juno-labs/simple_wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Partridge

The **partridge** is a medium sized bird. They are known as game birds because they are hunted and eaten by humans. They are in the pheasant family (Phasianidae).

Partridges are in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The line "...and a partridge in a pear tree" is sung.

## Color and shape

Most partridges are brown, gray and white. They are camouflaged and difficult to see. They have short legs and short bills. Partridges are smaller than pheasants but they are bigger than quails.

Partridges can not fly very well and they do not migrate. This means they always stay in the same area all year round.

## Habitat

Partridges live in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. They live in places such as moors, grassland and farmland. They feed mostly on seeds, and nest on the ground. This means their nests are not very safe from predators such as foxes. Partridges use their camouflage to make it difficult for predators to see them and their nests.
Bromsgrove

**Bromsgrove** is a town in the north of Worcestershire. The town is about  north-east of Worcester and  south-west of Birmingham. 29,237 people lived there in 2001.

## Geography

The layer of rock underneath Bromsgrove is mainly sandstone.  The soil is very good for growing vegetables. The altitude of the town is  above sea level.

## Climate

The climate in Bromsgrove is like most of the United Kingdom. It is an "oceanic climate." This means it is cool in summer and not very cold in winter. It can rain at any time of the year.

## Transport

The main A38 road goes through Bromsgrove. The M5 motorway passes by the west side of the town. The M42 motorway starts at the north of the town.

Bromsgrove train station is in the south of the town. The station is at the bottom of the "Lickey Incline".  The Lickey Incline is the steepest hill for trains in Britain. An extra locomotive has to help push heavy freight trains up the hill. There are many passenger trains to Birmingham, Worcester and Hereford. There is a plan to build a new, better train station in Bromsgrove. The new station will cost about £10 million to £12 million.

There is also a bus station in the town centre. Buses travel from the bus station to many places in Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

## Infobox (uk place)

- **country**: England
- **official name**: Bromsgrove
- **population**: 29,237
- **static image**: Bromsgove High Street showing Cancer Research Shop - geograph.org.uk - 1102004.jpg
- **static image caption**: The High Street
- **shire district**: Bromsgrove (district), Bromsgrove
- **shire county**: Worcestershire
- **region**: West Midlands
- **constituency westminster**: Bromsgrove (UK Parliament constituency), Bromsgrove
- **postcode district**: B61, B60
- **postcode area**: B
- **post town**: BROMSGROVE
- **dial code**: 01527
- **os grid reference**: SO960708
Diploglossus

**Diploglossus** is a genus of lizards in the family Anguidae.  It has nineteen described species. They are found in North and South America.
Laguna

**Laguna City** is a little city of south of the Brazil, in Santa Catarina State.  This city have more than 50000 people.  It was the capital of the short-lived Juliana Republic in 1839.  The city is known for having dolphins

Some popular beaches of this city:
- Mar Grosso beach
- Iró beach
- Gravatá beach
- Gi beach.
Takalik Abaj

**Tak'alik A'baj**'  is an ancient ruin in Guatemala; it used to be called **Abaj Takalik**. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites that have Olmec and Maya features. The site was inhabited the during the Preclassic and Classic periods, from the 9th century BC through to at least the 10th century AD. It was an important place for trade. It traded with Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá. It is one of the largest sites with carved monuments on the Pacific coast. Olmec-style sculptures include a possible colossal head, rock carvings and others. The site has one of the biggest collections of Olmec-style sculpture outside of the Gulf of Mexico.

Takalik Abaj shows the first signs of Maya culture that happened by about 400 BC. The site includes a Maya royal tomb and examples of Maya writing that are among the first from the Maya region. Studies continue at the site; the monumental buildings and long tradition of sculpture in a variety of styles suggest the site was important.

Finds from the site indicate contact with the distant city of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico. They imply that Takalik Abaj was conquered by it or its allies. Takalik Abaj was linked to long-distance Maya trade routes that let the city take part in a trade network that included the Guatemalan highlands and the Pacific coastal plain from Mexico to El Salvador.

Takalik Abaj was a large city with the main buildings in four main groups spread across nine terraces. While some of these were natural, others were man-made, needing a lot of work and materials. The site had a clever water drainage system and many stone sculptures.

## Other websites

- Takalik Abaj at _The Guatemala Times_ online . Information and news in English, some by investigating archaeologists.
- Site description and gallery
Currys

**Currys** is a British electrical retailer operating in the UK and Ireland.

In 2009, some Curry stores in the UK were combined with the PCWorld name.

## Infobox (company)

- **name**: Currys
- **image**: PC World, the Headrow, Leeds (20th February 2013) (tweaked).jpg
- **image caption**: A combined Curry's and PCWorld on Briggate in Leeds.
- **foundation**: 1884
- **location**: Hemel Hempstead, England, United Kingdom, UK
- **key people**: John Browett
 Michael Platoe
- **industry**: Retail
- **products**: White goods, Telecommunications, Information technology
- **parent**: Dixons Retail plc
- **num employees**: 10,762 (2008)
Alfonso García Robles

**Alfonso García Robles** (20 March 1911 – 2 September 1991) was a Mexican diplomat and politician.
García Robles received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982, together with Sweden's Alva Myrdal. García Robles was  the driving force behind the Treaty of Tlatelolco. This treaty established a nuclear-free zone in Latin America and the Caribbean.

