ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication. Unlike verbal communication, which uses words, gestures use movements of the body.  Gestures are "deliberate acts with a purpose", not just any movements. They are handled in the human brain by the same centres which handle language. In the neocortex, Broca's and Wernicke's areas, are used by speech and sign language. Other movements of the body have meaning, but are not gestures. They may be done by actors deliberately, but normally they are automatic, unconscious signals which express various feelings or states of mind. Many animals communicate extensively using such behaviours. The dog, a companion to humans for a long time, is good at reading both gestures and behaviours. Multi-touch computers have been made to read gestures.  Gestures have a cultural significance (meaning). The same gesture can mean different things in different cultures and different parts of the world. Anti-examples. These are not gestures, because they are not voluntary, deliberate actions. They are inherited automatic reactions or reflexes. Humans can modify these reactions to some extent with training and practice, but they are fundamentally caused by hormones and brain centres which are very ancient.
Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious or simply the Emperor, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the "Star Wars" franchise. The character is played by actor Ian McDiarmid.  Character history. Palpatine is the main villain in each film trilogy of the Skywalker Saga. His story begins in the prequel trilogy. He is shown to be a politician and powerful Dark Lord of the Sith. Palpatine secretly tells the Trade Federation to take over his home planet Naboo. He uses the crisis to get elected as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. He then leads the Republic into the Clone Wars. Palpatine uses the war to kill the Jedi and turns the Republic into the Empire. He makes himself emperor and turns Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into his apprentice, Darth Vader.  The prequel trilogy also shows Palpatine as the master of Darth Maul and Count Dooku. Palpatine's master was Darth Plagueis, who could create life and save people from death. In the final film of the original trilogy, Palpatine is killed by Darth Vader with the help of Luke Skywalker. His Empire is also defeated. Later, Palpatine returns from death and plots revenge. He creates Snoke to lead the First Order against the New Republic. He also turns Luke's nephew, Ben Solo, into Kylo Ren. In the final film of the sequel trilogy, Palpatine is weak and in hiding on the Sith planet Exegol. He begins the Final Order to take back control of the galaxy. His plan is stopped by his granddaughter, the young Jedi Rey. Fearing her power, Palpatine tried to find Rey when she was a child, but she was hidden by her parents on the planet Jakku. He tries to get Rey to kill him, in anger, so that his spirit can possess her body. Rey refuses and destroys Palpatine with the help of the spirits of past Jedi. Pop culture. Since the initial theatrical run of "Return of the Jedi", Sidious has become a widely recognized symbol of evil in popular culture, and since the prequel movies, also one of sinister deception and the subversion of democracy
Luke Skywalker is a character from the "Star Wars" universe. He is the main hero of the "Star Wars" movies and book series. Luke was in three "Star Wars" movies, ', ' and '. He was also in most of the books that took place after these movies. Luke Skywalker was played by actor Mark Hamill in all three movies. The character was also shown briefly at his birth in '. Luke Skywalker was the main character during the original three movies. These movies follow his life from being a farmer on the planet Tatooine to becoming an important part of the Rebel Alliance and a Jedi Knight. In "" (2017), Skywalker dies in Ahch-To as Luke's body vanishes, having made peace with his legacy. A New Hope. The adult Luke Skywalker is first seen in this movie. He was raised on the planet Tatooine. Tatooine is a desert planet. He lives with his uncle, Owen and his aunt, Beru. After he bought two droids, named C-3PO and R2-D2, stormtroopers sent by the Empire start to look for them. R2-D2 runs away one night. In the next morning, Luke and C-3PO look for him. Luke is attacked by Tusken Raiders, but is rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi. R2-D2 plays a message from Princess Leia asking for help from Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan then says that Luke must come with him to Alderaan to learn about the Force. Luke learns that his father, Anakin Skywalker, was a Jedi. Luke also gets his father's old lightsaber. Luke says that he can not go with him and returns home. When he does, he sees that his home was destroyed (broken down). he is a bit fruity. He goes back to Obi-Wan and agrees to go with him and learn about the Force. Luke, Obi-Wan and the droids go to Mos Eisley to find a pilot to take them to Alderaan. They get Han Solo and Chewbacca to take them to Alderaan. When they get there, they see that the planet is gone and there is
