ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
Rhetoric is the art of convincing and persuading people by language through public speaking or writing.  Overview. Origin. The word is derived from the Greek term "ῥητορικὴ [τέχνη]", roughly meaning "the art of speech." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines it as "the art or science of using words effectively in speaking or writing, especially the art or science of literary composition." The word "effectively" in this definition is a relative matter. What is effective in a certain context can be entirely different in another. Different languages differ in their "rhetorical styles" – that is, in the way that they use language to fulfill various purposes.  One can be trained for it. It is the art or the technique of persuasion, used by orators (public speakers), writers and media. History. Origin. Its origin was in ancient Greece of the 5th century. They made their decisions by speaking for or against proposals in a public space. Also, speeches were made when a person was accused of a serious crime before the magistrates. Because rhetoric was so important to them, the Greeks and Romans wrote about how to be a good rhetorician. This is sometimes called "secondary rhetoric".  Examples. It is a technique which can be taught, and used in writing. An early example is Plato, who wrote his works in the form of dialogues. Each question raised is discussed between two characters. In the ancient world, the Romans, who were much influenced by the ancient Greeks, also used the same methods for decision-making. Cicero was one of their famous orators. In their case, the debates did not involve all citizens but merely the Roman Senate or the courts. Middle Ages. In medieval universities, rhetoric was taught as part of the curriculum. Rhetoric, dialectic and grammar form the trivium which, with the quadrivium, make up the seven liberal arts of Western culture. During Antiquity and the Middle Ages, rhetoric was used for persuasion in public and political arenas, and also in the courts of justice. The words "rhetoric" or "sophism
A skill or technique is a learned ability to do something.  It could be playing a musical instrument or playing a kind of sport or even doing something simple like using a corkscrew. Someone who is trying to do something but not succeeding may be using the wrong technique. Skill does not always have to be something physical: it may refer to the way a person approaches a problem. Examples of skills are:
Hamas (), an acronym of its official name, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (, "Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political movement in Gaza, which has a history of violent antisemitism despite its relative popularity in the Middle East and Western academia. Name. "Hamas" is an acronym of the Arabic phrase , or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or "Islamic Resistance Movement". The Hebrew meaning of the name Hamas (חמס; as used in the Hebrew Bible) is "violence". History. Hamas was started in 1987 by Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi after the beginning of the First Uprising against Israeli violence and occupation. It started as the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Egypt. In the 2006 legislative election, the party received 74 out of 132 seats in parliament by campaigning on clean government without corruption and affirming Palestinians' right to defend against Israeli occupation. Ideas. The party has supported the reestablishment of the Land of Palestine in all historic land, which includes the West Bank, Gaza, and the State of Israel. The 2017 Hamas Charter stated that the party's struggle was with Zionists and Israeli terrorists. In 2018, the United Nations voted to reject an American claim to condemn Hamas. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told the Reuters news agency, "Rejecting the American drafted resolution against the resistance represents a blow to the American administration and reaffirms the legitimacy of the resistance." Violence. Hamas is known for its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which plans and carries out attacks on Israel. Because of its history of suicide bombings and rocket attacks on civilians in Israel, the United States, European Union and other countries call it a terrorist organisation. The country of Jordan has banned the group.  In March 2025, families of the hostages filed a lawsuit in New York, accusing the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and Within Our Lifetime of working as Hamas propagandists in America.  Particularly,
A suicide attack is an attack where the attacker (either one person or a group of people) plans on killing people and/or destroying property while also dying in the process. In a suicide attack, the attacker dies as a result of the attack, for example in an explosion or a crash. Nowadays, suicide attacks are often done with a vehicle or an explosive material such as a bomb (a suicide bombing), or sometimes both (i.e. a car filled with explosives). If everything goes according to plan, the attacker is killed as soon as their attack is complete (when their vehicle crashes or their bomb detonates). Suicide attacks are often done in a crowded place so that as many people as possible are killed. They are common in the Middle East and South Asia. Most attacks on Israel, carried out by Hamas or other Palestinian militant groups are suicide bombings. The kamikaze were suicide attacks by Japanese pilots during World War II.