## Infobox (politician)

- **name**: Alfonso García Robles
- **image**: Alfonso Garcia Robles 1981.jpg
- **caption**: Robles in 1981
- **birth place**: Zamora, Michoacán, Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico
- **death date**: (aged 80)
- **residence**: Mexico
- **citizenship**: Mexico, Mexican
- **alma mater**: UNAM
- **signature**: Alfonso García Robles (Firma).jpg
- **awards**: Nobel Peace Prize 1982
Ouangolodougou, Ivory Coast

**Ouangolodougou, Côte d'Ivoire** is a small town in the northern part of Ivory Coast, a country in western Africa. It is located in the Ferkessédougou Department. Ouangolodougou is near the border of Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
Pinto horse

A **pinto horse** is a spotted horse. They are not a breed, but a coat color. In fact, any horse breed can be a pinto as long as they have patches of white or another color. Pintos are often confused with Paints, a horse breed. They look very similar. The difference is that a Paint is a breed, and a pinto is a coat color that can be on any breed, including Paints.

## History

Pintos are so old that they were found in tombs in Ancient Egypt dating back to 4 B.C.  In the 16th century Cortez brought thousands to the New World. Some of them were set free, and Native Americans caught them. The Native Americans liked them for their toughness and their color. Their color blended in with the environment and made a natural camouflage. They were known to make great war horses. Their name came from the Spanish word _pintado_, which means “painted”.

## Color

Pintos have pink skin, blue eyes, and white or multicolored hooves.  They can be either a white horse with colored patches, or a colored horse with white patches. It has been said that no two Pintos are exactly alike.

## Patterns

Pintos have 3 different patterns:
- Tobiano: The Tobiano is the most common. They are white, with large colored spots that often overlap.
- Overo: A colored horse with jagged white markings.
- Tovero: A Tovero is a mix of Tobiano and Overo.

## Type

Pintos come in 4 different types:
- Stock: A Western horse, usually a Quarter Horse or a Paint
- Hunter: An English horse, usually a Thoroughbred or a European Warmblood
- Pleasure: Usually an Arabian, Andalusian, or a Morgan
- Saddle: A gaited horse, usually a Saddlebred, Hackney, or a Tennessee Walker

## Size

Pintos come in 4 different sizes:
- Miniature: usually about 34 inches.
- Miniature B: usually about 34-38 inches.
- Pony: usually about 38-56 inches.
- Horse: 56 inches and up.

## Related pages

- Horse
Darrell Waltrip

**Darrell Lee Waltrip** (born February 5, 1947) is a retired American racecar driver. Waltrip won three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships and 84 races, including the 1989 Daytona 500. He is now part of the broadcast team for Fox Sports. Waltrip’s younger brother, Michael Waltrip, owned and raced for his own team in NASCAR. In June of 2011 Waltrip was given a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He is a part of the Hall of Fame class of 2012.
Black Forest cake

The **Black Forest cake**, also called _Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte_, is an authentic German cake made up of a chocolate layer cake with cherries in the middle and whipped cream on top. They are traditionally made with fresh Morello cherries, poached in a sugar syrup and pitted. It is a variation of the chocolate cake, and sometimes decorated with chocolate curls.

## Infobox (food)

- **name**: Black Forest cake
- **image**: Black Forest gateau.jpg
- **image size**: 250px
- **alternate name**: Black Forest gâteau
- **country**: Germany
- **main ingredient**: Chocolate cake, Cherry, cherries, whipped cream, maraschino cherry
Hypothermia

**Hypothermia** is a condition when a person is so cold that the body temperature drops below normal. Hypothermia is any body temperature lower than . Someone with hypothermia starts shivering and cannot stop. The person then becomes confused and acts strange. Their words don't make sense and they may be clumsy. Sometimes they become very tired. If someone gets hypothermia, wrap the person in blankets and take them to the hospital. If that's impossible, warm up the person slowly and give them a warm drink.

## Mild

When hypothermia begins, a person feels cold, starts shivering and cannot stop. The person cannot do complicated things with his or her hands. They are also unable to touch their thumb with their little finger, because their hand muscles don't work well.

Mild hypothermia is sometimes used on purpose by doctors for treating some medical problems. It takes blood away from the skin, hands and feet, and puts it to the brain and important internal organs. This helps when the person is bleeding from cuts or other wounds, and also helps when the patient goes into cardiac arrest.

## Moderate (Middle)

The person begins shivering very strongly. Their large muscles do not work well. They move slowly and with difficulty, growing a little confused and walking unsteadily. The person becomes pale, and lips, ears, fingers, and toes might become blue. This is because the body is trying to keep the most important organs warm. The person might feel sick in their stomach and very tired, wanting to go to sleep, anywhere.

## Severe

Body temperature drops even more, but the person usually stops shivering. They cannot talk clearly; they think slowly, and they cannot move their hands. Sometimes a person will feel suddenly warm, as if they are getting better, but this just means they are getting worse. They may take off warm clothes or lay down to go to sleep. If this continues, they cannot walk or answer questions. Their pulse becomes weaker, but the heart may beat faster. Finally, the person dies.

