ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
"This article contains information about the series of books written by C.S. Lewis. For information about the film series, see The Chronicles of Narnia movie series." The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy books, written by British author C. S. Lewis. They have been published since 1954 and have sold over 100 million copies in 41 languages. The books were written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954, they were also illustrated by Pauline Baynes. In 2005, 2008 and 2010, the first three books were made into movies. The seven books. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Completed by the end of March 1949 and published by Geoffrey Bles in London on 16 October 1950, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" tells the story of four ordinary children: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, who have been evacuated to the English countryside from London in 1940 following the outbreak of World War II. They discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia. The Pevensie children help Aslan, a talking lion, save Narnia from the evil White Witch, who has reigned over the land of Narnia for a century of perpetual winter. The children become kings and queens of this new-found land and establish the Golden Age of Narnia, leaving a legacy to be rediscovered in later books. "Prince Caspian". This book is set 1300 years after "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Narnia is ruled by the Telmarines, a very mean people. The Pevensie children are called to Narnia by Susan's horn, which is blown by Prince Caspian. There is a big war between the Telmarines and Narnians. At the end of the book, Peter and Susan are told that they will not be able to come back to Narnia. The book was published in 1951. "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". In the third book,
Asatru (Icelandic: Ásatrú, Norwegian: Åsatru, Swedish: Asatro) is a religion which involves the worship of ancient Germanic and Scandinavian Viking spirits and gods. It received official legal establishment in 1970s in Iceland through the efforts of and other Icelanders. The current recognized national organization of Asatru in Iceland is Ásatrúarfélagið. The name is derived from two Old Norse words. It means "faith in the Æsir," the Old Norse gods. A person who practices Asatru is called an "Asatruar", and is sometimes referred to as a Heathen. Asatru is also called Wodanism, Wotanism or Germanic paganism. Common books that describe the knowledge in depth include the Sagas and the Eddas. Gods and Goddesses. Asatru is a polytheistic religion in which various goddesses and gods are worshiped. The most prominent are Thor, Odin, Freyja, Frigg, Freyr, Tyr, Loki, and Heimdall.
Otherkin is a subculture where people identify as a non-human thing. Some otherkin believe their identity comes from a non-human spirit, ancestry, or symbolism. People also believe that Otherkin get their identity from neurodivergence. The term has since been widespread, and it usually refers to many non-human identities, including therians. Otherkin originally came from Online Communities in the 1990s when people started identifying as elves or other fantasy creatures.
A bonfire or balefire is a large controlled outdoor fire made from bales of straw or wood. The word is believed to come from "bone fire". In the time of the Celts, there were midsummer festivals where animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits.  What it means in Great Britain. In Great Britain, bonfires are particularly associated with "Guy Fawkes Night". This night is also known as "fireworks night" or "bonfire night". On this night, people celebrate that the Gunpowder Plot was discovered. This discovery took place on 5 November 1605. They do this celebration each year. (It is called an "annual celebration".) In Northern Ireland, "bonfires" are associated with celebrations on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. What it means in Japan. In Japan, large fires called bon-bi are set to welcome the return of the spirits of the ancestors. Though the two terms are not etymologically or historically related, they serve similar purposes and indicate the universal importance of large fires. Use of bonfires for rituals. Bonfires were also used for rituals. The idea was that the fire would purify. It was used to consecrate things, or people, that is to make them sacred, in some way. In ancient times, cattle were important symbols of wealth and status. Such cattle were led through the smoke of a bonfire. Couples who were to be wed on May Day would leap through the flames of the bonfire to seal their vows. Coals from a bonfire would be taken home to light the fires in family hearths. This practice was thought to bring good fortune. People also believed that the residents of the Faery realm were incapable of producing fire themselves; embers of bonfires would be carried to the underworld and tended there. Neopagan and Wiccan beliefs. Along with the Maypole, the bonfire is an important component of the Wiccan and Neopagan celebration of Beltaine, also known as May Day. Nine woods are placed into a traditional Wiccan balefire. These woods are rowan, dogwood, elder, poplar, oak,
Bic Runga (born January 13, 1976) is a singer from New Zealand. She was born in Christchurch. She has sold lots of albums in New Zealand. The names of her albums are:
The Sputnik programme was a Soviet Union spacecraft programme. Sputnik 1, the first satellite in the programme, was launched on October 4, 1957. This was the first man-made satellite ever to enter orbit. The United States was very surprised when the Soviet Union sent Sputnik 1 into space. It did not want to fall behind. So, it began spending more money on science and education. This was when the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States began. Etymology. The word "Sputnik" comes from the ,  or , not .