A laser is a machine that makes an amplified, single-color source of light. It uses special gases or crystals to make the light with only a single color. The gases are energized to make them emit light. Then mirrors are used to amplify (make stronger) the light. A laser can be made so all the light travels in one direction, so the energy of the light stays as a narrow beam of collimated light that does not spread as much as in a flashlight (electric torch). This narrow beam makes a single point of light. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". Both the device and its name were developed from the earlier Maser. Mechanism. A laser creates light by special actions involving a material called an "optical gain medium". Energy is put into this material using an 'energy pump'. This can be electricity, another light source, or some other source of energy. The energy makes the material go into what is called an excited state. This means the electrons in the material have extra energy, and after a bit of time they will lose that energy. When they lose the energy they will release a photon (a particle of light). The type of optical gain medium used will change what color (wavelength) will be produced. Releasing photons is the "stimulated emission of radiation" part of laser. Many things can radiate light, like a light bulb, but the light will not be organized in one direction and phase. By using an electric field to control how the light is created, this light will now be one kind, going in one direction. This is "coherent radiation". At this point, the light is still weak. The mirrors on either side bounce the light back and forth, and this hits other parts of the optical gain medium, causing those parts to also release photons, generating more light ("light amplification"). When all of the optical gain medium is producing light, this is called saturation and creates a very strong beam of light at a very narrow wavelength, which we would call a laser beam. Design. The light moves through the medium between the two mirrors that reflect the light back and forth between them. One of
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network that started in 1926 as a radio company. NBC started airing Its first television programs in 1944. NBC is owned by Comcast, and was previously owned by General Electric and Universal Studios. NBC owns the cable news channels CNBC and MSNBC. It is nicknamed "The Peacock Network" because of the animal in its logo. The network is famous for its three-note chimes, and NBC Sunday Night Football, which is the most watched TV series after American Idol. Some famous NBC shows are Saturday Night Live, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Law and Order, 30 Rock, Frasier, ER, Cheers, Will and Grace, Meet the Press, and Today. Stations. WHO-TV Des Moines, Iowa WNBC New York City, New York KNBC Los Angeles, California
Thiruvananthapuram () is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. The city used to be known by the name of Trivandrum. It is on the west coast of India near the far south of the mainland. With 889,191 people as of 2001, it is the biggest city in Kerala in terms of size and number of people. The city is the state capital and houses many national and state government offices, organizations and companies. It is also a major center of learning and is home to several schools and colleges including Kerala University, and to many scientific institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Technopark, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). Origin of name. Thiruvananthapuram literally means "City of Lord Anantha" in Malayalam. The name derives from the god of the Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Anantha is the serpent Shesha on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu lies. The temple of Vishnu lying on Ananta, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the most recognizable landmark of the city. The city was officially known as "Trivandrum" in English until 1991, when the government decided to change the city's name back to the original name, Thiruvananthapuram, in all languages. However, the city is still widely referred to as "Trivandrum" (now Thiruvananthapuram). Infrastructure. The city is fully electrified by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The district is divided in to three circles: Transmission circle, Thiruvananthapuram city and Kattakkada. Domestic users account for 43% of the total power usage, or 90 million units per month. Thiruvananthapuram district has one 220 kV, nine 110 kV and six 66 kV electrical substations. A 400
Animal Farm is a short novel by George Orwell. It was written during World War II and published in 1945. It is about a group of farm animals who rebel against their farmer. They hope to create a place where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. In the end, however, they are betrayed and the farm ends up as bad it was before. The story is an allegory, meaning that the author wanted it to represent real life events. It is one of the most famous allegories about political events. It is based on Joseph Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution. Although rejected by several publishers, when published it became a best-seller. "Animal Farm" is one of Orwell's two best-known books (the other is "Nineteen Eighty-Four") and is widely viewed as a classic. "Time" magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005). it also featured at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels. It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996, and is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection. Summary. Manor Farm is run by Mr Jones, a cruel and drunken farmer. One day, the animals gather at a meeting to listen to Old Major, a wise old pig. Old Major makes a speech, calling for animals to rise up against their farmers. The animals are very keen about the idea. Old Major dies a few days later. The pigs, who are the most intelligent animals, begin planning a rebellion. They are led by Snowball and Napoleon. About three months later, the animals revolt against Mr Jones and take over the farm. They change its name to "Animal Farm". They decide the farm will now be ruled only by animals, calling the system "animalism". They write seven commandments, with the most important being "All animals are equal". “Four legs good, two legs bad” becomes a popular chant for the sheep. Mr Jones and his friends attack the farm to try to take it back, but in the "Battle of the Cowshed" the animals drive them away.