## Related pages

- Hyperthermia

## Other websites

- Princeton Outdoor Guide to Hypothermia
- eMedicine: Hypothermia
- Wilderness Management of Hypothermia

## Infobox (_disease)

- **name**: Hypothermia
- **image**: Homeless and cold.jpg
- **caption**: Being homeless can make you become exposed to hypothermia
- **diseasesdb**: 6542
- **emedicinesubj**: med
- **emedicinetopic**: 1144
- **meshid**: D007035
Rapids

**Rapids** are found on rivers. Rapids are formed by one or more of the following:  constriction, obstruction, gradient, and flow rate.  For instance, when water is flowing swiftly over a rocky river bed, rapids can be formed.  Rapids are typically found in or near the mountains, due to the element of gradient.  Formally, the word "rapids" is always plural, (like "scissors" and "trousers"), but is often used in the singular when speaking of a specific rapid or when it would be grammatically awkward; e.g., "Sweet's Falls Rapids vs. Sweet's Falls Rapid).  The word "rapid" means "very fast."

Because of the splash made by the water going over rocks, rapids are also called "whitewater". Some people enjoying whitewater canoeing or whitewater rafting as a sport.

## Related pages

- Waterfall
J.E.B. Stuart

**James Ewell Brown Stuart** (1833-1864) was a general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.  He was from Virginia.  During the war, he was known for dangerous things he did while riding a horse.  He was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864.

## Infobox (military person)

- **name**: James Ewell Brown Stuart
- **image**: Jeb stuart.jpg
- **signature**: JEB Stuart Signature.svg
- **nickname**: Jeb, Beauty, Knight of the Golden Spurs
- **birth place**: Patrick County, Virginia
- **death place**: Richmond, Virginia
- **placeofburial**: Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia), Hollywood Cemetery
- **placeofburial label**: Place of burial
- **allegiance**: United States, United States of America
Confederate States of America
- **branch**: Confederate States Army
- **serviceyears**: 1854–61 (USA)
1861–64 (CSA)
- **rank**:  Captain (United States), Captain (USA)
Major General (CSA)
- **commands**: Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
- **battles**: Bleeding Kansas
American Civil War
*First Battle of Bull Run
*Peninsula Campaign
*Northern Virginia Campaign
*Maryland Campaign
*Battle of Fredericksburg
*Battle of Chancellorsville
*Gettysburg Campaign
*Overland Campaign
**Battle of Yellow Tavern †
Riodinidae

**Riodinidae** is a family of butterflies.  They are commonly known as **riodinids** or **metalmarks**. Metalmarks get their name from the bright, metallic (looking like metal) markings found on the wings of most species. The family has nearly 2,000 species in it. The metalmarks are mostly found in the Neotropical region. Most metalmarks are small. Their wingspan ranges from 20mm to 65mm. Metalmarks vary greatly in wing shape, pattern, and color.

Riodinidae was formerly known as the family Nemeobiidae and as the family Erycinidae. It was also once thought to be a subfamily of Lycaenidae.

## Subfamilies

- Euselasiinae
- Nemeobiinae - This subfamily is sometimes treated as a tribe.
- Riodininae

## Some species

- _Hamearis lucina_ - Duke of Burgundy
- _Apodemia mormo_ - Mormon Metalmark
- _Lasaia sula_ - Blue Metalmark
- _Melanis pixe_ - Red-bordered Pixie
Taxicab number

A **taxicab number** is the name given by mathematicians to a sequence of special numbers: 2, 1729 etc.  A taxicab number is the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two positive cubes in _n_ distinct ways.  It has nothing to do with taxis, but the name comes from a well-known conversation that took place between two famous mathematicians: Godfrey Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.

## The story about Godfrey Hardy’s taxi

Godfrey Hardy was a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University.  One day he went to visit a friend, the brilliant young Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was ill.  Both men were mathematicians and liked to think about numbers.

When Ramanujan heard that Hardy had come in a taxi he asked him what the number of the taxi was.  Hardy said that it was just a boring number: 1729.  Ramanujan replied that 1729 was not a boring number at all: it was a very interesting one.  He explained that it was the smallest number that could be expressed by the sum of two cubes in two different ways.

This story is very famous among mathematicians.  1729 is sometimes called the “Hardy-Ramanujan number”.

## Explanation of the Hardy-Ramanujan's number

- When a particular number is multiplied by itself the answer is called a “square”, e.g. 3x3=9, so the number 9 is a square.
- When a particular number is multiplied thrice by itself the answer is called a “cube”, e.g. 3x3x3=27, so the number 27 is a cube.
- Another example of a cube is 8, because it is 2x2x2.
- 27+8=35, so 35 is the “sum of two cubes” (“sum” in this sense means “numbers that are added together”).

There are two ways to say that 1729 is the sum of two cubes.
1x1x1=1;  12x12x12=1728.  So 1+1728=1729
But also:  9x9x9=729;  10x10x10=1000.  So 729+1000=1729
There are other numbers that can be shown to be the sum of two cubes in more than one way, but 1729 is the smallest of them.

## Known taxicab numbers

Since the famous conversation between Hardy and Ramanujan, mathematicians have tried to find other interesting numbers that are the smallest number that can be expressed by the sum of two cubes in three/four/five etc. different ways.  These numbers are very, very big, and have been found by computers.

So far, the following six taxicab numbers are known :
Bernard Frénicle de Bessy

**Bernard Frénicle de Bessy** (about 1605–1675), was a French mathematician.  He was born in Paris.  He wrote many papers about mathematics,  number theory and combinatorics. The Frénicle standard form, a standard representation of magic squares, is named after him. He solved many problems created by Fermat. He also discovered a taxicab number and in 1693, he described all 880 essentially different normal magic squares of order 4.

