the-french-artist/wikipedia_20220301.simple_sentence_split huggingface dataset:
High consumption of apples may protect against asthma.
Daily intake of fruits and vegetables in childhood decreased the risk of asthma.
Breastfeeding or the reflection of in adolescence and adults has been proven to strengthen and promote airway health.
The strain from the pull on the lung will dilate the smooth muscles of the airways.
Extended therapeutic sessions on a regular basis have been shown to dramatically improve air passage function, and promote less asthma complications.
There are certain types of drugs that make asthma worse or that can trigger such an attack.
Certain types of drugs should only be used in very specific situations.
Some of these drugs are:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or 'NSAID' for short.
Aspirin is a NSAID and some people are allergic to it, or may have a higher risk of becoming allergic to it, even if they had used it before.
Beta blockers are a kind of drug used to treat heart problems, but should not be taken by people with asthma.
Acetaminophen is another drug that is believed might help not only to cause asthma, but also make asthma worse in people who already have it.
Acetaminophen is an analgesic, a pain reliever.
Because of its pain-reliving properties, Acetaminophen is often added to other drugs.
Labels should always be read when taking any kind of medicine, including over-the-counter drugs.
ACE Inhibitors; are a type of drug usually used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease.
They usually don’t make asthma worse, but in rare cases they may cause some of the signs and symptoms of asthma, such as airway obstruction and coughing, especially in the first few weeks of taking ACE Inhibitors.
Sleeping pills and trainquilizers; should usually not be taken by people with asthma.
Depression and anxiety have a negative impact on asthma.
Comorbid anxiety with asthma is particularly confusing because of the similarity of symptoms and interference in perception and treatment of asthma.
The National Asthma Council Australia  recommends treatment for comorbid psychological symptoms.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is one recommended treatment for anxiety  and depression.
There is tentative research evidence suggesting that a program of CBT amended for asthma, delivered in conjunction with medical treatment and in close liaison with your medical team, can improve anxiety, asthma and quality of life.
Clinicians intending to deliver CBT for comorbid asthma, anxiety or depression should refer to   and the research reviewed by  for guidance on safe and effective intervention.
The global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), launched in 1993, is a collaborative effort between the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Institutes of Health USA (NIH), and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Its aims include; to increase public awareness of asthma, encourage research into the causes for the increasing prevalence of asthma worldwide, encourage research into the links between asthma and environmental factors, improve the effectiveness of asthma management practices, reduce the mortality and morbidity rates associated with asthma, and make treatments for asthma more readily available.
One of the ways in which GINA fulfils these aims is by producing medical guidelines on the management of asthma, which based on a systematically conducted review of the most recent-worldwide literature.
These guidelines are free and available to all patients and clinicians from the GINA website.
The GINA main report is updated annually and aims to reflect evolving best practice as it highlights changes in asthma management strategies.
GINA established ‘World Asthma Day’ in 1998, with the first event organised in Barcelona, Spain.
It is held annually on the first Tuesday of May, and includes the participation of more than 35 countries.
Comorbidities
Often, having one medical problem makes it more likely a person will also have one or more other medical or psychiatric problems.
These other disorders are the "comorbid problems" or "comorbidities".
There are various comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions associated with asthma.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
Chronic sinusitis
Rhinitis: allergic (atopic), nonallergic
Hyperventilation syndrome
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a disorder that affects the airways of the lungs which is caused by an allergic hypersensitivity to the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE)
Obstructive sleep apnea
Atopic dermatitis (AD): is a type of eczema
In medicine epidemiology'' is the study of what causes diseases and medical conditions, how often they happen, where they happen and who they happen to.
It is more common in developed countries than developing countries.
The United States and Canada have some of the highest asthma rates in the world even though they are not poor countries.
In Africa the country of South Africa has the highest asthma rate on the whole continent even though it is one of the richest countries.
More than 80% of the people who die from asthma are usually from low and middle income countries, but not always, as South Africa has the fourth highest death rate in the world even though it is one of the richer countries in the world.
In the United States the death rates are higher for females, adults and people of African descent.
As of 2011, 235–300 million people worldwide are affected by asthma, and approximately 250,000 people die per year from the disease.
Rates vary between countries with prevalences between 1 and 18%.
The amount of asthma cases reported each year has gotten much higher between the 1960s and 2008 Rates of asthma have plateaued in the developed world since the mid-1990s with recent increases primarily in the developing world.
Asthma affects approximately 7% of the population of the United States and 5% of people in the United Kingdom.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have rates of about 14–15%.
How to Use an Inhaler
Something related to the country Turkey
Something related to the Ottoman Empire, also called the Turkish Empire
Turkish people
January 6 – Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I becomes King of the Romans
January 14 – The clarinet is invented in Nuremberg, Germany
May 20 – England passes Act of Grace, forgiving followers of James II
July 1 – The Battle of the Boyne, in Ireland
October 6-12 – Massachusetts Puritans led by Sir William Phips besiege the city of Quebec.
