AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
On 7th February 1990, the Central Committee of the CPSU was forced to loosen its control over power. At around the same time, different "republics" of the Soviet Union started to claim their right to become independent. They stopped following the laws of the central government of the Soviet Union. They also stopped paying taxes to the central authorities (of Moscow) of the Soviet Union. These weakened the Soviet authority and economy.
During a 1990 visit of Gorbachev to Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, about 250,000 persons protested in a public meeting. On 11th March 1990, leaders of Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet central-government demanded Lithuania to give up its independence and sent the Soviet Army continued to keep many troops in Lithuania. The government said that it would have to follow the Soviet constitution if it wanted to leave. The Soviet Union also did economic blockade of Lithuania. Estonia and Latvia were also illegally taken by the Soviet Union in 1940. On 30th March 1990, the leaders of Estonia declared that the control of their country by the Soviet Union from 1940 was illegal. They also declared independence. The leaders of Latvia also started process of independence on 4th May 1990.
On 17th March 1991, people of the Soviet Union voted to keep the existing Soviet Union in a slightly changed form. The Baltic States (Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia), Armenia, Georgia and Moldova boycotted the voting. In each of the other nine "republics" of the Soviet Union, a majority of the voters supported the retention of the Soviet Union. In June 1991 an election took place in the Russian Republic of the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin got 57% of the vote. He was a critic of Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev’s preferred candidate, former Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov, got only 16% of the vote.
The "republics" of the Soviet Union had agreed to sign on 20th August 1991, an agreement making them almost independent republics but part of a federation, with a common president, foreign policy and military. However, many persons disagreed, and they wanted a fast transition to market economy even if it meant dissolution of the Soviet Union. There were many others in the CPSU and the military of the Soviet Union who supported continuation of the Soviet Union.
On 19th August 1991, some senior leaders of the Soviet Union formed a "State Committee on the State Emergency." They prevented signing of the above-mentioned agreement on 20th August 1991. These leaders included Gorbachev’s vice president Gennadi Yanayev, prime minister Valentin Pavlov, defense minister Dmitriy Yazov, KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov, and many other senior officials. At that time Gorbachev was holidaying in Crimea). These officials put him under house arrest. They also issued orders banning all political activities and banned most newspapers.
This was like a coup. The organizers had expected popular support for their action. But, the people did not support them. Instead, they supported "White House" (Yeltsin's office), then the symbolic seat of Russian sovereignty. The organizers of the coup tried but failed to arrest Boris Yeltsin. After three days, on August 21, the coup failed. The authorities detained the organizers. Gorbachev returned as president of the Soviet Union. However, Gorbachev's real powers had reduced.
Through the autumn of 1991, the Russian government took over the union government, ministry by ministry. In November 1991, Yeltsin issued an order banning the CPSU throughout the Russian republic. As a result, many former CPSU personnel left CPSU to join the new positions in the new Russian government.
After the failure of the coup, the republics of the Soviet Union increased their efforts to become independent. On 6th September 1991, the Soviet Union recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. On 1st December 1991, Ukraine declared its independence, after 90% of the voters opted for an independent Ukraine; this really destroyed any hopes of keeping the Soviet Union together since Ukraine was the second most powerful "republic" after Russia. One by one, the remaining eleven "republics" of the Soviet Union also declared themselves as sovereign and independent states.
As noted above, on 6th September 1991, the Soviet Union had recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It may be note that twelve out of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union had signed an international agreement (European Energy Charter) in the Hague on 17th December 1991. The signing had indicated that these republics had practically become independent and sovereign countries.
Leaving apart already independent Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the remaining 12 republics, all (except Georgia) joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In December 1993, Georgia also joined the CIS. On 26th August 2006 Turkmenistan left the permanent membership, and became an associate member.
Many persons believed that with the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Soviet Union ceased to exist. They believed that it was the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Many others think that with CIS, the Russia continues to have some control over the former republics of the Soviet Union.
On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR. By December 31, 1991 all official Soviet institutions had stopped to function in different "republics" of the Soviet Union. The individual governments of these republics started functioning. The Soviet flag flew last time over the Kremlin.
The four principles had governed the Soviet Union: a chain of soviets; ethnic federation; state socialism; and supremacy of the Communist party. Gorbachev's policies of "perestroika" and "glasnost" created a situation which weakened all the above four principles. He repeatedly tried to form a circle of leaders to support his policies. He tried to do all these as he and his team saw that the Soviet Union was moving toward a long-term stagnation.
