the-french-artist/wikipedia_20220301.simple_sentence_split huggingface dataset:
There are viola concertos by Paul Hindemith and William Walton, and Hector Berlioz wrote Harold in Italy which is like a viola concerto.
Richard Strauss wrote two concertos for the French horn.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a trombone concerto and Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote a tuba concerto.
Modern composers have written percussion concertos.
These are usually pieces for one percussion player playing lots of different percussion instruments, and an orchestra accompanying.
James MacMillan wrote a piece for percussion and orchestra called Veni, Veni Emmanuel.
Joaquin Rodrigo wrote several works for guitar and orchestra including Concierto de Aranjuez.
Béla Bartók wrote a piece called Concerto for Orchestra.
He gave it this title because, although it is a piece for orchestra (like a symphony), there are lots of solos for the different instruments.
Other composer, such as Alan Hovhaness, have also written concertos for orchestra.
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has written ten concertos, each for a different solo instrument.
They are known as the "Strathclyde Concertos".
A Concerto Grosso is a piece of music from the 18th century in which there are a small group of instruments and a large group of instruments.
These two groups are contrasted with one another.
Sometimes both play together, sometimes one plays by itself, or the two groups might imitate one another.
The small group is called “concertino” and the large group is called "tutti", “ripieno” or “concerto grosso” (the same name as the musical piece).
“Concerto grosso” is Italian for “big concerto”.
The plural is “concerti grossi”.
Notice that the second “c” in “concerto” is pronounced like an English “ch”.
A concerto grosso has several parts that differ in speed and character.
There are usually three movements; the first is fast, the second is slow, and the last is fast.
The first movement contrasts the tutti and the soloists, the second movement is quiet, while the last movement is lively.
The composer who made the concerto grosso very popular was the Italian Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713).
The instruments in the small group of soloists in his concerti grossi were usually two violins and one cello.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) also used that combination for his concerti grossi.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote a set of six concertos known as the Brandenburg Concertos.
Each of the Brandenburg Concertos is for a different combination of instruments.
Most of them are concerti grossi.
The second one, for example, has a concertino group of four instruments: trumpet, violin, recorder and oboe.
After the Baroque period, few composers wrote concerti grossi.
They were more interested in the solo concerto.
However, in the 20th century, some composers, including Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) and Bela Bartok (1881-1945), wrote pieces of music that are like concerti grossi.
The Hyundai Grandeur is an automobile made by Hyundai Motor Company.
It was first sold in 1986.
In North America the automobile was called Hyundai XG (third generation) and Hyundai Azera (fourth generation).
First generation (1986–1992)
Second generation (1992–1998)
The New Grandeur was developed together with Mitsubishi (Mitsubishi Debonair).
Mitsubishi provided the powertrain and Hyundai took care of the exterior and interior design.
Production of the car began in September 1992 and ended in 1998.
Third generation (1998–2005)
The Grandeur XG, this time developed by Hyundai alone, used the same platform and engines as the Kia Amanti.
In North America and Europe, it was called the Hyundai XG.
Originally powered by a 3.0 L 6-cylinder engine, the XG300 was renamed to XG350 in 2002, to reflect the increase in engine size to 3.5 litres of displacement.
Fourth generation (2006–present)
Sold as the Hyundai Azera in North America, the Grandeur TG is a full-size sedan introduced for the 2006 model year.
It shares many of its components with the mid-size Sonata.
Being a step up from the Sonata, the Azera is the most luxurious model sold by Hyundai outside of Korea.
Pricing for the base model starts at starts at US$24,995.
The 2006 Hyundai Azera has a 3.8 L 6-cylinder engine, automatic gearbox, cruise control, automatic air-conditioning, power front seats, anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), and several airbags.
The better equipped Limited trim level adds 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, leather seat-upholstery, and a power sunshade for the rear window, and costs US$27,495.
Official US Site
AutoGuideWiki.com - Hyundai Azera
RoadTests.com - Hyundai Azera
Sedans
Apes are mammals belonging to the primate family Hominoidea.
Its members are called hominoids.
They are native to Africa and Southeast Asia.
Its living members are divided into two families:
Hylobatidae, the gibbons and siamangs;
Hominidae, consisting of humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
One clear difference between monkeys and apes is that monkeys almost always have tails, but hominoids never do.
There are also differences in their teeth and the way they move their arms.
They have a wide degree of freedom at the shoulder joint, which helps them swing by their arms in the trees (brachiation).
The diets of apes are similar to those of other primates.
They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves and sometimes other animals.
They are generally omnivores, though most of their intake is herbivorous.
Hattingen an der Ruhr is a city about 60.000 people in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
It belongs to the Ruhr area.
It lies south of Bochum and Essen.
Very famous is its Altstadt.
Ennepe-Ruhr Rural District
Shart (1954), directed by Bibhuti Mitra, starring Deepak and Shashikala
Shart (1969), directed by Kewal Misra, starring Sanjay Khan and Mumtaz
Shart (1986), directed by Ketan Anand, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi
Shart: The Challenge (2004), directed by Puri Jagannadh, starring Amrita Arora and Snehal Dabi
Morning wood is an informal term for a morning erection, for which the technical medical term is "nocturnal penile tumescence".
