AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
for his research on global warming in 2001. He was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the (2006) list and, in 2007, he shared the US$1 million Dan David Prize. On April 5, 2008, Dr. Hansen received the PNC Bank Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service for his outstanding achievements in science.
Hansen posited in a 2007 paper that 350 ppm (parts per million) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a safe upper limit to avoid a climate tipping point. The current record level is 389 ppm of CO, an almost 40-percent increase from the pre-industrial revolution level of 278 ppm. In 1988 the Earth's atmosphere surpassed the 350 ppm mark, while global CO emissions per capita rose.
Hansens strong public opposition to the exploitation of oil sands and the pipeline project created some controversy in the media. "Storms of My Grandchildren" is Hansen's first book about the climate change. In 2013, Hansen was co-author of an open letter saying "continued opposition to nuclear power threatens humanity's ability to avoid dangerous climate change."
Brighton, Indiana
Tarzan (1999 movie)
Tarzan is a 1999 animated movie based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel "Tarzan of the Apes" and made by The Walt Disney Company. It was the first Disney animated feature to start at #1 in the box office since "Pocahontas". It was the first to have a production budget of $100 million since "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
A British couple and their baby son has survived a shipwreck. They become stranded off the African coast near uncharted jungles. The couple builds a treehouse to live in. They are later attacked and killed by a vicious leopard called Sabor. Meanwhile, a family of gorillas are travelling to their feeding grounds. One of them is Kala, whose own child was killed by the leopard. She hears the cries of the orphaned baby. She follows the sound across the jungle to the treehouse. She finds the child there. Sabor attacks her, but Kala and the baby escape without being hurt. They return to the gorilla family. Kala decides to raise the child as her own. She names him Tarzan. That makes her mate Kerchak angry. He tells her the baby will never replace the child they lost.
As a child, Tarzan makes friends with several animals and other gorillas in the family. They include the female ape Terk and the male elephant Tantor. Tarzan has trouble keeping up. One day, Terk and her friends dare Tarzan to get a hair from an elephant's tail. The dare goes wrong when the elephants stampede into the gorilla territory and almost kill a baby gorilla. However, Tarzan is able to get the hair. After Kerchak tells Kala that Tarzan will never be one of the family, Tarzan runs off into the jungle. Kala consoles him. He keeps trying. He learns how to do things from the animals of the jungle. He becomes a muscular apelike man. One day, Sabor attacks the gorillas and Tarzan kills her. This makes Kerchak respect him.
A gunshot is heard. While the others go into the jungle, Tarzan decides to investigate. He sees a team of human explorers. The group includes Professor Porter, his daughter Jane and their hunter guide Clayton. They are in Africa looking for gorillas. Jane gets separated from the group. She is attacked by a troop of baboons. Tarzan saves her from them. He discovers that Jane and he are the same-humans. They go back to Jane's camp. Terk, Tantor and some gorillas from the troop are looking for Tarzan. They find the human campsite. They use the various items in the camp as instruments, and slowly destroy it. Tarzan and Jane arrive at the camp. When Clayton and Professor Porter get there, Tarzan goes with the gorillas into the jungle. Kerchak warns the other gorillas to stay away from the humans, but Tarzan says that the humans are not dangerous. He secretly continues his visits to the explorers. He learns about the human world. He and Jane fall in love.
When the explorer's boat arrives to take them back to England, Tarzan is sad to see Jane leaving. Clayton tricks Tarzan into believing that Jane will remain in Africa forever if he shows her the gorillas. Tarzan persuades Tantor and Terk to lead Kerchak away from the explorers. The plan seemingly works and Tarzan leads the explorers to the gorilla nesting grounds. The explorers are happy to mingle with the apes, but then Kerchak arrives and attacks the humans. Tarzan restrains him to save the explorers and leaves the troop, having alienated himself. When Kala finds him, staring off into the distance, she takes him to the treehouse where she found him as a baby. Tarzan then decides to go to England with the explorers.
The next day, as the group board the ship, a mutiny occurs and Tarzan and his friends are captured and detained in the brig, but not before Clayton reveals that he came to Africa to capture the gorillas and sell them to a zoo. He and his goons then enter the jungle and start capturing the gorillas. Fortunately, Tarzan and his friends escape with the aid of several animals from the jungle. Together, they free the gorillas and retaliate against the poachers. Clayton then shoots Tarzan, but only grazes his arm. When Kerchak comes to the ape man's aid, Clayton shoots him, but fatally injures him. He then chases Tarzan into the trees where a fight ensues. Tarzan briefly holds Clayton at gunpoint, before destroying the hunter's rifle. Clayton then attacks the ape man with a machete and starts wildly hacking vines, not knowing that one of them is round his neck like a noose. Despite Tarzan begging him to stop, he cuts the vines and the hunter is quickly hung to death.
