Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (; 6 April 1875 – 20 April 1960) was a daughter of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and the eldest of Czar Nicholas II two sisters. She married her cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovich of Russia and had seven children. During her brother's reign, she lived a private life. However, when monarchy fell, she escaped Russia and lived in England.
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna was born on 6 April 1875 at Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. Her mother was Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.
After her grandfather died, her father became the Russian king. At this time, Xenia was six years old. It was difficult political time because of terrorist threats. Alexander III moved with his family from the Winter Palace to the Gatchina Palace to protect his family.
Xenia, like her brothers, was educated by private tutors. She studied foreign languages very much. Apart from her native Russian, Xenia studied English, French, and German. Xenia also learnt how to cook and make puppets and clothes. She liked to ride, fish, draw, play gymnastics, dance, and perform the piano.
Xenia and her first cousin once removed, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, who would also be her husband, used to play together as friends in the 1880s. Alexander was also a friend of her brother Nicholas. In 1886, twenty year old Alexander was in the navy. Eleven year old Xenia sent him a card when his ship was in Brazil, "Best wishes and speedy return! Your sailor Xenia". In 1889, Alexander wrote of Xenia, "She is fourteen. I think she likes me."
At age 15, though Xenia and Alexander wanted to marry, her parents did not want to allow them because Xenia was too young. They were also unsure if Alexander was really very nice. The Tsarina Maria Feodorovna complained that Alexander was too proud and rude. It was not until January 1894 that Xenia's parents allowed them to engage. The couple finally wed on 6 August 1894 at Peterhof Palace. Xenia's younger sister, Olga, wrote about the joy of her the wedding, "The Emperor was so happy. It was the last time I ever saw him like that."
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (, '), also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a small part of the Russian Orthodox Church. It has over 400 parishes worldwide, and an estimated membership of over 400,000 people.
Alexei Kosygin
Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin (, "Aleksej Nikolajevič Kosygin"; 21 February 1904 – 18 December 1980) was a Russian man who was Premier of the Soviet Union. He was a friend of the previous Prime Minister, Nikita Khrushchev. He and Leonid Brezhnev led the country together until he died.
House arrest
House arrest is when someone has been arrested, but not put in prison. Instead, they are made to stay in their homes, hence the term.
A notable example of house arrest is Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. She was under house arrest for much of the time between 1990 and 2010.
Subjects typically wear ankle bracelets which alert the authorities when they leave their house.
The Stig
The Stig is the 'tame racing driver' from the popular BBC motoring show Top Gear. He coaches the 'stars in the reasonably priced car' and is the driver for the Power laps. His identity is unknown though he has been played by many drivers, the most recent driver is Ben Collins.
American League Central
The American League Central Division is a group of baseball teams in the American League of Major League Baseball (MLB). The teams all play in the Midwestern United States. It was started in 1920.
Tuner (car)
When talking about cars, a tuner is a car with many parts changed so the car can go very fast. The word "tune" here means "to adjust" or "to change". Typically, people call any vehicle that has been modified for performance reasons a tuner car regardless of make or model.
When people want to drive fast cars but don't want to buy a very expensive car, they change some parts for an ordinary car to make it go faster.
For basic tuning, the engine intake and exhaust are changed, which means the process that takes air into the engine and out of the engine happens faster. People can also make the frame of the car stronger, to help it go around corners better. A spoiler or wing helps air push the car down onto the ground, which means more grip.
Rage Racer
Rage Racer is a 1996 racing video game by Namco where the player controls different cars and wins races in order to become what the game calls "Rage Racer". Four different car manufacturers make cars to drive in the game. Each of the cars has its forte and is sometimes named after it. In the game, the player drives three (four later in the game) courses to try and win a trophy and move to the next class.
At the beginning of the game, the game shows a plot of how some elite few "Race Racers" started to race their "worldwide speedway".
In the Grand Prix mode, the player starts at Class 1. They choose a course and then a car. As the player wins races, they win prize money, or "credits", which are called e.g. in the game. E.g. can be used to buy new upgrades, cars, or courses. If the player loses a race, they lose 1 chance. A player starts with 5 chances per class. If a player loses when they do not have any chances, the game ends. Players can still save, and can still retrieve their credit and cars, but medals and trophies are lost.
Time Trial is a mode where the player races the clock. They choose a car and course, and then are shown the record for the track. Tracks are also divided into "sections", parts of a track.
A player can save or load data with a memory card.
Watercress
Watercress ("Nasturtium officinale") is a plant which grows in water. It is a member of the Brassicaceae family, along with some other leaf vegetables.
People grow them for eating, often in salad or sandwiches. They have a peppery flavour and are fast-growing. Watercress is related to the cabbage and mustard plants.
Agrology of watercress is both a large scale and a garden scale. However the packaging used by super markets using sealed plastic bags under some pressure.Watercress is also known as tall nasturtium. This plant grows well in cold water. That's why you will find it near water like a ditch.
Watercress packs have a lot of nutrients. Iron, potassium and vitamins C and E are a few. Watercress also helps with skin problems. It keeps the skin very clarified. Watercress is used in many recipes. You can use it to make a sandwich or in soup.
If it is not harvested, watercress can grow to a height of 50–120 cm. It is a member of the brassicacea family, along with some other leaf vegetables.
They are related to mustard and cabbage family.
New market, Alabama, was once known as "Watercress Capital of the World".
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (30 July 1549 – 3 February 1609) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609. He succeeded his older brother Francesco I.
Ferdinando was the fifth son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo.
He was a Cardinal before he became Grand Duke, until he married Christine of Lorraine in 1589. He was succeeded by his eldest son, who reigned as Cosimo II. His wife and daughter-in-law Maria Maddalena of Austria acted as regents for Cosimo II.
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574 and then the first Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569. He was the son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and Maria Salviati.
In 1539, he married Eleonora di Toledo (1522–1562). She died, with her sons Giovanni and Garzia, in 1562, aged forty. All three of them died from malaria while traveling to Pisa.
Before his first marriage, Cosimo fathered an illegitimate daughter with an unknown woman:
With Eleonora, Cosimo fathered eleven children: