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Legends about the development of coffee are varied and interesting, involving chance occurrences, political tricks, and the pursuit of wealth and power. According to one story, a sheepherder named Kaldi, as he tended his sheep, noticed the effect of coffee beans. He noticed that the sheep became excited after eating the red "cherries" from a certain plant when they changed pastures . He tried it himself, and was soon as overactive as his sheep. Another story relates that a monk happened to discover that this fruit from the shiny green plant could help him stay awake. Another legend gives us the name for coffee, "mocha". Omar, an Arabian was thrown to the desert with his followers to die of starvation. In desperation, Omar had his friends boil and eat the fruit from an unknown plant. Not only did the soup save the group, but the residents of the nearest town, Mocha, took their survival as a religious sign. The plant and its beverage were named Mocha to honor this event. Coffee was introduced much later to countries beyond Arabia, whose inhabitants believed it to be a tasty thing and guarded its secret as if they were top secret military plans. The government forbade transportation of the plant out of the Moslem nations. The actual spread of coffee was started illegally. One Arab named Baba Budan smuggled beans to some mountains near Mysore, India, and started a farm there. Early in this century, some of those original plants were found still growing fruitfully in the region. Coffee today is grown and enjoyed worldwide, and is one of the few crops that small farmers in third-world countries can profitably export.

wikipedia

Eastern Europe is the eastern part of the European continent. There is no consensus on the precise area it covers, partly because the term has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations. There are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region". A related United Nations paper adds that "every assessment of spatial identities is essentially a social and cultural construct". One definition describes Eastern Europe as a cultural entity: the region lying in Europe with the main characteristics consisting of Greek, Byzantine, Eastern Orthodox, Russian , and some Ottoman culture influences. Another definition was created during the Cold War and used more or less synonymously with the term "Eastern Bloc". A similar definition names the formerly communist European states outside the Soviet Union as Eastern Europe. Some historians and social scientists view such definitions as outdated or relegated, but they are still sometimes used for statistical purposes. Several other definitions of Eastern Europe exist today, but they often lack precision, are too general or outdated. These definitions vary both across cultures and among experts, even political scientists, as the term has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations.

wikipedia

Index Medicus (IM) is a curated subset of MEDLINE, which is a bibliographic database of life science and biomedical science information, principally scientific journal articles. From 1879 to 2004, "Index Medicus" was a comprehensive bibliographic index of such articles in the form of a print index or (in later years) its onscreen equivalent. It was begun by John Shaw Billings, head of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, United States Army. This library later evolved into the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM). In the 1960s, the NLM began the indexing work by creating MEDLARS, a bibliographic database, which became MEDLINE. "Index Medicus" thus became the print presentation of the MEDLINE database's content, which users accessed usually by visiting a library which subscribed to "Index Medicus" (for example, a university scientist at the university library). It continued in this role through the 1980s and 1990s, while various electronic presentations of MEDLINE's content also evolved, first with proprietary online services (accessed mostly at libraries) and later with CD-ROMs, then with Entrez and PubMed. As users gradually migrated from print to online use, "Index Medicus" print subscriptions dwindled. During the 1990s, the dissemination of home internet connections, the launch of the Web and web browsers, and the launch of PubMed greatly accelerated the shift of online access to MEDLINE from something one did at the library to something one did anywhere. This dissemination, along with the superior usability of search compared with use of a print index in serving the user's purpose (which is to distill relevant subsets of information from a vast superset), caused the use of MEDLINE's print output, "Index Medicus", to drop precipitously. In 2004, print publication ceased. Today, "Index Medicus" and "Abridged Index Medicus" still exist conceptually as content curation services that curate MEDLINE content into search subsets or database views (in other words, subsets of MEDLINE records from some journals but not others). This filters search results with a view toward excluding poor-quality articles (such as by excluding junk journals), which is often helpful depending on the needs of the user.

wikipedia

Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (sometimes known as Sony Music or by the initials, SME) is an American music corporation managed and operated by Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corporation. In 1929, the enterprise was first founded as American Record Corporation (ARC) and, in 1938, was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, following ARC's acquisition by CBS. In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. In 1987, Sony Corporation of Japan bought the company, and in 1991, renamed it SME. It is the world's second largest recorded music company, after Universal Music Group. In 2004, SME and Bertelsmann Music Group merged as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. When Sony acquired BMG's half of the conglomerate in 2008, Sony BMG reverted to the SME name. The buyout led to the dissolution of BMG, which then relaunched as BMG Rights Management. Out of the "Big Three" record companies, with Universal Music Group being the largest and Warner Music Group, SME is middle-sized.

cnn

Atlanta (CNN) -- Imagine paying as much for water as you do for your mortgage. Residents throughout Atlanta are outraged by hundreds, even thousands of dollars in monthly spikes in their water bills, and have questioned the legitimacy of the charges for years. Now, they're demanding answers. "I thought we were sinking in a hole of water," said Debbi Scarborough. "It scared me to death. I thought we had a major leak when I got the bill." Over two months last summer, her family's monthly water bill, shot up to $1,805 In July and then $1,084 in August, leaving a balance due of more than $3,000. She said in the past her bill has averaged $200 to $250. "I'm not paying a $3,000 bill. And for those three months, we were pretty much out of town most of the time and there's no leaks," she said, showing CNN a copy of her plumber's report. The city installed a device on her meter to track daily usage. In the meantime, Scarborough's bill remains unpaid while she disputes the charges. She is not alone. While similar complaints about huge water bill spikes have popped up in Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Brockton, Massachusetts; it appears that the issue has lasted the longest in Atlanta. See how top 50 cities rank It's led to a class-action lawsuit, countless meetings with city officials and continuing complaints from fed-up residents. Thousands of residents who have seen unusual spikes have appealed their high water bills. Just last year, the city issued credits totaling $466,368 to customers.

cnn

(CNN) -- "We looked at ports in Europe. We looked at street signs. Things on the menu." In the end, comedian Kevin Nealon and his wife decided to name their son Gable. As in Clark Gable. They simply liked the sound of it, and most people will agree it's far better than Helsinki, 43rd Avenue or Never Ending Pasta Bowl. This was 4½ years ago, but the former "Saturday Night Live" star still loves to talk about his son. In 2009, he even published a book about becoming a first-time dad called "Yes, You're Pregnant, But What About Me?" "We finally got the pacifier away from him," Nealon says of Gable. "And now we're potty training him. It would've been easier to get the pacifier away from him if we taught him how to pee on it." Nealon describes himself as a hands-on father but admits, "It's because I don't work that much." In that sense, he sort of sounds like his character, Doug Wilson, on Showtime's "Weeds," a pot-smoking, former CPA-drifter with a pretty much nonexistent moral compass. However, as you'll see and hear in our recent video interview, Nealon and Doug Wilson are really nothing alike. "I have a lot of hobbies, and I have a lot of friends," he says. "And I'm not so insecure as Doug." They have even greater differences, but everyone still loves Doug. For all his faults and failures, fans just can't get enough of the self-centered, shamed city councilman of fictional Agrestic, and he has become, perhaps, Nealon's most beloved character on TV. This, from the man who spent a decade on "SNL," "entertaining viewers with Hans and Franz and Mr. Subliminal.

race

Mirth Pham was born in Vietnam. He left his native country when he was 21 years old. Minh has been in America for almost two years. There is still much he does not understand about America. Once Minh was in a supermarket. He saw an old man and an old woman. They wanted a box of cereal .The box was on a high shelf. The man and the woman couldn't reach it. Minh saw a ladder. He got on the ladder and got the box. He handed it to the elderly couple. They thanked him. "Where are your children?" asked Minh. "Why don' t they help you buy food?" "Our children have their own lives," said the man and the woman. "We like to be independent." Mirth doesn't think this is right. In his country, .children help their parents. Minh gave the elderly couple his phone number. He told them to call him if they needed help. One night they asked Mirth to dinner, but they never asked him for help. One day, Minh was walking with a Vietnamese friend. The two were going to a movie. Minh wanted to go to a restaurant first. Minh took his friend's hand. He pulled him toward the restaurant. People on the street stared at Minh. In Vietnam, friends often hold hands. Minh found out that people in America are not used to holding hands. Minh Pham is going through a process known as re-socialization. Socialization is the process in which a person learns to live in a society. Everyone goes through this process. Minh went through it when he lived in Vietnam. But the Vietnamese way of life is much different from the American way of life. When Mirth came to America, he had to learn a new way of life. He had to learn how to live in a new society. Minh has learned a lot about American life in two years. He still has a lot to learn. The process of re-socialization can take many years.

cnn

(CNN)After weeks of controversy and the sudden departures of two co-hosts, "Fashion Police" is going on an extended break. The fashion commentary show on E! channel announced Tuesday that it will be on hiatus until September. "We look forward to taking this opportunity to refresh the show before the next awards season," it said in a statement. The announcement caps a rocky few months. Last week, co-host Kathy Griffin bid the show bye-bye after seven episodes, saying her style did not blend in with her co-hosts. She made a dig at the show on her way out. "There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it," she said in a statement. "I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference." Shortly before her departure, co-host Giuliana Rancic faced backlash last month for suggesting that Disney star Zendaya Coleman's dreadlocks smelled of marijuana. Rancic later issued an on-air apology to the 18-year-old after social media jumped to the teen's defense. But her apology was not enough for co-host Kelly Osbourne, who criticized her remarks and quit a few days later. Rancic and fellow co-host Brad Goreski will return in September, along with executive producer Melissa Rivers.

gutenberg

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. AN EXPEDITION AND A DISAPPOINTMENT. A few days later the whole tribe arrived at their summer quarters, and no civilised family of boys and girls ever arrived at their seaside home with a more genuine expression of noisy delight than that with which those Eskimos took possession of the turf-mud-and-stone-built huts of Waruskeek. It was not only the children who thus let loose their glee. The young men and maidens also began to romp round the old dwellings in the pure enjoyment of ancient memories and present sunshine, while the elders expressed their satisfaction by looking on with approving nods and occasional laughter. Even old Mangivik so far forgot the dignity of his advanced age as to extend his right toe, when Anteek was rushing past, and trip up that volatile youth, causing him to plunge headlong into a bush which happened to grow handy for his reception. Nazinred alone maintained his dignity, but so far condescended to harmonise with the prevailing spirit as to smile now and then. As for Adolay, she utterly ignored the traditions of her people, and romped and laughed with the best of them, to the great delight of Nootka, who sometimes felt inclined to resent her stately ways. Cheenbuk adopted an intermediate course, sometimes playing a practical joke on the young men, at other times entering into grave converse with his Indian guest. Aglootook of course stuck to his own _role_. He stood on a bank of sand which overlooked the whole, and smiled gracious approval, as though he were the benignant father of a large family, whom he was charmed to see in the enjoyment of innocent mirth.

