cyanic-selkie/wikianc huggingface dataset:
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist.
In 2023, she appears at number 22 on the Rolling Stone magazine's "200 best singers of all time" list.
Early life
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988, at North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton, London. She is the daughter of a Welshman named Mark Evans and Penny Adkins. She has a half-brother called Cameron. She lived with his father and he started singing from the age of four, She graduated from The BRIT School in Croydon in May 2006. In July 2006, Adele published two songs in the fourth issue of online arts magazine PlatformsMagazine.com. After graduation, Adele began to play small shows at venues all over Britain. She has also toured with best friend Jack Peñate, as well as Jamie T, Raul Midon, Devendra Banhart, Amos Lee and Keren Ann since summer 2006. Adele went on her first UK headlining tour in October 2007.
Singing career
Adele's first single released was "Hometown Glory". On it, she sings about Tottenham. The single was released on 22 October 2007 on Jamie T's label Pacemaker Recordings. It is a limited edition 7" vinyl with B-side "Best for Last". She has since signed to independent music label XL Recordings. In January 2008, she released her second single "Chasing Pavements".
Adele has become quite popular on MySpace. She is following the example of fellow Londoner Lily Allen by using the web as a mediafocus and a place to see what people think of her songs. Adele performed Daydreamer on BBC2's Later With Jools Holland, alongside Paul McCartney and Björk. She was next on BBC1's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 7 December 2007, singing Chasing Pavements.
On 10 December 2007, Adele was awarded with the first BRIT Awards Critics’ Choice prize. She has been called the "new Amy Winehouse." In January 2008, she was voted winner in the annual BBC 6 Music poll of industry experts Sound of 2008, for acts to emerge in the coming year.
In 2011 Adele released her second album, 21, named after her age at the time it was made. It was number one in more than 26 countries. It became the biggest selling album of the 21st century. Her third studio album, 25, was released on 20 November 2015 and debuted at number one all around the world. The music video for the lead single "Hello", which also debuted at number one in many countries, broke the record for the shortest amount of time for a YouTube video to reach one billion views. The song was also certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America faster than any other song in history. To date, it has been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.
Adele returned to music in October 2021 and announced her fourth album, 30 and the single "Easy on Me", which was released on 15 October 2021, and was her first single after five years. The album was released on 19 November 2021.
In 2022, she announced that she will sing the theme song for the upcoming Nick Jr. series Destiny's Side which premiered on December 1, 2022.
Personal life
She has a son, Angelo, with her then-boyfriend, Simon Konecki, born in October 19, 2012. In 2013 she won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Brit Award for Best British Single for the title track for the James Bond movie Skyfall. The song also won the award for Best Song for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards.
On December 19, 2013, Adele was given an MBE by the Prince of Wales.
In 2017, Adele confirmed that she is married to Konecki. In April 2019, it was reported that the two ended their marriage.
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are awarded each year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Some think they are the highest music honor.
As of February 13, 2017, Adele has received 15 Grammy Awards from 18 nominations. In 2012, Adele became the second female artist to win six awards in one night, after Beyoncé Knowles did in 2010. Adele is only the second artist (following Christopher Cross) to have won all four of the General Field ("Big Four") awards at the Grammys.
Diego Sanchez
Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez (born December 31, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a Mexican American mixed martial artist (MMA). He has a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, a system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson. Sanchez currently fights as a welterweight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Hywel Bennett
Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 25 July 2017) was a Welsh actor. Bennett was known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–84), and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92).
After becoming known for his role in the comedy movie The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Bennett made appearances in movier such as Loot (1970) and Percy (1971). He was in EastEnders during 2003 as gangster Jack Dalton.
Bennett died on 25 July 2017 at the age of 73.
Toaster
A toaster is a machine that cooks bread. The bread is put into the toaster and after a few minutes it pops up, toasted. The pop-up toaster was invented by Parker Scharbrough in 1919.