Carnival is a public festival which takes place in many cities and towns in many countries around the world. It was traditionally in February or March each year. Carnival can sometimes last for several weeks. In some places there is only one day of celebration. There are often street parades, bands, costumes and many people wear masks. Carnival is linked to religious traditions in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and it is also linked to local customs. Background. Lent. Many Christian churches have a 40-day "season" of fasting called Lent, in which Christians prepare for Easter which is one of the two most important feasts in the Christian year (the other being Christmas). Easter is in late March or April. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, which is called Ash Wednesday in February or March. On that day, many people go to church and have some ash smeared on their forehead as a sign of sorrow for their sins. Then for 40 days, they try to work hard on improving themselves and thinking about the teachings of Jesus. It is usual for people to "give up" something for Lent. They might stop smoking or stop watching TV so they can spend more time reading the Bible or talking with the family. Many people give up all their favourite foods and have no cake, wine, beer, chocolate, ice cream or other luxury foods. The name "carnivale" comes from Italian and means "putting aside the flesh". This means that during Lent people were not to think about their "flesh" (their bodies) but do things that were good for their souls. The word "flesh"" also means "meat" so many people would eat no meat during Lent. Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday". This was the day just before Lent. The first day of Lent was called Mecredi Meagre meaning "Mean Wednesday". ("Mean" used to mean "poor" and "thin" rather than "nasty".) During the Middle Ages in Europe, it was normal for people to have a big feast on the Tuesday before the Lenten fast started. In many towns this developed into a big public party, with entertainment in the
Fasting is a kind of abstinence. It is when someone does not eat or drink for some specified period of time. It is only the case if the person does so of his or her own will. Fasting is usually done for one of three reasons: When it is done for religious reasons, certain groups of people are usually excluded: It may also be that the person only eats and drinks certain kinds of food. Most often, fasting is done for religious reasons. Depending on the tradition, fasting practices may forbid sexual intercourse, (or any sexual desire), masturbation, as well as refraining from eating certain types or groups of food (e.g. meat). Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. It is mentioned in the Qur'an, in the Mahabharata, in the Upanishads, and in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament. In Buddhism it is also taught as a way to getting Nirvana. Dry fasting. This is a form of fasting when a person totally abstains from eating any food or drinking water. On 21 January 2024, Isaiah Ogedegbe warned that a prolonged dry fasting is dangerous to health, for which reason it is inadvisable to do it for a very long time. He also said that such a prolonged dry fasting has caused the deaths of some religious figures. In 2019, a Zambian pastor Brighton Samajomba died from malnutrition 10 days before completing a 30-day dry fasting. Early in 2023, the BBC reported that a Mozambican pastor Francisco Barajah also lost his life in a similar way after he did a 25-day dry fasting, but his initial plan was to complete a 40-day dry fasting just like Jesus Christ. Later in 2023, a Nigerian pastor Victor Great was reported to have done a 21-day dry fasting; at the end of which he could not walk and several church workers assisted him from his car to the altar. Politics. Fasting as a form of protest is called a hunger strike. Intermittent fasting. Timed fasting is known as Intermittent fasting. According to The New York Times, it is sometimes used for weight loss. There are different ways to time your fast. You can:
Walpurgis Night ("Valborgsmässoafton" in Swedish, "Vappu" in Finnish, "Volbriöö" in Estonian, "Valpurģu nakts" or "Valpurģi" in Latvian, "Walpurgisnacht" in German, "Čarodějnice" in Czech) is a holiday celebrated on April 30 or May 1, in Finland, Sweden, Bohemia (Czech Republic), Estonia, Latvia and Germany. Origins. The festival is named after Saint Walburga (known in Scandinavia as "Valborg"; alternative forms are "Walpurgis", "Wealdburg", or "Valderburger"), born in Wessex in 710 a niece of Saint Boniface. According to legend, she was a daughter to the Saxon prince St. Richard. Together with her brothers she travelled to Württemberg, Germany where she became a nun and lived in the convent of Heidenheim, which was founded by her brother Wunibald. Walburga died on 25 February 779 and that day still carries her name in the Catholic calendar. However she was not made a saint until 1 May in the same year, and that day carries her name in the Swedish calendar. Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Germanic Pagan spring customs, where the arrival of spring was celebrated with bonfires at night. Their fertility celebrations took place around April 30 and due to Walburga being declared a saint at that time of year, her name became associated with the celebrations. Walburga was worshipped in the same way that the Germanic Pagans had celebrated spring, and as it spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration. Germany. In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when allegedly the witches hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg and await the arrival of Spring. When the travel to that mountain is too far, they may also chose another hill in the region they