Gorbachev’s policies made it possible for leaders of various Soviet republics to gain confidence and influence. At the same time, he faced opposition from many including the nationalist forces and the traditional communists. Some people accepted the reforms; some wanted the old system to continue; and some desired complete independence from the Soviet Union and central control. In the end, Gorbachev was unable to ensure any common view among these forces. Ultimately, this led to the collapse and dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Immediately after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin took many steps to change the economy of the Soviet Union from a socialist economy to a capitalist economy. For example: he cut the payment of grants to money-losing farms and industries; he also removed control over prices; he took steps for convertibility of the Russian rouble. He also allowed many people close to his circle, and other business people, to take possession of the businesses and industries earlier owned by the government, and to run them as private enterprises. The planners and economists had thought that these changes would lead to a faster economic development. However, nothing of this sort happened.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia is facing many problems, including the following:
Many Russians of older generation believe that the earlier system was better. During 1990s, Russia faced many crises in political, social and economic matters. Many persons still believe that the situation still continues to be worse compared to earlier times.
Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration (明治維新) was a time of great change in Japan. In the Japanese language, "Meiji-ishin" is the term for the Meiji Restoration. The term describes a series of events that changed the shape of Japan’s political and social systems. These changes took place mainly in the three years from 1866 to 1869, at the beginning of the Meiji period.
In 1866, the Tokugawa Shogunate was ruling Japan. In the year 1866, two domains, the local government at that time, came together under an alliance. The name of this alliance was the Sat-cho Alliance. This was an alliance between the Satsuma Domain and the Chōshū Domain, and a person named Sakamoto Ryoma brought the two domains together. These two domains supported the Emperor Meiji of Japan who, at the time, did not have much power. With their support the emperor could regain much of his power.
The Tokugawa Shogunate’s rule ended on 9th November 1867, but they still retained some authority and power. In the Boshin War of 1868, an army from Satsuma Province and Choshu defeated the forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This completely ended the power of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
After defeating the Tokugawa Shogunate, the leaders of the Meiji Restoration started to reform the system of the country. They acted in the name of Japan’s emperor, to restore (that is, to return) the emperor’s powers. But, the leaders also kept to themselves a number of powers. In fact, even after the Meiji Restoration, an oligarchy, a small group, had the real power and ruled in the name of the emperor.
After the Meiji Restoration started, Japan’s progress was fast. The revolution includes centralizing power, changing the tax system, starting the educational system, constructing factories and railways, etc.
Industrialization developed rapidly and within next three to four decades (by 1905) Japan had become a military power, comparable to others of the time.
European Convention on Human Rights
Countries, which are members of the Council of Europe agreed on certain points written in a document to ensure human rights written in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These points became the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In its shorter form it is European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Convention also established the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and the sentence of this Court has a force legal power by its Article 46.
The ECHR was written on 4 November 1950.
The ECHR has made many protocols, for example: protocol 2nd for right to education, 12th against all discrimination also by public authority and 13th for complete abolition of the death penalty. Protocols are set of rules. All member countries must follow these rules.
The ECtHR can give decisions on complaints or cases which come to it. If a person thinks that a European country has abused his or her human rights, that person may take the matter to the judges of ECtHR. The judges will listen to the complaint and give their decisions. These decisions must be followed by the governments of the countries.
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) hears and decides particular type of complaints. These complaints relate to abuse of human rights. ECoHR’s other popular name is "Strasbourg Court". Member countries of the Council of Europe created ECoHR to arrange all such complaints, listen to the complaints, and to give decisions. European Convention on Human Rights tells about many human rights. ECoHR sees that people should enjoy all these human rights.
ECoHR' has a number of judges. The number of judges is seven normally but at the case of dealing a great issue, the number will be 21 and the judges are equally from member countries of the Council of Europe. At present, there are forty seven member countries of the Council of Europe. Each country may have one judge in the ECoHR. But, judges work independently for the ECoHR, and not for their country.
Ted Turner
Ted Turner (born November 19, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American businessman who is best known for being the founder of the television networks Turner Broadcasting Station(TBS) and Cable News Network(CNN). These were the first cable TV networks. He is also famous for being the founder of professional wrestling company World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as well as the Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
He's made several war epics on the Civil War. Ted Turner is known for saving MGM's film library, though that forced him to sell his company. At one point, Turner gave a billion dollars to the United Nations.
Ted Turner was once married to Jane Fonda. He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and in Savannah, Georgia. Turner is the largest private landowner in the United States a total of 1.75 million acres.
Turner has bipolar disorder.
Turner's biggest ranch is Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico. At , it is the largest privately owned, piece of owned land in the United States. Turner supports the Public forum debate of the National Forensic League.
In a television interview with Piers Morgan on May 3, 2012, Turner said he had four girlfriends. He then said that it was complicated but yet easier than being married.
