alibayram/wikipedia-40-langs huggingface dataset:
Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 - August 25, 2009) was the Senator for the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1962 to 2009.

Early life
Ted Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is a neighborhood in Boston. He was the youngest son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was the younger brother of former President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated, as well as Joe Kennedy, who was killed in World War II. A lot of other sad things happened in his life: he almost died in a plane crash, he was involved in a car crash that took the life of a campaign worker, and one of his sons had cancer as a child.

Education
Ted Kennedy went to Harvard and served in the Army before entering politics. He ran for and won the seat given up by his brother when he became president. While in the Senate, he fought for the working class, mainly for health care and the minimum wage. In 1980, he ran for president, but lost in the primaries to Jimmy Carter.

Chappaquiddick incident

On July 18, 1969, Senator Kennedy and passenger Mary Jo Kopechne were driving in Chappaquiddick Island where the car crashed over the bridge into the ocean. Kennedy left the scene leaving Kopechne to drown to death as she was trapped in the car. Kennedy plead guilty. Many believe this is why he decided not to run for President in 1972 or 1976.

Later life
In 2008, he found out he had glioblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer. Despite the cancer, he campaigned for Barack Obama and sometimes appeared in the Senate.

Death
He died from the cancer at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts just before midnight on August 25, 2009.

References 

Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Cancer deaths in Massachusetts
Deaths from glioblastoma
Kennedy family
1980 United States presidential candidates
People from Brookline, Massachusetts
Recipients of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
United States senators from Massachusetts
Democratic Party (United States) politicians
1932 births
2009 deaths
21st-century American politicians
20th-century American politicians
Flag of Singapore

The Flag of Singapore consists of two horizontal halves—red above white. Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man; white stands for pervading and everlasting purity and virtue. In the upper left corner, a white crescent moon and five white stars form a circle. The five stars stand for the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality. 

For 140 years (1819-1959), the Union Jack flew over Singapore. Then, on 3 December 1959, the National Flag was unveiled at the installation of the new Head of State, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, when Singapore was granted self-rule (but not complete independence) by the British Government. Also unveiled that day were the State Crest and the National Anthem. The flag was conceived and created by a committee headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Toh Chin Chye.

Gallery

Guidelines for Usage 
Guidelines for the use of the flag have been relaxed in recent years to encourage greater usage.

How it may be used 
Singaporeans and non-governmental buildings may display or fly the national flag to identify with the nation. Singaporeans are encouraged to do this during occasions of national celebration or national significance.

How it should be used 
When the flag is displayed outside a building, it shall be displayed on or in front of the building. Outside the National Day celebrations period (month of August), it must be flown only from a flagpole, and if it is displayed or flown at night, it should be properly illuminated.
Within Singapore, it should take precedence over all other flags, subject to international practice. When displayed or flown with another flag, it must be in a position of honour. This means it should be positioned where practicable, either above all other flags or to the left of the other flags, as seen by a person facing the flags.
It may be reproduced in reduced size representations and displayed at all times, but it must be in its true form and colours, regardless of size.

How it cannot be used or treated 
The flag cannot be used:
in any trademark or for any commercial purpose;
as a means, or for the purposes, of advertisement;
as, or as part of, any furnishings, decoration, covering or receptacle;
at any private funeral activity;
incorporated or worn as part of any costume or attire; or
on any private vehicle.
No person shall produce or display any flag which bears any graphics or word superimposed on the design of the flag.
The flag should be cleaned when dirty, and replaced if it has faded. After any washing, it should not be hung out to dry outdoors together with other laundry. Any worn out or damaged flag should be properly disposed of, not left visible in dustbins. Torn or worn-out flags should be packed into a sealed black trash bag before being disposed of.

References

Related pages
Coat of arms of Singapore
Majulah Singapura - the National Anthem of Singapore
Singapore National Pledge
Vanda Miss Joaquim - the National Flower of Singapore
Symbol of Singapore - the Lion Head symbol

Other websites 
The Singapore Infomap - Information on the Singapore Flag 
National Heritage Board 

Singapore
National symbols of Singapore
Margaret Taylor

Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor (September 21, 1788 – August 14, 1852), was the wife of Zachary Taylor, the President of the United States. She was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850. Some people called her Peggy Smith. 

She was born in Calvert County, Maryland. Her mother’s name was Ann Mackall and her father’s name was Walter Smith. Her father was a major in the American Revolutionary War. When she was visiting her sister in Kentucky in 1809, she met Zachary Taylor. Taylor was a lieutenant at that time. They married in June 1810. For sometime, she stayed in a farm she had got as a marriage gift from her father. There she gave birth to her first baby. But, then she started to live with her husband. Taylor’s garrison moved from one location to other on the western front, and she also moved with him. 

