cyanic-selkie/wikianc huggingface dataset:
Saint-Malô-du-Bois
Saint-Malô-du-Bois is a commune. It is found in the region Pays de la Loire in the Vendée department in the west of France.
Granule (cell biology)
In cell biology, a granule can be any structure barely visible by light microscopy. The term is most often used to describe a secretory vesicle.
Leukocytes
A group of leukocytes called granulocytes contain granules and play an important role in the immune system. The granules of certain cells, such as Natural killer cells, contain components which can lead to the lysis of neighboring cells.
Platelets
The granules of platelets are classified as dense granules and alpha granules.
Begoña Reina López
Begoña Reina López (born March 14, 1975 in Zaragoza) is a swimmer from Spain. She has a physical disability and is an S9 type swimmer. She raced at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. She finished third in the 100 meter breaststroke and the 4 x 100 meter 34 points medley relay.
Sennacherib
Sennacherib was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 705BC until his death in 681BC. He features in the Hebrew Bible. During his time as king, he destroyed the city of Babylon in 689BC and changed the capital city to Nineveh.
Narayanganj
Narayanganj is a city in central Bangladesh. The Port of Narayanganj is an important shipping and industrial center. It is also a center of business and industry, especially making and selling jute and the textiles. It is nicknamed the Dundee of Bangladesh because of its many jute mills.
Paper
Modern paper is a thin material of (mostly) wood fibres pressed together. People write on paper with a pencil or pen, and books are made of paper. Paper can absorb liquids such as water, so people can clean things with paper. There are many types of paper.
The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, board and other cellulose-based products.
Paper making
Modern paper is normally made from wood pulp. Wood is ground up and mixed with water and other chemicals to make a thin liquid called "paper pulp". Paper pulp can be bleached to make paper more white, and dyes can be added to make colored paper. This pulp is pressed into sheets of paper. Printing is often done on paper before the paper is cut into sheets. Newsprint paper (newspaper) comes in a huge roll, and goes through the printing process as one continuous sheet. It is cut by a machine-driven guillotine blade later. Folding comes last, then packing for distribution.
Not all paper is made from wood. Other kinds of fiber can be used. People still make paper from cotton, linen and hemp for special purposes.
History of paper
Writing started long before the invention of paper. People wrote on many kinds of material. They wrote on cloth, on the stone walls and on wood. In Mesopotamia the Sumerians wrote on clay tablets, many of which have survived today. In Europe, people wrote on vellum.
First paper
Many centuries ago – as early as the 3rd millennium BC (that's over 2000 BC) – people in Egypt made a kind of paper from the papyrus plant. This is where the word 'paper' comes from. The people of Greece and Rome learned to do this too. The Romans wrote on parchment (made from animal skin), on waxed tablets and on wood (see Vindolanda).
In China 105 AD, the eunuch Cai Lun told his Emperor he had made paper. They had previously used bamboo and silk. The material used in this ancient paper included cotton rags, hemp, various plant fibres and old fish nets. The oldest existing paper with writing on it was found in the ruins of a watchtower in the Great Wall of China. It dates to about 150 AD. p5 Even earlier paper (but with no writing on it) has been claimed: "The oldest surviving piece of paper in the world is made of hemp fibers, discovered in 1957 in a tomb near Xian, China, and dates from between the years 140 and 87 BC". Paper-making was regarded by the Chinese as so valuable that they kept it secret as long as they could.
Spread of paper
The Italians used hemp and linen rags. In 1276 the first Italian paper mill was built at Fabriano and, until the 14 century, Italy was a paper supplier in Europe. In 1282 the first watermark was introduced in Bologna.
Machine-made paper
Paper was hard to make. It was cheaper than the old writing materials, but still expensive. A mechanical paper maker was conceived in France 1798, but invented in England. At least one paper mill was using them by 1812. Now the process was cheaper but the raw material was still expensive.
Lin Xue
Lin Xue (Chinese:林雪) was a poet, painter, and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty.
Paper
Machine-made paper
In 1840 Friedrich Gottlob Keller Invented a machine that could make pulp for paper out of wood fibres (instead of the expensive rag paper). Paper became cheap enough for everyone to buy. Around the same time, other inventions were made, like the pencil, the fountain pen, and a printing press that used steam power. With this new information technology, people wrote more letters, made more books and newspapers, and kept more records of what they did.
Today, some of the largest paper-producing countries are China, USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Russia. Paper is produced in large factories called paper mills. They produce hundreds of thousands of tons of paper each year.
Uses of paper
Paper is used for writing and printing. Books, magazines and newspapers are printed on paper.