Like Fermat, Frénicle was an amateur mathematician, but he wrote letters to famous people such as Descartes, Christiaan Huygens, Mersenne and also Fermat, who was his friend. He is mainly remembered for his discoveries about number theory.
Płońsk

**Płońsk** is a city in Central Poland in the Masovian Voivodeship. It has a population of 23,000 and has an area of 12 km². It is the birthplace of the Zionist leader and first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion.

## Other websites

- Map of the City of Płońsk
- Official website of the City of Płońsk
Lake Placid, New York

**Lake Placid** is a village in northern New York State.  It has a population of 2,205. It was founded in the early 1880s to look for iron.  Today it is a ski resort.  It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, in 1932 and 1980.

## Other websites

- Web site of the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau
- Web site of the Lake Placid News
- Lake Placid information
- Lake Placid Olympic Authority

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Lake Placid, New York
- **settlement type**: Village (New York), Village
- **image skyline**: Lake Placid from McKenzie Mountain.jpg
- **image caption**: Lake Placid from McKenzie Mountain
- **nickname**: "The Olympic Village"
- **image map**: Lakeplacid-ny-map.gif
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **image map1**: Essex County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Lake Placid highlighted.svg
- **mapsize1**: 260px
- **map caption1**: Location in Essex County, New York, Essex County and the state of New York (state), New York.
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in New York, County
- **subdivision type3**: Town (New York), Town
- **subdivision name1**: New York (state), New York
- **subdivision name2**: Essex County, New York, Essex
- **subdivision name3**: North Elba, New York, North Elba
- **established date**: 1700s
- **government type**: Council / Manager
- **leader title**: Mayor
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total km2**: 3.97
- **area total sq mi**: 1.53
- **area land km2**: 3.53
- **area land sq mi**: 1.36
- **area water km2**: 0.45
- **area water sq mi**: 0.17
- **elevation m**: 549
- **elevation ft**: 1801
- **population total**: 2205
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population density km2**: 625.44
- **population density sq mi**: 1620.13
- **postal code type**: ZIP code
- **postal code**: 12946
- **area code**: Area code 518, 518
- **timezone**: North American Eastern Time Zone, Eastern (EST)
- **utc offset**: -5
- **timezone dst**: EDT
- **utc offset dst**: -4
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 36-40761
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 0954931
- **area water percent**: 10.80
Grebe

A **grebe** is a medium sized bird. They are in the family **Podicipedidae**. There are 22 species of grebe.

## Genera and species

- Genus _Tachybaptus_
    - Little Grebe, _Tachybaptus  ruficollis_
    - Australasian Grebe _Tachybaptus novaehollandiae_
    - Madagascar Grebe, _Tachybaptus pelzelnii _
    - Alaotra Grebe, _Tachybaptus rufolavatus_ — probably extinct (late 1980s)
    - Least Grebe, _Tachybaptus dominicus_

- Genus _Podilymbus_
    - Pied-billed Grebe, _Podilymbus podiceps_
    - Atitlán Grebe, _Podilymbus gigas_ — extinct (1989)

- Genus _Rollandia_
    - White-tufted Grebe, _Rollandia rolland _
    - Titicaca Flightless Grebe, _Rollandia microptera _

- Genus _Poliocephalus_
    - Hoary-headed Grebe, _Poliocephalus poliocephalus _
    - New Zealand Dabchick, _Poliocephalus rufopectus _

- Genus _Podiceps_
    - Red-necked Grebe, _Podiceps grisegena_
    - Great Crested Grebe, _Podiceps cristatus_
    - Slavonian Grebe or Horned Grebe, _Podiceps auritus_
    - Black-necked Grebe or Eared Grebe, _Podiceps nigricollis_
    - Colombian Grebe, _Podiceps andinus_ — extinct (1977)
    - Great Grebe, _Podiceps major _
    - Silvery Grebe, _Podiceps occipitalis _
    - Junin Flightless Grebe, _Podiceps taczanowskii _
    - Hooded Grebe, _Podiceps gallardoi_

- Genus _Aechmophorus_
    - Western Grebe, _Aechmophorus occidentalis_
    - Clark's Grebe, _Aechmophorus clarkii_

## Description, color and shape

Most grebes are a medium or large size. Some grebes, such as the Little Grebe are smaller. All Grebes have large feet with lobed toes. This means that each toe is separate on the foot (the opposite of this is webbed feet which is seen in ducks and geese). Some grebes find it difficult to walk on land because their feet are so big. They are much better at swimming and diving in water.

Grebes have narrow wings. Some grebes find it difficult to fly. There are two species of grebe that cannot fly at all. This means that if grebes are in danger, they will dive under water instead of flying away like other birds do.

Grebes can have long or short bills. If they eat insects in the water, they will have a short bills. If they eat crustaceans (for example, crabs) they will have a long, sharp bill.

Most grebes are brown, white and red/orange. They have many, waterproof feathers. This means they can easily float on water and dive into water without getting cold or wet. In spring and summer, grebes have orange crests on their heads. This is so they can attract a mate. Some grebes do a mating ritual. This is when they "dance" in the water.

Grebes make their nest from plants found in the water. The nests float on top of the water. Baby grebes can swim when they are born. They are usually brown and white and do not get their orange crests until they are adults.