It means an erection that a man sometimes has while asleep or right after waking up.
Men who do not have erectile dysfunction can experience this sensation.
It usually happens during Rapid Eye Movement sleep.
Other slang terms include "morning glory" and "morning tent".
A piece of music may have a melody (tune) and an accompaniment underneath.
The music may be played on the piano with the right hand playing the tune and the left hand playing the accompaniment.
The accompaniment might also be played on a different instrument.
Music does not have to be a tune with accompaniment, although it often is.
The accompaniment does not always have to be lower than the tune.
To play the piano, the pianist has to learn to play a tune in the right hand and accompaniment in the left hand, or the tune might be passed from one hand to the other.
The tune should usually be played a little louder than the accompaniment.
The accompaniment must not ‘drown’ the tune.
An accompaniment might be single notes, or chords, or any other pattern.
The accompaniments help us to feel the harmony.
An accompaniment might be another tune (this is called counterpoint).
Tunes can be played or sung without accompaniment.
Folk songs are traditionally sung unaccompanied.
If one instrument accompanies another, the person who plays the accompaniment is an accompanist.
The piano is the most popular instrument for accompanying in Western music.
A good pianist can accompany a violin, cello, oboe, trumpet, singer or choir.
They have to listen carefully to the instrument(s) they are accompanying, and play with the same kind of feeling.
When a soloist plays a concerto the orchestra are accompanying the soloist.
An organist playing a hymn is accompanying the congregation.
A percussion player in a rock band is accompanying the lead instrument.
Guitars and electric keyboards are often used for accompaniment.
In Elizabethan times the lute was popular.
People sang songs and often accompanied themselves on the lute or harp.
In the Baroque period the accompaniment was often played by the basso continuo (harpsichord or organ with cello or bassoon on the bass line).
The pianist Gerald Moore was a famous accompanist.
When he started his career in the 1920s people did not think that the accompanist was very important.
Sometimes their name would not even be printed in the programme.
A singer would expect the audience to start to clap as soon as they had sung their last note, even if the piano had several more bars to play.
This might not matter too much with some music, but in songs by Schubert, Wolf and other composers of Lieder the piano parts are very important.
Gerald Moore made people realize how important the accompanist is.
A good performance can be ruined by a bad accompaniment.
Tagalog is one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines and is the national language of the country.
More than 22 million people speak it as their first language.
It was originally spoken by the Tagalog people in the Philippines, who were mainly in Bulacan, Cavite, and some parts of Luzon.
Now, Tagalog is spoken nationwide and used by Filipinos from different parts of the country to understand each other.
Magandang Umaga! -
Magandang Gabi! -
Good Evening!
Magandang Tanghali! -
Good Afternoon!
Kumusta!/Kamusta? -
How are you?/Hello! (
Informal)
May __ ba kayo? -
Do you have __?(
Formal)
Mayroon po: Response to "May __ ba kayo", meaning "Yes, sir".
Wala po - Opposite of "Mayroon po".
Kayo - you (formal), informally, it refers to "you all".
Magkano ito? -
po: ma'am or sir (used in sentences to be polite to an elder speaker)
Mabuhay! -
Ako po si (Pangalan)... - I am (Name)...
Mahal kita - I love you
Nanay - Mom
Tatay - Dad
Hindi - No
Bakit? -
Saan? -
Ano? -
Kailan? -
Sino? -
Filipino culture
Basso continuo is a form of musical accompaniment used in the Baroque period.
It means "continuous bass".
Basso continuo, sometimes just called "continuo", was played by an instrument providing chordal accompaniment such as a keyboard instrument or plucked string instrument such as the lute along with another bass instrument such as cello, violone, or bassoon.
The keyboard instrument was normally a harpsichord but could also be an organ, such as a small portative instrument.
It was not usual to write out all the notes for the keyboard player.
The composer normally just wrote the bass line which would be played by the left hand and doubled on the other bass instrument.
The composer would indicate what the harmony should be (which chords should be played) by writing figures underneath the music.
Diwali (also: Deepawali) is one of India's biggest festivals.
The word 'Deepawali' means rows of lighted lamps.
It is a Festival of Lights and Hindus celebrate it with joy.
During this festival, people light up their houses and shops with Diyas (small cup-shaped oil lamp made of baked clay).
They worship the Lord Ganesha for  welfare and prosperity and Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and wisdom.
This festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartikamasam which falls sometime during October or November.
It is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile and his victory over the Demon Ravana.
In many parts of India, Deepawali is celebrated for five consecutive days.
Hindus regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen relationships.
In some parts of India, it marks the beginning of a new year.
People clean and decorate their house before the festival.
They do colorful rangoli art works on floors.
Deepawali is celebrated and is a public holiday in countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago.
It is also a school holiday in many states of the United States with a large Hindu population.
Hindus light up their homes and shops to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi and to give them good luck for the year ahead.
A few days before Ravtegh, which is the day before Deepavali, houses, buildings, shops and temples are thoroughly cleaned, whitewashed and decorated with pictures, toys and flowers.
