OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# Absurdistan (novel)

Absurdistan is a 2006 novel by Gary Shteyngart. It chronicles the adventures of Misha Vainberg, the 325-pound son of the 1,238th-richest man in Russia, as he struggles to return to his true love in the South Bronx.

## Plot

Misha is known as "Snack Daddy" from his days at Accidental College, a school in the Midwestern U.S. (The college resembles Oberlin College, which Shteyngart attended, while its name "Accidental" is a play on the name of Occidental College.) Misha is desperate to return to his true love, Rouenna, whom he met while she was working at a "titty bar". She now attends Hunter College, at Misha's expense.
After Misha's father kills a prominent Oklahoma businessman, the INS bars the entire Vainberg family from entry into the United States. This strands Misha in his native Saint Petersburg (which he nostalgically refers to as "St. Leninsburg").
Misha's father is killed by a fellow oligarch. Soon afterwards, Misha has the opportunity to buy a Belgian passport from a corrupt diplomat in the fictitious ex-Soviet republic of Absurdsvanϊ (also known as Absurdistan).
Absurdistan's reputation for oil riches has earned it the nickname "Norway of the Caspian." The country is divided between two major ethnic groups: the Sevo and Svanϊ. They hate each other due to their dispute over the proper direction in which the "footrest" of the Orthodox cross is to be tilted. Civil war erupts in Absurdistan, and for the sake of a new love he has found, Misha is forced to take sides in the conflict.
Appointed as Minister of Multiculturalism, Misha is asked to petition Israel for funds, but he finds that the Sevo leader is manipulating him—and that the Sevo leader has been in league with the Svanϊ leader all along.

## Reviews

Absurdistan debuted to mainly favorable reviews, including from Walter Kirn on the cover of the New York Times Book Review; the same paper's Sunday Book Review listed it as one of the 10 best books of 2006. It also made the Chicago Tribune's list of the best books of the year, Time's best books of the year, and was chosen as a book of the year by the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and many other publications. Lev Grossman of Time called the book "a satire that is profoundly funny, genuinely moving and wholly lovable."
# Leslie Buck

Leslie Buck (September 20, 1922 – April 26, 2010) was an American business executive and Holocaust survivor who designed the Anthora coffee cup, which has become an iconic symbol of New York City since its introduction in the 1960s.

## Early life

Buck was born Laszlo Büch into a Jewish family on September 20, 1922, in Khust, Czechoslovakia (now part of Ukraine). Buck's parents were murdered during the Holocaust during World War II. Buck was imprisoned by the Nazis during the occupation, surviving his captivity at Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. Buck moved to the United States following World War II, settling in New York City. Once in the United States he adopted the anglicized name, Leslie Buck.

## Career

Buck partnered with his brother, Eugene, and ran an import-export business. The two brothers launched a paper cup maker based in Mount Vernon, New York called Premier Cup sometime in the late 1950s. Buck left the family business to take a position with a start-up paper cup manufacturer called the Sherri Cup Company during the mid-1960s. He originally worked as Sherri Cup's sales manager, before becoming the company's marketing director.

### Anthora coffee cup

As marketing director of Sherri, Buck wanted to get its products into New York City's diners and other eating establishments, many of which were owned by Greeks or Greek Americans. Buck designed the Anthora paper coffee cup with Greek themes to appeal to them. Leslie Buck retired from Sherri Cup in 1992. The company gave him 10,000 specially made Anthora cups, each with an inscription, to celebrate his retirement.

## Personal life

Buck married Ella Farkas in 1949. They had two daughters and a son. At the time of his death, Buck lived in Glen Cove, New York and Delray Beach, Florida. He previously lived in Syosset, New York.
Buck died of Parkinson's disease at his home in Glen Cove on April 26, 2010, at the age of 87.
# Gregory of Khandzta