Their two small daughters died in 1820. As described by Taylor, the children had died of “a violent bilious fever.” They had three other girls and a boy. All four grew to adulthood. Taylor knew the difficult life of a military man. He was always against their daughters marrying military men, but all the three married military persons from the United States Army.

At the White House, Peggy Taylor participated in the household activities and personal functions. She did not participate in formal and official functions. Her youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth Bliss, acted as the official hostess for her mother.

1788 births
1852 deaths

Zachary Taylor
First Ladies of the United States
People from Maryland
Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf is the name of a geographical place. Its location is in the Middle East. It is an extension of the Gulf of Oman. It is between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, and the Arabs prefer to call it the "Gulf of the Arabs".

During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Persian Gulf came into news. Both sides attacked oil tankers of each other. Later, when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, the new war got the name of "Gulf War" but major fighting happened on land.

The water in the Persian Gulf is rich in fishes; it has long beautiful coral reefs. Deep inside the water of the Persian Gulf, there are many pearl oysters. Due to this, the area attracts a lot of activities.

In Persian language, the term khalīj-e-Fars means the Persian Gulf. In October 2018, the World Intellectual Property Organization of the United Nations registered Persian Gulf as a place of origin, based on the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration.

Geography 

The sea waters of the Persian Gulf covers an area of 233,000 km2. On the east, it connects with the Gulf of Oman by Strait of Hormuz. On the west, it connects a major river delta of Shatt al-Arab. In this river delta, waters of two big rivers of the area flow into: the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers.

The length of the Persian Gulf is 989 kilometers, and the shortest distance between two land points are 56 kilometers. The waters are generally not very deep. The maximum depth is only 90 meters. The average depth is only 50 meters.

There are many countries with borders touching the Persian Gulf. If taken in a clockwise direction, these countries are from the north: Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar on a peninsula off the Saudi coast; Bahrain on an island; and Kuwait and Iraq in the northwest. Many small islands lie within the Persian Gulf.

Petroleum 

The area in and around the Persian Gulf has world’s largest crude oil. Industries relating to crude oil are the main industries in this area. Al-Safaniya, the world’s largest offshore oil field is in the Persian Gulf. Many countries with large crude oil are in this area. They are called Persian Gulf States, that is, the countries around the Persian Gulf. These countries are Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iraq (with its small portion touching the Persian Gulf) is not called a Persian Gulf State.

British control 

For about 200 years, from 1763 until 1971, the United Kingdom kept some control over some of the Persian Gulf countries. These countries were the Trucial States and at various times Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. Upon independence most of the Trucial States made a new United Arab Emirates.

References

Other websites
Persian Gulf

Middle East
Gulfs
World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a large international organization to regulate trade that was established in 1995.  As of 2018, there are 164 members and 23 observer nations.  In the WTO, agreements are made on trade between countries. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) means that countries have to lower barriers to international trade, such as tariff on goods crossing borders. This lets businesses operate in many different countries.

Member countries sign agreements 
There are about 30 such agreements. Based on these agreements, the member countries trade with each other. They sell items to each other and follow a set of rules. They have to give a special job to the other country. The phrase used (for such and many alike items) is to give the other country a special job – this is known as to give the other country a most favored country job. From 2004, if a member sells any item to another member country, the same type of item should be offered to all other member countries. 

While it is highly regarded, from its beginning the WTO has also received criticism. 

1995 establishments
Organizations based in Geneva
Międzyrzec Podlaski

Międzyrzec Podlaski is a city in the east of Poland, in Lublin Voivodeship. It is on the Krzna rivers. It has 17 283 people.

Cities in Lublin Voivodeship
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a video game developed by BioWare. It was released in 2003. The game has a sequel, titled Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

Description 
The game, also known as KotOR, is a role-playing game. Developed using BioWare's engine Aurora, the game is set in the fictional universe of Star Wars. The story takes place four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, 40 years after the war with Exar Kun (circa 3,956 BBY).

Darth Revan has been killed by his apprentice, Darth Malak, who has taken the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. Malak is continuing the war against the Old Republic, using numerous battleships. The Jedi Order sees its hope in Bastila Shan, a young female Jedi who is skilled in the art called Battle Meditation. With that power, she can optimize the performance of the Jedi troops and the battleships. Also, an unnamed soldier (the player chooses the name) comes under attention of the Jedi Council.