Jama Masjid, Srinagar
The Jamia Masjid is a mosque in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir. The Jamia Masjid of Srinagar is at Nowhatta, in the middle of the old city. It was built by Sultan Sikander Shah in 1394 AD. Later, the son of Sultan Sikandar, Zain-ul-Abidin had the mosque extended. The measurement of the mosque is 381 feet by 384 feet. It has unique architecture, a courtyard, and 378 wooden Deodar pillars supporting a wooden ceiling with 346 pillars of 21 feet in height and 5 feet in girth, and 32 pillars 48 feet in height and 6 feet in girth. The masjid has a fountain also measurement of 33 feet by 34 feet which is also used for wuzu (ablution). Thousands of Muslims assemble at the mosque every Friday to offer their prayers. This Jamia Masjid of Kashmir, has seen a number of destructions till date. It got ruined three times in a fire and was reconstructed every time. During the region of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, the Jamia Masjid of Srinagar was shut down and the namaz (Islamic prayers) and azan (Islamic call to prayer) were banned.
Started from the Bottom
"Started from the Bottom" is the first single off Canadian rapper Drake's third studio album Nothing Was the Same. The song was released on February 1, 2013.
On February 10, 2013, a music video for the song was released. It featured Drake riding in a Bentley convertible, working at a Shoppers Drug Mart with friends, bowling, standing on a "Started from the Bottom" billboard, riding in a plane over Toronto and partying in the Dominican Republic.
The song was nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 56th Grammy Awards but lost both to Macklemore's Thrift Shop.
Pyroxene
The pyroxenes are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. They share a common structure consisting of single chains of silica crystals with the general formula XY(Si,Al)2O6 where X and Y represents metal ions. Although aluminium substitutes extensively for silicon in silicates such as feldspars and amphiboles, the substitution occurs only to a limited extent in most pyroxenes.
Pyroxenite is an igneous rock made up of minerals from the pyroxene group.
Ron Fairly
Fairly died on October 30, 2019 of cancer in Indian Wells, California at the age of 81.
Cătălina Ponor
Cătălina Ponor (born 20 August 1987) is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She has won five medals at the Summer Olympics, three of them were gold medals.
Lawrence Gonzi
Lawrence Gonzi (born 1 July 1953) is a Maltese politician. He served for twenty-five years in Maltese politics. Gonzi was Prime Minister of Malta from 2004 to 2013, and leader of the Nationalist Party. He also served as speaker of the House from 1988 to 1996, and Minister of Social Policy from 1998 to 2004, as well as Deputy Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004.
The Life of Emile Zola
At the 10th Annual Academy Awards, the movie was the second biographical movie to win the Best Picture Academy Award.
Rebecca (1940 movie)
Rebecca is a 1940 American psychological melodramatic thriller movie. This movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Joan Fontaine plays a very young and naive woman. She marries a recently widowed man and moves to his large house in Cornwall. Laurence Olivier played Maxim de Winter, a rich man whose first wife, Rebecca, died recently. This movie is about obsession and cold treatment in relationships.
In 1941, Rebecca won two Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Thin Ice (1937 movie)
Thin Ice is a 1937 American romantic comedy movie directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power, Arthur Treacher, Raymond Walburn, Joan Davis. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1938.
Plot
The film's plot revolves around Lili Heiser, a skate instructor working at a luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps. Lili falls in love with a man who regularly goes skiing in the mornings, believing him to be an ordinary tourist. However, she is unaware that he is actually a prince trying to escape the pressures of his royal life.
The movie prominently showcases the skating talents of Sonja Henie, who had previously won gold in the Winter Olympics. Henie transitioned to a successful career as a professional film actress in 1936. The film also features Tyrone Power, who was in the early stages of his acting career at the time.
Versailleux
Versailleux is a commune. It is found in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the Ain department in the east of France.
Hair iron
A hair iron or hair tong is something people use to change the shape of the hair by heating it. There are three types of hair iron:
History
In 1872, Marcel Grateau (a Parisian) used heated rods to curl or style hair.
In 1893, Ada Harris, a school teacher from Indianapolis, applied for a patent for the hair straightener. The hair straightener was a device “heated like a curling iron” with two flat faces held together by a hinge. It was said that when the faces press the hair, it will become straight.” Harris's invention also had a comb, which would keep different parts of the hair separated.
Simon E. Monroe patented a hair straightener in 1906 that was like a metal comb.
Years later, Sharrell made heated metal tools, for example: hot combs. The hot metal straightener went easily through the hair, making less damage and dryness than the way things were done before. Later, ceramic and electrical straighteners were made, meaning people could adjust the heat settings and straightener size.
The straightening irons of today
Some better hair straighteners today have ceramic coated heating parts, which harm the hair less, and heat up faster than non-ceramic coated heating parts. Cheaper brands do not often have ceramic, but some have a paint-like coating that looks like ceramic plating. Cordless flat irons use lithium battery that can last up to 45 minutes, and other is heated by thermacell butane gas cartridge.
