AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Lots of different measurements of correlation are used for different situations. For example, on a scatter graph, people draw a line of best fit to show the direction of the correlation.
"Strong" and "weak" are words used to describe the strength of correlation. If there is strong correlation, then the points are all close together. If there is weak correlation, then the points are all spread apart.
There are ways of making numbers show how strong the correlation is. These measurements are called correlation coefficients. The best known is the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, sometimes denoted by formula_1 or its Greek equivalent formula_2. You put in data into a formula, and it gives you a number between -1 and 1. If the number is 1 or −1, then there is strong correlation. If the answer is 0, then there is no correlation. Another kind of correlation coefficient is Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.
Correlation does not always mean that one thing causes the other (causation), because there might be something else that is at play.
For example, on hot days people buy ice cream, and people also go to the beach where some are eaten by sharks. There is a correlation between ice cream sales and shark attacks (they both go up as the temperature goes up in this case). But just because ice cream sales go up does not mean ice cream sales cause (causation) more shark attacks or vice versa.
Because correlation does not imply causation, scientists, economists, etc. will test their theories by creating isolated environments where only one factor is changed (where this is possible). However, politicians, salesmen, news outlets and others often suggest that a particular correlation implies causation. This may be due to ignorance or a wish to persuade. Thus, a news report may attract attention by saying that people who consume a particular product more often have a particular health problem, implying a causation that could be actually due to something else.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen (also known as sunblock, suntan lotion, or sun cream in the United Kingdom) is a lotion, spray or other topical product that helps protect the skin from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It reduces sunburn and other skin damage, with the goal lowering your risk of skin cancer. However, in the United States, the term suntan lotion usually means the opposite of sunscreen, and instead refers to lotion designed to moisturize and maximize UV exposure and tanning rather than block it. These are commonly called indoor tanning lotions when designed for use with tanning beds or just suntan lotion if designed for outdoor use and may or may not have SPF protection in them.
The most effective sunscreens protect against both UVB (ultraviolet radiation with wavelength between 290 and 320 nanometres), which can cause sunburn, and UVA (between 320 and 400 nanometres), which damages the skin with more long-term effects, such as premature skin aging. Most sunscreens work by containing either an organic chemical compound that absorbs ultraviolet light (such as oxybenzone) or an opaque material that reflects light (such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide), or a combination of both. Typically, absorptive materials are referred to as chemical blocks, whereas opaque materials are mineral or physical blocks.
The First Council of Nicaea was held in Nicaea, in Bithynia in 325. Nicea is the city of Iznik in Turkey. The Roman Emperor Constantine I called the bishops of the Roman Empire to the first ecumenical conference of the early Christian Church. It had as most important result the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed.
With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent 'general (ecumenical) councils of Bishops' (Synods) to create statements of belief and church law. The purpose was to define unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom.
The agenda of the synod were:
The purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father or merely of similar substance. St. Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius took the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, from whom the term Arian controversy comes, took the second. The council decided against the Arians (of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 voted against Arius). But many of the Eastern bishops who were pro-Arian, were prevented from reaching the Council until after the vote had been taken.
Another result of the council was an agreement on the date of the Christian Passover ("Pascha" in Greek; Easter in modern English), the most important feast of the ecclesiastical calendar. The council decided in favour of celebrating the resurrection on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, independently of the Bible's Hebrew calendar and authorized the Bishop of Alexandria to announce annually the exact date to his fellow bishops.
The Council of Nicaea was historically significant because it was the first effort to come to a consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. "It was the first occasion for the development of technical Christology." Further, "Constantine in convoking and presiding over the council signaled a measure of imperial control over the church." With the creation of the Nicene Creed, a precedent was established for subsequent general councils to create a statement of belief and canons which were intended to become guidelines for doctrinal orthodoxy and a source of unity for the whole of Christendom — a momentous event in the history of the Church and subsequent history of Europe.
The First Council of Nicaea was called by Constantine I upon the recommendations of a synod led by Hosius of Cordoba in the Eastertide of 325. To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical and a danger to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of all provinces came to Nicaea (now known as İznik, in modern-day Turkey), a place easily accessible to the majority of them, particularly those of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.
Approximately 300 bishops attended, from every region of the Empire except Britain. This was the first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem. In the Council of Nicaea, “The Church had taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a challenge from a heretical theology.” The resolutions in the council, being ecumenical, were intended for the whole Church.
Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (about 1000 in the east and 800 in the west), but only 250 to 320 bishops actually participated. Eusebius of Caesarea counted 250, Athanasius of Alexandria counted 318, and Eustathius of Antioch counted 270 (all three were present at the council). Later, Socrates Scholasticus recorded more than 300, and Evagrius, Hilarius, Jerome and Rufinus recorded 318.
The bishops were given free travel to the council, as well as lodging. These bishops did not travel alone; each one had permission to bring with him two priests and three deacons; so the total number of attendees would have been above 1500. Eusebius speaks of an almost innumerable host of accompanying priests, deacons and acolytes.
