AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
During and after the Russian Civil War, Soviet Russia suffered great damage. In 1920 and 1921, there was little rain which caused serious famine in 1921. About one million Russians left Russia and went to other countries to live there on a permanent basis. Many of them were very educated and expert persons.
Economic loss was also very big. The value of Russia’s currency (ruble) fell. In 1914, with 2 rubles one could buy a US dollar. In 1920, one had to give 1,200 rubles to buy one US dollar. Estimates say that the war cost the Soviet Russia around 50 billion rubles or $35,000,000,000.00 in today’s price. Production of industrial goods fell to very low level. For example, The Soviet Union was producing only 5 % of the cotton, and only 2 % of the iron ore, compared to the production of 1913. Generally, the production had fallen to 20% of the production of 1913.
The Russian Civil War had a very bad effect on agriculture also. Farms produced only 37 % of the normal production. The number of horses fell from 35 million (in 1916) to 24 million (in 1920). The number of cattle also decreased, from 58 million to 37 million.
During this war, the government of the Soviet Union could somehow manage the country. In March 1921, four months after the defeat of the White Army in the Crimea, the Lenin administration abandoned the policy of War Communism and instead formulated the New Economic Policy which allowed denationalisation of agriculture and industry, but most financial institutions retained state ownership with a deregulation in such sectors. On 30 December 1922, the USSR was formally created, and by 1928, production returned to pre-war levels. Lenin, however, did not live to see that day:. He died in 1924 and Joseph Stalin became the new leader.
The result of the First World War and the Russian Civil War was very bad for the life and society for the newborn Soviet Union. People always remembered their bad results.
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends is an American–Irish animated comedy fantasy children's cartoon that is shown on Cartoon Network and TG4. It was created by Craig McCracken, who also made "The Powerpuff Girls". It premiered in August 13, 2004. The cartoon finished production of its episodes on May 3rd, 2009.
In the show's world, imaginary friends are as real as humans. Once the creator decides he or she does not want the imaginary friend anymore, they are sent to live at "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," an adoption home for the unwanted imaginary friends.
In the ninety-minute debut episode, an imaginary friend named Bloo is allowed to live in the house without being available for adoption, as long as his creator Mac visits him every day at 3 o'clock. The show from this point onwards is about their many silly adventures with their new friends, both imaginary and human.
Interpol is the short form of International Criminal Police Organization. It began in 1923. Now, Interpol is the second biggest international organization; the United Nations is the biggest. Some important information about Interpol:
In 1923, Interpol begun its functioning from Austria. At that time, its name was "International Criminal Police Commission" (ICPM). During the Second World War, Nazi Germany controlled Austria. ICPM also came under Nazi control. They used it for collecting many types of information. After the Second World War, senior military men of Belgium, France, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom made many changes in ICPM. Thereafter, ICPM started to work in its new form.
In October 2018, then-President of Interpol Meng Hongwei was arrested by Chinese authorities after being accused of taking bribes.
The Interpol General Secretariat is the main office of Interpol. The highest-ranking officer of Interpol is the president. Just below him, there is a secretary general. In 2001, about 384 persons from 54 countries worked in this secretariat. Earlier the working time was from 9 o’clock in the morning till 5 o’clock in the evening. Now, this secretariat works all 24 hours without any break. In 2001, Interpol could help in arresting or finding out about 1400 persons, generally criminals.
Interpol does not take any political side in its work. It takes cases where the crime or the matter relates to more than one country. It looks after many types of cases. Some of them are note below:
Over the years, Interpol has developed a method of its working. Each member country keeps a special office. The name of this office in every member country is National Central Bureau (NCB). If necessary, Interpol contacts this office for getting information or for any other action. In turn, the National Central Bureau gets in touch with Interpol (on behalf of the member country) to ask for any assistance.
Interpol also has collected a large data about criminals and crimes. Such information includes information about illegal drug trade, lost and stolen passports and visas. Member countries may use the information. Officers of Interpol do not directly conduct any enquiry or investigation. This is always done through the policemen of the member country.
El Niño–Southern Oscillation
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO in short) is a term for a natural event that takes place in the Pacific Ocean. It is also called El Niño and La Niña. In Spanish they mean "little boy" and "little girl".
El Niño happens when the sea water temperature rises in surface waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Every two to five years the Pacific Ocean has this event. A weak, warm current starts around Christmas along the coast of Ecuador and Peru. It lasts for only a few weeks to a month or more. Every three to seven years, an El Niño event may last for many months. This can change the weather and have important effects around the world. Australia and Southeast Asia can have drought but the deserts of Peru have very heavy rainfall. East Africa can have both. In a La Niña event the weather patterns are reversed.
The Southern Oscillation was discovered by Sir Gilbert Walker in 1923. It is a "seesaw" of atmospheric pressure between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. There is an inverse relationship between the air pressure measured at two sites: Darwin, Australia, in the Indian Ocean and the island of Tahiti in the South Pacific. The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is the difference in sea-level pressure measured at Tahiti and Darwin. The Cold Tongue (CT) Index measures how much the average sea-surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific near the equator varies from the annual cycle. The two measurements are anti-correlated, so that a negative SOI is usually together with an unusual warm ocean wind known as El Niño.