wikipedia

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organisation on 29 July 1957. Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. The IAEA has its headquarters in Vienna. The IAEA has two "Regional Safeguards Offices" which are located in Toronto, Canada, and in Tokyo, Japan. The IAEA also has two liaison offices which are located in New York City, United States, and in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, the IAEA has three laboratories located in Vienna and Seibersdorf, Austria, and in Monaco. The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide. The programs of the IAEA encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear technology, provide international safeguards against misuse of nuclear technology and nuclear materials, and promote nuclear safety (including radiation protection) and nuclear security standards and their implementation. The IAEA and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 7 October 2005. The IAEA's current Director General is Yukiya Amano.

race

Their thumbs sure must be sore. Two central prefix = st1 /Pennsylvaniafriends spent most of March in a text - messaging record attempt, exchanging a thumbs-flying total of 217,000. For one of the two, that meant an inches-thick itemized bill for $ 26,000. Nick Andes, 29, and Doug Klinger, 30, were relying on their unlimited text messaging plans to get them through the escapade , so Andes didn't expect such a big bill. " It came in a box that cost $ 27.55 to send to me." he said. He said he "panicked" and called T-Mobile, which said it would investigate the charges. The two Lancaster-area residents have been practically non-stop texters for about a decade since they attended Berks Technical Institute together. That led Andes to searching for the largest monthly text message total he could find posted online: 182,000 sent in 2005 by Deepak Sharma in India. Andes and Klinger were able to set up their phones to send multiple messages. During a February test run they found they could send 6,000 or 7,000 messages on some days, prompting the March messaging marathon. " Most were either short phrases or one word, 'LOL' or 'Hello', things like that , with tons and tons of repeats," said Andes, reached by phone. Andes sent more than 140,000 messages, and Klinger sent more than 70,000 to end the month with a total of just over 217,000, he said. A spokesman for Guinness World Records didn't immediately return messages asking whether it would be certified as a record. April came as a relief to Andes' wife , Julie, who had found his phone tied up with texting when she tried to call him on lunch breaks. " She was tired of it the first few days into it, "Andes said.

race

This is VOA. The National Cryptologic Museum is on Fort George G. Meade, a military base near Washington, DC. The method of hiding exact meanings is called coding. People have used secret codes throughout history to protect important information. The National Cryptologic Museum celebrated 60 years of cryptologic excellence in 2012. One event there marked the sixtieth anniversary of the National Security Agency. Two former NSA workers shared their memories of operating a code machine called Sigaba. In 1940, an American woman named Genevieve Grotjan found some information being repeated in Japanese coded messages. Her discovery helped the United States understand secret Japanese diplomatic messages. After the United States understood the code, it was possible to study messages from the Japanese ambassador to Germany and to his supervisors in Japan. Understanding these messages helped the United States prepare for a possible war in the Pacific with Japan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor. the American naval commander in the Pacific Ocean was Chester Nimitz. His forces were much smaller than the Japanese Naval forces. And the Japanese had been winning many victories. Joseph Rochefort had worked for several months to read the secret Japanese Naval code called JN-25. If he could understand enough of the code, he would be able to give Admiral Nimitz very valuable information. From the beginning of 1942, the Japanese code discussed a place called "AF." Joseph Rochefort felt the Japanese were planning an important battle aimed at "AF." After several weeks, he and other naval experts told Admiral Nimitz that their best idea was that the "AF" in the Japanese code was the American-held island of Midway. Admiral Nimitz said he must have more information to prepare for such an attack. The Navy experts decided to trick Japan. They told the American military force on Midway to broadcast a false message. The message would say the island was having problems with its water-processing equipment. The message asked that fresh water be sent to the island immediately. This message was not sent in code. Several days later, a Japanese radio broadcast in the JN-25 code said that "AF" had little water. Joseph Rochefort had the evidence he needed. "AF" was now known to be the island of Midway. He also told Admiral Nimitz the Japanese would attack Midway on June 13.The battle that followed was a huge American victory. That victory was possible because Joseph Rochefort learned to read enough of the Japanese code to discover the meaning of the letters "AF." One American code has never been broken. Perhaps it never will. It was used in the Pacific during World War Two. For many years the government would not discuss this secret code. Listen for a moment to this very unusual code. Then you may understand why the Japanese military forces were never able to understand any of it. The code is in the voice of a Native American. The man you just heard is singing a simple song in the Navajo language. Very few people outside the Navajo nation are able to speak any of their very difficult language. At the beginning of World War Two, the United States Marine Corps asked members of the Navajo tribe to train as Code Talkers. The Cryptologic Museum says the Marine Corps Code Talkers could take a sentence in English and change it into their language in about 20 seconds. A code machine needed about 30 minutes to do the same work. The Navajo Code Talkers took part in every battle the Marines entered in the Pacific during World War Two. The Japanese were very skilled at breaking codes. But they were never able to understand any of what they called "The Marine Code." The Cryptologic Museum has many pieces of mechanical and electric equipment used to change words into code. It also has almost as many examples of machines used to try to change code back into useful words.