One of Turner's children, Robert Edward "Teddy" Turner IV, announced on January 23, 2013, that he would run in the South Carolina Republican primary for the open Congressional seat. He lost the primary to former Governor Mark Sanford.
In September 2018, Turner announced that he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.
Taco Bell is a fast food restaurant that started in the United States in 1958. There are restaurants now in certain parts of Canada, Asia, Europe, United Kingdom and Australia. It serves Mexican-style food. It was founded by Glen Bell and is a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. Taco Bell's menu has items such as tacos, burritos, soft drinks, chalupas, gorditas, and nachos. There are 5,845 Taco Bells in the United States. Some Taco Bells are merged with KFCs.
Żagań
Żagań is a town in the west part of Poland. 26,665 people lived there in 2004. It is the main town of part of Poland called Żagań County.
It is now part of the in the Lubusz Voivodship (a Voivoidship is part of the way Poland is organised into areas), before it was in Zielona Gora Voivodship (1975-1998). There is a castle called Sagan in the middle of an area that is also called Sagan. The castle belonged to Wallenstein, a soldier and politician of the Thirty Years' War. Later, the castle belonged to the Bohemian family of Lobkowitz. In 1786, the Sagan area was bought by Peter Biron, duke of Courland. In 1843, it went to his daughter Dorothea, the wife of Edmond de Talleyrand.
An act of the king of Prussia on January 6, 1845 made her Duchess of Sagan. Napoleon III did the same in France, for her son Louis. The double title, both Prussian and French, meant that the duc de Sagan was a neutral party in the Second World War. His house (the Château de Valençay) was a safe place to keep pictures and other things from the Louvre when German soldiers were in France.
In the Second World War, the well-known war prison Stalag Luft III was there.
Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill (Latin: "Palatium") also named the Sun Hill was the hill that Rome was built on. Rome later extended to include the seven hills:
According to Livy (59 BC – 17) the Palatine hill got its name from the Arcadian settlement of Pallantium. The term palace itself stems from "Palatium".
El Chupacabra (or El Chupacabras) is a cryptid said to live in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Anaheim California. Gilbert Arizona. Texas to Florida, Michigan, Maine and even Oregon. Its name comes from the Spanish translation of "goat sucker", because of its habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, including goats. The legend was started in 1987 when there was a huge, gruesome massacre of livestock all over. All the animals had two puncture wounds on their neck in which the blood had been drained.
Hydra (animal)
Hydra are simple invertebrates, with two layers of body cells. They live in fresh water. Their body is radially symmetric. They have a central cavity through which they take in food and expel waste.
As Cnidaria they have stinging cells on their tentacles. They are hydrozoa, and belong to the same order as other polyps. Most "Hydra" are microscopic in size. Hydras can be found in almost any unpolluted body of water. Hydras reproduce by budding. In budding, the offspring forms as a lump on the parent and eventually becomes big enough to break off and live by itself. They can move if they need to by a kind of slow somersaulting motion.
Recent research has found they produce an antimicrobial protein "hydramacin", which protects their outer layer from bacterial infection.
Clownfish
The clownfish is a kind of fish. Clownfish habitat usually is a coral reefs. Clownfish live in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, from north west Australia, the coast of South East Asia as far north as Japan. Often, they live in a symbiosis with other animals, for instance the sea anemone. They live in anemones which are like plants under the sea. Anemones eat fish by killing them with their tentacles which are poisonous. Scientists believe that clown fish are protected from the poison because they are coated in a type of mucus.
Some kinds of clown fish can grow up and reach 18 centimeters (7.1 inches). Sometimes clownfish only grow 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). They can be orange, yellow or they may look a little red.
Clownfish eat small invertebrates that are dangerous to the anemones. That helps the anemones and the clownfish. This is called mutualism.
Many people like having clownfish in their aquarium because they are some of the easiest salt water fish to keep and care. They became particularly popular after the film "Finding Nemo". There are 28 species of Clownfish. Clownfish are born male but when they grow older some develop into females.
Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial artist, martial arts instructor, philosopher, movie director, movie producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement.
Lee is famous for making martial arts popular in the United States in the 1970s, when he played in a series of movies. This included the first ever martial arts movie in the United States - called "Enter the Dragon." This was the most successful and famous, which was released after Bruce's death. He died in 1973 during the production of a movie called, "The Game of Death. "The movie was not finished, although some completed section were later released. Almost 20 years later his son, Brandon Lee would also die while making a movie. Lee also taught other people martial arts, including actors Huggo Chairres, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He inspired many other actors who are famous for using martial arts in their movies including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Chuck Norris. Jackie Chan had a small part in 'Enter The Dragon' and Chuck Norris co-starred in "Way of The Dragon".