By the early 1980s it was clear that El Niño and the Southern Oscillation were related, and the acronym ENSO is used to describe this large-scale event.
The 2010-2011 Queensland floods were caused by a La Niña event which brought very heavy rain to the east coast of Australia. Other big floods in Australia have also happened during a La Niña, 1916, 1917, 1950, 1954-1956, and 1973-1975. The cost of the 2010-2011 Queensland floods has been worked out to A$30 billion.
Not all El Niños happen in the Eastern Pacific. During recent decades, Central Pacific El Niños have been discovered. When these happen, the effects from CP El Niños are very different from traditional El Niños. Central Pacific El Niños took place in 1986–88, 1991–92, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10 and 2015–16.
Pressure cooker
A pressure cooker is a type of pot with a very tight lid.
As the liquid in the cooker gets hot, pressure rises. Higher pressure results in a higher boiling point. Pressure cookers allow cooking at higher temperatures, which allows faster cooking.
Year 1710 (MDCCX) was a year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
Pescozada
Rhyme means words that sound the same or similar in their endings. Poems and popular song lyrics often use rhyme. A simple poem can also be called a rhyme.
Many examples of rhyme are in folk songs, children's songs, and of course in nursery rhymes. Rhymes at the ends of the lines in a song or poem are normal:
The counting song
uses "internal rhymes," rhymes that fall within a single line instead of at the end of lines. In another children's poem,
"knack" and "whack" give another example of internal rhyme. Also, the rhymes at the ends of the lines, "bone" and "home", are not "exact rhymes." Exact rhymes are the same in everything but the first sound. Exact rhymes are the most common type of rhyme and can be formed easily with common sounds in English:
Other rhymes are not exact but only similar:
Here, the rhymes are not exact rhymes. Also, "gander" and "wander" are "sight rhymes," words that look like rhymes when printed but do not sound quite alike. Sight rhymes are more common in poetry meant to be read, than in songs or verse meant to be sung or spoken aloud and heard by listeners.
Rhymes can be made up of more than one word, as in the short poem "Rondeau" by James Henry Leigh Hunt:
Along with simple normal rhymes, "met" and "get", "sad" and "add", and one internal rhyme, "health" and "wealth", Hunt creates sets of clever two-word rhymes.
Some poets and writers use very unusual rhymes. Well-known examples are in the song lyrics to the 1939 MGM film version of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz". The lyrics, written by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg, use many odd rhymes, plus internal rhymes, complex rhyme patterns, and other tricks of language. W. S. Gilbert, the lyricist for the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, wrote the same way. The books of Dr. Seuss are also famous for their many strange rhymes.
Poets who choose to avoid rhyme write in blank verse or free verse.
A lock keeps things closed. It keeps people from opening something, such as a door or a box. Keys open locks. Sometimes an electronic card or secret numbers will open a lock. The verb to lock means to set the lock so the door or object is closed. A person who works on locks is called a locksmith.
A key lock is a lock that uses a key (a piece of metal with teeth like a little saw) to open it. Someone must put the key in the lock and turn it to open the lock. This lock is used in doors and locks for boxes. Key locks can be defeated by picking them.
A combination lock is a lock that uses a dial (a knob with numbers all around it) to open it. Someone must turn the dial to the right numbers in the right order. This is called the "combination." This lock is used on safes and locks for bicycles.
An electronic lock is a special lock that can only be opened with a message from a computer. This message can be stored in a computer chip on a card (called a "key card" or "security card"). Or it can be made by a computer looking at someone's fingerprint or eye.
Time locks are used in banks. They prevent anyone opening the vault until a preset time. This defeats burglary attempts when the bank is closed.
Padlocks are probably the most common type of lock. They are opened either with a key or a combination. The best way to break them is to snap the hoop with a long-handled bolt cutter.
Pin tumbler locks, commonly called 'Yale locks', are very common for fastening doors. They were indeed invented by Linus Yale Jnr in the 1860s.
Deadbolts are locks which cannot be moved to the open position except by rotating the cylinder.
Spring latch lock. The common door latch which locks when you pull the door closed. It is much less secure than a deadbolt lock, but more convenient.
No lock is completely safe, though some are safer than others. Locks can be defeated by brute force or by lock picking. The most common brute force tool is the crowbar, commonly called (UK) a jimmy or jerry or (US) a wrecking bar.
Picking involve tools such as pin-tumbler lock picks, skeleton keys, bump keys, pick guns etc. Carrying these tools, especially after dark, is an arrestable offence in most countries except if the owner is a registered locksmith.
A knob is a round handle that can be turned or pulled. A doorknob is a round handle that is turned to open a door. A cabinet knob is a small handle that is pulled to open a cabinet door or drawer. A control knob can turn a lamp on and off or make the volume on a radio go up or down.
A "knob" can also be any small, round thing that sticks out.