On the day of Deepawali, people put on their best clothes and exchange greetings, gifts and sweets with their friends and family.
At night, buildings are illuminated with earthen lamps, candle-sticks and electric bulbs.
Sweets and toy shop are decorated to attract the passers-by.
The bazaars and streets are overcrowded.
People buy sweets for their own families and also send them as presents to their friends and relatives.
The Goddess Lakshmi is also worshiped in the form of earthen images, silver rupee.
Hindus believe that on this day, Lakshmi only enters houses which are neat and tidy.
People offer prayers for their own health, wealth and prosperity.
They leave the light on in buildings believing that Lakshmi will not have difficulty in finding her way in.
Diwali is one of the most important festival of the Hindus.
It is also known as deepawali or the  festival of lights.
It comes on Amavasya day in the month of kartik.
Both rich and poor wear new clothes on this day.
Lots of sweets are made.
People light diyas and burn crackers.
They ex- change greetings and sweets.
Goddess Laxmi is worshipped on this day.
The Ancient Origins of Diwali, India’s Biggest Holiday, Becky Little (2017)
Arthashastra is an ancient book of India.
Kautilya (also known as Chanakya) wrote this book.
Kautilya was a minister of Chandragupta Maurya (321 BC – 297 BC), an emperor of Ancient India.
After many revisions and additions, the book took its present form about 1800 years before, in the 2nd century.
The book is divided into fifteen sections.
It tells about politics and administration.
Different sections of the book talk about many subjects, such as: war and politics "rule with a harsh hand"
Duties of the ruler
Training of the princes
Qualifications of ministers of state, home, and foreign offices
Civil services
Civil and criminal law
Corporation and guilds
Hanuman is one of the most popular gods of Hindus.
He is also known by other names like Hanumat.
His mother’s name was Anjana.
Based on her mother’s name, Hanuman is sometimes called Anjaneya, that is, one born of Anjana.
His father’s name was Kesari.
He is blessed by Vayu as the god of winds.
Hanuman’s image shows him as a strong man with the face of a monkey.
He also has a tail it represents the morality, higher pride of being self.
Hanuman is a very powerful and strong god.
He finds an important place in the Ramayana.
He was a devotee of Rama, a form (avatar) of Vishnu, a god of Hindus.
Hanuman is a figure of strength, perseverance and devotion.
When he was young he thought the sun a mango.
One of his most famous stories was when he helped Rama rescue Sita from Ravana which is the famous story of Diwali.
(Devanagari: इन्द्र) or  is the most important among the Indo-Aryan gods.
He is the God of war, the god of thunderstorms.
In the Vedas, many verses (hymns) are there in his praise.
The Rigveda praises him as a very strong God.
Many Hindu scriptures tell about Indra, his character and his deeds.
Indra resides in a mythical city located above in the sky.
The city’s name is Amravati.
He lives there with his wife named Indrani, and several other smaller gods.
There are many apsaras in amravati.
Indra was a very important God during the Vedic period.
Later his importance became less.
Gods like Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva became more important in Hinduism.
Indra in current form of mythology is similar to that of Zeus in Greek mythology.
Though his importance has come down, he is still considered to be king of Gods.
His status is below that of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
Thus, he is considered to be king of lesser Gods.
Again, his weapon is Vajra which is represented by Thunderbolt!
His means, at times, treacherous and he is shown as, at times, jealous and vengeful.
Further, he is made to suffer his own bad deeds.
Masson-Oursel, P.; Morin, Louise (1976). "
Indian Mythology."
In New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, pp.
325–359.
New York: The Hamlyn Publishing Group.
Janda, M., Eleusis, das indogermanische Erbe der Mysterien (1998).
http://www.magellanexperiences.com/tirta_empul_temple.htm
Indra, the Storm-god - by Benjamin Slade
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Indra
Indra according to Vedic literature
Badrinath is an important pilgrimage place for the Hindus.
The place is in Uttarakhand state of India, and is located at a high altitude in the Himalayas.
The Hindu scriptures say that the place is sacred to Vishnu, one of the gods of Hindus.
Badrinath gets its name from a tree's name.
The name of that tree is badri-tree or Indian Jujube tree.
The botanical name of a badri-tree is Zizyphus jujba Lam.
The modern Badrinath temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya in the ninth century after the old temple fell to ruin.
The Badrinath area is referred to as Badarikaashram (बदरिकाश्रम) in Hindu scriptures.
The temple was renovated many times because of age or damage by avalanche.
In the 17th century, the temple was renovated by the kings of Garhwal.
After the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur.
Buildings and structures in India
Kanchipuram is one of the seven most holy cities of Hindus.
It is about  southwest of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India.
Kanchipuram was an important religious and cultural place of Ancient India.
The city continues to be an important religious place.
The first period of Japan's history is its prehistory, before the written history of Japan.
Archeologists have found pottery from that time.
Japan’s Paleolithic era covers a period from around 100,000 BC to around 12,000 BC.
Archeologists have found some polished tools made of stones.
Some of them are kept in Tokyo National Museum.
These tools are more than 32,000 years old.