The siege ends in failure.
December 29 – earthquake in Anconer in Papal States, Italy
Earliest recorded sighting of the planet Uranus, by John Flamsteed, who mistakenly catalogues it as the star 34 Tauri
Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiter's atmosphere.
The French invade the small town of Teignmouth in Southwest England, in their last attack on England.
January 22 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
February 1 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian composer (d. 1768)
February 3 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (d. 1755)
March 18 – Christian Goldbach Prussian mathematician (d. 1764)
April 22 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (d. 1763)
September 12 – Peter Dens, Belgian Catholic theologian (d. 1775)
October 29 – Martin Folkes, English antiquarian (d. 1754)
November 24 – Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German composer (d. 1750)
November 29 – Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, father of Catherine II of Russia (d. 1747)
December 1 – Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1764)
The sovereignty of prince Svatopluk I in Bohemia is confirmed.
First ceremonial visit by a Welsh king (Anarawd, King of Gwynedd) to an English court (that of Alfred the Great).
Founding of Kirby Muxloe. (
approximate date)
Bochum ( , also  , ; Westphalian: Baukem, Low Franconian: Boochem, Old Saxon: Bochem) is a city in the Ruhr area of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
It is part of the Arnsberg Government Region.
Bochum has a rich cultural life and its theatre is one of the most prominent in Germany.
Next to Bochum are the cities Essen and Hattingen.
Progressive rock is a type of rock music with complicated musical technique and composition.
This means that the tempo, time signature, and style can change many times in a single song.
Most normal rock songs follow a very simple pattern in the way they are arranged.
This pattern is a verse followed by a chorus, then a different verse, and then the same chorus.
Progressive rock is more complicated than this, and can require more skill to play.
Progressive rock was first made in the late 1960s, but became most popular in the 1970s.
It continues to be popular today, too.
Progressive rock began in England and spread throughout Europe.
It remains most popular in Europe, but there are several notable American and Canadian progressive rock bands.
This genre was influenced by classical music and jazz fusion.
Over the years, different sub-genres of progressive rock have been created, such as symphonic rock, art rock, math rock, and progressive metal.
Progressive rock artists wished to create music that was not limited to the structures of common popular rock and pop music.
They wanted to make rock music that "progressed" to the complexity of jazz and classical music by creating a more serious, complex and sophisticated type of rock music.
Progressive rock bands may have influences from psychedelic rock, folk music, traditional music, world music, and jazz or jazz fusion.
It is also referred to as "prog rock" as an abbreviation, or as "Hobbit rock" because of frequent medieval or fantasy themes in the lyrics.
Progressive rock bands write and play songs that have many changes during each song.
Regular rock songs have verses and a chorus, but progressive songs can have many different sections.
For example, instead of having verses and choruses, progressive rock songs may have many different musical themes, solos, and musical moods.
A typical progressive song might have a form such as: Introduction-Verse-Chorus-instrumental section-New verse-New chorus-Instrumental section-Ending.
Characteristics of progressive rock
Progressive rock is difficult to define, because progressive rock bands often play different types of progressive rock music which sound different.
There are some common elements that are in most progressive rock band music, such as long, complex songs, unusual time signatures, unusual instruments or ways of using them, and use of improvisation, which means making up or inventing music while playing on stage.
Albums by progressive rock groups are often concept albums.
In a concept album, the songs have a common theme, are arranged in a certain order and often tell a story or represent a larger concept.
San Juan is the capital and largest city of Puerto Rico.
The city's population is 433,733.
It is the 42nd-largest city and the oldest European settlement in United States territory.
Today, San Juan is Puerto Rico's most important seaport.
San Juan was founded in 1521.
It was named after San Juan Bautista, or St. John the Baptist (name given by Christopher Columbus).
San Juan is also known as "La Ciudad Amurallada".
This means the "walled city".
San Juan has many old buildings still standing today.
Many Spanish explorers came during the Age of Discovery and built forts, churches, and other historical buildings.
An example of a very old fort is "La Fortaleza".
It is also known as "Palacio de Santa Catalina".
In the sixteenth century, it was a Spanish fortress against Caribs.
These were the people native to the Caribbean islands and Central America.
Another old building is the oldest residence in Old San Juan, Casas de los Contrasfuertes (House of Buttresses).
Cities in Puerto Rico
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
1520s establishments in North America
Establishments in Puerto Rico
Kashmir (Hindi: कश्यपपुरा, , ), previously spelled Cashmere, is a region in South-central Asia.
Historically, the name Kashmir referred to the valley just to the south of the western end of the Himalayan mountain range.
Today, Kashmir refers to a much larger area that includes the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (which includes the Kashmir Valley, Jammu region and Ladakh), Azad Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan (part of Pakistan), and Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract (part of China).
The main "Valley of Kashmir" is a low fertile area surrounded by mountains and fed by many rivers.
People like it for its natural beauty and simple lifestyle.
The region is part of a border dispute between India and Pakistan.
