ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
The Smiths were an English rock band from Manchester. They formed in 1982 and split up in 1987. They released four studio albums. The band consisted of Morrissey (singing), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. "Q" magazine writer Simon Goddard wrote that The Smiths were the one truly important group of the 1980s, "the most influential British guitar group of the decade" and the first independent group to become successful in the main music scene. The band was based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr. They signed to the independent record label Rough Trade Records. On this, they released four studio albums: "The Smiths" (1984), "Meat Is Murder" (1985), "The Queen Is Dead" (1986) and "Strangeways, Here We Come" (1987). They have also released several compilations, and many singles that were not released on any of their studio albums. The Smiths had several singles reach the UK top twenty. All four of their albums reached the UK top five, including one which topped the charts. They won a large following of fans. The band had limited commercial success outside the UK while they were still together. The band broke up in 1987 and have refused several offers to reunite. The music focuses on a guitar, bass and drum sound. They blend 1960s rock and post-punk. This sounded very different to the synthesiser-based contemporary dance pop that was popular in the early 1980s. Marr's guitar playing on his Rickenbacker often had a jangly sound influenced by Roger McGuinn of the 1960s group The Byrds. It influenced later bands from Manchester, such as The Stone Roses and Oasis. Morrissey's lyrics combined stories about ordinary people's lives with a sense of humour.
Countdown is a British game show on Channel 4. It began on 2 November 1982 as the first programme to air on Channel 4. It is currently presented by Colin Murray and Rachel Riley with etymologist Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner alongside a celebrity guest. It was hosted by Richard Whiteley until his death in 2005, then by Des Lynam from 2005 to 2006 and then by Des O'Connor from 2007 to 2008. Both O'Connor and Carol Vorderman, the show's co-host who has been on the programme since it began, left the show in December 2008. From 2009, Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley replaced O'Connor and Vorderman respectively. It has been hosted by Nick Hewer from 2012 to 2021, on 28 June 2021, Anne Robinson became the host but she presented her final show on 13 July 2022 with Colin Murray taking over the next day. The show was 30 minutes long, but since 2001, it is 45 minutes long. With nearly 8,000 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version Des chiffres et des lettres which has been running on French television continuously since 1972. Origin. "Countdown" originated from the format of the French game show "Des chiffres et des lettres" ("Numbers and Letters"), created by Armand Jammot. After watching the programme, Belgian record executive Marcel Stellman brought the format to Britain on the belief it could be popular overseas and proposed his concept for the British version to several networks. The concept was purchased in the early 1980s by Yorkshire Television which commissioned a series of eight shows under the title "Calendar Countdown", aimed at being a spin-off of their regional news programme "Calendar" with the programme's host Richard Whiteley deemed the natural choice for the concept. The spin-off was aired only in the Yorkshire area, with Whiteley earning the nickname of "Twice Nightly Whiteley" because of his daily appearances on both programmes. He was assisted by Cathy Hytner
The Allotheria are an extinct infraclass or superorder of mammals. They are related to the prototheria and theria. The allotheres was a branch of successful Mesozoic mammals. The most important characteristic was the presence of lower molariform teeth with two longitudinal rows of cusps. Allotheres also had a narrow pelvis, indicating that they gave birth to tiny, helpless young as marsupials do. The Haramiyida from the Triassic period were the earliest group, and the Multituberculates survived until the Oligocene, 35 million years ago.
The multituberculates were a group of rodent-like mammals which survived for about 166 million years – the longest fossil history of any mammal line. They were eventually outcompeted by rodents, becoming extinct during the late Eocene.  At least 200 species are known, ranging from mouse-sized to beaver-sized. These species occupied many ecological niches, ranging from burrow-dwelling to squirrel-like tree-dwelling.  Multituberculates are usually placed outside both the two main groups of living mammals, the Theria (placentals and marsupials), and monotremes. Some cladistic analyses put them closer to Theria than to monotremes. Biology. The multituberculates had a head anatomy similar to rodents. They had cheek-teeth separated from the chisel-like front teeth by a wide tooth-less gap (called the "diastema"). Each cheek-tooth displayed several rows of small cusps (or tubercles, hence the name) which worked against similar rows in the teeth of the jaw. It was an efficient chopping device. Most small multituberculates would have eaten seeds and nuts, supplemented with insects, worms, and fruit. The structure of the pelvis in the Multituberculata suggests that they gave birth to tiny helpless young, similar to modern marsupials.
Gondwanatheria is an extinct group of mammals that lived during the Upper Cretaceous to the Miocene. They lived in the Southern Hemisphere continents which had been part of the supercontinent Gondwana.  These mammals are known only from isolated teeth and a few lower jaws. Because of these fragmentary remains, their relationships are unclear. Later finds have improved our knowledge of them. It was thought previously that climate changes at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary had caused their extinction. Fossils have come from South America, India and Antarctica, where gondwanatherids lived in the lush forests which once covered much of the world.