Paper is often used for money. Paper used for money is made in special ways. It does not use wood fiber. It is mostly cotton with additives to make it hard for people to print their own money. A piece of paper money is called a banknote, a bill or a note.
Paper can be used for cleaning. Special forms of paper are used, such as paper towels, facial tissues or toilet paper.
Pretty paper can be used as decoration. It can be pasted onto the walls of a room; this is called wallpaper. Paper can be used to wrap gifts. This is called wrapping paper or gift wrap.
Some kinds of paper are strong and can be used in boxes and other packaging material. Sometimes several layers of paper are held together with glue, to make cardboard.
Saint-Mars-la-Réorthe
Saint-Mars-la-Réorthe is a commune. It is found in the region Pays de la Loire in the Vendée department in the west of France.
Stephen Sutton
Stephen Sutton (16 December 1994 – 14 May 2014) was a British blogger and charity activist. He is known for his blog Stephen's Story and his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity for the aid of teenagers with cancer. As of 14 May 2014, Sutton had raised £3,439,865.12, more than 300 times the original goal.
He diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 15. He died four years later from the disease, at the age of 19.
Saint-Martin-de-Fraigneau
Saint-Martin-de-Fraigneau is a commune. It is found in the region Pays de la Loire in the Vendée department in the west of France.
Cytosol
The cytosol (also known as intracellular fluid (ICF) or cytoplasmic matrix, or groundplasm) is the internal fluid of the cell, and a part of cell metabolism occurs here.
Cytosol mostly consists of water, dissolved ions, small molecules, and large water-soluble molecules (such as protein). It contains about 20% to 30% protein.
Normal human cytosolic pH is (roughly) 7.0 (i.e. neutral), whereas the pH of the extracellular fluid is 7.4.
The texture of cytosol being described as granular can be attributed to the fact that in order to study the texture, an electron microsope must be used, which requires a process of dehydration prior to study.
References
Life: the science of biology. Purves, Sadava, Orians, Heller. Sunderland, MA. Sinauer Associates, Inc. 2004. ISBN 0-7167-9856-5 (ILM USA)
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix (Gran Premio de España) is a Formula One race currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in Formula 1 racing.
Multiple winners (drivers)
Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
Multiple winners (engine manufacturers)
Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship. A yellow background indicates an event that was part of the pre-war European Championship. * Designed and built by Cosworth, funded by Ford
** Between 1998-2005 designed and built by Ilmor, funded by Mercedes
By year
A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship. A yellow background indicates an event that was part of the pre-war European Championship. ''A green background indicates an event that was part of the pre-war World Manufacturers' Championship.
* Sports car race † Officialy named as RACE Grand Prix
Time in Argentina
Argentina is at a place that would naturally put it in the UTC−4 time zone. It actually uses the UTC−3 time zone. Argentina decides whether to have daylight saving time on a year-by-year basis. The provinces may choose to follow the national choice or not. In 2009, Argentina did not have daylight saving time.
4S Ranch, California
4S Ranch is an unincorporated community of San Diego County in California.
Carter Harrison Jr.
Carter Henry Harrison, Jr. (April 23, 1860 – December 25, 1953) served as Mayor of Chicago (1897–1905 and 1911–1915). As the City's 30th mayor, he was the first mayor actually born in Chicago. His father was Mayor of Chicago, Carter Harrison, Sr..
Carter was born on April 23, 1860 in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Carter Harrison, Sr. was already the mayor but was assassinated while in office. He was married to Edith Ogden. He had two children. Harrison died on December 25, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois from natural causes, aged 93.
States of matter
There are four common states of matter (or phases) in the universe: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
The state of matter affects a substance's properties. Examples of those properties include density, viscosity (how well it flows), malleability (how easy it is to bend), and conductivity. Changes between states of matter are often reversible.
Solids
In a solid, the positions of atoms are fixed relative to each other over a long time. That is due to the cohesion or "friction" between molecules. This cohesion is provided by metallic, covalent or ionic bonds. Only solids can be pushed on by a force without changing shape, which means that they can be resistant to deformation. Solids also tend to be strong enough to hold their own shape in a container. Solids are generally denser than liquids. Solid becoming a gas is called sublimation.
Liquids
In a liquid, molecules are attracted to each other strongly enough to keep them in contact, but not strongly enough to hold a particular structure. The molecules can continually move with respect to each other. This means that liquids can flow smoothly, but not as smoothly as gases. Liquids will tend to take the shape of a container that they are in. Liquids are generally less dense than solids, but denser than gas.
Gases
In a gas, the chemical bonds are not strong enough to hold atoms or molecules together, and from this a gas is a collection of independent, unbonded molecules which interact mainly by collision. Gases tend to take the shape of their container, and are less dense than both solids and liquids. Gases have weaker forces of attraction than solids and liquids. Gas becoming a solid directly is called deposition.
Gases can sometimes turn directly into solids without passing through a fluid stage. That is called desublimation. You see it in the hoary frost which forms on window-panes in cold climates. It is the reverse of sublimation.
Plasmas
Plasmas are gases that have so much energy that electrons of an atom cannot stay in orbit around one atomic nucleus. The atomic ions and free electrons mix around like a hot soup.
Because the positive and negative charged particles are not stuck together, plasma is a good conductor of electricity. For example, air is not good at conducting electricity. However, in a bolt of lightning, the atoms in air get so much energy that they no longer can hold on to their electrons, and become a plasma for a brief time. Then an electric current is able to flow through the plasma, making the lightning.
Plasma is the most common state of matter in the universe. Both stars and the interstellar medium are mostly made of plasma.
Phase changes
Phases of matter can be changed by a number of things. The most common ones are temperature and pressure. Substances usually become a gas at warm temperatures and/or low pressures, become a solid at cool temperatures, and become a plasma at extremely hot temperatures. Substances often become liquid in between solid and gas, but when the pressure is very low (such as the vacuum of outer space) many substances skip the liquid phase, going directly from solid to gas or vice versa. Scientists have created graphs called phase change diagrams to show the relationship between pressure, temperature, and phase of many substances.
The freezing point and the melting point are said to be the same, because any increase in temperature from that point will cause the substance to melt, while any drop in temperature will cause it to freeze. Likewise, the vaporization and condensation points (or the sublimation and desublimation points) always match. In most substances, as the pressure increases, the vaporization/condensation point also increases, or vice versa. For example, the boiling point of water decreases as you go up a mountain, because the air pressure is lower. The relationship for freezing and melting can go in different directions depending on the substance.
Other states
Many other states of matter can exist under special conditions, including strange matter, supersolids, and possibly string-net liquids. Scientist work on experiments at very high or very low temperatures to learn more about phases of matter.
Condensates
Bose-Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates are phases of matter that apply to particles called bosons and fermions, respectively. (More than one boson can exist in the same spot at the same time. Only one fermion can exist in the same spot at the same time). Bose-Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates occur at incredibly low temperatures. All of the particles in these condensates begin to act like one big quantum state, so they have almost no friction or electrical resistance.
Quark-gluon plasmas
The protons and neutrons that make up atoms are made of even smaller things called quarks (which are "glued" together by things called "gluons"). At incredibly high temperatures over 2 trillion Kelvin, quarks and gluons turn into another state of matter. Humans can make a little bit of quark-gluon plasma in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, but it doesn't last long before cooling down.
Supercritical fluids
When a substance has enough temperature and pressure at the same time, called the critical point, you can't tell the difference between very dense gas and very energetic liquid. This is a supercritical fluid, and it behaves like both liquid and gas.
Superfluids
Superfluids, on the other hand, only happen at very low temperatures, and only for a few special substances like liquid helium. Superfluids can do things that regular liquids cannot, like flowing up the side of a bowl and getting out.
Mireia Riera Casanovas
Mireia Riera Casanovas (born March 14, 1975 in Lloret de Mar, Barcelona) is a swimmer from Spain. She has a physical disability: she has cerebral palsy and is an S7 type swimmer. She raced at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. She finished second in the 100 meter freestyle race. She finished third in the 400 meter freestyle race.
Sheikhupura District
Administration
The district has 5 Tehsils:
Berg, Upper Bavaria
Berg is a municipality of the district of Starnberg in Upper Bavaria in Germany. As of 31 December 2018, 8,296 people lived there.
Ansel, California
Ansel is an unincorporated county in Kern County, California, in the United States. It has an elevation of 2,516 feet (767 m).
Kontich
Kontich is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.
In 2014, 20859 people lived there.
It is at 51° 08 North, 04° 26 East.
Ádria Santos
Life
She lost her sight entirely in 1994. She started her career as a sprinter in 1987, at the age of 13, at Instituto São Rafael, a special school for the visually impaired in Belo Horizonte. Throughout her career, Adria accumulated 13 medals in the Paralympic Games, four of which were gold and eight silver and one bronze. In addition to this achievement, she won about 73 medals in international competitions, and 542 medals in national competitions, including the third championship by the International Amateur Athletics Federation.
Ana González de Recabarren
Ana González González, more commonly known by her married name Ana González de Recabarren (25 July 1925 – 26 October 2018), was a Chilean human rights activist. She was born in Tocopilla, Chile.
González joined the Association of Relatives of the Disappeared Detainees (AFDD) and became one of its primary leaders alongside Sola Sierra, Viviana Díaz, and Clotario Blest. She participated in a hunger strike at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean headquarters in Santiago.