Tarzan then approaches Kerchak, who is close to death. Kerchak then asks Tarzan to forgive him for not realising he has always been a member of the gorilla troop and passes his leadership on to Tarzan, before succumbing to his injuries. The ape man then becomes the new leader of the gorillas. The next day, Jane and her father prepare to leave. Jane then realises she loves Tarzan and she and her father then decide to remain in Africa. Tarzan and Jane then embark on their new life together.
A spin-off television animated series named "The Legend of Tarzan" ran from 2001 to 2003. The series picks up where the movie left off. Tarzan is adjusting to his new role as leader of the apes following Kerchak's death.
Direct-to-video sequels:
"Tarzan" won the following awards:
"Tarzan" was also nominated for 11 Annie Awards, winning one.
M3 motorway (Great Britain)
The M3 is a motorway between Sunbury-on-Thames and Southampton in England. It links London with Southampton and Portsmouth, as well as South West England. It is about long.
!scope=col|miles
!scope=col abbr="Northeastbound"|North-east bound exits (B carriageway)
!scope=col abbr="Southwestbound"|South-west bound exits (A carriageway)
M2 motorway (Great Britain)
M4 motorway
The M4 is a long motorway in the United Kingdom. It goes from London to South Wales. It also passes Bristol. It was first called the London–South Wales Motorway.
!scope=col abbr="Eastbound"|Eastbound exits (B carriageway)
!scope=col abbr="Westbound"|Westbound exits (A carriageway)
Sunbury-on-Thames
Olive-backed Forest Robin
A conspiracy theory is a story that says that a group of people ("conspirators") have agreed ("conspired") to do illegal or evil things and hide them from the public. Conspiracy theories usually have little or no evidence. Many conspiracy theories say that certain historical events were actually caused by such conspirators.
Some conspiracy theories are about the: Apollo moon landing, the 9/11 attacks, the existence of UFO's, the assassination of JFK and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Other examples not relating to specific events are the Illuminati, Freemasonry-related conspiracy theories, and chemtrails.
There are different kinds of conspiracy theory. some cases are straightforward. They pretend to explain events to which we "do" know the real cause, or for which there is no specific cause. We now know all we are ever going to know about the 9/11 attacks and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Likewise, that the Earth is round (as opposed to flat) has so much evidence that denying it is simply irrational.
There has been a growth in recent years in conspiracy theories proposed on the internet. Conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become common in mass media, and particularly on the internet. Conspiracy emerged as a cultural phenomenon in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
It is worth remembering that conspiracy theorists get paid by websites according to how many viewers they attract. Websites that seem free to the user are paid for by adverts, usually quite harmless, though they may be annoying. The point is that the people who put up the individual articles get paid once the number of viewers is over a certain qualifying number.
David Grimes has calculated that it takes at least three years to expose a conspiracy on the internet, depending on the number of people involved. Many conspiracies would be exposed in between three and four years.
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event made by World Wrestling Entertainment, which started in 1999 and was held in April (but in 2005, it was held in May). From 2004 to 2006, only WWE Raw superstars appeared at Backlash.
The 2007 event was the first WWE PPV event since Judgment Day 2003 (other than Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series) to feature all three brands (Raw, SmackDown! and ECW) after WWE stopped with brand-only events.
The last Backlash PPV was in 2009. It was replaced by Extreme Rules in 2010.
Judgment Day (2003)
Judgment Day (2003) took place on May 18 2003 at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the last pay-per-view starring both brands before WWE started having brand only PPVs.
Prichard, Alabama
Prichard is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, in the United States.
Prattville, Alabama
Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the county seat of Autauga County. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 33,960. The city is northwest of Montgomery.
On February 17, 2008, Prattville was hit by an estimated EF3 tornado which destroyed more than 45 homes and businesses and damaged over 800.
Pleasant Grove, Alabama
Pleasant Grove is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 9,983.
Pinson, Alabama
Pinson is a city and a northeast suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 5,033.
Pike Road, Alabama
Pike Road is a city in Montgomery County, Alabama, in the United States. As of 2007, the population of the city is 4,570.
Piedmont, Alabama
Piedmont is a city in Calhoun and Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 5,120 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.
On March 27, 1994, a F4 tornado struck here, destroying the Goshen United Methodist Church and killing 22 people including the groom's 4-year-old daughter.
Pell City, Alabama
Pell City is a city in St. Clair County, Alabama, United States. The city is the county seat of St. Clair County along with Ashville. At the 2010 census the population was 12,695.
