AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
In World War II he served in the German Army. He was wounded in East Prussia in 1945 and was sent home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of history in Göttingen and eventually studied law.
As a law student he was a member of his father's defence team at the Eleventh secondary Nuremburg Trial aka the Ministries Trial. He took his first judicial state exam in 1950, the second in 1953, and in 1955 was promoted "doctor juris". In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann; they have four children.
From 1967 to 1984 he was a member both of the Synod and the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany. He leaded the German Evangelical Church Assembly from 1964 to 1970.
Richard von Weizsäcker joined the CDU in 1954 and was a member of the Bundestag (German Parliament) from 1969 to 1981.
He was elected vice president of the Bundestag 1979-1981, but did not stand for re-election, because he became the Governing Mayor () of West Berlin (1981-1984).
He was elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention) in 1984, succeeding Karl Carstens. He was Germany’s first president after reunification.
After his presidency, he was involved in politics and charitable affairs. He was the chair of a commission installed by the then SPD-Bündnis 90/Die Grünen government for reforming the Bundeswehr.
He has served on many international commissions. He was chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations and was one of three 'Wise Men' appointed by European Commission President Romano Prodi to consider the future of the European Union.
He retired in 1994 and lived in Berlin. He wrote books during his retirement.
Richard von Weizsäcker died in Berlin, Germany, aged 94.
Von Weizsäcker has written may books, including
His autobiograghy is called "From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics" (1999).
Millennium Stadium
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a college sports organization in the United States. It was established on March 31, 1906. The NCAA has three levels of sports: Division I, Division II, and Division III. Division I schools usually are the biggest college sports powers, with larger budgets, better sports facilities, and higher numbers of sports scholarships compared to Division II and III schools. Its headquarters are in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NCAA was started in 1906.
Happy Mondays
Adidas AG is a major German sports apparel manufacturer, part of the Adidas Group, consisting of Reebok sportswear company, Taylormade golf company, Maxfli golf balls, and Adidas golf and is the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world.
Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf Dassler. The title of brand was named after the founder (Adi from Adolf das from Dassler). A year later, the basic form of Adidas logo Three stripes was made. Adidas products are still being made today. The Adidas group makes 600 kinds of shoes and 1,500 kinds of clothings every season.
Adidas has three types of logos, which are originals, sports performance, and sports style. Each type follows the product design concept and shared inspiration. They imply the features of lots of products.
Adidas heritage line shows the combined design of sportism and lifestyle. With retrospecting 60s, products including clothes, shoes, bags, and other fashion items are reappearing. Heritage’s logo Trefoil was developed based on the three stripes in 1971. With crossing the tree stripes which symbolize diversity of brand, the unique characteristic of logo is expressed geometrically. This was an innovation in the existing logo.
Sports performance line shows the goods which contains its self-esteem as a professional sports brand. The logo with three stripes has been used constantly. And, in 1997, Adidas‘ creative director Peter Moore renobated the type. He wanted to keep important meanings of old one, but at the same time he needed new logo which can be applied to the modern design. From his hand, three stripes became to mean a mountain which symbolizes a challenge and an accomplishment. And the parallel lines of stripes express gradually the brand's goal.
It might be called "collection line." This Adidas sports style has shown off its design which is made by Yohji Yamamoto. He designs shoes, clothes, and accessaries with future-oriented images. in 2001, the initial sports style logo symbolized the swiftly chaning world. The three stripes which cross the oval capture the speed of changing. It means that the stripes are rushing with intersecting the world. The innovative works which pursue a beauty and a function based on tradition show brand's another potentiality.
Joy Division were an English punk band. It was made up of Ian Curtis (vocals), Peter Hook (bass guitar), Stephen Morris (drums) and Bernard Albrecht (Sumner, guitar). They came out of the punk music scene in 1976, and in three years time became a band that inspired musicians from bands such as U2, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Cure. In 1980, they disbanded after the death of Ian Curtis and reformed as New Order.
During the Anarchy in the UK tour, the Sex Pistols played in Manchester on June 4. In the audience that night were three young men living around Manchester: school mates Peter Hook and Bernard Albrecht, and Ian Curtis. A few days later, Hook and Albrecht decided to start up a band, with Hook on bass and Albrecht on guitar. They got Terry Mason as a drummer, but still needed a singer. They placed an ad in the Virgin record shop in Manchester. Curtis answered it and became the singer of the band, called at the time the Stiff Kittens. He would also write the lyrics.
They practiced a lot during a few months, and wrote their first songs. In May of 1977, the band's name was changed to Warsaw and Mason was replaced on drums by Tony Tabac. Just a month later, Tabac left and Steve Brotherdale was hired as new drummer. It was at the same time that Paul Morley of the NME and DJ Rob Gretton found out about the band and saw its potential. Warsaw made a demo tape with five songs in the Pennine Sound Studios in July, but Brotherdale quit the group a few days later.
