Some mining is done by scraping away the soil (dirt) from the top of the ground. This is called "surface mining". Some mining is done by going deep underground into a "mine shaft". This is called "underground mining". Some mining, such as gold mining, is done in other ways. Gold can be mined by searching in the bed of a river or other stream of water to remove the flakes of gold. This is called "panning" or "placer mining".
A worker in a mine is called a miner. Underground mining is a dangerous job. Many mines have accidents. Hundreds of miners die every year from accidents, mostly in poor countries. Safety rules and special safety equipment is used to try and protect miners from accidents. Underground coal mining is especially dangerous because coal can give off poisonous and explosive gases.
Some towns are mining towns. People live there because they can make money as miners or by doing things for miners. When mining stops the town may become a ghost town.
Bomber
A bomber is a type of airplane that is used to attack ground targets, mainly by dropping bombs. The first bombers were made at the start of World War I.
Bombers often fly low to the ground to confuse enemy radar. Most cannot fly very fast. Because of this, bombers are not outfitted to fight other airplanes. To make up for this, bombers in the past had many machine guns for defense.
Dive bombers were numerous in World War II. They attacked surface targets including tanks and ships.
Strategic bombing became important. Bombers had large crews, sometimes as many as 12 people. Usually a bomber had a pilot, a bombadier, a co-pilot/navigator, and many machine gunners all around to shoot at enemy fighter aircraft defending the target. Friendly fighters often came along to help fight the defenders.
Bombers now have one or two people in them. The other positions have been replaced by computers. Bombers have very few guns on them partly because they are much faster. In bombing missions now, the pilot drops a bomb and leaves as quickly as possible. During the Cold War, a few bombers were made that could travel supersonic, so a nuclear bomb could be dropped without killing the people in the airplane. They were never used that way, however.
Bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species "Bos taurus". They are more muscular and aggressive than the female of the species, the cow. The bull has long been an important symbol in many cultures, and plays a large role in beef ranching, dairy farming. They are also important in other cultural activities, including bull fighting and bull riding. The management of livestock animals in hot climates is a challenge. The physiological and behavioral changes induced in these animals compromise their welfare, breeding, health, and zootechnical performance, resulting in final products (eggs, milk, and meat) with unsatisfactory characteristics.
As with other animals, some bulls have been regarded as pets.
The bull semen market is very lucrative. Animal agriculture forcefully breeds animals to have what it considers the best traits for food production. In 2011, the U.S. exported $124.7 million worth of bull semen to other nations, representing 32 percent of the global market. In February 2019, an Angus bull named SAV America 8018 sold for the record-breaking price of $1.5 million due to “superior genetics.”
A bull can live up to 18 - 22 years.
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) are the largest animal testing company in Europe. They were founded in 1951 and are based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. They also have a laboratory in New Jersey, United States. Huntingdon Life Sciences is an international contract research organisation offering a comprehensive range of non-clinical development services. The UK lab carries out medical and product research for many organisations.
Many people feel strongly against HLS. The Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign group are the main opposition group. SHAC were set up in 1999. The opposition to HLS has had many forms. While most animal rights people have used legal means of protest, some people have become extremists and done very bad things. Thus the opposition to HLS has become an example to many people of a good cause gone wrong.
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a town in Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. It stands on the River Ouse near the A1, a major road in England.
The town was chartered in 1205 and founded by Anglo-Saxons.
Huntingdon also has the largest meadow in England; Portholme Meadow. There are many small villages in Huntingdon, it has a high street and a main supermarket. The A14 runs through it.
Oliver Cromwell was born here in 1599.
Condom
A condom is a thin cover that is put on a man's penis and used during sexual intercourse. It is normally made of latex. Condoms are a form of birth control, they can prevent a pregnancy. They can also prevent the spread of certain sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. Another name for a condom is prophylactic sheath.
In 2009, most condoms were made of latex. For people with latex allergy, plastic condoms are available.
The first condoms were made of tissue paper. Later models were made of the intestines of animals, such as sheep. Such condoms can still be found sometimes. Certain people prefer sheepskin condoms over latex ones, because sheepskin condoms can transfer body warmth better. However they do not prevent diseases as effectively as latex condoms.
Condoms are popular for several reasons. They are inexpensive and can be bought without a prescription by either a man or a woman. They can be bought at many locations, and they are easy to use (once the couple learns how.) They have no health-related side effects for either the man or the woman, and they are one of the few types of birth control that also reduce the spread of infections. If the couple decides to have a baby, they can stop using condoms at any time and begin trying to get pregnant with no delay.
But condoms have some disadvantages. During sex, the couple must stop to put on the condom just before beginning intercourse, which interrupts and distracts them at an exciting time. Condoms reduce the physical feelings of intercourse, especially for the man, who cannot feel the heat and sensation of the woman's vagina as much. Condoms can also reduce the emotional closeness the man and woman feel during intercourse because there is something between them. Condoms are less effective than many other types of birth control, and if a couple is in a steady relationship and are having sex very often, condoms can become more expensive to use. For these reasons, once a man and woman are in a steady relationship and are sure they are free of infection, the woman often begins to use birth control pills or some other highly effective contraceptive, after which the couple stops using condoms.
Condoms are rolled up when they are packaged, and are meant to be rolled over an erect penis. They are most commonly made of latex, but are available in other materials. Condoms normally have an expiration date on them. Condoms weaken after this date, and may not work properly. Condoms are also not designed to be used more than once.
It is important to know how to use a condom before using one. If a mistake is made, the condom may not work. This happens a lot. When using a condom for the first time, it could help to try using it alone to get familiar with condoms without any danger.