A special prominence was also attached to this council because the persecution of Christians had just ended with the February 313 Edict of Milan by Emperors Constantine and Licinius.
The Eastern bishops formed the great majority. Of these, the first rank was held by the three patriarchs: Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antioch, and Macarius of Jerusalem.
The Latin-speaking provinces sent at least five representatives: Marcus of Calabria from Italia, Cecilian of Carthage from Africa, Hosius of Córdoba from Hispania, Nicasius of Dijon from Gaul, and Domnus of Stridon from the province of the Danube. Pope Silvester I did not attend, telling he was ill, but he was represented by two priests.
Athanasius of Alexandria, a young deacon and companion of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, was among the assistants. Athanasius eventually spent most of his life battling against Arianism. Alexander of Constantinople, then a presbyter, was also present as representative of his aged bishop.
Oscypek
Oscypek (in Polish, "Oštiepok" in Slovak language) is a smoked cheese from Poland and Slovakia.
Oscypek was originally made from sheep's milk, but it can also be made from cow's milk.
Kaliber 44
Kaliber 44 is a hip hop band from Poland. It was created in 1994 by Piotr Łuszcz ("Magik"), Marcin Marten ("AbraDab") and Michał Marten ("Joka").
Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the genus Lupinus in the family Fabaceae.
The genus includes between 150-200 species, and has a wide distribution in the Mediterranean region - Subgen. Lupinus, and the Americas - Subgen. Platycarpos (Wats.) Kurl.
The species are mostly herbaceous perennial plants 0.3-1.5 m tall, but some are annual plants and a few are shrubs up to 3 m tall, with one, Lupinus jaimehintoniana, a tree 8 m high with a trunk 20 cm in diameter, from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They have a characteristic and easily recognised leaf shape, with soft green to grey-green or silvery leaves with the blades usually palmately divided into 5–17 leaflets or reduced to a single leaflet in a few species of the southeastern United States; in many species, the leaves are hairy with silvery hairs, often densely so. The flowers are produced in dense or open whorls on an erect spike, each flower 1-2 cm long, with a typical peaflower shape with an upper 'standard', two lateral 'wings' and two lower petals fused as a 'keel'. The fruit is a pod containing several seeds.
In New Zealand lupins have escaped into the wild and grow in large numbers along main roads and streams in South Island. The seeds are carried by car tires and water flow, and unfortunately, some tourist shops in the major tourist areas have been reported to have sold packets of lupin seeds to tourists, with the instructions to plant, water and watch them grow into a giant beanstalk. They are principally blue, pink and violet, with some yellow, and are very attractive, providing colourful vistas with a backdrop of mountains and lakes. The New Zealand environment authorities have a campaign to reduce their numbers, although this seems a hopeless task, especially when faced with such ignorance as mentioned above. In fields they seem to be eradicated by sheep, and hence remain largely restricted to ungrazed roadside verges and stream banks.
5. Diaporthe toxica sp.nov., the cause of lupinosis in sheep. Williamson et al. 1994, Mycological Research 98 (12) 1364-1365
Bar (unit)
The bar (symbol bar), decibar (symbol dbar) and the millibar (symbol mbar, also mb) are units of pressure. They are not SI units, but they are anyhow also used with (although discouraged) for use with the SI. The bar is still used in descriptions of pressure because it is about the same as atmospheric pressure.
The bar, decibar and millibar are known as:
The word "bar" has its origin in the Greek word "βάρος" (baros), meaning weight. Its official symbol is "bar"; the earlier "b" is now no longer used, but still often seen especially as "mb" rather than the correct "mbar" for millibars.
The bar and millibar were defined by Sir Napier Shaw in 1909 and internationally used in 1929.
Pascal (unit)
The pascal (symbol: Pa) is the SI derived unit of pressure or stress. It is a measure of perpendicular force per unit area i.e. equal to one newton per square meter. In everyday life, the pascal is maybe best known from meteorological air-pressure reports, where it happens in the form of hectopascal (1 hPa = 100 Pa). In other cases, the kilopascal is more commonly used, for example on bicycle tire labels. One hectopascal corresponds to 0.1 and one kilopascal to about 1% of atmospheric pressure (near sea level).
It is named after the French mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal.
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a city in the province of Cádiz, in the region of Andalusia in Spain. It is famous as the home of the wine called sherry, whose name comes from the city's old Arabic name, pronounced "Sherish".
Jerez de la Frontera, once called Xeres, has a rich history from the days of the Moorish Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Part of its name, "de la Frontera," means "of the frontier" because it was on the border between Islamic and Christian populations.
The city is well known for breeding and training the world-famous Andalusian horses. Flamenco dance is a popular cultural feature of the city.
Limited government
Limited government is a form of government with roles and powers given, and limited by law, usually in a written constitution. A limited government has only the powers that the people give it.
Related to this idea is "small government" – a system that put most of its power in smaller groups, such as private businesses and its own citizens. On the other hand, “big government” involves a great amount of intervention by the state.