Miso (味噌 or みそ) is a thick or solid paste. It is a traditional Japanese seasoning. Miso is similar to the Korean "doenjang". It is made by fermenting soy beans with sea salt or salt and "kōji". Grains such as barley or rice, and sometimes other ingredients, are also often added.  Miso is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. Miso tastes salty and, depending on the grains used and the fermentation time, may also be sweet. Miso is used to make miso soup. Miso is a very important part of Japanese food. There are different kinds of miso. "Kome miso" (米味噌) is made from rice and beans. "Mame miso" (豆味噌) is made from beans. "Mugi miso" (麦味噌) is made from barley and beans. Awase miso (合せ味噌) is a mix of these misos. History. Miso first came to Japan from China or the Korean peninsula. Ancient Chinese "jan" (醤) is the origin of miso. "Jan" is an ancient fermented seasoning. According to classical scholars, "jan" was called "hishio" or "kuki" in the Edo era. In China, "jan" was written about in the "Shurai". Miso existed in the Jomon era in Japan. "Jan" is the Japanese original seasoning. In the Nara era, "jan" was found in Nishi city, Heiankyo. Miso was used for seasoning porridge made of rice and vegetables. In the Sengoku period, Miso was important to preserved food. Many Japanese used to make miso in their own homes. This was called "Temae-miso". In the Muromachi era, it was used as a food preservative and as a seasoning. Miso was an important source of nutrients for soldiers. In the Edo era, industrial mass production method of miso began. "Temae-m
in Japanese) is a traditional Japanese soup. It is made from a kind of broth or stock, called "dashi" into which miso paste is dissolved. Various solid ingredients like wakame, seaweed, tofu from soybeans, and sometimes mushrooms, potatoes, and eggplants are added to make the finished soup. The soup is usually served in bowls, sometimes in lacquer bowls. They can be drunk directly from the bowl without using a spoon. Solid ingredients are eaten with chopsticks (箸). Different types of miso produce distinctive soups. There are three main types of miso: dark-brown, white, and a combination of the two.
Wakame (Japanese: わかめ or 若布) is a type of kelp. People eat it. Its scientific name is "Undaria pinnatifida". It is sold either dried or salted. It is often used in miso soup and salads. In Korea it is called miyeok. It is used in salads, or as the main ingredient in miyeok soup. In China it is called qundaicai. Chinese production is concentrated around Dalian. In New Zealand "Undaria pinnatifida" is a very serious weed, and is one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. It was first seen in Wellington Harbour in 1987. It probably arrived accidentally in the late 1980s, on ships from Asia, in ballast water. It is native to cold temperate coastal areas of Japan, Korea and China, but recently it has also spread to France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Argentina and Australia. "Undaria" is now found around much of south-eastern New Zealand, and as far north as Auckland. It spreads in two ways. Naturally, through the millions of microscopic spores released by each fertile plant; and attached to vessel hulls and marine farming equipment. "Undaria" is a highly successful and fertile species, which makes it a serious invader.
Kelp is a type of marine seaweed. It is a brown algae. There are many different kinds of kelp. Kelp grow in large forests, usually near the surface of the water. It grows in nutrient rich saltwater. Some kelps grow very fast (up to 30 cm a day). Kelp can reach a length of up to 60 metres. The blades are kept afloat by gas-filled bladders. Kelp plays an important role as food and habitat for fish and other forms. It may be eaten as a vegetable. Kelp is found in many places. People put it in aquariums. In the Monterey Aquarium there is a large forest of kelp. In some parts of the Pacific Ocean, sea urchins have eaten so much kelp that the kelp forests become urchin barrens.
Tofu (豆腐), sometimes called doufu (usually used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food made from soybeans. In fact, it is a very complex process. Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk into curds. The soy curds are then pressed into blocks. Making tofu from soy milk is similar to making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes. China. China has more kinds of tofu than Japan and various tofu foods. Japan. In Japan, tofu is a common food, used often in miso soup or as a hot dish. People in Japan has created various kinds of tofu. One of them is 絹こし豆腐 (or soft tofu), 木綿豆腐 (or firm tofu, or solid tofu) and "凍み豆腐" (or dried tofu). It is said that the way to make tofu from soybeans was taught by the Chinese a several hundreds years ago. you can find its very first history in a diary of 奈良春日大社 in 1183 of the Heian period. America. In the United States, tofu is becoming more popular. Today, Americans buy tofu at the grocery store. The word “tofu” takes root in common use. Others. In South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia, tofu is daily food. Nutrition. Tofu is rich in protein and is relatively low in calories. Dietary fiber is a little for process. More and more Americans and Europeans use it as health food.
Soy milk (also called soymilk, soya milk, soybean milk, soy bean milk, soy drink, or soy beverage) is a milk-like product made from soybeans. Soy milk originated in China where the soybean was native. Later on, the soybean and soybean foods came to Japan.
