ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
The Rugby Championship is an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of the sport's four strongest Southern Hemisphere nations—New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina. It began in 1996, a year after the sport became professional, as the Tri Nations. At the time, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa competed for the Tri Nations Trophy. Beginning in 2012, Argentina joined the competition. During the Tri Nations era, the contest began in July, during the Southern Hemisphere winter, and ran through September. For most of that era, each team played every other team twice, once at home and once away. Later on, each team played the others three times. When the competition added Argentina, it returned to a pure home-and-away format, with a total of 12 games played. Also, due to a slight change in the sport's calendar, The Rugby Championship now begins in August and runs through October. This format is used except in years in which the Rugby World Cup is played (every four years, in the year before the Summer Olympics). In those years, each team plays the others only once, with a total of six games played. Teams are awarded competition points for a win, but can also earn 'bonus' points. At the end of the series, the team with the most competition points wins the trophy. The team that wins the competition is usually considered to be the best rugby union team in the Southern Hemisphere for that year. Additional trophies. New Zealand and Australia compete annually for the Bledisloe Cup. All Rugby Championship games count as competition games for the Bledisloe Cup. South Africa and Australia compete annually for the Mandela Plate. Some of the Rugby Championship games count as competition games for the Mandela Plate. New Zealand and South Africa compete annually for the Freedom Cup. Some of the Rugby Championship games count as competition games for the Freedom Cup.
Agustín Ross Cultural Centre (Spanish, " Centro Cultural Agustín Ross"), previously known as Casino Ross ("Ross Casino"), is a historic casino building. It is in Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of Ross Park, in Pichilemu, Chile. The building was built in the late 1800s. In 1906 the first Chilean casino was built there. It was closed in 1932 and converted into a hotel which was open until the 1980s. The building is now Pichilemu's cultural centre. History. The casino is named after Agustín Ross Edwards, a Chilean writer, member of parliament, minister and politician. He was part of the powerful family Ross Edwards, which founded the newspaper "El Mercurio" years earlier. Based on his european experience, Ross bought a place named "La Posada" (English: "The Inn") or Petren Fund in 1885. At that time, it was just some barracks with thick walls with a ground of 300 hectares. The old Ross Casino was constructed in the late 1800s by Ross himself. It contained the first mail and telegraph service and a big store. The building had three floors, and was raised using imported materials. In January 20, 1906, the first Chilean casino was opened in that building. The Ross Casino worked until 1932, when the permission was cancelled, allowing just the newly constructed Viña del Mar Casino to work. After the closing of the Ross Casino, the building was converted into a hotel was which functioned until the 1980s. The old casino (1905) and its gardens (1885) are an important part of the city. It was named Historic Monument by the National Monuments Council on February 25, 1988, by the supreme decree N° 100. Ross was also the administrator of the great Juana Ross de Edwards fortune, the Nancagua Hacienda, near the city of same name. He designed an urban set of high environmental value and landscape, transforming "La Posada" to a hotel ("Great Hotel Pichilemu", later "Hotel Ross",
A north American sparrow is a member of the genus "Passer". They are small passerine birds which belong to the family "Passeridae". They are also known as old-world sparrows. Sparrows often make their nests near houses or buildings. This means they are one of the easiest birds to see in the wild. The genus has about 30 species around the world. The best known of these is the house sparrow, "Passer domesticus". Some authorities place other genera in the sparrow group: "Petronia", the rock sparrows; "Carpospiza", the pale rockfinch; and "Montifringilla", the snowfinches. Description. Sparrows are small birds. They are between 11–18 centimeters long. They can weigh between 13–42 grams. They are usually brown and grey. They have short tails and small, strong beaks. Most sparrows eat seeds or small insects. Sparrows are social birds and they live in flocks (groups). The house sparrow. The house sparrow ("Passer domesticus") is a species of sparrow. It lives all over the world. It originally lived only in Europe and Asia. However, people travelled to new places and the house sparrow went to those places too. It is now the bird with the widest distribution. This means it lives in the most places. The species has about 50 subspecies. Distribution. Sparrows can be seen on every continent on earth. A long time ago, they lived only in Europe, Asia and Africa. However, people traveled to Australia, North America and South America, and now sparrows are seen there too. The house sparrow is seen in every continent. In Australia, there are no sparrows in Western Australia, as they have not been able to travel across the deserts that separate that state from the eastern states. The government employs people to hunt and destroy any sparrows that might arrive. North America. The house sparrow was introduced to America in the late 19th century. It was introduced on purpose. It was imported by several people, including Eugene Schieffelin, who was a wealthy New
A couch, sofa or settee is a kind of furniture that is designed to seat more than one person. It usually has a place to rest your arm on each side. Couches are normally found in the living room or in front of the TV. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a couch was thought as a long, upward seat for resting on. One end would slope up high enough to provide a place for the head to rest. Some late 18th-century kinds of couches had an arm running partly down one side, and this type continued to be made in England. In Greek places, there were flowing designs with all kind of elegant colors. Many of them had scrolled ends and short legs. The couch was later taken over by the overstuffed sofa during the Victorian age. Expression. Because the couch is usually set in front of the TV, it is the main place where people usually sit and watch it. Lazy people would eventually seem to be stuck to it all the time. This person, a person who does not do a lot of physical activity, was called a "couch potato". This was also because potatoes do not move at all, and does not do anything but just sits there. This may also be considered as slang. Couch came from the word "couche", which means, "a bed, lair," or from the word "coucher", which means "to lie down." Types. The most common types of couches in homes are the "love seats" for two, or the "sofa" for more than two. Other couches include the "divan" or the "fainting couch", which usually does not have a back. Couches are usually bought in a set together with cushions, which give them a bouncey and decorative comfortable touch.