Since it is a roleplaying game, the player can choose which class he wants to be. He can choose between soldier, scout, and scoundrel. The choice affects the statistics of the character (strength, agility, etc.). Also, the player can choose their character's gender and face.
The player must follow several main objectives, with many other minor missions. The player, while travelling on several planets, will meet some people who join him in his quest. A number up to 8 companions can join the player: Trask Ulgo, Carth Onasi, Bastila Shan, Mission Vao, Zaalbar, Canderous Ordo, Juhani, Jolee Bindo.

The main goal is to find the Star Forge, a powerful battle station that builds an endless fleet, which is used against the Republic. The player also has to kill Darth Malak.

Characters 
The main character (the player) is entirely customizable. Face, gender and class can be chosen from a series of menus. One later discovers that they are Darth Reven, but still go by the original own name.
The player will meet some companions (playable characters, or PCs) during the adventure.

 Carth Onasi - A Republican soldier, veteran of the Mandalorian Wars. Class: Soldier.
 Bastila Shan - A young female Jedi, who will look after the player. Class: Jedi Sentinel.
 Mission Vao - A young Twi'lek, expert hacker. Class: Scoundrel.
 Zaalbar - A Wookiee, friend of Mission. Class: Explorer.
 Canderous Ordo - A Mandalorian warrior, veteran of the Mandalorian Wars. Class: Soldier.
 Juhani - A Cathar (human with cat-like features) female Jedi. Class: Jedi Guardian.
 Jolee Bindo - An old human Jedi. Class: Jedi Consular.
 T3-M4 - An astromech droid. Class: Droid.
 HK-47 - An assassin droid. Class: Droid.
The player will also meet other minor characters (non-playable characters, or NPCs).

 Darth Malak - The Dark Lord of the Sith and true "boss" of the game.
 Darth Bandon - Malak's apprentice.
 Calo Nord - A short bounty hunter.
 Jedi Masters of the council.

Role-playing video games
Star Wars games
2003 video games
Krusty Krab

The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the television series, "SpongeBob SquarePants". It is in the city of Bikini Bottom. The restaurant is run by a crabnamed Eugene H. Krabs. The other two workers at the restaurant are SpongeBob SquarePants (fry cook), and Squidward Tentacles (cashier). The fast food sold is the popular Krabby Pattys (which is similar to hamburgers but made of krill), and others such as French fries, and drinks.

SpongeBob SquarePants
Fictional buildings and structures
M6 motorway

The M6 is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the busiest motorways in the country. It is often referred to as "The Backbone of Britain".
The M6 is part of the unsigned E-road E24 from the M1 to the M6 Toll near Birmingham. The E5 joins the M6 Toll from the M42 and then uses the M6 to its north end at Carlisle. Then it continues to become the M74. The motorway is 230 miles (370km) long. This is 37 miles longer than the M1 motorway.

History and curiosities

The first section of the motorway was the Preston by-pass, opened on 5 December 1958. It was built by a company called Tarmac Construction. It was the first motorway in the United Kingdom. It was opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. The motorway was later extended in both directions.

Junction 6 in Birmingham has the name Spaghetti Junction. This is because it looks very complex from the sky.

On the high ground between Shap and Tebay, the north and south-bound carriages split apart. Strangely, at this point a local road runs between the two carriageways without a link to the motorway.

The section of the M6 which runs over Shap Fell in Cumbria is 1050 ft (320 m) above sea level. This is one of the highest points on any motorway in the UK. The West Coast Main Line railway follows the same course. It runs alongside the M6 for much of its length.

Route 

The motorway starts at the M1 in Rugby. It passes through Birmingham and Spaghetti Junction. The motorway continues to the north, passing Liverpool and Manchester. It goes around Preston and up to Lancaster. It then follows through a valley past the Lake District and Penrith. It finishes at Carlisle.

Cumberland Gap 

At the end of the M6 motorway at Carlisle, there is a 6-mile stretch of the A74 which links England to Scotland. This is called the Cumberland Gap. This was caused by an argument between the British Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, which left neither the M6 or the A74(M) being built. After a lot of controversy, building started on the remaining six miles. When it is completed, there will be a complete motorway going from London to Glasgow.

M6 Toll

The M6 Toll is a toll road which was opened in 2003. It starts at Junction 11A and runs around Birmingham to Junction 3A. It is the first toll road to be built in the United Kingdom. It was opened on 9 December 2003. It is reported to save 45 minutes from the average journey.

Junctions

Notes

References

Other websites 

 CBRD Motorway Database - M6

Motorways in England
Sloth bear

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a bear that lives in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Appearance 
Sloth bears have long and shaggy black fur, but its fur can also be brown. On its chest it has a white or yellow mark, which is shaped like an Y or V. They have big feet with long claws. The long claws are also the reason for its English name, because the claws look like the claws of a sloth.

