Writing started during the period of French rule. There is not much written work, but there is a lot of oral literature, which is often stories about kings and heroes. The people who tell these stories are called "Griot". They also sing religious songs. Many of their songs are very old and some people think the songs are as old as the old Mali Empire.
Bambara is a national language of Mali, and it is also the most widely understood language in Mali.
Bambara has many local dialects. Somono, Segou, San, Beledugu, Ganadugu and Wasulu and Sikasso are some dialects.
Proboscidea
Proboscidea (meaning "trunked beast") is an order containing only one familiy of living animals, Elephantidae, the elephants, with three living species (African forest elephant, African bush elephant, and Asian elephant).
During the period of the last ice age there were more, now extinct species, including a number of species of the elephant-like mammoths and mastodons.
The oldest proboscidean dates from the early Palaeogene period, over 50 million years ago. The evolution of the elephant-like animals mainly concerned the proportions of the cranium and jaw and the shape of the tusks and molar teeth.
Present-day elephants are the survivors of a once larger and more varied family.
Adrar des Ifoghas
The Adrar des Ifoghas is a sandstone high area in the Kidal Region of Mali. Is has an area of about 250,000 km².
There are wide, shallow valleys, and many granite rocks. The Tamesna Plain is to the east. The Telemsi Fosse is to the west The low, western part of the Azaouak Valley is to the south. Tanezrouft is to the north. Kidal, Aguel'hoc, Boughessa, Essouk and Tessalit are cities in this area.
The Adrar des Ifoghas is called "Adagh" in the local language. "" is the Berber word for mountain, and "Ifogha" is the short name of a rich Tuareg family. This family (the "Kel Ifoghas") has been very powerful in this area for a long time. They are nomads and they eat and sell camels, goats and sheep.
The area has many old archaeological places. The rock drawings showing men hunting, farming, and looking after cows are very important. Asselar Man's bones were also found here by Théodore Monod. Recently, the Adrar des Ifoghas has become popular for hiking.
Kokoreç
Kokoreç is a Turkish meal. It is made of lamb intestines. Intestines of suckling lambs (süt kuzusu) is most favored for this dish. It is not a standard menu item in restaurants. It can be found in any street.
Kokoreç can be cooked in many ways. One way is to cook it similar to Döner; with a horizontal skewer (see also Rotisserie). The intestine parts are stacked together. This sort can be found in street vendors mostly. The most popular heating method is charcoal fire which gives it an extra rich flavour. After it is cooked, it is cut and put in a half or quarter portion of Turkish bread (somun). Tomatoes or spices can be added to it.
Another way to cook is to cut it after cleaning, mixing it with cut tomatoes and green peppers. After that, it is cooked on a big griddle in large quantities, and then it is added hot red pepper and oregano. It is constantly mixed and cut by the cooker using two spatulas in his hands during cooking. When done, the dish is kept warm.
Kokoreç can be served in many ways. It is usually served as a sandwich in form of Yarım Ekmek Kokoreç (Half-Bread) or Çeyrek Ekmek Kokoreç (Quarter-Bread). At the same time, it could be served without bread, on a plate, as a normal meal. Kokoreç is usually served with Ayran, Beer or Cola.
Ub Iwerks
Ubbe Ert Iwwerks (March 24, 1901 - July 7, 1971), better known as Ub Iwerks, was an American animator. He is best known for creating Mickey Mouse, together with Walt Disney.
Ub Iwerks was born in 1901 in Kansas City. His father Eert Ubbe was an immigrant from Germany. In 1919 he met Walt Disney the first time. Some months later, Disney founded his first studio. Ub Iwerks was his first artist, and at this time the only one. Iwerks was called "the fastest animator" of Hollywood, because he could drew more than 700 pictures a day. In fact, he finished the first Mickey Mouse cartoon which was produced in just two weeks.
Disney, the man with money and Iwerks, the man with talent, had often differences. As a result of this differences, Iwerks left Disney in 1930 and founded his own studio. It closed in 1936, after that, Iwerks worked some months for Columbia Pictures, in 1940 he went back to Walt Disney. He did not draw anymore, but became the head of the "Special Processes Department". There he invented the Multiplane camera. For this camera he was awarded in 1960 with a special Oscar.
At the end of his life, Ub Iwerks worked for popular directors, like Alfred Hitchcock, too. In 1963 he was nominated for his work on "The Birds" for a second Oscar.
Ub Iwerks died at age 70 in Burbank, California. His sons Don Iwerks and David Iwerks worked for Disney, too. Ub's great grandson, Michael Iwerks, works at Disney also
Endocrine gland
Endocrine glands are glands that secrete their product (hormones) directly into the blood. This group contains the glands of the endocrine system.
The main endocrine glands are the pituitary gland, the pancreas, the gonads, the thyroid gland and the adrenal glands. Other organs which are not so well known for their endocrine activity include the stomach, which produces such hormones as ghrelin.
Thyroid
The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. This gland is found in the throat. The thyroid controls how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins, and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.
The principal hormones it makes are thyroxine (T4) an triiodothyronine (T3), which is more active. These hormones regulate the growth of many systems in the body. T3 and T4 are synthesised from iodine and tyrosine. The thyroid also makes calcitonin, which plays a role in calcium homeostasis.
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks: Here's the Sex Pistols is the only studio album by English punk band the Sex Pistols. It was released on 28 October 1977 in the UK and 10 November 1977 in the USA.
Johann Christian Bach
Johann Christian Bach (born Leipzig, 5 September 1735; died London, 1 January 1782) was a composer of the Classical period. He was the eleventh and youngest son of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. He is often called 'the London Bach' or 'the English Bach', because he spent many years living in London. He became internationally famous, both as a composer and as a performer. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart liked his music, and learned a lot about how to write good concertos by looking at the concertos of J. C. Bach.
Johann Christian Bach’s parents were Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna Magdalena Bach. He was born in Leipzig, Germany. His famous father was one of the last composers of the Baroque period. His father was already 50 when J. C. Bach was born, so it is not surprising that by the time Johann Christian had grown up the style of music had changed a lot since Johann Sebastian had been writing his great works. Johann Christian belonged to the Classical period. He was 15 when his father died. He moved to Berlin and his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who was already a famous composer, gave him more music lessons.
Johann Christian lived in Italy for many years from 1756, first studying counterpoint with Padre Martini in Bologna and later with Giovanni Battista Sammartini. He became an organist at the cathedral in Milan in 1760. However, he soon started to become successful as an opera composer and he left his cathedral job so that he could work in the theatre and travel more in Italy.
Johann Christian had been brought up in the Lutheran church, but in Italy he became a Catholic. He married the Italian soprano Cecilia Grassi. She was about eight years older than Johann Christian and, perhaps because of this, they never had children.