Rikunarita-ORG/Wikinium huggingface dataset:
# Devanagari

| Part of a series on |
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 |
| Officially used writing systems in India |
| Category |
| Scripts |
| **B**

Bengali script

**D**

Devanagari script

**G**

Gujarati script

Gurmukhi script

**K**

Kannada script

**L**

Latin script

**M**

Malayalam script

Meitei script

**O**

Odia script

Ol Chiki script

**P**

Perso-Arabic script

**T**

Tamil script

Telugu script

**U**

Urdu script |
| Related |
|
Writing systems of India

Languages of India |

Rigveda, example of abugida script
**Devanāgarī** (देवनागरी) is an abugida and brahmic script used to write many North Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Nepal Bhasa and Nepali from Nepal and sometimes Kashmiri or Sindhi. About a hundred smaller languages also use Devanāgarī.

## Other websites

* Unicode
# Ursa Major

Ursa Major| Constellation |
| List of stars in Ursa Major |
| Abbreviation | UMa |
| Genitive | Ursae Majoris |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɜːrsə ˈmeɪdʒər/, genitive /ˌɜːrsiː məˈdʒɒrɪs/ |
| Symbolism | the Great Bear |
| Right ascension | 10.67 |
| Declination | +55.38 |
| Quadrant | NQ2 |
| Area | 1280 sq. deg. (3rd) |
| Main stars | 7, 20 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 93 |
| Stars with planets | 20 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 7 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 8 |
| Brightest star | ε UMa (Alioth) (1.76m) |
| Messier objects | 7 |
| Meteor showers | Alpha Ursa Majorids Leonids-Ursids |
| Bordering constellations | Draco Camelopardalis Lynx Leo Minor Leo Coma Berenices Canes Venatici Boötes |
| **Visible at latitudes between +90° and −30°.Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April.**  The Big Dipper or Plough. |

**Ursa Major** is a constellation in the northern part of the sky. Its name means **Great Bear** in Latin. It was named that because many different groups of people around the world have thought that its stars look a lot like a bear with a long tail. It is often used as a symbol for *north*.

According to Greek mythology, Ursa Major was once the beautiful maiden Callisto, whom the god Zeus had an affair with. In order to protect her and their son, Arcas, from his jealous wife Hera, Zeus turned Callisto and Arcas into bears. He then picked up the bears by their short, stubby tails and threw them into the sky.

It can be seen in the northern hemisphere and part of the southern hemisphere. The constellation cannot be seen from the southern areas of Patagonia, South Africa, Australia, and all of New Zealand except the Northland region.

## Deep-sky objects

Several bright galaxies are found in Ursa Major, including the pair Messier 81 (one of the brightest galaxies in the sky) and Messier 82 above the bear's head, and the Pinwheel galaxy (M101), a beautiful spiral galaxy northwest of the star η Ursae Majoris. Other well-known spiral galaxies are NGC 4102, NGC 4605, Messier 108 and Messier 109. The constellation has about 50 galaxies that can be seen with a small telescope. The Owl nebula, the brightest planetary nebula, can be found along the bottom of the bowl of the Big Dipper.

## The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper (or Plough) within Ursa Major
The seven stars in the northeast corner of Ursa Major form an
asterism
 called the **Big Dipper** (or the **Plough** in Great Britain). This group has been recognized by almost all groups of people who live or lived in places where it can be seen in the sky and it is one of the best-known star patterns. The Big Dipper is helpful in finding the north star because an imaginary line drawn through the two stars on the right side will point directly at the north star. These two stars are called **The Pointers** and they are very important on navigation by stars.

All of the stars in the Big Dipper except Dubhe and Alkaid are moving toward the same point in the sky through proper motion. This group of stars is known as the Ursa Major Moving Group.

## Other websites

* The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Ursa Major
# Staple food

A **staple food** is a food item that can be stored easily and eaten throughout the year.

The term means the common basis of the everyday diet in a place. Potatoes and rice are the most common examples. Bread is *not* a staple food because it is a manufactured food which cannot be stored. Of course, it can always be made, since wheat *is* a staple food. Fruit is not a staple because it usually grows at a certain time of year. Meat is not a staple because it may not be available, or is expensive to buy. Green vegetables may be a staple in some countries, but not others. Foods which need special facilities, such as refrigeration are not staple foods.