Life 
Sloth bears are omnivores and eats mostly termites and ants. But they also eat fruit, honey, eggs, carrion, grasses and occasionally rodents. Sloth bears use their claws to dig up ants from the dirt. They also use their claws to fight predators such as tigers, leopards and jackals. Bengal tigers prey on sloth bears of all ages. Indian leopards, dholes and Indian wolves may also be a threat.

Female sloth bears usually have 1-2 babies, sometimes 3. Young sloth bears stay with their mother for 2–3 years. In captivity they can live to be 40 years old.

Sloth bear adults can weigh anywhere from 60 to 70 kilograms (120-130 pounds) and measure anywhere from 152 to 178 centimeters (60-70 inches) in length.

Other websites 
 
 

Bears
Mammals of Asia
Inclined plane

An inclined plane is a simple machine. It allows one to use less force to move an object.

Examples of inclined planes are ramps, sloping roads and hills, plows, chisels, hatchets, carpenter's planes, and wedges.  The typical example of an inclined plane is a sloped surface; for example a roadway to bridge at a different height.

Another simple machine based on the inclined plane is the blade, in which two inclined planes placed back to back allow the two parts of the cut object to move apart using less force than would be needed to pull them apart in opposite directions.

Calculation of forces acting on an object on an inclined planes 

To calculate the forces on an object placed on an inclined plane, consider the three forces acting on it.

 The normal force (N) exerted on the body by the plane due to the attraction of gravity i.e. mg cos θ
 the force due to gravity (mg, acting vertically downwards) and
 the frictional force (f) acting parallel to the plane.

We can break the force from gravity into two vectors, one perpendicular to the plane and one parallel to the plane. Since there is no movement perpendicular to the plane, the component of the gravitational force in this direction (mg cos θ) must be equal and opposite to normal force exerted by the plane, N. Therefore, .

If the component of the force from gravity parallel to the surface (mg sin θ) is greater than the static frictional force fs – then the body will slide down the inclined plane with acceleration  where fk is the force of friction – otherwise it will remain stationary.

When the angle of the slope (θ) is zero, sin θ is also zero, so the body will not move.

Other websites 
 An interactive simulation of physics – inclined plane

Machines
Jamestown, New York

Jamestown is a city in southwestern New York State, United States.

Cities in New York (state)
Lego

Lego, stylized as LEGO(The Lego Group)is a type of building toy created and made by The Lego Group, a company from Denmark. LEGO bricks are colorful plastic building blocks that can be joined together easily to make a tower, house, and more. LEGO bricks are joined together by studs on the top, and holes in the bottom of the brick commonly known as the brick-and-knob connection. LEGO is the most popular building toy in the world.

The LEGO Group was started by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish toy maker, in 1935. Christiansen made wooden toys for children. He made and sold his first plastic LEGO sets in the 1940s. Since then, LEGO has become very popular and are known and loved by people around the world kids and adults alike.

The company is based in Billund and is owned by Kirkbi, the family company. In  2006 sales were about $1.3 billion. In 2022 they were $9.1 billion. Net profit was $1.9 billion. After the bankruptcy of Toys R Us in 2017, Lego expanded its network of 317 stores to about 1,000 in 2023.

LEGO bricks come in many shapes, sizes and colors. There are wheels, car screens, plants and mini-figures. LEGO bricks can be joined together in many ways. Vehicles, buildings and even robots can all be built with LEGO bricks.

All the bricks from LEGO sets can fit together. New bricks made today can fit with old bricks made years ago. The bricks can join together no matter which set they come from. LEGO has become so popular that people sometimes use the word "Lego" to talk about any sort of building blocks. There are millions of LEGO fans and many LEGO conventions around the world.

LEGO Video Games 

Many LEGO video games are being created for different video game systems. LEGO video games usually come from LEGO themes, such as LEGO Star Wars. LEGO Star Wars has six video games. Other LEGO video games include LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Harry Potter, Lego DC comics and Marvel.

Television and movies 
A LEGO Cartoon Network show Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu was aired from 2011 to 2012, and a second Cartoon Network LEGO show aired in 2013. In 2014 The LEGO Movie was released, starring Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, and Liam Neeson. The movie was released on February 7, 2014. Since then, three other LEGO movies have been made, like The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Ninjago Movie, and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

A show called Lego Masters is shown on the Nine network and stars radio celebrity Hamish Blake.