In 1996, she was the focus of the Televisión Nacional de Chile-broadcast documentary Quiero llorar a mares and in 2001 won the Premios Ondas for Ibero-America for the Best Program or Professional or Television Station.
In June 2000, she sued former dictator Augusto Pinochet for the disappearance of her family 26 years prior.
González died from a lung infection in Santiago on 26 October 2018 at the age of 93.
Joan Jett
Joan Jett (born February 1958) is an American singer and guitarist. She is best known for her number one single "I Love Rock n Roll". Jett has a punkish, tomboy appearance and is a Democrat.
Pakistan Super League
Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket tournament in Pakistan. Organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the first season of PSL took place between February 4 and 24 in 2016. The tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament has five franchise teams: Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. Each playing side has a mixture of seven Pakistani players and four foreign players from around the world.
The fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League will take place in February / March 2019. The tournament is scheduled to start on February 14 2019 and the final would be held on March 17 2019.
The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League was started from 27 January 2022 to 27 February 2022. The current winner is Lahore Qalandars.
Bharat Prasad Sah
Bharat Prasad Sah (भरत प्रसाद साह) is a Nepalese politician. He is a member of Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province from CPN (Maoist Centre). Sah, a resident of Gaushala, Mahottari, was elected via 2017 Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province elections from Mahottari 1(B).
Pakistan Super League
Winner's
The editions with the winning team are listed below: Source: https://www.cricingif.com/news/26618/Pakistan-Super-League
References
Pakistan super League complete details first psl to 8 psl shadule, psl ceremony date Final details complete details available ,
Masazumi Soejima
Marathon
In 2011, he won the wheelchair division of the New York City Marathon. He completed the course in 1 hour 31 minutes 41 seconds (1:31:41). He dedicated his race to the children in Japan, who were affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (IPA: ) (July 28, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. He was the leader of the "Bolivarian Revolution" and promoted his vision of democratic socialism, Latin American integration, and anti-imperialism. Chávez was also an ardent critic of neoliberal globalization and U.S. foreign policy.
Masazumi Soejima
Marathon
Soejima won the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon in 2011.
Hugo Chávez
Career
Chávez was a career military officer. He founded the left-wing Fifth Republic Movement after a failed coup d'état against former President Carlos Andrés Pérez. Chávez was elected to serve as president in 1998. This was mainly because he promised to help the poor majority of Venezuelan people. He was re-elected in 2000, and 2006.
Masazumi Soejima
Paralympics
Masazumi has competed in the marathon in both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics, 10000m in 2004, 5000m and 1500m in 2008.
Hugo Chávez
Career
Chávez's reforms have caused controversy, both inside Venezuela, and outside the country. Some people criticized the reforms, others supported them. Those people who support the reforms say that he has given more power to the poor, and that he has stimulated economic growth. Those who argue against the reforms say that he is an autocrat who has mismanaged the economy.
Masazumi Soejima
Paralympics
In the 4x400m relay in 2004, he won a bronze medal.
Hugo Chávez
Career
Some governments, especially the government of the United States saw Chávez as a threat to global oil prices, as well as to regional stability. Others sympathize with his ideology or welcome his bilateral trade and reciprocal aid agreements.
Thinkin Bout You
"Thinkin Bout You" is a ballad by Frank Ocean. It is from his debut album Channel Orange. The song is a torch song. It is dedicated to his male lover. Although the song was very successful worldwide it was still very personal to Ocean. The song was originally supposed to be from Shea Taylor for her EP, but ended up being Frank Ocean's song.
Hugo Chávez
Awards
In 2005 and 2006 he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. Chavez has received many prizes: He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Beijing, the university of Rio de Janeiro, the university of Santo Domingo, and Kyung Hee University in South Korea.
Belief
Chávez said he was a Roman Catholic. Much like his predecessor Simon Bólivar, Chávez tolerated elements of belief systems,popular in Venezuela, such as the María Lionza cult and Sanería. These movements mix Roman Catholic belief with other elements, such as those of Voodoo and Shamanism. Chavez also put emphasis on the social ideas of the Catholic church, and remained in the background when it came to discussing controversial ideas. His ideas caused controversy with some clerics of the Catholic church, and some evangelical movements. While he was na pilgrimage, cardinal Rosalio Lara said that those that did not have the same ideas as the people in power were persecuted, and that Chavez' way of running the country was undemocratic.