Witchcraft is the use of magical powers. This might be for healing, seeing into the future, causing harm, or for religion. A person practicing witchcraft is called a witch, although a man practicing witchcraft is often mistakenly called a wizard (a word from Northern Europe), a warlock (a word from 14th century England), a sorcerer, or shaman (a term for people who practice magic in parts of Asia). Such people are said to have a knowledge of the chemical (or pharmaceutical) effects of certain herbs or shrubs. Witches can use this knowledge to help people who are sick or to hurt them. Witchcraft is different throughout the world and can be seen as good or bad depending on where you are. Today, many people practice a peaceful kind of witchcraft, called Wicca. However, there are still many other people who are scared of witchcraft and think that it is bad. Throughout history, there have been stories about good and bad witches.  In European history, witches were accused of physically making and performing spells to harm people. They could also harm people by using their mind. However, this belief was not real and was often used to explain why bad things happened sometimes.  In Africa, witches don't use physical tools or actions to curse. They can cause harm by just thinking about it. In fact, one may be unaware of being a witch, or may have been convinced of their witch nature by the suggestion of others. This understanding was described by anthropologist E.E. Evans-Pritchard, who studied African magical beliefs. Accusations of Witchcraft. Éva Pócs (a scholar and folklorist) states that there are four reasons a person is accused of witchcraft: She identifies three kinds of witches in popular belief: "Neighbourhood witches" are the product of neighbourhood arguments, and are found only in rural village communities where the inhabitants largely rely on each other. Such accusations follow the breaking of some social norm, such as the failure to return a borrowed item, and any person part of the normal exchange could potentially be accused. Claims of "sorcerer" witches and "supernatural" witches could arise out of
Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical compound. Its chemical formula is KMnO4. It contains potassium and permanganate ions. The manganese is in the +7 oxidation state. It is also known as permanganate of potash and Condy's crystals. Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent, which means it has a tendency to take electrons from other chemicals. It dissolves in water to give purple solutions. If it is evaporated, it makes purple-black shiny crystals. It has a sweet taste and is odorless. History. In 1659, a German chemist, Johann Rudolf Glauber, melted a mixture of the mineral pyrolusite and potassium carbonate to obtain a material that made a green solution (potassium manganate) when dissolved in water. It slowly changed colour to violet (potassium permanganate) and then finally red. This report is the first description of the production of potassium permanganate. Just under 200 years later a Londoner named Henry Bollmann Condy was a chemist. He had an interest in disinfectants and made some things like "ozonised water". He found that when he melted pyrolusite with sodium hydroxide and dissolved it in water, it made a solution that had good disinfectant properties. He patented this solution, and sold it as "Condy's Fluid". The problem was that the solution was not very stable. This was fixed by using potassium hydroxide rather than sodium hydroxide. This gave a more stable material. It also was able to be dried to the just as good potassium permanganate powder. This powder was called "Condy’s crystals" or "Condy’s powder". Potassium permanganate was easy to make so Condy tried to stop other people from making it and selling it themselves. Early photographers used it in flash powder. Uses. Chemical applications. Potassium permanganate is used as an oxidizing agent. It also is used in disinfectants and in deodorizers. It can be used to make many different kinds of chemicals. In waste water treatment, it is used to get rid of hydrogen
The 840s started on 1 January 840 and ended on 31 December 849. It is distinct from the decade known as the 85th "decade" which began on January 1, 841. and ended on December 31, 850.
The 880s Decade began on 1 January 880 and ended on 31 December 889. It is distinct from the decade known as the 89"th decade" which began on January 1, 881. and ended on December 31, 890.
The silkworm is the larva (the active immature form of an insect) or caterpillar of the Bombyx mori moth. Silk has been made for at least 5000 years in China. The moth is important because it makes silk. It is entirely dependent on humans, and it no longer lives in the wild. Silkworms eat mulberry leaves, and are native to northern China. The domesticated "B. mori" and the wild "Bombyx mandarina" can still breed and sometimes produce hybrids. Egg. The female silkworm lays about 300 eggs at a time. She lays eggs on the leaves of mulberry trees. The eggs are covered with gelatinous secretion by which they stick to the leaves. The female moth (silkworm) lays eggs and dies after laying eggs as she does not eat anything. The eggs are kept in a cool place so that they can be stored for a long time. In a favorable condition, they hatch into larvae. Larvae are produced in about 2 weeks from eggs at a temperature of 18 to 25 degree Celsius. Silk. The cocoon is made of one thread of raw silk from 300 to 900 meters (1000 to 3000 feet) long. The fibers are very thin. About 2,000 to 5,000 cocoons are needed to make a pound of silk. If the animal is allowed to survive after spinning its cocoon, it will make a hole in the cocoon when it exits as a moth. This would cut the threads and ruin the silk. Instead, silkworm cocoons are thrown into boiling water, which kills the silkworms and also makes the cocoons easier to unravel. Often, the silkworm itself is eaten. The adult silkworms (moths) cannot fly. The silkworm-moths have wings about 2 inches wide and a white hairy body. Females and males are similarly colored. Adult silkworms have small mouths and do not eat. Silkworm legends. In China, there is a legend that the discovery of the silkworm's silk was first invented by