Finally, Stephen Morris joined the band. In October, they played at the Electric Circus, which was due to close down, along with The Fall and The Buzzcocks.
In December, they recorded four songs, which were to appear later as "An Ideal For Living". In January of 1978 the band changed its name to Joy Division to avoid any confusion with another group. They practised a lot and wrote new songs. On April 14 1978, they played along with 16 bands in a contest. Tony Wilson, who worked for Granada TV, and Rob Gretton liked their performance very much.
In 1979 Joy Division released their first album "Unknown Pleasures" which was well received by critics. During 1979 and early 1980 their popularity increased. Also in this period lead singer Ian Curtis suffered worsening bouts of illness caused by epilepsy.
The band returned to the studio in 1980 to record their second album "Closer" and a single "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Before these recordings were released Curtis had committed suicide at just 23. The unreleased album and single were subsequently released to critical acclaim. The remaining members of Joy Division reformed in 1980 as New Order and enjoyed considerable worldwide success during the 1980s and 1990s.
Many musicians and bands have acknowledged their appreciation of the work of Joy Division including U2 frontman Bono, Moby, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Killers and the song Love Will Tear Us Apart has been covered by many artists from different musical backgrounds and genres.
Peter Hook
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner is a singer with the band New Order. He is also known as Bernard Albrecht. He was born in 1956 in Salford, England. He plays guitar and keyboard.
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, currently seen as the largest MMA promotion in the world. The UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC.
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a southern district of Manchester, England. It is usually called just Chorlton. The river Mersey runs past its southern end, in a part called Chorlton Ees. "Ees" (plural) is a Saxon word for water meadow.
Neighbouring districts of Manchester are Whalley Range and West Didsbury, and to the west and north are Stretford and Old Trafford which are parts of Trafford. Hough End Hall is a manor house built in 1596. There are two churches belonging to the Church of England, St Clement's and St Werburgh's, and also St John's Church which is Roman Catholic, a Methodist church and a United Reformed church.
Cosgrove Hall was an animation studio in Chorlton. Its most famous cartoon is "Dangermouse". Some notable current and past residents of Chorlton are: George Best, the Bee Gees, The Stone Roses, and Blessed Ambrose Barlow.
There are six primary schools in the Chorlton area.
The word acropolis (, edge + "polis," city) means the edge of a town, or more often a high city. Being easily defended against attackers, an acropolis often has a citadel. The most famous is the Acropolis of Athens.
"Acropolis" is also used for a central complex of overlapping structures, such as plazas and pyramids, in many Mayan cities, including Tikal and Copán.
Wokingham
California wildfires of October 2007
The California wildfires of October 2007 are more than 20 wildfires until November 9, 2007 burning in Southern California, making over 1,000,000 people have to leave their homes, breaking at least 1,500 homes and buildings and moving in on at least 56,000 more.
At least of land have burned between Santa Barbara County and the Mexican border. Officials have said that they fear the fire could become even more deadly than the 2003 Cedar Fire, said to be the worst on ever. The number and strength of the fires have tired the firefighters, with one department saying the "lack of resources [is] hindering suppression efforts."
The fires have killed six people and have hurt at least 16 firefighters and 25 others.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires burned. President Bush has declared an emergency is in the State of California and ordered Federal aid to help State and local efforts.
An event that helped the fires is the drought hapenning in Southern California. The fires have been strengthened by the strangely strong Santa Ana winds. The winds are believed to have broken power lines, creating some of the fires. One fire was because of arson; one was started by an flipped-over semi-truck. Why the other fires are happening it not yet known. Winds are not expected to get better until October 25 2007.
San Diego County is where the two biggest fires are, the Witch Fire near the northeastern edge of the city of San Diego, and the Harris fire southeast of San Diego. The Witch fire forced Interstate 15 to be closed, and the Harris fire burns near the border with Mexico.
As of the night of October 22, 2007, at least 5,000 homes were in danger. About 500,000 people have to leave, the largest evacuation in the area's history. Evacuees were meeting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Qualcomm Stadium and other places in the county. Officials think that 10,000 were meeting at Qualcomm. Other than food, blankets and water, volunteers gave toys to children, massages, and a live rock and roll band showe. Many schools and business were closed. The only burn unit in the county, the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest was operated on an overflow basis. The unit, which has 18 beds, had gotten 16 fire victims and several patients with injuries not due to the blazes.
Info on the fires right now is from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, although the chaotic nature of the fires meant not all information was available. As of October 23 at 11:34 a.m. PST:
The Witch Fire, also known as the Witch Creek Fire, is the largest of the fires. Approximately 6,800 structures are in danger, including 5,000 homes. Hundreds of thousands of people living there are being told of evacuations through the Reverse 911 system. This evacuation comes almost exactly four years after the Cedar Fire of 2003.
The fire started near Santa Ysabel and quickly spread to Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Poway and Escondido. From there the fire jumped over the Interstate 15 and kept moving west, causing bad damage in the upscale areas of Lake Hodges, 4S Ranch, Del Dios, Harmony Grove and Rancho Santa Fe.