Health
He had an operation on his pelvis to remove his colorectal cancer. In January 2013, his cancer worsened and was put on life support. Chávez put his daughter in charge whether he should live or die. He was treated for the disease in Cuba and in Venezuela. On February 27, 2013 rumors said that his daughter stopped the life support on February 23. Later on February 28, the Vice President said that Chávez was fighting for his life. Chávez died of colorectal cancer on March 5, 2013.
Death
On March 5, 2013 Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced on state television that Chávez died in Caracas, Venezuela at 16:25 VET (2055 UTC). The cause of his death was a heart attack caused by colorectal cancer and respiratory failure. He battled cancer since June 2011. He is survived by his three daughters and one son. Leaders from the world shared reactions about Chávez's death.
Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)
Bank of America Plaza is a 72-story, 280.7 m late-modernist skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the tallest skyscraper in the city, the 3rd tallest in Texas and the 40th tallest in the United States.
Construction began in 1983 and the tower was completed in 1985.
Building Hours
Monday	9AM-10PM Tuesday	9AM-10PM Wednesday 9AM-10PM Thursday 9AM-10PM Friday	9AM-10PM Saturday 9AM-10PM Sunday	9AM-10PM
Flap Your Wings
"Flap Your Wings" is a 2004 hip hop song by American rapper Nelly. It is the first single from his third album Sweat. The song was released on July 3, 2004. The song reached #1 on both the UK Singles Chart and on the RIANZ (New Zealand).
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
'WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. The game was known as Exciting Pro Wrestling 4 in Japan. The Japanese version was published by Yuke's.
Nikolai Karachentsov
Nikolai Petrovich Karachentsov (Николай Петрович Караченцов, 27 October 1944 – 26 October 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was born in Moscow. He was known for his roles in Juno and Avos, The Dog in the Manger, and in A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines. In 1989, he was awarded the People's Artist of the RSFSR.
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
It was released on October 31, 2002 in North America, November 15, 2002 in Europe and on February 6, 2003 in Japan. The game was the first under the WWE name and is the sequel to WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It.
Nikolai Karachentsov
In 2005, Karachentsov was involved in a serious car accident that left him in a coma for a month.
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
Reception
IGN rated the game a 8.2 out of 10 and said "This is the first time there hasn't been an obvious, glaring problem with the series' gameplay, which is cause for some kind of celebration.”
GameSpot gave the game a 8.9 out of 10 and stated "The gameplay still might be a little too fast-paced for some, but Shut Your Mouth tries to balance it with a more useful grappling, submission, and counter system."
Nikolai Karachentsov
In 2017 Karachentsov was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent unsuccessful treatment in Israel.
Karachentsov died of kidney failure in Moscow one day before his 74th birthday.
2020 Kyrgyz protests
The 2020 Kyrgyzstan protests began on 5 October 2020 in response to the 2020 parliamentary election that were perceived by protestors as unfair. The results of the election were annulled on 6 October 2020.
Early protests
The protests began on Monday, 5 October 2020, with a crowd of 1,000 people, that grew to at least 5,000 people by evening in Bishkek. After nightfall, following a police operation to clear the Ala-Too Square of protesters with tear gas and water cannons, protesters allegedly attacked police officers with rocks and injured two of them.
Political impacts
Former President Almazbek Atambayev was freed from prison.
On 6 October, following the protests, the electoral authorities in the country annulled the results of the parliamentary elections. Central Election Commission member Gulnara Jurabaeva also revealed the commission was considering self-dissolution.
Mittelschwaben
Mittelschwaben is a part of the Bavarian administrative region Swabia. It consists of the districts Günzburg, Neu-Ulm, Unterallgäu and the district-free town Memmingen.
2020 Kyrgyz protests
Political impacts
Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov resigned, citing parliamentary deputy Myktybek Abdyldayev as the new speaker on 6 October.
On 15 October, President Sooronbay Jeenbekov resigned.
Mittelschwaben
The name Mittelschwaben was created in the 19th century to tell apart the Bavarian parts of Oberschwaben from the Baden-Württembergian.
Borders
in the west (to the Baden-Württembergian Oberschwaben): the river Iller in the north (to the Donauried): the southern border of the Danube-valley in the east (to the Stauden, Reischenau and Holzwinkel, the three parts of the Augsburg-Westliche Wälder Nature Park): the rivers Mindel and Flossach in the south (to the Allgäu): the terminal moraines of the Würm glaciation
European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup is a major European rugby competition involving the leading clubs from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy. It began in the 1995–96 season as the Heineken Cup, with sponsorship from major brewery Heineken, and kept that name through the 2013–14 season. Disagreements between the leagues that sent teams to the competition led to the end of the Heineken Cup, with the Champions Cup taking its place starting in 2014–15.