In Great Britain, the idea of limited government is part of the political tradition. It was started by the Magna Carta, which limited the power of King John. The execution of Charles I and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 reinforced this. Even monarchs had to accept limits to their power, and parliamentary democracy became more important.
In the United States, the idea of limited government is written into the United States Constitution.
The Azores () is an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean; they are about west of Lisbon and about southeast of Newfoundland. The islands, and their Exclusive Economic Zone, form the Autonomous Region of the Azores, one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal.
There are nine major Azores islands and several very small islands (islets), in three main groups. They extend for more than and lie in a northwest-southeast direction.
The archipelago is part of the Macaronesia islands.
Officially, the islands were discovered in the 15th century (in 1431) by Gonçalo Velho Cabral a Captain in the service of Infante Dom Henrique, although credit is also given to the explorer Diogo de Silves (in 1427).
The archipelago was settled over the centuries, mostly from mainland Portugal. Portuguese settlers came from the provinces of Algarve, Minho, Alentejo and Ribatejo, as well as Madeira.
In 1976, the Azores became the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), an autonomous region of Portugal.
The archipelago is in the Atlantic Ocean between 36º and 43º latitude North and between 25º and 31º longitude West. They have a very humid oceanic climate with relatively small annual variations.
The nine islands are in three natural geographic groups, each group separated by more than of water. These groups are:
The eastern group also has, to the northeast of Santa Maria, a group of very small islands (islets) and reefs that are named "Ilhéus das Formigas" (Islets of the Ants), or just "Formigas" ("Ants"); these smalls islands, together with the "Dollabarat" reef, form the Reserva Natural do Ilhéu das Formigas.
The nine islands have a total area of . Their individual areas vary between of the largest island (São Miguel) to of the smallest (Corvo).
All the islands have volcanic origins, although some, such as Santa Maria, have had no recorded activity since the islands were settled. The last volcano to erupt in the archipelago was the Capelinhos Volcano () in 1957, in the western part of the island of Faial. Earthquakes are common on most of the islands.
The Azores are on place where three of the world's large tectonic plates (the North American Plate, the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate) meet. The westernmost islands of the archipelago, (Corvo and Flores), are in the North American Plate, while the remaining islands are located within the region where the Eurasian plate is separated from the African Plates.
The volcano Mount Pico, on the Pico island, is the highest point in Portugal, at .
Daily maximum temperatures usually range between and . The average annual rainfall increases from east to west, and it ranges from 700 to 1600 annual millimetres (27.6–63 in) on average, reaching on Mount Pico.
The sea around the Azores is warmed by the Gulf Stream and sea water temperature varies from to .
A total of 11 tropical or subtropical cyclones have affected the region in history. Most of them were either extratropical or tropical storms when they impacted the region, although several hurricanes of Category 1 have reached the Azores.
When the Azores became an Autonomous Region of Portugal, the cities of Ponta Delgada, Angra and Horta were considered capital/administrative cities to the regional government: homes to the President (Ponta Delgada), the Judiciary (Angra) and the Regional Assembly (Horta).
The Azores are divided into 19 municipalities (); each municipality is further divided into parishes (), of which there is a total of 156 in all of the Azores. The municipalities, by island, are:
There are five cities () in the Azores:
According to the 2011 Census, the total population in the Azores was 246,746: 121,533 men and 125,213 women. The density for the whole Archipelago is 106 persons/km .
The Azores economy is based mainly on agriculture, fisheries and tourism.
In the agriculture sector, cattle-raising is very important. Some of the most important crops in the Azores are pineapples, grapes, potatoes, tobacco and tea. Fisheries are an important economic activity on all islands. Fishing methods are highly traditional among Azorean fishermen. Industry in the Azores is based mainly on the production of dairy products (milk, cheese) and transformation of fisheries products, such as tuna.
It is tourism, however, that has been growing more in recent years. It is far less developed than those industries of its Macaronesian neighbours, Madeira and Canary Islands.
Wade Robson
Wade Jeremy Robson (born 1982) is an Australian professional dancer, choreographer, producer, and songwriter. He has performed as a dancer since the age of 5 with celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, and is also an award-winning choreographer, known for his own MTV show "Wade Robson Project", and the broadcast competition "So You Think You Can Dance". In 1994 he released an album as part of the hip hop group Quo.
On May 1 2013 Robson sued Michael Jackson's estate. He did not sue Jackson because Jackson died in 2009. He said that Jackson sexually abused him from the age of 7 to 14. He said that he would sue Jackson's father Joe for slander if he did not stop saying that Robson is lying. He and fellow accuser James Safechuck told their stories in the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland in 2019.
Adam Stefan Sapieha
Adam Stefan Stanisław Bonfatiusz Józef Sapieha (14 May 1867 – 23 July 1951) was a Polish Roman Catholic Church priest and Cardinal. He was a mentor and patron of Pope John Paul II.