Jomon Period
The Jomon period lasted for about 10,000 years, from 10,000 BC to around 300 BC.
This was the Mesolithic era for Japan.
Some scholars say that during this period, Neolithic culture also developed in Japan.
Some  believe that the Jomon people were the first people in the world to create pottery but other scholars do not think so.
Archeologists have found several pieces of pottery of that time.
Some are clay figures and some are vessels and potteries of different shapes.
Yayoi Period
The Yayoi period covered about 550 years, from around 300 BC till around 250.
The period's name came from a location in Tokyo.
By that time, Japanese people had learnt the cultivation of rice, and agriculture became the main part of the Japanese society.
Because of this, differences in social status started to occur.
Different clans controlled different areas and they also fought among themselves.
Some Chinese texts tell about this time.
These texts describe Japan as Wa.
Later, the Yamatai came into being when about 30 smaller parts of Japan of that time united under a queen named Himiko.
Ancient and Classical Japan
The Ancient and Classical period covers about 900 years, beginning from the mid-3rd century till the end of the 12th century.
Japanese history during this period may further be divided into several smaller periods.
These are described below.
Kofun is a large tomb made at this era, and people who had social power were buried.
Buddhism had not reached Japan by this time.
Many kofuns were made in many places.
This fact lets us to know that many social groups all around the country made up an authority, and this leads to the Yamato dynasty.
The Yamato dynasty started to have take more action against Korea and China.
In the 4th century, they started to advance to Korea to get iron.
By this, cultures and technologies of Korea and China started to be introduced to Japan.
They also fought with Goguryeo and Silla, which are countries in Korea.
In the 5th century, the five kings of Wa made effort to have relationship with China.
The second period is called the Asuka period (mid-6th century till around 710).
Asuka is the place where the base of Yamato dynasty took place.
By this time Buddhism had reached Japan.
From the end of the 6th century to the early 7th century, Empress Suiko and her nephew Prince Shotoku innovated the political system so that the emperor gets power.
They also sent missions to the Sui dynasty.
The trend of centralization still continues.
In 645, the Taika Reforms takes place, and the political system changes a lot.
In 672, the Jinshin war occurs and Prince Ōama becomes the emperor (Emperor Tenmu).
In his era, Japan starts to make a Chinese style law system (Ritsuryo).
Also, the word , which means "Japan" in Japanese, was started to be used in the era of Tenmu.
Nara Period
During this period, from the year 707, steps were taken to shift the capital to Heijō-kyō, a place near present-day Nara.
This was completed in 710.
A new city was built.
The city was built to look like the Chinese capital city of that time.
At that time, the Tang Dynasty was ruling China, and the capital was at Chang'an (now Xi'an).
During the Nara period, development was slow.
The Emperor’s family members were always fighting for power with the Buddhists and other groups.
At that time, Japan had friendly relations with Korea and China’s Tang Dynasty.
The capital was shifted twice.
In 784, the capital was moved to Nagaoka and in 794 to Kyoto.
Heian Period
The years from 794 to 1185 are known as the .
This grouping of years is named after city of Heian-kyō, which is the early name of present-day Kyoto.
The Heian period produced many cultural achievements, such as the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.
The Heian Period ended due to the Genpei War.
Feudal Japan
The period from around the 12th century through the 19th century is called feudal period in the history of Japan.
The Japanese Emperor was the head of the government, but he had no real power.
Many powerful families (called daimyo and military groups called shogun) ruled Japan during this period.
The feudal period of Japan is generally sub-divided into different periods named after the shogunate which ruled during that period.
Kamakura Period
The years 1185 to 1333 are known as the .
This grouping of years is named after city of Kamakura which was the center of power of the Kamakura shogunate.
Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate.
Muromachi Period
The Muromachi Period began in 1336 and ended in 1573.
Emperor Go-Daigo lost his throne.
The government of the Ashikaga shogunate took control of most parts of Japan.
This period ended in 1573.
In that year the 15th and the last shogun named Ashikaga Yoshiaki was forced to leave the capital Kyōto.
During this period, in 1542, a Portuguese ship reached Japan and made the first direct contact between both cultures, including the knowledge of firearms.
In the next few years, merchants and also some Christian missionaries from several European countries, mainly Portugal, the Netherlands, England, and Spain, reached the shores of Japan.
Azuchi-Momoyama Period
Azuchi-Momoyama period covers the years from 1568 to 1600.
During these years, different parts of Japan became united again.
Japan's military power grew.
In 1592, Japan wanted to conquer China.
At that time China was ruled by the Ming dynasty.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was one of the main leaders of Japan.
He sent an army of 160,000 samurai to Korea.
The Japanese could not win and retreated back to Japan.
In 1597, Japan again sent an army to Korea.
In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died.
After his death, the Japanese dropped the idea of conquering Korea and China.
During this period, the Japanese brought many Koreans to Japan.
These Koreans were very good at making pottery and at other arts.
Some of them were very educated.
Japan gained new information and knowledge from these Koreans.
Chinese men "who settle down [in Nagasaki] and marry."
were mentioned as coming from Fujian, China in 1614 in a Portuguese document.
