juno-labs/simple_wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Beowulf

***Beowulf*** is an Old English heroic epic poem. It is not known who wrote it, and there is no agreement as to when it was written. Estimates for the date range from AD 608 right through to AD 1000, and there is no consensus. The poem has only one manuscript source, written about 1010. _Beowulf_ is 3182 lines long.  Tolkien describes and illustrates many of the features of Old English poetry in his 1940 essay _On translating Beowulf_.

The protagonist of the poem is Beowulf. In the poem, Beowulf fights three monsters: Grendel and Grendel's mother, and later in his life an unnamed dragon.

## Story

Hrothgar, a Danish king, has built a big mead hall, which is called Heorot. Hrothgar and his people live a good life and celebrate in Heorot. But then they are attacked by Grendel, who comes to Heorot every night and kills some of Hrothgar's people.

Beowulf is a warrior from Geatland (modern southern Sweden). He hears of Hrothgar's troubles with Grendel. Beowulf and his men leave Geatland to help King Hrothgar.

Beowulf and his men stay the night in Heorot. When Grendel comes to kill them, Beowulf fights him. Beowulf tears Grendel's arm off from his body and sticks it on the wall as a trophy. Grendel runs to his home in the marshes, where he dies. Everyone is happy that Grendel is killed and celebrates.
But the next night, Grendel's mother comes to Heorot and kills many people for revenge and grabs Grendel's arm. Beowulf then goes to the marshes where Grendel and his mother lived. Beowulf fights Grendel's mother and kills her.

Beowulf later becomes a king. He fights a dragon that was living in a barrow. With the help of the young man Wiglaf, Beowulf kills the dragon. Beowulf is wounded in the final battle and dies and crowns Wiglaf as his successor.

## Adaptations

The story of _Beowulf_ has often been told in books, plays, and films. Sometimes the full story is told, sometimes just parts of the story. Sometimes the plot is altered. Sometimes only ideas or themes are taken from the story.
Some examples are:
- _Beowulf_ (1999 film)
- _Beowulf and Grendel_ (2005 film)
- _Grendel_ (2007 film)_
- _Eaters of the Dead_, a book by Michael Crichton (1976)
- _Grendel_, a book by John Gardner (1971)
- _The Ring-givers'', a book by W.H. Canaway (1958).

## Infobox (medieval text)

- **name**: Beowulf
- **image**: File:Beowulf Cotton MS Vitellius A XV f. 132r.jpg
- **caption**: First page of _Beowulf_ in Cotton Vitellius A. xv
- **author(s)**: Unknown
- **language**: West Saxon dialect of Old English
- **date**: (date of story),  (date of manuscript)
- **state of existence**: Manuscript suffered damage from fire in 1731
- **manuscript(s)**: Nowell Codex, Cotton Vitellius A. xv
- **first printed edition**: Grímur Jónsson Thorkelin, Thorkelin (1815)
- **verse form**: Alliterative verse
- **genre**: Epic heroic writing
- **subject**: The battles of Beowulf, the Geatish hero, in youth and old age
- **personages**: Beowulf (hero), Beowulf, Hygelac, Hrothgar, Wealhþeow, Hrólfr Kraki, Hrothulf, Æschere, Unferð, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel's mother, Wiglaf, Hildeburh.
Tegan Jovanka

**Tegan Jovanka** is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series _Doctor Who_. She was played by Janet Fielding. Tegan Jovanka was an Australian airline stewardess who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to 1984. Tegan was the longest-serving companion in terms of years on the series (3 years, 1 month), although Jamie McCrimmon was in the most episodes and stories.

## Character history

Tegan first appears in the Fourth Doctor's last serial, _Logopolis_. On her way to Heathrow Airport to start her new job with Air Australia, her car suffers a flat tyre. She enters a roadside police box to seek help, but she enters and does not realise that it is the Doctor's Tardis. She is present when the Fourth Doctor falls from the Pharos Project radio telescope and regenerates into his fifth incarnation, and continues to travel with the doctor
Eventually, the chaos during the events of _Resurrection of the Daleks_ prove too much and she chooses to leave the Doctor and Turlough and stay in 1984 London.

## Trivia

According to David Tennant's video diary of filming _Doctor Who_ Series 3, John Barrowman (who plays Captain Jack Harkness in the 21st century series of _Doctor Who_ and its spinoff _Torchwood_) has a dog named Tegan, named after the companion.

### Television

- Season 18
- _Logopolis_
- Season 19
- _Castrovalva_
- _Four to Doomsday_
- _Kinda_
- _The Visitation_
- _Black Orchid_
- _Earthshock_
- _Time-Flight_
- Season 20
- _Arc of Infinity_
- _Snakedance_
- _Mawdryn Undead_
- _Terminus_
- _Enlightenment_
- _The King's Demons_
- 20th anniversary special
- _The Five Doctors_
- Season 21
- _Warriors of the Deep_
- _The Awakening_
- _Frontios_
- _Resurrection of the Daleks_
- _The Caves of Androzani_ (cameo)

## Other websites

- Tegan Jovanka at _The TARDIS Index File_ website
- Tegan Jovanka on the BBC's _Doctor Who_ website
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

***Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles*** is a television series that appeared on the Fox Television Network from January 13, 2008 until April 10, 2009. It is a spin-off of _Terminator 2: Judgment Day_.

It is about Sarah Connor (played by Lena Headey), her teenage son John Connor (played by Thomas Dekker), and a good robot named Cameron Phillips (played by Summer Glau) trying to stop the evil computer Skynet from ever being created.