Heavy Santa Ana winds have been pushing the fires west near the coast. San Diego County Sheriff William B. Kolendar said that the Witch Creek Fire could be "well in excess of Cedar Fire of 2003". Officials have also said that the fire could reach the coastline; people living in Solana Beach were told to be ready to evacuate.
All residents south of Del Dios Highway, north of Sorrento Valley Road, west of Interstate 15, and east of Interstate 5 were told to evacuate. By 9:30pm October 22, 2007 a dispatch from the city of Del Mar's web site stated "For your safety, we are strongly advising that all Del Mar residents evacuate." Evacuations were also ordered for Scripps Ranch neighborhood, mostly "Everything south of Scripps Poway Parkway, north of MCAS Miramar, east of Interstate 15, and west of Highway 67". The Mesa Grande Indian reservation was evacuated from the Witch Fire. Residents of the Barona Indian Reservation have been told to leave if they wish, but the evacuation is not a must. The casino on the reservation is closed. At about 01:00 on 23 October, fire happened near the southern end of Wild Cat Canyon, where many houses were broken and people killed in the Cedar Fire. Residents of Wild Cat Canyon and Muth Valley were told to evacuate, and the road was closed.
Evacuation sites include Qualcomm Stadium, Escondido High School, Poway High School, Mira Mesa Senior High School, Ramona High School, Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Adding to the evacuations, many major roads have been closed around the fire. On October 22, 2007, the California Highway Patrol closed Interstate 15 in both ways between state Route 78 and state Route 56.
The Harris Fire started at Harris Ranch Road near Potrero. As of October 23 the fire was moving towards eastern Chula Vista. Many places have been evacuated, with evacuation centers set up at a nearby high school and community center.
Two different Marine Corps Base fires were reported at about 1:00 p.m. on October 23. The Camp Margarita Fire is at 33 Area behind the Marine Corps Air Station. The Las Pulgas Fire is located at 43 Area near Basilone Road. Evacuations have been ordered.
The Coronado Hills Fire burned south of Cal State San Marcos.
The McCoy fire has burned in the Cleveland National Forest.
The fire started at about 3:13 a.m. on October 23 as a structure fire on the La Jolla Indian Reservation and has then moved itself onto Palomar Mountain. It is running in the same way as the Rice Fire. With firefighters worried that the Rice Fire and Poomacha fire will meet in the Del Dios Canyon, firefighters have left the area and people living there have to leave.
The Rice Fire is burning in the Rice Canyon near Fallbrook, moving towards Rainbow Heights, and Santa Marguerita and Sandy Creek drainages.
As of 12:20 a.m. PST on October 23, the US Forest Service was thinking the Ranch, Buckweed, and Magic fires would meet into a single huge fire within 2 days.
Current data on the fires has been provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, although the chaotic nature of the fires meant not all information was available. As of October 23 at 11:34 a.m. PST:
As of 23 October 2007 the Buckweed fire in Agua Dulce and the Santa Clarita community of Canyon Country has burned in northeastern parts of the county. The communities of Santa Clarita, Leona Valley, Green Valley, Acton, Agua Dulce, and Mint Canyon are in danger. At least 925 firefighters are fighting the fire. Over 15,000 people and 5,500 homes have been evacuated.
The Canyon Fire has burned close to Malibu, California, mostly in Malibu Canyon. 600 residences, 200 commercial buildings, and 100 outbuildings are in danger, and 500 homes have been evacuated.
The Magic Fire started near The Old Road at Magic Mountain Parkway. Flames crept a few yards from West Ranch High School and a many houses being made in Stevenson Ranch, but were pushed away. The fire is believed to have been caused accidentally by welders at a construction site.
The October Fire burned a small area in Santa Clarita, burning several homes in the Canyon Breeze Mobile Home Park.
Since 20 October 2007, the Ranch fire has burned on the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, in the Angeles and Los Padres national forests. The fire is going around the Ventura County community of Piru and also threatens the communities of Fillmore, Ventura and Ojai. Three homes have been destroyed, and 500 residences are in the fire's path. As of 7:00 a.m. local time, the fire was 10% under control. Evacuations have been recommended in all of Piru and parts of Fillmore. Highway 126 is closed between Main Street and Chiquita Canyon Road in Piru. Angeles National Forest officials are closing the whole forest, starting October 23.
The Santiago Fire began shortly before 5:55pm on October 21, 2007 in the foothills north of Irvine and east of the city of Orange in Orange County. Fire officials have said that the source of the fire is arson; the fire was said to have been started in three different spots. The fire has burned over and is 30% contained. Strong winds have stopped people from fighting the fire and forced a dozen firefighters to seek emergency shelter under tents after the fire moved at them. Two homes, one mobile home, and one outbuilding have been destroyed. Several other buildings damaged, and four firefighters were a bit hurt from the fire. Damage estimates put the fire's cost at $5.5 million.