Nagasaki officials were urged to accomdate Chinese merchants by "show them kindness marrying them to Japanese girls and supplying them with free necessities," by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In 1505 in Japan, syphilis was likely brought to Japan by Japanese prostitutes having sex with Chinese sailors.
In Sakai and Hakata ports Japanese brothels were patronized by Chinese.
Intermarriage between Japanese and Chinese migrants coming to Japan were frequent in the old times.
Japanese general Sakanoue Tamuramaro and Tendai priest Saichō had Chinese ancestry.
Foreign origin clans made up a third of the kuge noble families in the 9th century according to Shinsen shōjiroku.
In the 1590s Hideyoshi's forces took Koreans prisoners in the Imjin war and sold them to Portuguese as slaves.
Japanese girls were sold by their parents and brothel keepers as concubines to visiting black African slaves and South Asian servants of Portuguese ships in addition to the Portuguese themselves.
Japanese parents rented their underage daughters off to brothels for a period of one decade.
The girls would be 7 or 8 years old and come from fishing and farming villages.
Brothels in Nagasaki were reserved for Dutch men and Chinese men to have sex with temporary Japanese wives, courtesans and prostitutes.
Japanese male painters drew paintings of Japanese women having sex with Dutch men.
Edo Period
During the Edo period, Japan had many small rulers.
There were about 200 of them.
They were called daimyo, and they were all ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate which was leaded by the Tokugawa clan.
The shoguate's capital was relocated to Edo.
This place was at modern-day Tokyo.
Fifteen shoguns controlled the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo Period.
The Edo period is also a very important period in the history of Japan.
The main developments include:
Samurai became the highest group in Japanese society.
Farmers, artisans, and merchants were lower than the Samurai.
Common persons were organized in groups of five.
If any one of them made any mistake or did anything wrong, all five persons were responsible.
New artistic movements and forms of theatre.
Ukiyo-e wood-block printing was invented.
New forms of theatre included kabuki and bunraku theaters.
Trade and commerce continued to rise during the Edo period.
In 1867, the Tokugawa Shogunate returned its political power to the emperor.
Although, the emperor did not know how to rule the country because the last time the emperor had power was 500 years ago.
So, the shogunate still remained in authority.
In 1868, the Boshin War occurred between the Japanese emperor and the Tokugawa shogunate.
Japan again came under the actual rule of an emperor as the Tokugawa shogunate was defeated.
Beginning from the early 17th century, the Tokugawa shogunate followed a policy of seclusion, known as sakoku in Japanese language.
They suspected that traders, merchants, and missionaries from Europe wanted to bring Japan under the control of European powers.
All traders and missionaries from other countries were forced to leave Japan, except for the Dutch, the Koreans, and the Chinese.
End of seclusion
This policy of seclusion lasted for about 200 years until it ended under American military force.
On July 8th 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy reached Edo with four warships.
The ships were heavily armed and their guns pointed towards the city.
After this display of American military power, Japan was forced to agree to trade with other countries.
The Japanese called these ships the kurofune or the Black Ships.
Next year, on March 31st 1854, Perry came with seven ships and the Japanese signed a treaty (known as the Convention of Kanagawa) that established a diplomatic relationship with the United States.
Another treaty (known as the Harris Treaty) was signed with the United States on July 29th 1858.
This treaty gave more facilities to foreigners coming to Japan and expanded trade with Japan.
Many Japanese were not happy with reopening diplomatic relations and trade with other countries.
The Meiji Restoration is an important period of history of Japan.
Emperor Meiji ruled Japan and regained power from the shogunate.
The Meiji Restoration began with the Boshin War of 1868.
Emperor Meiji wanted Japan to become Westernized.
Many changes occurred in Japan’s government and culture.
Japan exported prostitutes called Karayuki-san during the Meiji and Taisho periods to China, Canada, the United States, Australia, French Indochina, British Malaya, British Borneo, British India and British East Africa where they served western soldiers and Chinese coolies.
The French viewed Japanese prostitutes as cleaner than Vietnamese prostitutes, as almost like European women.
Japanese prostitutes in French Indochina refused to serve Vietnmese (Annamese) men since they held Vietnamese in contempry as a servant race.
French men frequented both Vietnamese prostitutes and Japanese prostitutes in French Indochina.
Japanese protsiutes worked in the American west and also as barmaids.
Japanese prostitutes serviced British colonialists in Kenya and in British India where they were viewed as clean.
One Japanese prostitute in British Singapore was forced to serve dozens of men a day until her genitals hurt and she was forced to use petroleum jelly on it.
The Japanese prostitutes also served Chinese men in Singapore.
Japanese prostitutes were everywhere in Singapore in the British colonial era and they were renown for the "Singapore grip" by their British male clients, where the Japanese prostitute would use their vagina to squeeze the client's penis.
Britain was Japan's ally and let Japanese prostitutes and other businesses infiltrate Singapore's economy.
One Singapore based photography studio was owned by a Kempeitai chief.
Wars with China and Russia
At the end of the 19th century, many Japanese believed that Japan needed to expand in order to face Western foreign powers.
This resulted in wars with its neighboring counties.