cnn

(CNN) -- Mitt Romney is rumored to be announcing a choice soon for his vice presidential running mate, and conventional thinking suggests his pick is going to be "safe," someone who brings a high measure of conservative street cred, and preferably from a swing state. In other words, the rumor is the guy who has trouble getting people to like him is going to pick someone even more boring than him. It seems he hasn't figured out that as long as Barack Obama is president, his base will be fired up in spite of his dull personality, so what he doesn't need to do is waste this pick on a running mate Republicans will like. What he needs is someone who can attract voters on the fence.  A media darling with a successful track record to point to and someone whose social politics won't immediately get them labeled by independents as "crazy." Romney risks playing running mate hand too early Enter Michael Bloomberg: that union-fighting/gay-couple-loving renegade who would make things complicated for Democrats because he's managed to get elected three times in the most diverse region in the country while being a rich, old white guy. Four years ago, Sen. John McCain selected a game changer who turned out to be better in theory than in practice. Like Sarah Palin, Bloomberg would be a curve ball. But while she got people talking, the New York mayor would get people talking and thinking. How? By being something many of the other VP options are not: a real Republican. An old school Republican.

race

Do you want to know something about children in Africa? What to they do for fun every day? Find out here: Education School is expensive for many African children. Lots of families can't afford school uniforms or exercise books even though they don't have to pay for school. For those lucky enough to go to school , they have a lot to learn. Some take two language classes: English or French, and their first language. There is also math, science, history, social studies and geography. _ take up much of children's time after school. They have to get water and firewood for the family every day. Also there's cleaning , washing and helping Mum with the meal. Daily fun It's not all work and no play. Sports are very popular. Children can make goals with twigs ( )and their own footballs with plastic and bits of string ( ). They play in the country and the streets of old towns. There're many football teams for teenagers in Africa. Internet It's really expensive to get on the Internet. To surf the net for 20 hours costs over 600yuan. This is more than the average monthly pay per person. Egypt and South Africa are the top two users of the Internet in Africa. All of the capital cities there can get on the Internet. Some schools offer computer lessons but few students can enjoy computer fun at home.

wikipedia

A vernacular or vernacular language is the native language or native dialect (usually colloquial or informal) of a specific population, especially as distinguished from a literary, national or standard variety of the language, or a lingua franca (also called a vehicular language) used in the region or state inhabited by that population. Some linguists use "vernacular" and "nonstandard dialect" as synonyms. The use of "vernacular" is not recent. In 1688, James Howell wrote: Concerning Italy, doubtless there were divers before the Latin did spread all over that Country; the Calabrian, and Apulian spoke Greek, whereof some Relicks are to be found to this day; but it was an adventitious, no Mother-Language to them: 'tis confess'd that Latium it self, and all the Territories about Rome, had the Latin for its maternal and common first vernacular Tongue; but Tuscany and Liguria had others quite discrepant, viz. the Hetruscane and Mesapian, whereof though there be some Records yet extant; yet there are none alive that can understand them: The Oscan, the Sabin and Tusculan, are thought to be but Dialects to these. Here vernacular, mother language and dialect are already in use in a modern sense. According to Merriam-Webster, "vernacular" was brought into the English language as early as 1601 from the Latin "vernaculus" ("native") which had been in figurative use in Classical Latin as "national" and "domestic", having originally been derived from "vernus" and "verna", a male or female slave respectively born in the house rather than abroad. The figurative meaning was broadened from the diminutive extended words "vernaculus, vernacula". Varro, the classical Latin grammarian, used the term "vocabula vernacula", "termes de la langue nationale" or "vocabulary of the national language" as opposed to foreign words.

race

Jenny wanted to encourage students to read more famous books, so she decided to put an introduction to some interesting children's story books in the school newspaper. The Little Prince (<<>> is a famous work written by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In the book, the little prince leaves his own planet to explore the universe . In his journey, he finds that the adult world is really strange and boring. Finally, he goes back to his planet which is full of love. The book is really popular throughout the world. Charlotte's Web (<<>> is a famous children's novel written by American author E. B. White. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte on a farm. When Wilbur is in danger of being killed for his meat by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages to _ Wilbur in her web and saves him. Wilbur becomes famous in the village and he is safe in the end. When it came out in 1952, the book was welcomed by both adults and children. And it is still very popular today. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (<<>> is a 2006 novel written by Kate DiCamillo. The book is about an unusual journey of a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. He travels from one place to another, meeting many people. During his journey, he learns to love and finally finds love again. This book is popular nowadays and was mentioned many times in the famous South Korean TV series My love from the Star (<<>> . The warm and sweet story will surely make you understand more about love.

wikipedia

Svalbard (; prior to 1925 known by its Dutch name Spitsbergen, meaning "jagged mountains") is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Situated north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Administratively, the archipelago is not part of any Norwegian county, but forms an unincorporated area administered by a governor appointed by the Norwegian government. Since 2002, Svalbard's main settlement, Longyearbyen, has had an elected local government, somewhat similar to mainland municipalities. Other settlements include the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research station of Ny-Ålesund, and the mining outpost of Sveagruva. Ny-Ålesund is the northernmost settlement in the world with a permanent civilian population. Other settlements are farther north, but are populated only by rotating groups of researchers. The islands were first taken into use as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, after which they were abandoned. Coal mining started at the beginning of the 20th century, and several permanent communities were established. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 recognizes Norwegian sovereignty, and the 1925 Svalbard Act made Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. They also established Svalbard as a free economic zone and a demilitarized zone. The Norwegian Store Norske and the Russian Arktikugol remain the only mining companies in place. Research and tourism have become important supplementary industries, with the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault playing critical roles. No roads connect the settlements; instead snowmobiles, aircraft and boats serve inter-community transport. Svalbard Airport, Longyear serves as the main gateway.