## Habitat

Grebes live in freshwater (lakes or rivers). Some species of grebe will go to saltwater (sea/ocean) when they are migrating. This is when birds fly to live in a different place in summer or winter. Grebes only migrate if they live in North America, Europe or Asia. Grebes in South America, Africa and Asia do not migrate. They are found in every continent on earth.
Funeral director

A **Funeral Director** also called a **mortician** or **undertaker** is a person who has the job of organizing a funeral. This often includes embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony. They place the body into a coffin or casket. If people are going to come and look at the body before burial, the funeral director will have the body dressed, and made up with cosmetics to make it look better.
Mangrove

**Mangroves** are trees or shrubs that grow in salty water in hot places like the tropics.

Mangroves make a special saltwater woodland or shrubland habitat, called a _mangrove swamp_, _mangrove forest_, _mangrove_ or _mangal_. Mangroves grow on 1/3 of tropical shores. They are also found in sub-tropical Africa, Asia, and the southwest Pacific.

Their twisted, tangled roots collect sediment. Over time, the sediment may become islands, or extend the shoreline.

## Description

Mangroves live right in the sea, or at the sea edge. Their seeds fall from the tree and grow roots as soon as they touch any kind of soil. During low tide, they may fall in soil rather than water and start growing where they fall. If the water level is high, they may be carried far away from where they fell.

Mangrove trees are often the beginning of what will one day be a small island. As soil and other things collect in their roots, little bodies of land are formed – just the right place for other island vegetation to grow. This is an example of seed dispersal by water.

Mangroves have special root-like structures. They are aerial roots or _pneumatophores_. These stick up out of the soil, and are covered in lenticels. They take in oxygen through their pores. These "breathing tubes" may reach heights of up to 30 cm, and in some species, over 3 m. Smaller roots with air passages move oxygen from the air to parts of the plant underwater.

## Benefits

Mangrove roots give clear water to the coral reefs which often surround them. They trap dirt and clean water by filtering land runoff and removing pollutants. The tree also protects the shoreline (and the coral reefs) from being eroded by storm waves. Mangrove thickets are a good place for many coral-reef fish, shrimp, and crabs to grow.
Great crested grebe

The **great crested grebe** or **pūteketeke** is a water bird. It is a member of the grebe family. Its scientific name is _Podiceps cristatus_.

## Description

The great crested grebe is a medium sized bird. It is 46–51 cm long. Its wingspan (both wings open) is 59–73 cm long.

The bird is white, brown and black, and it has orange crest feathers on its head. It has a long, sharp pink bill. Baby great crested grebe have black and white stripes on their heads.

## Habitat and behaviour

The great crested grebe is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. It is the biggest grebe in Europe. It lives in freshwater lakes. It eats crustaceans (for example, crabs), insects and small frogs. It dives into the water to find food.

The bird has an interesting mating ritual. This means two birds (male and female) do a "dance" in the water before they mate. Grebes dance every time the pair meets, and the dance varies according to the circumstance. Returning to the nest is different from meeting out on the water, for instance. Most dances end in a bout of head-shaking.

The great crested grebe makes a nest from plants. The nest floats on top of the water. A pair of grebes will usually have two eggs. When the babies are born, they cannot swim. Their parents teach them to swim and dive. Sometimes the babies will sit on their parents backs while the parents swim in the water.

## Conservation

The bird nearly became extinct in the United Kingdom in the 19th century. This is because people wanted to use their orange head feathers. People wanted to put the feathers on their hats and clothes. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) stopped this. There are now many great crested grebe in the United Kingdom, where their conservation status is _green_ ("least concern").

## Bird of the Century

In 2023, the great crested grebe won a Bird of the Century contest. The organization Forest & Bird organized the contest. One reason the great crested grebe won was because John Oliver talked about the contest on his television show _Last Week Tonight_ and told people to vote for the great crested grebe.  He also paid for posters in New Zealand, India, Japan, and the United States. The posters showed the great crested grebe as if it were a movie. One poster showed "Lord of the Wings," like _Lord of the Rings_.  John Oliver asked Forest & Bird whether or not he should do this before he did it. They said yes. Even so, some New Zealanders said Oliver ruined the contest.  The great crested grebe got the most votes, 290,374 votes. The second-most votes were for the North Island brown kiwi, 12,904 votes.
Swift

The **swift** is a bird in the family **Apodidae**. It is in the order Apodiformes with treeswifts and hummingbirds. The swift is very good at flying. It spends all of its time in the air.

The scientific name for the swift (_apus_) comes from the Ancient Greek word απους, _apous_ which means "without feet". This is because swifts have very small, weak feet. Swifts use their feet to hold on to vertical places (for example, the wall of a house, or a cliff). Swifts do not want to land on the ground. It is often thought that if they land on ground, they cannot fly up again, but that is not true. They can take off but with difficulty.

## Description

Swifts are small birds. They can fly very well and very fast. Some swifts can fly at 514m per second. If a swift needs to fly very fast, it can fly at 60m per second for a short amount of time. When catching insects, they fly in a series of swoops, changing direction rapidly as they pursue the prey.

Swifts have long, curved wings. The wings are in the shape of a sickle or boomerang. They have a forked tail. This means it looks like a V shape.

Swifts can be seen all over the world. They like to live in warmer places and they migrate every year. For example, Swifts fly to Europe in the spring and summer. When it gets cold at the start of autumn, the Swifts fly to Africa where it is warmer.

## Nests

Swifts make their nests in a corner between two walls. For example, near the roof of a house, or in an area between rocks in a cave. They use mud and saliva (spit) to make a cup-shaped nest.