Toulouse have won the competition a record four times, Leinster and Toulon three times, while Munster, Leicester Tigers and Wasps have won it twice each. Toulon are the only team to have won three times in a row, winning the last two Heineken Cups in 2013 and 2014 and the first Champions Cup in 2015. The current champions are Saracens.
Sun Long
Sun Long (Simplified Chinese::孙隆, Traditional Chinese:孫隆) was a landscape painter during the Ming Dynasty.
Day of judgment
In the Christian religion, The Day of Judgment is the day in the future when all people who are living or dead will be judged by God. It is often known as the Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, or sometimes it is called The Day of the Lord.
Beliefs of the early Christians
In the Torah the prophets had said that one day God would send His son to forgive people for the wrong things they had done and to save their souls. In the early years of the Christian church people thought that, although Jesus Christ had now visited the world and died for us on the cross, salvation will only be completed when the world ends and all people alive or dead will face God who will judge them.
References to the Day of Judgment in the Bible
The Day of the Lord is mentioned several times in the Old Testament (e.g. Book of Ezekiel chapter 13 v.5 and Isaiah chapter 2 v.12). In the New Testament the coming of Christ as Judge of the world is mentioned very often. In Paul’s letters and in the Revelation to John, then Christians who are saved by their faith in Jesus will reign with Christ. When Christ comes, His arrival will be announced by a trumpet call. He will come down from heaven. All the people who are alive will stay alive, and all the people who are dead will become alive again.
The Day of Judgment in art
This belief about the Day of Judgment has inspired many painters throughout the ages to draw or paint the Second Coming of Christ. One of the most famous is Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
Christmas
Christmas (which means “The Mass of Christ”) is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Christmas is also a cultural holiday for many non-Christians.
The Christmas season (called Christmastide) ends 6 January, also called the Twelfth Day of Christmas. On this day, Christians celebrate ‘’Epiphany‘’.
People celebrate Christmas in many places around the world. Some people celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. In some places, Christmas is a time of celebration for Christians and non-Christians alike. Christmas traditions are different in different countries. However, they almost always include a feast; giving gifts or cards; and enjoying church or public festivities, like singing Christmas carols and songs. Christmas is not limited to Christianity. The idea of Santa Claus is based on Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint of Greek origin.
Today, Christmas traditions often focus on gift-giving. About a month before Christmas Day, retail stores start selling gifts, food, greeting cards, Christmas trees, Sugar cookies, Candy canes, and decorations.
Christmas in the Gospels
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. There are four different Gospels in the Bible which talk about Jesus’ birth. The Gospel of Luke gives details about Jesus’ birth. The Gospel of Matthew tells another part of the story. The Gospel of John says that Jesus came from God to bring his “Word” (his message) to all people. Christians believe these Gospels are based on fact.
The Gospels say that many years before Jesus’ birth, prophets had told a promise to the Jewish people that God would send them a Messiah, or holy teacher. Christians believe that the promised Messiah was Jesus. His mother was a young woman called Mary, who was engaged, but not yet married to a carpenter called Joseph. Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant and was upset. He was wondering what he should do, when an angel came from God to tell him that the baby was the Holy One. The angel said that he must ‘’name the baby’’. This was a sign that he would take care of it like his own child.
At this time, the Middle East was ruled by the Romans. An order came that all the people had to travel back to their home town, to put their names on the taxation lists. Joseph took his new wife to Bethlehem. There was nowhere for them to stay, except a stable where the animals slept. This is where the baby was born. Joseph called him Jesus, as the angel had said.
The baby Jesus had two lots of visitors. On the night he was born, angels told some shepherds in the fields that they would find a newborn king lying in an animals’ feed bin (or ‘’manger’’). Jesus’ other visitors were some wise men who saw a new star in the sky and followed it, until they found the house where the family was now living and gave the young child expensive gifts of gold, incense and a precious herb called myrrh. (The wise men are often traditionally called the Three Kings, because there were three very expensive presents but the Bible does not say how many wise men there were.)
Date of celebration
Most Christian countries of the world use a calendar called the Gregorian Calendar, but some churches use a calendar called the Julian Calendar. Most Christians, such as those of the Catholic and Protestant Churches, celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December, although holidays begin on 24 December also known as Christmas Eve.
The Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the Julian Calendar in some regions such as Russia. In such regions, Christmas is celebrated on 25 December in the Julian Calendar, but because of the difference between the calendars it is 7 January in the modern Gregorian Calendar.
Some Christians, like Jehovah's Witnesses, do not celebrate Christmas because there is no instruction from Jesus in the Bible which tells Christians to celebrate his birth. Mormons celebrate Christmas on 25 December but they believe that Christ’s actual birth took place on 6 April.
Some believe that Jesus was probably not born on 25 December. Some historians believe this date was used by the Catholic Church to replace the pagan rites that took place at that time of the year.
