, in the Devonian to Carboniferous Periods. Some parts of the river’s course must have been already in existence around this time. The southern parts of its course must be much younger because the areas where the Finke now flows near the southern edge of the Northern Territory, and further south, were under the sea during the Mesozoic Era, part of the Great Artesian Basin.
The age of the Finke River is not unique. There are other large mountain-sourced river systems in central Australia including the Todd and Hale Rivers where the mountains were formed at the same time. There are other mountain ranges of equal or greater age to the MacDonnell Ranges, both in Australia and on other continents. The rivers in those areas may have evolved from ancestral streams of the same age or older than the Finke.
Anna van Egmont
Anna van Egmont (Grave, March 1533 – Breda, 24 March 1558) was a member of an important and rich Dutch family. She was the first wife of William the Silent, Prince of Orange.
She was the only child of Maximiliaan van Egmond and Françoise de Lannoy. She was also Countess of Lingen and of Leerdam, and Lady of IJsselstein, of Borssele, of Grave, of Cranendonck, of Jaarsveld, of Kortgene, of Sint Maartensdijk, and of Odijk. Because she was the only child, she also got the title of Countess of Buren and Lady of Egmond.
In 1551 she married William the Silent in Buren. Because she was the Lady of Egmond and Countess of Buren, he became Lord of Egmond and Count of Buren. They had three children:
Anna died when she was only 25 years old. She was buried in Breda.
Central Mount Stuart
Central Mount Stuart is a mountain in the south of the Northern Territory, Australia. It can easily seen from the nearby Stuart Highway, which is about 6 km away. The mountain is made from dark red sandstone.
The mountain is named after the explorer John McDouall Stuart who reached the area on 22 April 1860. He worked out that a point about 4 km (2.5 miles) south-southwest of the mountain was the centre of Australia. Modern geographers do not agree with this and now place the centre at Finke.
Stuart climbed to the top on 23 April 1860, writing in his journal:
""Took Kekwick and the flag, and went to the top of the mount, but found it to be much higher and more difficult of ascent than I anticipated...Near the top of the cone I placed a small bottle, in which there is a slip of paper, with our signatures to it, stating by whom it was raised. We then gave three hearty cheers for the flag, the emblem of civil and religious liberty, and may it be a sign to the natives that the dawn of liberty, civilization, and Christianity is about to break upon them.""
The slip of paper was found in 1871 by John Ross during the building of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line. It is now in the Library of South Australia.
Stuart called the mountain Central Mount Sturt, after his former expedition leader Charles Sturt. The name was changed on a suggestion from the Governor of South Australia, Sir Richard MacDonnell. This happened soon after Stuart's return to Adelaide at the end of the expedition. "Central Mount Stuart" is the name that was printed in the published expedition journal.
Louise de Coligny
Louise de Coligny (Châtillon-sur-Loing, 23 September 1555 – Fontainebleau, 13 November 1620) was the fourth wife of Prince William the Silent. She was the daughter of an important French Protestant leader, Gaspard de Coligny.
She married Charles de Téligny when she was 16 years old in 1571. He was a Protestant diplomat who was also friendly with the French king Charles IX. Both her father and her husband were killed during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572.
In 1583 she (27) married William the Silent in Antwerp. She became the Princess of Orange. Their son Frederik Hendrik was born on 29 January 1584. On the 10th of July that year, William was shot by catholic Balthasar Gerards and died.
She stayed in the Netherlands with her 6 stepdaughters. In 1619, she asked her stepson Maurits to stop the execution of high-placed Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, but he did not listen. She then left Holland and went to France where she (65) died in 1620. On 24 May 1621, she was buried in the crypt of the House of Orange-Nassau in the New Church in Delft.
The African National Congress (ANC), supported by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), has been South Africa's governing centre-left political party since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined force of the left". Members founded the organization as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein to increase the rights of the black South African population. John Dube, its first president, and poet and author Sol Plaatje are among its founding members. The organization became the ANC in 1923 and formed a military wing, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) in 1961.
It has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa on the national level since 1994. It gained support in the 1999 elections, and further increased its majority in 2004, with 69.7% of the votes. In 2009 its share of the vote reduced slightly, but it remained the dominant party with 65.9% of the votes.