In 1894-1895, Japan and China had a war.
Another war took place with Russia in 1904-1905.
Japan became a world power after these wars.
Russian influence continued to grow inside China.
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
By the beginning of the 20th century, Russian influence was increasing in China.
Japan and the United Kingdom used to get economic and other benefits from their relationship with China.
Japan and the United Kingdom did not like Russia’s growing influence in China.
Japan and the United Kingdom formed a military alliance, called the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, on January 30th 1902.
Russia was not happy at this type of agreement between Japan and the United Kingdom.
Russia tried to form a similar military alliance with Germany and France.
On March 6th 1902, Russia formed a military alliance with France but not Germany.
The Russo-Japanese War began between Japan and Russia.
Japan won the Russo-Japanese War.
The United States mediated the peace negotiations between Japan and Russia.
Japan got a number of concessions.
In 1910, Japan invaded and annexed Korea.
World War I to End of World War II
In 1914, the First World War broke out.
Japan also entered the war.
It attacked several places (of East Asia), which were colonies of Germany.
After the war ended in 1919, Japan developed very fast.
It became one of the major powers of Asia.
Before the beginning of the Second World War, Japan was fighting with China.
This is called Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
According to the United States government's own Department of State's Office of the Historian, the US did nothing to help China against the Japanese from 1937-1940 when Japan and China were engaged in total war.
US officials and policymakers did not want to help.
Meanwhile, Japan's military obtained the majority of its iron, steel and oil from the United States between 1937-1940.
The treaty of commerce between the United States and Japan was not abrogated until January 1940 and even then the United States did not embargo Japan right away.
The United States only began giving aid to China after 1940 when Japan and China already fought for three years.
When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Japan went to the side of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The fighting continued for years.
When the USA dropped the first atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan accepted defeat and surrendered in 1945.
Japan launched a surprise attack on the Clark Air Base in Pampanga on December 8, 1941, just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Aerial bombardment was followed by landings of ground troops on Luzon.
The defending Philippine and United States troops were under the command of General Douglas MacArthur.
Under the pressure of superior numbers, the defending forces withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula and to the island of Corregidor at the entrance to Manila Bay.
On January 2, 1942, General MacArthur declared the capital city, Manila, an open city to prevent its destruction.
The Philippine defense continued until the final surrender of United States-Philippine forces on the Bataan Peninsula in April 1942 and on Corregidor in May of the same year.
Most of the 80,000 prisoners of war captured by the Japanese at Bataan were forced to undertake the infamous Bataan Death March to a prison camp 105 kilometers to the north.
It is estimated that about 10,000 Filipinos and 1,200 Americans died before reaching their destination.
President Quezon and Osmeña had accompanied the troops to Corregidor and later left for the United States, where they set up a government in exile.
MacArthur was ordered to Australia, where he started to plan for a return to the Philippines.
The Japanese military authorities immediately began organizing a new government structure in the Philippines and established the Philippine Executive Commission.
They initially organized a Council of State, through which they directed civil affairs until October 1943, when they declared the Philippines an independent republic.
The Japanese-sponsored republic headed by President José P. Laurel proved to be unpopular.
Japanese occupation of the Philippines was opposed by large-scale underground and guerrilla activity.
The Philippine Army, as well as remnants of the U.S. Army Forces Far East, continued to fight the Japanese in a guerrilla war and was considered an auxiliary unit of the United States Army.
Their effectiveness was such that by the end of the war, Japan controlled only twelve of the forty-eight provinces.
One element of resistance in the Central Luzon area was furnished by the Hukbalahap, which armed some 30,000 people and extended their control over much of Luzon.
The occupation of the Philippines by Japan ended at the war's conclusion.
The American army had been fighting the Philippines Campaign since October 1944, when MacArthur's Sixth United States Army landed on Leyte.
Landings in other parts of the country had followed, and the Allies, with the Philippine Commonwealth troops, pushed toward Manila.
However, fighting continued until Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945.
The Philippines suffered great loss of life and tremendous physical destruction, especially during the Battle of Manila.
An estimated 1 million Filipinos had been killed, a large portion during the final months of the war, and Manila had been extensively damaged.
Occupied Japan
After the end of the Second World War, Japan came under international control.
Japan became an important friend of the USA when it entered into the Cold war with Korea.
Over next few years, many political, economic and social changes took place.
Japanese Diet (legislature) came into being.
In 1951, USA and 45 other countries signed an agreement with Japan, and Japan again became an independent nation with full power (a country with full sovereignty) on 28th April 1952.
Post-Occupation Japan
Post-Occupation Japan means Japan after its occupation and control by a group of nations had ended.
This is the period after the Second World War.
The Second World War had damaged Japan very badly.
It has almost lost its industry and economy was in a very bad shape.
After the war, Japan received assistance and technology from the USA and several other countries of Europe.
The progress was very rapid.
For about 30 years, from around the 1950s to the 1980s, Japan grew very fast.
It became one of the major economic powers of the world.
When the UN forces were fighting in Korea during the Korean War, Japan was one of the major suppliers.
This also helped Japan’s economy.