cnn

Miami (CNN) -- Two South Florida imams and a third family member were arrested Saturday on charges of providing support to the Pakistani Taliban, the Justice Department said. In addition, three others in Pakistan were also indicted on the same charges. FBI agents arrested Hafiz Khan and his son Izhar Khan in South Florida, the department said. They are expected to make their initial court appearance in federal court on Monday. Another of Hafiz Khan's sons, Irfan Khan, was arrested in Los Angeles and will appear in court there. Also charged are three Pakistani residents: Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb, and Amina Khan. Amina Khan is Hafiz Khan's daughter, and Zeb is his grandson. The four-count indictment alleges that all six defendants conspired to provide material support to a conspiracy to kill, injure and kidnap people abroad, and that they provided support to the Pakistani Taliban. Hafiz Khan is the imam at Flagler Mosque in Miami. Izhar Khan, is an imam at the Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Florida. "Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming," U.S. Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer said. "But for law enforcement intervention, these defendants would have continued to transfer funds to Pakistan to finance the Pakistani Taliban, including its purchase of guns." The indictment describes a number of occasions where Hafiz Khan transferred money to Pakistan, and where money was withdrawn once there.

mctest

Jane's doll, Samantha, was a magical doll. Jane kept Samantha hidden from her friends, even Julie, who was her best friend. Jane didn't want all the other girls from school, like Wanda and Ruth, to find out that she had a magical doll. Samantha could do things other dolls couldn't. Jane would whisper in her ear a secret word, and all of a sudden Samantha would come to life, hopping around, running all over. But Samantha did more than run, she could talk. Jane told Samantha everything, and Samantha understood. One day, Jane was naughty and lied to her mother. Jane's mother put Samantha on top of the refrigerator where Jane could not get to her. Jane was very sad. The one person she told everything to was out of her reach. The next day, Jane had one of the worst days of her life. She needed to tell someone, but Julie wasn't around. She needed Samantha. She had no ladder, chair, or stool to reach her. Julie moved the kitchen table forward towards the refrigerator, and hopped on top. She started to climb up to reach for Samantha, and grabbed her quickly. She came down, dropping Samantha on the floor, and broke Samantha. Jane whispered the secret word, but Samantha didn't awake. Samantha's powers were gone. She couldn't walk, run, talk, or listen. Jane hurt her the one person she could trust the most. Then, Samantha moved, looked at Jane, and a tear came from her eye. Samantha's eyes closed, and she was without life. She cried no more.

cnn

Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- South African leader Jacob Zuma was in neighboring Zimbabwe this week to rescue the seemingly crumbling power-sharing government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The South African president's visit Friday to the capital, Harare, follows escalating tensions between the two leaders, with Tsvangirai this week taking Mugabe to court for making unilateral decisions in the 21-month-old government. After a more than six-hour meeting with Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who have not been on speaking terms for close to a month, Zuma said he had managed to break the impasse between the two. "We have met and we have had successful consultations on a number of issues," Zuma told journalists. "They were small issues. There had been a breakdown of communication with the leaders of the government which have been resolved, and meetings will resume." Zuma joked and smiled with journalists, but that was not the case with Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who remained tense throughout the short press briefing. They refused to talk to journalists as they separately left the meetings. "No comment. No comment. Talk to the mediator, President Zuma," Tsvangirai told journalists about how his meeting with Zuma and Mugabe went. Mugabe just waved to reporters before he jumped into his car. Zuma -- who was appointed by regional leaders to monitor Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government and mediate -- said he would brief his counterparts in the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) about the tension in Zimbabwe. The friction between Zimbabwe's leaders worsened this week when Tsvangirai went to court to reverse unilateral appointments Mugabe made of senior government officials such as attorney general and several diplomats.

mctest

There once was a lion who did not roar, but instead he said meow. The lion was sad, because he could not roar like his other lion friends. The lion went to talk to his family. He first went to talk to his brother, but his brother was not home. Then he went to talk to his dad, but his dad was not home either. Luckily, the lion's sister was home. He asked his sister why he thought he could not roar. His sister said they need to go talk to their friend the squirrel. The squirrel lived in a tree with a nice door mat outside. The squirrel said to the lion if he wanted to start to roar instead of meow, then he need to run faster than the other lion's. So the next day, the lion played a game, in which he ran faster than all the other lions. Now, the lion roars and doesn't meow.

gutenberg

CHAPTER IV. But no--he surely is not dreaming. Another minute makes it clear, A scream, a rush, a burning tear, From Inez' cheek, dispel the fear That bliss like his is only seeming. Washington Alston. A moment of appalled surprise succeeded the instant when Harry and Rose first ascertained the real character of the vessel that had entered the haven of the Dry Tortugas. Then the first turned toward Jack Tier, and sternly demanded an explanation of his apparent faithlessness. "Rascal," he cried, "has this treachery been intended? Did you not see the brig and know her?" "Hush, Harry--_dear_ Harry," exclaimed Rose, entreatingly. "My life for it, Jack has _not_ been faithless." "Why, then, has he not let us know that the brig was coming? For more than an hour has he been aloft, on the look-out, and here are we taken quite by surprise. Rely on it, Rose, he has seen the approach of the brig, and might have sooner put us on our guard." "Ay, ay, lay it on, maty," said Jack, coolly, neither angry nor mortified, so far as appearances went, at these expressions of dissatisfaction; "my back is used to it. If I did n't know what it is to get hard raps on the knuckles, I should be but a young steward. But, as for this business, a little reflection will tell you I am not to blame." "Give us your own explanations, for without them I shall trust you no longer." "Well, sir, what good would it have done, _had_ I told you the brig was standing for this place? There she came down, like a race-horse, and escape for you was impossible. As the wind is now blowin', the Molly would go two feet to the boat's one, and a chase would have been madness."

race

Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as "Mumbet" or "Mum Bett." For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued for her freedom. While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution. Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants . One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights. Mumbet's tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: "She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal."

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William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright . Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet -- the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him. Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people's conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy Romeo and Juliet was reborn as the musical West Side Story and more recently as the movie Romeo and Juliet with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you've ever said, "Oh, for goodness sake!" you can thank Shakespeare for that. "To be, or not to be: that is the question," Hamlet says. "Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow," says Juliet to her Romeo. Don't be surprised if you don't understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare's characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated. It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It's worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, "All the world is a stage." And in his plays you'll find that an entire world is waiting for you.

wikipedia

Manganese is a chemical element with symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is not found as a free element in nature; it is often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a metal with important industrial metal alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels. Historically, manganese is named for pyrolusite and other black minerals from the region of Magnesia in Greece, which also gave its name to magnesium and the iron ore magnetite. By the mid-18th century, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele had used pyrolusite to produce chlorine. Scheele and others were aware that pyrolusite (now known to be manganese dioxide) contained a new element, but they were unable to isolate it. Johan Gottlieb Gahn was the first to isolate an impure sample of manganese metal in 1774, which he did by reducing the dioxide with carbon. Manganese phosphating is used for rust and corrosion prevention on steel. Ionized manganese is used industrially as pigments of various colors, which depend on the oxidation state of the ions. The permanganates of alkali and alkaline earth metals are powerful oxidizers. Manganese dioxide is used as the cathode (electron acceptor) material in zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries. In biology, manganese(II) ions function as cofactors for a large variety of enzymes with many functions. Manganese enzymes are particularly essential in detoxification of superoxide free radicals in organisms that must deal with elemental oxygen. Manganese also functions in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosynthetic plants. While the element is a required trace mineral for all known living organisms, it also acts as a neurotoxin in larger amounts. Especially through inhalation, it can cause manganism, a condition in mammals leading to neurological damage that is sometimes irreversible.

wikipedia

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence, whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences, and they commonly include offences such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Etymologically, the term "capital" (lit. "of the head", derived via the Latin "capitalis" from "caput", "head") in this context alluded to execution by beheading. Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it "de jure" for all crimes, six have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 30 are abolitionist in practice. Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. Also, the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members.

cnn

Bob Dylan is being investigated on suspicion of inciting hatred in Paris over comments he made in Rolling Stone magazine, French prosecutors said Tuesday. An organization representing Croatians in France pressed charges against Dylan for allegedly comparing the conflict between Croatians and Serbs to the Nazis' persecution of Jews in an interview last year for the French edition of Rolling Stone. "If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood," the influential singer-songwriter was quoted as saying. While a Croatian group has said Dylan was referencing the violence that came with the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, it's unclear whether the long-outspoken musician was referring to Yugoslavia or the crimes committed when the Ustasha ruled Croatia during World War II. The Paris prosecutor's office said Dylan was placed under formal investigation last month by the Paris Main Court for "public injury" and "incitement to hatred." Vlatko Maric, secretary general of the Representative Council of the Croatian Community and Institutions, told CNN his organization had brought the case almost a year ago. Explaining the council's decision to pursue the case against Dylan, Maric said the artist's remarks in Rolling Stone were of a "rare violence" that had deeply shocked people from a nation still wounded by the conflict of the 1990s. "An entire people is being compared to criminal organizations" like the Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan, he said. "The Croatians are peaceful people who respect Bob Dylan as an artist, but we must remind him that he can't make such remarks.

mctest

Jimmy loved watching television. He would wake up and watch Cartoons on Cartoon Network. His favorite cartoon was Scooby Doo. After his mom picked him up at the bus stop, he would go home and watch the Flintstones. One day, his mom told him he was not allowed to watch cartoons after school. He was very sad. She told him he had to go outside to play. He walked into the backyard. Fido was running around. He started to chase him. He picked up a ball and threw it. Fido ran after it and brought it back. Jimmy laughed. He chased after Fido and scratched his back. Maybe being outside wasn't so bad after all! He played with Fido for another hour until his mom called him inside. It was dinner time. Dinner was fried chicken and mashed potatoes-his favorite. He was happy his mom made him go outside. He would go outside every day after school now!