Other websites 
  Official Lego Website

References
Game Boy Color

The Game Boy Color (often said as GBC) is a video game console manufactured by Nintendo. It was first introduced in Japan in October 1998 and released in North America, Europe and Australia in November 1998. It is the successor to the original Game Boy, but it precedes the Game Boy Advance (which is backwards compatible with GB and GBC games). The biggest innovation of the Game Boy Color was its colorful graphics. The Game Boy Color is almost as powerful as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Except for the Pokémon Mini, it was the last 8-bit console made by a mainstream company. The last game released for Game Boy Color was Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets in 2002.

The GBC has a color screen rather than a monochrome, but it is not backlit. It is clearly thicker and bigger and has a slightly smaller screen than the Game Boy Pocket, its last model in the Game Boy line. As with the original Game Boy, it has an 8-bit processor made by Sharp Corporation that is a hybrid between the Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80. The spelling of the system's name, Game Boy Color, remains used throughout the world, with its American English spelling of "color".

The Game Boy Color is part of the fifth generation of video game consoles. The GBC's competitors in Japan were the grayscale 16-bit handhelds, Neo Geo Pocket and the WonderSwan, though the Game Boy Color outsold them by a wide margin. SNK and Bandai countered with the Neo Geo Pocket Color and the Wonderswan Color, this did little to change Nintendo's sales. With Sega discontinuing the Game Gear in 1997, the Game Boy Color's only competitor in the United States was its last one, the Game Boy, until the short-lived Neo Geo Pocket Color was made in August 1999. The Game Boy and the Game Boy Color together have sold 118.69 million units worldwide, making it the third-best-selling system of all time.

It was discontinued on March 23, 2003, shortly after the Game Boy Advance SP was made. Its best-selling game was Pokémon Gold and Silver, which sold 23 million units worldwide.

References 

Game Boy
Nintendo video game consoles
Hula

Hula is a type of dancing from Hawaii.

Hula is a word in the Hawaiian language.  Male dancers and female dancers can both dance hula. A long time ago, hula dance was used only in special ceremonies. Now, hula dance is mainly for entertainment. 

A hula dancer usually wears a grass skirt or a leaf skirt, a flower necklace (called "lei" in Hawaiian), and sometimes a flower in the hair.

Traditionally, the hula dancer dances to a chant (a poem that is sung to a rhythm). The chanter beats his or her hand on a gourd (dried, empty squash) to create the rhythm.

There are many kinds of hula dance. For example, the Hawaiian hula dance style is slow and the Tahitian hula dance style is fast.

Dances
Culture of Hawaii
Steam engine

A steam engine is an engine that uses steam from boiling water to make it move. The steam pushes on the engine parts to make them move. Steam engines can power many kinds of machines including vehicles and electric generators. 

Steam engines were used in mine pumps starting in the early 1700s century and were much improved by James Watt in the 1770s. They were very important during the industrial revolution where they replaced horses, windmills and watermills to work machines.

The first steam engines were piston engines. The steam pressure pushed on a piston which made it move along a cylinder and so they had a reciprocal (back-and-forth) motion. This could move a pump directly or work a crank to turn a wheel and work a machine. They operated at low pressure and had to be very big to make a lot of power.

Steam engines were used in factories to work machines and in mines to move pumps. Later smaller engines were built that could move railway locomotives and steam boats.
 
The steam to power a steam engine is made in a boiler that heats water to make steam. In most places fire heats the boiler. Fuel for the fire may be wood, coal, or petroleum. Nuclear energy or solar energy may be used instead of fire. The steam coming out of the boiler applies the force on a piston. A valve sends the steam to one end of the piston, then the other, to make it move backwards and forwards. The moving piston pushes and pulls the piston rod, crosshead and connecting rod, to turn wheels or drive other machinery. The heavy spinning flywheel smooths out the power from the piston. The governor controls the speed of the engine.

Today many steam engines are still at work. During the 20th century the pistons were replaced by turbines which spin like a windmill pushed by jets of steam. These turn faster with more energy efficiency than the original kinds of piston steam engines. They are used in power plants to operate generators which make electricity. Some ships are also powered by steam turbines. The boilers of steam turbines can be heated by many different types of fuel, even a nuclear reactor in some power stations and warships.

Related pages 
Aeolipile
Steam turbine

Motors
Engineering
BASIC

BASIC is one of the first programming languages ever to be created. It was first used as a programming language on minicomputers in the late 1960s. Later, most home computers shipped with BASIC in ROM. The name is an acronym (a word made from other words) that spells Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.