Here are some examples of staple foods:

* Maize (corn)
* Rice
* Wheat
* Potatoes
* Cassava
* Soybeans
* Sweet potatoes
* Yams
* Sorghum
* Plantain
* Barley (leaves)
* Lentils

## Pictures of common staple foods

* Grains
* Various types of potatoes
* Plantains, related to banana
* Boiled white rice
* beans
* Maize
* Amaranth (left) and wheat

## Related pages

* Food security
* Processed food
# Far East

The term **Far East** means countries of East Asia, North Asia and Southeast Asia. It became used in the English language during the period of the British Empire for lands to the east of British India.

Before World War I, the *Near East* meant relatively nearby lands of the Ottoman Empire, *Middle East* northwestern South Asia and Central Asia, and *Far East* countries along the western Pacific Ocean and countries along the eastern Indian Ocean. Many European languages have analogous terms, such as the French **Extrême-Orient**, Spanish **Extremo Oriente**, Portuguese **Extremo Oriente**, German **Ferner Osten**, Italian **Estremo oriente**, and Dutch **Verre Oosten**.

*Far East* is never used for the culturally Western nations of Australia and New Zealand, which lie even farther to the east of Europe than much of East Asia.

## Territories and regions

| Name of region and territory, with flag | Area (km²) | Population (1 July 2002 est.) | Population density (per km²) | Capital |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  Brunei | 5,770 | 350,898 | 60.8 | Bandar Seri Begawan |
|  Cambodia | 181,040 | 12,775,324 | 70.6 | Phnom Penh |
|  China | 9,584,492 | 1,384,303,705 | 134.0 | Beijing |
|  Hong Kong (China) | 1,092 | 7,303,334 | 6,688.0 | — |
|  Indonesia | 1,419,588 | 227,026,560 | 159.9 | Jakarta |
|  Japan | 377,835 | 126,974,628 | 336.1 | Tokyo |
|  Laos | 236,800 | 5,777,180 | 24.4 | Vientiane |
|  Macau (China) | 25 | 461,833 | 18,473.3 | — |
|  Malaysia | 329,750 | 22,662,365 | 68.7 | Kuala Lumpur |
|  Mongolia | 1,565,000 | 2,694,432 | 1.7 | Ulaanbaatar |
|  Myanmar (Burma) | 678,500 | 42,238,224 | 62.3 | Naypyidaw |
|  North Korea | 120,540 | 22,224,195 | 184.4 | Pyongyang |
|  Philippines | 300,000 | 84,525,639 | 281.8 | Manila |
|  Russia | 13,115,200 | 39,129,729 | 3.0 | Moscow |
|  Singapore | 704 | 4,483,900 | 6,369.0 | Singapore |
|  South Korea | 98,480 | 48,324,000 | 490.7 | Seoul |
|  Thailand | 514,000 | 62,354,402 | 121.3 | Bangkok |
|  Timor-Leste (East Timor) | 15,007 | 952,618 | 63.5 | Dili |
|  Taiwan | 35,980 | 22,548,009 | 626.7 | Taipei |
|  Vietnam | 329,560 | 81,098,416 | 246.1 | Hanoi |

## Gallery

* Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
* Shanghai,
China, PRC
* Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),
Vietnam
* Osaka,
Japan
* Vladivostok,
Russian Far East, Russia
* P'yŏngyang,
Korea, DPRK
* Hong Kong,
PRC

## Related pages

* East Asia
* Siberia
* South Asia
* Southeast Asia
# Duck

| Ducks |
| --- |
|  |
| The brown mallard on the left is the female; the brightly colored one on the right is the male, called a drake. The mallard is the most common duck in the world. (*Anas platyrhynchos*) |
| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |

Where she goes, they go: the result of imprinting
Australian freckled duck, male.
Male mandarin duck
Family of ducks preening
**Ducks** are birds in the family Anatidae. Ducks are closely related to swans and geese, which are in the same family. Ducks are generally black, brown or grey.

Ducks are not a monophyletic group. They are a 'form taxon'. Swans and geese are in the same family but are not called ducks. The main difference is that ducks have shorter necks, and are smaller.