By 1980s, Japan had become the world’s second largest economy, after the USA.
At first, there was very close relationship between Japan and the USA.
But, Japan’s economic might resulted into trade deficit for the USA.
A trade deficit results when imports are more than exports.
Thus, USA was importing more than it exported to Japan.
For various reasons, this phase of rapid development ended in the 1990s.
Some historians have described this decade as the lost decade of Japanese economy.
About 5 to 10 persons in 100 persons could not find any work.
By 1952, Japan had become free from most of the controls of the occupation period.
It got its own democratic system.
Various political parties came into being and Japan’s political life became active.
Modern Life (Heisei Era)
Historians and sociologists call the recent era modern life.
In Japanese, this is called the Heisei period.
By 1989, Japan’s economy had become very large.
Much development had taken place.
In the Gulf war of 1991, Japan gave billions of dollars.
Japan also faced some problems.
In 1995, a big earthquake took place in Kobe.
Another earthquake took place on 23rd October 2004 in Niigata Prefecture, and a very destructive tsunami damaged the north east coast in March 2011, causing a nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture.
History of Saudi Arabia covers thousands of years with lots of people from different cultures living there.
There was a culture called the Dilmun culture among them, which was very old and existed along the Persian Gulf.
It was as old as the ancient civilizations of Sumerians and the Egyptians.
Saudi Arabia had trading relations with many parts of the ancient world, but the hot and harsh climate had made large settlements difficult.
Some settlements had always existed around oases; these are places in the deserts where growth and water are available.
Saudi Arabia became an important center, as Islam rose in the 620s.
The cities of Medina and Mecca became the holiest places of Islam.
They also became the two holiest cities for the Muslims in the whole world.
The rulers and kings of Saudi Arabia also got more power.
The beginning of the modern history of Saudi Arabia was when an Islamic reformer named Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab and a local ruler named Muhammad bin Saud founded the Saudi state in the year 1744.
It was founded in the central part of the Arabia.
Over the next Century and a half, the Saud family saw bad and good times.
The family also faced opposition from rulers of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.
The family also faced opposition from other powerful families of Arabia
Finally after many decades,The modern state of Saudi Arabia could be established by King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (also known as Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud).
In 1902, he took over the city of Riyadh from another family, named Al-Rashid.
He continued to win more areas, and on 8 January 1926, he became the King of Hijaz.
On 29 January 1927, he took the title of King of Nejd.
On 20th May 1927, the government of the United Kingdom accepted him as the King of the areas ruled by him.
His kingdom now became a sovereignty.
All the regions under his control were united to form the state of Saudi Arabia by the year 1932.
Petroleum oil was found in Saudi Arabia on 3 March 1938, which made the country rich as export of oil started to bring a lot of money.
Saudi Arabia discussed from the beginning of the 1920s with its neighboring countries about fixing of definite boundaries.
It finalized its boundaries with Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait.
On borders with Iraq and Kuwait, two neutral zones were created – one with Iraq, and the other one with Kuwait.
In 1934, borders with Yemen were almost finalized.
In 1965, Saudi Arabia gave some of its areas to Jordan, and Jordan gave some of its areas to Saudi Area.
In 1971, the neutral zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait was partitioned between these two countries.
Likewise, Saudi Arabia and Iraq decided in 1981 to partition the neutral zone between them.
The zone was partitioned between the two countries in 1984.
Still, Saudi Arabia's borders with the United Arab Emirates and Oman are not final.
The border with Qatar was finalized in 2001.
King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud died in 1953.
His son named Saud became the king.
He reigned for 11 years.
In 1964, he was forced to step down, and his half-brother, Faisal, became the king.
Faisal had the support of the senior members of the royal family and the religious leaders.
Faisal also held the post of the Prime Minister.
This tradition of being both the King and the Prime Minister still continues in Saudi Arabia.
All Kings after Faisal had followed this practice.
Faisal took a number of new steps for economic development of Saudi Arabia.
During his reign, many important political events also happened like the ones noted below:
Differences between Saudi Arabia and Egypt over Yemen: Egypt supported the new government of Yemen, while Saudi Arabia supported the royal family of Yemen to continue in power.
The Six-Day (Arab-Israeli) War of June 1967: Saudi Arabia did not directly fight in this war.
But, after the war, it provided financial support to Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
Stopping of supply of oil to the USA and the Netherlands: In 1973, many countries stopped supplying petroleum oil to the USA and the Netherlands.
Saudi Arabia was one of them.
In 1975, King Faisal was assassinated by one of his nephews.
The nephew was found guilty, and he was sentenced to death.
King Faisal's half-brother Khalid became the King and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
During the reign of King Khalid, Saudi Arabia's importance in regional politics increased.
The economic growth of the country also continued at a good rate.
King Fahd's period
King Khalid died in 1982.
After his death, Fahd became the King.
At the same time, he also became the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
His half-brother Prince Abdullah became the Crown Prince.
The income of Saudi Arabia became less during the period of King Fahd's reign.
This was a result of lower price of petroleum oil.
King Fahd's government used an economic policy which helped the country to survive with a lower income.
King Fahd helped Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war.