The Slide Fire has burned at Green Valley Lake, west of Lake Arrowhead. The Green Valley Lake, Arrow Bear, and Running Springs communities are under evacuation. Reports indicate water pressure in local systems was lost and conditions were too harsh for fighters to continue efforts in some areas. The fire has burned a camp owned by the Boy Scouts of America's local council, the California Inland Empire Council, called "Camp Helendade." Helendade was originally given to the council in 1960 to replace another camp that had been burned.
The Grass Valley Fire is burning just north of Lake Arrowhead. An online appeal from firefighters near the blaze at Lake Arrowhead showed that resources were spread thin:
"Immediate threat to 100 structures and possible threat to thousands ... Multiple downed power lines. IC (Incident Command) asking for resources from anywhere ... Lack of resources hindering suppression efforts. Unable to fly aircraft. All local engines are depleted."
The fire began near Martin Ranch Road and Meyers Road.
This fire was in the Ontario, California area. It damaged several buildings.
Together the fires made it a must to close Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass. One fire was started by an flipped-over semi-truck. This fire has burned 250 acres. It is currently 50 percent under control. 107 firefighters are assigned to this fire.
The Little Mountain fire threatens several homes and other structures.
The Sedgewick Fire was the farthest north of the October 2007 California wildfires. It started around 6:00 a.m. PST on October 21, 2007 from a falling power line. The fire burned a total of near Los Olivos. Approximately 2000 people were affected and 800 homes threatened before the fire was all under control around 5:00 p.m. on October 22.
The Roca fire began at 3:52 p.m. on October 21 in Aguanga, and burned east of Temecula. The fire was 100% contained on October 22. One home was destroyed and one injury was reported from the fire.
The Rosa fire began at 11:00 p.m. on October 22 in western Temecula and has burned . There are people who have to leave and closed roads in this area. The fire is 50% under control; 100% expected by October 24 at 6 p.m.
The fires are occurring in a very dry area and they are being exacerbated by seasonal winds called the Santa Ana winds. The San Diego Union Tribune reported, "Santa Ana winds blowing up to 60 mph combined with temperatures into the 90s to create in the worst possible fire conditions."
Southern California is in the midst of an unusual drought; in Los Angeles, California, with only 3.21 in (82 mm) of precipitation in the entire 2006-2007 rain season, it is the driest year on record, receiving less rain than Death Valley in a normal year.
The Santa Ana winds are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in Southern California and Northern Baja California weather during autumn and early winter. Santa Anas are a type of föhn wind, the result of air pressure buildup in the high-altitude Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. This high energy wind spills out of the Great Basin and is pulled by gravity into the surrounding lowlands. The air circulates clockwise around the high pressure area bringing winds from the east and northeast to Southern California (the reverse of the westerly winds characteristic of the latitude). The air heats up due to adiabatic heating while being compressed during its descent. While the air has already been dried by orographic lift prior to reaching the Great Basin, the relative humidity of the air declines rapidly as it descends and warms in its final stages as it passes over the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges.
The air is then forced down the mountain slopes out towards the Pacific coast; the air mass is further heated by compression as it drops in altitude before reaching the Los Angeles Basin, western San Diego County and Tijuana (Baja California) at typical speeds of 35 knots. The southern California coastal region gets some of its hottest weather of the year during autumn while Santa Ana winds are blowing. During Santa Ana conditions it is typically hotter along the coast than in the deserts and the humidity plummets to less than 15%.
As the Santa Ana winds are channeled through the mountain passes they can approach hurricane force. The combination of wind, heat, and dryness turns the chaparral into explosive fuel for the infamous wildfires the region is known for. Wildfires fanned by Santa Ana winds burned 721,791 acres (2,921 km²) in two weeks during October 2003.
As of October 22, the high wind conditions were expected to continue to hamper firefighting for three additional days.
At around 12:30 PM, officials believed that some of the fires have began generating their own winds, similar to the Oakland Firestorm of 1991.
On October 21, the Harris Fire damaged and disabled the Southwest Power Link, a 500,000-volt power line from Arizona to San Diego. Power outages were reported in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and other counties on October 22 to 333,500 Southern California Edison customers, most being restored within 24 hours. The power outage also affected the areas of Ojai, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Rialto, Fontana, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Mira Loma, Hesperia, Corona, Bloomington, Irvine, Calimesa and Rubidoux. This outage also caused 230 people to be without power in Malibu. The California Independent System Operator Corp, or California ISO, declared an energy transmission emergency in southern California on October 23, due to wildfires affecting the lines. 500,000-, 230,000- and 138,000-volt lines were disabled in San Diego, and some lines in other areas were also disabled. 24,992 lost power, due to lack of power from the power grid.