Sapieha was born in 1867 in the castle of Krasiczyn. He was the youngest of the seven children of Prince Adam Stanisław Sapieha-Kodenski.
Sapieha was ordained a priest in 1893.
Sapieha was named Bishop of the diocese of Kraków in 1911.
After the Nazi invasion of Poland, Sapieha operate the seminary in secret. Among the students was Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II. Wojtyła lived in Sepieha's basement. In 1963, Father Wojtyła became the Auxiliary Bishop in Kraków.
He was created a Cardinal in 1946.
He died on 23 July 1951, at the age of 84. Cardinal Sapieha is buried in the castle of Wawel (in Kraków).
Cardinal (Catholicism)
Cardinal is a clerical office in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals are counselors of the pope.
Pope Innocent IV granted the use of the red hat to the cardinals in 1245. The red hat was a symbol of the cardinal's readiness to shed their blood in the cause of the church.
The collective name for cardinals is college of cardinals. They meet in a Papal conclave to elect a new Pope.
When there is no pope, the cardinals directs the day-to-day affairs of the Church.
Faustyna Kowalska
Maria Faustina Kowalska, commonly known as Saint Faustina, born Helena Kowalska (August 25, 1905, Głogowiec, then in the Russian Empire – October 5, 1938, Kraków, Poland) was a Polish nun and mystic. She is now venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a saint.
Faustina Kowalska, the servant of God's mercy, was the third of ten children. She was born to a poor family. In 1921 after grade school, she started to work to support her family. Around this time she was considering a vocation in the Catholic church. She claimed that God himself was calling her to be a nun. Helena left for Warsaw, and applied to various convents in the capital, only to be turned down each time. She was finally accepted at the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. She was eventually initiated as a nun on April 30, 1926, with the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
Saint Faustina claimed she had visited Purgatory. She also said she had seen and spoken to Jesus and Mary several times. Later on, Jesus revealed her purpose; to spread the devotion of the Mercy of God. On February 22, 1931, Jesus was said to have appeared as the 'King of Divine Mercy', wearing a white garment. His right hand was raised in a sign of blessing and the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment came two large rays. One ray was red, the other pale. St. Faustina had a picture of this vision painted. With the help of Father Michał Sopoćko, she distributed the images at Kraków and Wilno, and people began to pray before them. Saint Faustina wrote a diary. She did this despite the fact that she could hardly write at all. The diary was later published under the title "Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Faustina". Saint Faustina wanted to found a "Congregation which will proclaim the Mercy of God to the world, and, by its prayers, obtain it for the world".
In 1936, Saint Faustina became seriously ill. At the time, doctors thought it could be tuberculosis. She was moved to the sanatorium in Pradnik.
She spent much time in prayer, reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and praying for the conversion of sinners. The last two years of St. Faustina’s life were spent working as much as she could between visits to the sanatorium and time spent sick in bed in the convent. By June of 1938, she could no longer write in the diary, and it became obvious that she would not live much longer. St. Faustina died on October 5. The task of spreading the message of Divine Mercy, already well begun, was continued by her spiritual director, Father Sopoćko. Saint Faustina had never been able to found the religious order which Jesus had asked for, but she had left clear rules for the life of the prospective community, and at last in 1941, the order, now known as the Institute of Divine Mercy, was founded.
Note: With reference to 'religious order' 'able to found' and Saint Sister Faustina please visit Faustinum Association of Apostles of the Divine Mercy for information regarding the apostolic movement which springs from Sr Faustinas' charism and the message of Divine Mercy.
Pope Pius XI accepted The Divine Mercy devotion.
Pope Pius XII promoted The Divine Mercy devotion.
Cardinal Pacelli (who later became Pope Pius XII) defended The Divine Mercy devotion against heretics.
Pope Pius XI, and Pope Pius XII, and St. Faustina's Confessor, and her Spiritual Director, and her Bishop, and Cardinal Prince Adam Sapieha (the Cardinal of Poland), and Cardinal Ottaviani (the Prefect of the Holy Office), all favoured The Divine Mercy devotion.
Faustina was beatified on April 18, 1993 and canonized on April 30, 2000.
Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated the Second Sunday of Easter (which is the first Sunday after Easter, during Octave).
The fact that her Vatican autobiography directly quotes some of her conversations with Jesus distinguishes her somewhat among other visionaries of Jesus and Mary.
Fleet may mean:
A fleet is a collection of ships or vehicles:
Don Giovanni is an Italian opera in two acts. It is about the character better known as Don Juan. The music was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte. The opera was first performed at the National Theatre in Prague on 29 October 1787. It was a great success.
"Don Giovanni" is about a libertine and murderer who refuses to repent when given the chance. He is taken alive to Hell. The story was originally a folktale. Plays, operas, and even a ballet were produced on the theme by the time Mozart and da Ponte started work on their opera.
"Don Giovanni" was performed across Europe after its success in Prague. It was performed in the United States in 1826, staged by da Ponte himself. In 1979, Joseph Losey made a movie of the opera. In 2013, "Don Giovanni" was tenth on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas in the world.
