cahya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Road Town, on Tortola, is the capital of the British Virgin Islands. It is next to the horseshoe-shaped Road Harbour in the centre of the island's south coast. About 9,400 people lived there in 2004.

The name comes from sailing. "The roads" means a place less sheltered than a harbor but where ships stop. Its marina made Road Town a popular place in the Caribbean for chartering yachts. Cruise ships often dock here. Road Town also has tourism.

The Harbour is the dock for many of the ferries servicing the island. The ferry terminal is at the southwest end of Road Town. Ferries run during the day every day of the week. A 28 hectare (70 acre) development called Wickham's Cay, is on two areas of man-made land. The HM Prison on Main Street is the oldest building in Road Town. It was built in the 1840s. People disagree about where the borders of the town are.

History
The Emancipation Proclamation was read on 1 August 1834. This gave slaves their freedom, even though slavery had been officially abolished in 1807.

In 1853, a fire destroyed nearly every building in Road Town. Angry rioters spread the fire to protest an increase on the cattle tax. Rioters burned most of the plantations across the island.

References

Other websites
Ferry Schedule
Tortola Map & Guide
Detailed map of Road Town
Article from Encyclopedia Britannica
Real Travel/Frommer's Travel Guide to Road Town 

National capitals in North America
British Virgin Islands
The State Border Service of Azerbaijan Republic () also known as Border Guard of Azerbaijan is a governmental law enforcement paramilitary agency in charge of protecting the borders of Azerbaijan.

History
The State Border Service of Azerbaijan was established on July 31, 2002 by the order of the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, by taking of the border troops from jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan. The main function of the border guard is to guard the Azerbaijani borders against any illegal acts, and to prevent illegal weapons, drugs and human trafficking in the country. 

Chief of State Border Service and Commander of Border Troops is General-Lieutenant Elchin Guliyev.

Other law enforcement bodies in Azerbaijan include the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani National Guard.

Maritime Brigade (Azerbaijani Coast Guard)

The Azerbaijan Coast Guard is an Azeri law enforcement agency which is a part of the State Border Service. It has been getting U.S. Coast Guard help including the buying of a Point-class cutter.

The commander is Major General Ilham Mehdiyev.

The Coast Guard was established within the State Border Service by presidential order in 2005. The Coast Guard’s new base was built in Türkan district of Baku within the State Program on “Technical development of security of state borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2006-2010”. 

The Maritime Brigade/Coast Guard has one Point class cutter, S 14 (ex Point Brower, transferred 28 February 2003), one Osa class missile boat, S 008, which has had its SS-N-2B missiles removed, 3 Stenka class patrol boats, S 005, S 006, and S 007, all with sonar and torpedo tubes removed, 1 Zhuk class patrol craft, P 222, and two  long Silver Ships small craft, S 11 and S 12. (Jane's Fighting Ships 2010)

Related pages
Military history of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Azerbaijani Land Force
Azerbaijani Air Force
Azerbaijani Navy
Internal Troops of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani National Guard

Other websites
 Official website 
Azerbaijantoday.com. Azerbaijan border service has covered a long way of development, 07.09.2009
News.az. State Border Service ships rescue Russian ship 
Defenselink.mil. Caspian Guard initiative

References

Internal Troops of Azerbaijan
Military of Azerbaijan
Couvade (French, from couver, 'to hatch', from Latin cubare 'lie down) describes the imitation of a pregnancy. It is performed by a man. The anthropologist E. B. Tylor was the first person that made use of the name couvade.

Practise 
To do so, the father carries out the same restrictions as the mother. These usually start closer towards the end of the pregnancy. It often proceeds for various amounts of time after childbirth. Restrictions: certain food taboos, staying only in the village or at home, avoiding certain places, no consumption of alcohol, cigarettes or stimulants or handling with sharp instruments. In some cases, the man copies the woman’s behaviour and pains during childbirth.

Occurrence 
The couvade is known throughout history, for example in the ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, in the Basque Country and in the south of France. These days, it still exists in various cultures around the world among indigenous people in India, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Africa, North America and South America.

Reasons 
These range from the spiritual and physical protection of the child, bonding of father with child as well as wife, the public recognition of fatherhood and support and relief of mother so she can maintain the household after the childbirth. The reasons for couvade are in some cultures linked to certain myths that give instructions and show what can go wrong if the parents do not follow them.

Consequences of not doing couvade 
It is believed to have huge impacts on the child such as illness, disability, death and the transformation into other creatures.

References 
E. B. Tylor (1878) Researches into the early history of mankind and the development of civilization. Boston : Estes & Lauriat 
H. Ling Roth (1893) ‘On the Signification of Couvade’. The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 11: 204-243
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/couvade
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Couvade+Syndrome

Culture
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" is a song connected with the Christmas season which dates back to around 1739. This song has been altered numerous times during the decades. Many musicians have covered this song during the years, including though not limited to Amy Grant.

Christmas music
was an ancient Imperial capital of Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. It was in Yamato Province, which is present-day Nara Prefecture.

Imperial Palaces 

When Asuka was Japan's capital, new palaces were constructed for each new monarch.  Sometimes Imperial palaces were abandoned because of fires or bad omens.