Lee starred in five movies, including "The Big Boss", "Fist of Fury" (also known as "The Chinese Connection" and "The Iron Hand"), "The Way of the Dragon" (also known as "Return of the Dragon"), "Enter the Dragon" and "The Game of Death".
He is noted for his major contributions to both the Hong Kong and American movie industry during the 1970s, his martial arts movement and innovative ideas (including Jeet Kune Do), his philosophy, and his physical fitness ability. He is considered to be a cultural icon and is considered to be one of the most influential martial artists ever by social critics and other martial artists alike.
On the night of July 20, 1973, Lee aged 32, died at his home from cerebral edema, which is a buildup of fluid around the brain. This is believed to have been caused by a reaction to painkillers he was taking for a back injury.
George Martin
He died in his sleep at his home in Wiltshire on the night of 8 March 2016 at the age of 90. His cause of death is not known.
Martin grew up playing piano with only a few music lessons. He began to compose music in his teens. Martin played with his own band called the Four Tune-Tellers. He dreamed of one day making soundtrack music for movies.
After serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Martin went to music school. After he graduated, he worked for the BBC in London. He began working for EMI in 1950. Martin became an assistant at Parlophone Records, a small record label. Parlophone mostly recorded classical music and original cast recordings of popular stage shows and plays.
Martin later became the chief of Parlophone Records. He was also its staff producer. Martin was in charge of recording sessions and chose songs for Parlophone artists to record. He made comedy records (often working with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan) along with his usual jobs, to help promote the label. When rock and roll became popular in the mid-1950s, Martin began looking for rock groups or artists to join Parlophone. He recorded several such artists, but none of their records became big hits.
In 1962, Beatles manager Brian Epstein brought Martin a demo (demonstration record) of his band. Epstein had been trying for months to get the band a recording contract. Martin liked what he heard. He saw that the young band were willing to try different things, and gave them an audition (a studio tryout). All the Beatles passed their audition, except for their drummer, Pete Best. Martin was not happy with the skills Best showed. He wanted to replace Best on their recordings. When the band found out, they fired Best, replacing him with Ringo Starr. Starr had played with them before when Best could not be with them to play. Martin used a studio drummer on their first single, "Love Me Do". He did this because there was no time to audition Starr before the record had to be made, but he never did so again.
With Starr as their drummer, and Martin as their producer (who sometimes joined them in playing, to give the records a bigger sound), the Beatles became the most popular act in the history of show business. While Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote most of the band's songs, they were musically untrained, as Martin had been earlier. Martin helped develop their musical ideas. He helped the band learn to talk to other musicians about the sounds they wanted to make, and added a classical touch to many of their songs. His work with them made Martin famous. He was able to leave EMI to become a "producer for hire". He started his own company, called Associated Independent Recording (AIR), with some other producers.
When the Beatles began to break up in 1969, Martin felt the tension between the band's members. He was sometimes criticized for not being able to "fix things", or solve their problems. He began turning down sessions with the band. He let the recording engineer or the members themselves do his job. Martin returned to help make their last album (titled "Abbey Road" after the location of the studio), after all the Beatles promised to work with him "like the old days", and let Martin take charge of the sessions once more.
Paul McCartney, the most "conventional" (normal) Beatle, worked with Martin several times after the Beatles ended in 1970. John Lennon counted on Martin to turn his sometimes "way-out" ideas into finished records, but he did not always like the way Martin worked, and mostly produced his own solo recordings. George Harrison, the youngest Beatle, found many of his songs and ideas rejected by Martin. Martin later said "I was always rather beastly to George," in trying to make more hit records. Harrison also produced (or co-produced) most of his own solo work. He even built his own recording studio after years of making records at Abbey Road. Martin praised Ringo Starr's "super-steady beat", and the sound his drums gave the Beatles records, but each later worked with other people.
Even years after they broke up, Martin still worked with and for the Beatles and the music they had made together. He remixed many of their recordings for re-issues and compilation records. He made several records of his own with classical and orchestral versions of Beatles tunes, and was the music producer for "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", a fantasy movie based on their songs, which starred the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton.
Besides the Beatles, Martin worked with other recording artists, including Shirley Bassey, Bernard Cribbins, America, Kenny Rogers, the trio EL&P, Dudley Moore, and Little River Band. He wrote a book, "All You Need is Ears", that told his life story and explained how many of his most famous recordings were made. During the 1990s, Martin was made a knight by the British government, for his work and his role in popular music.
Martin retired in 1999, and released an album titled "In My Life", which featured many different artists performing Beatles songs. The album included non-musicians like comedian Jim Carrey.