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIV. INVALIDED HOME. Two days after the battle of Albuera, Lord Wellington himself arrived, and from the officers of his staff Tom heard the details of the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, which had been fought a few days previously, and which had been nearly as hardly contested as had Albuera itself, both sides claiming the victory. The next day, the bulk of Beresford's army returned to the neighborhood of Badajos, which they again invested, while a long convoy of wounded started for Lisbon. The Scudamores accompanied it as far as Campo Major, where a large hospital had been prepared for those too ill to bear the journey. Peter was still unconscious. Fever had set in upon the day after the battle, and for three weeks he lay between life and death. Tom's arm was mending very slowly, and he would have had hard work indeed in nursing Peter had it not been for the arrival of unexpected assistance. A large villa had been taken close to the main hospital for the use of officers, and one of the rooms was allotted to the Scudamores. Upon the evening of the second day after their arrival, Tom was sitting by Peter's bedside, when, after a preliminary tap, the door opened, and to Tom's perfect amazement Sambo entered. The negro hurried forward, threw himself on his knees, seized Tom's hand and kissed it passionately, and then looking at the thin and fever-flushed face of Peter, he hid his face in his hands and sobbed unrestrainedly.

mctest

A small boy named John was at the park one day. He was swinging on the swings and his Tim friend played on the slide. John wanted to play on the slide now. John asked Tim if he could play on the slide. Tim said no. John was very upset and started crying. A girl named Susan saw him crying. Susan told the teacher Ms. Tammy. Ms. Tammy came over and told John that they could both take turns on the slide. John and Tim were OK with this. They both took turns on the slide. They all lived happily ever after.

gutenberg

CHAPTER II--A JACOBITE WAIF 'Sac now he's o'er the floods sae gray, And Lord Maxwell has ta'en his good-night.' LORD MAXWELL'S _Good-night_. Madame La Comtesse de Bourke was by no means a helpless fine lady. She had several times accompanied her husband on his expeditions, and had only not gone with him to Madrid because he did not expect to be long absent, and she sorely rued the separation. She was very busy in her own room, superintending the packing, and assisting in it, when her own clever fingers were more effective than those of her maids. She was in her _robe de chambre_, a dark blue wrapper, embroidered with white, and put on more neatly than was always the case with French ladies in _deshabille_. The hoop, long stiff stays, rich brocade robe, and fabric of powdered hair were equally unsuitable to ease or exertion, and consequently were seldom assumed till late in the day, when the toilette was often made in public. So Madame de Bourke's hair was simply rolled out of her way, and she appeared in her true colours, as a little brisk, bonny woman, with no actual beauty, but very expressive light gray eyes, furnished with intensely long black lashes, and a sweet, mobile, lively countenance. Estelle was trying to amuse little Jacques, and prevent him from trotting between the boxes, putting all sorts of undesirable goods into them; and Ulysse had collected his toys, and was pleading earnestly that a headless wooden horse and a kite, twice as tall as himself, of Lanty's manufacture, might go with them.

wikipedia

The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line of navigation on the surface of the Earth that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and demarcates the change of one calendar day to the next. It passes through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180° line of longitude but deviating to pass around some territories and island groups. The IDL is roughly based on the meridian of 180° longitude, roughly down the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and halfway around the world from the Greenwich meridian. In many places, the IDL follows the 180° meridian exactly. In other places, however, the IDL deviates east or west away from that meridian. These various deviations generally accommodate the political and/or economic affiliations of the affected areas. Proceeding from north to south, the first deviation of the IDL from 180° is to pass to the east of Wrangel Island and the Chukchi Peninsula, the easternmost part of Russian Siberia. (Wrangel Island lies directly on the meridian at 71°32′N 180°0′E, also noted as 71°32′N 180°0′W.) It then passes through the Bering Strait between the Diomede Islands at a distance of from each island at 168°58′37″ W. It then bends considerably west of 180°, passing west of St. Lawrence Island and St. Matthew Island.

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Jayne Fisher watched anxiously as her 17-year-old daughter Katie pulled her lamb into the Madison County Junior Livestock for sale. Katie was battling cancer. This was her first chance in months to be outdoors having fun, away from hospitals and treatments, and she had come with high hopes for earning some money for her treatment. She had _ a little on her decision to part with the lamb, but with lamb averaging two dollars a pound, Katie was looking forward to it. So the bidding(began. That's when Roger Wilson, the auctioneer , had a sudden inspiration that brought some unexpected results. "We sort of let everybody here know that Katie had a situation that wasn't too pleasant," is how he tells it. He hoped that his introduction would push the bidding up, at least a little bit. Well, the lamb sold for $11.50 a pound, but things didn't stop there. The buyer paid up, then decided to give the lamb back so that it could be sold again. That started a chain reaction, with families buying the animal and giving it back, over and over again. When local businesses started buying and returning, the earnings really began to pile up. The first sale is the only one Katie's mom remembers. After that, she was crying too hard as the crowd kept shouting, "Resell! Resell! " Katie's lamb was sold 36 times that day, and the last buyer gave it back for good. Katie ended up with more than $16,000 to pay her medical expenses----and she still got to keep her famous lamb.

wikipedia

Baptism (from the Greek noun βάπτισμα "baptisma"; see below) is a Christian sacrament of admission and adoption, almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally. The canonical Gospels report that Jesus was baptized—a historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned. Baptism has been called a holy sacrament and an ordinance of Jesus Christ. In some denominations, baptism is also called christening, but for others the word "christening" is reserved for the baptism of infants. Baptism has also given its name to the Baptist churches and denominations. The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the candidate to be immersed, either totally (submerged completely under the water) or partially (standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him or her). While John the Baptist's use of a deep river for his baptism suggests immersion, "The fact that he chose a permanent and deep river suggests that more than a token quantity of water was needed, and both the preposition 'in' (the Jordan) and the basic meaning of the verb 'baptize' probably indicate immersion. In v. 16, Matthew will speak of Jesus 'coming up out of the water'. The traditional depiction in Christian art of John the Baptist pouring water over Jesus' head may therefore be based on later Christian practice." Pictorial and archaeological evidence of Christian baptism from the 3rd century onward indicates that a normal form was to have the candidate stand in water while water was poured over the upper body. Other common forms of baptism now in use include pouring water three times on the forehead, a method called affusion.