History 
It was designed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz in 1963. It was based in part on Fortran and made to follow these eight principles:

 Be easy for beginners to use
 Be a general-purpose programming language
 Allow extra features to be added for experienced programmers.
 Be interactive
 Provide clear and friendly error messages
 Fast results for small programs
 Does not require knowledge about computer hardware
 Stop the user from editing the operating system

The creators made the compiler free of charge to make programmers interested in using the language. Since the creation, many other compilers and interpreters have been made so users can make their programs.

Code example 
10 LET N=10
20 FOR I=1 TO N
30 PRINT "Hello, World!"
40 NEXT I

This puts Hello, World! on the screen 10 times.

References 

Programming languages
1963 establishments
Acronyms
ISO standards
Mayon Volcano

The Mayon Volcano, also known as Mount Mayon, is an active volcano in the province of Albay, on Luzon island in the Philippines. It is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is one the most active and dangerous volcanoes in the Philippines. Mount Mayon is  high, and it is famous for its "perfect cone" shape, which attracts tourists. In 1938 the mountain was declared a national park. It was reclassified and renamed as Mayon Volcano Natural Park in the year 2000. The name Mayon is from the Bicol word magayon meaning beauty.

References 

Volcanoes of Asia
Geography of the Philippines
Visual Basic .NET

Visual Basic .NET is the second series of Microsoft's Visual Basic series.  It is sometimes shortened to VB.NET. It is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and it includes an easy 'drag-and-drop' interface. It can make complete programs for Windows very easily.

Background

Visual Basic

It was first released in 1992 by Microsoft. Visual Basic is a simple way to make programs for Windows. It started as Project Ruby by Alan Cooper and then was sold to Microsoft. The system is built loosely on the original BASIC programming language released in 1963 and it can 'Test' programs in real-time, error checking them in a user-friendly way.

.NET Framework

This package is the 'backbone' of Visual Basic .NET. When applications are created, the Windows Installer includes the framework with it. It includes all the items needed to run the VB.NET applications that have been made.

Editions

Visual Basic was first released in May 1991 for Windows. Many versions have been released since then. These are listed below:

Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition

This is a free version of Visual Basic 2010 released officially from Microsoft. It is aimed at encouraging more newbie programmers to try the series. The program can be downloaded from Microsoft's Website.

Controls

Visual Basic .NET uses many controls which can be added to the forms or windows in the application. Other developers can create controls for applications, not just the ones that Microsoft include.

Examples

The following example makes a program window pop up that says "Hello World" and has a button that says "OK" used to close the window:

Public Sub button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles button1.Click
    MsgBox("Hello World")
End Sub

Other websites 
 VB.NET Step by Step Tutorial
 Visual Studio .NET Homepage
 Visual Studio Express Homepage

Microsoft software
IDEs
Programming languages
Temperature record of the past 1000 years

People measure modern temperature records using instruments. Records only cover the last 150 years or so. The temperature record of the past 1,000 years or more is found by using data from what are called "climate proxy" records. 

Proxies can be anything which relates to climate. Short term autobiographies often talk about the weather in past eras, and we do have some autobiographies from 2000 years ago. There are also tree rings and other methods which go back about 20,000 years. Further back still, there is evidence from geology, the record of the rocks. However, this page is just about the last 1000 years.

We are fairly sure there was a warm period about 1,000 years ago, and a cold period about the 17th century. Even in the 19th century people skated on the Thames in wintertime.

Although people today talk about climate change as if it were entirely man-made, this is not the complete picture. It is quite certain that climate has always been changing on Earth. Man-made changes are on top of changes which occur naturally. The Milankovich cycle is an important factor in these changes, and there are also changes in the heat put out by the Sun.

Related pages 
Orbital forcing
Little Ice Age
Global warming

References 

Climate change

de:Hockeyschläger-Diagramm
Camping

Camping is a leisure activity, usually during summer when school children are on holiday, where people leave their homes and spend one or more nights outdoors. They may be tourists seeking nature, adventure, or a different environment. They may sleep in a campervan or trailer, a tent, or in the open air in good weather. Winter camping is less common but in some parts of the world, tents are people's homes year around. Rich people began camping for fun in the early 20th century. When more people could afford it, many more did it.

When camping, people usually prepare food to eat that is easy to make.  If they were hunting or fishing, they may cook the animal or fish they caught over a campfire.  

Dangers can arise, such as wild animals or illness from drinking unclean water. 

 
Tourism
New Guinea

New Guinea is a big island north of Australia. It is the second largest island in the world. Geologically and biologically it is related to Australia. It was first surveyed by Alfred Russel Wallace
in the 19th century, who noted that it was, like Australia, on the eastern side of the Wallace line. That means it is closer to Australia than to Indonesia in its flora and fauna.