Death Valley is a National Park in the U.S. state of California. It is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. It is a desert southeast of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Death Valley is a part of the Mojave Desert. It is the most important part of Death Valley National Park. It is an endorheic basin, which means that the rivers in it do not flow to the sea. Geography. Death Valley has many famous and unusual geographical features. Some of these features include sand dunes, salt flats, colorful rocks, and tall mountains.  Large parts of Death Valley are below sea level. One feature, named Badwater Basin, is the lowest place in North America. It is below sea level.  The salt flats are another famous feature in Death Valley. Salt flats are very unusual. They are large, flattened areas where the surface of the ground is covered by salt instead of dirt. The salt that makes up a salt flat can be many inches or centimeters deep. The salt flats were created because thousands of years ago, Death Valley was underwater. Death Valley was covered by a lake called Lake Manly by geologists (scientists who study the Earth). Lake Manly used to be very large, but changes in the weather caused the rivers that brought water into the lake to dry up. After a long time, the water in Lake Manly began to dry up too. As the water dried, it left behind all the minerals that the rivers had brought to it along with their water. As these minerals dried, they created a crust (a brittle outer layer) of salt and other minerals on top of the dirt. Many lakes and seas in other parts of the world dried up in the same way. Traveling rocks. All across Death Valley, rocks and stones leave small paths behind them in curved, zigzagged (with twists and turns), or straight patterns. The rocks are not alive, of course, but they still travel across the lake bed. Dr. Robert Sharp, a geology professor, decided to find out about these rocks. He put tags on 30 stones of different sizes and shapes, hammered spikes into the ground where the rocks were sitting,
Mulberry ("Morus") is a genus of 10–16 species of trees. They are native to warm regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with most of the species native to Asia. Mulberries are fast-growing when young but soon become slow-growing and rarely grow over 10-15 meters tall. The leaves are simple, often lobed, and ridged. The fruit grows in bunches, 2-3 centimeters long, is red to dark purple in color, edible, and sweet with a good flavor in several species. The fruit is used in pies, tarts, and wines. The fruit of the black mulberry, native to southwest Asia, and the red mulberry, native to eastern North America, have the strongest flavor. The fruit of the white mulberry, an east Asian species, has a very weak flavor. Mulberries can be grown from seeds, which is the best idea as seedling-grown trees are generally healthier. However, they are often planted from large pieces cut from other mulberry trees, which easily take root. White mulberry. Mulberry leaves, particularly those of the white mulberry, "Morus alba", are important as the food of the silkworm, the cocoon of which is used to make silk. "Morus alba" is also notable for the rapid release of its pollen, which is launched at over half the speed of sound. "This is the fastest motion yet observed in biology, and approaches the theoretical physical limits for movements in plants".
Procaine is a analgesic drug. It is used primarily to reduce the pain of getting certain shots, and is also used by dentists. The drug is usually sold under the name Novocaine, or Novacaine. Procaine was first made in 1905, and was the first man-made pain-killer that could be taken as a shot. It was created by the German scientist Alfred Einhorn (1857-1917) who gave the chemical the name Novacaine, from the Latin word "novus" (which means new) and caine, as in "cocaine." Procaine is not often used today because other safer and better working pain-killing drugs now exist. Prior to the discovery of procaine, cocaine was the most commonly used pain-killer. Procaine (like cocaine) has the advantage of reducing bleeding, unlike other pain-killers and without the dangerous qualities of cocaine.
Leizu was a legendary Chinese queen. According to tradition, she discovered silk and invented the silk loom in the 28th century BC. Leizu discovered silkworms while on a walk near the king's mulberry trees. However, there are different stories of exactly how she discovered that silkworms make silk. One story says that she used her finger to touch a worm, causing a strand of silk to come out. As the silk continued to come out, she wrapped it around her finger. When the silk ran out, she saw a small cocoon, and realized that this cocoon was the source of the silk.  Another story says that she found silkworms eating the mulberry leaves and spinning cocoons. She collected some cocoons, and then sat down to have some tea. While she was sipping a cup of tea, she dropped a cocoon into the steaming water. A fine thread started to separate itself from the cocoon. Leizu found that she could unwind this soft and lovely thread around her finger. She asked her husband to give her a grove of mulberry trees, where she could keep the worms that made these cocoons. She is credited with inventing the silk reel, which joins thin silk threads into a thicker thread strong enough for weaving. She is also credited with inventing the first silk loom. It is not known how much, if any, of this story is true, but historians do know that silk was first made in China. Leizu shared what she found out with others and the knowledge became common.
Reforesting is the process of replacing plants in an area where they have been cut down or destroyed. It usually refers to trees, but could include other types of plant life.  Reforestation is often needed after deforestation, when trees are cut down to make lumber. Reforestation also regains back the homes of animals.