The San Diego Community College District on October 22, 2007 initially closed Miramar College, followed by Mesa College and selected Continuing Education sites in the northern area of the District. Effective at 3:00 p.m. the same day all colleges, campuses and sites of the San Diego Community College District were closed and would remain so through at least October 23, 2007. Students and faculty were urged to seek an update on possible closures on October 23 after 5:00pm local time. Numerous other schools, businesses and universities have closed as well, including California State University, San Marcos, San Diego State University, UC San Diego, the University of San Diego and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Classes for Tuesday, October 23 have been canceled for all of San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District as well as all other districts in the county and all schools in the municipalities of Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarito, located across the border in Baja California, Mexico.
In the Santa Clarita area, classes and events were cancelled at College of the Canyons and CalArts; local public schools were cancelled as well. All public schools were closed in Malibu, and there were some school closings in Orange County, Ventura County and San Bernardino County.
By mid-morning on October 22, 2007, thousands of evacuees were taking shelter in Qualcomm Stadium and other locations throughout San Diego. On the afternoon of October 22, 2007, the Marines were evacuating some planes from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to other military bases in California and Arizona. The San Diego Wild Animal Park moved some animals to the on-site animal hospital for their protection.
As of October 22 2007, with Qualcomm Stadium still hosting evacuees, the San Diego State University football team was still planning to host their Saturday game against BYU in the stadium. Some players and coaches have been affected by evacuations. Numerous San Diego area high schools canceled games and practices at least through October 242007. With many players from the San Diego Chargers affected by evacuations, the team has moved practices to Arizona and they may move their upcoming game there as well.
Government agencies and volunteers worked together to mitigate the effects of the fires. According to the state of California's Consolidated Response web page, "There are 17 active fires in Southern California. The priority for fighting fires as of 1930 on October 21 is the Buckweed, Witch, Harris, Canyon, Ranch, Santiago, and Sedgewick Fires."
With many businesses and schools closed, some people used their time off to help others. Officials estimated that 10,000 people were gathered at Qualcomm stadium, the largest shelter point in San Diego. Besides food, blankets and water, volunteers provided toys for children, massages, and a live rock and roll band performance. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened ten of its churches as temporary shelters and, at the request of the mayor of San Diego, delivered two truckloads of blankets and processed food to evacuees in Qualcomm Stadium.
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army USA Western Territory: Southern California Fires: The Salvation Army Helps First Responders, Evacuees is providing food, water and comfort to firefighters, police and others affected by the blaze.
The Navy and Marines were also helping in San Diego. Six crews from the Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 based at Naval Air Station North Island have been assigned to battle the Witch Creek fire. They fly MH-60 Seahawk helicopters which have a 420-gallon water bucket and they are the only local Navy teams trained to fight fires from the air. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar has contributed several aircraft as well as fire fighting trucks to operations based in Ramona.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires burned. President George W. Bush declared a federal disaster for the seven counties and scheduled a Thursday, October 25, 2007 visit to the region.
Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of what is now North America, about 76.5–73 million years ago. Its name means "near crested lizard". It was given this name because when it was first discovered scientists thought it was related to Saurolophus. It was a herbivore that walked both as biped and a quadruped. It probably lived in herds.
Parasaurolophus was a hadrosaur. They had a large head crest, which was a long curved tube. It went upwards and back from the skull. The crest has been much discussed by scientists. They think its main functions were visual recognition of species and sex, acoustic resonance (making a loud sound), and thermoregulation. Parasaurolophus is one of the rarer hadrosaurs: there are only a few good specimens.
Thai boxing
Thai boxing (or Muay Thai) is a combat sport (martial art) that has been developed in Thailand. It is known also as "the art of eight limbs", because both hands, elbows, knees, and legs can be used to attack an opponent. Similar martial arts exist in Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Malaysia.
In the competition, the high kicks in the head can seem to make a stronger effect. In spite of this, the persons with special skills and knowledge of this sport declare that the low kicks, the elbows, an the knees are more causing destruction for the persons who fight.
A person, who takes part in the competition, does the long ceremony and the act established by custom before the fight. They exist for religious reasons and they serve as stretching the muscles and as preparation.
The training for Thai boxing is known for its being strong and its firmness. It aims to harden the eight members of the body, so that being hit with the shinbone of the Thai boxer is often compared to being hit with a baseball stick. The Thai boxers usually kick with the shinbone instead of with the foot.
Thai boxing has influenced a lot on developing of kickboxing which afterwards has been created in Japan, in Europe, and in North America and some parts of Africa
Almost every act of moving in Thai boxing use the whole body, while turning the hip to every kick and every blow with the fist. As a result, the attacks and the defence in Thai boxing are slower but more powerful for example than those of boxing or of karate. One of the pioneers of this sport is Tulgar Dursun.
Carrefour
Carrefour SA (IPA: /karfur/) is a French international hypermarket chain. It has many shops around the world. It is the second largest retail group in the world in terms of revenue and sales figures after Wal-Mart. Carrefour operates mainly in the European Union, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. It also has shops in Africa, and Asia. Carrefour means cross-road (the place where two roads meet) in French.