Jena Lee (born 29 July, 1987 in Chile) is a French singer. She was adopted by a French family at the age of nine months. In 2007, Jena Lee met Sulee B Wax, who was interested in her work. At this point in time Lee wrote the song "Some Share". The song was used in an album by Sherifa Luna. Jena Lee wrote six out of the thirteen songs that are on Sherifa Luna's album. In 2008, Jena Lee won the Urban Music Nation contest by Skyrock. Her first single "J'aimerais Tellement" was released in April 2009 along with a music video. It was at the top of the French single charts for eleven weeks. It had the highest number of downloads in November 2009.
Porridge is a food which is made with a cereal, usually oats. The oats are boiled in water or milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish. Some people add things to their porridge such as jam, sugar or syrup. In Scotland and Finland, salt is often added. Porridge is a traditional food in many countries in Northern Europe. It is usually eaten for breakfast. If the porridge is made from oat, it is called oatmeal. In some countries barley or other grains may be used. Porridge is cooked in saucepans or in a microwave. Traditionally, it was cooked in large metal kettles over hot coals. Porridge was often served as food for prisoners in prisons. This is why in English there is a slang expression "doing porridge" which means "being in prison". Porridge is also given to people who are ill because it is healthy and easy to eat and digest. Semolina and gruel are foods which are quite similar to porridge. Semolina is usually served as a pudding. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge that may be also drunk and may not need to be cooked. Oliver Twist, in the famous book by Charles Dickens, was given gruel to eat. Historically, heavy foods were eaten because most work was manual. Before the industrial revolution, men and women doing hard work needed more calories per day than they need today. At any rate this applies to countries which are highly mechanized. Porridge is a good example of the heavy calorie-laden food which has gradually gone out of favor.
A Fresnel lens is an optical lens, which was originally developed for Lighthouses. It is named after its inventor, French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel. The name is pronounced /freɪˈnɛl/ (fray-NELL), the 's' is silent. Before Fresnel, Buffon and Condorcet proposed a similar design, as a way to make large burning lenses.  The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the weight and volume of material that would be required in conventional lens design. Compared to earlier lenses, the Fresnel lens is much thinner. More light can pass through. Lighthouses that use these kind of lenses can be seen from farther away.
Giacomo Meyerbeer (born near Berlin, 5 September 1791; died Paris, 2 May 1864) was a famous German-born opera composer. He was the most important composer of French Grand opera during the 1830s and 1840s. Although he was tremendously popular in his day, his music is not often played now. Life. Early years. Meyerbeer was born into a rich Jewish family in Tasdorf (now a part of Rüdersdorf), near Berlin. His father owned large sugar refineries in Berlin and in Italy. His mother also came from a rich family. Her father had been important in Germany’s struggle to be free of the French in 1812 when Napoleon was trying to conquer much of Europe. Giacomo’s mother did a lot of good work trying to help people who were wounded during the Napoleonic wars. Many famous people came to the house where Giacomo’s family lived. Some of the visitors were from the royal Prussian court, including the future King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt also visited them quite often. The first piano teacher the boy had was Franz Lauska, who also taught the royal princes. He also had lessons in composition. Meyerbeer first played in public in 1801 playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor in Berlin. He wrote his first opera in 1810. In the same year he went to Darmstadt to study with the well-known music theorist Abbé Vogler. There he met the young Carl Maria von Weber who was also a pupil of Vogler. He left Vogler in 1811 and tried to get some work in Munich. In 1813 he found he had been offered a job as court composer to the Grand Duke of Hessen. Vogler had probably recommended him for the job. At this time Meyerbeer was better known as a pianist than as a composer. He travelled to London to hear an important pianist based there, namely J.B.Cramer. There he met other famous pianists such as Kalkbrenner and Ferdinand Ries. Italy. In 1816 Meyerbeer went to Italy.
