ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
Alban Berg (born Vienna, 9 February 1885; died Vienna 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer. Alban Berg and Anton Webern were both pupils of Arnold Schoenberg. All three composers in their own way changed the style of musical composition in the early 20th century. They grew up at a time when most composers were still writing Romantic music, but Schoenberg and his pupils started to write atonal music (music which is not in any key) and then twelve-tone music in which all 12 notes in an octave are of the same importance. Although Berg wrote a lot of twelve-tone music he still managed to make it sound quite Romantic at times, more so than Schoenberg or Webern. His most important works are his two operas "Wozzeck" and "Lulu" and his "Violin Concerto". Life. Early years. Berg was brought up in the centre of Vienna. His family had plenty of money, but when Berg’s father died in 1900 life became much harder for them. He did not do very well at school. He also had a love affair with a kitchenmaid, with whom he had a daughter. He was interested in music, played the piano and had started to compose, but he had not done well enough in his school exams to get into the music conservatory. He was not interested in business like his father had been. He got an unpaid job. Then, in 1904, he started to study with Schoenberg. This was the first time he had been given proper music lessons. Two years later, his mother inherited some money, and Berg was then able to give up his unpaid job and concentrate on music. Schoenberg taught him harmony, counterpoint and music theory, all the things one needs to know to compose well. Berg had lessons from him from 1904 until 1911. His first proper pieces include a Piano Sonata and a String quartet. Here he had already found the modern style which suited him. He wrote harmonies which seemed to float. He often wrote pieces with several movements which are all linked by a common theme. He also liked themes which are heard upside down, or
Herefordshire (known as County of Herefordshire) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders the English counties of Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south east and the Welsh counties of Gwent to the south west and Powys to the west. It is not to be confused with Hertfordshire, a county north of London. It is pronounced (i.e. first syllable as in "herring", and -e- a separate syllable). The county town of Herefordshire is the cathedral city of Hereford. Waterways. Historically, the Rivers Wye and Lugg were navigable but the wide seasonal variations in water levels mean that few craft larger than canoes and coracles are now used. There are canoe centres at The Boat House, Glasbury-on-Wye, the Hereford Youth Service and Kerne Bridge Ross-on-Wye, as well as a rowing club in Hereford. The early nineteenth century saw the construction of two canals, The Hereford &amp; Gloucester Canal and The Leominster &amp; Stourport Canal but these were never successful and there are now few remains to be seen.
A conch is a sea-dwelling mollusc. It is a marine gastropod. The ch at the end of 'conch' may be pronounced hard or soft. Many other gastropods have common names with "conch" in them. They are however not true conches, in the family  Strombidae. One such example is the Horse Conch ("Pleuroploca gigantea"). The genus Strombus is made up of the true conches.  While most Strombid species are extinct, at least 65 species still exist. Of these, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans while six are in the greater Caribbean region. Living true conch species include the Queen Conch, "Lobatus gigas" (formerly "Strombus gigas") and the West Indian Fighting Conch ("Strombus pugilis").  Many conch, such as the Queen Conch, are found among beds of sea grass in warm tropical waters. "Lobatus gigas" is included in Appendix II of the UNEP's CITES list of endangered species and international trade is heavily restricted. Anatomy. Conches have spirally constructed shells. Depending on species (or aberrant growth patterns), shell growth can be sinistral (left-handed) or dextral (right-handed). Conches have long eye stalks, a long and narrow aperture, and a siphonal canal with an indentation near the anterior end. This indentation is called a stromboid notch. They also have a foot ending in a pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum. They grow a flared lip on their shells upon reaching sexual maturity.  Conches have a characteristic leaping motion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward. They lay eggs in long, gelatinous strands. Human use. The animal inside the shell is eaten, either raw, as in salads, or cooked, as in fritters, chowders, gumbos, and burgers. In East Asian cuisines, the meat is often cut into thin slices and then steamed or stir-fried. Con
Gloucestershire (pronounced ; "GLOSS-ter-sher") is a county in South West England. The county includes part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is Gloucester, and other principal towns include Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury. Gloucestershire borders the county of Gwent in Wales, and in England the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Bristol. Economy. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Gloucestershire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by "Office for National Statistics" with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Cowry shells (or cowrie), are marine snails of the family Cypraeidae. They are found chiefly in tropical regions. There are about 200 different species of cowry. Shell. The shell itself is almost always very smooth and shiny. They have with a long, narrow, slit-like opening. All varieties have a porcelain-like shine and many have colorful patterns. In life the shell is covered by the slippery mantle. Shell sizes range from 5 mm (1/5") for some tropical species to 15 cm (6") for the tiger cowry, "Cypraea tigris". Predators. The slippery shell is very difficult for most animals to grip. The very narrow toothed aperture of the cowry shell makes it difficult for predators to reach into. However cowries are still vulnerable to predation: Taxonomy. For nearly 200 years, every species in the family Cypraeidae was placed in one genus, "Cypraea", but in 2002 the cowries were divided into many different genera. Uses. Cowries (esp. "Cypraea moneta") were used as a currency in Africa (Ghanaian cedi in Ghana named after cowry shells) and elsewhere, such as in China where the shell or copies of the shell were in theory used as a means of exchange. They are also worn as jewelry or otherwise used as ornaments or charms, as they are viewed as symbols of womanhood, fertility, birth and wealth. Many find the shiny, porcelain-like shells pleasing to look at. Cowry shells are sometimes used in a way similar to dice, e.g., in board games like Pachisi, or in divination (cf. Ifá and the annual customs of Dahomey). A number of shells (6 or 7 in Pachisi) are thrown, with those landing aperture upwards indicating the actual number rolled. Cowries have also been used in the recent past as a frame over which sock heels were stretched for darning. The cowry ridges allowed the needle to get under the cloth more easily. The Ojibway aboriginal people in North America used the cowry shells in ceremonies
Wiltshire (short: "Wilts") is an English county. It borders the counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and contains the unitary authority of Swindon. The county town is Trowbridge, in the west of the county at . The county covers 858,931 acres (3476 km²) also Trowbridge is the Capital of Wiltshire. Settlements. Notable towns and cities in Wiltshire are: A full list of settlements is at List of places in Wiltshire. Places of interest. Notable places of interest in Wiltshire are: Notable areas of countryside in Wiltshire are: Notable routes through Wiltshire are: Wiltshire is "Mid-Wessex" in the novels of Thomas Hardy &lt;br&gt;
The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of around 2,600,000 people. The county contains three major cities, these being Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Other large settlements in the county include Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, and the Black Country towns of Dudley, Walsall and West Bromwich. The name "West Midlands" is also used for the much larger West Midlands region, which sometimes causes confusion. Geography. The West Midlands borders the counties of Warwickshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south, and Staffordshire to the north. The West Midlands is one of the most heavily urbanised counties in the UK. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull together form the largest conurbation in the UK outside London, with a combined population of around 2.27 million. The West Midlands is not entirely urban; Coventry is separated from the Birmingham urban area, by stretch of green belt land roughly 15 miles across known as the "Meriden Gap", which retains a strongly rural character. A smaller piece of green belt between Birmingham, Walsall and West Bromwich includes Barr Beacon and the Sandwell Valley. Education. The West Midlands contains 6 universities; Though Warwick and Birmingham are considered the most prestigious of the universities in the area, all have a large intake of students from around the country.
A conurbation is an urban area that includes a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. It is a sort of agglomeration. A metropolitan area usually combines one or several conurbations.
Dunkirk (, pronounced or ; ) is a harbour city in the northernmost part of France, 10 km (6 mi) from the Belgian border. The population of the whole metropolitan area was of 265,974 at the 1999 census.  Until the middle of the 20th century the city was in the Dutch language area; today the local Dutch dialect still can be heard but has largely given way to French. History. Dunkirk was first mentioned in 1067 as "Dunkerk" ().  In World War II, heavy fighting took place around Dunkirk during the German invasion in 1940 (Battle of Dunkirk), but a lull in the action unexpectedly allowed a large number of French and British soldiers to escape to England. The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Channel was codenamed "Operation Dynamo".  During the war, Dunkirk was largely destroyed by bombing. Postwar Dunkirk. On 14 December 2002, the Norwegian auto carrier "Tricolor" collided with the Bahamian-registered "Kariba" and sank off Dunkirk harbour, causing a hazard to navigation in the English Channel. Communes. Since 9 December 2010, the former communes of Fort-Mardyck and Saint-Pol-sur-Mer were merged into the commune of Dunkirk. Economy. Dunkirk has the third largest harbour in France, after those of Le Havre and Marseille. It is also an industrial city, heavily dependent on the steel, food processing, oil refining, ship building and chemical industries. Miscellaneous. Transport. Dunkirk has a ferry connection with Dover in England. Twin towns. Dunkirk is twinned with: Dunkirk has cooperation agreements with:
Limburg-Weilburg is a Landkreis (rural district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. History. 1867 the "Oberlahnkreis" with the capital Weilburg was created. In 1886 "Limburg an der Lahn" district was set up, with the capital Limburg. In 1974 both districts were joined together. Geography. The district is located between the two mountain areas Westerwald and Taunus. The main river is the Lahn.