According to tradition, Asuka was the site of Chikatsu-Asuka-Yatsuri Palace during the reign of Emperor Kenzo

Imperial capitals in Asuka in 593-640 were:
 Toyura Palace (Toyura-no-miya), 593–603
 Oharida Palace (Oharida-no-miya), 603–629
 Okamoto Palace (Oakmoto-no-miya), 630–636
 Tanaka Palace (Tanaka-no-miya), 636–639
 Umayasaka Palace (Umayasaka-no-miya), 640

In 640-642, the court briefly moved to Kōryō and the Kudara Palace (Kudara-no-miya); then the court returned to Asuka at the Itabuki Palace (Itabuki no miya), 643–645

In 645-654, the emperor and the government moved to an area within the current city limits of Osaka.  This was the Naniwa-Nagara no Toyosaki Palace (Naniwa-Nagara no Toyosaki-no-miya).

In Asuka, the Imperial capitals in 655-660 were:
 Itabuki Palace, 655–655
 Kawahara Palace (Kawahara-no-miya), 655–655
 Later Okamoto Palace (Nochi no Asuka-Okamoto-no-miya), 656–660

In 660-661, the court removed to Asakura in Fukuoka Prefecture at the Asakura no Tachibana no Hironiwa Palace (Asakure no Tachibana no Hironiwa-no-miya).

In 667-672, the emperor moved to the Ōmi Ōtsu Palace (Ōmi Ōtsu-no-miya) in Ōmi-kyō which is today called Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture.

In Asuka, the Imperial capitals in 672-694 were:
 Shima Palace, 672
 Okamoto Palace, 672
 Kiyomihara Palace (Kiomihara-no-miya), 672–694

Asuka was abandoned when Empress Jitō moved the court and the capital to Fujiwara-kyō.

Related pages
 Capital of Japan

References 

Former capitals of Japan
The 2011–12 Russian Premier League was the 20th season of the Russian Premier League since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The season took place from 12 March 2011 to 22 May 2012. Zenit St. Petersburg won their third title, and successful defended their title.

Teams

References 

Russian Premier League
2011 in Russia
2012 in Russia
2010s in Russian sport
George Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American blues rock singer/guitarist. He is from Wilmington, Delaware. Thorogood is famous for his cover versions of blues standards. He says Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor and Chuck Berry are the people who influenced him musically. George Thorogood has released sixteen studio albums.

Life
Thorogood was born on February 24, 1950 and was raised in Naamans Manor, a suburb of Wilmington. He was the middle one of five children. He graduated from Brandywine High School in 1968. He played semi-professional baseball. He turned to music after hearing a concert of John P. Hammond in 1970. 

In 1976 he recorded his debut album: "George Thorogood & The Destroyers" with his band, The Destroyers. Sometimes the band is called "The Delaware Destroyers". In 1981 they got their first nationwide recognition. They played as support act for the Rolling Stones. In the 1980s they played a lot of concerts including the "50/50" tour of 1980, on which the band toured 50 US states in 50days. in 1982 released his best-known song, "Bad to the Bone", and an album of the same name. The song has been used frequently in television and film, including the sci-fi thriller Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the comedies Problem Child, and Problem Child 2, Stephen King's Christine, and many episodes of the television sitcom Married with Children. This track also was used during the intro to the movie Major Payne.

Band members

The Destroyers
 George Thorogood – lead vocals and lead guitar
 Jeff Simon – drums, percussion (1974–present)
 Billy Blough – bass guitar (1977–present)
 Jim Suhler – rhythm guitar (1999–present)
 Buddy Leach – saxophone, piano (2003–present)

Former members
 Ron "Roadblock" Smith – rhythm guitar (1974–1980)
 Hank "Hurricane" Carter – saxophone (1980–2003)
 Steve Chrismar – rhythm guitar (1985–1993)

Discography

Studio albums with the Destroyers
 1977: George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Gold)
 1978: Move It on Over (Gold)
 1979: Better Than the Rest (Recorded in 1974)
 1980: More George Thorogood and the Destroyers
 1982: Bad to the Bone (Platinum)
 1985: Maverick (Gold)
 1986: Nadine (CD Rerelease of Better Than the Rest)
 1988: Born to Be Bad (Gold)
 1991: Boogie People
 1993: Haircut
 1997: Rockin' My Life Away
 1999: Half a Boy/Half a Man
 2003: Ride 'Til I Die
 2006: The Hard Stuff
 2009: The Dirty Dozen
 2011: 2120 South Michigan Ave.

Live albums
 1986: Live (Platinum)
 1995: Live: Let's Work Together
 1999: Live in '99
 2004: 30th Anniversary Tour: Live
 2010: Live in Boston 1982

Compilations
 1992: The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Platinum)
 2000: Anthology
 2003: Who Do You Love?
 2004: Greatest Hits: 30 Years of Rock (Gold)
 2005: The Best Of George Thorogood and the Destroyers
 2007: Taking Care of Business (double disc of Ride 'Til I Die (w/ 2 bonus tracks) and 30th Anniversary Tour)

References

1950 births
Living people
American guitarists
Blues guitarists
American blues musicians
American rock musicians
Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware
Singers from Delaware
Frank Billings Kellogg  (December 22, 1856 – December 21, 1937) was an American lawyer, politician and statesman.  He served in the United States Senate and as United States Secretary of State. Kellogg was part of a group who wrote the Kellogg-Briand Pact also known as the World Peace Act. For this, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929. 