On the east side of New Guinea is the country Papua New Guinea. On the west side of the island are the Indonesian provinces of Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, and West Papua. These provinces together are called Western New Guinea. The Indonesian "capture" of western Papua New Guinea was a modern act by President Suharto of Indonesia. The Australian "capture" of the eastern half was meant to make sure the peoples of this part of Indonesia were left alone.

An early BBC David Attenborough program showed that the country was wooded with many groups of humans speaking many languages. The most notable animals still alive were the birds of paradise. Of marsupials, the quolls are notable. They are small, solitary carnivores. There are six species surviving, two in New Guinea and four in Australia. 

The number of people on New Guinea is unknown. Indonesia and Papua New Guinea estimated the number around 2020. They say there are about 15 million people. However, the real number could be 23 million or more.

New Guinea is important for its nature and biology. Its largest marsupial, the Diprotodon, is now extinct. Native humans live in sparsely wooded, hilly ground in small groups which speak different languages. New Guinea has over 1000 languages. This is more languages than anywhere else in the world.

Still surviving are the birds pf paradise, with marsupials, including wallabies and possums, and the egg-laying monotreme, the echidna. Other than bats and some two dozen indigenous rodents, there are no pre-human indigenous placental mammals. Pigs, several additional species of rats, and the ancestor of the New Guinea singing dog were introduced with human colonization.

References 

Islands of Oceania
Islands of Indonesia
Geography of Papua New Guinea
Melanesia
Australasia
Gondwana
Honda

Honda is one of the largest engineering company from Japan created on 24 September 1948. It is well known for making automobiles and motorcycles. Although Honda started in Japan, it now has many factories in other countries that includes the United States, Canada, Brazil, Thailand and China. Honda sells a luxury line of cars in the United States with the Acura name.

Some of the automobiles that Honda makes include the:
 Honda Accord, sold as a four-door sedan, a two-door coupe, and a station wagon.
 Honda Civic, sold as a four-door sedan, a two-door coupe, and a hatchback (but only in some countries). The Honda Civic is smaller than the Honda Accord.
 Honda Insight, a small sedan. The Insight is about the size of a Civic, but it is built mostly for fuel economy.
 Honda Jazz, an automobile that is smaller than the Civic. Also known as the Honda Fit.
 Honda City, an automobile that is smaller as the Honda Jazz but bigger in space as like the Honda Civic. It is a premium sedan that is selling like anything in Indian Market. It is an affordable premium sedan.
 Honda CR-V which is a small SUV.
 Honda HR-V, a subcompact SUV.
 Honda Pilot, which is a medium size SUV.
 Honda Ridgeline, a four-door pickup truck
 Honda Odyssey, a minivan. There are two versions of the Odyssey. The car sold in North America is longer and wider than the Odyssey sold in Japan. The Japanese Odyssey is actually a compact MPV.
 Honda S2000, a sports car with two seats.

Some of the cars Honda has made in the past are:
 Honda Prelude, a sport coupe also built from the Civic
 Honda Integra
 Honda S500, a two-door roadster convertible

Honda also makes ATVs. Honda is also known for participating in a very wide range of motorsport events, including Formula One , MotoGP, LeMans, IRL and others.

Honda also makes small engines for chainsaws, lawnmowers and leaf blowers.

Honda does a lot of research on humanlike robots. Honda built Asimo, a robot that can walk, talk, dance, carry things and answer questions. These are not yet for sale in the United States.

Honda also creates a jet, known as the HondaJet. It is not often seen in the United States.

Related pages
 Acura

Other websites 
 Official site
 Honda Canada 
 Information on the Honda Prelude

Automobile companies of Japan
Camelid

Camelids are a group of even-toed ungulate mammals. They form the family Camelidae. There are six living species of camelids.

Taxonomy
Camelidae
Genus Lama
 Llama, Lama glama
 Guanaco, Lama guanicoe
 Genus: Vicugna 
 Vicuña, Vicugna vicugna
 Alpaca, Vicugna pacos, formerly Lama pacos
 Genus Camelus
 Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius
 Bactrian Camel, Camelus bactrianus

The animals of the genus Camelus are also called Afro-Asiatic Camelids. The animals of the genus Lama and genus Vicugna are also called South American Camelids.

Hybrid
There also exists a camelid hybrid called a Cama. It is the child of a female Llama and a male Dromedary Camel. The Cama does not exist in nature, but is "made" by humans through artificial insemination (that means the sperm is artificially put into the female).