Moths are insects of the order Lepidoptera. They are closely related to butterflies, which evolved from them. They also have wings, just like butterflies. Most species of moths are active only at night. They can be told apart from butterflies in several ways. Moth antenna look like little feathers, and their wings are held flat on their backs when they are not flying. Most Lepidoptera are moths. There are thought to be about 160,000 species of moths (nearly ten times the number of species of butterflies). Thousands of species are still to be described. Most moths are tiny: they are called micromoths or microlepidoptera. The large moths are much better known, but fewer. Most species of moths are nocturnal, but not all. There are crepuscular and diurnal species. Moths as pests. Moths, usually their caterpillars, are a major farm pest in many parts of the world. Caterpillars eat the plants that farmers grow and sometimes kill them. The caterpillar of the spongy moth ("Lymantria dispar") causes great harm to forests in the northeast United States. In warm climates, the diamondback moth ("Plutella xylostella") is perhaps the most serious pest of cabbage crops. Several moths in the family Tineidae have larvae which eat clothes and blankets made from natural fibres, such as wool or silk. They are less likely to eat materials containing some artificial fibres. They may be repelled by the scent of wood from juniper and cedar, by lavender, or by other natural oils. Chemicals are the most effective way to keep moths away, but there are concerns about the chemicals being dangerous to people. Silk production. Some moths are farmed. The most important of these is the silkworm. It is farmed for the silk with which it builds its cocoon. The silk industry produces over 130 million kilograms of raw silk, worth about 250 million U.S. dollars, each year. Not all silk is produced by "Bombyx mori". There are several species of Saturni
A cocoon is a shell made of silk by most kinds of moth caterpillars and other insect larvae. Some butterfly larvae (in the family Hesperiidae and subfamilies Parnassiinae and Satyrinae) do spin cocoons. However, most butterfly pupae are called chrysalids. Some caterpillars attach small twigs or pieces of vegetation to the outside of their cocoon to hide it from predators. Others spin their cocoon in a hidden place. Examples would be on the underside of a leaf, in a crevice, or down near the base of a tree trunk. Silkworm cocoons are processed and used to produce natural silk for clothing.
The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, near Denver, that happened on April 20, 1999. 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold carried out the massacre and were both students at the school. They murdered 12 students and one teacher using guns. Ten of the murders happened in the school's library, where they then killed themselves with their guns. Before the shootings, they had planted two large propane bombs in the school's cafeteria. They could have killed many people in there, but they did not explode. They also planted two car bombs in the school's parking lot, which were supposed to kill first responders and news reporters. They also did not explode. They also carried pipe bombs and molotov cocktails, which they lit and threw. Most of them exploded but nobody was injured or killed by any of the bombs used during the massacre. They shot outside killing 2 student and then went inside where they shot killing 1 teacher then went inside the library where they killed 10 students then walked about the school into the cafeteria through the school again then back into the cafeteria again before going into the library and committing suicide. It was one of the first well-known massacres at a school in the United States, and the one with the most deaths until the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. After the shooting. After the shooting, many people wanted to know why it had happened. Many people thought that Klebold and Harris had done it because they were bullied, and schools in the United States began talking about how to stop bullying. However, it is now thought that Klebold and Harris were bullies themselves. Other people blamed parts of the media, saying that the lyrics of bands and singers like Marilyn Manson and violent video games that the shooters played might have caused it. In 2002, filmmaker Michael Moore released a documentary movie called "Bowling for Columbine" that was about why the shooting happened and about the role guns have in American culture. In the movie, Moore interviewed Marilyn Manson. Memorials. Many impromptu memorials were created after the shooting. Memorials included victims Rachel Scott
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is a National hero of the Philippines. He was an activist, writer, a polymath and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement which advocated for changes in the colony under the Spanish rule. He was born on June 19, 1861 in the town of Calamba, Laguna. Family and early life. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). His parents went to school and were well known. His father, Francisco Rizal Mercado, worked hard as a farmer in Biñan, Laguna. Rizal looked up to him. His mother, Teodora Alonso Realonda y Quintos, was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. She read a lot and knew about art and many other things. Rizal said she was loving and very smart. He learned the alphabet from his mother when he was three years old. At age five, while learning to read and write, he also showed that he could draw and paint. He surprised his family and relatives with his pencil drawings and sketches and with his moldings of clay. Education. In 1877, at the age of 16, he finished school (Bachelor of Arts) from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he went to another school to study Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas. At the same time, he took classes to become a surveyor and assessor at the Ateneo. In 1878, he went to the University of Santo Tomas to become a doctor. He stopped in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were not being treated right by the priests who were also their teachers. On May 3, 1882, he went by boat to Spain. In Spain, he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he got his degree and became a doctor. On June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he got another degree in Philosophy and Letters. Having traveled throughout Europe, America