The Sims 2 is a 2004 video game and the sequel to "The Sims". It is a simulation game made by Maxis and EA Games.
The game features a full 3D graphics engine. Like the first "The Sims" game, it has many expansion packs.
EA released a sequel, "The Sims 3", in June 2009.
There are now six life stages: baby, toddler, child, teenager, adult, and elder. An additional young adult stage is added when you get the University expansion pack. Sims can now grow up and eventually die. In the first game, Sims would stay children forever and adults would stay adults forever. Teenagers can hold jobs as well as go to school.
Careers have gone under many changes. There is now a schedule; there are seven days in a week, and Sims at school are off on Saturday and Sunday. Sims can now get paid vacation days and start working 4–5 days a week. A meter measures job performance (their mood when they get to work). A new thing called "chance cards" lets the player pick what to do in a situation. Sims can gain/lose skill points, gain/lose money, or be promoted, demoted, or even fired.
Children and teenagers now bring homework home and their grades rise or fall depending on whether they finish it or not. Teenagers can hold jobs as well as go to school, but if their grades drop too low they can lose their job.
Other new things are wants and fears. These change when a want or fear is done or when the Sim wakes up from sleep.
Also, Sims can have aspirations (big things they want to do) like to have a family, to have many friends, to fall in love, to learn a lot, or to have a lot of money. A player can choose which aspiration they want their Sim to have, and the aspirations will affect their wants and fears. For example, a Sim with the family aspiration might want to have a child, but a Sim with the money aspiration might want to get a job instead.
Like in the first Sims game, a mother Sim and a father Sim can have a child. Also, children can be made at the start of the game or got from the adoption service.
One of the biggest changes in Sims 2 is that a Sim can go to a community lot (a place in the town like a store or a park). They can go there by using the phone to call a taxi.
These are addons to the game which add new items, new places and new features. They are listed in the order that they came out in the shops. They are meant to come out 2 times a year.
There are eight expansion packs in total.
These are packages that add only items to the game. They are less expensive than the regular expansion packs.
RollerCoaster Tycoon (or RCT) is a series of computer games where the user can make their own theme park. Each game in the series allows players to construct their own theme parks in an objective-based level. Players can also build their own roller coasters.
The first game was made by three people: designer and programmer Chris Sawyer, artist Simon Foster and composer Alistar Brimble. It was published by Hasbro Interactive.
The game was very popular. It was released for the PC.
These are the games which have been released:
This is the original game, for the PC. It was released in 1999 There is a long list of scenarios (levels) which the user can complete. Users can also download famous theme parks from the internet. A large number of rides and shops are included with the game.
Also named 'Corkscrew Follies'. It was released in 1999 This game includes many more levels and some more rides and shops are added. The original game MUST be installed to be able to play this one.
This addon also includes the "Added Attractions Pack". It was released in 2000 for the PC. It includes three famous theme parks: Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Alton Towers and Heide Park. It adds many more levels and rides to the game.
The 2002 sequel to RCT was made because of the success of the first game. It had the same interface but it added a few new features:
The game also added support for buildings to be made using walls to make ride entrances. It included famous Six Flags theme parks and their rides.
There are two expansion packs released for RCT2. These are:
RCT3 is the first game in the series to use full 3D graphics. It was released in 2004. Players can ride their rides and rollercoasters for the first time. Night and day is a new feature. Firework displays can now be made to custom music.
RCT3 now has a sandbox mode. This is where the user can build a park with all items available and unlimited money. It is a good way to build parks in practise for the 'Career Mode'. There are many Scenarios packaged with the game. Each one can be completed on three difficulty levels. More are added with the expansion packs. This game adds the ability to make your own Peep groups to wander around your park.
This is the first expansion pack to be released for RCT3. It was released in 2005. The User can build water parks with different types of waterslides. He or she can also build swimming pools. A few water-themes attractions have been added as well as new shops. The number of scenarios available is doubled with this expansion pack. It also adds some new music to the game. This Expansion Pack came with the Hershey's Stormrunner and the Rollersoaker. Both based on coasters based on real coaster designs at Hershey Park somewhere in the U.S.A.
The Fireworks mode has been upgraded to a Laser and Water display feature as well. The user can now make longer shows to their music.
This expansion pack was released in 2005. The users can now add animals to their park. A new set of animal-themed rides have been added, like the 'Insect House' and 'Elephant Ride'. The game has new music and new scenery. Also some new shops have been added. There are a lot of scenarios added as well as some jungle themed music. This expansion pack came with the Extended Coaster which is basically a dream coaster. It has the most inversion parts and also the ability to make beyond vertical drops like on SAW the ride at Thorpe Park.
Fuhua Secondary School is a school in Jurong West, Singapore. It started in 2000 and the founding principal was Ong Kian Choon from Chung Cheng High(Branch). Oen Siew Yock took over as principal in 2005 when Ong transferred to Nan Chiau High School. The Vice Principal is Ronald Lu Jing Yuan.
Fuhua has 4 core values:
Although Fuhua's history is short, unlike other established schools, Fuhua has won many awards since its start.