There are some swifts which only use saliva to make their nests. These swifts are in the genus _Aerodramus_. In Asia, people take the nests and use them to make bird's nest soup. This soup is very popular in China.
Wangaratta, Victoria

**Wangaratta** is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia. About 19,000 people live there. It is about  from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city of Benalla   is to the south west, and Albury and Wodonga  to the north east. The Ovens and King Rivers which flow from the Victorian Alps meet at Wangaratta. It is in the local government area of the Rural City of Wangaratta.

## History

Gold was found in the area during the 1850s.  A Post Office opened on 1 February 1843, as Ovens, and moved to the town and was renamed Wangaratta in 1854. The Ovens office, and the Kilmore office which opened the same day, were the fifth and sixth to open in the Port Phillip District (Victoria). They were also the first two inland offices.

The small town of Glenrowan about 10 km away is known as the site of the final shootout that led to the capture of Australia's most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly.

## Infobox (australian place)

- **type**: city
- **name**: Wangaratta
- **state**: vic
- **image**: WingsOverWangaratta.jpg
- **caption**: Aerial view from the north-west, Hume Freeway bypass somewhere around top, One and Three Mile creeks meeting around the middle.
- **pushpin map caption**: Location in Victoria
- **pop**: 18891
- **pop year**: 2016
- **maxtemp**: 22.1
- **mintemp**: 7.5
- **rainfall**: 620.9
- **local map**: yes
- **zoom**: 10
- **area**: 57.6
- **area footnotes**: (2011 urban)
- **timezone**: UTC10, AEST
- **utc**: +10
- **timezone-dst**: UTC11, AEST
- **utc-dst**: +11
- **lga**: Rural City of Wangaratta
- **county**: County of Moira, Moira, County of Delatite, Delatite, County of Bogong, Bogong
- **stategov**: Electoral district of Ovens Valley, Ovens Valley
- **fedgov**: Division of Indi, Indi
- **dist1**: 250
- **location1**: Melbourne
Chiltern, Victoria

**Chiltern** is a town in the north east of Victoria, Australia. It is between Wangaratta and Wodonga, in the Shire of Indigo. In 2006 there were 1063 people living in Chiltern. The town is close to the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park. Chiltern was once on the main road between Melbourne and Sydney but is now by-passed by the Hume Freeway a few kilometres to the east.

## History

The area of Chiltern was on the Wahgunyah cattle run and was called Black Dog Creek. The township was named after the Chiltern Hills in England. It was surveyed in 1853 but not started until gold was found in 1858—59 during the great Victorian Gold Rush period. The Post Office opened on September 1, 1859.

Many of Chiltern's old buildings are protected by the National Trust. In 1859, many shop-keepers and miners from around Beechworth and the Ovens Valley followed the gold rush and moved into Chiltern.

The Grape Vine Hotel, on the corners of Main St and Conness St, has the largest grapevine in Australia, planted in 1867.

## Infobox (australian place)

- **type**: town
- **name**: Chiltern
- **state**: vic
- **image**: ChilternMainStreet.JPG
- **caption**: Main street
- **use lga map**: yes
- **pushpin label position**: bottom
- **lga**: Shire of Indigo
- **postcode**: 3683
- **pop**: 1,063
- **stategov**: Electoral district of Benambra, Benambra
- **fedgov**: Division of Indi, Indi
- **dist1**: 281
- **location1**: Melbourne
- **dist2**: 34
- **location2**: Wodonga, Victoria, Wodonga
News release

A **press release**, **news release**, **media release**, or **press statement** is a written or recorded communication for news reporters. Its purpose is to let them know about something that is news. These are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and television networks. There are companies whose job is to send out this information.

The use of a press release is common in public relations. People use this to get the media to take notice of them, or get publicity for a product, or event that they might be holding. A press release gives reporters the basic information they need to write a news story. Press releases can announce a range of news items such as: events, promotions, awards, new products and services, sales and other financial data, accomplishments, etc.

A _press statement_ is information given to reporters. This is an official statement or account of a news story that is specially written for newspapers and other news media for them to make known to the public.
Alice (song)

"**Alice**" is an alternative rock song written and performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne for the soundtrack to the 2010 movie _Alice in Wonderland_, entitled _Almost Alice_. The song is a mid-tempo ballad sung from the perspective of the film's lead character, Alice. According to Lavigne, she wrote the song after asking Disney executives and director Tim Burton for a role on the soundtrack. The song was produced by Butch Walker and mixed by Lavigne's former husband Deryck Whibley.

## Concept

While designing clothes inspired by _Alice in Wonderland_ for her Abbey Dawn line, Lavigne told Disney executives she could write a song for the film's soundtrack. Director Tim Burton agreed, and Lavigne "wrote the song immediately" on her piano.  Lavigne described the song as "a little darker" and confirmed the lyrics, "trippin' out, spinnin' around, I'm underground, I fell down."