Pelham, Alabama
Pelham is a city and suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,369, but has grown to 20,120 according to the latest Census estimate in 2006. It was named for famed American Civil War officer John Pelham.
Phenix City, Alabama
Phenix City is a city in Lee County and Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama.
British Rail Class 139
Enon
Enon, Ohio
Enon is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,638 at the 2000 census.
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club are an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's rivals in the city are Stoke City, games between the two clubs are known as the "Potteries derby". Games against Crewe Alexandra are also called a derby, although "Alex" are in south Cheshire.
Port Vale are not named after a place, which is unusual for an English league clubs. The two symbols on the clubs badge are a bottle kiln and the Stafford knot.
The Rec was Port Vale's home from 1913 to 1950. The Old Recreation Ground was in Hanley and stood on what is now the car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre.
Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950. Vale Park has a capacity of around 22,000.
Vale Park is not the oldest ground in the world, it has had several upgrades in its history. The original ground consisted of two stands (The Railway side and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. Stands were added behind each set of goals during the 1980s and 1990s as the ground began to be made more modern. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was also made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side now being left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997-98 season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3,000,000 structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to low funds and a change in ownership of the club. However, once new owners V2001 had taken care of the financing, work was finally begun on finishing the second half of the stand. It is due to be completed sometime in 2008.
Among the club's famous fan base is singer Robbie Williams, who was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. He is now a major shareholder, having, in February 2006, bought £240,000 worth of the £250,000 worth of available shares in the club. Castle Comfort Stairlifts, the club's sponsors, at the same time bought the remainder for £10,000.
For the computer game FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song with "It's Only Us", on the condition that Port Vale were included in the game, which they were, and are in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI.
In 2005 Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named for Port Vale and based at his L.A. home.
Football League Division Three North: 2
Football League Division Four: 1
Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1
Anglo-Italian Cup
Debenhams Cup
Football League Trophy: 2
Before the War:
After the War:
League Cup
NG, Ng, or ng may mean:
Mound, Minnesota
Mound is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. There were about 9,435 people living in Mound as of the 2000 census.
John Holmes
John Curtis Holmes (August 8, 1944 – March 13, 1988) better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd was an American pornographic actor known mainly for his large penis. Holmes made about 2,500 pornographic films, most with him having sexual intercourse with women but at least one with him having sex with a man.
Holmes' penis was said to be between 12.5 to 16 inches (32–41 cm) when at its largest. Fellow pornographic actor Ron Jeremy has said Holmes' penis was 11½ inches, but Holmes claimed it was 14 inches.
John Holmes died of an AIDS-related illness in 1988.
Bird-of-paradise
The birds of paradise are songbirds of the family Paradisaeidae. They live in eastern Indonesia, Maluku, Papua New Guinea, Torres Strait Islands, and eastern Australia. Best known are the members of the genus "Paradisaea", including the type species, the greater bird-of-paradise, "Paradisaea apoda".
They live in tropical forests like rainforests, swamps and moss forest. They build their nests from soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine monsters, typically placed in a tree fork.
These birds are best known for the remarkable plumage and behaviour of the males. They are an extreme example of how sexual selection works.
Females choose males who they instinctively see are fine specimens of their species. The colours of the plumage, the construction of the nest, the song and the mating dance all play a part. In some species the pairing is monogamous, and in others the males are polygamous. If they are monogamous, the males look much like the females. If they are polygamous, the males are very much flashier than the females. In both cases, it is the female who makes the choice of partner.
Hunting for plumes and habitat destruction have reduced some species to endangered status. Habitat destruction due to deforestation is now the main threat.
Birds of paradise range in size from the king bird of paradise at 3 grams (1.8 oz) and 15 cm (6 in) to the black sicklebill at 110 cm (43 in) and the curl-crested manucode at 430 grams (15.2 oz).
Birds of paradise have bodies which look rather like a crow. They have stout or long bills and strong feet, About two-thirds of the species are strongly sexually dimorphic.
In most species, the diet is mostly fruit, but riflebirds and sicklebills also prefer insects and other arthropods.
Greater "melampitta"
Formerly placed here
Songbirds are the main group of birds in the order Passeriformes. They are the suborder Passeri, sometimes called 'oscines' (Latin for songbird). They are a genuine clade.
There are about 4000 species of songbird. Their "syrinx" (vocal organ) is able to produce varied and beautiful singing. They are a "very" successful group of birds, in fact they are the dominant birds on Earth today.
It seems songbirds evolved 50 million years ago in the part of Gondwana which later became Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Antarctica. They then spread around the world.