The school is most famous for its robotics team, known as Fubotics. Students have gone on to South Korea representing Singapore in a robotics meet in 2003.
It has also represented Singapore in the World Robot Olympiad numerous times: 2005 (Bangkok, Thailand), 2006 (Nanning, China), 2007 (Taipei, Taiwan), 2008 (Yokohama, Japan), 2009 (Pohang, South Korea), 2011 (Abu Dhabi, UAE), 2012 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), 2013 (Jakarta, Indonesia), 2015 (Doha, Qatar), 2016 (New Delhi, India).
Many of its performing arts groups clinched an Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Silver award in the second time they took part in the SYF competition.
Fuhua's NCC (Land) Unit have also achieved outstanding performance in the Best Unit Competition 2004/05. They have clinched the Gold award and hopes to maintain it in 2006.
Fuhua's NPCC Unit have clinched a Silver Award for the year 2005. An improvement from the previous, clinching a bronze in 2004.
Every year, the NCC would organise its annual shooting competition. For the year 2004, a team comprising of 5 shooters from then Part C(Sec 3) have shot their way to being the 1st in the West District and 6th in the national. For the year 2005, the shooters have achieved 4th in the nation and Part A Jia Hao ranked 4th in the individual IMT shoot.
Fuhua's uniform is similar to that of Chung Cheng High School. It is an all-white Uniform. There are shoulder lapels on the shirt/blouse. It is secured by metal epaulettes. The shirt/blouse has chest pockets and metal epaulettes are also placed on the pockets. Upper Secondary male students wear long pants instead.
Its attire for physical education (PE) compromises of a red attire. The school crest is placed on the left chest. The word "Fuhua" spreads from the right to the left at the front. At the back of the PE T-shirt, "Fuhua Secondary" is slightly curved and spans from the left to the right.
The school blazer is bright red in colour. Students have to wear their tie with the blazer. The tie is blue in colour with yellow diagonal stripes. The word "fuhua" is placed on top of these stripes.
The school has co-curricular activities
A drama was filmed in 2005. Called "Subject to Change", it was directed by Jason Ye. There was another film, a documentary on cosplay. This documentary won the Silver award, an improvement compared to the previous year's documentary on Pets, which bagged the Bronze award.
The school holds its speech day every year in March or April. In 2006, the school held its Speech Day in the morning, unlike the previous year, which held its Speech Day at night. This was because the school had organised its bi-annual cultural night.
In 2006, Fuhua started aesthetics education lessons.
The school has an air rifle range and an aesthetics room, where NCC Cadets can practice drumming.
The aesthetics room was officially opened on 31 March 2006 by the school's Advisory Committee Member, Mr Yip Mein Hui. The opening coincided ith the school's Speech Day.
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club from Frankfurt am Main, best known for the football section.
The club plays in the Bundesliga. They have won the German Championship once and German Cup (DFB-Pokal) 5 times (last time in 2018) and the UEFA Cup once.
They were founded in 1899. The team colours are red, black and white. They play at Deutsche Bank Park (former Waldstadion). The current captain of the side is defender Makoto Hasebe from Japan.
The coach of Eintracht Frankfurt is Adi Hütter.
Eintracht has also 18 other sections such as athletics, basketball and ice hockey.
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations (Also known only as "Commonwealth") is a confederation of countries. Originally, it was called the British Commonwealth which was founded in 1926 when the British Empire began to break-up. Now, there are 53 member countries of the Commonwealth.
The term the Commonwealth of Nations originated in 1884. Lord Rosebery was on a visit to Australia in 1884. At Adelaide he said that over a period of time a number of colonies of the British Empire will become free and many may become more independent. He further said that all of these countries would then become the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Commonwealth of Nations is not a political organization. Queen Elizabeth II is also head of state of 16 Commonwealth countries, referred to as Commonwealth realms. Canada and Australia are two of the largest realms. A Secretary General manages the day-to-day matters of the Commonwealth of Nations. Patricia Scotland is the Secretary General since 2015. However, the United Kingdom or the Secretary General does not have any direct or indirect control over these countries. In fact, almost all the 53 members are independent countries with their own governments. These countries have come together to form an association with some common aims. Such common aims include:
Interpol (disambiguation)
Nuclear meltdown
A nuclear meltdown describes a malfunction of a nuclear reactor. The term "nuclear meltdown" is commonly used by the public and by news media, but nuclear engineers usually refer to it as a core melt accident. A nuclear meltdown occurs when the middle portion of the nuclear reactor containing the fuel rods (its "core") is not properly cooled. This can occur when the cooling system fails or is otherwise defective. If this happens, uranium or plutonium or similar materials inside the nuclear reactor become hot and may start melting or dissolving. It is this melting that is a nuclear meltdown. Due to decay heat, a nuclear meltdown can occur even in a reactor that is shut down. The uranium and plutonium liquified in a nuclear meltdown, mixed with fission products, melted zirconium from the fuel rod cladding, and other materials, is called corium. Corium is highly radioactive and remains hazardous for many centuries after a meltdown. The zirconium is a hazard because at high temperatures, it can react with the cooling water and make flammable hydrogen gas.