The ANC was founded in direct response to what was seen as injustices against black South Africans at the hands of their white, mostly Afrikaner government. The ANC had its origins in a pronouncement by Pixley ka Isaka Seme who said in 1911 "Forget all the past differences among Africans and unite in one national organisation." The ANC was set up the next year on 8 January 1912.
The government of the newly formed Union of South Africa began a systematic oppression of black people in South Africa. The Natives' Land Act was issued in 1913. The effect of these laws was to force many non-whites from their farms into the cities and towns to work, and to restrict their movement within South Africa. By 1919, the ANC led a campaign against passes, and in 1929 the ANC supported a militant mineworkers' strike.
The ANC became dormant in the mid-1920s. During that time, black people were also represented by the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union and the once white-only Communist party. By 1927, J.T. Gumende (president of the ANC) proposed cooperation with the Communists in a bid to revitalise the organisation, but he was voted out of power in the 1930s. This led to the ANC becoming largely ineffectual and inactive, until the mid-1940s when the ANC was remodelled as a mass movement.
The ANC responded militarily to attacks on the rights of black South Africans, as well as calling for strikes, boycotts, and defiance. This led to a later Defiance Campaign in the 1950s, a mass movement of resistance to South Africa under apartheid. The government tried to stop the ANC by banning party leaders and enacting new laws to stop the ANC, however these measures failed.
In 1955, the Congress of the People officially adopted the Freedom Charter, stating the core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress and its allies the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats and the Coloured People's Congress. The government claimed that this was a communist document, and consequently leaders of the ANC and Congress were arrested. 1960 saw the Sharpeville Massacre, in which 69 people were killed when police opened fire on anti-apartheid protesters.
Whites eventually joined the fight against apartheid, leading many black supremacists to break away from the ANC.
Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated "Spear of the Nation", was the military wing of the ANC. Partly in response to the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, individual members of the ANC thought violence was needed because peaceful passive protest had failed. There was a significant portion of the ANC who therefore turned to violence in order to achieve their goals. A significant portion of ANC leadership agreed that this violence was needed to combat increasing backlash from the government.
Some ANC members were upset by the actions of the MK, and refused to accept violence as necessary for the ending of Apartheid, but these individuals became a minority as the militant leaders such as Nelson Mandela gained significant popularity. Many consider their actions to be criminal, but the MK said violence was justified by the goal of ending apartheid. Some members of MK committed terrorist acts to achieve their aims, and MK was responsible for the deaths of both civilians and members of the military.
In cooperation with the South African Communist Party, MK was founded in 1961.
The ANC calls itself a force of national liberation in the post-apartheid era; it officially defines its umbrella agenda as the "National Democratic Revolution". The ANC is a member of the Socialist International. It also sets forth the redressing of socio-economic differences stemming from colonial- and apartheid-era policies as a central focus of ANC policy.
The National Democratic Revolution (NDR) is described as a process through which the National Democratic Society (NDS) is achieved; a society in which people are intellectually, socially, economically and politically empowered.
The ANC holds a historic alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), known as the "Tripartite Alliance". The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue. During Mbeki's presidency, the government took a more pro-capitalist stance, often running counter to the demands of the SACP and COSATU.
Following Zuma's accession to the ANC leadership in 2007 and Mbeki's resignation as president in 2008, the Mbeki faction of former ministers led by Mosiuoa Lekota split away from the ANC to form the Congress of the People.
The ANC flag is composed of three stripes – black, green and gold. Black symbolizes the native people of South Africa, green represents the land and gold represents the mineral and other natural wealth of South Africa. This flag was also the battle flag of the Umkhonto we Sizwe. The official party flag also has the emblem of the party incorporated onto the flag.
Politicians in the party win a place in parliament by being on the "Party List", which is drawn up before the elections and enumerates, in order, the party's preferred MPs. The number of seats allocated is proportional to the popular national vote, and this determines the cut-off point.
The ANC has also gained members through the controversial floor crossing process.
Although most South African parties announced their candidate list for provincial premierships in the 2009 election, the ANC did not. It is not required for parties to do so.