Elz is a municipality and a village in Hessen, Germany. It is part of the Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg. It is along the river Lahn. It has 8,088 inhabitants (2004). Geography. The elevation is between 110m and 291m above sea level. Elz is in a valley called "Limburger Becken", which surrounds the town of Limburg. Elz is also in the valley of the "Elbbach", which flows into the river Lahn after passing Elz. The municipality of Elz borders the municipalities of Hundsangen, Hambach, Görgeshausen, Niedererbach, Obererbach and the towns of Hadamar and Limburg. The municipality of Elz consists of two villages: The village of Elz (7,743 inhabitants) and the village of Malmeneich (345 inhabitants). Average temperatures are 10.5 °C in Elz and 9.9 °C in Malmeneich. Though this sounds quite moderate, temperatures can vary between -20 °C in winter and 40 °C in summer. In an average year there are 600mm of rain in Elz and 720mm in Malmeneich. History. Elz was first mentioned in a document from 933 AD, which does not exist any more. Political importance resulted from its position at the Hohe Straße, the former most important road between Frankfurt am Main and Cologne, which still exists and is now part of the "Bundesstraße 8", which can be translated with Interstate 8. Elz got the town privileges in 1442. Soon a wall around the town was constructed but knocked down later. Politics. The council consists of 31 members. 19 members are from the Christian Democrats, seven are from the Social Democratic Party, four from the Free Voters' Community and one is from the Green Party. The mayor Horst Kaiser is a Christian Democrat and was elected in 2005 with 84.8% of all votes. Economy and infrastructure. In Elz thaere are more than 600 businesses with much more than 2,000 jobs
The Cephalopoda (Greek meaning "head-foot") is an important mollusc class. They have bilateral symmetry, a head, and arms or tentacles. Teuthology, a branch of malacology, is the study of cephalopods. The class has two living subclasses. In the Coleoidea, the mollusc shell has become smaller, or is not there at all; this subclass has the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. The "Nautiloidea" have a shell; "Nautilus" is its only living genus. There are at least 800 different living species of Cephalopods. Two important extinct taxa are the ammonites, and the belemnites (order "Belemnoidea", of class Coleoidea). Cephalopods are found in all the oceans of the world and at all pelagic levels. None of them can live in freshwater (water with no salt in it), but a few species live in brackish (partly salty) water. Number of species. There are still discoveries of new species of cephalopods: There are many more fossil species. It is thought there are around 11,000 extinct taxa. Nervous system and behaviour. Cephalopods are the most intelligent invertebrates and have good senses and large brains. The nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the invertebrates, and their brain to body mass ratio falls between that of warm and cold blooded vertebrates. The giant nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favourite experimental material for many years; their large diameter makes them easier to study. Colour and light. Most cephalopods have chromatophores – that is, cells with different colours – which they can use in a number of surprising ways. As well as blending with their background, some cephalopods bioluminesce, shining light downwards to hide their shadows from any attackers. The bioluminescence is made by bacterial symbionts; the host cephalopod is able to find the light made by these animals. Bioluminescence may also be used to attract prey,
Cuttlefish are marine Cephalopod molluscs. They belong to the same class as squid, octopodes and the nautilus. Cuttlefish have an internal shell (called a cuttlebone), large eyes, and eight arms and two tentacles furnished with finely toothed suckers, with which they grab their prey. Cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish and other cuttlefish. Various sharks and fish prey on them. They live about 1 to 2 years. Anatomy. Cuttlebone. Cuttlefish have an internal cuttlebone, made of calcium carbonate. It is porous, full of small holes, The buoyancy of the cuttlebone can change, allowing the cuttlefish to go lower or higher by changing the amount of gas and liquid in its chambers. The cuttlebone of each species has a distinct shape, size, and pattern of ridges or texture. Cuttlebones are used by jewellers and silversmiths as moulds for casting small objects. They are probably better known today as the material given to pet birds as a source of calcium. The cuttlebone is only found in cuttlefish, and is one of the features that makes them different from squid and other molluscs. Changing color. Cuttlefish are sometimes called the chameleon of the sea because they are able to change their skin color. Their skin can flash a colorful pattern in order to communicate with other cuttlefish and to camouflage them from predators. This color-changing function is produced by groups of red, yellow, brown, and black pigmented chromatophores above a layer of reflective iridophores and leucophores. These are all in the cuttlefish's skin, and work together to change its colour. There are up to 200 of these special pigment cells per square millimeter. The pigmented chromatophores have a sac of pigment and a large membrane that is folded when retracted. There are 6-20 small muscle cells on the sides which can contract to squash the elastic sac into a disc against the skin. Iridophores are plates of chitin or protein, which can reflect