Around the world, some nuclear meltdowns have occurred. Some of them were mild, but few of them were very serious. Nuclear meltdowns can kill people from radiation poisoning.
The very last accident was the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. Four reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant had cooling problems after back-up diesel generators were destroyed by the tsunami.
In 1986, a nuclear meltdown occurred in a place named Chernobyl (Ukraine). In this case, all the people living in the towns and the villages (near the defective nuclear reactor) had to move to far away places. The Chernobyl meltdown created a mass of corium which has been nicknamed "the Elephant's Foot" and is one of the most radioactive objects in the world.
Most large submarines get power from nuclear reactors inside them. These are nuclear submarines. Some Russian nuclear submarines have faced nuclear meltdown.
Sometimes, the nuclear meltdown may happen immediately. For example, the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl. Sometimes, the nuclear meltdown may take many hours to happen. For example, the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, (Pennsylvania, United States) took many hours to happen.
A nuclear meltdown is sometimes called the "China syndrome", which refers to a scenario, not meant to be taken literally, where a reactor core could melt through the Earth "all the way to China". The movie "The China Syndrome" is named after this scenario. There is no way such an event could happen in the real world. A reactor core could not melt through the Earth's crust, and even if it did melt to the center of the Earth, it would not go back up to the surface against gravity.
Zoroaster, or Zarathushtra, was an ancient prophet who lived in Persia. He founded a religion named Zoroastrianism. This religion has a long history. It was the national religion of Sassanid Empire of ancient Iran. In Persian language, the name takes the form of "Zartosht".
Most scholars agree that Zoroaster was a real person who lived long ago. No one is certain about the time when he lived. One estimate is that he lived about 3200 years ago, around 1200 BC. Some other estimates are that Zarathushtra may have lived anywhere between the 18th century BC and the 6th century BC.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire, also called Imperial Russia, was a country in Europe as well as Asia. It started in 1721 when Peter I of Russia proclaimed it. Before that, it was known as the Duchy of Moscow. It lasted until it was declared a republic in March 1917 after the Russian Revolution. It was an absolute monarchy ruled by Russian emperors known as 'Tsars'. They were members of the House of Romanov and believed that they had the divine right of kings over their people.
In 1914, the area of the Russian Empire was about 21,799,825 km². In 1897, its population was 128,200,000 (1897 year). Its official language was the Russian language. Its official church was the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Russian Empire was led by a Tsar who had complete control of the nation. In this absolute monarchy only the Tsar could make or cancel laws. In 1905 the Tsar granted a new constitution in which he shared some power with a partly elected parliament called the Duma. The Russian Empire was a great power, and one of the biggest empires that ever existed.
Most people in Imperial Russia were peasants. They lived mainly in rural areas until the late 19th century when the Emancipation of the Serfs freed them from the farms where they had to stay. They were allowed to marry whomever they wanted, own property, and vote.
A few people were nobility, also called boyars. They were educated and held higher prestige. Towards the end of the 19th century many of the educated wanted to remove the Tsar and give people more power.
In 1917, World War I caused the bad conditions for workers in factories to become even worse with a food shortage. People blamed it on the Tsar and rebelled. There were riots in cities such as St Petersburg and Moscow. The Tsar was soon forced to abdicate in the February Revolution in 1917. After the October Revolution he was assassinated with his family. In 1922 most of the Russian Empire became the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR when a communist government won the Russian Civil War. Some of the counties in the Empire escaped but the biggest ones were forced into the USSR.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a movement to save human life and health. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
Although it is a big international organisation, it is privately run. No government controls the Red Cross.
The Red Cross has a special job, given by international law. It is the only private group to have its jobs set out by international law.
Three things make up the movement:
The Red Cross, the Red Crescent and the Red Crystal,the three international symbols of the Red Cross
According to the Geneva conventions, there are five goals for International red cross and red crescent movements;
The cello is an instrument used to play music. Its name comes from the Italian language, so it is pronounced “chello”. The full word is violoncello, but when speaking, people normally call it the “cello”. A person who plays the cello is called a “cellist”. The cello is a very popular instrument. It belongs to the string family. It has many uses: as a solo instrument, in chamber music and also in orchestras. It is also occasionally used by pop musicians, e.g. by The Beatles, Björk and Jamiroquai.
The cello came into use in the 16th century. At that time there was a family of instruments called the viols. The instruments of the violin family were also developing and there were lots of experiments with instruments of different shapes and sizes. The violone was popular as a bass instrument. It was similar to a modern double bass. The name "violoncello", means "little violone". The cello also has 4 strings. The cello developed as the bass instrument in string groups (the double bass was added later, “doubling the bass” i.e. playing the same as the cello an octave lower). It was used to accompany in basso continuo, playing the same as the left hand of the harpsichord player. When composers started to write concerti grossi (pieces for orchestra and a small group of soloists), they started to give the cello small solos. In this way the cello started to be used as a solo instrument as well. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote six very famous suites for solo cello (unaccompanied). They are among the most beautiful pieces written for the cello.