Martin died in his sleep on the night of 8 March 2016 at his house. He was aged 90. His death was announced by Ringo Starr on his Twitter account.The cause of Martin’s death has not been released.
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein (19 September 1934 - 27 August 1967) was an English businessman. Epstein was the manager of The Beatles, who became the most popular rock band in the world during the 1960s.
Epstein started out to become an actor, and went to school at RADA (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) with future movie stars Peter O'Toole and Susannah York. He was not happy at school, though, and quit to work in his family's furniture stores in Liverpool. He was a skillful salesman, and loved classical music. When his family opened a record department in one of their stores, Epstein was put in charge. The department was so successful that the family decided to open a whole store to sell music and records. This was named NEMS, for North End Music Stores, and Epstein became its boss. This store was also a big success.
Popular music, rock and roll especially, sold better than classical music, and Epstein wanted to sell what the public would buy most. He began to stock rock and roll records, and record buyers around England liked Epstein and his store. Some of his customers were members of bands, looking for new music to play or to pass the time, and came often to the store. Among those bands were the early Beatles.
Epstein was Jewish and homosexual.
Late in 1961, when a fan asked Epstein about a record the Beatles had made in Germany, Epstein was unable to find it through his sources. When he learned the band were playing at the Cavern Club not far away, Epstein visited them there, and was impressed by their act. He found out what he needed to know to get the record, so NEMS could sell copies. Epstein also discovered that the band had no manager, but they wanted one, and their main goal was to get a recording contract in England. Epstein became their manager.
Epstein used his sales ability to get the band more and better jobs playing music. He also used his position (as manager of one of the leading music stores in northern England) to make contact with different record labels, hoping to get the Beatles signed up. An audition with Decca Records on New Year's Day 1962 sounded hopeful, but Decca decided to turn the band down, as did most of the labels Epstein approached.
Decca gave Epstein a copy of the band's demo (demonstration) tape, which he used to promote them, but could not find anyone interested. He thought an actual record might work better than the tape, so he went to have a test record made. The recording engineer who made the record told Epstein about George Martin, who worked for EMI's Parlophone Records and had been looking for a rock band to record. Martin liked what he heard well enough to offer the band another audition.
The Beatles passed their EMI audition as a group, and signed a contract with Parlophone. Drummer Pete Best did not meet Martin's standards, though, and Martin planned to use a studio drummer instead on their records. When the band found out, they asked Epstein to fire Best, and they replaced him with Ringo Starr, who quit another band to join them.
Over the next year (1963), The Beatles became the most popular recording act in Britain and Europe, and then in America during 1964. Following their success, Epstein signed up other bands and singers, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and the Remo Four. Each found success and hit records, but none became as popular as the Beatles. Epstein started a management company, NEMS Enterprises (named after the music store), who later signed up the Bee Gees, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream.
Like many pop stars, Epstein also had fans, and gave away signed photographs of himself. He published an autobiography (his life story) in 1964, with help from Derek Taylor, who was the Beatles's press agent. Epstein was still interested in theater, and he bought the Saville Theatre in London, which presented plays and rock concerts.
As time went on, Epstein felt more and more stress in his working and personal lives, and turned to sleeping pills, to help him cope. During 1967, he became afraid that the Beatles would not stay with him when their management contract expired (ended) that year, and his insomnia increased. One weekend while the band was away in Wales, Epstein overdosed on sleeping pills, and died in his sleep.
An autopsy concluded that Epstein did not commit suicide, but accidentally took too many sleeping pills over a long period of time, without giving the pills a chance to clear out of his body. The Beatles and all the artists he managed mourned his death. It was said later that losing him was the beginning of the Beatles breakup, which happened in 1970.
Jurong (裕廊) is a town in the western side of Singapore. It used to be a swamp until the 1960s, when Goh Keng Swee, a minister, together with the United Nations, cleared the swamps, making Jurong an industrial estate (a place where industries are built to make goods). Jurong is divided in Jurong East, where houses and shops are built and Jurong West, mainly an industrial estate. Jurong East is under the Jurong Group Representation Constituency or Jurong GRC, while Jurong West is under the West Coast Group Representation Constituency. Jurong is connected to Johor Bahru by the Second-Link at Tuas. Jurong has the Jurong Bird Park and Chinese Gardens.
Plastic Ono Band
The Plastic Ono Band was a rock and roll band formed by Yoko Ono with husband (and former Beatle) John Lennon. They were active from 1969 until 1974.
