Finally, late in the day. the main battlefleet (the 'Grand Fleet') from Scapa Flow (led by Admiral John Jellicoe) met the main German force of battleships (commanded by Admiral Scheer). "To Scheer's range-takers... the entire arc stretching from the north to the east was a sea of fire". After ten minutes of this, Scheer signaled a simultaneous turn-away.
21 torpedos caused Jellico also to turn away, and Scheer put 10 miles between the British battleships and himself. As darkness grew, there were a few more encounters, until the German fleet made it home. They had sunk more British ships, but the balance of power had not changed.
Clearing bank
A clearing bank is one which moves money between accounts, and issues money to customers. At one time this meant taking in and giving out actual money. Now it means any kind of financial transaction.
In banking and finance, clearing means all activities from the time a commitment is made for a transaction until it is settled. This process turns the promise of payment (for example, in the form of a cheque or electronic payment request) into the actual movement of money from one account to another.
In the UK they are officially called a Cheque and Credit Clearing Company. In the United States the Federal Reserve performs an intermediary role, clearing and settling international bank payments.
Big Four (banking)
The Big Four banks in the United Kingdom are:
Royal Bank of Scotland Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (also known as RBS Group) is a British banking and insurance holding company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The group operates a wide variety of banking brands. It offers personal and business banking, private banking, insurance and corporate finance. It has offices in Europe, North America and Asia. In the United Kingdom, its main subsidiary companies are The Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Ulster Bank and Coutts.
Significant other
Significant other (SO) is way of saying a person has a close relationship. Deliberately, it does not say what the relationship is.
It refers to a person's partner, but says nothing about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation. Similar terms, but more specific, are: sweetheart, better half, spouse, domestic partner, lover, soulmate, or life partner.
The term is now often used in invitations, such as to weddings and office parties. In correspondence from hospitals, for example, "you may be accompanied for your appointment by a significant other". "Relevant other" is another ways of saying the same thing. "Significant others" is sometimes used.
Also, in psychology, psychiatry and sociology, it may mean someone who has a big influence on the person.
The first known use of the term was in the U.S.
Le Locle
Le Locle is a municipality of the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
It is in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the third smallest city of Switzerland. As of 31 December 2016, Le Locle has about 10,000 people.
The name of the town comes from the word for "lake" or "trou d´eau".
Since 2009, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: La Chaux-de-Fonds/Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning.
Le Locle is on the Swiss side of the mountain pass Col des Roches, which forms the border between France and Switzerland.
Le Locle is first mentioned in 1332 as "dou Locle".
The earliest traces of human settlements come from the end of the Mesolithic period (6000-5000 BC) in shelter in the Col des Roches. The site includes the oldest pottery found in the Canton of Neuchâtel, along with many tools, the molar of a mammoth and deer and wild boar bones. The shelter was discovered in 1926 by a customs official and was the first site of its kind studied in Switzerland.
However, between 4000 BC and the Middle Ages nothing is known about the Le Locle area.
In 1150 the valley, in which Le Locle would later be built, was granted by Renaud and William Valanginian to the abbey of Fontaine-André. In 1360, John II of Aarberg, the Lord of Valanginian, received Le Locle as a fief from Count Louis of Neuchatel. The heavily wooded part of the Jura Mountains around Le Locle, were cleared by colonists who later received the status of free peasants. These first free farmers received a charter in 1372 which codified their rights and freedoms. At the beginning of the 15th century, this charter was reconfirmed during the foundation of the Mairie or town government. Beginning in the 14th century Le Locle and La Sagne formed a parish together. The church of Mary Magdalene in Le Locle was built in 1351.
The tower of the church of Mary Magdalene, the landmark of the city, arose early in the 16th century. A few years after the tower was built, in 1536, Le Locle converted to the protestant faith. This old church was rebuilt in the mid-18th century. A german church was built in 1844, but demolished in 1967. The Catholic chapel was built in 1861.
Le Locle was repeatedly burned by large fires (1683, 1765, 1833). It was rebuilt to its present appearance in the second quarter of the 19th century, as it became a center of the watch industry. In 1848 it became a district capital.
Because the small Bied river often flooded the valley, a channel was cut through the valley to the Col des Roches at the beginning of the 19th century. Until 1898 the river was used to provide power for several underground mills.
Le Locle is known as a center of Swiss watchmaking industry.
Le Locle is twinned with:
Bermondsey
Bermondsey () is a town in the London Borough of Southwark, England. It is southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey is Southwark, to the east is Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south is Walworth and Peckham, and to the north is the City of London and Whitechapel.
Deptford
Deptford ( ) is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. From the middle of the 16th century to the late 19th century, Deptford was home to Deptford Dockyard which was the first Royal Navy dockyard. The area declined as the Royal Navy moved out and commercial docks closed. The last dock, Convoys Wharf, closed in the year 2000.
Limehouse
Limehouse is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is east of Charing Cross. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames.
Stepney
Stepney (or Stepney Green) is a district of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The district grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century Mile End Road.
The area built up rapidly in the 19th century. It was mainly for immigrant workers and displaced poor people. It had a reputation for poverty, overcrowding, violence and political dissent. It was severely damaged during the Blitz in World War II. Over one third of the housing was totally destroyed. In the 1960s, slum clearance and development replaced most old residential streets with tower blocks and modern housing estates. Some Georgian architecture and Victorian era terraced housing survive. Examples include Arbour Square, the eastern side of Stepney Green, and the streets around Matlock Street.
High-rise building
A high-rise building is a tall building. It is used as an apartment building, office building or other functions, such as hotel or retail. Sometimes, multiple purposes are combined. A residential high-rise building is also called a tower block or an "MDU", standing for "Multi Dwelling Unit". A very tall high-rise building is called a skyscraper.
High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper and more abundant building materials. The materials used for high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete and steel. Most North American style skyscrapers have a steel frame, while residential blocks are usually constructed of concrete. There is no clear difference between a tower block and a skyscraper but a building with fifty or more stories is generally considered a skyscraper.