Other swimming and diving birds, like grebes and loons, are not ducks. A baby duck is called a *duckling*, and a male duck is called a *drake*. Most ducks are aquatic birds. They can be found in both saltwater and fresh water.

The subfamily Anatinae ("dabbling ducks") feed on the surface of water or on land, or as deep as they can reach by up-ending without completely submerging.

Ducks lay eggs once a year and are omnivorous, eating aquatic plants and tiny animals. Along the edge of the beak there is a comb-like structure called a *pecten*. This strains the water squirting from the side of the beak and traps any food. The pecten is also used to preen feathers. Diving ducks dive deep to get their food.

Many ducks are migratory. This means that they spend the summer months in a different place than the winter months. Ducks show a cosmopolitan distribution, meaning they can be found all over the world, except for Antarctica. Some duck species live on the South Georgia and Auckland Islands, which are subantarctic. Many species have established themselves on remote islands, such as Kerguelen or Hawaii.

Ducks are sometimes kept as pets. They are often kept by groups of people on public ponds for their beauty and calming nature. People commonly feed ducks in ponds stale bread, thinking that the ducks will like to have something to eat. However, bread is not healthy for ducks and can kill them. In nature, ducks eat grasses, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians, worms, and small molluscs.

## In poultry

Roasted whole duck
Duck eggs
Some ducks are bred and kept by humans. They are not wild ducks. They are kept to provide food (meat and eggs), or to use their feathers for pillows and other items in the house. Especially in Asia, many people like to eat duck.

Duck meat is high in fat, which helps the bird float in the water.

The eggs from ducks are thought to have a richer taste than chicken eggs.

## Related pages

* Waterfowl
* The Ugly Duckling

## Other websites

* Media related to duck at Wikimedia Commons
* The dictionary definition of duck at Wiktionary
* duck at Wikibook Cookbooks
# Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
**Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio** (November 17 1958) is an American actress. She first became well known after playing Gina Montana in the 1983 movie *Scarface*. She also played Carmen in the 1986 movie *The Color of Money*. Her other movies include *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991) and *The Abyss* (1989). Mastrantonio was born in Illinois.

## Other websites

* Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio on IMDb
* 87656 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio at the Internet Broadway Database
* Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio at Rotten Tomatoes
# Ladino language

| Judaeo-Spanish |
| --- |
| Ladino |
| *ﬥﬡטﬞין* |
| Pronunciation | [laˈðino] |
| Native to |  Israel  Turkey  USA  France  Greece  Brazil  UK and others |
| Region | Mediterranean Basin (*native region*), formerly also the Americas |
| Ethnicity | Sephardim |
| Native speakers | 51,000 (2018)Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2022). *Ethnologue: Languages of the World* (25th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. |
| Language family | Indo-European
* Italic
	+ Romance
		- Western
			* Ibero-Romance
				+ West Iberian
					- Castilian
						* **Judaeo-Spanish**
 |
| Dialects | * **Haketia Variant** - *Morocco, Canada*
* **Levantine Variant** - *main variant, two branches* **Occidental branch** - originally spoken in Albania, Romania, Western Bulgaria, Western Greece and Yugoslavia **Oriental branch** - originally spoken in Eastern Bulgaria, Eastern Greece, the Middle East, North Africa (except for Morocco) and Turkey.
* **Ponentine Variant** - *extinct*
 |
| Writing system | Mainly Latin script Original script Rashi and Solitreo Other scripts; Persian, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew. |
| Official status |
| Regulated by | Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino in Israel (using Latin alphabet) |
| Language codes |
| ISO 639-2 | `lad` |
| ISO 639-3 | `lad` |
| ELP | Ladino |
| Linguasphere | `... 51-AAB-bd 51-AAB-ba ... 51-AAB-bd` |
|

**Ladino** (also called **Judeo-Spanish**) is a Jewish Romance language that is very close to the Spanish language. It has many old Spanish words and Hebrew words.

## History

During the Middle Ages, many Jews lived in Spain. They were called Sephardic Jews or *Sephardim* (in Hebrew). Forced to leave Spain after the country was taken over by Christians, they brought the old Spanish with them to their new countries. Some Sephardic Jews still speak Ladino in Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United States and other countries.