Avian influenza (bird flu, or avian flu), is an illness caused by a virus. The virus, called "influenza A" or "type A", usually lives in birds. Sometimes it infects mammals, like humans. There are many types of influenza A. It was first found in a bird in Italy in 1878. Most types have weak symptoms like conjunctivitis and afluenza-like symptoms. Also breathing problems, like the common cold. It often mutates.  But some types kill birds, and a few kill humans and other mammals. One type of bird flu, called "Spanish flu", killed 50 to 100 million people in 1918/1920. Another type, called "Asian Flu" killed one million in 1957. Another, called "Hong Kong Flu", killed one million people in 1968. A subtype, called "H5N1", killed six people in Hong Kong in 1997, but did not kill again until 2003, this time in China. Until the middle of 2005, it was primarily found in southeast Asia but since then has spread to parts of Africa and Europe. It has killed tens of millions of birds and resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of other birds to limit its spread. So far it is mostly a bird disease and rarely infects humans. The concern about H5N1 is that it is constantly evolving at a very fast rate. It might create a human flu pandemic. Governments around the world are spending money to deal with this problem: studying H5N1, creating vaccines, conducting pandemic practice exercises, stockpiling useful flu medication, and many other activities. 2020s spread. United States. The CDC says farm workers wear personal protective equipment, like N95s, when with sick farm animals. The sick farm animals could have H5N1, which could spread the virus. Yet, workers keep getting sick. This may be due to workers' fear of losing their job. This may also be due to employers and state officials not letting CDC inspectors into dairy farms. As of July 2024, 11 humans sick with H5N1 were found in the USA. All of the sick humans found were dairy farm workers.
The "Jyllands-Posten" Muhammad cartoons controversy is a controversy about a series of cartoons. They were first published in a Danish newspaper. The publication led to an outcry, and sparked violent protests in the Islamic world, with many people dying. The cartoons were drawn and created by Kurt Westergaard. The crisis began after cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad were published in the Danish newspaper "Jyllands-Posten" on September 30, 2005. Danish Muslim organizations staged protests in response. As the controversy has grown, some or all of the cartoons have been reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries. The protests got worse when fake cartoons were released. One of the cartoons showed Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. Some people thought this was saying that all Muslims are terrorists. But other cartoons made fun of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper. One insulted the editors of the newspaper, by using the language Farsi.  Critics claims that the cartoons are culturally insulting, Islamophobic, blasphemous, and intended to humiliate a "marginalized" minority. However, supporters of the cartoons claim they illustrate an important issue and their publication exercises the right of free speech. They have also claimed that similar cartoons are made relative to other religions, arguing that Islam and its followers have not been targeted in a discriminatory way.
Blasphemy is a word that means "speaking badly about a religion", or "insulting a god". Some religions see blasphemy as a religious crime. Many countries witha state religion have laws that make blasphemy a crime. For example, blasphemy can be punished with the death penalty in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. In other countries, the punishment for the crime is a fine, or imprisonment. Some countries do not have laws against blasphemy. For example, after the French Revolution, France made blasphemy legal to make sure people would have freedom of religion and the freedom of the press. The United States, Canada, and many European countries, have laws to protect people who speak badly about religion. Sometimes people do this in a satirical way, like with a movie that makes fun of a religion. In these countries, profanity is often protected by freedom of speech as well.
The 1180s was a decade that began on 1 January 1180 and ended on 31 December 1189. It is distinct from the decade known as the 119th decade which began on January 1, 1181. and ended on December 31, 1190.