Never S-A-Y Never is the second album by American R&B singer Brandy, released by Atlantic Records on June 8, 1998 in Europe and on June 9, 1998 in North America. Chiefly produced by Rodney Jerkins, helped to make Jerkins' Timbaland-inspired production sound popular, which he later used for recordings by Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, and others. "Never Say Never" earned Brandy five Grammy Award nominations and became her biggest-selling album to date.
Soviet occupation zone
The Soviet Occupation Zone (German: Sowjetische Besatzungszone (SBZ) or Ostzone , Sovetskaya zona Germanii, "Soviet Zone of Germany") was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. It became East Germany.
American forces first occupied some of the area. The Americans withdrew in July of 1945 to the agreed occupation zone boundaries.
The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (German initials: SMAD) allowed four political parties to form, but they all had to work in the "All-Party Committee" (the "Nationale Front").
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Communist Party of Germany were merged into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (which became the governing party of East Germany). Finally, the SED created other parties, to weaken the Christian Democratic Union and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany.
Originally, Stalin wanted to Sovietize all of Germany, but when the West resisted this idea, he tried to work for a united Germany which would be neutral, but when the West again said no he decided to build a new country out of the Soviet occupation zone. This became East Germany
The Soviet occupation zone included the central parts of Prussia. After Prussia was dissolved by the allied powers in 1947, the area was divided between the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt und Thuringia.
On October 8, 1949, the part of the Soviet zone west of the Oder-Neisse line became the German Democratic Republic, usually known simply as East Germany. In 1952, the states were dissolved, and changed to 14 districts, plus East Berlin. East Berlin was treated as part of the new East Germany, but technically was part of the Allied-controlled city of Berlin.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need For Speed Most Wanted is the 11th installment in the "Need for Speed" series. It is available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS and the GameCube. The game was first released on November 15, 2005.
Another version called Need For Speed: Most Wanted: 5-1-0 was released for the PlayStation Portable. The game consists of the player racing to make their way up the "Blacklist" until they finally challenge the top racer, Razor. There are 15 blacklists (levels) you have to complete 1 - 15 blacklists to complete the game.
Iron Man (disambiguation)
Iron Man could mean:
The term "Iron Man" is used in multiple sports for players with long streaks of consecutive games. For example, the term "Iron Man of Baseball" refers to either Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken, Jr..
As of March 31, 2007, the current regular season ironmen in the four major North American sports are:
The term "iron man" can also be used to describe a game that is played by oneself whereas additional players would normally be required. It is also used in the Arena Football League for any player that plays both offensive and defensive positions.
The term could also mean:
Iron Man (song)
"Iron Man" is the name of a song by Black Sabbath. It was on their second album, "Paranoid" (1970). The song is one of Black Sabbath's greatest hits.
"Iron Man" appears to be about a man who travels to the future and witnesses the Apocalypse. On his way back, he is caught in Earth's magnetic field, and turned to steel. When he comes back, he tries to warn the people about the Apocalypse, but they do not believe him, and shun him, so he takes his revenge by killing them all, thus bringing about the Apocalypse he saw. It would appear that he died and came back to life, for "vengeance from the grave kills the people he once saved" is a line from the song.
"Iron Man" has been used many times, and is frequently performed at events. Its riff has become one of the most easily recognizable riffs in music.
The 2008 movie "Iron Man" features portions of this song at the end of the movie.
Death in Venice (opera)
Death in Venice is an opera by Benjamin Britten. It is based on the story "Death in Venice" ("Der Tod in Venedig") by the German writer Thomas Mann.
The libretto (words) for the opera was written by Myfanwy Piper. It was the last opera that Britten wrote. It was first performed at Snape Maltings near Aldeburgh, England on June 16, 1973. Britten was too ill to conduct it himself. The main part of Aschenbach was sung by Sir Peter Pears.
The story is supposed to take place in the year 1911. It starts in Munich, and then moves to Venice. The opera is divided into two acts.
Aschenbach is a famous German writer. He is getting old and starting to find it difficult to think of new ideas for stories. As he is walking in Munich he stops in front of a cemetery. He sees a traveller who is obviously from another country. This makes him think he ought to travel somewhere to get new ideas for his books.
He takes a boat to Venice. On the boat he watches a group of young people. Their leader is showing off. Aschenbach realizes that, although their leader looks young, he is in fact old. He has dressed in clothes and used make-up to make him look young. Aschenbach does not like him.
In Venice he is takes a gondola, but the boatman does not take him where he wants to go. Aschenbach argues at first, but the boatman does not take any notice.
Aschenbach arrives at the hotel. In the hotel he watches the people coming down to dinner. Suddenly he sees Tadzio. Tadzio is a young Polish boy who is unbelievably beautiful. Aschenbach realizes it is stupid for him to feel love for the boy, but he cannot get the boy out of his mind.
Aschenbach watches Tadzio playing on the sandy beach. When he notices that the boy (like many Polish people) hates the Russian guests, he realizes that the boy is not quite perfect after all.
Aschenbach walks along the streets of Venice. Everywhere beggars are asking him for money. There is a horrible smell coming from the water of the canals. Aschenbach decides to leave Venice. The hotel manager is very sorry that he going so soon. Tadzio walks past Aschenbach. Aschenbach goes to the train station, but his luggage has been put on the wrong train, so he goes back to the hotel. He is annoyed, but he is also pleased because he can see Tadzio again.
Aschenbach sits in his chair on the beach, watching Tadzio and his friends play. It makes him think of the Greek gods. The boys do different sports on the beach: running, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling. Tadzio wins easily. Aschenbach wants to congratulate him, but when the chance comes he cannot speak.
Aschenbach realizes that he loves the boy. He goes to the barber for a shave. The barber tells him that lots of people in Venice are getting sick. Aschenbach wants to know whether it is something serious, but the barber says it is nothing to worry about.
Aschenbach is being rowed on the water. He can smell disinfectant. There are notices in the streets warning people to be careful of the sickness. In a German newspaper he reads that the sickness in Venice is cholera. It says that all German people should leave the city and return home. Aschenbach does not want the Polish family to leave Venice. He does not want them to know about the cholera. He follows then to a café and to church, but he still cannot find the courage to speak to them. After dinner the guests watch a group of actors. Aschenbach notices that Tadzio, like himself, cannot laugh at their jokes.
Lots of the hotel guests are leaving. An English clerk tells him that lots of people in the city have Asiatic cholera. He tells him he ought to leave immediately before they stop everyone from leaving the city.
Aschenbach decides to warn Tadzio's mother of the danger of the illness, but he just cannot do it. He has a dream about the Greek gods. When he awakes he realises that these wild thoughts about Tadzio have gripped him. He cannot do anything about it.
Again Aschenbach watches as Tadzio and his friends play a game on the beach; they soon leave. Aschenbach goes to the barber. He asks him to try to make him beautiful and young. When he goes on a gondola he realises he is just like the old man he saw on the boat. He follows the Polish family. Tadzio starts to walk separately from his family. He waits for Aschenbach and looks straight at him, but Aschenbach turns away. He is pleased that Tadzio does not let his mother notice what happened. Aschenbach is alone again, and buys some strawberries. They are not fresh. He thinks about the Greek gods again, and about the relationship between a writer and what he writes about.
The hotel manager organizes the departure of the last guests. The Polish family are leaving. Aschenbach watches Tadzio and another boy playing on the beach. The game gets rough, and the other boy pushes Tadzio’s face into the sand. Aschenbach tries to get up to help him, but he is too weak to get out of his chair. Tadzio is left alone on the beach. He gives Aschenbach a sign to follow him, but Aschenbach slumps back in his chair and dies. Tadzio continues walking far out into the sea.
The part of the boy Tadzio is a dancing part. He and his family never speak or sing in the opera.
All the different characters that Aschenbach meets: the man by the cemetery, the old man dressed as a young man, the gondolier, the hotel manager, the barber, the leader of the actors and the voice of the God Dionysus are really like one character. They are sung by the same singer, a bass-baritone. Apart from him and Aschenbach (a tenor) the only other solo singer in the opera is the voice of Apollo, sung offstage by a countertenor as the boys play sport on the beach. There are several choruses: the groups of young people, hotel staff, actors, church choir and tourists.
The whole sound of the opera is written with the voice of Peter Pears in mind. Britten’s music is partly tonal but also uses twelve-tone music and gamelan music from the Far East. When Aschenbach sings recitative (telling the story) he is just accompanied by the piano. Britten deliberately uses a limited number of musical sounds. This gives the opera a specially expressive character, particularly in the beautiful ending.
Territory of the Saar Basin
The Territory of the Saar Basin (, "Saarterritorium;" ) was usually called the Saar or the . It was a territory governed by the League of Nations under the Treaty of Versailles for 15 years from 1920.
Its population in 1933 was 812,000, and its capital was Saarbrücken.
It was made up of parts of the Prussian Rhine Province and the Bavarian Palatinate of the Rhine. It was slightly smaller than the modern German state of Saarland.
According to Treaty of Versailles the highly industrialized Saarland was to be governed by the League of Nations for a period of 15 years, and its coalfields given to France. The "Commission of Government", which represented the League of Nations, had five members. At least one member had to be French and one a native of the Saar.
At the end of the 15 year period, in 1935, the people of the Saar voted on how they wanted their country. They voted to become a part of Nazi Germany.
It had a currency, the Saar franc, and its own postage stamps during this period.
The League of Nations' control to the region was represented by the following Chairmen of the Commission of Government:
In 1933, many anti-Nazi Germans fled to the Saar, as it was the only part of Germany left outside the Third Reich's control. As a result, anti-Nazi groups wanted the Saarland to remain under control of League of Nations as long as Adolf Hitler ruled Germany. However, France had a lot of power in the Saar, including control of the coal mines. Not many "Saarlanders" liked France, and in the plebiscite on 13 January 1935, 90% of the voters wished to join Germany, and 8.86% wanted to stay with the League of Nations. Only 0.40% (that is, four voters in every thousand) wanted to join France.