The overture opens with a somber musical passage in D minor. This passage is also played when the statue of the Commendatore calls for Don Giovanni to repent at the end of the opera. A quick, bright section in D major follows this slow passage. It is not related to music in opera. It is spirited, vigorous, and robust. It quietly dies away as the curtain rises on the first act.
Act I.
Scene 1. The garden of the Commendatore's house in Seville, Spain. Night. Don Giovanni has failed to seduce Donna Anna. Her father defends her. Don Giovanni kills him in a duel. He runs away with his servant Leporello. Donna Anna and her fiancé Don Ottavio find the dead Commendatore. They promise to bring the murderer to justice.
Scene 2. A street in Seville. Don Giovanni's wife Donna Elvira has just come to Seville from Burgos. She is looking for Don Giovanni. He married her, and then left her. He enters the street with Leporello. He sees Elvira and leaves. Leporello stays behind. He tells Elvira about Giovanni's bad behavior with women.
Scene 3. The countryside near Seville. Don Giovanni takes an interest in a peasant girl named Zerlina. He tries to seduce her. Elvira takes Zerlina away with her. Anna and Ottavio meet Don Giovanni. He does not want to talk to them. He hurries away. They know he is the murderer. They promise again to bring him to justice. Giovanni comes back when they leave. He orders Leporello to prepare a party.
Scene 4. A garden at Don Giovanni's palace. Masetto and Zerlina are going to the party. Masetto doubts Zerlina loves him. She tells him to beat her, if that will make him feel better. The two make up. They go into the palace. Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira come into the garden. Their faces are covered with masks. They promise to bring Don Giovanni to justice. They go into the palace.
Scene 5. The ballroom in Don Giovanni's palace. The guests are having a gay time. Don Giovanni pulls Zerlina into another room. She screams. Don Giovanni comes into the room. He tells everyone that Leporello attacked Zerlina. No one is fooled. Anna, Elvira, and Ottavio take off their masks. Ottavio has a pistol. Don Giovanni runs away.
Act II.
Scene 1. Evening on a street in Seville. Don Giovanni wants to seduce Elvira's maid. He changes clothes with Leporello. When Elvira enters, Leporello is sent off with the lady. She thinks he is Don Giovanni. Giovanni sings a serenade. Masetto and his friends come in. They are looking for Don Giovanni. He beats Masetto and runs off. Zerlina finds Masetto and comforts him.
Scene 2. A nearby street. Leporello wants to get rid of Elvira. She may discover he is not Giovanni. The two hear others coming into the street. They hide behind a wall. Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina, and Masetto open a door in the wall, and find Leporello. They want to punish him. He runs away. Ottavio says he will go to the police.
Scene 3. (This scene is cut in modern performances.) A street. Zerlina threatens Leporello with a razor. A servant ties Leporello to a chair. When Leporello is left alone, he escapes. Zerlina comes back with Elvira and Masetto. They believe Don Giovanni must have helped Leporello escape. Elvira is left alone. She thinks of her love for Don Giovanni. She is certain he will be punished.
Scene 4. A cemetery in Seville. Don Giovanni and Leporello make jokes about Elvira. A strange voice is heard. It tells the two that justice is near. The voice is coming from a statue of the murdered Commendatore. Giovanni orders Leporello to invite the statue to dinner. The two leave to get dinner ready.
Scene 5. A room in Donna Anna's house. Anna is feeling great sorrow over her father's death. Ottavio says his love will comfort her. She is shocked with this suggestion. Ottavio says she is cruel to him. She asks him not to say such things. She tells him that her sorrow is so deep that she can think only of her dead father.
Scene 6. A room in Don Giovanni's palace. Don Giovanni is eating dinner. Elvira begs him to repent and change his way of life before it is too late. He laughs at her, and she leaves. Suddenly, the statue comes into the room. It orders Giovanni to repent. He refuses. Flames rise, and demons scream. The statue takes Giovanni's hand. Hell opens. The two disappear in the flames. Anna, Ottavio, Elvira, Zerlina, and Massetto come into the room with the police. They are looking for Don Giovanni. Leporello tells them that Giovanni has met his end. They are pleased, and make plans for happier days.
"Don Giovanni" is based on a character in European folklore. This character is known as Don Juan. In 1581, the first play about Don Juan was written in Spanish by Juan de la Cueva. Other plays were also written. The most famous Don Juan play was "The Playboy of Seville and His Stone Guest" by a Spanish monk named Tirso de Molina. This play is the source of all the Don Juan stories and plays that were written after it. Da Ponte even used some words from it when he was writing "Don Giovanni".
Traveling actors performed the Don Juan plays in France and Italy . The Don Juan character became well known. There were French, German, and Italian plays. Molière wrote "Dom Juan" in 1665, and Thomas Shadwell wrote an English play in 1676. Carlo Goldoni wrote an Italian play in 1736. Mozart and da Ponte probably knew the Goldoni play.