Lots of more expensive hair straighteners use ionic and infra red technology, which helps to keep moisture and oils in the hair, and to stop static and frizz.
Depending on the hair type, repeated use of hair straighteners, like most other heat styling tools, can cause varying amounts of damage such as split ends, thinning of the hair shaft and even causing hair to become brittle and prone to breakage. Generally, after extensive damage, hair will show signs of dryness and display an unhealthy appearance. However, many companies, such as L’Oréal and Tresemmé, have began to manufacture heat protection sprays and cream which aim to reduce the amount of damage that is caused by the use of straighteners.
Hair straighteners should only be used on dry hair, unless they are specially made with vents to let the moisture out. These sort of irons are usually called "Wet Dry" irons.
Based on the materials used in the heating plates, hair irons can be classified as ceramic, tourmaline and traditional metal flat iron. Ceramic hair irons are believed to be gentle to the hair.
How it works
Hair straighteners work by breaking the hair's hydrogen bonds, which are part of what make the hair curly. After the bonds are broken, the hair is stopped from going back to its original, natural, curly form. The hydrogen bonds can re-form if moisture touches them, such as water or dampness.
Margaret Purves
Margaret Purves GC (born 25 November 1934 - Died 13 September 2021 ), formerly Margaret Vaughan, is a British nurse. She is best known for receiving the George Cross for an act of bravery when she was only 14 years old. She is the only living woman who has been recognized with this honour.
Hemis National Park
Hemis National Park (or Hemis High Altitude National Park) is a high altitude National Park in the Eastern Ladakh area of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is the only national park in India north of the Himalayas.
Margaret Purves
Early life
Margaret Vaughan was born in Cardiff, Wales. Her father James Boswell Vaughan was Chief Superitendent of Cardiff City Police and her mother was Dorothy May Vaughan (nee Powditch)
In 1949, Vaughan was awarded the Albert Medal because she saved a Boy Scout and his leader from a rough sea off the coast of Cardiff. The Albert Medal is now replaced with the George Cross. In 1974 the Albert medal was exchanged before the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Notice of the award was published in the London Gazette on 1 November 1949. She became one of the few living holders of the Albert Medal.
Hemis National Park
The park is home to about 200 snow leopards. Hemis is the only refuge in India with the Shapu. The Tibetan Wolf,the Eurasian Brown Bear, and the Red Fox are also in Hemis.
Margaret Purves
Early life
When she married, she changed her name to Purves. She married John Watt Purves, Captain in REME. They met while she was a Serving nurse in the QA's in Hanover, Germany. Margaret served With the QA's in Nairobi and Mauritius prior to this having trained at the Royal London Hospital. She had 3 children. Alison Fiona(1962) Rebecca (1963) and James (1965)
Career
Margaret Purves was an Army nurse serving as an officer in the Queen Alexandra Royal Nusing Corps. After meeting Capt. John Watt Purves in a hospital bed in Hanover - Due to a broken rib after a rugby match - They married Within 6 months at Llandaff Cathedral and Cardiff Castle. She lived in Singapore. Canada, UK, Belgium and Germany while he was husband served in the British Army. Whilst in the UK she was the editor of The Craftsman magazine, Well known to REME
George Cross citation
Purves' George Cross was given because of an act of bravery when she was a young girl.
She received his decoration from King George VI at Buckingham Palace. The words of her citation explain: The KING has been pleased to award the Albert Medal to Margaret Vaughan and the late John Howard Davies for their gallantry in the following circumstances: — On May 28th, 1949, a party of Scouts, aged between 11 and 15 years, visiting Sully Island were cut off by the rising tide from a causeway which led to the mainland. Most of the boys got safely across, but two of them were forced off the causeway by the strong tide. The leader of the party returned to help the elder boy but in the struggle he too became exhausted. Margaret Vaughan (aged 14 years) saw from the beach the difficulties they were in. She undressed and swam towards them over a distance of some 30 yards in cold, rough water and against strong currents due to the rising tide. On reaching them she towed the boy to the shore while he supported himself by grasping the straps of her costume and his leader's coat. At about ten feet from the shore a life belt was thrown in which the boy was placed by the other two and the three reached the shore safely. Margaret Vaughan's action probably saved the life of the Scout leader as well as that of the elder boy. Meanwhile, John Howard Davies (aged 13 years) had safely reached the mainland when he saw that his friend, who was unable to swim, was being forced away from the causeway into deep water. He stripped to the waist and went back along the causeway to help him. By swimming out he was able to grasp his friend, and hold him up in the water. Both boys shouted for help and it was obvious that they would not get ashore unaided. By this time a rescue boat had put out from the shore but Davies became exhausted by his efforts and before the boat could reach them he was forced to release his hold on his friend and they drifted apart. The boat rescued the friend but no further sign of Davies was seen. His body was subsequently recovered. There is no doubt that in returning to the aid of his friend after he himself had reached safety Davies gave his life in this rescue attempt.
