Mephistopheles persuades Faust to sign the agreement with his own blood. Faust has a few adventures and then meets Margaret (also known as Gretchen). He loves her, and by offering her jewellery, and with help of a neighbour, Martha, Gretchen lets herself into Faust's arms. Faust and Gretchen want to sleep together, so Gretchen gives her mother a sleeping potion so that she does not see Faust. Faust and Gretchen sleep together. Gretchen’s mother dies of the potion. Gretchen discovers she is pregnant. Gretchen’s brother says Faust is bad and challenges him, but Faust kills him (with the devil’s help, of course). Gretchen has given birth to a baby, but she drowns it. She is found guilty of murder and is sent to prison. Faust tries to save her from death, but he cannot free her from prison. Finding that they cannot free her, Faust and the devil run away from the prison cell, while voices from heaven say that Gretchen shall be saved.
"Faust Part Two" is very different from Part One. It keeps referring to classical literature. The romantic story of the first Faust is forgotten, and Faust wakes in a field of fairies. He has many adventures. The piece is in five acts which each tell of different things. In the end Faust goes to heaven, because he loses only half the bet. Angels, who arrive as messengers of God’s mercy, say at the end of Act 5: "He who strives on and lives to strive/ Can earn redemption still" (i.e. anyone who tries hard in life can still be saved).
Goethe’s "Faust" had an enormous influence on all art in Western countries. In Germany many writers were fascinated by the legend. They often felt that Faust represented the spirit of the German people. Dramas, epic poems and novels were written about Faust. Composers wrote operas or orchestral music about him. Thomas Mann wrote a novel "Dr Faustus" which compares Faust’s pact with the devil to the way the German people supported Hitler.
Nitric acid
Nitric Acid (HNO) is a very corrosive and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns. It is also known as aqua fortis. Nitric Acid is used in rocket fuels, to help make wood look older, and is used in explosives.
It can react with metals such as copper to produce a brown toxic gas called nitrogen dioxide. It is made by reaction of nitrogen dioxide with water.
In alchemy, it is known as aqua fortis, or strong water. It can dissolve silver but leaves gold unharmed, making it a good test for gold. The term acid test came from this test.
Killing of Peter Fechter
Peter Fechter (14 January 1944 - 17 August 1962) is one of the best known victims of the Berlin Wall. Fechter was a bricklayer. Aged 18, he tried to cross the wall into the West, near Checkpoint Charlie, to live with his sister. He did this with his friend and colleague, Helmut Kulbeik. Both started to climb the wall at around 14:15. Kubelik was successful, and could escape. Fechter was hit by several gunshots, one of which pierced his lung, and fell back down, to what was called the "Death strip". He was unable to move, and started to cry for help. Crowds started to gather on both sides of the wall; on the east side, they were dispersed by police.
Police gathered on the west side threw medical kits to him; despite the crowd asking them, they would not do more. The DDR border guards did not do anything either; neither did the United States personnel on duty at the Checkpoint.
Fechter bled to death after about an hour. After reunification, two border police were found guilty of manslaughter. They were convicted and given suspended prison terms of 20 and 21 months respectively. Both had told the court they fired shots at Fechter, but did not want to kill him. The court also ruled that Fechter was killed by the shots, and not by the absence of aid. The evidence could not show who of three gunman (one had already died) was responsible for the bullet that killed Fechter.
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (or usually just Metrolink) is the name of the tram system in Greater Manchester, England. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which used to be called the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE). It is operated under contract by the RATP Group.
The construction of Manchester's railway network in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries had created a lot of termini around the City Centre. These were not linked together. This left a large amount of Manchester disconnected from the railway network.
For many years there had been plans to connect Manchester's two main railway stations. These are Piccadilly and Victoria. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there were plans for a "Picc-Vic tunnel". This tunnel would carry main-line trains under the city centre. The proposal was abandoned because it would cost too much.
Metrolink was created by converting two British Rail lines serving the suburbs of Manchester, one to the town of Altrincham to the south, and another to the town of Bury to the north, to light rail. These two lines were joined up in Manchester city centre, where trams run on the roads, and had a short branch to Piccadilly railway station. This first section of the new system opened in 1992, and a newer line to Eccles opened in 2001.
Lots of extensions to the system have opened since then, with more that are currently being built or proposed. Metrolink now has lines that serve Didsbury, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Rochdale, MediaCityUK and Manchester Airport. These expansions increased the system's length from 37 km to 97 km with 99 stops. Sometime in 2017 there will be a second line through Manchester city centre serving Exchange Square, and another line towards the Trafford Centre shopping mall before the end of the decade. There are also plans for tram-train lines to Stockport and other places in Greater Manchester.
Nitrate
Nitrate (NO) is a polyatomic ion. It is made up of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms. It is part of many important molecules. Potassium nitrate is a common type of nitrate. It is often used in fertilizers because plants need both potassium and nitrates to live and grow. Sodium nitrate is also used in preserving foods.
Some nitrates are explosive. People make large amounts of nitrates from ammonia. Nitrates are similar to nitrites. Many metal nitrates with thermal decomposition makes oxygen and metal nitrate.
Nitric acid has the formula HNO and has no overall charge, because the hydrogen ion is positive.
Nitrate has a group valency of 1.
Supertram (Sheffield)
Supertram is a tram network in Sheffield, England. The track and connected items are owned by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE). Stagecoach Group run and look after the vehicles, through their Stagecoach Supertram branded company.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band.
The song is a protest about the Vietnam War in 1969. It has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas albums.
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit (or in short NET) is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004. It cost £200 million to construct. It took 16 years from the first idea of the system until it was built. It is operated by Nottingham Tram Consortium, a 50:50 partnership between Transdev and Nottingham City Transport.
Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan is a city in New South Wales, Australia. It is also the local government area called Queanbeyan City Council. It is very close to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra. It is really now a part of the capital city as it is on the Australian Capital Territory border and is only from Canberra's CBD. The border itself is marked by a railway line. The Queanbeyan River flows through Queanbeyan, near the centre of the city.