The first opera was a French one written in 1713. It was a comic opera. Gluck wrote a ballet for Vienna in 1761. Vincenzo Righini wrote an opera that was performed in Vienna and Prague in 1777 ten years before "Don Giovanni". There were other operas written about Don Juan. The best known opera was one by Giovanni Bertati and Giuseppe Gazzaniga. It was performed in Venice in 1787. It was a great success. Da Ponte knew this opera. He made use of Bertati's libretto when he wrote "Don Giovanni".
Mozart and da Ponte first met in Vienna in 1783. At that time, da Ponte promised to write a libretto for Mozart. Three years later, he adapted a French play called "The Marriage of Figaro" to an opera libretto for Mozart. In three months, Mozart had completed the music. "The Marriage of Figaro" had its first performance in Vienna on May 1, 1786. It was a great success.
In January 1787, Mozart went to Prague for the first performance of "Figaro" in that city. The opera was a wild success. The manager of the opera house hired Mozart to write an opera for Prague. In Vienna, Mozart asked da Ponte for a libretto. Da Ponte gave him "Don Giovanni". Mozart started work on this new opera.
Mozart wrote most of "Don Giovanni" in the summer of 1787 in Vienna. Early in October, he went to Prague. He completed the opera in Prague at the Villa Bertramka, the home of friends. The first performance of the opera was postponed. The curtain rose on the world premiere of "Don Giovanni" at the National Theatre in Prague on October 29, 1787. The opera was a great success.
One critic wrote: "On Monday the 29th the Italian Opera performed Maestro Mozart's eagerly awaited "Don Giovanni" ... Music lovers and musicians say that nothing to equal it has every been seen before in Prague ... Mozart himself conducted and he was given three cheers ... The opera is uncommonly difficult to perform ... The crowd of spectators bears witness to its general acclaim."
There are many legends about the making of "Don Giovanni". One legend says Luigi Bassi, the 22 year old singer playing Don Giovanni, wanted more music to sing. He was said to have forced Mozart to rewrite a duet five times. Another legend says Mozart flirted with all three sopranos in the opera. When one would reject his passes, he would simply move on to the next. Another legend says Mozart's wife Constanze kept her husband awake with funny stories the night before the first performance so he could complete the overture to the opera.
Mozart left Prague for Vienna in November 1787. Music lovers in Vienna had heard good reports of "Don Giovanni". The Emperor ordered the opera to be produced at the Burgtheater. Mozart wrote some new music for the characters of Elvira and Ottavio. He also wrote a duet for Zerlina and Leporello. "Don Giovanni" was first performed in Vienna on May 7, 1788. Mozart's sister-in-law Aloysia Lange sang Donna Anna.
Legend says the performance in Vienna ended with Don Giovanni going to Hell. The final scene for Anna, Elvira, Zerlina, Ottavio, Masetto, and Leporello was probably cut. Mozart wrote some new music for the Vienna performance. He may have had to cut the last scene to keep the performance within a certain length of time. The opera was not as successful in Vienna as it was in Prague. It was dropped at the Burgtheater after fifteen performances.
"Don Giovanni" was performed all over Germany. It was performed in Poland in 1789. It was performed in German in Amsterdam and St Petersburg. The opera was popular in France, in both Italian and French versions. The first performance of "Don Giovanni" in Italy was at Bergamo in 1811. It was performed in Rome the same year. Its first performance in England may have been an amateur performance. In 1817 though, it was presented in both English and Italian. Lorenzo da Ponte produced the first American performance of "Don Giovanni" in New York City in 1826.
In 1979, Joseph Losey made a movie of the opera. Baritone Ruggero Raimondi played Don Giovanni. Edda Moser, Kiri Te Kanawa and Teresa Berganza played the three ladies in the opera. The movie was made in Venice instead of Spain. It used Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio's Villa Capra near Venice as its setting.
Vincent Canby wrote in the "New York Times" on November 6, 1979: " ... the climactic confrontation between the Don and the Commendatore is surprisingly tepid visually. I've seen better descents into hell at our own Metropolitan Opera and in any number of Hammer horror pictures. Mr. Losey and his associates haven't destroyed "Don Giovanni," but then they haven't illuminated it either. Their film is a busy, disorienting spectacle, superbly sung ... "
The Earl of Harewood writes: ""Don Giovanni" is too full of arias, many of them famous, for its own dramatic good. Perhaps it is a problem with most eighteenth-century opera. Singers demanded them, the public expected them; and of course the aria ... is a potent operatic weapon, the moment for the composer to comment in depth on the drama he has set going. But ... arias hold up the action in a way it is sometimes hard to defend, because you feel it was the singer who wanted it so."
He points to Ottavio's "Il mio tesoro", his "Dalla sua pace", and Anna's "Non mi dir" as each being a "magnificent opportunity for singer", but wonders how much they actually contribute to the drama. But Zerlina's "Batti, batti" and Anna's "Or sai chi l'onore" are quite different. These arias contribute to the drama and move it forward.