Other composers started to write works for solo cello. Joseph Haydn wrote two solo concertos for the instrument. King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia loved the cello, and he inspired Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to write music with interesting cello parts. The cello was now an equal with the other string instruments, no longer just playing a simple bass line.
In the 19th century many famous composers wrote cello music. A lot of them were cellists themselves e.g. Carl Davidov, David Popper and Julius Klengel. Some very famous composers who wrote important cello music were: Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák, Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Elgar, Sergei Rakhmaninov. Two famous pieces written more recently for cello and orchestra are the "Cello Symphony" by Benjamin Britten and "The Protecting Veil" by John Tavener.
The parts of the cello are similar to those of the violin. The strings are tuned to C-G-D-A, (low to high). The cello is played sitting down and holding the instrument between the knees. There is an end-pin which rests on the ground. This is adjustable in height so that the player can put it in a position to make himself/herself comfortable. The cello is normally played with a bow.
The cello has a deep, rich sound. It starts two octaves below middle C, but can go very high. For the highest notes the player can use “thumb position” (a violinist cannot do this). This means that the left thumb is pressing down on one or two strings high up over the fingerboard (“high” means “nearer the bridge” where the high notes are. In fact, it is nearer to the floor). Although cello music is most frequently written in the bass clef, cello music often goes quite high so that the tenor clef is used especially in the solo repertory.
The most famous cellist of the early part of the 1900s was the Spanish cellist Pablo Casals. He made the cello popular as a solo instrument today. Casals also discovered the famous Suites for cello by J.S. Bach which had been lost.
Some other famous cellists of the last century include Emanuel Feuermann, Gregor Piatigorski, Paul Tortelier, Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Cellists of today include Yo-Yo Ma, Julian Lloyd Webber, Octavia Philharmonic, Mischa Maisky, Kirill Rodin, Tim Hugh, Robert Cohen, Ruslan Biryukov, Pieter Wispelwey and Truls Mørk.
European colonization of the Americas
European colonization of the Americas started with an attempt by the Vikings who came from Scandinavia, the north end of Europe around the year 1000. They explored and settled awhile in the colony they called Vinland in what was later called Newfoundland. However, they abandoned it.
In 1492 Columbus rediscovered America. Soon Spanish conquistadores and many other Europeans went to stay. Different European countries took different territories, and fought over who should get which land. Natives died in great numbers. The survivors lost most of their land, and most learned the language of their conquerors.
After a series of wars in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, most of the colonies became independent countries.
In the 15th century people in western Europe searched for trading routes between the Indies and Europe, because the old spice trade route was too hard and too long. Prices were also high because groups of merchants controlled the trade and could charge whatever they wished. Vasco da Gama had found a route around Africa that belonged to Portugal. Some geographers thought the world was so small, ships could sail west around the world to reach East Asia. The Genoese sea captain Christopher Columbus persuaded Queen Isabella of Castile to finance an expedition to do this.
In August 1492, Columbus left southern Spain with three ships: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. On October 12, after weeks at sea, the ships reached an island in the Bahamas. Columbus named this island San Salvador. He thought it was an island of India, so he called the people "Indians". Columbus next sailed farther into the Caribbean, reaching Cuba where he saw people smoking tobacco. Then he sailed back to Spain. The King and Queen gave Columbus many honors.
On his later voyages Columbus took more men, including missionaries. The ships also carried farm animals and supplies to establish colonies. He established a new settlement on an island that is now the Dominican Republic.
After they realized that they found a “New World” but not a new route to Asia, the main task of the Spanish was to gain the new lands. The conquistadors had permission from the Queen to explore and conquer the New World.
Spanish conquistadors with only a few hundred soldiers defeated large Indian empires. In 1519 Hernando Cortes and few hundred soldiers marched into Aztec capital and eventually destroyed the city, later rebuilt as Mexico City. Francisco Pizarro was able to conquer the Inca Empire. The Spanish won for several reasons. Indians thought that they were Gods and they were afraid of horses and guns. The Indians also fought each other.
The Spanish and Portuguese people were the first to colonize many parts of South America and Central America in the 16th century. They also won many parts of North America. In the next century, people from many countries of Europe reached the Americas. They settled mostly in North America since the Spanish and Portuguese already had the warm countries. France and England were the most successful in these later colonies. England took the middle of eastern North America, and the French took what they could further north. Eventually, the English colonists took over most of the French territory.
The people in the southern English colonies sought gold at first. However, they had good soil, and because of this they could grow cash crops, starting with tobacco. The English people in colonies further north could not grow these crops so easily. The ones who started New England were Puritans and wanted to be free from the Anglicans back home. The Middle Colonies were more commercial. They traded furs, and grew food for themselves and the other English colonies and later exported some back to England.