Advent
The Season of Advent, which begins on Sunday about four weeks before Christmas Day, is celebrated by the Catholic and Anglican Churches, as well as others. It is a time for people to prepare themselves for two different things: for the coming of the baby Jesus and Christmas, and for the second coming of Jesus, when he shall rule over all the Earth in peace. Not all Christian people remember Advent. Some people use it as a time of fasting, study, meditation and prayer. Special Advent Calendars are made for children, with pictures or treats for each day of Advent.
Generally, Advent is a time when many people are very busy in preparation for Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating, buying food and presents, writing cards and letters, and cooking the Christmas feast.
Celebrations
Before the 4th century AD, Christians could only worship and celebrate in secret. The feast of Christmas probably began while Constantine was the Emperor of Rome, because it was he who made Christianity a legal religion and built some of Rome’s oldest churches. Some old stone coffins or ‘’sarcophagi’’ from this time are carved with pictures of Mary and baby Jesus and the Wise Men.
Through the Middle Ages Christmas was celebrated with feasting, singing and plays. The plays were held in churches, and also in castles and in market places, where a big hay wagon was sometimes used as a stage.
Because Advent was a time of prayer and preparation, most parties were held after Christmas, rather than before it. The main pre-Christmas celebration was the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December. In some countries, particularly the Netherlands, the tradition grew for children to receive presents on this day, rather than Christmas Day. The name of Saint Nicholas is now remembered in many countries as Santa Claus. Another festivity that takes place is the Feast of Saint Lucy (St. Lucia Day) on 13 December which is particularly celebrated in Scandinavia, where girls take part in candlelit processions, and the daughters of the house must rise early to bring coffee or chocolate to the family.
For many centuries, the celebration of Christmas often began with a church service or mass, which lasted from late at night to after midnight on Christmas morning. Christmas Day was a time of feasting. On the following day, the Feast of Saint Stephen people from rich households would carry boxes of food out to the street for the poor and hungry. Many people would go back to work but employers would give gifts of money to their workers. The Holy Days continued with the feast of Saint John and Holy Innocents' Day. The feasting and parties ended on the Feast of the Epiphany, the day of the Three Wise Men, often called the “Three Kings”. The season is nowadays remembered by the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. William Shakespeare wrote a play to be performed as part of the celebration, called “Twelfth Night“. For many, Christmas has become a time when having parties, sending messages to family and friends and giving presents has become more important than the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Manufacturers and stores have responded to the feasting and present-giving with lots of advertising, decorations and displays. In the US, the Christmas displays are put up right after Thanksgiving, late in November. In some countries such as Australia, stores put up decorations at the beginning of November. Given that Jesus himself called people making money in the Jewish Temple ‘robbers’ (Matthew 21:13) many Christians are uneasy about profit instead of prophets at Christmas.
Town councils celebrate by decorating streets and squares, and providing Christmas entertainment for shoppers. In countries of the Southern Hemisphere, where Christmas falls in Summer, there is a tradition of open-air Carol Services, often organised by the town council, which are attended by thousands of people.
Many Christians celebrate Christmas by attending church, and with prayers and singing. And each year there are Bible readings from the Gospels that tell the story of the birth of Jesus.
Christmas Traditions
Christmas traditions are of several types. There are traditions of the church, traditions which are public celebrations and traditions that are kept by families. These traditions are different in different times, places, cultures and even families.
Traditions of the Church
The celebration of Christmas is a very important time for churches. Almost every church has special services or celebrations. Here are some of the ways that churches celebrate Christmas.
The Crib
It is the custom in many churches to set up a Crib (or ‘’Creche’’) scene of the ‘’Nativity’’ or birth of Jesus. The first scene of this type was set up by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. They have been very popular in Italy ever since then, and the custom has spread to other countries.
Nativity scenes can be large with life-sized statues, or they can be tiny enough to fit in a matchbox. They are made of many different things including carved and painted wood, brightly coloured ceramics (pottery), painted paper glued to boards, and mixtures of material with clay, wood, cloth, straw and metal used for different parts.
The Advent wreath is a circle of leaves, usually pine boughs, ivy and holly, with 4 (or sometimes 5) candles in it which is hung up in a church. The candles are lit on each Sunday in Advent, and the central candle is lit on Christmas morning. Churches are often decked with green branches and leaves, and many churches also have a Christmas tree.