## Other websites

- Official site on Fox  (requires Flash)
- Official Wiki  (uses some Flash)
Stigma (botany)

A **stigma** is a part of a flower that gets pollen from pollinators such as bees.  The stigma is part of the female reproductive part of a flower, the pistil. The stigma is on top of the style. The stigma can be either hairy or sticky, or both to trap pollen. When the pollen lands on the stigma, the pollen will grow a pollen tube down the style, and into the ovary of the pistil.
Empress Dowager Cixi

**Empress Dowager Cixi**  (November 29 1835 – November 15 1908), often known in China as the **West Dowager Empress**  was from the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan.

Cixi was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the _de facto_ ruler of the Manchu Qing dynasty and ruled over China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908. She was one of the wives of Emperor Xianfeng and also the mother of Emperor Tongzhi. She quickly took power after the death of Emperor Xianfeng. Though her exact origins are unclear it is very likely that she came from an ordinary Manchu family. She was chosen by Emperor Xianfeng as a concubine. She gained almost total control over the court at the start the rule of her son, Emperor Tongzhi,. He and her nephew, Emperor Guangxu, attempted to rule in their own right.

As onesource tells it, Cixi had a partnership with the top concubine, Zhin, who had been raised to Empress. The two women ruled together, with Cixi being the dominant personality.

She was in charge during the Opium Wars, the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Boxer Rebellion. She was largely conservative during her rule, and some historians consider her reign despotism and think it might have been responsible for the fall of the Qing dynasty and therefore Imperial China.

## References

- Chung, Sue Fawn. 1979. _The much maligned Empress Dowager: a revisionist study of the Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi (1835-1908)_. _Modern Asian Studies_ **13**, 2, 177-96.
- Hummel, Arthur William, ed. _Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912)._ 2 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1943.
- Warner, Marina. 1972. _The Dragon Empress: life and times of Tz'u-his 1835-1908_. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1972.

## Other websites

- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/favourites/b03bdpl9
- http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_cixi.htm?terms=cixi
- http://www.royalty.nu/Asia/China/TzuHsi.html
- http://www.kings.edu/womens_history/tzuhsi.html
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/headland-courtlife.html
- Cixi: The Woman Behind the Throne -- Smithsonian.com

## Infobox (monarch)

- **consort**: yes
- **name**: Empress Xiao Qin Xian
- **title**: Empress of China
- **image**: The Ci-Xi Imperial Dowager Empress (9.2).PNG
- **succession**: Empress dowager of the Qing dynasty
- **reign**: 23 August 1861 – 15 November 1908
- **reign-type**: Tenure
- **predecessor**: Empress Xiaojingcheng, Empress Dowager Kangci
- **successor**: Empress Dowager Longyu
- **issue**: The Tongzhi Emperor
- **birth place**: Beijing, Qing dynasty
- **death place**: Yiluan Hall, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
Controversy

A **controversy** is when many people who have different opinions about something have a strong conflict, then debate for a long time. There may be several groups of people who have different opinions and who cannot agree. Examples for controversial topics are the question of whether abortion should be legal, or whether research on embryonic stem cells should be permitted. Controversies can happen when there is not a lot of understanding about a topic. A controversy may also happen when different people interpret the same information differently based on their own biases.

Any opinion that has opposing sides or points of view can become a controversy. In the winter of 2015, consumers argued over the color and design of Starbucks Christmas cup. Some suggested a boycott of the coffee brand to protest.

## Related pages

- Dispute
German Trade Union Confederation

**Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund** is a confederation of German trade unions. It was a national trade union center of Germany.

The DGB hat 8 German trade unions with more than 7 million people (31.12.2004). It was founded in Munich in 12 October 1949.

## Trade unions

- IG BAU - IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (Construction, Agriculture, Environment) 424,808 members = 6.06%
- IG BCE - IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (Mining, Chemicals, Energy) 770,582 members = 10.99%
- GEW - Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (Education and Science) 254,673 members = 3.63%
- IGM - IG Metall (Metalworkers) 2,425,005 members = 34.58%
- NGG - Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten (Food, Beverages and Catering) 225,328 members = 3.21%
- GdP - Gewerkschaft der Polizei (Police) 177,910 members = 2.54%
- TRANSNET Gewerkschaft (Railway Workers) 270,221 members = 3.85%
- ver.di - Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (United Services Union) 2,464,510 members = 35.14%

( DGB in total: 7,013,037 members = 100% // all values: 31 December 2004 )

## Presidents

- 1949–1951: Hans Böckler
- 1951–1952: Christian Fette
- 1952–1956: Walter Freitag
- 1956–1962: Willi Richter
- 1962–1969: Ludwig Rosenberg
- 1969–1982: Heinz-Oskar Vetter
- 1982–1990: Ernst Breit
- 1990–1994: Heinz-Werner Meyer
- 1994–2002: Dieter Schulte
- 2002–today: Michael Sommer

## Other websites

- DGB homepage
The Best Damn Thing (song)

"**The Best Damn Thing**" is the fourth single off the album The Best Damn Thing  by Avril Lavigne. The song was released June 13, 2008.

## Infobox (song)

- **name**: The Best Damn Thing
- **artist**: Avril Lavigne
- **album**: The Best Damn Thing
- **recorded**: 2006; <small>B-sides: Oct. 16, 2007</small>
- **genre**: Pop punk, power pop, cheerleader, cheerleader chant
- **length**: 3:10
- **label**: RCA Records
- **writer**: Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker
- **producer**: Butch Walker
- **prev title**: Hot (Avril Lavigne song), Hot
- **prev year**: 2007
- **next title**: Alice (Avril Lavigne song), Alice
- **next year**: 2010
Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft

**ver.di** is a large German trade union. It is the largest trade union in the world, with 2.6 million members. "ver.di" is an abbreviation for **Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft**, which means "United Services Union."