## Charts

|Chart (2010)|Peak position||
| --- | --- | --- |
|Canadian Hot 100|align="center"|60|

## Infobox (song)

- **name**: Alice
- **artist**: Avril Lavigne
- **album**: Almost Alice
- **recorded**: 2009
- **genre**: Alternative rock
- **length**: 5:01 (album version)
3:34 (radio edit)
- **label**: Buena Vista Records
- **writer**: Avril Lavigne
- **producer**: Butch Walker
- **prev title**: The Best Damn Thing (song), The Best Damn Thing
- **prev year**: 2008
Flag of Utah

The **Flag of the State of Utah** was adopted in 2024 and has three unequal horizontal bands of blue, white and red, with a navy blue hexagon containing a beehive and five-pointed star inside a yellow hexagon. The five peaks of the white stripe (shaped like a mountain) represent the five original tribes of the state, those being the Navajo, Shoshone, Goshute, Paiute and Ute.

## Historic Flag

In 1912, the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers ordered a custom made copy of the newly adopted state flag to be showed off to the battleship USS Utah, which was commissioned on August 31, 1911. When the flag came, the group found out that the coat of arms on the flag was in full color instead of white, and the manufacturer had added a gold ring around the shield. Rather than have the flag remade, the Utah legislature changed the law to match the battleship flag, and the flag was showed off to the USS Utah.

A bald eagle, the national bird of the United States represents the safety of America. The arrows in the talons of the eagle represent courage in war. The sego lily, the Utah state flower, represents peace. The state motto "industry" represents progress, hard work, and community as does the emblem of the beehive, which is also a traditional Mormon symbol. Crossed Union flags show Utah's support and commitment to the United States. The name, Utah, appears underneath the beehive. The date 1847 represents the year Brigham Young led the first Mormons into the state. The year listed below that, 1896, represents the year that Utah was admitted to the Union. The gold circle around the state seal represents eternal order. The shield underneath the bald eagle represents common defense (military). Today, this flag is the historic flag of the state.

The design of the seal was adopted in 1850 by the Territory of Utah and changed by the artist "Harry Edwards" when Utah became a state in 1896.

## Flag of the State of Deseret

According to most descriptions, the flag of the State of Deseret, a state proposed by the Mormons, was almost the same to the flag of the State of Utah.

## Infobox (flag)

- **name**: Utah
- **image**: Flag of Utah.svg
- **use**: 110000
- **adoption**: March 9, 2024
- **design**: Three horizontal unequal bands of blue, white and red, with a blue hexagon, with a beehive and a five-pointed star inside a yellow hexagon.
- **type**: State
- **image2**: The new 2024 version of the Utah Historic State Flag or U.S.S. Utah version.svg
- **nickname2**: Utah Historic State Flag
- **design2**: The Seal of Utah with the text “1896” under it, surrounded by a yellow circle on a navy blue background.
Dawson City, Yukon

**Dawson City** is a place in Yukon.  It used to be a city, but is not one anymore.  It is the second-largest place in Yukon, after Whitehorse, and has 1,577 people.

Dawson was at its biggest during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, and served as a base for mining.  Many people became rich not from finding gold, but from running boarding houses/general stores because of good business from all of the miners.  It was the capital of Yukon from 1898 to 1952.
Seal of Utah

The **Great Seal of the State of Utah** was adopted on April 3, 1896 at the first regular session of the Legislature (January, February, March, April 1896). The first seal was made by Harry Edwards and cost $65.00.

## The meanings of the symbols

|**Symbol**|**Meaning**|
| --- | --- |
|American Eagle|National bird|
|Shield|common defense|
|Industry|Motto|
|Beehive|State emblem|
|1896|Statehood established|
|1847|Pioneers (first settlers) arrived|
|Sego Lily|State flower|
|American flags|National Government|

## Related pages

- Flag of Utah
Magdalena Neuner

**Magdalena "Lena" Holzer** (née **Neuner**; born 9 February 1987) is a German biathlete.

## Career

She had her first Biathlon World Cup race in the 2005-06 season. One year later, she became one of the stars of the German biathlon team with three gold medals in the 2007 Biathlon World Championships in Antholz, Italy. In 2008, she won three other gold medals in the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, and reached also the first place of the Biathlon World Cup in that year.

In the 2010 Winter Olympics she was one of the gold medal favourites. The first race (on 13 February) was the 7.5 km sprint, where she reached a silver medal, beaten only by Anastasia Kuzmina from Slovakia. Three days later (on 16 February), she won the gold medal in the pursuit race. On 21 February, her second gold medal followed in the mass start.

## Personal life

Neuner plays the harp. She also owns a motorcycle. She also likes mountain biking, hiking and swimming. She also likes knitting.

In 2009, Neuner started dating her friend Josef Holzer. Holzer and Neuner married on 29 March 2014. She has two children.

## Other websites

- Magdalena Neuner at International Biathlon Union

## Infobox (sportsperson)

- **name**: Magdalena Holzer
- **image**: Magdalena Neuner 2011.jpg
- **caption**: Neuner in 2011
- **sport**: Biathlon
- **club**: SC Wallgau
- **birth name**: Magdalena Neuner
- **birth place**: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
- **show-medals**: no
- **height**: 5 ft 5 in
- **retired**: 18 March 2012
- **updated**: 22 August 2025
Wynton Marsalis

**Wynton Learson Marsalis** (born October 18, 1961) is an American jazz and classical trumpeter. He has won nine Grammy Awards for his music. His father was Ellis Marsalis Jr..
Americas

The **Americas** (or **America**) are lands in the Western Hemisphere that are also known as the New World. Comprising the continents of North America and South America, along with their associated islands, they cover 8.3% of the Earth's total surface area (28.4% of its land area).

Most people consider the countries in Central America to be part of North America instead of South America.