Their song is mainly territorial: it communicates the identity and whereabouts of an individual to other birds of the same species. It also signals sexual intentions. Female preference in some populations is based on the extent of a male's song repertoire. The larger a male's repertoire, the more females a male individual attracts.
Bird calls are also used for alarms and contact. They are especially important in birds that feed or migrate in flocks. Although almost all birds give calls of some sort, well-developed songs are only given by a few lines outside the songbirds.
This is now known to be a paraphyletic group and so it is not used in modern systematics.
This is accepted as a clade.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. They are perching birds. Most of them are small in size, and most can sing very well. Their main suborder is the Passeri, the songbirds.
The passerines have a number of adaptations which, taken together, have made them highly successful, with many species around the world.
Evidence on their evolution comes from comparative anatomy, the fossil record and molecular biology.
It is thought that the first passerines evolved in the southern continent of Gondwana in the Palaeogene. This might have taken place around the Upper Palaeocene some 60–55 mya. The latest opinion on passerine evolution is that that passerines originated on the Australian landmass ∼47 mya.
The early fossil record is poor because the first Passeriformes were on the small side, and their delicate bones did not preserve well. Two specimens from Queensland, Australia are fossil bone fragments clearly recognizable as passeriform. They are two species of about 10 and 20 cm in overall length. This proves that some 55 mya, barely into the early Eocene, early perching birds were recognizably distinct. It also suggests that the origin of this great order of birds was in the southern continent.
There are three sub-orders: "Acanthisitti", "Tyranni" and "Passeri". There are only two bird species in the sub-order Acanthisitti. They are known as New Zealand wrens. The sub-order Tyranni are also known as the suboscines. Many of these birds are found in tropical areas. The sub-order Passeri has the most bird species. They are also known as the oscines.
Suboscines
Songbirds or oscines
Superb lyrebird
The superb lyrebird ("Menura novaehollandiae") is a pheasant-sized songbird.
It is an Australian endemic species, about 100cm long. It has brown upper body plumage, grayish-brown below, rounded wings and strong legs. It is the longest and third heaviest of all songbirds.
They are capable of mimicking a wide variety of sounds, including other bird's songs and man-made sounds like car alarms and chainsaws.
A lyrebird is a ground-dwelling Australian bird. There are two species in the genus Menura. The live in forests, especially rainforests, of eastern Australia, and they were introduced to Tasmania in the 19th century. They are found in two National Forest areas of Victoria, New South Wales and southeast Queensland.
They are most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Since they live on the ground in fairly dense undergrowth, sound is used by the males to attract attention. When a female arrives, the visual display comes into action. It is a typical "female choice" mating system, where males defend a mating territory, and sing and display to get a mate.
The lyrebird's mimicked calls are learned from the local environment, including other birds. It takes young birds about a year to perfect their mimicked repertoire. The female lyrebirds of both species are also mimics, and will sing on occasion but the females do so with less skill than the males. A lyrebird classic is their imitation of human sounds in the forest such as car alarms, camera shutters and forest logging with chain-saws.
The breeding cycle of the lyrebirds is long, and lyrebirds are long-lived birds. They can live up to thirty years. They also start breeding later in life than other passerine birds. Female Superb Lyrebirds start breeding at the age of five or six, and males at the age of six to eight. Males defend territories from other males.These territories may contain the breeding places of up to eight females. In a male's territory, he makes or uses display platforms.
The females each build an untidy nest, usually low to the ground in a moist gully, where each lays a single egg. She is the sole parent who incubates the egg over 50 days until it hatches, and she is also the sole carer of the lyrebird chick.
Albert's lyrebird
The Albert's lyrebird ("Menura alberti") is a pheasant-sized songbird, about 90 cm long, with brown upper body feathers and rich chestnut below. It is very similar with the superb lyrebird in its habits. This bird also mimics other species sounds. It is sometimes called the "Prince Albert Lyrebird" or the "Northern Lyrebird". Named after Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, they are smaller than the Superb Lyrebirds.
Albert's lyrebirds are only found in a small area of rainforest in the Lamington National Park near the border of Queensland and New South Wales. There are about 3,500 birds known to exist. There are reports of the birds in the Blackall Range, but this has not been proved. Known groups of birds live on Tamborine Mountain, Scenic Rim and the Nightcap Range.
They eat small insects which they scratch up from the ground. They are a shy bird which will run or fly away if disturbed. During the breeding season in winter, from May to August, the male bird performs displays of song and dance to attract the females. The songs are copied from other birds and forest sounds. The songs can last up to four hours, with some individual songs lasting up to one hour. During his dance, the male bird raises his tail feathers up and over his body. The feathers form a lyre shape which is why they were given the name "lyrebird".
It is listed as a Vulnerable species because it lives in such a limited area, it can only eat a small range of food from that area, and it is not breeding quickly.