In 2001 ver.di was formed when the Deutsche Angestellten Gewerkschaft (DAG) (_German Salaried Employees_) merged with four unions of the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) (DPG, HBV, ÖTV, IG Medien).

## Other websites

- ver.di homepage
- Introduction in English on the ver.di homepage
Deutscher Beamtenbund

**Deutscher Beamtenbund** (dbb) (_Civil Service Federation_) is a national trade union center of Germany.

The DBB was started in 1918 and organizes workers of public administration.

DBB has a membership of 1,250,000 members. President is Peter Heesen

## Other websites

- dbb homepage
Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer

**Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer** (GDL) () is a trade union of Germany. Its president is Claus Weselsky , who took over from Manfred Schell in 2008.

The GDL has a membership of 34,000.  Most members live in the old East Germany.
GDL is a member of the Deutscher Beamtenbund (dbb).

## Other websites

- GDL homepage
TRANSNET Gewerkschaft

**TRANSNET**, which stands for Transport, Service, and Networks, is a trade union in Germany. It represents 283,000 workers, and is one of eight industrial affiliations of the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB). Its president is Norbert Hansen.

## Other websites

- TRANSNET homepage
Can-can

The **can-can** – also spelled _cancan_ – is a music hall dance, performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and black stockings, like the fashions of the 1890s.

The can-can was first danced in low class ballrooms of Montparnasse in Paris about 1830. The dancers of the 1890s, such as La Goulue and Jane Avril, were highly paid for their appearances at the Moulin Rouge and elsewhere. The female dancers of the Second French Empire and the fin de siècle developed the various cancan moves.

The Galop from Jacques Offenbach's _Orpheus in the Underworld_ is the tune most often played with the can-can (a somewhat simplified form and a more evolved one Can-Can (_Orpheus in the Underworld_). Performed on the accordion ).

## In popular culture

The can-can was adapted as an American movie titled "Can Can"(1960), acted by Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine  with music by Cole Porter.
Jacques Offenbach

**Jacques Offenbach** (20 June 1819, in Cologne – 5 October 1880, in Paris) was a French composer and cellist of the Romantic era. He is seen as one of the originators of the operetta form. He was of German-Jewish descent. He was one of the most influential composers of popular music in Europe in the 19th century. Many of his works are still played today.

Offenbach's many operettas, such as _Orpheus in the Underworld_, and _La belle Hélène_, were extremely popular both in France and elsewhere in the 1850s and 1860s.  They combined political and cultural satire with witty grand opera parodies.  His popularity in France declined in the 1870s after the fall of the Second Empire. He fled France, but during the last years of his life, his popularity came back. Several of his operettas are still performed.  While his name remains most closely associated with the French operetta and the Second Empire, it is Offenbach's one fully operatic masterpiece, _Les contes d'Hoffmann_ (_The Tales of Hoffmann_), composed at the end of his career, that has become the most familiar of Offenbach's works in major opera houses.
Shane MacDougall

**Shane MacDougall** is a Canadian stand-up comedian, former columnist, television writer, and documentarian. Best known for his 1999 challenge to Queen Elizabeth II to a kickboxing match or math test for the monarchy of Canada, the challenge resulted in him receiving death threats but also brought much media attention to the burgeoning Canadian republican movement.

He is also known for The Dark Show, which in the late 1990s was Canada's longest running independent comedy show. Held at Toronto's famous Rivoli club, The Dark Show featured some of Canada's top comedians doing material on topics from school shootings to date rape, and also generated protests from some citizens.

For two years Shane was a comedy reporter and humorist for eye Weekly in Toronto, then in 2000 moved to New York City where he worked as a writer for various MTV shows.

In 2005, MacDougall completed filming on a documentary entitled "Wiener Takes All", which followed the competitive dachshund racing circuit. The documentary screened such venues as the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, the 27th Atlantic Film Festival, BendFilm, the Laguna Beach Film Society/Museum of Art, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

## References and Reviews

- Variety Review of Wiener Takes All
- SFist coverage of the US Premiere
- Frank Decaro (Sirius Radio) interview with director Shane MacDougall
- Chronicle Herald front page coverage (Canada)
- Cinematical report on BendFilm
- CBC Radio Interview
Feeling

**Feeling** can mean:

- The sense of touch
- Emotion
- A sensation
Alleghany County, North Carolina

**Alleghany County** is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2020, 10,888 people lived there. Its county seat is Sparta.

## History

The county was made in 1859 from the eastern part of Ashe County, North Carolina.

## Government

Alleghany County is part of the High Country Council of Governments.

## Weather

Since it is in the mountains, Alleghany County has cooler summers than most other places in North Carolina. The temperature usually does not go above 85 °F in the summer. But in the winter the temperature is colder than most places in North Carolina.

## Adjacent Counties

These counties are connected to Alleghany County:
- Grayson County, Virginia - north
- Surry County, North Carolina - east
- Wilkes County, North Carolina - south
- Ashe County, North Carolina - west

## Important Roads

These are the biggest roads in Alleghany County:

## Cities and Towns

These cities and towns are in Alleghany County:
- Sparta

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Alleghany County
- **state**: North Carolina
- **founded**: 1859
- **named for**: Allegheny Mountains
- **seat wl**: Sparta
- **largest city wl**: Sparta
- **city type**: community
- **area total sq mi**: 236.26
- **area land sq mi**: 234.84
- **area water sq mi**: 1.42
- **area percentage**: 0.60
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 10888
- **population density sq mi**: 46.36
- **web**: www.alleghanycounty-nc.gov
- **ex image**: Alleghany County Courthouse Sparta NC.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Alleghany County Courthouse
- **district**: 5th
- **time zone**: Eastern
- **motto**: "Authentically Alleghany"
- **nickname**: Heart Of The Blue Ridge Parkway
Sparta, North Carolina

**Sparta** is a town in Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,834 people as of the year 2020. It is the county seat of Alleghany County.

## Teapot Museum

The Sparta Teapot Museum is being built right now and should be finished by the summer of 2008.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Sparta, North Carolina
- **settlement type**: Town
- **named for**: Sparta, Greece, Sparta, the Ancient Greece, Greek city-state
- **image skyline**: SpartaNCAerial.jpg
- **image caption**: Aerial view of Sparta
- **image map**: NCMap-doton-Sparta.PNG
- **mapsize**: 250x200px
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision name1**: North Carolina
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in North Carolina, County
- **subdivision name2**: Alleghany County, North Carolina, Alleghany
- **leader title**: Mayor
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total km2**: 6.11
- **area land km2**: 6.08
- **area water km2**: 0.02
- **area total sq mi**: 2.36
- **area land sq mi**: 2.35
- **area water sq mi**: 0.01
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 1834
- **population density km2**: 301.47
- **population density sq mi**: 780.76
- **timezone**: North American Eastern Time Zone, Eastern (EST)
- **utc offset**: -5
- **timezone dst**: EDT
- **utc offset dst**: -4
- **elevation ft**: 2861
- **postal code type**: ZIP code
- **postal code**: 28675
- **area code**: Area code 336, 336
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 37-63680
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 2407378
Anson County, North Carolina

**Anson County** is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  In 2020, 22,055 people lived there.  Its county seat is Wadesboro.

## History

The county was made in 1750 from Bladen County.

In 1753, the northern part of Anson County became Rowan County.  In 1762 the western part of the county became Mecklenburg County.  In 1779 the northern part of the county became Montgomery County, and the part east of the Pee Dee River became Richmond County.  And in 1842 the western part of Anson County was combined with the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County to make Union County.

In 1985 most of the movie The Color Purple (film), starring Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg along with Danny Glover, was filmed in Anson county.

## Government

Anson County is part of the Centralina Council of Governments.

## Connected Counties

These counties are connected to Anson County:
- Stanly County, North Carolina - north
- Richmond County, North Carolina - east
- Marlboro County, South Carolina - south east
- Chesterfield County, South Carolina -south
- Union County, North Carolina -west

## Cities and Towns

These cities and towns are in Anson County
- Ansonville
- Lilesville
- McFarlan
- Morven
- Peachland
- Polkton
- Wadesboro

## Other websites

- Anson County government official website

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Anson County
- **state**: North Carolina
- **ex image**: Anson County Courthouse, facade 01.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Anson County Courthouse and Confederate Monument in Wadesboro
- **founded**: 1750
- **named for**: George Anson, Baron Anson
- **seat wl**: Wadesboro
- **largest city wl**: Wadesboro
- **city type**: community
- **area total sq mi**: 537.10
- **area land sq mi**: 531.46
- **area water sq mi**: 5.64
- **area percentage**: 1.05
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 22055
- **population density sq mi**: 41.50
- **web**: www.co.anson.nc.us
- **district**: 8th
- **time zone**: Eastern
- **motto**: "Anson County - A great place to call home"
Wadesboro, North Carolina

**Wadesboro** is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,008 people as of the year 2020. It is the county seat of Anson County.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Wadesboro, North Carolina
- **settlement type**: Town
- **nickname**: "The Heart of the Carolinas"
- **image map**: NCMap-doton-Wadesboro.PNG
- **image skyline**: Wadesboro, North Carolina 03.jpg
- **mapsize**: 250x200px
- **map caption**: Location within the state of North Carolina
- **pushpin map**: USA
- **pushpin label**: Wadesboro
- **pushpin map caption**: Location within the Contiguous United States, contiguous United States of America
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in North Carolina, County
- **subdivision name2**: Anson County, North Carolina, Anson
- **subdivision type3**: List of townships in North Carolina, Township
- **subdivision name3**: Wadesboro
- **established title**: Founded
- **established date**: 1783
- **founder**: Patrick Boggan
- **named for**: Thomas Wade (North Carolina politician), Thomas Wade
- **government type**: Council–manager government, Council–Manager
- **leader title**: Mayor
- **leader title1**: Town council, Council
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total km2**: 17.12
- **area land km2**: 17.08
- **area water km2**: 0.03
- **area total sq mi**: 6.61
- **area land sq mi**: 6.60
- **area water sq mi**: 0.01
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 5008
- **population density km2**: 293.16
- **population density sq mi**: 759.25
- **timezone**: North American Eastern Time Zone, Eastern (EST)
- **utc offset**: -5
- **timezone dst**: EDT
- **utc offset dst**: -4
- **elevation ft**: 525
- **postal code type**: ZIP code, ZIP code(s)
- **postal code**: 28135, 28170
- **area code**: Area code 704, 704
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 37-70380
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 2406812
Alexander County, North Carolina

**Alexander County** is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  In 2020, 36,444 people lived there.  Its county seat is Taylorsville.

## Government

Alexander County is part of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments.