On 17 January 1935, the territory's re-union with Germany was approved by the League Council. On 1 March, the Nazi Germany took over the region, and appointed Josef Bürckel as "Reichskommissar für die Rückgliederung des Saarlandes", "Reich Commissioner for the re-union of Saarland".
Many former politicians and office holders of the Saargebiet were changed or arrested by the Nazis.
When re-incorporation was completed, the governor became "Reichskommissar für das Saarland", "Reich Commissioner of Saarland" on 17 June 1936.
William Walton
Sir William Walton OM, (born Oldham, 29 March 1902; died Ischia, Italy, 8 March 1983) was a British composer and conductor. He was one of the most important British composers of the mid-20th century, a period that included Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. His music has very lively rhythms which are often jazzy.
Walton’s family were musical but they had very little money. Both his parents sang, and Walton sang in the local church choir. His father would hit him if he made a mistake. This may be why in later life he was so careful about every note he wrote.
At the age of ten he joined the choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. He learned the piano and violin. He was only 16 years when he went to University of Oxford where he was at Christ Church, Oxford. Most of what he knew about composing he taught himself. He studied the scores of works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Sibelius and others. He had some lessons from Hugh Allen, the cathedral organist. At Oxford Walton became friends with two poets: Sacheverell Sitwell and Siegfried Sassoon. Most of the music he wrote when he was very young has been lost, but the choral anthem "A Litany", written when he was just fifteen, shows his musical talent with its modern harmonies.
Walton left Oxford in 1920 without a degree having failed his exams three times. He went to live with the Sitwell family, who introduced him to many important people, including the composer Constant Lambert and song writer Noel Coward. He also travelled with the Sitwells to Italy. In 1923 he set one of Edith Sitwell’s poems to music. The piece was called "Façade". The music was very jazzy and almost jokey, and it sounded very modern to many people at that time.
During the 1920s, Walton earned some money playing the piano at jazz clubs, but he spent most of his time composing in the Sitwells' . The orchestral overture "Portsmouth Point" (which he dedicated to Sassoon) was the first work which shows Walton’s real style. In 1929 the Viola Concerto started to make him really famous. This was followed by "Belshazzar's Feast" (1931), the Symphony No. 1 (1935), the coronation march "Crown Imperial" (1937), and the Violin Concerto (1939). All these works are very popular today.
During World War II, Walton did not have to do military service so that he had time to compose music for propaganda films, such as "The First of the Few" (1942), and Laurence Olivier's adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry V" (1944). After composing a second string quartet (1946) Walton spent most of the next seven years writing his opera, "Troilus and Cressida" (1947-1954). The opera was not very popular. This was because his music was rather Romantic, very different from a lot of modern music that was in fashion in the 1950s, especially the music of Pierre Boulez and his followers.
Walton also composed the music for two more Shakespeare-Olivier films - the Academy Award-winning "Hamlet", and "Richard III". Walton, however, did not win Oscars for any of his Shakespeare-based scores.
Walton then started to write more orchestral music: the Cello Concerto (1956), the Symphony No. 2 (1960), and the "Variations on a Theme by Hindemith" (1963). He started to have many honours: He was knighted in 1951 and received the Order of Merit in 1968. People liked his one-act comic opera "The Bear", when it was performed at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1967, and he was asked by people from all over the world for new music. His song-cycles from this period were given their first performances by famous singers such as Peter Pears and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
In his last years, Walton found composition more and more difficult. He tried to compose a third symphony for André Previn, but later gave up. His last works were mostly church music or reworkings of older pieces.. He had settled on the island of Ischia in Italy in 1949 with his Argentinian wife Susana Gil. He died there in 1983.
Since his death, Walton's music has been performed and recorded a lot. People no longer think of him as old-fashioned, but as a composer who had a very strong personality which can be heard clearly in his music.
Walton was knighted in 1951 and appointed to the Order of Merit in 1967.
List of Romanian composers
This is a list of Romanian composers.
The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a self-governing port on the Baltic Sea port and a city-state. It was set up on January 10, 1920, by Part III Section XI of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, and put under League of Nations protection, with special rights reserved to Poland, because it was the only port in the Polish Corridor.
The Free City ceased to exist after 1939 when it was occupied and annexed by Nazi Germany. After Germany's defeat in 1945 Danzig was occupied and annexed by Poland under the Polish name Gdańsk.
The Free City of Danzig included the major city of Danzig (Gdańsk) as well as Zoppot (Sopot), Tiegenhof (Nowy Dwór Gdański), Neuteich (Nowy Staw) and some 252 villages and 63 hamlets. Its area was .
The Free City was represented abroad by Poland's ambassadors. The railway line that connected the Free City with Poland was administered by Poland. Similarly, the separated military post within the city's harbour, the Westerplatte (formerly a city beach), was also given to Poland. There were also two post-offices, one for the Danzig Postal Service, the other was Polish-run.