Dashi (出汁、だし) is a kind of stock or broth mainly used for soup or dishes in Japanese cooking. The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or stock made by kombu (edible kelp) or katsuobushi (flakes of dried skipjack tuna) in boiling water. niboshi (煮干し) is also used, too. It is not always necessary to strain the resulting liquid. Dashi can be a basis for miso soup, Japanese noodle (うどん or そば) soup, and many other Japanese simmering (or boiling) liquids. Fresh dashi made from kelp and katsuobushi is not so popular today in Japan. Some people use instant substitutes to add boiled water. Other kinds of dashi stock are made by soaking (or putting) kelp, shiitake, or niboshi in cool water for many hours. Or they are made by heating them in water nearly to boiling and then straining the resulting broth. Kelp stock or "konbu dashi" is made by soaking kelp, or "sea tangle", in water. "Shiitake dashi" stock is made by soaking dried shiitake mushrooms in water. "Niboshi dashi" stock is made by soaking dried small sardines. Some use niboshi after taking off (or pinching off) their heads and entrails in water, but others use whole niboshi as this way get tasty dashi, too. Other important Japanese flavors include shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, miso, and sake.
The shiitake mushroom, or simply called "shiitake"(椎茸) ("Lentinus edodes" or "Lentinula edodes") is also known as Chinese black mushroom or black forest mushroom. It is also called "black mushroom". It is an edible mushroom, which is typically grown on the tree, such as shii, kunugi and oak. There are two variant names. For high grades of shiitake is "dōnggū" (冬茹: どんこ) ("winter mushroom"). And another is "huāgū" ("flower mushroom," (香信: こうしん) which has a flower-like cracking pattern on the mushroom's upper surface). Both are produced at colder temperatures. There are many cultivated varieties, which grow-up in a temperature at 7C - 26C, most cultivars like cooler temperatures.
Soy sauce (US) or soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soy beans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. It is used in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. It also appears in some Western cuisine dishes. Soy sauces are fermented with kōji (麹, the mold Aspergillus oryzae or "A. sojae") and other related microorganisms.  Almost all soy sauce has some alcohol added during bottling. This acts as a preservative to protect it from going bad. Soy sauce should be kept in the fridge to help preserve its taste. It should also not be put in direct light. Although there are many types of soy sauce, all are salty and earthy-tasting brownish liquids. All are used to season food while cooking or at the table. What some Westerners describe as a kind of sweet taste is a distinct basic taste called "umami" by the Japanese and "xian-wei" (鲜味, "lit." fresh taste) by the Chinese.
A bowl is a container for food. It can hold liquids, such as soups and solids, like popcorn. People sometimes prepare salads in it. Most bowls are in the shape of a hemisphere, which is like a ball cut in half. Bowls are usually made from glass, ceramic, wood or plastic. Bowls can be lots of different sizes, such as snack bowls which are usually the size of a person's palm, or a punch bowl which can be very large. In Europe and North America, bowls are usually used to hold foods. In other parts of the world, like Asia, small bowls are often used to hold drinks like tea.  History. Archaeologists think that bowls have been used since ancient times, before history was written. Some of the oldest bowls come from Mesopotamia, a region where ancient people lived 6,000 years ago. Other ancient bowls come from ancient China and were made around 5,000 years ago.  Many ancient bowls were pieces of art. Bowls from ancient China were often painted with beautiful and complicated designs, while bowls from ancient Greece sometimes had unusual shapes. Some ancient Greek bowls were also used for religious occasions where wine was offered to gods in special bowls.  Uses of bowls. Bowls are a common item in houses and other places where people spend time. While they are most often used to hold food, bowls can also be used for other things. Some people use bowls to hold small items, similar to trays made to store small items called 'trinket dishes'. A Tibetan instrument called a singing bowl has the same shape as bowls used for food, but is used to make music instead.  Kinds of bowls. Bowls used for storing and making food are usually made of plastic, ceramic, glass, wood, or metal. Some restaurants serve soups inside of hollow loaves of bread, which are called bread bowls. Bowls used for gardening or decoration are sometimes made of clay or terracotta.
The Oktoberfest (also called Wiesn) is a German festival that takes place on the Theresienwiese, a public place in the center of Munich, Bavaria. It is every year, in late September and early October. It is a big social event. There is lots of eating and drinking. It is on for sixteen days ending on the first Sunday in October. If this is the first or the second the festival is extended to the end on 3 October, the Day of German Unity. This is the day when East Germany and West Germany joined into one country again in 1990. History. The first Oktoberfest was on 12 October 1810. The feast was for the wedding of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The feast lasted for "5 days". There was music, eating and drinking. At the end of it there was a big horse-race. The next years they had this horse-race and the feast again, because the people had liked it so much. On 26 September 1980, a right-wing lone wolf terrorist killed 12 people and himself using a bomb. Today. Today the Oktoberfest is the world's largest fair, and it has become very famous and popular. About six million people visit it every year. Many people and tourists from all over the world come to Munich for Oktoberfest. Other cities have copied the Oktoberfest, and now they also hold feasts that are similar to the Oktoberfest. One of the famous attractions is a big dipper called the "Wilde Maus" which means "Wild mouse" in English. The tents. There are 14 main tents at the Oktoberfest.