Lennon and Ono recorded their first single together, titled "Give Peace A Chance", in a Montreal hotel with a roomful of guests, including Tommy Smothers, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Timothy Leary, and the local Hare Krishna chapter. The pair were in an auto accident before the single was to debut (be played in public for the first time), and they had to stay in the hospital. Not wanting to cancel the debut, they sent the first version of their "new band" – a set of plastic cases that held the sound equipment – which played in their place. It was a strange kind of debut for a new band, but the song (a protest against the Vietnam War) became a minor hit that year, in England and in the United States.
The second version of the Plastic Ono Band included Ono and Lennon in person, along with musicians Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White. They performed together at a rock concert in Toronto in September 1969, and it was the first time Lennon had played in public with a band other than the Beatles. The show went well, and helped Lennon decide to leave the Beatles, which he had thought about doing for some time. A second single, "Cold Turkey", was recorded with this lineup.
After the Beatles ended, Lennon decided he did not want to have another permanent band, and he and Ono used the Plastic Ono Band name to refer to any musicians who appeared on the records they made together. Even listeners were called a part of the band, especially when the band gave a concert. An advertisement for one of their records included a page from a telephone book, and the words "YOU are the Plastic Ono Band".
Ono and Lennon separated for a time during 1973 and 1974. Lennon still used forms of the band name on the two albums he released during their separation, while Ono's records of the time appeared under her name alone. When they got back together in 1975, Ono became pregnant, and both decided to retire from music to be parents. Their son Sean Lennon was born on October 9, 1975, which was Lennon's 35th birthday.
In 1980, Lennon and Ono decided to restart their music careers, but this time their records appeared under their own names, and the Plastic Ono Band name was retired.
Olsztyn is a city in northeast Poland, on the Łyna river. Olsztyn is the biggest city and the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
The town is near a lake region of forests and plains. There are 13 lakes in the town and many more surrounding it: (Krzywe, Długie, Żbik, Redykajny and others).
Olsztyn is twinned with:
Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive and writer. He was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Iacocca created the Ford Pinto in 1971 and the Ford Mustang in 1964. He was best known for his time as chairman of the Chrysler Corporation from 1979 until his retirement in 1992. From 1970 to 1978, he was President of the Ford Motor Company.
Iacocca studied at Lehigh University and at Princeton University.
Governor Robert P. Casey wanted to make Iacocca a United States Senator after John Heinz's death, but Iacocca declined. Iacocca was an Independent who supported the presidential bids of George W. Bush, John Kerry, Bill Richardson and Mitt Romney. He considered running for President in 1988, but declined.
"Portfolio" named Iacocca the 18th-greatest American CEO of all time.
In 1984, he released his autobiography. In 2007, Iacocca released "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?", a "New York Times" bestseller.
Iacocca died on July 2, 2019 at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California at the age of 94. The cause was problems from Parkinson's disease.
A standard is a basis for comparison. Standards are made either by many people that agree on something, or if some organisation makes it so. There are many different standards in many fields of daily life. Standards are important so that correct comparisons can be produced.
Other standards make things work together. For example, rail cars with a standard gauge can run on tracks that follow the same standard. Communication protocols such as Morse code and USB are standards that allow different machines and people to communicate.
The International System of Units is a standard that is agreed on by most countries. In it there is metre (or meter). It measures length. A rod (made from a special material) is in Paris. The length of the rod said, years ago, how long a meter is. When people wanted to measure something, they compared it to the length of the rod. For practical purposes, the length of the rod was divided by 10 (to get dezimeter), by 10 (to get centimeter), and so on.
The iridium rod as it is called is the original measure of meter. Now new ways of measuring the meter have been utilized such as the measuring the wavelength of radiation from a certain chemical element to determine an exact meter.
A standard in music is a song that remains very popular, and is performed and recorded by many different artists. Such songs include "Sentimental Journey" written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, "Yesterday" and "Something" by members of The Beatles. Many of Hank Williams's songs have become standards in country music.
The ginkgo is a genus of trees. There is only one living species, "Ginkgo biloba". All the other known species are fossils. "Ginkgo biloba" is native to China. It is the National tree of China.
In mathematics and statistics, the mean is a kind of average. Besides the mean, there are other kinds of average, and there are also a few kinds of mean.
The most common mean is the arithmetic mean, which is calculated by adding all of the values together, then dividing by the number of values.
For example, if 1, 2, 2, 100, 100 is a set of numbers or scores. If we add all the numbers, the answer is 205. By dividing this number by the number of numbers (5), we find that the mean is 41. The difficulty with this particular set of numbers is that no one in this group scored anything like a 41, and it does not tell us much about what kind of scores these numbers represent.
In general, to find the average of formula_1 numbers, the formula_1 numbers are added and the total is divided by formula_1.