## Connected Counties

These counties are connected to Alexander County:
- Wilkes County, North Carolina - north
- Iredell County, North Carolina - east
- Catawba County, North Carolina - south
- Caldwell County, North Carolina - west

## Cities and Towns

These cities and towns are in Alexander County:
- Taylorsville

## Other websites

- Alexander County government official website

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Alexander County
- **state**: North Carolina
- **founded**: 1847
- **named for**: William Julius Alexander
- **seat wl**: Taylorsville
- **city type**: community
- **largest city**: Bethlehem, Alexander County, North Carolina, Bethlehem
- **area total sq mi**: 263.64
- **area land sq mi**: 259.99
- **area water sq mi**: 3.65
- **area percentage**: 1.39
- **census yr**: 2020
- **population total**: 36444
- **population density sq mi**: 140.17
- **web**: alexandercountync.gov
- **ex image**: Brushy Mountains-27527-1.jpg
- **ex image cap**: The Brushy Mountains (North Carolina), Brushy Mountains in Alexander County
- **district**: 10th
- **time zone**: Eastern
- **motto**: "A wonderful place to live, work and play."
Ashe County, North Carolina

**Ashe County** is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  In 2020, 26,577 people lived there.  Its county seat is Jefferson.

## History

Native Americans used to live in Ashe County.  Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American things have been found in the county.

In 1849, the southwestern part of Ashe County was combined with parts of Caldwell County, Wilkes County, and Yancey County to make Watauga County.  In 1859, the eastern part of Ashe County became Alleghany County.

## Cities and towns

These cities and towns are in Ashe County:
- Jefferson
- Lansing
- West Jefferson

## Connected counties

These counties are connected to Ashe County:
- Grayson County, Virginia - north
- Alleghany County, North Carolina - east
- Wilkes County, North Carolina - southeast
- Watauga County, North Carolina - southwest
- Johnson County, Tennessee - west

## Other websites

- Ashe County government official website

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Ashe County
- **state**: North Carolina
- **ex image**: Ashe County Courthouse.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Ashe County Courthouse in Jefferson
- **founded**: 1799
- **named for**: Samuel Ashe (North Carolina governor), Samuel Ashe
- **seat wl**: Jefferson
- **largest city wl**: Jefferson
- **city type**: community
- **area total sq mi**: 429.37
- **area land sq mi**: 426.26
- **area water sq mi**: 3.11
- **area percentage**: 0.72
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 26577
- **population density sq mi**: 62.35
- **web**: www.ashecountygov.com
- **district**: 5th
- **time zone**: Eastern
Long March

The **Long March** is the  retreat of Mao Zedong and the Communists in 1934-35. The communists went to their stronghold away from Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists. Here they were able to join together and start fighting again to beat the Nationalists. They trekked 6,000 miles over 370 days, and only 8,000 survived out of 100,000 people. However, because they had survived such a difficult trial together the survivors were very dedicated and created a more cohesive group. Mao Zedong rose up as a leader during this time.

## Background

Before the Long March, China had two sides: the nationalists and the communists. Both sides wanted to rule the country. This brought the Chinese Civil War. Chinese nationalists used 500,000 soldiers to remove the communists from Jiang Xi. They failed four times before. Now the nationalists changed the way to attack the communists, using encirclement (make a circle around the enemy army) to stop them from running away. The Communists leader Borgu tried to fight 500,000 soldiers face to face. But the problem is that the Jianxi communists just had 86,000 soldiers and more than half of them just had a broadsword and no guns. They failed to push the nationalist army back, so they tried to go to meet another communist army in Shaanxi.

## How it changed China’s history

The Long March was an important event in Chinese history. It made the China communists army survival and change the way they fight the capitalism. The communists also chose Mao Zedong to become the leader of the communists and all the communist aligned armies in China. Afterward, countryside living and guerilla warfare would be used to fight their Nationalist-faction enemies.

The Long March also made the nationalists follow the communists and kill some local warlord leaders so they controlled more parts of China. They followed the communists all the way to Shaanxi and killed a lot of red army soldiers so that after World War II, the communists had very few soldiers. They took four years to get more soldiers so they could win the civil war.

## Different opinions about the march's result

The communists believed they won by making a lot of soldiers survive and successfully meet the Communists party in Shaanxi. They also said it is so successful to run away from 100,000 soldiers encirclement and about 200,000 soldiers  hunt between the long march.

The Nationalists thought they were successful because the communists were running away from the battle and were forced to move to the other side of China. They killed at least half of the Red Army soldiers in China.

The reason they have different opinions is because their goals were very different: the Communists just wanted to survive the Nationalist army's attack. The Nationalists' goal was to destroy the Red Army in Jian Xi, making the communists weaker than before. It took the communists four years to rebuild their army and win the civil war.
Avery County, North Carolina

**Avery County** is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  In 2020, 17,806 people lived there.  Its county seat is Newland. It is known for growing Fraser Fir Christmas trees. Avery County is part of the High Council of Governments.

## History

The county was made in 1911 from parts of Caldwell County, Mitchell County, and Watauga County.  Avery County was the last county made in North Carolina.