Nautilus is the common name for cephalopods of the family Nautilidae. They are the only living members of the subclass Nautiloidea. In appearance, they have not changed much in millions of years. The term "chambered nautilus" is also used for any species of the Nautilidae. Many biologists see them as 'living fossils', because they are the only living descendents of the group which gave rise to the ammonites in the Palaeozoic era. Today, there are six living species in two genera. The species "Nautilus pompilius", from Western Australia is the largest and best known. It get up to 27 cm in diameter. However, most other nautiluses never exceed 20 cm. The Bellybutton nautilus, "Nautilus macromphalus", is the smallest species, usually measuring only 16 cm. The radula is wide and has exactly nine teeth. There are two pairs of gills. The shell. Nautiluses are the only cephalopods who have an external shell. This is an ancestral or basal, feature. The animal can withdraw completely into its shell. It can the close the opening with a leathery hood formed from two specially folded tentacles. The shell is coiled and calcareous, with mother-of-pearl lining. It is pressure resistant, but will implode at a depth of about 800 m. The nautilus shell is made of two layers: the outer layer is a dull white, while the inner layer is a striking white with iridescence. The innermost portion of the shell is pearlescent, blue-gray. A osmena pearl is not a pearl, but a jewellery product got from this part of the shell. The shell is internally divided into chambers. All the walls between chambers ('septa') are pierced in the middle by a duct, the siphuncle. Through this the animal can change the air pressure in the chambers. As the nautilus matures its body moves forward, sealing each chamber in turn with a new "septum" (wall). The last fully open chamber, the largest one, is
A logarithmic spiral, equiangular spiral or growth spiral is a special kind of spiral curve which often appears in nature. The logarithmic spiral was first described by Descartes and later extensively investigated by Jakob Bernoulli, who called it "Spira mirabilis", "the marvelous spiral". Definition. In polar coordinates ("r", θ) the curve can be written as formula_1 or formula_2 hence the name "logarithmic". In parametric form, the curve is formula_3 formula_4 with real numbers "a" and "b". The spiral has the property that the angle ɸ between the tangent and radial line at the point ("r",θ) is constant. This property can be expressed in differential geometric terms as formula_5 The derivative r'(θ) is proportional to the parameter "b". In other words, it controls how "tightly" and in which direction the spiral spirals. In the extreme case that "b" = 0 ("ɸ" = π/2) the spiral becomes a circle of radius "a". Conversely, in the limit that "b" approaches infinity ("ɸ" → 0) the spiral tends toward a straight line. The complement of ɸ is called the "pitch". "Spira mirabilis" and Jakob Bernoulli. Spira mirabilis, Latin for "miraculous spiral", is another name for the logarithmic spiral. While this curve had already been named by other mathematicians, the name "miraculous" or "marvelous" spiral was given to this curve by Jakob Bernoulli, because he was fascinated by one of its unique mathematical properties: the size of the spiral increases, but the shape stays the same with each added curve. Maybe because of this property, the spira mirabilis has evolved in nature, seen in some living beings, such as nautilus shells and sunflower heads. Jakob Bernoulli wanted the shape on his headstone, but, by error, an Archimedean spiral was placed there instead. Notes. The logarithmic spiral can be distinguished from the Archimedean spiral by the fact
The small white ("Pieris rapae") is a small to mid-sized butterfly of the 'yellows' &amp; 'whites' Pieridae family. It is also commonly known as the small cabbage white or just the cabbage white. Distribution. It is common across Europe, North Africa and Asia and has also been accidentally introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand where they have become pests on cultivated cabbages and other mustard family crops. Description. It looks like a smaller version of the Large White. The upperside is creamy white with black tips to the forewings. Females also have two black spots in the center of the forewings. Its underwings are yellowish with black .  &lt;br&gt; Habits. Like its close relative the large white this is a strong flyer and the British population is increased by continental immigrants in most years. Like other 'white' butterflies it hibernates as a pupa. Like the large white, it is sometimes known as the cabbage white' or cabbage butterfly. Lifecycle. It has two flight periods, April–May and July–August.  Eggs. Its caterpillars can be a pest on cultivated cabbages. . It also lays eggs on wild members of the cabbage family such as the charlock "Sinapis arvensis" and hedge mustard "Sisybrium officinale". The eggs are laid singly on foodplant leaves. Caterpillars. Known in the United States as "imported cabbage worms", the caterpillars are green and well camouflaged. Unlike the large white they do not store the mustard oils from their foodplants and so are not distastful to predators like birds.