In symbols, if the numbers are formula_4, formula_5, formula_6, ... formula_7, the total is:
The total is divided by formula_1 to make the average:
If formula_4, formula_5, formula_6, ..., formula_7 are all the numbers in a sample formula_15, then this average is also called the sample mean of formula_15, and represented by the symbol formula_17.
The idea behind the mean is to represent a number of measurements, or values, by one value only. But there are different ways to calculate such a representing value.
If people do many different measurements, they will get many different results. Those results have a certain distribution, and they can also be centered around an "average" value. This average value is what mathematicians call arithmetic mean.
Mean can also stand for expected value. For a random variable formula_15, this is represented by the symbol formula_22.
Detergent
A detergent is a chemical that people use in washing things. Many people use washing powder, which is a type of detergent, when they need to clean their clothes. It is also used to clean glasses and other items.
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann (born April 29, 1942) is a German artist and musician. He was born and raised in Berlin. He was a friend of The Beatles. He met them when they played in Hamburg, where he was going to art school.
Voormann designed the cover of their "Revolver" album, and later did cover art for "The Beatles Anthology" and some of George Harrison's solo records. He also played bass guitar with Manfred Mann, and on records by John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and their friend Harry Nilsson.
He also became a record producer, and produced the band Trio, whose biggest hit was "Da Da Da", which was used later in a Volkswagen television commercial.
Alan White has been the name of several people, including:
Alan White (Yes drummer)
Alan White (born 14 June 1949) is an English musician, best known as the drummer from the band Yes. He also played on records by former Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison.
Solo:
With White:
With Yes: "See infobox below"
With The Alan Price Set:
With John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band:
Guest appearances/sessions:
and work with Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Billy Sherwood, Esquire and The Syn
A stock market is an institution where humans and computers buy and sell shares of companies.
Shares are small pieces of a company. Shares can be bought by humans, companies, and mutual funds. When buying shares in a company, the buyer owns a small part of that company. The price of a share can be based on many different things. The main thing that affects the price is the balance between supply and demand. If many buyers want to buy a stock the price goes up. If there are more sellers than buyers, the price goes down.
Some buyers trade shares in stocks through a stockbroker. A stockbroker is a person who buys or sell stocks for their customers. A stockbroker can also help customers make choices in stocks. Their advice is based on public information about the companies.
Trading stocks online has become more popular. Stocks can be traded online. There is a fee or commission each time a position is opened.
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and author. He was part of the Beat Generation movement of poets in the 1950s. He was a friend of writers Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and later made friends with musicians Bob Dylan, Donovan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and many other celebrities.
Ginsberg's most famous work was called "Howl." It was a long poem about the social conditions of the United States in the 1950s. It began with the words "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness." It went on to describe the frustration felt by many Americans, young people and minorities in particular. There were problems in the country, such as prejudice and intolerance, that needed to be spoken about. Ginsberg published the poem, and also performed it at public poetry readings.
A few people did not like "Howl", or the graphic language Ginsberg used. They tried to have "Howl" banned, and they wanted Ginsberg to be prosecuted (given a court trial, then either fined or put in jail). Ginsberg went to trial, and the judge decided "Howl" was an important work, and told the truth about America at the time. The judge rejected the ban and cleared Ginsberg, who could then continue to publish and perform the poem.
Ginsberg became involved in social causes through his work, and through the famous people he met. He grew up in the Jewish faith, but later became a Buddhist. He was a homosexual, and his longtime partner was another poet, Peter Orlovsky. He also had a long relationship with Neal Cassady, who appeared as "N.C., secret hero of these poems" in "Howl".
Ginsberg died in 1997 of liver cancer.
Northwestern University is a university in Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois. It is very prestigious and selective. It has many people who learn and also people who teach.
The university is known most for providing a strong education in economics (the study of the economy), linguistics (the study of language), political science (the study of politics), and mathematics (the study of numbers). There is also a Medical school named Feinberg School of Medicine.
There is another university in Chicago, the University of Chicago.
Door god
A door god is a painting pasted on a door. These were used by the Chinese as good luck. Door gods can be seen on temples - places of religion - and other buildings. There is a belief that door gods stop evil spirits from going into the building.
Door gods are often in pairs, one for each side of the door. The first door gods may have been made for a Chinese Emperor, more than 1300 years ago. They showed his two best soldiers.
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac (born March 12, 1922 – died October 21, 1969), better known as Jack Kerouac, was an American author and poet. He was part of the Beat Generation movement of writers and artists of the 1950s and 1960s, and gave the movement its name. His most famous work was a long novel titled "On the Road", which was published in 1957.