Majuro is the capital city of the country of the Marshall Islands. Built on 64 islands, Majuro has a port and an international airport. It has a population of 25,400 (2004). Majuro is located at 7°7'30" North, 171°4' East (7.125, 171.0667).  The atoll of Majuro has a land area of only 3.75 mi² (9.7 km²), and is surrounded by lagoon of 113.92 mi² (295 km²). Sport fishing and underwater diving are popular. During World War II, on January 30, 1944, United States troops attacked Majuro (controlled by Japan).
South Tarawa (in Gilbertese and English: Teinainano Urban Council or abr. TUC) is the capital city of the country Kiribati. It is on an island called Tarawa Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", referring to the sail-shape of the atoll. The South Tarawa population center is made up of all the small islands between Bairiki (on the west) to Temaiku on the east. All of separated islands are joined by causeways, forming one long island on the reef along the southern side of the Tarawa Lagoon. There is also a new causeway—the Japanese Causeway—that links South Tarawa to Betio. South Tarawa is at 1°19' North, 172°58' East (1.31667, 172.9667).  There is a Kiribati Teacher College and one University of the South Pacific center on South Tarawa. Bairiki is sometimes considered "the" capital of Kiribati because at one time both the Parliament, the Presidency and main administrative offices were located there. The Parliament meets on Ambo island; Government department are spread among South Tarawa, Betio and Christmas Island. The Roman Catholic diocese and the Kiribati Protestant Church are on South Tarawa. Bairiki (executive), Ambo (legislative), Betio (judicial) are the main places of the capital.
Bairiki is a village and an island now part of South Tarawa, and one time is the center of government of Kiribati. One of three post offices on Tarawa is located at Bairiki. Bairiki Island is the most southern island on the atoll of Tarawa. About nine islands are larger than Bairiki. Bairiki includes the main administrative center of Kiribati, but the Parliament has since moved to Ambo, halfway between Bairiki and Bonriki. In the village there is a small port and near Bairiki is a center of the University of the South Pacific.
An audio engineer (or simply engineer for short) is a person who operates, and usually chooses and sets up recording equipment. The term applies mainly to a person who works in a recording studio but can also apply to people who do the same kind of work, in other places. An engineer may work with multitrack recordings or stereophonic remixes. Audio engineering deals with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means and is a part of audio science. The field draws on many disciplines, including electrical engineering, acoustics, and music. An audio engineer is closer to the creative and technical aspects of audio than an acoustical engineer. Some amateur (and a few professional) engineers are self-taught, and learn mostly by doing, or with the help of an instruction manual. Many engineers started in other studio jobs (such as running errands), and learned about recording as they became familiar with the studio where they worked. An engineer learns about the use and placement of microphones, how to operate and maintain an audio mixer, recording deck, sound effects, and other machines, and how to switch between live and recorded sounds, to make the best, and often the most unique, recording possible. A good engineer will strive to make recordings that are both of high technical quality, and also pleasing to hear. Starting wages may be small in recording studios, and many beginners work as unpaid volunteers. Experienced engineers, especially those who have worked on a hit record, may command a large wage. Some engineers are paid a salary, while others may earn hourly pay (sometimes based on the studio's rates), or be paid per session. Many go on to start their own recording studios, or maintain a private studio or mobile recording service. A few work only for a single recording artist, band, or producer. Several colleges and universities in the United States and other countries offer classes in recording, which may cover its history, its uses, and of course technique and technical knowledge. Some schools offer degree or diploma programs in Recording. Graduating such a program does not guarantee a person a studio job, but increases one's chances, and can provide better preparation for such a career. Besides studio work, some engineers have one or more specialties, such as making new digital versions of old recordings, as consultants to places that give concerts and live performances, and sometimes as expert witnesses in court trials, when sounds or a recording may be important to the outcome of a case.
Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer. He was co-owner of Philles Records (with then-business partner Lester Sill), and later owner of Phil Spector Records. In 2009 he was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was in prison from 2009 until his death in 2021. Early work: The "Wall of Sound". Spector's signature style was called the Wall of Sound. He used large amounts of echo, doubling and multiplying of musical instruments and the parts to be played, and of recorded parts. The built-up effect gave his records an operatic, theatrical quality. The music sounded "bigger than life". The effect carried over especially well on AM radio, which was how most music was broadcast in the 1950s and 1960s. Spector said the Wall of Sound made "...little symphonies for the kids...". The recording artists who worked with Spector over the years included The Crystals ("Then He Kissed Me"), The Ronettes ("Be My Baby"), The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), Gene Pitney ("Every Breath I Take"), Darlene Love ("(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry"), and Tina Turner ("River Deep, Mountain High"). Sonny Bono and Cher were among his backup singers. He married Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett of the Ronettes, who took the name Ronnie Spector. Spector's strongest work was in creating hit singles. He knew many fans never listened to the B-sides of singles, and radio seldom played them, so often his B-sides would feature an instrumental jam session, without the singers credited on the record, and with titles like "Flip and Nitty". Spector also disliked albums. He called them "two hit (song)s, and ten pieces of junk". When stereo became more popular than mono in recording, Spector did not follow the trend. In later years he wore a red badge in public, with the words BACK TO MONO. Many other producers and musicians imitated the Wall of Sound style
A fugue is a piece of music written for a certain number of parts (voices). It is a type of counterpoint with a precisely defined structure. It is based on a tune called the "subject" of the fugue. The word “fugue“ comes from the Italian “fuga“ meaning “flight“. How a fugue is written. A fugue is based on one particular tune. This tune is called the subject. Each part has an equal share in playing the subject. When we talk about the “parts” in a fugue we do not mean the “sections” of the piece but the number of voices needed to sing it or instruments to play it. A “3 part fugue” means a fugue written for three voices or instruments.  Fugues can be in 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 6 parts. The more parts there are the harder it is to write a fugue because each part has to sound interesting by itself, but together they must also make sense. 3, 4 and 5 part fugues are usual. A fugue always starts with just one part playing the subject. Then the other parts come in one at a time until they are all playing. When the second part comes in it will always be half an octave higher or lower than the beginning (musicians say: “on the dominant”, meaning that it starts on the 5th note of the scale instead of the “tonic” or 1st note). This called: the answer. The third part to come in will be the “subject” (in the tonic once again) and the fourth part will be another answer, etc. If the answer is an exact transposition of the subject (i.e. exactly the same but in the dominant key) it is called a real answer. Sometimes one or two notes have to be changed so that the music sounds right. This is called a tonal answer. For example: a subject that starts with a rising “doh – soh” (an interval of a fifth) will be answered by a rising “soh – doh” in the answer (an interval of a fourth
Jermain Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is a former English football player. He played more than 600 league games including two spells at Tottenham Hotspur. He made over 50 appearances for the England national team. "Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Defoe goal." Honours. Tottenham Hotspur Rangers Individual Orders
The Province of Ascoli Piceno () is a province in the region of Marche in Italy. Its capital is the city of Ascoli Piceno. Geography. Ascoli Piceno has an area of . The province is bordered to the east by the Adriatic Sea and to the north with the provinces of Macerata and Fermo. It borders with three regionsː the Abruzzo region to the south, the Lazio region to the soutwest and the Umbria region to the west. The main river in the province is Tronto, long and the highest mountain is Monte Vettore (), with an altitude of . Population. There are 209,450 persons living in the province (1 January 2017). The population density was inhabitants/km². Evolution of the population Municipalities. There are 33 municipalities (or "comuni") in the province; they are: The largest "comune" is Ascoli Piceno, with and the smallest is Colli del Tronto, with . The "comune" with fewest inhabitants is Palmiano, with 188 inhabitants. Main "comuni". The following table shows the 10 "comuni" with more inhabitants with their population, and their area and altitude.
Ascoli Piceno () is a "comune" and city in the Marche region, in central Italy. Ascoli Piceno is the capital of the province of the same name. The central historical part of the city is built in marble called "travertino", a grey-hued stone extracted from the surrounding mountains. Its central Renaissance square, "Piazza del Popolo" ("Square of the People") is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. Geography. The town is in the valley of the Tronto river, at the confluence of this river and the small river Castellano and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Two national parks border the town, one on the northwestern side ("Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini") and the other on the south ("Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga"). The "comune" of Ascoli Piceno has an area of and its altitude is . It has a small exclave ("Piana della Forcella", 0,5 km2). Ascoli Piceno borders with the following "comuni"ː to the north, Venarotta, Rotella, Castel di Lama and Castorano; to the east, Castignano, Appignano del Tronto and Colli del Tronto; to the south, Folignano, Maltignano and the "comuni" of the province of Teramo (Abruzzo) of Ancarano, Sant'Egidio alla Vibrata, Civitella del Tronto and Valle Castellana; and to west with Acquasanta Terme, Roccafluvione and Venarotta. Some mountains close to "comune" are Monte Ascensione, Montagna dei Fiori and Monte Vettore. "Frazioni". The following "frazioni" (hamlets) are part of Ascoli Picenoː Bivio Giustimana, Campolungo, Caprignano, Carpineto, Casalena, Casamurana, Case Schiavi, Castel Trosino, Cavignano, Cerv
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; 11 September 1945 – 7 January 2024) was a German professional footballer and manager. Franz was often called "Der Kaiser" ("The Emperor"). He was regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of football. Franz was often credited for inventing the role of the modern sweeper ("libero"). Death. Beckenbauer died on 7 January 2024 in Munich at the age of 78. "Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:" Honours. Player. Bayern Munich Hamburger SV New York Cosmos West Germany Manager. West Germany Marseille Bayern Munich Individual. Player Manager Other websites. !colspan="3" style="background:#C1D8FF;"| World Cup-winners status
The groundhog (also known as the chuck, wood-shock, groundpig, whistlepig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack, weenusk, red monk, or siffleux) is a rodent. It belongs to the group of ground squirrels. Those squirrels are also known as marmots. The animal may also be called woodchuck, or whistlepig. Groundhogs dig tunnels and live underground. Groundhog holes, called burrows, are easy to recognize; they are holes, about 9.in (inches) (23 cm (centimeters)) wide which usually have large piles of dirt and rocks at the entrance. Each hole can contain tunnels leading to up to ten other holes. The tunnels are spacious and can have chambers like rooms. Groundhogs can make their homes under trees, around buildings and in open fields.  Problems. Some problems with groundhogs are that they eat crops and dig around the foundations of buildings. When groundhogs dig around buildings this can cause damage if the holes go too far under the building. In Culture. In the United States, there is a holiday called Groundhog Day. It is celebrated on February 2 of every year.