Habitat
The two Camelus species originally lived in northern Africa, south-west and eastern Asia. The other four camelids lived in South America.

Camelids and humans
Camelids have been domesticated by humans for about 5000 years. They have been important for transport, but were also kept for wool, meat and milk. The llama and alpaca were very important for the South American cultures, like the Inca. The camels were used by people in north Africa and Asia, especially in deserts.
Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna, officially called the Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands ( or Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna), is a group of three volcanic tropical islands Wallis (Uvea), Futuna, and Alofi with fringing reefs. They are in the South Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa. One of the islands in the group is named after Cornish explorer Samuel Wallis.

References
Western New Guinea

Western New Guinea is the western half of the island of New Guinea. As of 2006, it is internationally recognised as Papua, a province of Indonesia. It was previously known by various names, including Netherlands New Guinea (until 1962), West Irian (1962-1973), and Irian Jaya (1973-2000). The incorporation of western New Guinea remains controversial in some quarters, including some within the area itself, and those who do not recognise the legal issues of Indonesia's claim to the area, calling it West Papua.

Papua was annexed by Indonesia under the controversial Act of Free Choice in 1969. In 2003, the Indonesian central government declared that the province would be split into three areas: Papua Province, Central Irian Jaya, and West Irian Jaya. Opposition to this resulted in the plan for Central Irian Jaya being scrapped, and even the designation of West Irian Jaya Province is still legally unclear. The independent sovereign state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) borders Papua Province to the east.

Geography of Indonesia
Maluku Islands

The Maluku Islands (also called the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands or simply Maluku) are an archipelago in Indonesia. They are part of the larger Malay Archipelago. They are on the Australian Plate, lying east of Sulawesi (Celebes), west of New Guinea, and north of Timor. The islands were also called the "Spice Islands" by the Chinese and Europeans. Other islands have also been called the Spice Islands.

Most of the islands are mountainous, some with active volcanos. The vegetation of the small and narrow islands, with their wet climate, is very luxuriant. It includes rainforests, sago, rice, and the famous spices; including nutmeg, cloves, and mace. Though originally Melanesian, the people of many island clans, especially in the Banda Islands, died in the 17th century. A second group of Malay people arrived in the early 20th century under the Dutch and this has continued in the Indonesian era.

Politically, the Maluku Islands formed a single province of Indonesia from 1950 until 1999. In 1999 the North Maluku (Maluku Utara) and Halmahera Tengah (Central Halmahera) regency were split off as a separate province. The islands are now divided between two provinces, Maluku and North Maluku. Most of the people of these islands follow Islam. There is also a Christian minority because of Western European Christian Protestant missionaries in this region. Between 1999 and 2002 there was deadly fighting between the Muslim population and the Christians. Both groups had been peaceful before. The capital of North Maluku island is Ternate.

Melanesia
Islands of Indonesia
Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American horror movie. It was directed by George A. Romero. The movie stars Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968. It was completed on a US$114,000 budget. The movie was a financial success, grossing $12 million domestically and $18 million worldwide.

Night of the Living Dead was heavily criticized because of it explicit content. It eventually got critical acclaim. It was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as a movie deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. The movie is in the public domain due to an error by the distributor.

The story follows characters Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and five others trapped in a farmhouse in Pennsylvania which is attacked by "living dead" monsters. These monsters became known in popular culture as zombies. Night of the Living Dead was the basis of five Living Dead movies (1978–2010). They were also directed by Romero. Many remakes have also been made.

Other websites

References 

1968 movies
1968 horror movies
American horror movies
English-language movies
Zombie movies
United States National Film Registry movies
American independent movies
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Movies set in Pennsylvania
Interpol

Interpol is the short form of International Criminal Police Organization. It began in 1923. Now, Interpol is the biggest international organization; the United Nations is the second biggest. Some important information about Interpol:

 Present Headquarters: Lyon, France
 Previous Headquarters: Saint Cloud, a town near Paris 
 Total members: 195 countries
 Annual expenses: more than 30 million Euros - all member countries share the expenses

History 

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.

Office 

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.

Method 

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:

 Terrorism
 Organized crime
 Illicit drug production 
 Drug trafficking
 Weapons smuggling
 People smuggling
 Money laundering
 Child pornography
 Financial crime
 High-tech crime
 Political corruption

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 amount of  data about perpetrators and crimes. Such data 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.

Interpol in culture 

 Interpol has attracted attention of writers and movie directors. The organization has been depicted in many books, movies, and TV serials.
 There is a band called Interpol

References

Other websites 

 Interpol's official website

International organizations
Law enforcement agencies