Gregory of Khandzta (Georgian: გრიგოლ ხანძთელი, Grigol Khandzteli; 759 – 5 October 861) was a Georgian ecclesiastic figure and a founder and leader of numerous monastic communities in Tao-Klarjeti, a historical region in the Southwest of Georgia. He is considered an important early hymnographer of Christian hymns written in the Georgian language having crafted an iadgari (a Georgian manuscript collection of hymns).
Born into an aristocratic family in Kartli, Gregory was raised at the court of the prince Nerse of Iberia, whose wife was Gregory's paternal aunt. He left his home when he was young and became a monk in the region of Klarjeti (now located in north-eastern Turkey), the only region of Georgia free of Arab presence. After a short time in the monastery of Opiza (ოპიზა), he founded his own monastery at Khandzta (ხანძთა) which soon attracted an increasing number of brethren. He founded several other monasteries in Klarjeti, and subsequently he was elected as their archimandrite. The monasteries and their scriptoria functioned as centres of wisdom for centuries and played an important role in the development of a national Georgian culture.
At the same time, Ashot I Kuropalates, the presiding prince of Iberia, had chosen Artanuji in Klarjeti as his residence and stronghold in his effort to assert independence from other regional powers, such as the Abbasid Caliphate or the Byzantine Empire. Gregory played a prominent role to mobilize popular sentiment against Muslim presence in the Caucasus. His influence grew so strong that he was able to affect both the political and the private lives of the Georgian princes.
Saint Gregory of Khandzta died as a centenarian in 861, surrounded by followers and disciples. The Georgian Orthodox Church marks his memory on the day of his death, October 18. His life was compiled in the hagiographic work written by Giorgi Merchule in 951.
# Edgar A. McCulloch

Edgar Allen McCulloch (August 1, 1861 – January 23, 1933) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas from 1904 to 1909, Chief Justice from 1909 to 1927, and a member of the Federal Trade Commission from 1927 to 1933.
Born in Trenton, Tennessee, McCulloch gained admission to the bar in Marianna, Arkansas in 1883.
He was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1904 and served for 18 years, resigning in 1927 to accept an appointment from President Calvin Coolidge to the Federal Trade Commission. He was chairman of that body from January 16, 1929, to November 30, 1929.
A month after receiving surgery to overcome a long stomach illness, he died from an apparent coronary thrombosis.
# Alexander de Abernethy

Alexander de Abernethy (after 1271 – c. 1315) was a Scottish baron. He was a son of Hugh de Abernethy and Maria de Ergadia. Alexander was a descendant of abbots of Abernethy; his great-grandfather Laurence, great-grandson of Gillemichael, Earl of Fife, was the first to style himself Lord (dominus) His daughter Margaret married John Stewart of Bonkyll, the new Scottish earl of Angus.
Alexander swore fealty to Edward I in 1291, presumably on the death of his father, Hugh. Between 1301 and 1303 he was appointed warden of Scotland between the Forth and the Mounth. He joined the expedition in 1303 to Strathearn and in 1304 to Menteith to put down uprisings. He lost the office in King Edward's ordinances of 1305 but supported Balliol's claims over Bruce's. He was ordered to join the expedition of John of Brittany to defend Galloway against Robert Bruce and was absent from King Robert's first parliament in 1309. In June 1308 he was appointed warden of Scotland between the Forth and Orkney together with Edward Hastings; and in July 1310 - warden between the Forth and the mountains. He was also contracted to serve from September in Berwick and Perthshire under the command of Sir John de Segrave. He received Clackmannan in Stirlingshire from Edward II in 1310, was Constable of Dundee at least in mid-1311 and led the unsuccessful defence of the town against Edward Bruce in 1312. In 1314 Abernethy was forfeited and attached to the earldom of Angus, so Alexander went to England and died by the end of 1315. He also held the positions of the Sheriffdoms of Kincardine, Forfar and Perth and joint warden between the Forth and Orkney.
He married Margaret de Menteith, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Menteith. Lady Margaret de Abrenythy was a lady of the court of Isabella of France, Queen of England, 1311/12. She resided in England as late as 30 Jan 1324/5, when a record in the Calendar of Patent Rolls dated at Langley stated, ' 860. The K. signifies that he has granted leave to Margaret de Abernethy to visit Scotland, to treat with her friends there as to recovery of her hereditary lands. Langley. '
They had issue:
* Margaret de Abernethy, wife of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus.
* Mary de Abernethy, wife of (1) Sir Andrew de Leslie, and (2) Sir David de Lindsay.
# Piet Bannenberg

Piet Bannenberg (3 January 1911 – 6 March 2002) was a Dutch swimmer. He competed in the men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay event at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
# Siege of Ypres (1744)

The siege of Ypres took place between 15 and 24 June 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession. A French army under the nominal command of King Louis XV of France and operational command of the Duke of Noailles, took the city from its Dutch garrison after a short siege.