Nicholas Kenyon writes: "The power "Don Giovanni" unleashes is almost too great; if it is an uneven work then it is only imperfect in the way that "King Lear" is imperfect, from an excess of feeling. As Abert summarized it, in spite of the finale, 'the point of the opera is not to proclaim a universal moral, but to depict the decisive battle between two tremendous forces.
"We sense the ultimate connection between even the most restless, passion-ridden human existence and the whole universe.' Like "Figaro", "Giovanni" has held the stage from its premiere through to the present; it has fitted the nineteenth-century's wish for a Romantic, powerful Mozart and the twentieth-century's for a politicised, critical Mozart".
The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620) is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder.
It premiered in Vienna on 30 September 1791 at Schikaneder's theater, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden. The story has traditional fairy tale themes and Masonic elements.
Prince Tamino has got lost in the forest and now finds himself in a country which is ruled by the Queen of the Night. A huge monster chases him and he is very frightened. He falls down in a faint. Three ladies who work for the Queen of the Night come and kill the monster. Then they see the handsome prince and they argue about which one of them will stay to look after him.
The three ladies go off and Papageno enters. Papageno is a birdcatcher whose job is to catch birds for the Queen of the Night. He is a happy, simple young man. Tamino wakes up, sees him and asks him who he is. Papageno introduces himself. He has not noticed the dead monster. Tamino sees that the monster is dead and asks him who killed it. Papageno suddenly notices it and then decides to pretend that he killed it himself. The three ladies hear what he says and they come and punish him by giving him a stone instead of bread and wine, and by padlocking his mouth so that he cannot speak. Then they give Tamino a portrait of Princess Pamina. She is the daughter of the Queen of the Night. They tell him that Pamina has been captured by an evil man called Sarastro. In fact, Sarastro is a good man, and he is looking after Pamina because her mother, the Queen of the Night, is evil. The prince does not know this. He is already in love with the princess just from looking at her picture, and decides to go and rescue her.
The three ladies give the Prince a magic flute which will protect him if he finds himself in danger. They promise Papageno that he, too, will find a lovely wife for himself if he goes with Tamino. They take off his padlock and give him a set of magic bells which will help him if he is in danger. They are told that three lovely boys will show them the way.
In the next scene we see Princess Pamina who is being guarded by a cruel Moor called Monostatos. He has tied the princess up. Papageno arrives and both men are frightened of one another. Monostatos runs away, Papageno unties the rope around the princess and tells her about the prince who is on his way to rescue her.
In the next scene Tamino finds himself in a holy place. The three boys have guided him there. They tell him he must be patient and silent. He meets a priest who tells him he must not think that Sarastro is cruel. He tells him that Pamina is alive. Tamino is very happy to hear this, takes his flute and plays. The animals from the forest come round him. Pamina and Papagena are caught by Monostatos. He is about to tie them up, but Papageno plays his magic bells and, when they hear the music, Monostatos and all the animals cannot help dancing and they disappear, still dancing. Sarastro enters. He tells Pamina once more that she must stay with him to learn how to live a good, virtuous life. She must not become evil like her mother. Monostatos enters with Tamino whom he has caught. Tamino and Pamina see one another and embrace. Sarastro says that Monostatos must have a beating. He says that Tamino and Pamina cannot have one another yet. First they will have to go to the temple and go through some trials to show that they are good.
Sarastro explains to the priests that Tamino and Pamina will have to go through the trials to show that they are worthy of one another. If they can do this then they will be able to defeat the evil power of the Queen of the Night.
Tamino and Papageno go through the trials together. Tamino remains calm and brave. Papageno is frightened and finds it difficult to keep quiet, but he continues because he has been promised that a girl called Papagena will be waiting for him.
In the first trial the Three Ladies try to make them think that the dark place they are in will lead them to death. In the second trial they see Monostatos about to rape Pamina. The Queen of the Night explains why she wants power. She says that Tamino and Pamina will be cursed unless Sarastro is killed. Tamino realizes that this is all part of the trial and he must not do anything. Papageno is given food and drink by Papagena who is disguised as an old lady. Tamino plays his flute. Pamina appears but turns her back on him. The Queen of the Night sings a very famous song in this section. It is famous because it reaches the highest ranges of a female voice.
Tamino and Pamina have to go through the last trial together. Papagena enters and dances, then, when Papageno promises to be true, she throws off her disguise and disappears. Pamina thinks her mother is going to use her dagger, but at the last moment the boys save her and take her to Tamino. Tamino plays the flute as they go together through fire and water. The chorus sing in triumph.
Papageno cannot call Papagena back with his shepherd pipe. The three boys remind him about his magic bells. He plays them and Papagena appears. They are united.
In the last scene Monostatos and the Queen of the Night enter to do battle, but they are defeated. Good triumphs over evil.