Grand opera is a term which is used to describe an opera with continuous music. It is a kind of opera that was popular in the 19th-century. Grand operas are usually divided into four or five acts. There have large casts (many singers taking part) and large orchestras. There is a lot of scenery. The story is dramatic. It is usually a story about a hero from history. The term "Grand Opera" has often been used to describe the Paris Opéra from the late 1820s to around 1850, and sometimes to describe the Paris Opéra itself.  In a broader sense "Grand Opera" can be any large-scale opera from European countries. During the 1830s and 1840s Giacomo Meyerbeer was thought to be the greatest composer of Grand Opera.
Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. The German name is Vierwaldstättersee which means: "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons". It is possible to travel all the way round the side of the lake by road. There are several tunnels on the way. It is very popular with tourists. There are many hotels by the lake.
Die Feen ("The Fairies") is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. The German libretto was written by the composer. He was adapting a story by Carlo Gozzi called "La donna serpente". "Die Feen" was the first opera that Wagner finished. However, it was never performed during his lifetime. It has never become popular, although the overture is sometimes played. The music shows the influence of Carl Maria von Weber and other composers of the time. It also shows some musical ideas that Wagner was to develop later in his life in his famous operas. The fairy tale atmosphere in the story is also an idea that he uses in his later operas which deal with fantasy stories. The idea of being saved (redemption) is also an important idea that he used in later operas.
Rienzi is an opera by Richard Wagner. Its full title is Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen ("Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes"). It is one of the earliest operas Wagner wrote. There are five acts. Wagner wrote the libretto himself, using the story from a novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It was composed between 1838 and 1840 It was first performed at the Hofoper, Dresden on 20 October 1842. It was the first time Wagner had a success as an opera composer. Story. The story of the opera is set in Rome and is based on the life of Cola di Rienzi (1313–1354), a medieval Italian populist figure who manages to trick the nobles and their followers. He helps the people to get power. At first he is very popular, but then he has to use force against the nobles, and the Church turns against him. In the end the ordinary people burn the Capitol where Rienzi and his friends are sheltering.
A chess tournament is a competition between chess players. It can take one of these forms: Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among serious players. Currently, FIDE holds candidates tournaments every two years to determine challenger to the world champion. In 1851, Adolf Anderssen became first unofficial champion. In 1858, Paul Morphy beat him and became second unofficial champion. In 1871, Johannez Zukertort defeated Adolf Anderssen to become third unofficial chess champion. There are three unofficial world chess champions: Adolf Anderssen, Paul Morphy and Johannes Zukertort, stemming from first strong international tournament in London in 1851, won by Anderssen.
Der fliegende Holländer ("The Flying Dutchman") is an opera by Richard Wagner. Wagner wrote the libretto himself. The story comes from the legend of the "Flying Dutchman", which is about the captain of a ship. It is his fate that he has keep sailing the sea, without ever going on to land, until Judgment Day. The most important idea in the story as told by Wagner is redemption through love. It was a favourite idea of Wagner, who used it a lot in his later operas. Wagner conducted the first performance at the Semper Oper in Dresden, in 1843. It is an early opera of Wagner, but it shows his mature style. It is very different from the previous opera "Rienzi" which is still quite similar to operas that other composers were writing. In "Der fliegende Holländer" the drama is very important. Wagner uses a number of leitmotifs: musical ideas associated with particular characters and themes in the story. The leitmotifs are all introduced in the overture. We hear the famous leitmotif of the ocean and then those of the Dutchman and of Senta, the girl he falls in love with. Wagner originally wrote "Der fliegende Holländer" to be performed without any breaks (intermission). Sometimes it is performed like that today, but Wagner also made a version with three acts.
Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg (En: "Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg") is a three-act opera with words and music by Richard Wagner. It was Wagner's fifth opera. He worked on it between 1842 and 1845. It was first performed at the Dresden Royal Opera on 19 October 1845 with Wagner conducting. The opera was a success. It became hugely popular in Germany. In 1859, "Tannhäuser" was the first Wagner opera to be performed in the United States of America. By 1861, the opera had been performed many times in Germany when Wagner was asked to revise the work for the Paris Opéra. Despite his best efforts, Wagner failed. He was not popular. Anti-Wagner riots broke out. He withdrew the work. It was not staged again in France until 1895. Meanwhile, the opera opened the second season of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in November 1884. Background. Wagner was in Paris completing "The Flying Dutchman" when he began thinking about writing another opera. A friend suggested Tannhäuser as a subject. Wagner did not like the tale. Back in Germany however, he gathered materials by Tieck, Heine, and others about Tannhäuser. Vacationing in Bohemia, he had a change of heart. He began preparing an outline for "Tannhäuser". Returning home to Dresden, he immersed himself in the tale. He completed the opera in October 1845. He conducted the first performance that month at the Royal Opera House. His Venus said, "You are a genius, but you write such eccentric stuff that it is impossible to sing." His Tannhäuser was completely baffled. The audience was puzzled. The reception was lukewarm. Wagner began revisions at once. The second performance played to a near empty house. In 1859, Wagner offered "Tannhäuser" to the Paris Opéra. They wanted it sung in French. They also wanted a ballet in the second act. This so the Jockey Club had
Every year, the Kennedy Center gives its Kennedy Center Honors to artists. These artists have contributed to American culture. Most of these artists were performers, such as actors, dancers, and musicians. Some of these artists were movie directors, play writers, and songwriters. Most of the recipients have been American. The President of the United States usually attends the awards ceremony. The Honors are given in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center Opera House. From 1978 until 2002, the ceremony was hosted by Walter Cronkite. Since 2003, it has been hosted by Caroline Kennedy.
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Clough is most famous for his time at Nottingham Forest, where he scored 131 goals in over 400 games. He is the second highest scoring player in the history of the team. Honours. As a player. Nottingham Forest As a manager. Burton Albion Individual
Lady's slipper orchids are the orchids in the subfamily Cypripedioideae. They are special because of their slipper-shaped pouches on their flowers. The pouch traps insects so that they must climb up past the modified stamens, where they get or give pollen, fertilizing the flower. Some people think this subfamily should be different from the Orchidaceae as a family Cypripediaceae. Pollination. A lady slipper orchid has a deep pocket that is actually a bee trap. When a bee crawls down into the flower to get the nectar, the pocket on the flower closes shut. Because of this, the bee is stuck for a while, wiggling and squirming, getting pollen all over itself. The bee finally finds a small opening near the top of the orchid, and it gets out so that it can get trapped inside another lady slipper, where it will give that pollen to the other lady slipper's stigma. The lady's slipper is also known in the United States of America as the "moccasin flower", because it looks like a shoe or moccasin.
Pandita Ramabai (23 April 1858, Karnataka – 5 April 1922) was an Indian Christian who tried to change many things in India. A poet and scholar, she tried hard to improve (make better) the lives of women in India. She wrote many books, such as her popular "The high -Caste Indian Woman", which showed the troubles of child wives and women in India. Conversion. She was born in Gangamoola, in the Mala village, in Karkala Taluk, in the Karnataka State of India. Her father's name was Ananta Shastri. She lost her parents (Laxmi Bai) early. She travelled to Kolkata with her brother. There, she received (got) a Pandita and a Sarasvathi Award for her expertise in Sanskrit Poetry. Born in the home of an important scholar named Brahmin, Pandita Ramabai had more freedom than many Indian women. Her father taught her and her mother to read Sanskrit writing. She then began to study Christianity in India, and later in England. She decided that it was the best religion; that she should be a Christian. However, she had not yet received Jesus into her "heart". Ramabai later said, Life. Shortly after her "true conversion", Pandita Ramabai began a faith mission for the girls and widows of India. Pandita and her helpers began a school and prayed for what they needed every day. Wheta went to refugee camps and saved widows and girls from death or abuse. Soon she had over a thousand women and girls at the mission. Helping this many people during a time of great famine was very hard, but Pandita wrote in her autobiography, Every day, Pandita Ramabai and her helpers taught the women to read and write, showed them cleanliness, and helped them prepare for a job. She also taught them about Jesus. She opened Ashrams at Pune, Mumbai. She established a Christian High school at Gulbarga, (now at Karnataka) and her daughter Manorama was the principal. Manorama studied in the United States and traveled to Australia.
The Ruy Lopez, also called the "Spanish Opening", is an old chess opening. It is named after the Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. He may have invented the opening. These are the opening moves: The Ruy Lopez is one of the most common and well-liked openings. There are many ways to play it. It has always been popular in master chess. White's idea is to try and undermine the center by attacking the knight with his bishop. However, White will not be always able to win a pawn immediately: For this reason White usually plays a longer-term strategy, starting with: Here, Black has two main options. Black can either play with an open center, with 5... Nxe4 or play a closed, positional game with 5... Be7. These openings are called the Open Ruy Lopez and the Closed Ruy Lopez.  Closed Variation. The closed variation of the Ruy Lopez comes after these moves: This line leads to a closed . White's idea will be to break open the center with d4. Play typically continues: These are the main moves for White. However, White can also play 7. h3 or 7. a4. These moves are played in order to avoid the Marshall Variation.