## Prelude

Before 1744, the Austrian Netherlands had been kept out of the War of the Austrian Succession, which had been fought since 1740 in Eastern Europe and Italy. In 1744, Louis XV decided to attack the Netherlands and left Versailles to lead his army in person. The first Barrier fortress they attacked was Menin, which surrendered after a siege of only one week. The surrender of Menin had been hastened by the passive stance of the main Allied armies, which remained east of the Scheldt river. The next target of the French was Ypres.

## Siege

Because Ypres was defended by a larger garrison than Menen, and its fortresses, built by Vauban, were in a better condition, the army of Maurice de Saxe was also called in, to help take the fortress.
Before the end of the siege of Menin, troops under command of Count of Clermont and Maurice de Saxe were already sent to Ypres, to prepare the siege and to take some advanced redoubts.
Between 9 and 14 June, the bulk of the army arrived, and the headquarters were established at nearby Vlamertinge. On 15 June, the digging of the trenches began. In the night of 19 to 20 June, two further redoubts were conquered. Despite the efforts of the defenders, the digging of the trenches progressed quickly. After conquering a third redoubt, in the night of 23-24 June, an important attack was launched against the lower city, which was taken in the morning of the 24th after heavy fighting.
Knowing that no help was on the way, and responding to the urgent demand of the population, William of Hesse-Philippsthal had the white flag hoisted on 25 June. The next day the surrender was signed and the Dutch were allowed to leave the city with their baggage, 6 cannons and 4 mortars on 29 June.

## Aftermath

The French army advanced further towards the North Sea and also captured the other Barrier cities Fort Knokke on 28 June, and Furnes (Veurne) on 11 July. Further actions in Flanders were then halted, as the main army was sent to the Alsace to repel an Austrian incursion there. The next major action in the Austrian Netherlands would be the siege of Tournai in late April 1745.
The French evacuated Ypres after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748).
# Herman Van Loo

Herman Van Loo (14 January 1945 – 12 October 2017) was a Belgian cyclist. He competed in the individual pursuit event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
# Odo, Count of Nevers

Odo of Burgundy, in French Eudes de Bourgogne (1230 – 4 August 1266), was the Count of Nevers, Auxerre and Tonnerre and son of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy and Yolande of Dreux.
In 1265, Odo became one of the last European barons to lead a crusading force to the Holy Land. Among his fifty knights was Erard of Valery. He defended Acre when Sultan Baybars I harassed it on 1 June 1266 in advance of his besieging Safad. He died at Acre on 7 August 1266 and was buried in the church of Saint Nicholas. He left all his wealth to pay his followers and to endow hospitals and religious institutions. He was described by the Templar of Tyre as a "holy man", and his tomb attracted veneration. Within a year of his death, the poet Rutebeuf wrote a Complainte du comte Eudes de Nevers, a lament for a valiant knight and also for the city that lost its defender.
Burgundy passed to Odo's brother, Robert.

## Marriage and children

Odo married Maud of Dampierre and they had:
* Yolande, Countess of Nevers (1247–1280), married (1) John Tristan, Count of Valois, and (2) Count Robert III of Flanders
* Margaret, Countess of Tonnerre (1250–1308), married King Charles I of Naples
* Adelaide, Countess of Auxerre (1251–1290), married John I of Chalon, Lord of Rochefort
* Joan (1253–1271), died young
# Andrew Maragos

Andrew G. Maragos (born January 21, 1945) is an American politician. He was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 3rd District from 1993 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2018. He is a member of the Republican party.
# Marthe Armitage

Marthe Armitage is a British wallpaper designer whose work is characterized by unique hand-drawn designs that are hand printed from lino blocks, varying in size. She makes designs for wallpapers, and curtains.

## Early life

After World War II, Armitage studied at the Chelsea School of Art, where she trained to be a painter.