Iraq's economy had become very bad on account of this war.
The King also discussed with these two countries to stop war.
Both countries (Iran and Iraq) stopped the war in August 1988,.
The King also helped in making Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) a stronger organization.
The GCC is an organization of six countries of the Persian Gulf.
The purpose of the organization is to increase development and cooperation among the member countries.
In 1990, Saddam Hussain was ruling Iraq.
The Gulf War of 1991 was when he invaded Kuwait.
Many people thought that his army would also invade Saudi Arabia.
King Fahd allowed some Western countries and USA to send their forces to the country.
Many Muslims were against that their most holy land was used by non-Muslim soldiers.
During and after the Gulf War, King Fahd’s role was very important.
During the war, he allowed the entry of the royal family of Kuwait inside Saudi Arabia and followed by 400,000 other persons from Kuwait to stay on a temporary basis.
The King allowed the troops of countries like USA to mount attacks on Kuwait to liberate it.
He also helped in arranging support of other Muslim countries for liberation of Kuwait.
Iraqi forces were eventually ousted from Kuwait.
Presence of troops from the Western countries has angered many Muslims.
One of them was the rich man Osama bin Laden.
He was forced to leave Saudi Arabia when he disagreed and opposed the King of Saudi Arabia.
Other than Osma bin laden and his groups, there were several other persons and groups who did not like the presence of Western troops inside Saudi Arabia.
These persons and their groups attacked people, they tried manly to attack the foreign troops in Saudi Arabia.
Some examples of such attacks are given below:
A truck bomb killed 19 troops of the USA in June 1996.
Bombing of a base of Saudi National Guard in November 1995.
September 11, 2001 attacks in New York had resulted into many deaths and big destruction.
After enquiry, it came to light that out of 19 suspected persons for these attacks, 15 were from Saudi Arabia.
Such things attracted the attention of the government of Saudi Arabia.
The government started a policy to check such activities.
Even then, terrorist activities of such persons and groups continued.
Present position
Death of King Fahd: He died in July 2005.
After his death, his brother Prince Abdullah became the king.
Death of King Abdullah: In 2015 King Abdullah died of sickness.
His half-brother Prince Salman became king.
Oil hub: Saudi Arabia has world's largest oil reserves.
The government is giving a lot of importance to the developments of infrastructure, science, and technology.
Many economists and other scholars think that the country is on its way to becoming leading country of the Middle East.
A linga or a lingam is a very complex symbol of Hinduism.
It is associated with Shiva, supreme god in main gods of the Hindus.
The Hindu scriptures say that a linga represents energy and strength.
In almost all the temples of Shiva, Shiva is shown in the form of a linga.
The Hindu scriptures also say that Shiva took twelve forms as Jyotirlinga, that is, a linga of light.
In India, there are twelve places where this form of Shiva is worshiped.
The Hindu scriptures also tell about five more forms of lingas.
These form of lingas represent the earth, the water, the fire, the air and the sky (or ether).
There are five different places in India where Hindus worship these forms of Shiva.
These places are located at the following locations:
Kanchipuram: God Shiva’s linga in the form of the earth
Srirangam: God Shiva’s linga in the form of the water
Tiruvannamalai: God Shiva’s linga in the form of the fire
Kalahasti: God Shiva’s linga in the form of the air
Chidambaram: God Shiva’s linga in the form of the sky (or ether)
Beside above places, in almost all the towns and villages of India, Shiva’s temples are found.
In all such temples, lingas are worshipped.
The United States National Guard is an organization of the United States Army and the United States Air Force.
The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force are both branches of the United States military.
The National Guard is a militia (an emergency army) for the United States.
Each U.S. State has its own National Guard, usually under the control of that state's government.
When needed, they are mobilized under control of the United States.
There are two parts of the United States National Guard, administered by the National Guard Bureau of the United States Department of Defense.
The Air National Guard is part of the United States Air Force; the Army National Guard is part of the United States Army.
The two National Guard groups are identified by the kinds of jobs they do.
The Air National Guard does mainly air defense jobs, while the Army National Guard does the jobs on the ground.
National Guard (United States)
The Domesday Book says there were 120 people living there in the 1100s.
The Normans built a small castle there but it was unused and broken by the time of the Tudors.
The town grew as an important centre for transport.
After 1769, ships were able to use the river.
It was a stagecoach stop for travel on the road between London and Cambridge.
In 1842 the town got a railway station.
The town is popular for travellers to London because of the M11 motorway (an important road) and good train services to London.
Stansted Airport has also caused development.
A raven is a big black bird, (Corvus corax).
It may be called the common raven or the northern raven.
It is similar to a crow but bigger.
It and the thick-billed raven are the two largest birds in the crow family, and perhaps the heaviest perching birds.
The raven's feathers are all black, but a crow has feathers that are white at the bottom.
This cannot be seen from a distance.
The most famous raven is in the Edgar Allan Poe story called The Raven.
The common raven can be tamed.
Some think it is mischievous and sly, and it has been regarded as a bird of evil and mysterious character.
Corvids
Malnutrition is eating a diet which does not supply enough nutrients.
There are two broad cateogries of malnutrition: