Joplin is most well known for writing piano pieces called rags. His music became popular again in the 1970s, with the album "Scott Joplin: Piano Rags", performed by Joshua Rifkin, from Nonesuch Records. He may be most commonly known now by the Marvin Hamlisch adaptation of his composition "The Entertainer" (1902) which was used in the 1973 movie "The Sting" starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. His best-known song while he was alive was "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899). Other rags he wrote were "The Ragtime Dance" (1906) and "Magnetic Rag" (1914). Scott Joplin wrote more than 40 piano rags, but he also wrote two operas; "A Guest of Honor" and "Treemonisha". "A Guest of Honor" was performed in Joplin's lifetime, but since then the music has been lost. "Treemonisha" was never performed while Joplin was alive, but it has been performed since then. Joplin also wrote a symphony, but the music has been lost.
Joplin died of syphilis in New York City on April 1, 1917.
• Gildo De Stefano, "Ragtime, jazz & dintorni". Preface by Amiri Baraka. SUGARCO Editions, Milano 2007
Propane
Propane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an alkane with three carbon atoms. It is used in fuels.
It begins to burn very quickly.
Its melting temperature is −187.7 °C; its boiling temperature is −42 °C; its density is 1.83 g/l.
Propane is extracted from natural gasoline or from petroleum.
Flag of Japan
The flag of Japan shows a red sun (rising sun) in the middle of a white field. It is called "Nisshoki" (日章旗) formally in Japan. But Japanese people usually call it "Hinomaru" (日の丸) which means "circle of the sun".
The Japanese navy uses the other flag; the sun has rays.
This flag represents the heat of the sun. Its colours are red and white.
Nationalism
Nationalism is a way of thinking that says that some groups of humans, such as ethnic groups, should be free to rule themselves. Nationalists think that the best way to make this happen and avoid control or oppression by others is for each group to have their own nation. Some nationalists think this is the best way to save small and weak groups threatened by the mixing of ethnic groups. The other definition of nationalism is the 'identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.'.Nationalism may refer to a state of the mind in respect of socio political phenomenon arising from it's consciousness shared by people (national)of a particular country or territory
The opposite of nationalism is Internationalism and anti-nationalism.
Many early socialists were also nationalists. The earliest forms of nationalism had lots of socialist features. In this period, political thinkers who thought that ethnic groups should not be oppressed by other ethnic groups thought also that 'normal folk', the backbone of society, like workers and peasants, should not be oppressed by higher social classes like rich people. They also thought that it is wrong for somebody to live in great welfare that is made of the hard work of others, or the oppression of others. The ideology is that the social classes should work together and have a common goal that aims for the good of everyone. These goals can be called "national interest".
National interest is ideal and not always easy to find. There are different ways to reach national interest, for example politics.
Nationalists started to support normal people, especially peasants, who were seen as uncorrupted, gallant, and fair, unlike high classes. For example, normal folks often had more original and local ethnic culture than the high classes, whose culture was seen more rootless. National Romanticism was based much on the ideal of uncorrupt folk.
Socialism and nationalism grew together. But they have also been placed in opposition in some theories. The most known opposition between these ideologies was with the Soviet Union. The Soviet propaganda made nationalism an insult word that was linked with opposed ideologies like capitalism, liberalism, imperialism or fascism. Still, even in the Soviet Union and other communist or socialist countries, there was nationalism in great measure (even if it was not called with that name).
The most capitalist countries like United States were patriotic rather than nationalist. The Nordic countries, which were among the most pure nation-states (countries that follow nationalist principle), were not very capitalist or rightist; they were built on the social democratic idea, which is left. Only after Nordic countries became more multicultural did their politics become more rightist.
Today nationalism does not have a common stand on those fields of politics that are outside of its basic goals, like left-right politics. However nationalism can be a part of bigger political ideology or agenda that can be leftist or rightist or something outside that classification.
Nationalism is still usually connected to goals that resist strong hierarchy between social classes inside society. Nationalist people are usually more or less against the strongest forms of capitalism, which they think gives too much power to rich people and big companies.
Nationalism had an important role in ending the colonial rule. Nationalism spread to colonies and made their people desire independence. Nationalism also made the people in metropolitan states (countries that colonized others) accept more the desire of other people to rule themselves. However nationalists think that the end of colonization of Africa was not done well. They think that there would not be so many conflicts in Africa if African nations had built in a nationalist way (so that every ethnic group is its own nation).
After the imperialists left their African colonies, the new nations were built with borders that were not the same as the ethnic borders. New nations became nations with many ethnic groups, which do not want to or cannot live peacefully in the same society with the others.
Drought
Drought is a continuous period of dry weather, when an area gets less than its normal amount of rain, over months or even years. Crops and other plants need water to grow, and animals need it to live. Droughts can become dangerous to people and other land animals; causing famine and even creating deserts.
A drought is a natural event, caused by other weather events like El Niño and high-pressure systems. Drought can also be triggered by deforestation (people cutting down forests), by global warming, and by diverting rivers or emptying lakes.
Drought is a natural disaster which usually takes place slowly. It is often difficult to decide when a drought started and sometimes when it ends too. Its effects often build up slowly over a long period of time and may last from months to years after rain resumes.
Many people die every year in famines due to drought in subsistence farming areas. Conflicts can result from drought conditions.
Deafness
Deafness is when someone cannot hear at all, or cannot hear well. Deafness is also known as 'hearing loss'. There were many famous people who were deaf, such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Helen Keller.
A person is considered to be deaf if they cannot hear the same range of sounds as a person with normal hearing ability. People that cannot hear any sounds are also deaf. People who are partially deaf may hear some sounds and may hear words.
People who cannot hear and understand words well are 'hard of hearing'.
There are different causes of deafness:
Generally, there are two views of deafness:
These categories may overlap.
Liver bird
The Liver birds are two large and famous bronze metal birds on top of a building - the Liver Building - in the city of Liverpool, England. The building has the offices of an insurance organization. The birds are symbol of the city, although no birds really look like this.