## Career

In the 1950s, after she was married and had children, Armitage started designing and making lino-cut wallpaper. Over time, she became known for her hand-drawn and hand-printed designs.
After sketching the design, she uses hand-cut lino blocks and a century-old offset lithographic printing press to create custom-printed rolls of wallpaper. She works in a studio in her garage, where she keeps her printing press. Her daughter, Joanna Broadhurst, works as her assistant.
In 1993 she was elected as Master of the Art Workers' Guild.
In 2004, the historic wallpaper design company Hamilton Weston agreed to represent her work. Sigmar London also sell her work. She designed a wallpaper she entitled "Alphabet" for The Woman in Black, which was created for the film which is based on Susan Hill’s ghost story. Armitage's designs cover the nursery, which is haunted, with automata. The nursery is featured in the scenes where Daniel Radcliffe's character faces off with the titular character.
As of 2020, Armitage was also producing wallpapers through digital processes. In 2018 she was commissioned to create digitally printed wallpaper on vinyl, for the West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, West London.
# James Holder (businessman)

James Holder is a British businessman who co-founded the fashion brand Superdry.

## Early life

Born in Studley, Warwickshire, he was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon and went to college in Leamington Spa where he studied graphic design. As a teenager, he enjoyed reading comics.
Holder started his career in fashion by selling T-shirts from the back of his mother's car at BMX events. He went on to found the skateboarder label Bench. He was made bankrupt in 1998. While running Bench, Holder met Julian Dunkerton, who made a large order of Holder's products. They later travelled to Japan together before founding Superdry.

## Career

In 2003, Holder co-founded Superdry with Julian Dunkerton as a market stall in Cheltenham. In 2004, they opened the brand's first physical store in Covent Garden, London. Holder was responsible for clothing design and brand development at the company.
Holder said that he and Dunkerton spotted a "huge gap" in the UK men's market. He has said that the initial inspiration for the brand was Dunkerton's love of Americana and his love of Japan and typography.
In 2005, Superdry experienced a period of growth after David Beckham was seen wearing the brand.
In 2010, the business was floated. Holder led Superdry's product innovation division until 2016. Holder also led SuperDesignLab, which was responsible for launching spin-off brand Superdry Sport.
In 2016, Holder resigned from the company, but continues to hold a stake.
In 2018, Holder joined fellow co-founder Julian Dunkerton in criticising Superdry's business strategy, claiming that it was unable to compete with ASOS.com.

## Personal life

He lives with his wife Charlotte, a lawyer, and their son and daughter.
# Joe Murphy (hurler)

Joseph M. Murphy (1947 – 6 April 2009) was an Irish hurler who played at club level with Passage and Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Cork senior hurling team. He usually lined out at centre-back.

## Career

Murphy first played hurling at juvenile and underage levels with the Passage club and later became a mainstay of the club's senior team. At inter-county level, he never played at minor level with Cork but was a substitute on the under-21 team that beat Wexford in the 1968 All-Ireland under-21 final. Murphy was subsequently drafted onto the Cork senior hurling team during the team's successful 1968-69 National League campaign. It was the first of two successive league titles as well as consecutive Munster Championship titles. After coming on as a substitute in the 1969 All-Ireland final defeat by Kilkenny, Murphy ended the following season with All-Ireland success after a 6-21 to 5-10 win over Wexford in the 1970 All-Ireland final. He later joined the Shamrocks club and won divisional titles in both hurling and Gaelic football.

## Death

Murphy died after a long period of illness on 6 April 2009, aged 71.

## Honours

Shamrocks
* South East Junior A Football Championship: 1980
* South East Junior A Hurling Championship: 1980, 1981

### Cork

* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 1970
* Munster Senior Hurling Championship: 1969, 1970
* National Hurling League: 1968-69, 1969-70
* All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship: 1968
* Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship: 1968
# Ben van der Burg

Ben van der Burg (born 20 April 1968) is a retired speed skater from the Netherlands who was active between 1987 and 1992. He won a silver medal at the World All-Round Speed Skating Championships for Men in 1990. The same year he won three national titles, in the 1500 and 5000 m and allround.

## Personal records

Personal records :
| Men's speed skating |||||
| Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
| 500 meter | 38.40 | 19 January 1990 | Heerenveen | |
| 1000 meter | 1:16.14 | 10 February 1990 | Collalbo | |
| 1500 meter | 1:54.00 | 20 January 1990 | Heerenveen | |
| 3000 meter | 3:58.00 | 13 March 1990 | Heerenveen | |
| 5000 meter | 6:45.48 | 2 December 1990 | Heerenveen | |
| 10000 meter | 14:22.00 | 12 December 1990 | Calgary | |
source:
Van der Burg has a score of 160.048 points on the Adelskalender