Corvida
Passerida
Piciformes
Piciformes are order of birds contain about 67 living genera with a little over 400 species, of which the Picidae (woodpeckers and relatives) make up about half. Amost all live in woods (arboreal).
In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, though the barbets and toucans mostly eat fruit and the honeyguides are unique among birds in digesting beeswax (though insects make up most of their diet).
Nearly all Piciformes have parrot-like zygodactyl feet—two toes forward and two back, an arrangement that has obvious advantages for birds that spend much of their time on tree trunks. An exception are a few species of three-toed woodpeckers. The jacamars aside, Piciformes do not have down feathers at any age, only true feathers. They range in size from the rufous piculet at 8 centimetres in length, and weighing 7 grams, to the toco toucan, at 63 centimetres long, and weighing 680 grams. All nest in cavities (holes) and have altricial young, meaning they have to look after their chicks for quite a long time.
Order: PICIFORMES
La Silla Observatory
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Freema Agyeman
Missy Elliott
Piombino
Piombino is a town and commune in the province of Livorno (Tuscany), Italy, on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.
It has an ancient historical centre, derived from the time in which it was the Etruscans' port, near the area of Populonia. In the Middle Ages, it was an important port of Pisa's Republic. Still today Piombino is one of biggest port in Italy, and is one of the most used port for to go in the Elba Island, (with the port of Livorno). Piombino outside the down town has a very big industrial area.
Piombino has schools, churches, banks, parks and squares. In the locality of Punta Falcone there is an astronomical observatory, built in 1976.
On July 28 2000, the city of Piombino got the Gold Medal of Military Valor for the fight against nazism and fascism, before and during the World War II.
Caraş-Severin County
Caraş-Severin (; Serbian: Караш Северин, "Karaš Severin", ; , Bulgarian: Караш-Северин, "Karash-Severin") is a county (judeţ) of Romania, in historical region Banat. The capital of Caraş-Severin County is Reşiţa.
In 2002, about 332,000 people lived in Caraş-Severin County.
Caraş-Severin County has an area of 8,514 km². It is the third biggest county in Romania, after Timiş and Suceava counties. The Danube enters Romania in Caraş-Severin County.
Caraş-Severin County has 2 municipalities, 6 towns, and 69 communes.
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: "Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare") is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia.
During World War I, the medal was awarded to military personnel for exceptional valor in the face of the enemy. After the World War II, the medal was gave to the cities that fought fascism and nazism during the war.
Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: "Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare") is an Italian medal established in 1833 by King Charles Albert of Sardinia.
During World War I, the medal was awarded to military personnel for exceptional valor in combat. Like the Gold Medal and the Bronze Medal, the Silver Medal was given also to citizens who fought against nazism and fascism during World War II.
Bronze Medal of Military Valor
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal awarded by the King of Italy.
During World War I, the medal was awarded to military personnel for exceptional valor in combat. For each subsequent act of valor, the recipient was awarded a bar in the corresponding class. As the Gold medal and the Silver Medal, after the World War II, the Bronze Medal was gave to the cities that fought against the nazism and the fascism during the war.
Reşiţa
Reşiţa (German: "Reschitz", Hungarian: "Resicabánya", Krashovani: Решица or "Rešica", Czech: "Rešice") is a city in the western part of Romania. It is the capital of Caraş-Severin County, in the Banat region. About 84,000 people live in Reşiţa as of the year 2004.
Orbetello
Orbetello is a town and "commune" in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy. It is about south of Grosseto, on a lagoon, which is an important Natural Reserve.
Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan village, which in 280 BC went under the control of the Romans, who had founded their colony of Cosa.
In the Middle Ages it was controlled by the Aldobrandeschi family, who held it until the 14th century, when it was bought by the city of Orvieto. After some years, Orbetello was captured by the Sienese Republic. In the mid-16th century it was part of the Spanish puppet State of Presides, becoming its capital. Later it was under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and, from the late 19th century, the new Kingdom of Italy.
In 1927-1933, Italo Balbo's "air cruises" started from Orbetello's lagoon.
Pontedera
Pontedera is a small Italian industrial town in Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Pisa. Pontedera is the headquarters of the Piaggio company,from the 1930s one of most important Italian manufacturers motor vehicles such as the Vespa and the Ape. Piaggio was a subsidiary of FIAT. Today the owner of Piaggio is Roberto Colaninno.
Pontedera is in the Arno valley at the confluence of the Era River and the Arno River.
The Town has a small lake in Pietroconti called Braccini lake.