The ANC was the main opposition to the government during apartheid and played a major role in resolving the conflict through the peacemaking and peace-building processes. Initially members of the National Party met in secret with ANC leaders, including Nelson Mandela, to see if peace was possible. Discussions and negotiations took place leading to the eventual unbanning of the ANC and other opposing political parties by then President de Klerk on 2 February 1990. These initial meetings were the first crucial steps towards resolution.
The next official step towards rebuilding South Africa was the Groote Schuur Minute where the government and the ANC agreed on a common commitment towards the end of violence and intimidation, as well as a commitment to stability and to a peaceful process of negotiations. The ANC negotiated the release of political prisoners and the immunity from prosecution for returning exiles and moreover channels of communication were established between the Government and the ANC.
Later the Pretoria Minute was another step towards resolution where agreements at Groote Schuur were reconsolidated and steps towards setting up an interim government and drafting a new constitution were established as well as suspension of the military wing of the ANC – the Umkhonto we Sizwe. This step helped end much of the violence within South Africa. Another agreement that came out of the Pretoria Minute was that both parties would try and raise awareness that a new way of governing was being created for South Africa, and that further violence would only hinder this process. However violence still continued in Kwazulu-Natal, which violated the trust between Mandela and de Klerk. Moreover, internal disputes in the ANC prolonged the war as consensus on peace was not reached.
The next significant steps towards resolution were:
These measures ensured no one could claim, or be deprived of any rights on the basis of race.
In December 1991 the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) was held with the aim of establishing an interim government. But in June 1992 there was the Boipatong massacre. Negotiations stopped as the ANC pulled out. Only Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC, and Roelf Meyer of the National Party carried on talking. In over 40 meetings the two men discussed and negotiated over many issues including the nature of the future political system, the fate of over 40,000 government employees and if/how the country would be divided. The result of these negotiations was a temporary constitution that meant the transition from apartheid to democracy was a constitutional continuation and that the rule of law and state sovereignty remained intact during the change, which was vital for stability within the country. A date was set for the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994. The ANC won 62.5% of the votes and has been in power ever since.
The most prominent corruption case involving the ANC relates to a series of bribes paid to companies involved in the ongoing R55 billion Arms Deal saga, which resulted in a long term jail sentence to former Deputy President Jacob Zuma's legal adviser Schabir Shaik. Zuma, now the State president, currently faces 7 813 charges relating to alleged fraud, bribery and corruption in the Arms Deal. The ANC has also been criticised for its subsequent abolishment of the Scorpions, the multidisciplinary agency that investigated and prosecuted organised crime and corruption, and was heavily involved in the investigation into Zuma and Shaik.
Other recent corruption issues include the sexual misconduct and criminal charges of Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince, and the Oilgate scandal, in which millions of Rand in funds from a state-owned company were allegedly funneled into ANC coffers. Links between factions in the ANC, specifically the ANC Youth League leadership, and businessman Brett Kebble gained media attention following Kebble's murder in September 2005.
In December 2007 the ANC elected their new National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest structure in the party. Out of the 80 member committee, 9% are (post-apartheid) convicted criminals. Most of these members have been convicted of fraud, while one member, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was convicted of the kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy, James Seipei (1974–1988), also known as Stompie Moeketsi (who was also murdered). According to an article in the "Mail & Guardian", "by adding those who have been disciplined or moved, and those with dark clouds of unanswered questions hanging over their heads, the figure shifts to 29%."
The ANC has also been accused of using government and civil society to fight its political battles against opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance. The result has been a number of complaints and allegations that none of the political parties truly represent the interests of the poor. This has resulted in the "No Land! No House! No Vote!" Campaign which becomes very prominent each time the country holds elections.
The ANC has reportedly wasted over R1 billion of taxpayers' money over the past eight months on luxury vehicles, expensive hotels, banquets, advertising and other "wasteful expenditure"
The main thrust behind this reporting is the official opposition in the country, the Democratic Alliance (DA). They have kept a tally of the expenditure called 'The Wasteful Expenditure Monitor'
According to the DA, this waste could have:
Environment of Florida
The state of Florida in the U.S.A. has a mild subtropical climate. Because of that, millions of people have settled in the once rural state over the last hundred years. Florida's population increases by about 1,000 residents each day. Land development and water use have changed the state, mostly by draining the wetlands that once covered most of the peninsula.