Carols by Candlelight
A popular tradition in many churches is the Carol Service which is often lit only by candles. The carol service generally has lots of singing and Bible readings. There is a tradition in England which began in the Temple Church in London and has now spread to many other places for a service of Nine Lessons and Carols. The lessons are Bible readings. Some carols are sung by a choir and others by the choir and people (the congregation). Every year one of these services is recorded in a large English Church, often King's College Chapel, Cambridge, and is broadcast on radio and television to be enjoyed by people who love good music and carol singing, but particularly for people who cannot go to a Christmas service.
Public and commercial celebrations
Many cities and towns celebrate Christmas by putting up decorations. These may be banners and bunting which are strung from buildings or lampposts. They may be Christmas lights which can also decorate buildings and street trees. Many large cities put up a huge Christmas tree in a public place, such as those in Trafalgar Square in London, Times Square in New York and Martin Place in Sydney. This is often combined with an appeal to the people of the city to give money or gifts to help the poor and needy.
In many cities, the usual shopping hours are made longer before Christmas so that workers have more time to buy Christmas food and presents. Shop windows are often decorated with Christmas scenes, with large department stores often having animated scenes to entertain children. Shopping malls and big stores often have a Santa Claus, who sits on a throne, while children tell him what they want for Christmas, and have their photos taken. Many towns hold Christmas parades, street entertainment and concerts. Some towns have a tradition of carols with a choir and entertainers in the town hall, while in Australia and New Zealand, these concerts of Christmas entertainment and carols are usually held outdoors, in parks or even on beaches, with families bringing picnics. The arrival of Santa Claus at the end of the evening is accompanied by a firework display.
A traditional part of Christmas is the theatre entertainment. This includes the performance of classical music such as Handel’s Messiah as well as orchestral concerts and band recitals. Pantomimes are often played at Christmas and favourites include “Peter Pan and Wendy“ and “Cinderella“. Many children’s movies are released during the Christmas season.
Because many people feel very lonely, hungry and sad at Christmas, many cities, churches, charities and service organisations try to help the poor and lonely by providing Christmas food and gifts for poor families, and Christmas parties for people who are hungry or who are lonely and without any friends or family.
Family celebrations
Family celebrations are often very different from each other, depending on where a family comes from, and the customs that have grown in particular families.
Family get-togethers
Family traditions are very different. Some families might all go off to church together, to a Carol Service, a Midnight Mass, or a Christmas Morning service. Some families are pulled out of bed very early by children who want to open their presents. In other families, presents are given on St. Nicholas Day, on Christmas Eve or not until after church on Christmas morning. The Christmas feast might start on Christmas Eve, with a special breakfast on Christmas morning, or at midday on Christmas Day.
Christmas dinner
Christmas Dinner, usually eaten in the middle of the day, is an important part of the family celebration. The food differs from country to country and also from family to family. In the Northern Hemisphere, roasted meat and vegetables are generally the main courses of the meal. Usually one of several types of meat are served, which may include turkey, Chicken, ham, roast beef, or lamb. There are often several courses, with special treats that are usually only eaten at Christmas. In English-speaking countries, the traditional dessert is Christmas plum pudding. Nowadays these puddings are often bought from bakers, but many people make their own to a family recipe. The tradition came from the Middle Ages when the pudding was used to preserve some of the fruit from autumn until the mid-winter. A traditional pudding is baked six weeks before Christmas and is left tied up in a cloth or basin with a cloth covering, in a cool place. Stirring the pudding is sometimes a family tradition, with everyone making a wish as they stir. Traditionally a silver coin would be stirred into the pudding, to bring luck to the person who found it. Nowadays most coins cannot be used because they are not made of silver so taste horrible and may be poisonous. Some families use old coins or silver charms. On Christmas Day the pudding must be boiled in a pot for several hours. When it is served, the cloth is cut off, brandy is poured onto the pudding, and it is set on fire before it is carried to the table. Christmas crackers are used to decorate and are often opened prior to serving the dish or starter course. It is usually served with hard sauce.
Many families have a Christmas cake or a special bread instead of a pudding (or as well as a pudding). These are very different depending on the country, but often have marzipan which is made from almonds and is traditional in many countries at Christmas. In France ‘’Buche de Noäl’’ or gingerbread men and women are decorated and hung on the Christmas tree. In Scotland a pastry biscuit called shortbread is made and has become a popular tradition in many countries. A German tradition is ‘’pfeffernuss’’, spiced cookies rolled in powdered sugar. Other Christmas food includes fruit cakes, sultanas, ginger, Greek baklava, almonds, chocolates, caramel toffee, candy canes and cookies.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the traditional roast dinner is often replaced with cold cuts of meat, and served with salads. The first course might be prawn cocktail or a cold soup like borsch. The plum pudding might be served with ice cream. White wine and beer are both served cold (beer is kept in a refrigerator). Christmas dinner may be served on the veranda, or sometimes as a picnic.