## Bordering counties

These counties border, or connect to, Avery County:
- Johnson County, Tennessee – north
- Carter County, Tennessee – west
- Caldwell County, North Carolina – southeast
- Burke County, North Carolina – south
- McDowell County, North Carolina – south
- Mitchell County, North Carolina – west
- Watauga County, North Carolina – north

## Cities and towns

These cities and towns are in Avery County:
- Banner Elk
- Beech Mountain
- Crossnore
- Elk Park
- Grandfather
- Linville
- Minneapolis
- Newland
- Seven Devils
- Sugar Mountain

## Other websites

- Avery County government official website

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **ex image**: Avery County Courthouse in Newland.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Avery County Courthouse
- **county**: Avery County
- **state**: North Carolina
- **founded**: 1911
- **named for**: Waightstill Avery
- **seat wl**: Newland
- **largest city wl**: Banner Elk
- **city type**: community
- **area total sq mi**: 247.51
- **area land sq mi**: 247.34
- **area water sq mi**: 0.17
- **area percentage**: 0.06
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 17806
- **population density sq mi**: 72.04
- **web**: www.averycountync.gov
- **district**: 5th
- **time zone**: Eastern
Hersfeld-Rotenburg

**Hersfeld-Rotenburg** is a _Kreis_ (district) in the east of Hesse, Germany.

## History

In 1821 districts were created in Hesse, including the districts Hersfeld and Rotenburg, which stayed nearly unchanged after Hesse-Kassel was taken over by Prussia. In 1972 both districts were joined into one.

## Towns and municipalities

|width=33% align=left|Towns|width=33% align=left|Municipalities|width=33% align=left||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||# Bad Hersfeld # Bebra # Heringen # Rotenburg an der Fulda||# Alheim # Breitenbach am Herzberg # Cornberg # Friedewald # Hauneck # Haunetal # Hohenroda # Kirchheim||<ol start=9> <li> Ludwigsau <li> Nentershausen <li> Neuenstein <li> Niederaula <li> Philippsthal (Werra) <li> Ronshausen <li> Schenklengsfeld <li> Wildeck </ol>|

## Other websites

- Official website
- Touristic website

## Infobox (german district)

- **name**: Hersfeld-Rotenburg
- **image coa**: DEU Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg COA.svg
- **image flag**: Hissflagge des Landkreises Hersfeld-Rotenburg.svg
- **state**: Hesse
- **capital**: Bad Hersfeld
- **regierungsbezirk**: Kassel Government Region, Kassel
- **kreisschlüssel**: 06632
- **area**: 1,097.08
- **population**: 129,578
- **population as of**: 2002
- **density**: 118
- **carsign**: HEF
- **url**: http://www.hef-rof.de
- **map**: hesse_hef.png
Werra-Meißner-Kreis

**Werra-Meißner** is a _Kreis_ (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany.

## History

The district was created in 1974 by merging the two district Eschwege and Witzenhausen, which both existed with only slight modifications since 1821.

## Geography

The main river in the district is the Werra. The _Hohe Meißner_ with  is the highest of the _Meißner_ mountains. The river and the mountain gave the district its name.

The Hohe Meißner was also home to USA military forces up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Soldiers of the Special Forces guarded the eavesdropping listening post situated on the hilltop.

## Towns and municipalities

|align=left width=50%|Towns|align=left width=50%|Municipalities|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
||# Bad Sooden-Allendorf # Eschwege # Großalmerode # Hessisch Lichtenau # Sontra # Waldkappel # Wanfried # Witzenhausen||# Berkatal # Herleshausen # Meinhard # Meißner # Neu-Eichenberg # Ringgau # Wehretal # Weißenborn|

## Other websites

- Official website

## Infobox (german district)

- **name**: Werra-Meißner
- **image coa**: DEU Werra-Meissner-Kreis COA.svg
- **image flag**: Flagge Werra-Meißner-Kreis.svg
- **state**: Hesse
- **capital**: Eschwege
- **regierungsbezirk**: Kassel Government Region, Kassel
- **kreisschlüssel**: 06636
- **area**: 1,024.55
- **population**: 112,680
- **population as of**: 2002
- **density**: 110
- **carsign**: ESW
- **url**: http://www.werra-meissner.de
- **map**: hesse_esw.png
Waldeck-Frankenberg

**Waldeck-Frankenberg** is a _Kreis_ (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany.

## History

The district was created in 1972 by merging the two districts Frankenberg and Waldeck. Most of the area of the district was previously part of the old principality of Waldeck.

## Towns and municipalities

|align=left width=50%|Towns|align=left width=50%|Municipalities|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
||#Bad Arolsen #Bad Wildungen #Battenberg (Eder) #Diemelstadt #Frankenau #Frankenberg (Eder) #Gemünden (Wohra) #Hatzfeld (Eder) #Korbach #Lichtenfels #Rosenthal #Volkmarsen #Waldeck||#Allendorf (Eder) #Bromskirchen #Burgwald #Diemelsee #Edertal #Haina (Kloster) #Twistetal #Vöhl #Willingen (Upland)|

## Other websites

- Official website

## Infobox (district de)

- **name**: Waldeck-Frankenberg
- **map**: Hesse KB.svg
- **image coa**: Wappen Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg.svg
- **image flag**: Flagge Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg.svg
- **state**: Hesse
- **regierungsbezirk**: Kassel Government Region, Kassel
- **capital**: Korbach
- **area**: 1,848.58
- **kreisschlüssel**: 06635
- **population**: 161.871
- **population as of**: 2010
- **density**: 88
- **carsign**: KB
- **url**: [http://www.landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de]
- **latd**: 51
- **latm**: 10
- **longd**: 8
- **longm**: 50
Schwalm-Eder-Kreis

**Schwalm-Eder** is a _Kreis_ (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany.

## Partnerships

The district has partnerships with
- , Kajaani City,
- , district of Sedgemoor
- , district of Piła and
- , the Rayon ov (Yaroslavl Oblast).

## Geography

The two rivers Schwalm and Eder gave the district its name.