Mozart belonged to a group of Freemasons. The Magic Flute is full of Masonic symbols. For example: the number three is an important number in masonry and there are lot of things in the opera that happen in threes: there are three long chords at the beginning of overture, and the three chords appear again in the scene in the temple. Even the key is E flat major which has a key signature of three flats. There are three ladies, three young boys and three trials. The scenery used in the early productions make it look as if the story comes from Egypt or somewhere in the Orient. Mozart and Schickaneder meant this to have a Masonic meaning. The trials are similar to the rituals in Masonic ceremonies.
George Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, also known as Jure Čuvalo CM, was a Canadian heavyweight boxing champion and the multiple contender for the heavyweight title in the 1960s and 1970s. He was never knocked off his feet in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979.
Chuvalo was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005.
He went to Sarajevo for the revealing of a statue in his honor in Ljubuški on Sunday, December 18, 2011.
Guest worker
Guest workers are people brought into a country to work in different industries.
They are used to fill a shortage in labour that most often cannot be done locally. Guest workers often do not have the same rights as normal workers. In some countries guest workers are not allowed to stay long periods of time. In Germany there are many guest workers from Turkey. Turkish guest workers have formed their own communities in the German cities where they live. Turkish guest workers have been in Germany since the 1950s.
Many Koreans in Japan came as guest workers early in the 20th century, and in Arab countries late in the century.
Tropical Storm Lee (2005)
Tropical Storm Lee was a weak tropical storm that hardly reached tropical storm status for a short time while over the central Atlantic Ocean during late August and early September 2005. Lee was the twelfth named storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.
A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 24. It developed into an area of low pressure as it moved across the Atlantic Ocean. It strengthened into Tropical Depression Thirteen on August 28 while 960 miles (1550 km) east of the Lesser Antilles.
Because of wind shear, the depression began to fall apart. It quickly weakened into a tropical low late on August 29. It had been predicted that this was likely to happen, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) instead chose to forecast a little bit of strengthening in the future.
The low slowly moved northwards, then turned to the northeast because of another non-tropical system. As it moved to the northeast, the low began to become organized and began to re-strengthen on August 31. That afternoon, the depression strengthened further into "Tropical Storm Lee".
It got to its strongest point with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h), in between Bermuda and the Azores. While Lee was thought to have been a tropical storm for only 6 hours originally, it was later learned that Lee stayed as a tropical storm for 12 hours instead.
Lee quickly weakened into a remnant low. It moved to the west of the non-tropical system that was near it. On September 1, the two systems began join together. Lee began to fall apart while it was being destroyed by the non-tropical system. By the next day, the remnant low was absorbed by a cold front.
Because Lee stayed far away from land, it did not cause any damage or kill any people.
When Tropical Storm Lee formed on August 31, it was the second earliest time in a season for the development of the 12th named tropical storm. It formed two days after the record held by Hurricane Luis in 1995.
This made it one of the few storms of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season to not hold a record for the earliest formation of the "n"th storm. Also while this was the first use of the name "Lee" to name an Atlantic storm, after the retirement of Hurricane Lenny in 1999, Lee had previously been used to name 3 storms in the Western Pacific Ocean. Because Lee did not cause any damages or kill any people, its name was not retired by the World Meteorological Organization and will be on the list of names for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles (also known as the Caribbees) are a group of islands between the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean. They are east and south of the Greater Antilles. Some of the islands are also just off the northern coast of South America.
Cold front
A cold front is a meteorological word that is used to describe the movement of a cooler air mass into an area of warmer air. The air with greater density moves under the less dense warmer air, lifting it, which can cause a line of showers and thunderstorms, or a squall line to form when there is sufficient moisture. This upward motion causes lowered pressure along the cold front. On weather maps, the surface position of the cold front is marked with the symbol of a blue line of triangles/spikes pointing in the direction of its movement. Cold fronts can also move up to twice as fast as warm fronts.
Separating funnel
A separating funnel (also called a separation funnel) is a piece of laboratory equipment. It is usually made of glass, and is used to separate two liquids, for example, oil and water. They always separate out, and this is how to remove one from the other:
For this example, oil and water will be used:
A mixture of oil and water is put into a separating funnel and then shaken and then left until it becomes stable again. The liquid with higher density, (in this case water), goes to the bottom of the separating funnel (because it is heavier than oil). When this is done, the bottom of the separating funnel is opened and the water flows out, leaving only the oil.
A separating funnel is a cone shape made from glass but has a half circle, or hemisphere, on top. It has a stopper at the top and tap or hole at the bottom. The size of one can be between 50 millilitres and 3 litres.
Plate reader
Plate readers, also known as microplate readers or microplate photometers, are laboratory equipment used to see any biological, chemical or physical change in samples of chemicals in microtiter plates.
Most of the time, a very bright lamp shines light to the microtiter well and the chemicals react in special ways which can be measured using special equipment.
Other ways to measure certain things are:
Today, plate readers come with tools for data analysis.
Plate readers are used for:
Using these plate readers can help human scientists do their work more efficiently. Plate readers are used mostly in research, to find drugs, and to help test the purity of chemicals in pharmacies and laboratories.
Microtiter plate