Just as many other Jewish languages, Ladino is an endangered language and is in danger of language death. It could become an extinct language. Most native speakers are old because many of them emigrated to Israel and did not pass on the language to their children or grandchildren. In some Sephardic Jewish communities in Latin America and elsewhere, there is a threat of language extinction because of assimilation into modern Spanish.

## Writing

Ladino is usually written by using the Latin alphabet, but in Israel it uses the Hebrew alphabet.

## Ladin language

Ladino should not be confused with the Ladin language, which is related to the Swiss Romansh and Friulian languages and is mostly spoken in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Northern Italy.

## Related pages

* Yiddish
* Mizrahi Jews
* Maghrebi Jews
* History of Jews
* Sephardic Jews
* Ashkenazi Jews
* Spanish Inquisition

## Other websites

* Socolovsky, Jerome. "Lost Language of Ladino Revived in Spain", *Morning Edition*, National Public Radio, March 19, 2007.
# Aircraft carrier

Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, flagship of the Russian navy
**Aircraft carriers** are warships that carry airplanes and other aircraft like helicopters. They are used by navies to allow aircraft to fight along with naval warships. Aircraft carriers are usually very large, carrying hundreds or thousands of sailors and tens or hundreds of aircraft.

The top of an aircraft carrier is called the flight deck and looks like a very small airport. Old aircraft carriers carried airplanes that could takeoff and land in the short distance of the flight deck without help. Similarly, small modern aircraft carriers only carry helicopters or specially designed airplanes such as the Harrier that can take off and land straight up and down or in the short distance of the flight deck.

The flight deck of a large, modern aircraft carrier has a landing area and a take-off area. The landing area is in the back and has a short runway. Airplanes stop by using a hook on the back of the airplane to grab wires stretched across the runway. In the front, the flight deck has a steam-powered catapult that connects to the front wheel of an airplane. The catapult pulls and throws the airplane off the deck, helping it take off quickly. So, aircraft carriers are basically small, floating, mobile airports.

Because they are big ships and need much electric power, big modern aircraft carriers are steamships. Some have on-board nuclear power plants Others burn fuel oil.

Except for their airplanes, aircraft carriers usually have few weapons, so other warships escort them. Together, the aircraft carrier and these warships form a carrier group.
# Sponsor

Sponsor Nancy Reagan breaks the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow of the USS TICONDEROGA (CG-47) at the ship's christening
To **sponsor** something is to support an event, activity, person, or organization. The support can be with money or giving something else useful, such as advertising, or time. A sponsor is the individual or group that gives the support, similar to a benefactor. A sponsor may also be a personal sponsor, a political sponsor or a state sponsor. There are many different kinds of sponsors.

## Commercial sponsor

A sponsor is one (usually a company) who gives cash, goods or services in return for promoting the sponsor's company. There is a distinct difference between sponsorship and philanthropy. A sponsor expects a return on investment (ROI), usually in the form of advertising. A philanthropist donates something as a charitable contribution. In sports, sponsors compete to advertise in the most popular sports. In India, sponsors all want to be associated with Cricket. It is much harder to find sponsors for other sports.

Gov. Rick Snyder signs a bill. Standing (right) is the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bruce Renden
## Legislative sponsor

A sponsor or patron, usually a legislator, is someone who presents a bill or resolution for consideration. Others who join the sponsor are known as cosponsors or copatrons. In the United States Congress a sponsor is the first person listed among the lawmakers who introduce a bill to either the Senate or the House of Representatives. The process is very similar to sponsoring a bill in Parliament.

## Personal sponsor

This is someone who agrees to help another person or persons, and be responsible for them. For example, an employer may sponsor a foreign national to become a permanent resident of the United States by guaranteeing that person a job. Sponsorship can also mean an individual who helps an organization. Many charitable organizations offer personal sponsorship of a boy or girl to help them. Many public radio and television stations ask for sponsors to provide funds for them to operate. At a Ceremonial ship launching the person breaking the champagne bottle over the ship's bow is called the sponsor of that ship. In many religions, godparents are the baptized child's sponsors.