Squirrels are a large family of small to medium rodents. It includes tree squirrels, which are described on this page. The other squirrels are: ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots (including groundhogs), flying squirrels, and prairie dogs.  Squirrels are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and have been introduced to Australia. The earliest known squirrels date from the Eocene and are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormouse among living rodent families. Most squirrels are omnivores; they eat anything they find. Many kinds of squirrels live in trees, so they often find nuts. They eat seeds, berries, and pine cones too. Sometimes they eat bird's eggs and insects. Most tree squirrels store food in the fall, to eat in the winter. Ground squirrels do not store food. They hibernate which means they spend winter in a deep sleep.  Squirrels have many predators or enemies. Their predators are foxes, wolves, coyotes, bears, raccoons, lynxes, cougars, weasels, cats, dogs, badgers, snakes, and birds of prey.  Tree squirrels. The most common European squirrels are red or brown in color, while common American squirrels are grey or black. Grey squirrels have been introduced from America into Europe (most notably, Great Britain).  The greys carry a virus to which they are immune, but which is deadly to red squirrels. They have taken over most of the red squirrels' territory in deciduous forest. This has greatly reduced the red squirrel's population. Red squirrels still enjoy dominance in the pine forests of northern Britain, but they are now rare in southern areas. The grey squirrel is regarded as vermin. It is illegal to release any into the wild, and any caught have to be humanely killed. Life cycle. Squirrels breed in February and March in winter, and in June and July in summer. Females may become pregnant up to twice a year. Usually four to six young are born, after a gestation period (pregnancy) of around
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal, until its birth. Mammals can have more than one embryo or fetus at the same period. The time between fertilization of an ovum and the birth of the young is called the gestation period. Humans have a gestation period of around 37 weeks or about 9 months and 1 week. Syrian hamsters have a gestation period of 16 days. That is believed to be the shortest gestation period for a mammal. The time the gestation period takes depends on the size of the animal, smaller ones have short lengths and bigger ones have the opposite.
Shrews are small mammals which look rather like mice. They were classified in the old Insectivora, but that is no longer used. Now they are classified in the family Soricidae, suborder Soricomorpha. True shrews are not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders. Although its external appearance is generally that of a long-nosed mouse, a shrew is "not" a rodent, as mice are. In fact it is related to moles. Shrews have sharp, spike-like teeth, not the familiar gnawing front incisor teeth of rodents. Shrews are distributed almost worldwide. Of the major tropical and temperate land masses, only New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand do not have any native shrews. In South America, shrews are relatively recent immigrants and are present only in the northern Andes. In terms of species diversity, the shrew family is the fourth most successful mammal family. Taxonomy. The old order Insectivora was not a natural (monophyletic) group. New terms are used to classify its former groups. That explains the little-known terms in the taxobox. Characteristics. All shrews are small, most no larger than a mouse. The largest is the Asian house shrew ("Suncus murinus"), which is about 15 cm long and weighs around 100 grams. Several are very small: the Etruscan shrew ("Suncus etruscus"), is about 3.5 cm and 2 grams. It is the smallest living terrestrial mammal and the smallest type of shrew. In general, shrews live in and on the ground. They search for seeds, insects, nuts, and worms. Some climb trees, some live underground, some live under snow, and some hunt in water. They have small eyes, and generally poor vision, but have excellent senses of hearing and smell. They are very active animals, with big appetites. Shrews have an unusually