Kerouac was a friend of writers Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Gregory Corso, among many others. Nearly all of Kerouac's writings were directly based on his own life, but he mostly changed names and details, to protect everyone's privacy. The man he wrote about most was his friend Neal Cassady, who was called "Dean Moriarty" in "On the Road". Kerouac influenced many other writers and poets who came along later, and also many musicians of the 1960s, through his works. He also changed the way Americans saw themselves, and their country.
Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts to French Canadian parents (named Leo and Gabrielle), and was the youngest of three children. He spoke only French until he started school. His family was Roman Catholic. His father was a printer, and Kerouac became interested in printed works. He liked to make his own handwritten newspapers and books. He enjoyed reading, and imitated the styles of writers he liked, such as Thomas Wolfe. He became an expert typist, and could type faster than 100 words per minute.
Kerouac was a good athlete, and earned a football scholarship to Columbia University. An injury during a practice game ended his football career. He dropped out of Columbia, and devoted himself to writing stories and plays. He met Allen Ginsberg at college. Their circle of friends included many future writers and artists, like William S. Burroughs, and Herbert Huncke.
During World War II, Kerouac served in the Merchant Marine, which made him a veteran of the American military. He kept journals of his experiences, and he used them later to write other works. He was honorably discharged from military service in 1943 when he was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. He was able to get veteran's benefits later, such as medical help when he was sick with , and grant money to pay his bills while he wrote. Kerouac was proud to be an American, and always said good things about his country.
Kerouac's father died of stomach cancer in 1946. He made Kerouac promise to always work to support his mother. He tried to talk Kerouac out of becoming a writer, because he knew it was hard to succeed in such a career. Kerouac had a hard time staying with any other kind of work, though. He would become impatient or restless, or a disagreement with someone at work would turn into trouble. Kerouac did his best to earn enough money to pay for both his and his mother's living, but his mother also had to work. She was a nurse. She worked in a factory when there were no nursing jobs.
Kerouac published a few and reviews in New York magazines and newspapers in the 1940s. He worked briefly for his hometown newspaper, "The Lowell Sun". His first novel, "The Town and the City", was published in 1950. For his second novel, Kerouac wanted to write a book about road trips and hitchhiking. Hitchhiking was safer to do in the 1940s, in America, than it is today. Kerouac stopped and restarted writing this book several times. Kerouac did not want to just tell an ordinary story. He wanted to give an idea of how the people he met thought things through, and expressed this to each other, along with telling what they did and said. He also knew he needed more experiences, to tell a better story.
Many experiences came through Kerouac's friendship with Neal Cassady. Cassady was a handsome, bright young with a teenaged wife, named Luanne Henderson. Cassady and Luanne had a hard relationship, and broke up and got back together many times. He later married another woman named Carolyn Robinson, who was older than Luanne and understood him better, but Carolyn and Cassady also had troubles. Kerouac was briefly married, to girlfriend Edie Parker. They did not stay together long, and were soon divorced. Cassady taught Kerouac, who never had a , how to drive, while Kerouac taught Cassady about writing.
Neal Cassady traveled back and forth across the country, usually driving cars like Hudsons at high speed. he looked for jobs, fresh experiences, and new friends. Kerouac began to travel with him. They lived in and visited cities such as Denver, San Francisco, Monterey, and even Mexico City. They also looked sometimes for Cassady's father, who disappeared years earlier. Kerouac got sick in Mexico City, and Cassady left him behind at the hospital. Kerouac had to make his own way home. He took this very hard, and was angry with Cassady. He forgave him later, when they met again, and he made Cassady the central character of his new book. One job Kerouac could fall back on, thanks to Cassady, was as a railroad brakeman.
Many people in the 1940s and 1950s used drugs such as benzedrine, to help them stay alert. Jazz music was also popular, and some jazz musicians and listeners smoked marijuana. Kerouac was influenced by both drugs, and they changed the way he wrote. He began to write what he called " prose", jotting down words in much the same way a musician a solo in a song. (Kerouac played no musical instruments, but could well, and had many of the same instincts as a musician.) His new writing style was strange to many people, and even seen as bad by some older authors and critics. It was six years before Kerouac published his second novel.
The version of "On the Road" that finally satisfied Kerouac was written over three weeks in 1951. It was typed on a single roll of teletype paper. Kerouac liked to type on rolls of paper, because he did not have to stop to change pages. He had just gotten married for the second time, to Joan Haverty. The manuscript was Kerouac's way to explain his friendship with Neal Cassady to his new wife. The explanation made a fine rough draft for a novel, but it did not help his marriage. Joan felt that Kerouac's nonstop work on the manuscript was an , and she did not want to stay married to him after it was finished. They were soon divorced, as he was with his first wife.