Brie is a type of soft cheese with a yellowish interior and a white layer (the "rind") on the outside of the cheese.  The rind is eaten as well as the inside of this cheese. Like other cheeses, Brie is a dairy product made from cows' milk. Brie cheese may be served with fruit as a dessert at the end of a meal, or with a relish. The cheese is sometimes served slightly melted or baked, in a round, lidded ceramic dish, and topped with nuts or fruit, or both. How it is made. Brie is a French cheese, and protected by AOC ("Appellation d'origine contrôlée"). This means only this cheese from this region (near Paris) can properly call itself "brie". This is ignored by some countries outside Europe, but the system of AOC is used in the wine business, so many parts of the world do honour it, and have similar arrangements. The milk of soft cheeses ("à pate molle" in French) is not heated during the production of the cheese. Talleyrand said about this kind of cheese that it was the "king of cheeses". He said that in the 19th century. This kind of cheese has been made for at least 1000 years. In Europe this cheese is usually not treated chemically, so it might change in consistency or color. It will go bad if it is not kept cool. If that means it is kept in a refrigerator, note that it should not be eaten that cold. It is best eaten when it is somewhat below normal room temperature. In most countries, brie-style cheeses are made with Pasteurized milk. Brie can be aged, that is, carefully treated for up to a year. Then it has a darker colour and a stronger taste. This is rarely seen outside of France. Types of Brie. The following kinds of Brie exist: Other French "Bries" are: Bries from outside France: Brie de Meaux. Cheeses are made into round loaves, of about 36 cm in diameter. The cheeses then weight about 2.5 kilograms. It
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838) was a French diplomat.  He was a bishop and worked successfully for Louis XVI. He changed sides and served the French Revolution and Napoleon I. When Napoleon started losing his wars, Talleyrand changed sides again and served Louis XVIII. He represented France at the Congress of Vienna. He changed sides once more and served Louis Philippe I. Since the beginning of the 19th century he was known simply as "Talleyrand". He is widely seen as one of the most pragmatic and influential diplomats in European history. He was known to accept bribes from other European powers, especially while he served under Napoleon.
Pasteurization (or pasteurisation) is a process of heat processing a liquid or a food to kill pathogenic bacteria to make the food safe to eat and to preserve longer. It involves heating the food to kill most harmful microorganisms. Producers pasteurize dairy and other foods to make them safe to eat. The process is named after Louis Pasteur. He was the first person to learn how to do it successfully. The first pasteurization was done by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard on 20 April 1862. Unlike sterilization, pasteurization is not intended to kill all microorganisms in the food. Instead, pasteurization gets a "log reduction" in the number of microorganisms. It brings their number down so they are unlikely to cause disease if the product is kept in the refrigerator and consumed before its sell-by date. Commercial sterilization of food is not common, because it tends to destroy the flavour of the food. Milk pasteurization. Pasteurization is usually done to milk, which was first suggested by Franz von Soxhlet in 1886. There are two popular ways to pasteurize milk. First, high temperature/short time (HTST), and second, ultra-high temperature (UHT). HTST is the most common method. Milk only labeled "pasteurized" (or "past") is usually treated with the HTST method, whereas milk labelled "ultra-pasteurized" or "UHT" must be treated with the UHT method. HTST is when the milk is at a temperature of 72 degrees Celsius (or 161.5 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 15 seconds. UHT is when the milk is at a temperature of 138 °C or 280 °F for at least two seconds.  Pasteurization rules are usually set by national food safety agencies (like the USDA in the United States and the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom). These agencies say milk has to be HTST pasteurized to have the "pasteurized" label. There are different rules for different dairy products, depending on the fat content and what they will be used for. For example, the pasteur
Soft cheese (in French: "Fromage à pate molle") is any kind of cheese that does not get heated during production. An example of soft cheese would be Brie.
A cult is a group of people who have a religion or a set of beliefs. In modern times the term "cult" usually does not mean a mainstream religion, but a group set up "in opposition to a centre of established authority". New Age religions were often called cults because they were thought to be deviant social movements. The word "cult" originally meant a system of ritual practices. It was first used in the early 17th century to mean homage paid to a divinity. It came from the ancient Latin word "cultus," meaning "worship". A cult is often a small, newly started religious movement. Cults have beliefs or practices that are unusual or viewed as odd by many people. More than that, cults have often been led by people who are not elected, and control the group according to their own wishes. Some cult leaders have been dangerous criminals (like Charles Manson and Jim Jones). Killings and mass suicides have occurred in some cults (like the Order of the Solar Temple and Heaven's Gate). Armed guards carrying submachine guns enforced mass "suicides" among Jones's Peoples Temple and the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. It can be difficult to say whether a religious group is a cult. A group that is considered a cult today may be accepted as a religion in the future. Likewise, a religion that is accepted today may later become a cult. Treatment of cult members. Mind control. Cults use some form of persuasion or mind control to recruit and keep members. After studying cult members, a psychiatrist named Dr. John G. Clark testified that cults use "coercive persuasion and thought reform techniques ... on naïve, uninformed [people] with disastrous health consequences." Their goal is to prevent the faithful from thinking critically and making choices in their own best interests.  Many cults use the following methods: Some disagree that using these methods makes a group a cult. The "Society for the Scientific Study of Religion" stated in 1990 that there was not enough research for a consensus. They said "the techniques involved in the process of physical coercion" were not necessarily the same as the techniques of "nonphysical coercion and
The Cult are a English rock band. They formed in 1981 under the name Southern Death Cult, later renamed to Death Cult in 1983, then were again renamed to their current name The Cult in 1984.