Southampton has lots of landmarks, of which one is the Bargate. This is the old main gate of the city wall of Southampton, and nowadays is used as the beginning of the guided tour of Southampton, "Walk the Walls". In medieval Southampton, a bell was rung at dusk every day to tell people that the gates would shortly be locked.
Today, the Bargate Shopping Centre is nearby.
Named after "The Mayflower", which set sail from Southampton to the "New World" (via Plymouth), the Mayflower is the theatre in Southampton. It was built in 1928.
Southampton is home to many cruise ships and ocean liners, including the "Queen Victoria" and the "Queen Mary 2".
There is also a regular ferry service to Hythe (a small village on the other side of Southampton Water), which leaves every half hour.
Southampton has a football team Southampton F.C., which is nicknamed "The Saints". In 2001, the team moved stadiums, from "The Dell", to St. Mary's Football Stadium. The club was founded in 1885, and has been playing ever since.
Southampton is twinned with:
Southampton is also sister cities with
Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso is a small breed of dog. It originated in Lhasa, Tibet, which it is named after. Male Lhasas generally weigh about 14 to 18 pounds, and female Lhasas weigh 12 to 14 pounds. Lhasas have developed a thick coat of fur because they were bred in Tibet, which can get very cold. Their coat comes in many different colors, and they usually have dark brown eyes and a black nose. Lhasas generally live long lives, some surviving into their twenties. Lhasa Apsos do tend to develop arthritis in their legs, which is due to the fact they are excitable, energetic dogs.
States and territories of Australia
From 1926 to 1931, Central Australia existed as a separate territory between the 20th and 26th parallels of latitude, before being becoming a part of the Northern Territory again.
The states started as separate British colonies before Federation (in 1901). Their powers are protected by the Australian constitution. The territories are under the control of the Commonwealth government. The Australian Parliament has powers to create laws in the territories that it does not have in the states.
Most of the territories are directly administered by the Commonwealth government. Three of the territories (the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island) administer themselves. In the territories that govern themselves, the Australian Parliament has the power to govern, and can override laws made by the territorial governments. It has done this at times, but it is rare that it happens. The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are usually treated as states.
Each state has a governor. This governor is chosen by the Queen, but she chooses the person on the advice of the state Premier. The Administrators of the Northern Territory and of Norfolk Island are chosen by the Governor-General. The Australian Capital Territory is governed by the Governor-General.
The head of government of each state is called the Premier. This person is chosen by the state's Governor. Normally the Governor will select as Premier whoever leads the lower house of the state Parliament. However, the Governor can chose someone else as Premier. The head of government of the self-governing mainland territories is called the Chief Minister. The Northern Territory's Chief Minister, is normally whoever controls the Legislative Assembly, is appointed by the Administrator.n.
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is an alternative name for two separate American television animated shows: "Rocky and His Friends" (1959–1961) and "The Bullwinkle Show" (1961–1964).
Jimmy Finlayson
James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson (August 27, 1887 – October 9, 1953) was a Scottish-American actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Finlayson was bald, with a fake moustache, and had many trademark comic mannerisms and is famous for his squinting, outrageous "double-take, "fade away" head reaction, and characteristic expression "D'oh!".
Body mass index
The body mass index (or BMI) is a measure which shows whether people have the right weight for their height. The World Health Organisation (WHO), governments and health workers use it. It is also sometimes called the Quetelet index.
The BMI was invented by Adolphe Quetelet between 1830 and 1850.
A scientist named Ancel Keys first used the term "body mass index" in 1972. He wrote that governments should measure the BMI of adults to find out whether they are too fat or too thin.
To find somebody's BMI:
This is the formula:
For example, a man whose weight is and height is has a BMI of:
A man whose weight is and height is has a BMI of:
Health organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), use the BMI to help decide whether people are too fat or too thin. The WHO uses these numbers for adults:
Some people disagree with these numbers. Some experts think the "Overweight" range for people with Asian body types should be 23–27.49, not 25–29.99. Some experts think the lowest "Normal" BMI should be 20 for men, and 18 for women.
The old BMI definition of overweight was 27. This changed in 1998.
BMI is useful for governments who want to know about the health of their people. For example, in the United States in 2007, 74% of adults had a BMI above 25 ("Overweight" or "Obese") and 27% of adults had a BMI above 30 ("Obese"). Many of these people will become ill because they are too fat. This information helps the United States government decide what to do about the health of its people.
BMI is less useful for finding out whether one person is too fat or too thin. BMI does not say how much weight is fat, how much is muscle and how much is bone. For example, many athletes have a high BMI. They are not fat. Their BMI is high because they have lots of heavy muscle. Other people have lots of fat and not much muscle. They are too fat but their BMI is normal.
Even so, BMI is popular. It is easy to use and easy to understand, and it gives useful information for people with "normal" bodies.
The Ponderal Index is similar to the body mass index, but the height is cubed, not squared. The formula is:
Some experts suggest that the exponent should be between 2.3 and 2.7. The best formula might be:
Middle age
Middle age is the period of life between youth and before old age. There is no fixed age, but most people think it begins when someone is about 40 years old, until the person is 64 years old.
In most countries, people that think that by middle age, people should be mature, perhaps with a good, steady job and a family. Due to promotion, middle age is sometimes a time when adults have greater wealth and influence than earlier in their careers, although they may have less disposable income due to having children. However, it is also common for some adults to suffer from mid-life crisis, when they are unsure about their life and sometimes become depressed because of it. Women and men often have different experiences of middle age partly depending on whether they choose to work or care for their family full-time.
Middle-aged people begin to look older, with more wrinkles in their skin, and start to have grey hair. They become less fit and usually gain more weight.
Middle-aged females find it harder to become pregnant. If they do have a baby, there is a higher chance that it will have a genetic disease (Down syndrome, for example). Females usually have their menopause in middle age, when they stop bleeding every month. When that happens, they cannot have children anymore.
Tribute
A tribute (from Latin "tribulum", contribution) is when one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical situations, of submission or loyalty.
This is trade between the parties under a contractual relationship formed upon pressure, and based upon the possibility of threats if improved relationships did not happen.