Dachigam National Park
Dachigam National Park is a national park in India. It is 22 km from Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir. The park covers an area of 141 km2. The name of the park means "ten villages".
History
The park has been a protected area since 1910. It was first created to ensure a supply of clean drinking water for the city of Srinagar. It was declared a National Park in 1981.
Willie Garson
William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Stanford Blatch on the HBO series Sex and the City and in the related movies Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2. He also played Mozzie in the USA Network series White Collar from 2009 to 2014.
Garson died on September 21, 2021 from pancreatic cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California at aged 57.
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr.  (born March 31, 1948) is a former American politician. He was the 45th vice president of the United States under Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. Before that, he was a U.S. senator and a congressman for Tennessee. He is a Democrat.
He was chosen as the Democratic nominee of the 2000 United States presidential election, but lost the electoral vote to Republican candidate George W. Bush because of Florida and the US Supreme Court ruling a 5-4 favor of Bush. He was supposed to be president before the supreme court decision. Gore got more votes, though.
After the election, Gore became an activist focusing on climate change. Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Early life
Albert Gore, Jr. was born at Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington, D.C. He is the second of two children. His father, Albert A. Gore Sr. was a Senator for Tennessee and congressman. His mother, Pauline LaFon Gore was one of the first women to have graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School. Gore is descended from Scots-Irish immigrants who first settled in Virginia in the mid-17th-century, and moved to Tennessee after the Revolutionary War. At least two of these ancestors, Jacob Waggoner and Lewis Stunston, owned slaves. Gore was brought up in both Washington and Tennessee. His older sister was Nancy LaFon Gore, who was born in 1938, died of lung cancer in 1984.
After the vice presidency
Gore is now a businessman, and runs and works for several companies, including Generation Investment Management, Google, Apple, and TV channel Current.
He is also a fighter for issues involving the environment. He released a movie in 2006 about global warming and climate change called An Inconvenient Truth, which was based on a slide show he had given to millions of people. In 2007, Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize which he shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Potential 2016 presidential campaign
Interest in having Gore run for the 2016 Presidential election arose in 2014 and again in 2015. Gore did not run in 2016 and has expressed no interest to run in future elections.
Personal life
He currently lives in Nashville and was married to Tipper for 40 years. In June 2010, they filed for divorce. The Gores have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.
AEW Fight Forever
AEW Fight Forever is a professional wrestling sport video game. It was published by THQ Nordic. It was developed by Yuke's. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on June 29, 2023.
It is All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s first video game and Yuke's first wrestling game since they released WWE 2K19 in 2018.
Gameplay
On November 10, 2020, Kenny Omega said the game would have a similar feeling to playing AKI engine games like WWF No Mercy and Virtual Pro Wrestling.
On September 20, 2021, it was announced that Owen Hart would be added to the game. This was announced as part of a partnership between AEW and the Owen Hart Foundation. This is Hart's first time in a video game since appearing in 2004's Showdown: Legends of Wrestling.
On August 3, 2022, CM Punk was revealed to be on the cover along with Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Jade Cargill. After Punk got suspended from the company for a backstage incident, he was removed from the cover. Sting, MJF, Orange Cassidy, Bryan Danielson, and "Hangman" Adam Page.
Kent L. Wakeford
Kent Lon Wakeford (January 23, 1928 – October 10, 2020) was an American cinematographer and television commercial producer.
Wakeford was best known for working on Martin Scorsese's movies Mean Streets and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, as well as on the movies Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade and Wedding Bell Blues.
Jim Gregory
James M. Gregory (November 4, 1935 – October 30, 2019) was a Canadian hockey league executive and general manager. He worked in the National Hockey League. He was born in Port Colborne, Ontario. He coached and manage the Toronto Marlboros, winning two championships. He then moved to the National Hockey League's (NHL) Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming their general manager.