## Towns and municipalities

|align=left width=33%|Towns|align=left width=33%|Municipalities|align=left width=33%||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||# Borken # Felsberg # Fritzlar # Gudensberg # Homberg # Melsungen # Neukirchen # Niedenstein # Schwalmstadt # Schwarzenborn # Spangenberg||# Bad Zwesten # Edermünde # Frielendorf # Gilserberg # Guxhagen # Jesberg # Knüllwald # Körle # Malsfeld||<ol start=10> <li>Morschen <li>Neuental <li>Oberaula <li>Ottrau <li>Schrecksbach <li>Wabern <li>Willingshausen </ol>|

## Other websites

- Official website

## Infobox (german district)

- **name**: Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
- **image coa**: Wappen Schwalm-Eder-Kreis.svg
- **image flag**: Flagge Schwalm-Eder-Kreis.svg
- **state**: Hesse
- **capital**: Homberg (Efze)
- **regierungsbezirk**: Kassel Government Region, Kassel
- **kreisschlüssel**: 06634
- **area**: 1,538.46
- **population**: 193,003
- **population as of**: 2002
- **density**: 125
- **carsign**: HR
- **url**: http://www.schwalm-eder-kreis.de
- **map**: hesse_hr.png
Velvet Revolver

**Velvet Revolver** (**VR**), was a Grammy Award-winning rock supergroup that started in 2002. The members of the band were three Guns N' Roses band members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals) and Wasted Youth bassist Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar). Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland was previously the lead singer. He joined the band after Stone Temple Pilots broke up in 2003. The band got success with their first album _Contraband_ in 2004 and released their second album _Libertad_ in 2007. Scott left the band in 2008, though he did one more one-off show with the band in 2012. Velvet Revolver had had several searches for a new singer since then, but had yet to announce a replacement.

## Band members

- Slash – lead guitar, talkbox, occasional backing vocals <small>(2002–2012)</small>
- Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals <small>(2002–2012)</small>
- Matt Sorum – drums, percussion, backing vocals <small>(2002–2012)</small>
- Dave Kushner – rhythm guitar <small>(2002–2012)</small>
- Scott Weiland – lead vocals, occasional keyboards <small>(2003–2008, 2012; died 2015)</small>

## Discography

- Studio albums
- _Contraband_ (2004)
- _Libertad_ (2007)

## Other websites

- Velvet Revolver Official Site (dot com) / Velvet Revolver Official Site (dot net)
- Velvet Revolver @ RCA Records
- RCA Records
- Velvet Revolver VH1 Artist Page
- Velvet Revolver MTV Artist Page
- Velvet Revolver AOL Artist Page
- Velvet Revolver Billboard Artist Page
- Velvet Revolver All Music Guide Artist Page
- Velvet Revolver Rolling Stone Artist Page
- Scott Weiland talks about "Libertad"
- Officiële Velvet Revolver Benelux Website
- Online wiki for Velvet Revolver concerts and setlists

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Velvet Revolver
- **img**: Velvet Revolver en Argentina.jpg
- **img capt**: Velvet Revolver live in Argentina
- **img size**: 250
- **landscape**: Yes
- **background**: group_or_band
- **origin**: Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States, USA
- **years active**: 2002-2008
(one-off reunion: 2012)
- **label**: Sony BMG Music Entertainment, SonyBMG/RCA Records, RCA
- **associated acts**: Guns N' Roses
Stone Temple Pilots
Wasted Youth (American band), Wasted Youth
Slash's Snakepit
Camp Freddy
- **url**: [http://www.velvetrevolver.com/ www.velvetrevolver.com]  [http://www.velvetrevolver.net/ www.velvetrevolver.net]
- **past members**: Slash (musician), Slash
Duff McKagan
Matt Sorum
Dave Kushner
Scott Weiland
Kristanna Loken

**Kristanna Sommer Loken** or **Kristanna Sommer Løken** (born October 8, 1979) is an American actress known for her work in both film and television, and a former fashion model. She is perhaps known as T-X from the movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Rayne from the movie Bloodrayne (2006).

All of Loken's four grandparents were immigrants to the United States from Norway. She is openly bisexual.

## Filmography

- _Mortal Kombat Conquest_ (1998) (as Taja)
- _Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines_ (2003) as T-X
- _Ring of the Nibelungs_ (2004) as Brunhild
- _BloodRayne_ (2006) as Rayne
- _The L Word_ (2007) as Paige Sobel
- _Painkiller Jane_ (2007) as Jane Vasco / Painkiller Jane
- _In the Name of the King_ (2008) as Elora

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Kristanna Loken
- **image**: 5.21.11KristannaLokenByLuigiNovi.jpg
- **caption**: Loken at the 2011
- **birth place**: Ghent, New York, United States, U.S.
- **birthname**: Kristanna Sommer Loken
- **website**: http://www.kristannaloken.net
Concubinage

**Concubinage** is the state of a woman in a relationship with a man of higher social status that gives her less rights than a marriage. In most of the cases the man has an official wife and one or more concubines. Concubines have only limited rights of support from the man, and their children have lower status than children born by the official wife or wives; these legal rights distinguish a concubine from a mistress.

Historically, the family of a girl were in favour of a concubinage with a mighty man, as it brought economic security. But concubinage could also mean sexual slavery.

Historically, sexual relations with  concubines, who are known as “those whom your right hands possess” in the Qur'an, was permissible in Islam. However, most modern Muslims believe that Islam no longer permits concubinage and that sexual relations are religiously permissible only within marriage.

In the Western world there is no legal status of concubines, as only monogamous marriages are recognized. Any other relationship does not enjoy legal protection; the woman is necessarily a mistress.