## State sponsorship

Sponsorship is not always for the purposes of doing good. A state (or government) may sponsor terrorism for their own purposes. While not engaging in activities against another country (or countries) themselves, they may sponsor other groups to do it for them. The United States currently lists four countries who sponsor terrorism. They are: Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria. State sponsors may also be called affiliates and/or supporters.

## Other websites

* Ways to Sponsor a Child
* Become a Sponsor, Make-A-Wish
* Sponsoring an Animal Archived 2015-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
* Find sponsors for your next event
# Northwestern University

Northwestern University|  |
| Motto | *Quaecumque sunt vera* (Latin)
*Ὁ Λόγος πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας*- Ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias (Greek) |
| Motto in English | Whatsoever things are true (Philippians 4:8 AV)
The word full of grace and truth (Gospel of John 1:14) |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1851 |
| Endowment | US $6.3 billion |
| President | Morton O. Schapiro |
| Provost | Daniel I. Linzer |
| Academic staff | approximately 3,108 full-time faculty |
| Undergraduates | 8,425 (10–11) |
| Postgraduates | 10,759 (10–11) |
| Location | Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. |
| Campus | Evanston main campus, Suburban, 240 acres (97 ha); Chicago campus, Urban, 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Colors |      Purple |
| Affiliations | Association of American Universities, COFHE |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
| Website | northwestern.edu |
|  |

**Northwestern University** is a university in Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois. It is very prestigious and selective. It has many people who learn and also people who teach.

The university is known most for providing a strong education in economics (the study of the economy), linguistics (the study of language), political science (the study of politics), and mathematics (the study of numbers). There is also a Medical school named Feinberg School of Medicine.

## Other websites

 Media related to Northwestern University at Wikimedia Commons
# Umayyad dynasty

The **Umayyad dynasty** (Arabic: بنو أمية, romanized: *Banū Umayya*, lit. 'Sons of Umayya') or **Umayyads** (Arabic: الأمويون, romanized: *al-Umawiyyūn*) was an Arab clan within the Quraysh tribe who were the ruling family of the Umayyad Caliphate between 661 and 750 and later of Al-Andalus between 756 and 1031. *Umayya ibn Abd Shams* (Arabic: أمية بن عبد شمس), the wartime commander of the Meccans, was the progenitor of the line of the Umayyad dynasty. He was also the grandfather of Mu'awiya I, the founder of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Islamic Empire reached its largest geographical extent under the Umayyads. Under the Umayyads, Al-Andalus also became a centre of science, medicine, philosophy and invention during the Islamic Golden Age.

## In popular culture

The Umayyads have been the subject of many tales, both factual and fictitious. Umayyad Caliphs are referenced throughout the Arabic collection of the *101 Nights* (Arabic: مائة ليلة وليلة), also known as *The Book with the Story of the 101 Nights*, and Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and his three sons enjoy a similar status in the *101 Nights* as that of the Abbasid ruler Harun al-Rashid in the 1,001 Nights.
# Wind speed

Wind speed gauge, or anemometer**Wind speed** is the speed of the weather related air movement from one place to the next.

Wind speeds usually mean the movement of air in an outside environment, but the speed of movement of air inside is also important in many cases, including weather forecasting, aircraft and maritime operations, construction and civil engineering. High wind speeds can cause unpleasant side effects, and strong winds often have special names, including gales, hurricanes, and typhoons. The highest non-tornadic wind speed ever measured on earth, 253 miles per hour, was recorded on Barrow Island, Australia.

## Measurement

The most simple method of measuring wind speed is to estimate the speed from the observed event against the Beaufort Scale. Obviously, this method is not the most accurate available, so each value on the scale represents a range of values, three on the scale, for example, covers the wind speeds between seven and ten knots.
# Saint James's Palace

Main entrance of St. James's Palace on Pall Mall survives from Henry VIII's palace.
**Saint James's Palace** is a royal palace in the City of Westminster, in London. It is between Pall Mall and The Mall, two streets in Central London, and opposite St James's Park. It is a working royal palace, and it is not open to the public. It was the most important home of the British royal family until Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace in 1837.

Henry VIII built the palace in the early 1530s. Charles I spent his last night here before his execution in 1649.