Casentino
The Casentino is the valley in which the first tract of the Arno River flows till Subbiano, in the Italian region Tuscany. It is one of the four valleys in which the Province of Arezzo is divided. The valley's biggest "comuni" are all in the Arno valley: among these the biggest are Bibbiena and Poppi, while Capolona, Castel Focognano, Castel San Niccolò, Pratovecchio, Stia, Subbiano are more or less smaller. The villages on the neighbouring hills and mountains are much smaller. These are Chitignano, Chiusi della Verna, Montemignaio, Ortignano-Raggiolo and Talla. The Casentino is mentioned in the song "Ich hab in Penna einen Liebsten wohnen", from the "Italieniches Liederbuch" by Hugo Wolf.
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Colle di Val d'Elsa or Colle Val d'Elsa is a town and "comune" in Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Siena. It has a population of c. 20,000 inhabitants (2005). Its name in Italian means "Hill of Elsa Valley", where "Elsa" is the name of the river which crosses it. Today, Colle di Val d'Elsa is internationally renowned for the production of crystal glassware and art, largely produced in the industrial lower town.
The area was settled by man from at least the 4th millennium BC. In 1269 it was the seat of a famous battle during the wars of Guelphs and Ghibellines and in 1479 it was attacked by Neapolitan soldiers. From the 14th century it was under the control of the city of Florence and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the unification of Italy in 1860. In the 20th century it became an important industrial town. During World War II it was bombed by Allied aircraft. The oldest part of the town is the "colle alta", the higher part, with a well preserved medieval center. The city is also famous as the birthplace of sculptor and architect Arnolfo di Cambio.
British Rail Class 140
British Rail Class 141
The British Rail Class 141 was the first production model of the Pacer diesel multiple units.
They were created because then British Rail had a large shortage of trains so rather than spending lots of money on expensive proper trains, they invented the Pacer. British Leyland at the time had a surplus in the production of bus bodies so the idea was to weld the bus body from an old bus on to a freight waggon chassis. The result of this was that pacers have notoriously poor suspension and are noisier around corners due to flanging (the squeaky noise that you'll sometimes hear when travelling by train). This makes them non-ideal passenger trains so they are now being replaced (or have been replaced in the case of the class 141) by new trains.
Rosignano Marittimo
Rosignano Marittimo is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany. It is about 80 km southwest of Florence and about 20 km southeast of Livorno. As of 31 December 2004, it had 31,516 people. It has an area of 120.3 km².
The "comune" of Rosignano Marittimo contains the "frazioni" of: Castiglioncello, Rosignano Solvay, Vada, Castelnuovo della Misericordia, Gabbro, and Nibbiaia.
Rosignano Marittimo borders the following "comuni": Castellina Marittima, Cecina, Collesalvetti, Livorno, Orciano Pisano, Santa Luce.
James Henry Hammond
James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was from South Carolina. He served as a United States Representative from 1835 to 1836, Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, and United States Senator from 1857 to 1860. He had a son. He was also a slave owner; his plantation is in Redcliffe Park in South Carolina. The stables at Redcliffe Park were either built by him or his son.
Santa Croce sull'Arno
Santa Croce sull'Arno is an Italian town in the province of Pisa, Tuscany. About 13,400 people lived there as of 2005.
The city is famous for the tanning industries. In 16.92 square kilometres there are about 400 factories and laboratories.
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of "Pacer" diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984.
Functional illiteracy
Functional illiteracy means that a person is not able to read, write, and do math well in regular life. Someone who is fully illiterate can not read, write, or do math at all. Such people have perhaps never learnt how to read or write; perhaps they did not need to. A person who is functionally illiterate is different - at some point in their lives, these people were taught reading and writing skills. For different reasons, adults who are functionally illiterate try to avoid writing and reading as much as possible. That way, a person who is functionally illiterate may be able to write their name, but it is very difficult for them to write more than a few sentences.
These people have trouble functioning in modern society: when they are confronted with printed materials they cannot perform simple tasks such as filling out a form, understanding a contract, following written instructions, reading a newspaper article, traffic signs, consulting a dictionary, or understanding a bus schedule.
Because of functional illiteracy, these people also have a lot of trouble using modern communication technologies, such as a personal computer or a mobile phone.
The people who are functionally illiterate often have other problems as well: Other people may bully them, they may have higher health risks, and stress. Because they cannot get good jobs, they often earn little money.
Crime-researchers and sociologists have talked about the link between functional illiteracy and crime.
"Business" magazine estimates that 15 million functionally illiterate adults had a job in the United States at the start of the 21st century. The American Council of Life Insurers reported that 75% of the Fortune 500 companies provide some level of training to help their workers overcome this situation. All over the U.S 30 million - 14% of adults - are unable to perform simple and everyday literacy activities.