In 2007, Gregory was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gregory was diagnosed with amyloidosis in 2011. He died on October 30, 2019 at his home in Toronto from the disease at the age of 83.
Bharata
Bharata has several meanings. Some of the meanings are given below:
Chicxulub crater
The Chicxulub crater is a large meteorite crater. It was probably made by the meteor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and other animals ~65 mya. It is partly in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and partly underwater.
The Chicxulub crater is more than 180 km (110 mi) in diameter, making it the third largest confirmed impact crater on Earth. Petroleum prospectors found it in the late 1970s.
The bolide which formed the crater was at least 10 km (6 mi) in diameter. Evidence for the impact origin of the crater includes shocked quartz, a gravity anomaly, and tektites in surrounding areas. The age of the rocks and isotope analysis show that this impact structure dates from the end of the Cretaceous period, roughly 66 million years ago. The impact which caused the crater probably caused the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event.
Kishtwar National Park
Kishtwar National Park is a national park in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir, Northern Pakistan.
Chicxulub crater
In March 2010, following analysis of the available evidence covering 20 years' worth of data in the fields of palaeontology, geochemistry, climate modelling, geophysics and sedimentology, 41 international experts from 33 institutions reviewed available evidence. They said the impact at Chicxulub triggered the mass extinctions during the K-T boundary, including that of dinosaurs.
Scientists can now describe in detail how the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs produced its huge crater. The reconstruction of the event 66 million years ago was made possible by drilling into the remnant bowl and analysing its rocks.
Evidence of impact
Scientists have found evidence of fallout from the asteroid impact. Excavations in North Dakota reveal fossils of fish and trees that were sprayed with rocky, glassy fragments that fell from the sky. The deposits also show evidence of being swamped with water. This was caused by the colossal sea surge caused by the impact.
Egloshayle
Egloshayle is a parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is beside the River Camel immediately southeast of Wadebridge. The civil parish includes Washaway and Sladesbridge.
History
Egloshayle was a medieval river port, rivalling Padstow five miles downriver. Egloshayle is now a residential suburb of Wadebridge. The town of Wadebridge developed in the parishes of Egloshayle and St Breock. A Vicar of Egloshayle named Thomas Lovibond was responsible for the building of the first bridge across the River Camel to replace a dangerous ford which was begun in 1468 and completed in 1485.
Churches
The parish church, named after St Petroc, is built almost entirely in the Perpendicular style. It has a Norman font, a stone pulpit dating from the 15th century, and a peal of eight bells. The Anglican chapel at Washaway, dating from 1882, has a font which is one of the earliest in the county.
Jacinda Ardern
Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern (born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician. She was the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Leader of the Labour Party from October 2017 to January 2023. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2008. She was the member of Parliament (MP) for Mount Albert from 2017 to 2023.
Ardern was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party on 1 March 2017, after the resignation of Annette King. Just five months later, after Labour's leader Andrew Little resignation, Ardern was elected as party leader. She led her party to win 14 seats at the 2017 general election on 23 September, winning 46 seats to the National Party's 56. After working with New Zealand First, a minority coalition government with Labour and New Zealand First was formed, supported by the Green Party. Ardern became Prime Minister and she was sworn in by the governor-general on 26 October 2017. She became the world's youngest female head of government at age 37. Ardern later became the world's second elected head of government to give birth while in office when her daughter was born in June 2018.
Ardern calls herself a social democrat and a progressive. Her government has focused on the New Zealand housing crisis, child poverty, and social inequality. In March 2019, she became popular because of her leadership during the Christchurch mosque shootings and for introducing strict gun laws in response. For much of 2020, she also became popular for the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ardern led the Labour Party to a historic victory in the 2020 general election, winning a majority of 65 seats in Parliament.
In January 2023, Ardern announced she would resign as Labour leader and prime minister within a few weeks. She left office on 25 January and was replaced by Chris Hipkins.
Early life
Ardern became interested in politics because her aunt asked her to help her with campaigning for New Plymouth MP Harry Duynhoven during his re-election campaign at the 1999 general election.
Ardern joined the Labour Party at the age of 17 and became a senior figure in the Young Labour party of the party. After graduating from university, she spent time working in the offices of Phil Goff and of Helen Clark as a researcher. She volunteered at a soup kitchen in New York City in the United States and worked on a workers' rights campaign. Ardern moved to London, England where she became a senior policy adviser for British prime minister Tony Blair. Ardern also worked at the Home Office to help with a review of policing in England and Wales.