Lawyers from Minnesota
United States senators from New York
United States Secretaries of State
American Nobel Prize winners
Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota
1856 births
1937 deaths
Lawyers from New York
Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom
Havlíčkův Brod is a district town in the center of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands on the Sázava river. Its population is about 24,000 people.

History 
Settlement in Brod has been documented as far back as the 12th century. There was an easy passage across the Sázava river (brod means "ford" in English). In the 13th century, silver was found near the town. After that Smil of Lichtenburg invited German miners to settle the area. The town which was first called Brod and later Smilův Brod (Ford of Smil), was renamed to Německý Brod (German Ford). At the beginning of the 14th century, the stone city walls were built, but later during the Hussite Wars in 1422 the city was burned down by Jan Žižka. The town was resettled in 1429 by Czech people. In 1637 Německý Brod was promoted to royal city. After The Second World War, the city was renamed to Havlíčkův Brod (Ford of Havlíček), after Karel Havlíček Borovský, famous writer and journalist.

Interesting places 
The Old Town Hall in the square is Renaissance style. There is a skeleton under its clock. According to a story this skeleton was the traitor Hnát.

Havlíček´s house is built in the New-Gothic style. It is connected with life of Karel Havlíček Borovský. In this house, Havlíček was arrested and taken to exile. Today Havlíček´s Museum is there.

The Church at the corner of the square in Baroque style. It is famous for one of the oldest bells in Bohemia.

On the square is Plague column and fountain with statue of Triton too.

Today the city has a medical hospital, mental hospital, brewery, sport area with hockey arena, gym and swimming pool.

Cities in the Czech Republic
The Russian Space Forces was one of the 6 branches of the Russian Military that is responsible for space operations. The branch controls many space stations throughout Russia. The branch is also part of the Ministry of Defence. The main tasks are to inform officials about incoming missile attacks, anti-missile defense, and to create orbit space vehicles. The Russian Space Forces was replaced by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces on 1 December 2011.

History 

In 1967, the Troops of Anti-Missile and Anti-Space Defence by the Soviet Union. The branch was then named Ministry of Defence Space Units in 1982. Then in 1991, the Soviet Union broke up. So the new Russian Military created the Russian Space Forces. The branch was abandoned in 1992, but brought back in 2001. General Vladimir Popovkin took the lead of the branch in 2004, after the previous leader, Colonel General Anatoly Perminov.

Space Forces
Spaceflight
Contemporary art means modern art done after Pop Art and Conceptual Art. Another term, which really means the same thing, is postmodern art. Yet another term, which goes wider than art, is Postmodernism.

This problem of labelling comes about because the word 'modern' in art was used for some art from the mid-Victorian period through the whole 20th century. It covers a wide range of styles and movements. So when art critics wanted to describe post-WWII art they had to use a different word. Thus, in art, 'contemporary' (which really means 'at the same time as') comes to mean 'modern', and modern comes to mean 'earlier'.

Art movements
The Russian Ground Forces (Russian: Сухопутные войска Российской Федерации) are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed after the break up of the Soviet Union. Since 1992, the Russian troops have withdrawn from many Soviet posts, but the branch has been engaged in the Chechnya Wars, peace keeping, and other operations in the post-Soviet states.

Organisation 

The President of Russia is the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces.  The headquarters is located in Moscow.

Structure 

The branches of service is made up of the rifle troops, tank troops, artillery and rocket forces, troop air defense, special corp, etc. The rifle troops (Motorised Rifle Troops) are the main part of the Russian Ground Forces. The branch controls all the battle formations. The branch also has all the destructive weapons for defense against land and aerial forces. The tank troops are an important branch in the Russian Ground Forces that is responsible for the defense in important combat tasks. 

The artillery and rocket forces is a branch that has the most firepower for the Russian Ground Forces. Air defense is currently a branch under control by the Russian Air Force, but by 2015, the branch will be under control again by the Russian Ground Forces. Lastly, the special corp is a branch that takes care of the engineering, radioelectronic warfare, chemical and biological protection, radiation, technical support, etc.

Equipment 

The Russian Ground Forces are known to have a very large amount of equipment. A lot of this equipment is believed to be from the Soviet Union. Other countries seemed to get more modern equipment, while Russia was left with old Soviet equipment. Russia wanted to get more updated pieces, but the economy was not on the country's side.

Ranks and Insignia 

Most of the ranks are very similar the Soviet Army's ranks. Most of the names of the ranks came from current German, French, English, Dutch and even Polish ranks. Very few changes have been made since the Soviet Union's breakup.

Corruption in the ground forces 

The Russian Ground Forces is known to have high crime rates for a military. The United States Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) said that the Russian Ground Forces is "an institution increasingly defined by the high levels of military criminality and corruption embedded within it at every level," which is basically saying that the Russian Ground Forces has high levels of crime and corruption placed in every level. Some crimes would include the stealing of weapons, assisting drug smugglers, high corruption and even claims of contract killings.

References 

Military of Russia
Susa () was an ancient Iranian city. It was part of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains. It is about  east of the Tigris River and is between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers. There is a modern Iranian town in the same place as Susa. It is called Shush.

References 

Cities in Iran
Timmins is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. The population of Timmins was 43,165 in 2011. The mayor of Timmins is Tom Laughren. Timmins was founded in 1912 by Noah Timmins after there were gold discoveries in the Porcupine Camp, although South Porcupine and Schumacher were formed in 1911. Naoshima, Kagawa in Japan is a sister city to Timmins.

References

Other websites
Official website

Cities in Ontario
Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Bookstore. He was the author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, and movie narration. Many of his works were inspired and about the city of San Francisco.

Poetry
Ferlinghetti’s poetry is based on lyric and narrative traditions. His themes are the beauty of nature, the tragicomic life of the common man, the situation of the individual in mass society, and the dream and betrayal of democracy.

Painting
Ferlinghetti began painting in Paris in 1948. In San Francisco he occupied a studio that he inherited from Hassel Smith. His first works show the influence the New York abstract expressionists. A more figurative style is apparent in his later works. Ferlinghetti’s paintings have been shown at various museums around the world.

60 years of painting, the exhibition held in Italy in 2010, is a creative journey through the twentieth century, reflecting on the role of the artist nowadays.

Death
Ferlinghetti died of lung disease on February 22, 2021 at his home in San Francisco at age 101.

Awards
Ferlinghetti received the Premio Taormina in 1973. He also received the Premio Camaiore, the Premio Flaiano, the Premio Cavour, among other honors in Italy. 

From 2009 he was on the Honour Committee of IMMAGINE&POESIA, the artistic literary movement founded in Turin, Italy, with the patronage of Aeronwy Thomas (Dylan Thomas's daughter).

Selected works

 Pictures of the Gone World (City Lights, 1955) Poetry (enlarged, 1995) 
 A Coney Island of the Mind (  New Directions, 1958) Poetry
 Her (New Directions, 1960) Prose
 One Thousand Fearful Words for Fidel Castro (City Lights, 1961) Broadside poem
 These Are My Rivers: New & Selected Poems, 1955-1993 (New Directions, 1993) 
 City Lights Pocket Poets Anthology (City Lights, 1995) 
 A Far Rockaway Of The Heart (New Directions, 1998) 
 How to Paint Sunlight: Lyrics Poems & Others, 1997-2000 (New Directions, 2001) 
 San Francisco Poems (City Lights Foundation, 2001) Poetry 
 Life Studies, Life Stories (City Lights, 2003) 
 Americus: Part I (New Directions, 2004)
 A Coney Island of the Mind (Arion Press, 2005),  with portraiture by R.B. Kitaj
 Poetry as Insurgent Art (New Directions, 2007) Poetry
 A Coney Island of the Mind: Special 50th Anniversary Edition with a CD of the author reading his work (New Directions, 2008)
 50 poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti 50 images by Armando Milani ( Rudiano, 2010) Poetry and Graphics

References

1919 births
2021 deaths
American poets
Beat Generation
People from Yonkers, New York
Columbia University alumni
Writers from New York
Deaths from lung disease
Disease-related deaths in San Francisco
Writers from San Francisco
American essayists
American political activists
American painters
American centenarians
Ugo Nespolo (born at Mosso, Biella on August 29, 1941) is an Italian artist. He is well known for his artistic work with other people in theater, literature and advertising. His career started in the 1960s. His work was influenced by Pop Art, conceptual art, Arte Povera and Fluxus. These are movements that he appreciated when he went to the United States. He has been to the United States many times. He spent much time in the States during the 1980s. Transgression and irony characterize Nespolo's artwork. Ugo Nespolo has been in the Honour Committee of IMMAGINE&POESIA since 2010.

Other websites 
 Official site

Related pages
 List of Italian painters

References

1941 births
Living people
Italian painters
Ecbatana was an ancient Iranian city. It was the capital city of the Median Empire. There is a modern Iranian city that was built in the same place as Ecbatana. It is called Hamadan.

References

Other websites

Official Ecbatana website 
Former national capitals
History of Iran
Many Chinese dynasties have ruled the country during its history. China is a society which has had a very long history. This history was affected by the dynasties which have ruled it. They have slowly changed China into its current form.

Dynasties

Xia dynasty
The Xia dynasty lasted from 2070 BC until 1600 BC. It was the first ruling dynasty in Chinese history. The Xia was probably created by emperor Yu the Great. It is not known for certain if the Xia dynasty actually existed. Many people think that the Xia dynasty is only a legend. This is because there is no evidence that can prove that there was some dynasty before 1600 BC. There were found some archaeological excavations from 1500 BC which may come from the Xia dynasty. For example one of the excavations causes archaeologists to believe that the foundations of China were created during the Xia dynasty. Also there are findings of the oldest Chinese calendar called a lunar calendar. Xia dynasty was ended by a dynasty named Shang.

Shang dynasty
The Shang dynasty lasted from 1600 BC until 1046 BC. It started when Tang took control from the last Xia emperor, Jie. The dynasty ended with the suicide of Di Xin.

The Shang dynasty was important for Chinese culture. The first Chinese character fonts were created at this time. They were mainly used by seers and shaman. People made their own ritual vessels, agricultural and craft tools and even weapons. Everything was made of cast bronze.

In agriculture, millets, wheats and rice were the main crops. Mulberries were also grown. They were used to feed mulberry silkworms.

Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty lasted from 1045 BC until 256 BC. The Shangs had became weak because they were always fighting with a neighboring tribes. This was good for the less advanced Zhou. They defeat the Shang in the current town of An-yang. After that, the Zhou dynasty took the government. They ruled for the longest time of all Chinese dynasties.

Zhous were nomadic shepherds from the Shanxi province. The rulers of Zhou dynasty divided the country into four smaller areas. Each of these areas were controlled by relatives and members of aristocracy.  Princes controlled fortified towns with a peasant background. They also helped the rulers at times of war. This form of government allowed the Zhou rulers to control more area.

Notes

References
China Handbook Editorial Committee, China Handbook Series: History (trans., Dun J. Li), Beijing, 1982, 188-89; and Shao Chang Lee, "China Cultural Development" (wall chart), East Lansing, 1984.

Other websites
 Columbia University. Dynasties song sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques" that repeats the major Chinese dynasties in chronological order.

History-related lists
An ethernet hub is an electronic device that runs a computer network. It is a simple device and is easy to configure. A hub acts like a repeater: all data that arrives to one port is sent to all other ports (without looking at IP address for the data's destination). That means that all devices in this network will get all data. A hub is a very simple device and does not operate Ethernet traffic. In contrast, a switch hub has a lower latency. Many hubs have LED signal lamps to show the state of the hub (which ports are connected and if the hub is working). A "collision" happens when two or more devices on the same network try to send packets at the same time. When collisions happen all of the devices have to go through a routine to resolve the conflict.  The process is set in the Ethernet Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol.

Some hubs may also come with a BNC and/or Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) connector to allow connection to legacy 10BASE2 or 10BASE5 network segments.

There are three kinds of hubs:
 Hub - This one described here. The hub does not look at individual packets and copies them to all ports, used as connection between LAN Segments.
 Passive hub (intelligent hub) - The device monitors traffic going through the hub and all ports can be configured, also are called manageable hubs.
 Switching hub - reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the just correct port.

Uses
Hubs can be used for:
inserting a protocol analyzer into a network connection, a hub is an alternative to a network tap or port mirroring.
 preventing a "loop" by accidentally connecting two ports together, which might be a big problem when switches are used.
 working on Physical Layer of OSI.
Historically, the main reason for purchasing hubs rather than switches was their price. Today few hubs are produced, because they are not an effective solution for building networks.

Computers
The Eurasian Union () is a project of political and economic union whose members are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and could include other countries from Europe and Asia, such as, for example, countries that were once part of the USSR.

The idea was suggested in October 2011 by the Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, but the idea was first proposed by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in a speech, in 1994, in Moscow. On 18 November 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement in which they agreed to create the Eurasian Economic Union by 2015. The agreement talked about the membership of candidate states and created the Eurasian Commission (which is based on the European Commission) and the Eurasian Economic Space, which both started work on 1 January 2012.

References

International organizations
Economics organizations
Political organizations based in Europe
Economy of Asia
Economy of Europe
Politics of Asia
Politics of Europe
Economy of Russia
Politics of Russia
Political organizations based in Asia
Electronic gear shifting is a way of shifting gears on a bicycle. It lets bicycle riders use a switch to shift gears, instead of a lever. Electronic gear shifting can be faster than shifting gears with a lever.

How it works

The standard system for gearing up and down works with bowdens. A bowden is special kind of wound steel cable, which connects levers to the shifter, derailleur or brakes. As the rider pulls or taps a lever, the bowden reacts at the same time. That causes the bicycle to change gear.

Electronic works without bowdens. The system is digital. There is no wound steel cable. Instead, there are multiple combinations of 0 and 1. A battery placed under the frame powers the system. Each battery should last for 1000 km depending on the manufacturer. Then it needs to be recharged.  Wires for data and power are hidden inside the frame. Parts of the shifting systems are connected to each other. Servomotors do the shifting. The shifter and derailleur have a pair of servomotors built into them.  There is a self-adjustable microchip in the derailleur. The system has its own logic, which keeps the chain from dropping. There is no need for maintenance because the derailleur adjusts itself using the microchip.

Pros and cons
Pros:
Speed of shifting       
Ease of shifting (no need to push hard, a tap is effective)                     
Self-adjusting derailleur
Less weight
Less maintenance
Comfort

Cons:
Price ($2000+)
Battery capacity
No option for multiple shifting

Manufacturers

Shimano – Di2 Ultegra/Dura ace series (since 2009)
Campagnolo  - (since 2011)

References 

Vehicles
Mechanics
Lots of languages are used in Canada. English and French are used by most Canadians. Only New Brunswick uses both English and French as its official languages. Quebec's official language is French. English and French are recognized by the Constitution of Canada as "official languages." This means that all laws of the federal government are in both English and French and that federal government services can be available in both languages.

Many Canadians believe that the relationship between the English and French languages is important. 

To know how many people speak them, Canada's census collects a lot of kinds of information not collected in most other countries, including home language, mother tongue, first official language and language of work.

People speak other languages. About 18% of Canadians (about 6.1 million people, most are immigrants) have a language other than English or French as their first language or mother tongue. Nearly 3.5 million Canadians continue to use their other language most often, like when at home or in social settings. The biggest ones are Italian, German, Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic and Dutch.