The Spanish settled in Central America and South America, mining for gold and silver, and farming tobacco, the Spanish had a surplus of labor, because they used the Natives to do the work for them, this was called Encomienda. In some places this system killed too many of the natives, so they imported slaves from Africa. The Portuguese grew much sugar and other tropical cash crops in Brazil and imported many Africans for this purpose. They were the biggest buyers in the Atlantic slave trade.
France had colonies in the Caribbean, and also in the north of the North American mainland which they called Canada. In the north they were looking for what we call the Northwest Passage, finding a route to Asia. They had a low population, forcing them to cooperate with the natives to survive. The French had major profits in the fur trade until they lost Canada in the French and Indian War. The French Caribbean colonies were warm and good for farming, so they bought many slaves. French Canada had poor farmland, so no slaves.
Doha (Arabic: الدوحة;, Ad-Dawḥah or Ad-Dōḥah) is the capital city of Qatar. It has a population of 400,051 (2005), and is at 25.3° N 51.5333° E, on the Persian Gulf. The city has an airport called Doha International Airport. Doha also has major oil and fishing industries. Doha has an an area devoted to research and education called Education City. Doha was the host of the 2006 Asian Games, a major Asian sporting event. Doha's leader is a sheikh named Sheikh Tamim. The official languag of Doha is English and Arabic. The biggest mall in Qatar is Qatar mall.
Doha has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with long, extremely hot summers and short, warm winters. The average high temperatures between May and September surpass 38 °C (100 °F) and often approach 45 °C (113 °F). Humidity is usually the lowest in May and June. Dewpoints can surpass 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer. Throughout the summer, the city averages almost no precipitation, and less than 20 mm (0.79 in) during other months. Rainfall is scarce, at a total of 75 mm (2.95 in) per year, falling on isolated days mostly between October to March. The winter's days are relativity warm while the sun is up and cool during the night. The temperature rarely drops below 7 °C (45 °F).
It is bordered by Saudi Arabia on its South and the Persian gulf on its north, east and west. The nearest oversea country is Bahrain.
Bandar Seri Begawan
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city of Brunei. It has a population of 140,000 (2010 estimate). The city is the home of producers of furniture, textiles, handcrafts, and timber. It is the site of the Royal Ceremonial Hall or Lapau, Royal Regalia Building, the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the Malay Technology Museum, and the Brunei History Center. Bandar Seri Begawan is located at 4°55' North, 114°55' East (4.91667, 114.91667).
Thimphu
Thimphu (ཐིམ་ཕུ་) is the capital city of Bhutan. It is the name of the surrounding valley and dzongkhag, the Thimphu District. It has a population of 50,000 (2003), it is the largest population center in the country. Thimphu is located at 27°28′00″N, 89°38′30″E.
Colombo (; ) is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is the city which is economically most important to the country. It has 642,163 people. It is on the west coast close to the capital city of Kotte.
The name Colombo is borrowed from Sinhala language name Kola-amba-thota which means "harbor with leafy mango trees". Traveller Ibn Batuta in the 14th century referred to it as "Kalanpu".
Malé (Dhivehi: މާލެ) is the capital city of the Maldives. It has a population of 133,412 (2014). The city is on Malé Island in the Kaafu Atoll. Although Malé is in Kaafu Atoll, administratively it is not considered part of it. There is a commercial harbor in the Island. It is the center of all commercial activities in the country. Many government buildings and agencies are on the waterfront. Malé International Airport is close to Hulhule Island which includes a seaplane base for internal transportation.
and male' has the most beautiful reefs on earth. Male's current president is Ibrahim Solih and it is known as the smallest city on earth. It is quite a dense city.
The Maldives are named after the capital city Malé. The city used to be called "Mahal", and it had walls and defences around it. Recently, the island has become much bigger due to filling the ocean beside it with land.
Islamabad
Islamabad (, "abode of Islam") is the Federal capital city of Pakistan, and is in the Pothohar Plateau in the northwest of the country. Islamabad Town is also a town in Jammu and Kashmir. It is in the Islamabad Capital Territory, though the area has historically been a part of the crossroads of the Punjab region and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (the Margalla Pass being a historic gateway to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Pothohar Plateau historically is a part of the Punjab region). Islamabad is at 33°40′N 73°10′E.
This city is rich in nature. It is surrounded by the Margalla Hills. It has a humid subtropical climate ("Cwa" in the Koeppen climate classification).
The places that attract the tourists include:
Islamabad has a large number of educational institutions including colleges, universities and technical education and training bodies.Some of them are:
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo is a rock band from the United States. The band was from Los Angeles, California. The band's music style was punk and new wave. Their most famous song was "Mexican Radio".
The band's genesis was in a Hollywood company called "Acme Soundtracks", a commercially unsuccessful venture founded in 1977 in Hollywood by songwriter Stan Ridgway. Ridgway wanted the company to provide soundtrack music for independently produced low-budget horror films; unfortunately, they found few takers for their services. Instead, Acme Soundtracks evolved into a band that played live shows, as Ridgway (vocals, harmonica, keyboards) enlisted Marc Moreland (guitar) followed by Marc's brother Bruce Moreland (bass), Chas T. Gray (keyboards), and Joe Nanini (percussion) to the line-up.