Much of Florida is made of karst limestone with water-filled caves and sinkholes, which provide homes to many species of aquatic life, some of which only live in Florida. As more and more people move to Florida, they use up the water in the underground caves. When a cave has no more water, it will sometimes collapse, forming a sinkhole, which can hurt animals, people, and buildings.
For a long time, the state has been trying to restore the Everglades. In 2000, Congress passed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a $7.8 billion, 30-year project aimed at preserving and restoring the region and its unique combination of environments.
Florida ranks forty-fifth in total energy use, despite the heavy reliance on air conditioners and pool pumps. This includes coal, natural gas, petroleum, and retail electricity sales. About 4 percent of energy in the state is generated through renewable resources. Florida produces 6.0% of the nation's total energy, while total production of pollutants is lower, with figures of 5.6 percent for nitrogen oxide, 5.1 percent for carbon dioxide, and 3.5 percent for sulfur dioxide.
There are two oil-producing areas in Florida. One is in South Florida, with 14 fields, and the other is in the western panhandle, with seven fields. The South Florida fields are located in Lee, Hendry, and Collier county. Florida’s first oil field, the Sunniland field, in Collier County, was discovered in 1943. It has since produced over 18 million barrels of oil. After that, 13 more field discoveries were found. Although these fields are small, production is large. Together, the three Felda fields (West Felda, Mid-Felda, and Sunoco Felda) in Hendry County have produced over 54 million barrels of oil.
Production in the western panhandle began with the discovery of the Jay field in June 1970. Jay is the largest oil field discovered in North America since the discovery of the giant Prudhoe Bay Oil Field on the Alaskan North Slope in 1968. Since then, six more oil fields have been discovered in the western panhandle of Florida. North Florida has dominated Florida oil production since the discovery of the Jay field. North Florida oil fields account for 83 percent of the state’s production, with the Jay field alone producing 71 percent.
It is believed that significant energy resources are located off of Florida's western coast in the Gulf of Mexico, but that region has been closed to exploration since 1981.
In July 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced plans to sign executive orders that would impose strict new air-pollution standards in the state, with aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. Crist's orders would set new emissions targets for power companies, automobiles and trucks, and toughen conservation goals for state agencies and require state-owned vehicles to use alternative fuels.
Florida gets much of its drinking water from the Floridan Aquifer and the Biscayne Aquifer, as well as from surface water from Lake Okeechobee and other lakes, but population increases have begun to strain available sources. The state has built 120 desalination plants, more than three times as many as any other state, including the largest plant in the United States. Additionally, an electrodialysis reversal plant in Sarasota is the largest of its type in the world, and a nanofiltration plant in Boca Raton is the largest of its type in the western hemisphere.
Increasing landfill space is also an issue. St. Lucie County is planning to experiment with burning trash through plasma arc gasification to generate energy and reduce landfill space. The experiment will be the largest of its kind in the world to date, and begin operation no later than 2009. If successful, experts estimate that the entire St. Lucie County landfill, estimated to contain 4.3 million tons of trash, will disappear within 18 years. Materials created in the energy production can also be used in road construction.
Areas under control of the National Park Service include:
Areas under the control of the USDA United States Forest Service include:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service is responsible for one sanctuary:
Florida is a biodiverse state, with 3,500 native vascular plants and 1,500 vertebrates, a higher number than all but three other states. A 2003 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization study stated that the Florida Straits had the highest biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean, and were the home to 25 endemic species.
Red tide has also been an issue on the southwest coast of Florida. While there has been a great deal of guessing over the cause of the toxic algae bloom, there is no evidence that it is being caused by pollution or that there has been an increase in the length or frequency of red tide outbreaks.
Native flora is threatened by various invasive plants, including the Brazilian Pepper ("Schinus terebinthifolius"). Owning and growing this tree is illegal. Large numbers of volunteers cut down these invaders, particularly along waterways. The Australian pine ("Casuarina" spp.) is being actively attacked.
Other foreign pests include the Asian ambrosia beetle ("Xyleborus glabratus"), which threatens the local avocado industry and redbay trees ("Persea borbonia").
It is illegal to import Giant African land snails (achatina fulica). These threaten buildings, 500 types of local plants, and carry meningitis.
Endemic species in Florida include the Florida Scrub Jay ("Aphelocoma coerulescens"), Miami blue ("Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri"), Okaloosa darter ("Etheostoma okaloosae"), and Key Deer ("Odocoileus virginianus clavium").
Florida is a popular destination for birdwatching, because of the many species that can be found in the state at various times of the year. The Florida Ornithological Society maintains the official state list of the birds of Florida, which currently contains 498 species. A study published in 2003 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission documented 196 species of birds which were confirmed to breed in the state, with an additional 19 species listed as possible or probable breeders. The Great Florida Birding Trail, a 2,000-mile-long (3,200 km) trail, is composed of 489 locations throughout the state which are excellent observation sites.
Sport fishing is also popular in Florida; over 250 different species of fishes (including 73 non-native species) can be found in Florida. There are more than 1,000 species of fish in Florida's inshore waters.
In 2010, NOAA, citing the Magnuson-Stevens Act, banned fishing of red snapper until the population has time to recover.
Florida's Atlantic coast is home to the only extensive coral reefs in the continental United States, and the third largest in the world. The entire reef system in the Florida Keys is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and large parts of reef are protected as part of Biscayne National Park.
In 1977, the federal government placed alligators on the endangered species list. They were removed from the endangered list in 1987 and Florida allowed selective hunting in 1988.
In 1987, Brevard County, Florida hosted the last member of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, now extinct. There have been only two extinct bird species since listing of endangered species began in 1973. This event has presented a challenge to ensure that other environmental concerns are addressed quickly.
The Florida Scrub Jay has been thought to be threatened for many years, because the species is territorial and cannot move to better grounds when its habitat is in danger.
Nesting beaches of loggerhead sea turtles are protected.
Tarafa Baghajati
Tarafa Baghajati (, (born September 1st 1961) in Damascus, Syria) is a human right activist and writer, he is also the chairman of the Austrian Muslim Initiative (AMI).
He lives in Vienna, Austria since 1986.
Tarafa Baghajati was born in Damascus, to parents Adnan Baghajati,an author and former Syrian Education minister, and Amal Homsi, an economic journalist.
In 1984 the Syrian regime detained Baghajati for more than 8 months, he spent three of them in Tadmor Prison due to his political views.
Since he moved to Austria in 1986, Baghajati is active on the topics of immigration, anti-racism , human right and political issues which also involve the Middle East especially his home country Syria, he is also very active on the topics of Islam and "Muslim in Austria and Europe", and opposition what is known as Islamophobia, and the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), in Africa and Europe.
In 1999, he found the initiative of Muslim Austrians ( IMOE ) with his wife Carla Amina Baghajati , Omar Al-Rawi , Mouddar Khouja and Andrea Saleh, who are members of the Islamic Religion Community in Austria .
Baghajati is a former board member . (2001 - 2007 , 2004-2007 Vice- President ) and member of the Honorary Advisory Board of European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
He is also a board member of the Platform for Intercultural Europe (PIE).
On March 2009, Rüdiger Nehberg and Tarafa Baghajati met Sheikh Prof.Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Qatar, one of the most best known Islamic contemporary authority scholar. They obtained a fatwa issued by the recognized legal scholars, stating the genital mutilation of girls is referred to and forbidden as "devil's work" because it is directed against the ethics of Islam. Speaking at the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology, 6 February 2011 Baghajati ventured to predict to celebrate the end of this practice as early as 2020.
on February 2011,Rüdiger Nehberg and Tarafa Baghajati met this time Sheikh Prof.Dr Mohamed Said Ramadan Al-Bouti and obtained a similar fatwa against female genital mutilation.
Baghajati is one of the finders and a board member of European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion (EMISCO).
Baghajati graduated as civil engineer from Polytechnic University of Timișoara in 1986
Initiative of Muslim Austrians (IMOE) won democracy award by in 2008.
He is married to since 1990,has four children.
Micronations are countries started by one or a group of people which are not seen as actual countries by the United Nations. These countries are mostly used in people's heads, or on the internet.
People make micronations for lots of reasons. Some are to show they do not like their main country (for example the United Kingdom), or if they want to make money, or to use it as a place for themselves.