Canada also has many native languages. But they are not spoken by many people (less than one percent of Canada), and fewer people speak them every year.

Canada
Canada
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of routes and safe houses in the United States. Black slaves used the Underground Railroad to escape from slavery. It was created in the early 1800s, and was at its biggest between 1850 and 1860. The term “Underground Railroad” also describes the abolitionists, both black and white, free and enslaved, who helped the slaves along the way. 

Routes on the Underground Railroad led to free states, Canada, Mexico and overseas. While traveling along these routes, slaves received help from abolitionists and those who had sympathy to their cause. British North America was another popular stopping point. Slavery was not allowed there, and its long border gave many points of access. More than 30,000 people were said to have escaped there using the network at its best, although U.S. Census statistics shows only 6,000.  

One statistic suggests that by 1850, about 100,000 slaves had escaped to freedom by the "Railroad". 

The Underground Railroad fugitives' stories are recorded in the Underground Railroad Records.

References

Related pages
Harriet Tubman

 
19th century in the United States
African-American history
Slavery in the United States
is a Japanese city in Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.   It is the capital city of the prefecture.

Kagoshima is at the southwestern tip of Kyūshū.

It has been recognized as a core city since 1996.

History 
Kagoshima was the center of Satsuma Province and the land of the Shimazu clan.

Timeline
 1602 (Keichō 7): Shimazu build Tsurumaru castle
 1549 (Tenbun 18): Francis Xavier arrives in Japan
 1779 (An'ei 7): Sakurajima volcanic action
 1863 (Bunkyū 3):  Bombardment of Kyushu by British Navy
 1914 (Taishō 3): Sakurajima erupts
2013 Sakurajima erupts.

References

Other websites 

 Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau 
 http://www.city.kagoshima.lg.jp/_1010/shimin/foreigner.html ; 
 Kagoshima Internationalization Council
 

Cities in Kyushu
Settlements in Kagoshima Prefecture
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan.

Kumamoto is in the south central part of Kyushu. Kumamoto is an ordinance-designated city since April 1, 2012.

History
In 1600, Kumamoto Castle was built by Kato Kiyomasa; and the city grew around it.

References

Other websites 

 Official site of Kumamoto City 
 Kumamoto International Mailing List 
 

Cities in Kyushu
Settlements in Kumamoto Prefecture
Bethlehem is a city in eastern Pennsylvania close to Allentown. It's part of the Lehigh Valley Region.

Cities in Pennsylvania
is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan.

Miyazaki is on the east coast of Kyushu.

It has been recognized as a core city since 1998.

History

Miyazaki is the traditional location of the first Imperial capital.

In 1940, the national government built the Hakkō Ichiu monument at the legendary site of Emperor Jimmu's palace.

References

Other websitess

 http://www.city.miyazaki.miyazaki.jp/gyousei/html/univ/en/index.html ;  
 Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument, 1983 

Cities in Kyushu
Settlements in Miyazaki Prefecture
is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture.

It has been recognized as a core city since 1997.

History 
In the 16th century, Ōita became a center for trade with the Portuguese.

Some famous places in Nishinomiya are Koshien Stadium, where the professional baseball team the Hanshin Tigers play, and Nishinomiya Gardens.

Timeline
 1562 – Funai Castle was built by Otomo Sorin
 2002 – FIFA World Cup

Geography
Ōita is on Beppu Bay in northeast Kyushu.

References

Other websites

 Ōita city ; http://www.city.oita.oita.jp/en/index.html 

Cities in Kyushu
Settlements in Ōita Prefecture
is the capital city of Saga Prefecture in Japan.

Saga is in northwest Kyūshū. Around 240,000 people live there.

History
Saga developed around Saga castle of the Nabeshima clan.

The city was the capital of Saga domain in the Edo period, and it was the capital of Hizen Province.

Every fall it holds the Saga International Balloon Fiesta.

References

Other websites 

 http://www.city.saga.lg.jp/en/ ; 
 Saga International Balloon Fiesta 

Cities in Kyushu
Settlements in Saga Prefecture
"Lucky Star" is the fourth single from Madonna's hit record Madonna. The song was first released in United Kingdom in 1983. It was originally produced by Reggie Lucas, although during recording Madonna was not happy with the final results of the song. According to her, Lucas used too many instruments and did not consider her ideas for the song. She called her boyfriend (at the time), John Benitez, to remix her songs. When the "Lucky Star" video was released in 1984, her style and mannerisms became a fashion trend among younger people.

1984 songs
Madonna songs
Axel Zwingenberger (born 7 May 1955, Hamburg, Germany) is a blues and boogie-woogie pianist He is said to be one of the best boogie-woogie musicians in the world.

Biography
Zwingenberger was born in Hamburg, Germany. He had eleven years of piano training. In 1973 he listened to recordings of boogie-woogie pianists Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, and Pete Johnson. He joined piano playing partners Hans-Georg Moeller, Vince Weber and Martin Pyrker. In 1974, he played at the First International Blues-and-Boogie Woogie Festival of the West German Radio Station in Cologne which was followed by Hans Maitner's annual festival Stars of Boogie Woogie in Vienna.

1975 Zwingenberger signed his first recording contract.Since then he made recordings with  famous artists like Lionel Hampton, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Lloyd Glenn, Joe Newman, Sippie Wallace, Mama Yancey, Champion Jack Dupree, Sammy Price, Ray Bryant, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Vince Weber, and the Mojo Blues Band, among others. In spring 2009 he renewed his relationship with Charlie Watts, drummer of The Rolling Stones. Together with bassist Dave Green, they played concerts labeled as 'The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie'.

Being a steam engine fan since childhood he also edited a book with his own photos of steam engines. (Axel Zwingenberger, Vom Zauber der Züge - The Magic of Trains photo book - )

Selective discography

Zwingenberger also appeared on Just For A Thrill by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings

Books
 Richard Cook & Brian Morton: Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, Penguin, first issue 1992, 8th 2006, 
 Colin Larkin: The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz, Guinness Books UK, from 1992 on, 
 Peter Silvester: The Story Of Boogie Woogie - A Left Hand Like God, Quartet Books UK, 1988, updated issue 2009, Scarecrow Press,

References

Other websites 
Axel Zwingenberger's homepage
Interview with Axel Zwingenberger

1955 births
Living people
Blues pianists
German pianists
Boogie Woogie pianists
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.

Naha is in the southern part of the largest island in the Ryukyu Island archipelago.

History
Once the capital of Ryukyu Kingdom was situated and its palace Shurijo rest. In 1879, Okinawa Prefecture was established; and Naha was made its capital city.

References

Other websites 

http://www.city.naha.okinawa.jp/en/livingguide/ ; 

Cities in Japan
Settlements in Okinawa Prefecture
Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It is part of an old area which includes Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane.

Today, it is the heart of the city's British Bangladeshi community and is known to some as Banglatown. It is famous for its many curry houses.

History 
Brick Lane gets its name from former brick and tile manufacture, using the local brick earth deposits, that began in the 15th century.

Successive waves of immigration began with Huguenot refugees spreading from Spitalfields, where  the master weavers were based, in the 17th century. This started a connection with clothing which lasted for over three centuries.

The Huguenots were followed by Irish, Ashkenazi Jews and, in the last century, Bangladeshis.  The area became a centre for weaving, tailoring and  the clothing industry, due to the abundance of semi- and unskilled immigrant labour.

Brewing came to Brick Lane before 1680, with water drawn from deep wells. One brewer was Joseph Truman, first recorded in 1683. His family went on to establish the sizable Black Eagle Brewery on Brick Lane.

The Brick Lane Market was developed in the 17th century for fruit and vegetables. The Sunday market, like the ones on Petticoat Lane and nearby Columbia Road, dates from a dispensation given to the Jewish community. The Brick Lane Farmers' Market opened 6th June 2010.

Emma Elizabeth Smith was viciously assaulted and robbed in Osborn Street, the part of Brick Lane that meets Whitechapel High Street, in the early hours of 3 April 1888. It was one of the first of the eleven Whitechapel Murders, some of which were done by the serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

In 1742, La Neuve Eglise, a Huguenot chapel, was built on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street. By 1809, it had become The Jews’ Chapel, for promoting Christianity to the expanding Jewish population, and became a Methodist Chapel in 1819 (John Wesley having preached his first covenant sermon at the  nearby Black Eagle Street Chapel). In 1898, the building was consecrated as the Machzikei HaDath, or Spitalfields Great Synagogue. In 1976, it became the London Jamme Masjid (Great London), to serve the expanding British Bangladeshi community. The building is Grade II* listed. Many Bangladeshi immigrants to Brick Lane were from the Greater Sylhet region. These settlers helped shape Bangladeshi migration to Britain; families from Jagannathpur and Bishwanath tend to dominate in the Brick Lane area today.

References 

Roads in London
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Grade II* listed buildings in London
Svitavy (German: Zwittau) is a town in the Czech Republic. About 17,000 people live there. A small river, also called Svitava, flows through the city from a nearby spring.

History
The original settlement with a church was founded by monks from Litomyšl and called after the flowing river Svitava. Later German settlers started to come here. They founded a new village with a church of St.Giles. Original Svitava slowly merged with the new village. The area around Svitavy became the subject of conflict between the bishop of Olomouc and a monastic manor from Litomyšl, 1256 conflict was settled in favour of the Bishop of Olomouc. So the year 1256 started the history of our town. In 2006 we celebrated 750 year from the foundation of town Svitavy.

People from Svitavy
 Viktor Felber- born on 11th October. He was professor of ČVUT in Prague in 1930 - 1931. There is also street named after him, where is primary school and playground.
 Oskar Schindler

The town has a permanent museum exposition called Searching the Star of David - Oskar Schindler - Righteous Among the Nations (“Hledání Davidovy hvězdy - Oskar Schindler - Spravedlivý mezi národy“).

Cities in the Czech Republic
Sunset Boulevard is a long road in west Los Angeles. It stretches 24 miles (39 km) from Figueroa Street in downtown (central) Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades at the Pacific Ocean. Part of the Boulevard, called Sunset Strip, passes through Hollywood.

Traffic 
The boulevard is at least four lanes wide for all of the route. Car accidents are not uncommon due to  the lack of a central divider on most sections. The road also has difficult curves and hills that a driver cannot see over.

Sunset often has more cars on it than were planned for. It is worn, and has cracks and potholes. Traffic on Sunset is often slow, especially during the rush hour. But when traffic is mild, Sunset is a fast thoroughfare because it has few (and short timed) traffic lights in the western part. Even at rush hours, cars move without waiting, as the lights are well spaced and timed.

Sunset Strip 
This is the 1½ mile (2.4) km strip running through West Hollywood. The Strip is well-known; it has boutiques, restaurants, and nightclubs that are part of the entertainment industry. It is also known for its trademark array of huge, colorful billboards and is a 'hangout' for rock stars, movie stars and other entertainers.

Media 
Sunset Strip was the location of a popular TV show 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964), starring Ephrem Zimbalist Jnr. Many young stars made an appearance in the series.

Sunset Boulevard gave its name to a famous 1950 movie of the same name,  starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Eric von Stroheim.

Notes 

Los Angeles
Roads in California
The function of 3D television is making a two-dimensional screen look like its picture is in three dimensions. This effect starts when we observe two shifted displays.

3D televisions with glasses 

Basic division of 3d technologies
stereoscopic 3D display – requires glasses
Autostereoscopic 3d display – without glasses

3D televisions in shops and e-shops are in 90% of cases stereoscopic. Glasses are used to see the picture in three dimensionals. The glasses divide display into two components (either shifted in color or otherwise).

What 3D TV can do 

3D TV can do anything as well as 2D TV. The newest types of TV even can convert 2D into 3D but the quality is low.

Movies in 3D format are still scarce. Few people would invest their money into partially exploited machine.

Specification of three-dimensional perception 

The best 3D television images are on larger television screens.

The closer a person sits to the screen, the stronger the 3D effect. Three-dimensional image processing is also more difficult for the brain.

Because the observation of 3D space in a 3D TV is so hard, viewers should be sitting during the watching 3D TV.

Television technology
Display technology
Martha Argerich (born 5 June 1941 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine classical pianist of Jewish descent.

Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three. At the age of five, she moved to teacher Vincenzo Scaramuzza.  Argerich gave her first concert in 1949 at the age of eight.
The family moved to Europe in 1955 where Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Austria. She later learned with Stefan Askenase and Maria Curcio. Argerich also had brief periods of learning with Madeleine Lipatti (widow of Dinu Lipatti), Abbey Simon, and Nikita Magaloff. In 1957, at sixteen, she won both the Geneva International Music Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition, within three weeks of each other.

Argerich started to become famous around the world when she won the Seventh International Chopin Piano Competition in 1965 at the age of 24. She also made a recording in the same year, including pieces by Chopin, Brahms, Ravel, Liszt, and Prokofiev.

References 

1941 births
Living people
Argentine Jews
Argentine pianists
Jewish musicians
People from Buenos Aires
The Black Cauldron is a fantasy novel written by Lloyd Alexander. It was published in 1965 as the second book in The Chronicles of Prydain series. The Black Cauldron was awarded a Newbery Medal. The Black Cauldron centers around Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper who lives in the fantasy land of Prydain.

Plot
The book begins with a meeting of many leaders. They make plans to stop the evil Arawn from taking over Prydain. The leaders decide to steal the Black Cauldron, a powerful tool, from Arawn. Prince Gwydion, the war lord of Prydain, leads a band of people into Annuvin, Arawn's country. When there, they learn that the cauldron has already been stolen. The Fair Folk (fairies) tell the group that the witches of Morva stole the cauldron. Prince Ellidyr, a poor youngest son, sneaks away from the group so that he can steal the cauldron for himself. The rest of the group follows to save him from Arawn's soldiers, but are attacked themselves. In the battle, Fflewddur Fflam and Doli are separated from the group. Also, Adaon, son of the chief bard, is wounded very badly. Before he dies, he passes on a brooch to Taran. The brooch has magical powers and Taran uses it to find Fflewddur and Doli. They continue to Morva, where Taran trades the brooch for the cauldron. The group then tries to smash it, but the witches tell them it can only be destroyed when a living person dies in it willingly. On the way back, Ellidyr attacks the group and steals the cauldron. The group is later found by King Morgant and his men, who have captured Ellidyr and beaten him. Morgant plans to use the cauldron to rule Prydain. Morgant ties up the entire group and offers to free them if Taran will join his service. While they are talking, Doli turns invisible and frees the whole group. During the fight that follows, Ellidyr throws himself into the cauldron, destroying it. King Smoit then comes and attacks Morgant, killing him. The group is rescued.

Main Characters
 Taran - an orphan who was raised by Dallben the Enchanter. His age is never specifically stated; he is referred to as a young man. He is the protagonist (hero) of the book.
 Princess Eilonwy - a princess of Llyr with some magical abilities. She lives at Caer Dallben after escaping from her evil aunt.
 Fflewddur Fflam - a king and wandering bard. He often joins Taran on his adventures.
 Doli - a dwarf from the realm of the Fair Folk. He has the ability to turn invisible.
 Prince Gwydion - crown prince of the ruling House of Don in Prydain.
 Prince Ellidyr - the poor youngest son of a king. He is arrogant and disagrees often with Taran.
 Adaon - the wise son of the chief bard. He possesses a magical brooch which helps him interpret dreams.

References

Fantasy books
1965 books