Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact were called the "Eastern Bloc". This term was rather common, while the governments and press of the Western Bloc used to speak of themselves as the "Free world".
Free world
The Free World is a term that was used during the era of the Cold War. It was often used by non-communist nations to describe themselves. It was used to describe the greater personal freedom that the people of non-communist countries (such as the United States and European democratic countries) had compared to the communist Soviet Union and its Communist Bloc allies.
On the other hand, many of the non-communist countries that were allied with the "Free World" during the Cold War repressed people and sometimes had dictators as their leaders. This included countries in South America, Asia and Africa.
The President of the United States was often called the "leader of the Free World". This was very common especially in the United States itself. The President of the U.S. is sometimes still called this.
Neil Young sang a song called "(Keep on) Rockin' in the Free World".
2006 Dublin riots
The 2006 Dublin riots were a series of riots. They happened in Dublin, Ireland on 25 February 2006. The riots happened after the Gardai (police) tried to move a crowd(large group of people) of people who were blocking the road as a protest against a unionist demonstration. Fourteen people where hurt in the riots. Six of the people hurt were police.
List of acronyms and initialisms
XWD - Cross Wheel Drive
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact, officially the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was an organization of Central and Eastern European Communist states. The states were all allies and would fight together if one of them was attacked. While in theory all the countries in the organisation were equals, the smaller countries were controlled by the Soviet Union.
It was established in 1955 in Warsaw, Poland in response to West Germany joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO). The treaty was signed in Warsaw, on 14 May 1955 and official copies were made in the languages of Russian, Polish, Czech and German. The Pact lasted until the end of the Cold War when some members quit in 1991, following the collapse of the Eastern bloc and political changes in the Soviet Union.
All the Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe signed except Yugoslavia.
Notes
Central Europe
Central Europe is the region around the Alps and Carpathian Mountains lying between the areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The understanding of the concept of "Central Europe" varies considerably from nation to nation, and also has from time to time.
The region usually means:
If one were to divide the continent of Europe into two halves like it was during the Cold War, the Iron Curtain would subsequently split the mainstream definition of "Central Europe" in half. When using this definition, the countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia would be included in Eastern Europe: whereas the countries of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland would be considered Western Europe instead. Some experts consider this definition outdated, but many still use them. Supranational organizations like the UN and EU also make use of them.
In addition, other countries such as Croatia and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia can be included in "Central Europe": though they are now mostly considered a part of either Southern Europe or Northern Europe respectively.
Four-wheel drive
A Four-wheel drive (also called 4WD and 4x4) is a vehicle on which all four wheels get power from the engine to move forward. This is as opposed to a two-wheel drive vehicle. 4WDs are often used off road. Part-time and full-time four wheel drive vehicles uses a transfer case as part of the drivetrain to direct power to one or both axles. By having a transfer case the driver can shift the vehicle into either "two-wheel-drive" or "four-wheel-drive" mode (part-time systems). Many transfer cases also have a low power range that multiplies the engine power when in four-wheel drive (called four-wheel low gear).
There are basically four types of four-wheel drive.
Part-time systems are the most basic type. They are also still the most popular type for using off-road. The can be shifted (mechanically or electrically) from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. This gives them the versatility to operate both on and off-road. When the four-wheel drive system is engaged, the two axles turn at the same speed. There usually is no center differential. For that reason part-time four-wheel drive should not be used on dry pavement. If operated for any distance on dry pavement tire damage and drivetrain damage is very possible. Because it operates off-road, the vehicle typically has a higher Ride height. This is to go over obstacles on uneven ground without damage. Even when operated in two-wheel drive on-road, this system will not get the fuel economy of a comparable two-wheel drive vehicle. Locking hubs are available on some models. They help to get better fuel mileage by disengaging the front axle differential.
This is the original four-wheel drive. It was and still is designed for serious off-roading. Common on full-time four-wheel drives are locking differentials. These prevent one wheel slipping on the same axle if the other has traction. These systems do not get good gas mileage due to their typical weight.
All-wheel drive (AWD) uses a center differential to direct a percentage of the power to both axles, depending on conditions. All wheel drive is not designed specifically to go off road but is for traction in rain, snow or ice on the road. Body-on frame SUVs are typically designed for off-road use. Unibody crossovers are usually only equipped with the lighter-duty all-wheel drive. However the unibody built Grand Cherokee and newly designed Durango are available with four-wheel drive.
Part-time All-wheel drive (AWD) operate as a front-wheel drive under normal conditions. When traction is lost for any reason, the system automatically sends a portion of the engine's power to the rear wheels. As soon as the system detects good traction, it disengages the rear wheels and shifts back to front drive. This is a less expensive system that adds less weight to the vehicle (usually a car). This makes it popular on compact vehicles. It typically gets better fuel economy than all-wheel drive vehicles. They do not have a low range or a transfer case.
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2D
2D or two-dimensional objects have two measurements: width and length, like a square. Two-dimensional objects do not have depth, like a cube. It's a mathematics tool, but it's also used in video games, and computer science.
Throughout maths, it is used in geometry and other categories.
In video games, it is used as a perspective, like in Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2.
Microraptor
Microraptor was a small feathered dinosaur related to "Velociraptor" and "Deinonychus". It had flight feathers, and could glide and probably fly. About two dozen well-preserved fossil specimens have been found in Liaoning, China. They are from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, 125 million years old.
Adult specimens are 42–83 centimeters (1.4–2.7 ft) long, so "Microraptor" was one of the smallest dinosaurs.
"Microraptor" is one of a number of 'dinobirds' found in the same area of China. They were buried in volcanic ash during huge eruptions.
"Microraptor" was among the first non-avian dinosaurs discovered with the impressions of feathers and wings. Three specimens of "M. zhaoianus" have been described in detail, in addition to two specimens of "M. gui" and three specimens of "M. sp." described by Xu and colleagues in 2003, from which most feather impressions are known.