The National Center for Education Statistics has more detail.
This report sees three parameters: prose, document, and quantitative literacy. There are four levels for each parameter: below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient. For prose literacy, for example, a below basic level of literacy means that a person can look at a short piece of text to get a small piece of uncomplicated information. Similarly, a person who is "below basic" in quantitative literacy might be able to add two numbers.
In the US, 14% of adults are at the "below basic" level for prose literacy; 12% are at the "below basic" level for document literacy; and 22% are at that level for quantitative literacy. Only 13% of the population is proficient in these three areas. In the terms of the study, "proficient" means these people are able to compare viewpoints in two editorials. They can interpret a table about blood pressure, age, and physical activity. They can also compute and compare the cost per ounce of food items.
In the UK, according to the "Daily Telegraph" (14 June 2006) "one in six British adults lacks the literacy skills of an 11-year-old". The UK government's Department for Education reported in 2006 that 47 percent of school children left school at age 16 without having achieved a basic level in functional maths, and 42 percent fail to achieve a basic level of functional English. Every year 100,000 pupils leave school functionally illiterate in the UK.
A Literacy at Work study, published by the Northeast Institute in 2001, found that business losses attributed to basic skill deficiencies run into billions of dollars a year due to low productivity, errors, and accidents attributed to functional illiteracy.
Sociological research has demonstrated that countries with lower levels of functional illiteracy among their adult populations tend to be those with the highest levels of scientific literacy among the lower stratum of young people nearing the end of their formal academic studies. This correspondence suggests that a contributing factor to a society's level of civic literacy is the capacity of schools to ensure students attain the functional literacy required to comprehend the basic texts and documents associated with competent citizenship.
British Rail Class 143
The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple unit, part of the Pacer family of trains introduced between 1985 & 1986. They originally worked around North East England but were later transferred to Wales. The coaches are based on an Alexander bus body mounted on a chassis from a freight or Goods truck. Twenty-five units were built, numbered 143001-025 but later re-numbered 143601 - 143625.
British Rail Class 144
The British Rail Class 144 "Pacer" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL Derby from 1986-1987. A total of 23 units were built, replacing many of the earlier First-generation "Heritage" DMUs.
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.
British Rail Class 151
The British Rail Class 151 was a prototype class of DMU built by Metro Cammell in the mid-1980s.
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter" is a single-car diesel multiple unit train.
In the early 1990s, British Rail took the decision that running 2-car trains on rural routes was inefficient, and identified the need for single-carriage trains. Initially consideration was given to splitting the Met-Cam Class 156 units to form class 152 units, however due to various problems with the Class 155 units, the decision was taken to split these units instead.
British Rail Class 155
British Rail Class 156
British Rail Class 157
Class 157 was the designation applied to a range of Diesel multiple unit trains of the Sprinter family planned for regional use, in particular for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. As well as the class number, British Rail reserved carriage numbers in the 526xx and 576xx series for these units.
As the Privatisation of British Rail began, this project became unviable as resources were concentrated on the privatisation process, leading to the famous 1064-day 'drought' of new train orders. By the time this period was over, plans had moved on and Stratchclyde ended up receiving a batch of Class 170 units.
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 "Express Sprinter" is a type of diesel multiple unit (DMU) train. They were built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at their Derby Works. They were built to replace old DMUs and locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Class 159 trains are almost the same as Class 158s. They work many non-electrified services such as Exeter St David's To London Waterloo. They were among the last new trains in the UK to be built with the old toilet system which emptied directly onto the track.
British Rail Class 159
British Rail Class 165
The British Rail Class 165 "Network Turbo" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL at York Works from 1990–1992.
British Rail Class 166
British Rail Class 168
The Class 168 "Clubman" is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU) train used by Chiltern Railways for InterCity services between London and the Midlands. They were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units was classified 168/0 under TOPS and bore a large resemblance, both visually and in terms of electrical design, to the Class 165 units previously built by BREL at York. This is because they were based on plans originally drawn up by Network SouthEast and thus can be considered to be Networker Turbos. Subsequent builds, classified 168/1 and 168/2, were given the newer style cab and a new design of wiring and thus are part of the Turbostar family of trains.
British Rail Class 170
British Rail Class 171
The Class 171 "Turbostar" is a type of DMU operated by Southern. The Class 171 is identical to the Class 170, except for the replacement of the BSI coupler with a Dellner coupler. This provision was made in order to allow emergency joining with Class 377 DC third-rail electric units.
British Rail Class 172
British Rail Class 175
The Class 175 "Coradia" is a model of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. They were built from 1999–2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The fleet is currently based at Chester Depot. The fleet is used in North Wales on services from Holyhead, South Wales, normally going south or up to the North Wales Coast. Many also operate round the Manchester area.
British Rail Class 180
The Class 180 "Adelante" is a type of British diesel multiple unit built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The units are express trains originally built for First North Western but then the contract was passed over to First Great Western (FGW) to supplement their High Speed Train fleet. However, due to reliability and operating problems the decision was made to withdraw most of the fleet from service. The majority of the units have already been returned to the Leasing Company with the remainder of the fleet to follow in due course. First Great Western announced in November 2010 that the Class 180's would be returning to their fleet in Spring 2012 for use on the Cotswold Line.
British Rail Class 185
British Rail Class 201
The British Rail Class 201 (or 6S) six-car diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) were built in 1957–1958 at Eastleigh railway works and Ashford railway works. They were built for use on the London to Hastings line. Several tunnels along the route had restricted clearance, meaning that these units were built with a narrow body profile.
British Rail Class 202
British Rail Class 203
The Class 203 was the final version of the Hastings narrow-bodied diesel multiple unit train. It was originally classified 6B. They were delivered in 1958. Their unit numbers were 1031–1037. They differed from class 202 by having a buffet car.
British Rail Class 204
British Rail Class 205
The British Rail Class 205 (or 3H) diesel-electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh railway works from 1957–1962.
Due to a generous disposal policy by Porterbrook Leasing, nearly all of the final units in service were preserved. The only unit not preserved was no. 205012, which had poor bodywork and donated its engine to the only surviving unrefurbished Class 207 unit.
British Rail Class 206
The British Rail Class 206 or 3R was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) first created in 1964. They were re-formed from Class 201 and Class 416 vehicles for use on Reading-Redhill-Tonbridge (North Downs Line) services. Six three-car sets were created, numbered 1201–1206. They were nicknamed 'Tadpole' units because of the contrast between the wide-bodied 416 'head' and the narrow-bodied 206 'tail'.
British Rail Class 207
British Rail Class 210
Christopher Flavin
Christopher Flavin is the President of the Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization focused on natural resource and environmental issues, based in Washington, DC. He is also a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy] and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, the Climate Institute, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. His research and writing focus is international energy and climate policy.
Flavin has participated in several notable international conferences, including the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Climate Change Conference in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. He has testified before national and state legislatures and meets frequently with government and international leaders.
Flavin is a native of Monterey, California and a cum laude graduate of Williams College, where he studied economics, biology, and environmental studies.
British Rail Class 220
The Class 220 "Voyager" is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for the British train operating company Virgin Trains, but are now operated by CrossCountry. They are air-conditioned throughout, with powered doors and a top speed of . They were introduced to replace the thirty-year-old High Speed Train and Class 47 fleets. The trains were built between 2000 and 2001 and the first train entered service on 5 June 2001.
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 "SuperVoyager" is a train currently used by Virgin Trains and CrossCountry in the United Kingdom. They were built by Bombardier Transportation between 2000 and 2002 for the British train operating companies Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast. The first Class 221 "SuperVoyager" entered traffic between Birmingham and Brighton on 12 April 2002. The Class 221 "SuperVoyagers" are similar to the Class 220 "Voyager" units, but they are built with a tilting mechanism offering up to six degrees of tilt to allow faster speeds on curved tracks. They have a maximum speed of .
Lester Brown
Lester R. Brown (born in 1934 in New Jersey) is an environmental analyst who has authored and co-authored over fifty books. His books have been translated into more than forty languages. He is the founder of the Worldwatch Institute and founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute.
The recipient of twenty-five honorary degrees and a MacArthur Fellowship, Brown has been described as "one of the world's most influential thinkers."
Brown has authored or coauthored 50 books. One of the world's most widely published authors, his books have appeared in some 40 languages. Among his earlier books are "Man, Land and Food", "World Without Borders", and "Building a Sustainable Society". His 1995 book "Who Will Feed China?" challenged the official view of China’s food prospect, spawning hundreds of conferences and seminars.
In May 2001, he founded the Earth Policy Institute to provide a vision and a road map for achieving sustainable development. In November 2001, he published "Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth", and his most recent book is "World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse" (2011).
He is the recipient of many prizes and awards, including 25 honorary degrees, a MacArthur Fellowship, the 1987 United Nations' Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature Gold Medal, and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize for his "exceptional contributions to solving global environmental problems." More recently, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Italy, the Borgström Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, and appointed an honorary professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1991, the American Humanist Association named Brown the Humanist of the Year.
Books online:
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.
British Rail Classes 251 and 261
British Rail Class 252
British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255
Hum Ek Hain
British Rail Class 313