In early 2008, Ardern was elected President of the International Union of Socialist Youth.
Early activities
Ahead of the 2008 election, Ardern was ranked 20th on Labour's party list. She would soon return from London to campaign full-time for a seat in the New Zealand Parliament. She also became Labour's candidate for the safe National electorate of Waikato. Ardern lost the election, but entered Parliament as a list MP because of her high ranking in the party list. She became the youngest sitting MP in Parliament.
Opposition Leader Phil Goff promoted Ardern to the front bench, naming her Labour's spokesperson for Youth Affairs and for Justice (Youth Affairs). She made appearances on TVNZ's Breakfast programme as part of the "Young Guns" feature, alongside National MP and future National Party leader, Simon Bridges. Ardern ran for the parliament seat of Auckland Central for Labour in the 2011 general election, running against incumbent National MP Nikki Kaye for National and Greens candidate Denise Roche. She lost to Kaye by 717 votes. However, she returned to Parliament because of her party list ranking, on which she was ranked 13th.
2017 Mount Albert by-election
Ardern later ran for the Labour nomination for the Mount Albert by-election to be held in February 2017. The by-election was held because of the resignation of David Shearer. When nominations for the Labour Party closed on 12 January 2017, Ardern was the only nominee and was selected. On 21 January, Ardern took part of the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest in opposition to Donald Trump, the newly inaugurated President of the United States. She was confirmed as Labour's candidate at a meeting on 22 January. Ardern won a landslide victory, winning 77 per cent of votes cast in the preliminary results.
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, 2017
Following her win in the by-election, Ardern was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party on 7 March 2017, after the resignation of Annette King. Ardern's vacant list seat was taken by Raymond Huo. However, Ardern would remain as Deputy Leader for exactly five months because she was elected Leader of the Labour Party in August.
Leader of the Opposition, 2017
On 1 August 2017, just seven weeks before the 2017 general election, Ardern became Leader of the Labour Party and also Opposition Leader, after the resignation of Andrew Little. Ardern was confirmed in an election to choose a new leader at a meeting the same day. At 37, Ardern became the youngest leader of the Labour Party in its history. She is also the second female leader of the party after Helen Clark. At first, Little had talked to Ardern on 26 July and said he thought she should take over as Labour leader. Ardern said no and told him to remain as leader.
In mid-August 2017, Ardern said that a Labour government would create a tax working group to look for the chance of increasing taxes for the wealthy and lowering them for middle-class working families. This idea became unpopular and Ardern said that her tax plan would not be pushed in a first term of Labour government. Minister of Finance Steven Joyce found that the Labour Party had problems in its $11.7 billion budget. The Labour and Green parties' proposed water and pollution taxes also became unpopular from farmers. On 18 September 2017, farmers and lobbyists protested against the taxes in Ardern's hometown of Morrinsville. During the protest, one farmer had a sign calling Ardern a "pretty Communist". This was criticised as sexist by former Prime Minister Helen Clark.
In the final days of the general election campaign, the National Party took a slight lead over the Labour Party.
2017 general election
In the 2017 general election held on 23 September 2017, Ardern was re-elected to her Mount Albert electorate seat by 15,264 votes. Preliminary results from the general election showed that Labour received 35.79 per cent of the party vote to National's 46.03 per cent. After more votes were counted, Labour increased its votes to 36.89% while National dropped back to 44.45%. Labour gained 14 seats, increasing its parliamentary representation to 46 seats. This was the best result for the party since losing power in 2008.
After the election, Ardern and Deputy Leader Kelvin Davis began talks with the Greens and New Zealand First parties about forming a coalition against National Party which did not haven enough seats for a majority. On 19 October 2017, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters agreed to form a coalition with Labour, making Ardern the next Prime Minister. The Green Party also supported the coalition. Ardern named Peters as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. She also gave New Zealand First five posts in her government, with Peters and three other ministers in her Cabinet.
First term, 2017–2020
Ardern was sworn-in as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy on 26 October 2017. Ardern promised that her government would have empathy and be strong.
Ardern became New Zealand's third female Prime Minister after Jenny Shipley (1997–1999) and Helen Clark (1999–2008). She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. At aged 37, Ardern is also the youngest person to become New Zealand's head of government since Edward Stafford, who became premier in 1856.