## Tournament overview

| Season | Dutch Championships Single Distances | Dutch Championships Allround | European Championships Allround | World Cup | World Championships Allround | World Championships Allround Juniors |
| 1985–86 | | | | | | SAINTE–FOY 18th 500m 6th 3000m 26th** 1500m 10th 5000m 16th overall |
| 1986–87 | THE HAGUE 16th 1500m 8th 5000m 21st 10000m | DEVENTER 12th 500m 9th 5000m 10th 1500m 12th 10000m 10th overall | | | | |
| 1987–88 | HEERENVEEN 16th 500m 15th 1000m 7th 1500m 5th 5000m 11th 10000m | ALKMAAR 4th 500m 7th 5000m 10th 1500m 10000m 4th overall | | | ALMA–ATA 27th 500m 24th 5000m 24th 1500m DNQ 10000m NC overall | |
| 1988–89 | HEERENVEEN 19th 500m 8th 1500m 6th 5000m 6th 10000m | THE HAGUE 5th 500m 13th 5000m 9th 1500m 8th 10000m 6th overall | | 18th 1500m 12th 5000/10000m | | |
| 1989–90 | HEERENVEEN 13th 500m 1500m 5000m 6th 10000m | ASSEN 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall | HEERENVEEN 8th 500m 5th 5000m 1500m 9th 10000m 5th overall | 1500m 4th 5000/10000m | INNSBRUCK 7th 500m 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall | |
| 1990–91 | | ALKMAAR 500m 4th 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall | SARAJEVO 4th 500m 7th 5000m 10th 1500m 6th 10000m 4th overall | 6th 1500m 8th 5000/10000m | HEERENVEEN 7th 500m 18th 5000m 14th 1500m DNQ 10000m NC overall | |
| 1991–92 | HEERENVEEN 6th 1500m | | | 17th 1500m 23rd 5000/10000m | | |
* DNQ = Did not qualify for the final distance
* NC = No classification
* ** = Fell but finished
source:

## Medals won

| Championship | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Dutch Championships Single Distances | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dutch Championships Allround | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| European Championships Allround | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| World Cup | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| World Allround | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| World Allround Juniors | 0 | 0 | 0 |
# John Widowfield

John Widowfield is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 42nd District from 2001 to 2008.
Widowfield was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2001. He resigned from the Ohio House of Representatives during his fourth term on May 28, 2008, amid an investigation into improper use of campaign funds on football tickets between 2004 and 2006. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges on October 28 and was fined $2,000.
He was elected twice to the Cuyahoga Falls City Council from 1998 to 2001. He graduated from Hiram College and obtained an MBA from the University of Akron. Widowfield is a former U.S. Army paratrooper who received numerous awards for meritorious service including: The Army Commendation Medal and The Joint Services Achievement Medal. Widowfield is married and the father of 2 children.
# Martti Laakso

Martti Einari Laakso (born 19 December 1943 in Ilmajoki) is a Finnish former wrestler who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics. His elder brother was the Finnish wrestler, Matti Laakso.
# Joe Miller (North Dakota politician)

Joe Miller is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the North Dakota Senate from 2009 to 2016.

## Biography

Miller graduated from Valley City State University, earning a B.A. in social science.
Miller was elected to the North Dakota Senate in 2008 as a republican from the 16th district (following redistricting, the 10th district). He successfully challenged and unseated democratic incumbent senator Harvey D. Tallackson. He was reelected in 2012 against democrat Daryl Passa. He retired from the senate in 2016 and he did not seek reelection.
In the 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election, Miller endorsed Doug Burgum over Marvin Nelson.
Miller is catholic.
# Marc Delissen

Marcus Johannes Elisabeth Leopold "Marc" Delissen (born 14 January 1965) is a former field hockey player for the Netherlands.
Delissen was born in Amsterdam, North Holland. He played 261 international matches for the Netherlands, scored 98 goals and participated in three Olympics. He made his debut when he was nineteen years old, on 21 October 1984, in a friendly match against Ireland in London. With his club HGC from Wassenaar, Delissen became Dutch champion twice, in 1990 and 1996.
He retired after the Atlanta Olympics, but returned for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he assisted head coach Maurits Hendriks and Holland once again became Olympic champions. Delissen later on coached his former club HGC for three years (2002–2005) in the Dutch Premier League, called Hoofdklasse. He is a practising lawyer in The Hague.