The band was named Wall Of Voodoo by Ridgway before their first gig in reference to a comment made while recording and overdubbing a Kalamazoo Rhythm Ace drum machine, a gift to Ridgway by writer and iconic voice over artist Daws Butler, partner to Stan Freberg, voice of Yogi Bear and many other Hanna-Barbera characters. When someone jokingly compared the multiple drum machine and farfisa organ laden recordings to Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound, Ridgway commented it sounded more like a "Wall Of Voodoo", and the name stuck.
Actually, for new listeners, the voodoo reference was a little misleading, as it referred to the music's often spooky quality, as opposed to any Haitian or Caribbean influences. In fact, WoV's music could fairly have been described as a cross between early synthesizer pop (especially that of Devo) and Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks. Adding to the music's distinctiveness was Ridgway's unusual vocal style, a half-spoken western drawl, and Nanini's percussive experimentation, mixing drum machines with found instruments such as pots, pans and various kitchen utensils, as well as Marc Moreland's distinctive guitar.
In 1980, Wall Of Voodoo released their self-titled debut EP, which included a cover version of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire, as well as three original songs and a few snippets of atmospheric Acme Soundtracks work. In 1981 the band released Dark Continent, an album concerned largely with workplace issues.
After that album, bassist Bruce Moreland exited the band, and Gray doubled up on both bass and keyboards. Now a quartet, in 1982 WoV recorded their best-known album with producer Richard Mazda, Call of the West, which included "Mexican Radio". Though "Mexican Radio" did not make the top 40 in either the US or the UK, it was a sizeable underground hit, and the song's video received heavy airplay on MTV in the US and MuchMusic in Canada.
Wall Of Voodoo added Bill Noland from L.A.'s quirky outfit Human Hands as a keyboardist in 1982, but increasing tensions within the band eventually led to a breakup of the band after the Us Festival in 1983. Ridgway would there after embark on a solo career, which netted him much critical acclaim and a top 5 hit in the UK with the 1986 single "Camouflage" in addition to songs such as "The Big Heat","Drive She Said" and "Salesman". Numerous solo recordings have followed.
Noland and Nanini also left the band in 1983. WoV regrouped in 1984 with a new lead singer (Andy Prieboy), as well as a new drummer (Ned Leukhardt) and returning bassist Bruce Moreland.
A 1984 single ("Big City") was followed by two albums from this lineup: 1985's Seven Days in Sammystown, and 1987's Happy Planet. The Sammystown album also spawned "Far Side Of Crazy", a minor hit single in Australia.
Bruce Moreland again exited the band before their final album in 1989, the live recording "The Ugly Americans In Australia".
After the final break-up, Andy Prieboy issued three solo albums :"Upon My Wicked Son", "Montezuma Was A Man of Faith" and "Sins of The Father." "Wicked Son" featured the haunting ballad "Tomorrow Wendy" which was covered by a score of bands, most notably Concrete Blonde on their hit "Bloodletting" album.
Marc Moreland recorded with Pretty & Twisted and Department of Crooks as well as issuing a solo album shortly before his death on March 13, 2002.
Stan Ridgway continues to release numerous recordings and projects, including collaborations with his wife, composer Pietra Wexstun of the electronic lounge band Hecate's Angels. These include "Soundtrack for Blood" (2003), a musical score to an exhibit of paintings by the surrealist artist Mark Ryden, and "Barbecue Babylon", the latest album by Drywall, their "experimental noise combo trio" with electric guitarist Rick King.
Ridgway's most recent solo cd is "Snakebite - Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs" (2005) which featured the amazing song Talkin' Wall Of Voodoo Blues.
A newly reformed Wall Of Voodoo recently opened for Cyndi Lauper at the 2006 Pacific Amphitheatre Summer Concert Series at the OC Fair.
The line up consisted of Stan Ridgway - vocals, harmonica, farfisa organ, compass, polygraph, and new members Joe Berardi - percussion, drums, foley, laugh box, gong, atomic clock, Rick King - guitar, twang wire, tremolo tonic, bees vs moths, maps, Pietra Wexstun - keys, electric piano, C3 organ, tarot cards, mind reading, Jeff Boynton - keys, moog, oberheim, circuit bending and soldering iron, David Sutton - bass, thunder stick, vitalis, casuals, and golf balls, Richard Mazda - Special Guest, guitar, clavinet, SFX, points of discussion, producer-dude of Call Of The West and Mexican Radio, and other strange things. Andy Prieboy, Chas T Gray and Bill Noland were approached to participate but declined. All sent their well wishes and may contribute in the future.
Drummer Joe Nanini died of a brain hemorrhage on December 4, 2000.
Guitarist Marc Moreland died of kidney and liver failure on March 13, 2002.
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass (also called the Khaiber Pass or Khaybar Pass) () is a pass between Pakistan with Afghanistan; National "border" Pass (International). It is the "National Pass" of Pakistan, and connects the frontiers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to Afghanistan.