In total it has an area of 230,166.1 square kilometres or (89,106 square miles).
The population of the region is more than the individual populations of 127 UN member nations and its area is larger than that of 97 nations.
Etymology of Kashmir
The Nilamata Purana describes the Valley's origin from the waters, a fact corroborated by prominent geologists, and shows how the very name of the land was derived from the process of desiccation - Ka means "water" and Shimir means "to desiccate".
Hence, Kashmir stands for "a land desiccated from water".
There is also a theory which takes Kashmir to be a contraction of Kashyap-mira or Kashyapmir or Kashyapmeru, the "Sea or Mountain of Kashyapa", the sage who is credited with having drained the waters of the primordial Lake Satisar, that Kashmir was before it was reclaimed.
The Nilamata Purana gives the name Kashmira to the (Kashmir Valley includes the Wular Lake) Mira" which means the sea lake or the mountain of Sage Kashyapa.
Mira in Sanskrit means Ocean or boundary, considering it to be an embodiment of Uma and it is the Kashmir that the world knows today.
The Kashmiris, however, call it Kashir, which has been derived phonetically from Kashmir.
The Ancient Greeks called it as Kasperia.
Kashyapa-pura, which has been identified with Kaspapyros of Hecataeus (apud Stephanus of Byzantium) and Kaspatyros of Herodotus (3.102, 4.44); In classical literature Herodotus also called it Kaspatyrol.
Kashmir is also believed to be the country meant by Ptolemy's Kaspeiria.
Xuanzang, the Chinese monk who visited Kashmir in 631 AD called it Kia-shi-mi-lo, the Tibetans called it Khachal, meaning "snowy mountain".
It is and has been a land of rivers, lakes and wildflowers.
Cashmere is an archaic spelling of present-Kashmir, and in some countries it is still spelled this way.
A tribe of Semitic origin, named Kash (which means a deep slash in the native dialect), is believed to have founded the cities of Kashan and Kashgar, not to be confused with the Kashyapi tribe from Caspian.
The land and the people were known as 'Kashir' from which 'Kashmir' was also derived from therein.
The Kashmir conflict has existed since India and Pakistan became independent states.
At first, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, wanted his state to remain independent of both India and Pakistan.
On 20 October 1947, tribesmen supported by Pakistan invaded Kashmir.
Singh fought back at first, but on 27 October, he asked the Governor-General of India, Louis Mountbatten, for help.
He agreed, but made Singh turn over Jammu and Kashmir to India.
Once the papers of accession to India were signed, Indian soldiers entered Kashmir with orders to stop any further occupation, but they were not allowed to expel anyone from the state.
Pakistan claimed that it was illegal for Singh to give Kashmir to India, and the First Kashmir War was started.
India took the matter to the United Nations.
The UN resolution asked Pakistan to vacate the areas it had occupied and asked India to assist the U.N. Plebiscite Commission to organize a plebiscite to determine the will of the people.
Pakistan refused to vacate the occupied areas.
In 1953, as the US-Pakistan Mutual Defence Pact was being formed, Nehru declared an ultimatum.
Pakistan would have to choose between a plebiscite with the possibility of winning control over Kashmir, or their pact with the US.
As the alliance formed and was concluded in 1954, Nehru withdrew the offer of plebiscite.
Kashmir remains an area of conflict until today.
Lines of control
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir.
In 1949 and 1972 they agreed on a border for most of the Territories (except for the Siachen Glacier).
This demarcation line which marks the border between India and Pakistan is known as the Line of Control.
It is guarded by Indian and Pakistani troops.
The Kashmir border between the Punjab (Pakistan) and Indian-administered Kashmir is called the working boundary, but is not recognised by Pakistan.
India has built a fence along part of this border.
The Siachen Glacier and the bordering Saltoro Range first saw military action in 1984 when the Indian Army occupied the glacier and the Saltoro range to prevent Pakistan from occupying the area.
This operation was codenamed Operation Meghdoot.
There have been several minor changes to the held positions.
However, the Indian Armed forces have held onto the heights on the plateau, preventing the Pakistani soldiers from climbing up the Saltoro range.
The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) refers to the current position that divides Indian and Pakistani troops in the Siachen Glacier region.
The line extends from the northernmost point of the LOC (Line of Control) to Indira Col.
This line runs across the edge of the Saltoro Range, which is a mountainous plateau with peaks that are over 8,000 meters tall.
The current position of the AGPL follows the general line:
The Republic of India controls the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is made of the Jammu region, the Kashmir Valley, and Ladakh.
Pakistan refers to this as Indian-occupied Kashmir, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Indian-annexed Kashmir, or Indian-held Kashmir.
The territories known as Northern Areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are administered by Pakistan.
The government of Pakistan calls them Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The Republic of India refers to this as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The region called Aksai Chin is controlled by China.
The Trans-Karakoram Tract is an area Pakistan gave to China on 3 March 1963.
Pakistan says the area was uninhabited, so there is no problem to this.
India claims the swap was illegal and that the area is part of its state Jammu and Kashmir.
The Siachen Glacier is currently a disputed territory.
India controls the glacier, and Pakistan controls the valley below.
Baltistan Division
Gilgit Division
Jammu Division
A group of Districts forms a Division, which is administered by a 'Divisional Commissioner'.
Kashmir is now divided in twenty-one districts, grouped under five divisions jointly controlled by Pakistan and India respectively:
Kashmir's economy is centred around Agriculture, like that of Pakistan.
Traditionally the staple crop of the valley was Rice, which formed the chief food of the people.
In addition, corn, wheat, barley and oats were also grown.
Given its temperate climate, it is suited for crops like Asparagus, Artichoke, seakale, broad beans, scarletrunners, beetroot, cauliflower and cabbage.
Fruit trees are common in the valley, and the cultivated orchards yield pears, apples, peaches, and cherries.
The chief trees are deodar (National tree of Pakistan), firs and Pines, chenar (State tree) or plane, Maple, birch and Walnut, apple, cherry.
Historically, Kashmir became known worldwide when Cashmere wool was exported to other regions and nations (exports have ceased due to decreased abundance of the cashmere goat and increased competition from Western China).
Kashmiris are well adept at Knitting and making Pashmina Shawls, silk carpets, rugs, Kurtas, and Pottery.
Saffron, too, is grown in Kashmir.
Efforts are on to export the naturally grown fruits and vegetables as Organic foods mainly to the Greater Middle East region which it forms an integral part.
Srinagar is known for its silver-work, Papier mache, wood-carving, and the weaving of silk.
The economy of the region is focused on agriculture.
People grow rice there.
In the Indian part they also grow corn, such as wheat and barley.
Its climate is different from that of most of the Indian subcontinent: It is milder.
Therefore, crops like artichoke, cauliflower, cabbage and certain kinds of beans are also grown.
Cashmere wool is well-known almost anywhere in the world.
Cashmere wool is wool from Cashmere goats.
Because of conflicts over the territory, however, most Cashmere wool no longer comes from Kashmir.
Tourism has been important in Kashmir for many years.
Many people call the region Paradise on Earth.
Tourists from all over the world visit Kashmir.
In the last ten years, fewer people have visited Kashmir because of terrorism, but it still remains one of the most sought after tourist destinations.
Rural areas are areas which are not towns or cities.
They are often farming or agricultural areas.
These areas are sometimes called "the country" or "countryside".
People who live "in the country" often live in small villages, but they might also live somewhere where there are no other houses nearby.
Many people who live in cities like to go to the country to relax.
They go there for recreation, often for their holidays, or to read.
oc:Campagne
Stephen Townley Crane (November 1, 1871 - June 5, 1900) was an American writer.
He was born on November 1, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey to Jonathan Townley Crane, a clergyman, and Mary Helen Peck Crane.
He attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, but did not graduate.
He moved to New York City in 1892 to write about the slum life of Manhattan.
His major works include the novella Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893), the war novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895), and the short story "The Open Boat" (1897).
After the success of Badge, his literary reputation declined.
In May 1899, he entered a sanitarium in Badenweiler, Germany.
On June 5, 1900, he died of tuberculosis.
He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, New Jersey.
Stephen Crane biography
Biography of Stephen Crane
Writers from Newark, New Jersey
The Lawrence's goldfinch (Carduelis lawrencei) is a small songbird of North America.
Bigger than the Lesser Goldfinch, and smaller than the American Goldfinch, with less yellow markings than either.
It lives from central California and its southern coast in the United States, to Baja California in Mexico.
Females have less yellow and do not have the black cap and chin of the males.
This bird is named after the American ornithologist (bird expert), George Newbold Lawrence.
Lawrence counted birds for Spencer Fullerton Baird and John Cassin, and the three men wrote Birds of North America in 1858.
Lawrence left his 8,000 bird skins to the American Museum of Natural History.
The Lawrence's Goldfinch Carduelis lawrencei was named for him by Cassin.
1806 births
American ornithologists
Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, is a legendary character associated with Christmas.
He is depicted as a big and cheerful white-bearded man wearing a red suit with white trim.
In some countries, he is said to live at the North Pole with his wife Mrs. Claus, elves who are said to build his toys, and reindeer who are said to pull his sleigh through the sky.
Santa Claus is actually based on a Greek bishop who was named Saint Nicholas.
Father Christmas, the Nordic version, is said to reside in Lapland, Finland, but some think he is from the North Pole.
Santa bring gifts to good children (and children-at-heart) worldwide on Christmas usually by sliding down fireplace chimneys (or opening doors with a special key) and reindeer pulling his sleigh.
However, after the children have fallen asleep, parents typically play the role of Santa Claus and leave their gifts under the Christmas tree.
Children's parents sometimes signed tags on gifts for children with "From Santa Claus" before the gifts are laid under the tree.
Santa Claus was not a real, historical person, but the modern character of Santa was most likely created from different traditions from European and Christian culture, such as the real-life Roman Catholic saint Saint Nicholas, the Dutch Sinterklaas, and others.
There are many popular culture items about Santa.
He is also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Kristingle, Christingle, Father Christmas, Santy, and many other names.
Santa Claus' home
In the Nordic version, Santa is said to live in a small hill called Korvatunturi in Lapland, Finland.
There is a theme park in Rovaniemi, which is near Korvatunturi, called Santa Claus Village.
As his home and workshop are fictional, there is no definite geographical location as to where the home or workshop is located.
Santa tracking, Santa websites, and email to and from Santa
Over the years, there have been a number of websites created by various organizations that have purported to track Santa.
Some, such as NORAD Tracks Santa, the Airservices Australia Tracks Santa Project, the Santa Update Project, and the MSNBC and Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project have endured.
Others, such as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Tracks Santa Project, the Santa Retro Radar – Lehigh Valley Project, and the NASA Tracks Santa Project, have fallen out of use.
The origins of the NORAD Tracks Santa program began in the United States in 1955, when a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado Springs, Colorado gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline."
The number was mistyped, resulting in children calling the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead.
Colonel Harry Shoup, the Director of Operations, received the first call for Santa and responded by telling children there were signs on the radar that Santa was indeed heading south from the North Pole.
A tradition began which continued under the name NORAD Tracks Santa when in 1958, the United States and Canada jointly created the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
This tracking can now be done through the Internet and NORAD's website.
In the past, many local television stations in the United States and Canada likewise claimed they tracked Santa in their own metropolitan areas through the stations' meteorologists.
In December 2000, the Weather Channel built upon these local efforts to provide a national Christmas Eve Santa tracking effort called SantaWatch in cooperation with NASA, the International Space Station, and Silicon Valley-based new multimedia firm Dreamtime Holdings.
In the 21st century, most local television stations in the United States and Canada rely upon outside established "Santa tracking" efforts, such as NORAD Tracks Santa.
Many other websites became available year-round, devoted to Santa and purport to keep tabs on his activities in his workshop.
Many of these websites also include email addresses which allow children to send email to Santa.
Most of these websites use volunteer living people as "elves" to answer email sent to Santa.
However, some websites, such as Santa's page on Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces, have used or still use "bots" to compose and send email replies, with occasional unfortunate results.
One particular website called emailSanta.com was created when a 1997 Canada Post strike prevented a man named Alan Kerr (credited as the "Head Elf")'s young niece and nephews from sending their letters to Santa; in a few weeks, over 1,000 emails to Santa were received and had received 1,000 emails a day one year later.
Now celebrating close to two decades on-line, emailSanta.com receives roughly 1 million emails a year.
In addition to providing holiday-themed entertainment, "Santa tracking" websites raise interest in space technology and exploration, serve to educate children in geography.
and encourage them to take an interest in science.
By the end of the 20th century, the reality of mass mechanized production became more fully accepted by the Western public.
Elves had been portrayed as using assembly lines to produce toys early in the 20th century.
That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production and distribution facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and Mrs. Claus as executives and / or managers.
An excerpt from a 2004 article, from a supply chain managers' trade magazine, aptly illustrates this depiction:
Many television commercials, comic strips and other media depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes, making riddles, and pulling pranks on their boss.
For instance, a Bloom County story from December 15, 1981 through December 24, 1981 has Santa rejecting the demands of PETCO (Professional Elves Toy-Making and Craft Organization) for higher wages, a hot tub in the locker room, and "short broads," with the elves then going on strike.
Ronald Reagan steps in, fires all of Santa's helpers, and replaces them with out-of-work air traffic controllers (an obvious reference to the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike), resulting in a riot before Santa vindictively rehires them in humiliating new positions such as his reindeer.
In an episode of The Sopranos titled "...To Save Us All from Satan's Power," Paulie Gualtieri says he "used to think Santa and Mrs. Claus were running a sweatshop over there... The original elves were ugly, traveled with Santa to throw bad kids a beatin', and gave the good ones toys."
In Kyrgyzstan, a mountain peak was named after Santa, after a Swedish company had suggested the location be a more efficient starting place for present-delivering journeys all over the world, than Lapland.
In the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, a Santa Claus Festival was held on December 30, 2007, with government officials attending.
2008 was officially declared the Year of Santa Claus in the country.
The events are seen as moves to boost tourism in Kyrgyzstan.
The Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of Santa Clauses is held by Thrissur, Kerala, India, where on December 27, 2014, 18,112 Santas came overtaking the current record of Derry City, Northern Ireland.
On September 9, 2007, where a total of 12,965 people dressed up as Santa or Santa's helpers which previously brought down the record of 3,921, which was set during the Santa Dash event in Liverpool City Center in 2005.
A gathering of Santas in 2009 in Bucharest, Romania attempted to top the world record, but failed with only 3,939 Santas.
Cinnamon is a spice from the inner bark of Cinnamomum verum.
The spice is used in both sweet and savoury foods.
It is aromatic.
People usually put cinnamon in sweet baked goods (such as cinnamon rolls), hot wine or liquors.
Cinnamon was used to make the spiced wine, claret, in the Middle Ages.
In India, cinnamon is commonly used in making flavoured tea.
It is either directly added as small pieces or put in powdered form during the preparation of tea.
It is known as "Daal-Cheeni" in Hindi.
The Sinhalese name is kurundu.
Cinnamon is grown as an export crop in Sri Lanka.
Cinnamon as a herbal remedy
There is a literature which suggests that cinnamon spice may have positive effects on diabetes type II.
This is not the view of the U.S, National Institutes of Health.
Lauraceae
John the Chanter becomes Bishop of Exeter.
January 27 – Constance of Sicily marries Henry (the future Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor).
The Byzantine Empire recognises the indepence of Bulgaria.
Guy of Lusignan becomes King of Jerusalem.
May 18 — Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (d. 1218)
Queen Urraca of Portugal spouse of King Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1220)
Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk (d. 1225)
Iziaslav IV Vladimirovich, Grand Prince of Kiev
Ögedei Khan, third son of Genghis Khan and second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (d. 1241)
Song Ci, Chinese physician and judge (d. 1249)
May 29 or June 23 or June 24 — Robert of Torigni
August 19 — Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (b. 1158)
Baldwin V of Jerusalem (b. 1177)
William of Tyre, Archbishop of Tyre (b. c. 1130)
Minamoto no Yukiie, Japanese warlord
May 1 – Battle of Cresson – Saladin defeats the crusaders
July 4 – Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin.
September 20 – October 2 – Siege of Jerusalem – Saladin captures Jerusalem.
October 29 – Pope Gregory VIII issues the bull Audita tremendi, proposing the Third Crusade.
Alexis Branas attempts to seize Constantinople in defiance of his master Isaac II Angelus.
Cathedral of St. Jacob consecrated in Szczecin, Pomerania
Destruction of Sigtuna – archbishop is killed
Knut Eriksson builds a castle in the island of Stockholm
Compass in Europe
The Toltecs are deposed at Chichen Itza
Zen Buddhism comes to Japan
King of Ankor Vat, Jayavarman VII defeats Cham conquerors
Ghorin Muhammed conquers Punjab
Genoa takes Bonifacio (in Corsica) from Pisa
September 5 — King Louis VIII of France (d. 1226)
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (d. 1203)
Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (d. 1239)
July 4 — Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch (executed, b. c. 1125)
October 19 — Pope Urban III
November 9 — Emperor Gaozong of China (b. 1107)
December 17 — Pope Gregory VIII (b. c. 1100)
Gerard of Cremona, Italian translator of scientific works (b. c. 1114)
Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Count Raymond III of Tripoli (b. 1140)
Saladin unsuccessfully besieges the Hospitaller fortress of Krak des Chevaliers in modern Syria.
Newgate Prison is built.
Richard Lionheart allies with Philip II of France against his father, Henry II of England.
Giraldus Cambrensis and Baldwin of Exeter travel through Wales attempting to recruit men for the Third Crusade.
The "Saladin tithe" is levied in England.
Alfonso IX of Castile becomes king of Leon.
Queen Tamar of Georgia marries David Soslan.
Ovum, the female reproductive cell
Zygote, a fertilised ovum
Cleidoic egg: the type of egg produced by amniotes (reptiles, birds, mammals)
Egg (food): a type of egg that can be eaten.
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or SF) is the type genre of speculative fiction which deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, interstellar travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.
It has been called the "literature of ideas", and it often explores the potential consequences of scientific, social, and technological innovations.
Science fiction stories can be novels, movies, TV shows, video games, comic books and other literature.
SF is often about the future.
It can be about imaginary new science and inventions such as spaceships, aliens, and robots.
Science fiction stories are often in a world that is very different from the real world.
They can have science and tools that do not exist in reality.
Science fiction stories often take place on other worlds.
There are often alien creatures.
Science fiction is drastically different from fantasy.
Fantasy stories often have magic and other things that do not exist and are not science.
Isaac Asimov was a famous science fiction writer.
He once said that science fiction is possible, but fantasy is not.
Writers often use SF to explain everyday questions or problems by putting them in the future.
Usually they invent a very different world to help people notice important ideas.
Early examples of science fiction
Science fiction changes over time.
Some authors wrote SF books before this type of writing had a name.
These writers and books were not called science fiction when they were published.
But, they are often called science fiction today.
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (1818)
Jules Verne – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870)
H. G. Wells – The Time Machine (1895).
20th century science fiction
Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke are seen as the big three science fiction authors of the 20th century.
Philip K. Dick, Poul Anderson and William Gibson are other well-known science fiction authors from the 20th century.
Star Trek – a 1960s American TV show that led to a media franchise.
Doctor Who – a long-running British TV show.
Star Wars -a trilogy of movies preceded by a novel that turned into a media franchise
Different types of science fiction
Two broad genres of science fiction are Hard SF and Soft SF.
Although not everyone agrees on the exact definitions of these two types, the way they use science or the type of science used in the stories is different.
Hard SF
Hard science fiction, or "hard SF", is special because it uses true facts and theories from sciences.
These sciences are very important in Hard SF: physics, astrophysics, and chemistry.
Also, Hard SF can show worlds that more advanced technology may make possible.
Many correct predictions of the future come from the hard science fiction subgenre.
However, there have been many incorrect ideas about the future, too.
Some hard SF writers have also worked as professional scientists.
A few of these scientist/writers are Gregory Benford and Geoffrey A. Landis, while mathematician authors include Rudy Rucker and Vernor Vinge.
Other noteworthy hard SF authors include Arthur C. Clarke, Hal Clement, Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear, Stanislav Lem, Larry Niven, Robert J. Sawyer, Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds, Charles Sheffield, and Greg Egan.
Soft SF
Soft science fiction stories take ideas from social sciences such as psychology, economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
Some important writers in this category include Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick.
Soft SF can be mostly about character and emotion.
Ray Bradbury won a prize called the SFWA Grand Master and writes in this style.
The Soviet Union produced social science fiction too.
Some examples are Strugatsky brothers, Kir Bulychov and Ivan Yefremov.
Some Social SF and Soft SF can be types of speculative fiction, for example utopian or dystopian stories.
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, are examples.
Some people think that satirical novels in fantastic settings (places) such as Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift are speculative fiction.
Different styles of science fiction
Within Hard or Soft SF, there are different types, or subgenres, of science fiction.
Each subgenre is a group of stories that uses similar ideas or styles of story-telling.
Publishing companies and critics put works of SF into different subgenres to help describe the work to help readers choose which books to read or movies to watch.
Assigning genres is not simple.
Some stories can be in two or more genres at the same time.
Other stories may not fit any genre.
Alternate history
In Alternate (or alternative) history stories, writers imagine how the past might have been different.
These stories may use time travel to change the past.
Some set a story in a universe with a different history from our own.
These are some important alternate history books:
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore  - the South won the American Civil War
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick - Germany and Japan won World War II.
The Sidewise Award is for the best works in this subgenre.
The name Sidewise is taken from Murray Leinster's 1934 story "Sidewise in Time."
Harry Turtledove is one of the most famous writers in the subgenre.
He is often called the "master of alternate history".
Apocalyptic fiction is about the end of civilization.
There are several types: through war (On The Beach), pandemic (The Last Man), astronomic impact (When Worlds Collide), ecological disaster (The Wind From Nowhere), or mankind's self-destruction (Oryx and Crake), or some other general disaster.
Apocalyptic SF may also be about world or civilization after a disaster.
Cyberpunk began in the early 1980s.
Bruce Bethke used this word as the title for a short story in 1980 by putting together two words: "cybernetics" and "punk".
Soon, people used this word to describe William Gibson's book, Neuromancer.
Cyberpunk authors can put their stories in different settings.
Stories usually take place in the near-future and the settings are often dystopian (characterized by misery).
These are often societies with very advanced technology.
A few huge corporations usually control the society.
Another early cyberpunk novel that has become a classic is Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Military science fiction
Military science fiction stories happen during wars.
These wars can be between different countries, different planets, or between different species.
The stories are told by characters who are soldiers.
They include detail about military technology, rules, and history.
Some Military SF may be similar to real historical conflicts.
Heinlein's Starship Troopers is an early example.
Another is the Dorsai novels of Gordon Dickson.
Joe Haldeman's The Forever War is a response to the World War II–style stories of earlier military SF authors.
Haldeman was a soldier in the Vietnam War.
Important military SF authors include John Ringo, David Drake, David Weber,  and S. M. Stirling.
Baen Books is known for cultivating military science fiction authors.
Maritime science fiction is science fiction that features a maritime or marine environment and technology and/or marine lifeforms mixed with science fiction.
The probably earliest form of maritime science fiction literature is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Superhuman stories are about humans who get special abilities that are not normal.
Maybe the new powers come from nature.
Two examples of this type are Olaf Stapledon's novel Odd John and Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human.
Sometimes scientists give people special powers on purpose.
one example is A.E. van Vogt's novel Slan.
Frederik Pohl's  novel Man Plus is another good example from this category.
In that book, government scientists make a man into a powerful cyborg (part human, part machine).
These stories usually have two main points.
One is the feeling of loneliness and separation that these superhuman people feel.
The other is society's reaction to them.
Space opera is adventure science fiction in outer space or on distant planets.
Action is more important than the science or characters.
There is usually a strong hero and a very big conflict.
The action often moves to many different places.
Edward E. (Doc) Smith was an early Space opera writer.
Flash Gordon and Star Wars are also popular examples.
Space western
Space western takes ideas from books and movies about exploring the American Old West and moves them  to space in the future.
These stories are often on "frontier" colony worlds (colonies that have only recently been terraformed and/or settled) serving as stand-ins for the backdrop of lawlessness and economic expansion that were predominant in the American west.
Some examples are Firefly and the movie Serenity by Joss Whedon.
Anime programs like Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star are also Space Westerns.
Han Solo from "Star Wars" is an important Space Western character.
The first important time travel novel was Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
The most famous is H. G. Wells's 1895 novel The Time Machine.
Well's book uses a machine that allows an operator to travel to an exact time.
Twain's time traveler is struck in the head and wakes up in the past.
The term "time machine" was invented by Wells.
Now it is the name for any vehicle that can take a rider to another time.
Ray Bradbury's 1952 short story called A Sound of Thunder is a more recent and very famous example of this genre.
Time travel stories can be complicated.
They have logical problems such as the grandfather paradox.
Time travel is a popular subject in modern science fiction, in print, movies, and television.
Other sub-genres
Comic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is more humorous or funny.
Feminist science fiction asks questions about society.
How does society make gender roles?
How does having children define gender?
Does having children change the political and personal power of men and women?
Some well-known feminist science fiction stories  use utopias to answer those questions.
The stories explore a society in which gender differences or gender power imbalances do not exist.
Also dystopias can explore worlds in which gender inequalities are stronger.
Those dystopias explain that feminist work should continue.
See Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood
Libertarian science fiction is written from a political point of view.
This subgenre uses fiction to explore ideas from libertarian political philosophy about government and social organization.
A classic example of libertarian science fiction is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein.
New Wave is science fiction writing with a lot of experimentation.
Writers try new ways of writing and new story ideas.
It may feel more intellectual.
New Wave seems more like important "literature" or art.
Steampunk is the idea of future technology in the past.
These stories are usually in the 19th century and often in Victorian era England.
Steampunk stories have strong images from either science fiction or fantasy.
Steampunk can have imaginary inventions like those found in books by H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Imagining a world where computers were invented a long time ago is also popular.
Examples include The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, and the Girl Genius series by Phil and Kaja Foglio.
The start of this style may be seen in some writing by Michael Moorcock, Philip Jose Farmer and Steve Stiles.
Games like Space 1889 and Marcus Rowland's Forgotten Futures can also be Steampunk.
The name comes from the fact that machines are most often powered by steam in this genre.
Biopunk is like cyberpunk, but instead of focusing on cybernetic technology, it focuses on biotechnology.
Mundane science fiction is science fiction set on a fiction Earth and not involving any space travel or extra-terrestrial elements.
Jurassic Park is considered and example of mundane science fiction.
Science fantasy
Notable science fiction writers
Frank Herbert author of the Dune series.
Isaac Asimov author of the Foundation series.
Marion Zimmer Bradley author of the Darkover series.
Arthur C. Clarke author of a number of classic science fiction novels
Fandom and community
Science fiction fandom is the "community of the literature of ideas... the culture in which new ideas emerge and grow before being released into society at large".
Members of this community, "fans", are in contact with each other at conventions or clubs, through print or online fanzines, or on the Internet using web sites, mailing lists, and other resources.
SF fandom emerged from the letters column in Amazing Stories magazine.
Soon fans began writing letters to each other, and then grouping their comments together in informal publications that became known as fanzines.
Once they were in regular contact, fans wanted to meet each other, and they organized local clubs.
In the 1930s, the first science fiction conventions gathered fans from a wider area.
Conventions, clubs, and fanzines were the main fan activities, or "fanac", for decades, until the Internet improved communication among a much larger population of interested people.
There are two very important science fiction awards: the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award.
The Hugo is presented by the World Science Fiction Society at Worldcon each year.
The Nebula is presented by SFWA and voted on by the community of authors.
One important award for science fiction movies is the Saturn Award.
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror movies gives this award each year..
There are national awards, like Canada's Aurora Award and the UK Arthur C. Clarke Award, regional awards, like the Endeavour Award presented at Orycon for works from the Pacific Northwest, special interest or subgenre awards like the Chesley Award for art or the World Fantasy Award for fantasy.
Magazines may organize reader polls, notably the Locus Award.
Conventions, clubs, and organizations
Conventions (in fandom, shortened as "cons"), are held in cities around the world, catering to a local, regional, national, or international membership.
General-interest conventions cover all aspects of science fiction, while others focus on a particular interest like media fandom, filking, etc.
Most are organized by volunteers in non-profit groups, though most media-oriented events are organized by commercial promoters.
The convention's activities are called the "program", which may include panel discussions, readings, autograph sessions, costume masquerades, and other events.
Activities that occur throughout the convention are not part of the program; these commonly include a dealer's room, art show, and hospitality lounge (or "con suites").
Conventions may host award ceremonies.
Worldcons present the Hugo Awards each year.
SF societies are a year-round base of activities for science fiction fans.