On 19 January 2018, Ardern announced that she was pregnant, and that Winston Peters would become acting Prime minister for six weeks after the birth. Following the birth of a daughter, she took her maternity leave from 21 June to 2 August 2018.
Domestic policies
Ardern focused on cutting child poverty in New Zealand by half within a ten years. In July 2018, Ardern announced the start of her government's flagship Families Package. The package would increase paid parental leave to 26 weeks and introduced a $60 per-week universal BestStart Payment for low and middle-income families with young children. In 2019, the government a school lunches pilot programme to help cut child poverty numbers. She also increased welfare benefits by $25, expanding free doctor's visits and giving free menstrual hygiene products in schools. Ardern's government added increases to the country's minimum wage over a period of time. Her government also cancelled the National Party's planned tax cuts, saying instead it would focus on healthcare and education. The first year of post-secondary education was made free on 1 January 2018 and the government agreed to increase primary teachers' pay by 12.8 (for beginning teachers) and 18.5 per cent by 2021. Even thought the Labour Party campaigned on a capital gains tax for the last three elections, Ardern promised in April 2019 that the government would not pass a capital gains tax under her leadership. On 2 February 2018, Ardern went to Waitangi for the annual Waitangi Day commemoration and she stayed in Waitangi for five days. Ardern became the first female Prime Minister to speak from the top marae. Her visit was popular among Māori leaders, with commentators seeing the difference between her performance to the Prime Ministers before her.
In September 2019, she was criticised for her handling of an allegation of sexual assault against a Labour Party staffer. Ardern said she had been told the allegation did not involve sexual assault or violence before a report about the incident was published in The Spinoff on 9 September. Many did not believe this as one journalist found that Ardern's claim was hard to believe.
Ardern does not support putting people who use cannabis in prison and promised to hold a referendum on the issue. A non-binding referendum to legalise cannabis was held at the same time of the 2020 general election. Ardern said she used cannabis when she was young during a televised debate before the election. In the referendum, voters did not support the proposed cannabis legalisation and many found that Ardern not supporting the 'yes' campaign may have caused the legalisation's defeat.
Foreign policies
On 5 November 2017, Ardern made her first official trip to Australia, where she met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the first time. Relations between the two countries had not been good because of Australia's treatment of New Zealanders living in the country, and shortly before taking office. Turnbull promised to work with Ardern and not have their political beliefs in the way.
In November 2017, Ardern announced that the government would being part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations even though the Green Party did not support it. On 25 October 2018, New Zealand ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Ardern had described as being better than the original TPP agreement. In December 2017, Ardern supported for a United Nations resolution criticising U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
On 24 September 2018, Ardern became the first female head of government to go to the United Nations General Assembly meeting with her baby present. Her address to the General Assembly on 27 September had positive support from the United Nations where she talked about climate change, for the equality of women, and for kindness.
In October 2018, Ardern criticized China for its Xinjiang re-education camps and human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority in the country. Ardern was also worried about the treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. In November 2018, she met with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi and offered any help New Zealand could give to solve the Rohingya crisis.
On 28 February 2020, Ardern criticised Australia's policy of deporting New Zealanders, many of which had lived in Australia but had not become Australian citizens.
Christchurch mosque shootings
On 15 March 2019, 51 people were fatally shot and 49 injured in two mosques in Christchurch. In a statement broadcast on television, Ardern said that the shootings had been carried out by suspects with "extremist views" that have no place in New Zealand, or anywhere else in the world. She also called it as a well-planned terrorist attack.
She announced a time of national mourning and created a national condolence book that she opened in the capital, Wellington. She also travelled to Christchurch to meet first responders and families of the victims. In an address at the Parliament, she said that she would never say the name of the attacker: "Speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them ... he will, when I speak, be nameless". Ardern became popular in the country and the world for her response to the shootings. A photograph of her hugging a member of the Christchurch Muslim community with the word "peace" in English and Arabic was projected onto the Burj Khalifa. A 25 m mural of this photograph was opened in May 2019.
On 15 May 2019, Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired the Christchurch Call summit to bring together countries and tech companies. The goal was to stop social media's role in organising and promoting terrorism and violent extremism.
COVID-19 response
National and international media had positive responses about her leadership and quick response to the outbreak in New Zealand. The Washington Post said her interviews, press conferences and social media is an example of what a leader should do. In mid-April 2020, two people sued Ardern and other government officials, saying that the lockdown limited their freedoms and was made for political reasons. The lawsuit was dismissed.
On 5 May 2020, Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to create a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone that would allow residents from both countries to travel freely without travel restrictions.
Opinion polls showed the Labour Party with nearly 60 per cent support. In May 2020, 59.5 per cent of citizens found Ardern as "preferred prime minister".
2020 general election
In the 2020 general election, Ardern led her party to a landslide victory. Her party won an overall majority of 65 seats in the 120-seat House of Representatives, and 50 per cent of the party vote. She was also re-elected to her seat on the Mount Albert electorate by 21,246 votes. Ardern said her landslide victory was because of her response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impacts it has had.
Domestic affairs
On 2 December 2020, Ardern declared a climate change emergency in New Zealand and promised that the country would be carbon neutral by 2025 in a parliamentary motion. She said that the public will be required to buy only electric or hybrid vehicles. This was supported by the Labour, Green, and Māori parties but was opposed by the opposition National and ACT parties.
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
They also make their own records. As they do not sing, these are instrumental records - music without singing. In 1962 they made a record called "Green Onions" which was a single, and this was a success. People liked the sound of their music, and by the mid-1960s, bands in America and in Great Britain were trying to copy their sound.
People liked them so much and felt they were so important they were given an award of being named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Persons in the band
Persons in the band when they started in 1960 were Booker T. Jones (organ and piano), Steve Cropper (electric guitar), Lewie Steinberg (bass guitar), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums).
Steinberg left the band in 1965, and Donald "Duck" Dunn joined the band. Since Al Jackson, Jr. was murdered in 1975, the band have used several drummers.
Shirley, Arkansas
Shirley is a city in the US state of Arkansas.
Diego Luna
Diego Luna Alexander (born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director and producer. He has appeared in many movies, including Y tu mamá también (2001), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), The Terminal (2004), Milk (2008), Elysium (2013) and Rogue One (2016). He currently stars as Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in the Netflix crime series Narcos: Mexico (2018–present).
Luna was born in Toluca and grew up in Mexico City. His mother Fiona Alexander, a British set designer, died in a car accident when Luna was two. His father Alejandro Luna is a Mexican set designer. He was married to actress Camila Sodi from 2008 to 2013. They have two children.
Snowy River National Park
Snowy River National Park is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 323 km east of Melbourne. The park includes much of the Snowy River.
A lot of the park is a protected wilderness area, with no access for vehicles. The park in the Little River Gorge area, has one of the last natural habitats for the endangered Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby. Numbers for this species are estimated as extremely small, with the rugged terrain making it difficult to count the population. Over 250 species have been found in the park, 29 are rare or threatened in Victoria. These include the Long-footed Potoroo, Spotted Quoll (Tiger Quoll), Giant Burrowing Frog and Eastern She-oak Skink.
Little River Gorge
Little River Gorge is Victoria's deepest gorge. The Little River drops 610 metres from the Wulgulmerang plateau over a distance 14 km to where it joins the Snowy River at a height of 122 metres above sea level.
McKillops Bridge
McKillops Road is the northern park boundary, with the Alpine National Park to the north of the road. The road is not suitable for caravans, trailers and large trucks because it is steep and winding. At McKillops Bridge the road which crosses the Snowy River near its junction with the Deddick River. A camping site near McKillops Bridge has excellent spots for swimming. It is also a good place to begin canoe and raft trips through the rugged gorges downstream. It is the start for the 18km Silver Mine Walking Track and the short Snowy River Trail.
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an international treaty to protect wetlands. It is meant to stop the loss of wetland areas now and in the future. It recognizes that wetlands are an important ecosystem. It also recognizes that wetlands have economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. It is named after the town of Ramsar in Iran.
Convention
The convention was developed and agreed to by 18 nations at a meeting in Ramsar on February 2, 1971. It came into force on December 21, 1975.
The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance now includes 2,429 sites, which are called Ramsar Sites, covering around 254,611,076 hectares. This has increased from 1,021 sites in 2000. The nation with the most sites is the United Kingdom at 168. The nation with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Canada, with over 130,000 km², including the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary at 62,800 km².
There are now 159 nations that have agreed to the convention. The nations meet every three years as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP). The first meeting was held in Cagliari, Italy, in 1980. Changes to the original convention have been agreed to in Paris (1982) and Regina (1987).
List of contracting parties
Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, former USSR.