While the word _American_ is usually used to mean a person or a thing from the United States, the most populated country in the Americas, sometimes people and things from anywhere in the Americas are called "American".

The Americas, or America, were discovered by Europeans in the late 15th century during the Age of Exploration. Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, reached the Caribbean islands in 1492, starting the connection between the Old World and the New World. After that, Europeans explored and settled in the Americas.

In the 16th century, powerful empires existed in the Americas. The Aztec Empire ruled central Mexico, and the Inca Empire controlled much of western South America. But when European colonizers arrived, conflicts happened, and these empires eventually fell.

During the next centuries, countries like Spain, Portugal, France, and England created colonies in different parts of the Americas. This led to changes in cultures, introduction of new diseases, and negative effects on native people.

In the 19th century, many American countries became independent from European rule. The American Revolution (1775-1783) led to the United States forming, and leaders like Simón Bolívar helped South American countries gain independence.

Over time, the Americas experienced important events like westward expansion in the U.S., the Mexican-American War, the Mexican Revolution, and the Cuban Revolution. The continent played a big role in World Wars and the Cold War too.

Today, the Americas have diverse cultures, languages, and traditions due to their history of interactions between indigenous people, European settlers, and immigrants from around the world.

## Related pages

- History of the Americas

## Other websites

- Organization of American States
Ilan Ramon

Colonel **Ilan Ramon** (, born **Ilan Wolferman**; June 20, 1954 - February 1, 2003) was an Israeli air force pilot and the only Israeli astronaut. He was a member of the STS-107 mission crew and he died during Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.

His mother was a Holocaust survivor (at Auschwitz concentration camp) and his father fought for Israeli independence. Ramon was married to activist Rona Ramon.

## Other websites

- Official biography at NASA
- Photo of Ilan Ramon with Chabad Rabbi Zvi Konikov
- Ilan Ramon STS-107 Crew Memorial
- Ilan Ramon Memorial pages in the Israel Science and Technology Directory
- Spacefacts biography of Ilan Ramon
- Excerpts from Ilan Ramon's diary
Daniel Johnston

**Daniel Johnston** (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American songwriter, singer, and artist who lived in Texas. Johnston has bipolar disorder. The movie _The Devil and Daniel Johnston_ is about his life and music career.

Born in Sacramento, California, Johnston grew up in West Virginia in a Christian family. He became a Beatles fan when he was young, then went off to college but did not finish. He moved to Texas to live with his brother, and ended up joining a circus. He left the circus after another worker beat him up for taking too long in a restroom, and found a church in Austin, Texas that helped him find somewhere to live. Johnston's religious beliefs are mentioned in many of his songs, especially on his album _1990_.

Johnston's music career started in Austin in the 1980s. He made cassette tapes of songs he performed on a chord organ and gave many of them out for free to people he met. He started playing concerts and became very popular with music fans in Texas. Johnston appeared on MTV, and became even more popular when Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain wore a T-shirt with the cover art of one of Johnston's CDs.

Johnston released one album on Atlantic Records, a major record label (a big company that helps make albums and sells them around the world) called _Fun_ in 1994. However, he was not able to make any more albums with Atlantic Records because not enough people bought _Fun_. However, Johnston kept writing songs, and his drawings appeared on the covers of his albums. His last album was _Space Ducks:Soundtrack_, which came out in 2012.

Johnston died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Waller, Texas on September 11, 2019. He was 58.

## Albums released on CD

- _Yip/Jump Music_ (1983)
- _Hi, How Are You_ (1983)
- _Continued Story with Texas Instruments_ (1985)
- _A Texas Trip_ (1987)
- _1990_ (1990)
- _Artistic Vice_ (1991)
- _Fun_ (1994)
- _Why Me?_ (2000)
- _Rejected Unknown_ (2001)
- _Fear Yourself_ (2003)
- _Freak Brain_ (2005)
- _Lost and Found_ (2006)
- _Is and Always Was_ (2009)

## Other websites

Johnston's official website
Treepie

The **treepies** are a type of bird. They are a member of the crow family (_Corvidae_). There are four different genus of treepie. They are _Dendrocitta_, _Crypsirina_, _Temnurus_ and _Platysmurus_. There are 11 species of treepie.

Treepies are similar to magpies. They have long tails. Most treepies are black, white, gray or brown. They are found in Southeast Asia. They live in tropical forests. They spend a lot of time in the tops of trees. They do not come to feed on the ground very often.
Velcro

**Velcro** is a brand name and trademark owned by the Velcro Companies for _hook-and-loop fasteners_. Hook-and-loop fasteners have a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and "hairier" loops. When the two sides are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and hold the pieces together.

## Creation

The person who invented hook-and-loop was a scientist named George de Mestral. During a hunting vacation in Switzerland, de Mestral came home one evening and tried to remove the burrs stuck to his dog's fur. He was very surprised to see how hard the burrs were to remove. That night he studied the burrs under a microscope and noticed that each burr was covered with hundreds of small hooks acting like grasping hands. De Mestral decided that this burr could be made to close fabric instead of buttons and zippers.

## Vocabulary

George de Mestral created the Velcro trademark by combining the French words for velvet (_velour_) and hook (_crochet_).

## Other websites

- closeup of Velcro hooks and loops
- VELCRO USA INC. Celebrates 50TH
- VELCRO Patent  - from Google Patents Anniversary
- Adhesives Guide by Velcro USA  - Adhesive Guide by Velcro USA