Here is a list of some Micronations;
Some micronations play in competitions.
The biggest football organisation for micronations is known as the MFA "(Micronational Football Association)", founded by Joe Foxon in 2009. It has 13 micronations from 7 countries as members. It makes a competition every 4 years called the MFA World Cup for all the micronations in the world to play in. The first World Cup will be in Southern England in 2013.
Every year there is a chess competition for micronations to play in. It is played on the computer and in the first year, 3 micronations took part.
Every year there is a singing competition called the MicroVision Song Contest. Micronations make a song and put it on the internet, and then other micronations vote for the best song. The winner then makes the next one.
Ilene Woods
Jacqueline Ruth "Ilene" Woods (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010) was an American singer and actress who voiced Cinderella in the 1950 Disney movie.
Woods was born on May 5, 1929 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As a child Woods was led into singing by her mother. By the age of 11, Woods had her own radio show.
In 1948, at the age of 18, Woods recorded several songs for friends Mack David and Jerry Livingston. The songs ("Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo", "So This is Love", and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes") were then played for Walt Disney. He chose Woods out of 300 other girls to play the part of Cinderella for the Disney movie "Cinderella". Recording the part took about 2 years, working off and on.
Woods was first married to Stephen Steck Jr. They had one child, a daughter named Stephanie. After a divorce, in 1963 she married Ed Shaughnessy. They had two sons, James and Daniel. In 2003 she was recognized as a Disney Legend for her work in "Cinderella".
Woods died on July 1, 2010 from causes related to Alzheimer's disease in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. She was 81.
Zygophyllaceae
The Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains the bean-caper and caltrop. It includes around 285 species in 22 genera.
In the APG III system of classification, the families Zygophyllaceae and Krameriaceae compose the order Zygophyllales.
Hendrik Lorentz
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (18 July 1853 – 4 February 1928) was a Dutch physicist. In 1902, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics together with Pieter Zeeman for the discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect. He also derived the transformation equations that were later used by Albert Einstein to describe space and time.
Hendrik Lorentz was born in Arnhem, Gelderland (The Netherlands), the son of Gerrit Frederik Lorentz (1822–1893). In 1862, after his mother's death, his father married Luberta Hupkes.
In 1905, Einstein would use many of the concepts to write his paper entitled "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", known today as the theory of special relativity. Because Lorentz laid the fundamentals for the work by Einstein, this theory was originally called the "Lorentz-Einstein theory".
Lorentz was one of few scientists who supported Einstein's search for general relativity from the beginning – he wrote several research papers and discussed with Einstein personally and by letter. For instance, he attempted to combine Einstein's formalism with Hamilton's principle (1915).
In January 1928, Lorentz became seriously ill, and died shortly after on February 4.
Galileo (spacecraft)
Galileo was an unmanned NASA spacecraft. It explored the planet Jupiter and its moons. Galileo was launched in 1989 and it arrived at Jupiter in 1995.
Galileo was made up of two parts: an orbiter and a probe. The probe was released from the orbiter on July 13, 1995 and it went towards Jupiter. It reached Jupiter on December 7, 1995 and went down into the atmosphere. The probe gathered data for 57 minutes until the great atmospheric heat and pressure destroyed it.
The orbiter went into orbit around the planet on December 8, 1995 and went down into Jupiter's atmosphere and was crushed on September 21, 2003.
Henderson's Boys
MOX fuel
Mixed-oxide fuel (or MOX fuel) is nuclear fuel that contains an oxide of more than one element. Most nuclear fuel that is not of the MOX type only contains uranium dioxide. In most cases, the additional oxide will be plutonium dioxide, sometimes thorium dioxide. Any reactor that uses uranium-based fuel will produce plutonium dioxide. Mox fuel consists of about 93% uranium, and about 7% of thorium or plutonium dioxide.
One of the benefits of using MOX-type fuel is that the plutonium dioxide that is produced, can be re-used for energy generation. Certain types of nuclear power plants need plutonium to work properly.
The Bush (Alaska)
The Bush is a term for the portions of Alaska that are not connected to North America's road network. Most of Alaska's native populations live in the Bush. They live off the land as their ancestors did.
Places in the Bush include Bethel, Dillingham, King Salmon, Nome, Barrow, Katmai National Park, Kodiak Island, Kotzebue, and Unalaska-Dutch Harbor.
Most parts of Alaska that are off the road system can only be reached by small airplane. Travel from place to place is usually by snowmobile or snow machine, boat, or sometimes dog sled.
Arctic Alaska
Arctic Alaska, or Far North Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northern area close to the Arctic Ocean.
Some of the places in Arctic Alaska are the "North Slope Borough, the Northwest Arctic Borough, and the Nome Census Area". Some towns there are Prudhoe Bay, Barrow, Kotzebue, and Nome.
Most of these places have no highways and can only be reached by aircraft or snowmobile, or by boat if they are on the coast or near a river. Long ago there were only Eskimos living here. They mostly ate salmon, which there are lots of there. More people came to Arctic Alaska when gold was discovered there. Still more people and industry came when petroleum was discovered in the area. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun rises in May and sets in August.
Arctic Alaska is mostly tundra covering mountain ranges and coastal plains. Some of the animals there are bears, wolves, sheep, reindeer, and lots of birds.
The Principality of Hutt River, previously known as the Hutt River Province, is the oldest micronation in Australia. The principality claims to be an independent sovereign state. It is unrecognized except by other micronations, but got de facto legal status on 21 April 1972.
The principality is located north of Perth, near the town of Northampton.
The principality was founded on 21 April 1970 by Leonard George Casley when he and his friends proclaimed their secession from the state of Western Australia.
The Principality of Hutt River was created in 1969, as a province by the name of Hutt River Province, in response to a dispute with the government of Western Australia over what the Casley family considered draconian wheat production quotas. The Casley farm had around of wheat ready to harvest when the quotas were issued which allowed Casley to sell only 1,647 bushels or approximately . Initially the five families who owned farms in Hutt River banded together to fight the quota and Casley lodged a protest with the Governor of Western Australia Sir Douglas Kendrew. The Governor replied "no rectification of our Quota would be allowed" which, as he acts as the Queen's representative, made Her Majesty technically liable, in Tort, for applying an unlawful imposition as the quota had not yet been passed into law. Casley then lodged a claim under the Law of Tort for $52 million in the belief the claim would force a revision of the quota. Two weeks later the government introduced a bill into Parliament to "resume" their rural lands under compulsory acquisition. After approaches to the government to reconsider the acquisition bill failed, Casley and his associates resorted to a British law (the Treason Act 1495) which they felt allowed them to secede and declare their independence from the Commonwealth of Australia. Casley states that he nonetheless remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. Casley was elected administrator of the new "sovereign state" by his family.
The government of Western Australia determined it could do nothing without the intervention of the Commonwealth. The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck, later stated that it was unconstitutional for the Commonwealth to intervene in the secession. In letters with the governor-general's office, Casley was called the "Administrator of the Hutt River Province" by mistake. The Royal Prerogative, makes this recognition binding on all courts. After the government threatened him with prosecution, Casley styled himself "His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I of Hutt" to take advantage of a Commonwealth law that a monarch could not only "not" be charged, but that anyone who interfered with his duties could be charged with treason. Although the law in this matter has since changed, the Australian government has not taken any action against Hutt River since the declaration. Under Australian law, the government had two years to respond to Casley's declaration; the failure to respond gave the province "de facto" legal status on 21 April 1972.
In 1976, Australia Post refused to handle Hutt River mail, forcing mail to be redirected via Canada. Following repeated demands by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for the payment of taxes, on 2 December 1977 the province officially declared war on Australia. Prince Leonard notified authorities of the cessation of hostilities several days later. The mail service was restored and tax requests ceased. Hutt River citizens are now classed by the ATO as non-residents of Australia for income tax purposes; thus income earned within the province is exempt from Australian taxation. The province levies its own income tax of 0.5% on financial transactions by foreign companies registered in the province and personal accounts.
While the principality does not pay taxes, the Australian government's current official position is that it is nothing more than a private enterprise operating under a business name.
In the early 1980s Hutt River Province declared itself to be a kingdom, but soon after reverted to its original status of a principality. The principality proceeded to release a number of its own stamps and coins.
In September 2006 Prince Leonard decided to change the name to "Principality of Hutt River" and dropped the word "Province".
The Principality of Hutt River is situated north of Perth along the Hutt River. It is about in size.
Exports include wildflowers, agricultural produce, stamps and coins. Tourism is also important to its economy with 40,000 tourists visiting the principality every year.
Very few people live in Hutt River, but the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 13,000.
The Principality has no standing army, but a number of its citizens have been awarded military commissions. Honorary guardsmen attend the prince on formal occasions, and despite being completely landlocked, naval commissions have been conferred on supporters of the principality.
The principality's capital, Nain, is named after Nain in Galilee.
When the Principality of Hutt River seceded, a bill of rights, a brief document outlining the rights of "Hutt River" citizens, was drafted. It also provided for an administration board to govern the principality until a permanent government could be set up. When Casley declared himself a prince, the administration board was abolished and the Hutt River Principality became a benevolent absolute monarchy, with a legislation committee to draft new legislation. In 1997, the legislation committee presented a proposal for a constitution to the prince and his cabinet. Its most recent version is effective from 1 January 2011. All citizens over 18 living in the principality have the right to elect the parliament.
"His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I of Hutt" was the style that has been used by Leonard George Casley since his creation of the Hutt River Principality. Prince Leonard was married to "Her Royal Highness Princess Shirley of Hutt, Dame of the Rose of Sharon" (née Shirley Butler). They have seven adult children, among them is "Crown Prince Ian" (born 1947) who is the Prime Minister of the Principality, and is Prince Leonard's heir apparent.
Prince Leonard died of a lung infection on 13 February 2019 at the age of 93.
Prince Ian is involved heavily in the wildflower production, with the product not only being exported to Perth, Western Australia but to many cities internationally.
Princess Shirley plays host to the many dignitaries and diplomatic representatives visiting the principality each year as well as receiving many of the television crews and magazine journalists. She is also royal patron and chairwoman on the board of directors of the Red Cross of Hutt.
In the royal family there are 24 grandchildren and 23 great-grand children in the direct line.
Prince Leonard pursued a number of occupations before purchasing a large wheat farm near Northampton, Western Australia and Geraldton, Western Australia in the 1960s.
A former mathematician and physicist who worked for NASA in the 1950s, the prince has had a star named in his honour.
Despite his advancing years the prince Leonard is known as a keen-minded "bush lawyer". He is also an adherent of hermeticism, a subject on which he has privately published a number of research papers and books.
Prince Leonard is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
A set of low denomination banknotes was introduced in 1974. The first Hutt River coins were not issued until 1976.
The currency of the Hutt River Province Principality is the Hutt River Dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. The Hutt River Dollar is tied at a one-to-one ratio with the Australian dollar.
There were four denominations: 5₵, 10₵, 20₵ and 50₵. These were issued between 1976 and 1978, but the 1978 issue was a proof only issue. There was also a silver $30 coin and a gold $100 coin, struck only in proof.
In 1977 $1 coins were struck to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. These coins are known as "holey dollars", a nickname which is applied to the extremely rare New South Wales 5/- coin and the Prince Edward Island 5/- coin, which were cut and counterstamped from Spanish-American Pieces of Eight (8 Reales).
Coins of the same design were struck again in 1978, without the inscription "Queens's Jubilee".
Most of the coins of later series have specific commemorative topics and are usually made of precious metal. The issuance of coins went on until 2000, and resumed with new issues beginning in 2007 to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of the Prince and Princess.
The Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Jeremy Bruer, upon hearing that an office claiming to represent the “Hutt River Province” was operating in Dubai and allegedly selling travel documents, stated that the Australian Government did not recognise the "Hutt River Province", legally or in any other way.
He further stated that: "The area of land which is described as the 'Hutt River Province' is a privately owned wheat-growing property on the Hutt River, north of Geraldton in the State of Western Australia. It has no special status. It has no separate sovereignty and remains subject to the Australian Constitution and the laws of Australia."
Regarding the use of titles, the ambassador said that: "The Australian Government does not recognise the 'royal titles' nor titles of office, such as 'Head of State', 'State minister' and 'Minister for Foreign Affairs' assumed by the family owning the property nor the use of terms such as 'consulates' and 'principality' in relation to the 'Hutt River Province'."