## References

- _Rosales v. Battle_ (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 1178 (California court decision involving status of concubine. Link requires free registration.)
Mistress (lover)

A **mistress** is a man's long term female sexual partner and companion who is not married to him. This term is especially used when the man is married to another woman.  The relationship is generally stable; however, the couple do not live together openly.  Also, the relationship is usually but not always secret. Rather often the man is paying for some of the woman's living expenses. A mistress has no legal relationship to the man, that makes the difference to the status of a concubine.

The term can also be used to describe the "other" companion in a female same-sex marriage. Likewise, a woman may be married to a man and have a mistress of her own.

## Definition

Historically, the term was used for women who could afford a comfortable lifestyle, because a wealthy man financed that so that she will be available for his sexual pleasure. Such a woman could move between the roles of a mistress and a courtesan. Today however, the word _mistress_ is used primarily to refer to the female companion of a man who is married to another woman; in the case of an unmarried man it is usual to speak of a "girlfriend".

The historically best known and most researched mistresses are the royal mistresses of European monarchs, for example Madame de Pompadour.
In the courts of Europe, particularly Versailles and Whitehall in the 17th and 18th centuries, a mistress often had great power and influence.  A king might hold numerous mistresses but have a single "favourite mistress" or "official mistress" (in French, "maîtresse en titre"), as with Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour.
Italian Campaign

**Italian Campaign** can mean the following:

- The Italian campaign of 1524-1525 fought during the Italian War of 1521.
- The Italian Campaign fought by Napoleon Bonaparte between 1796 and 1797.
- The Austro-Sardinian War fought by Napoleon III of France and Kingdom of Sardinia against Austria in 1859.
- The Italian Campaign (World War I) was fought primarily by Italy against Austria-Hungary in World War I.
- The Italian Campaign (World War II) that began after the Allied invasion of Italy in World War II.
Eastern Front (World War I)

The **Eastern Front** of World War I was the theatre in which Germany and Austria-Hungary fought against the Russian Empire. Planning places to concentrate forces was very important because there were few railways on the Eastern Front, and troops could not be moved and reinforced as quickly as on the Western Front.

Russia lost many battles, but its overall situation improved as Russia improved its forces, and more and more allies entered the war. The Eastern Front ended when the Russian Civil War broke out in 1917. The communists signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany so that they could focus on winning the civil war.

## Other websites

- WWI Eastern Front Photo.
- WWI Eastern Front Part II
- With the Russian army, 1914-1917 by Alfred Knox

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: Eastern Front
- **place**: Eastern Europe
- **partof**: The European theatre of World War I
- **image**: Eastern Front, 1914.jpg
- **caption**: Eastern Europe before World War I
- **date**: 1 August 1914 – 7 May 1918
- **result**: Central Powers victory
- **combatant1**: Allied Powers of WWI, Allied Powers:
- **combatant2**: Central Powers:
- **commander1**: Nicholas II

- **commander2**: Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm II
 Franz Joseph I of Austria, Franz Joseph I
 Karl I & IV, Charles I
Gibbon

**Gibbons** belong to the group of lesser apes. They are known for their ability to swing from one tree to another with great agility and swiftness.

There are four genera of gibbons. Gibbons live in dense tropical forests, for example, in Sumatra, Thailand, and Malaysia.

## Extraordinary abilities

Gibbons are the best tree travelers in the animal kingdom. They almost seem to be flying as they swing themselves hand over hand through the trees. Like great apes, gibbons can also walk upright on the ground. When they walk on the ground, gibbons hold their long arms in the air to keep them from dragging.

Gibbons are "singers" too. Their powerful voices travel for kilometers through the forests of Southeast Asia. At times, a male, a female, and their young get together and "sing" in a chorus. These sounds help groups of gibbons stay in contact. They also tell unwelcome visitors to stay away.

Gibbons stay busy for most of the day. They swing through the trees, looking for leaves, flowers, fruit, and insects to eat. When night falls, small groups settle down in familiar trees for the night.

## Male and female

Unlike most other primates, male and female gibbons are not very different in size and shape, although they may differ in color. The males are usually black, while the females tend to be ash blond. Female gibbons have one offspring per gestation period and live about 25 years.

## Taxonomy

The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: _Hylobates_ (44), _Hoolock_ (38), _Nomascus_ (52), and _Symphalangus_ (50).

- **Family Hylobatidae**: gibbons
    - Genus _Hylobates_
        - Lar gibbon or White-handed gibbon, _Hylobates lar_
        - Agile gibbon or Black-handed gibbon, _Hylobates agilis_
        - Müller's Bornean gibbon, _Hylobates muelleri_
        - Silvery gibbon, _Hylobates moloch_
        - Pileated gibbon or Capped gibbon, _Hylobates pileatus_
        - Kloss's gibbon or Mentawai gibbon or Bilou, _Hylobates klossii_
    - Genus _Hoolock_
        - Western Hoolock gibbon, _Hoolock hoolock_
        - Eastern Hoolock gibbon, _Hoolock leuconedys_
    - Genus _Symphalangus_
        - Siamang, _Symphalangus syndactylus_
    - Genus _Nomascus_

## Other websites

- Gibbon Conservation Center
- Gibbon Network and Research Lab
Chiron (hypothetical moon)

**Chiron** is the name given to a moon of Saturn claimed to be sighted by Hermann Goldschmidt in 1861 which he said, orbited between Titan and Hyperion. But it has since been determined that it does not exist as it was never seen again for more than 100 years.

It is now known as a centaur, which was found in 1977, named 2060 Chiron.