cnn

(CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton has always been driven by his emotions -- for better or for worse -- but has he found a new level of maturity with Mercedes? The double world champion has been schooled in the harsh lessons that Formula One can mete out since he joined McLaren's junior program when just 13 years old. But, despite this careful education by one of the most straight laced teams in F1, the British boy racer cannot help wearing his heart on his sleeve. There have been some heady highs and mesmerizing meltdowns in his eight-year career at the highest level of motorsport. Fizzing with energy, he bounded into the sport in 2007 and refused to lie down when faced with Fernando Alonso, a double world champion, as his feisty McLaren teammate. With Alonso gone after a single acrimonious season, Hamilton drove the McLaren to the 2008 title with "my heart in my mouth." At just 23 years old, he had sensationally clinched the championship at the last corner, of the last lap, of the last race to deny Ferrari's Felipe Massa -- and a seething crowd of home fans -- in Brazil. If 2008 was the young gun's giddy zenith, the 2011 campaign was his gut-wrenching nadir. His long-distance relationship with American pop star Nicole Scherzinger was more off than on and he had ditched his dad Anthony as manager in favor of a high-profile agency. Hamilton teetered on the edge of controversy and despair. The torch paper was lit at the Monaco Grand Prix when he was penalized by the race stewards.

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Latin America is a group of countries and dependencies in the Americas where Spanish and Portuguese are predominant. The term originated in 19th century France as "Amérique latine" to consider French-speaking territories in the Americas (Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy) along with the larger group of countries where Spanish and Portuguese languages prevailed. It is therefore broader than the terms Ibero-America or Hispanic America—though it usually excludes French Canada and modern French Louisiana. Latin America consists of nineteen sovereign states and several territories and dependencies which cover an area that stretches from the northern border of Mexico to the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000 km (7,412,000 sq mi), almost 13% of the Earth's land surface area. As of , its population was estimated at more than floor(/1e6) million and in 2014, Latin America had a combined nominal GDP of 5,573,397 million USD and a GDP PPP of 7,531,585 million USD. The term "Latin America" was first used in an 1856 conference with the title "Initiative of the America. Idea for a Federal Congress of Republics" (Iniciativa de la América. Idea de un Congreso Federal de las Repúblicas), by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao. In such conference, he called for the creation of a confederation of Latin American republics to better search for their common defense and prosperity, without political or economic barriers between them. In the same work, he also detailed the principles under which such a confederation should work.

wikipedia

Kievan Rus' begins with the rule (882–912) of Prince Oleg, who extended his control from Novgorod south along the Dnieper river valley in order to protect trade from Khazar incursions from the east and moved his capital to the more strategic Kiev. Sviatoslav I (died 972) achieved the first major expansion of Kievan Rus' territorial control, fighting a war of conquest against the Khazar Empire. Vladimir the Great (980–1015) introduced Christianity with his own baptism and, by decree, that of all the inhabitants of Kiev and beyond. Kievan Rus' reached its greatest extent under Yaroslav I (1019–1054); his sons assembled and issued its first written legal code, the Rus' Justice, shortly after his death. The term "Kievan Rus'" (Ки́евская Русь Kievskaya Rus’) was coined in the 19th century in Russian historiography to refer to the period when the centre was in Kiev. In English, the term was introduced in the early 20th century, when it was found in the 1913 English translation of Vasily Klyuchevsky's A History of Russia, to distinguish the early polity from successor states, which were also named Rus. Later, the Russian term was rendered into Belarusian and Ukrainian as Кіеўская Русь Kijeŭskaja Rus’ and Ки́ївська Русь Kyivs'ka Rus’, respectively.

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A victor is, by definition, someone who wins a struggle or contest. However, that doesn't mean he or she will live a proud and happy life ever after, as Katniss Everdeen is about to discover in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Catching Fire, out in Chinese theaters on Nov 21, is set in a futuristic society called Panem. Every year its government holds a televised fight to the death. Two teenagers from each of the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to compete. In the new film, last year's victors Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her partner Peeta are back home after winning the 74thHunger Games. Katniss just wants to live a normal life. However, that never seems to happen. She has nightmares, which remind her that she is a killer. Her worst nightmare comes true when the annual Hunger Games arrive again. The teenager finds herself back in the competition along with Peeta. Since Katniss brings hope to Panem through her courage, President Snow plans to use this year's Games to kill off Katniss and Peeta and in turn _ the fires of rebellion. "This is the next step of Katniss' heroism and the next part of her journey to finding out who she is really going to be," Lawrence told Reuters. Fast-paced and full of action, Catching Fire looks to outdo the success that the first film had in 2012. With a 97 percent rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, it is enjoying positive reviews. Critics have praised it for being faithful to the book written by American author Suzanne Collins. The Hollywood Reporter said that Catching Fire outshines the first movie a lot. Jennifer Lawrence, who won a best actress Oscar this year for her 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook, has helped Catching Fire find success, Forbes pointed out. The 23-year-old actress does well playing a young lady who hates what she was forced to do to stay alive yet is determined not to give up. "Lawrence's down-to-earth personality in real life won the hearts of the public. So given a wildly popular first film that blew everyone away, a rising fan base and a lead performer beloved by the mainstream press and viewers, the sequel was always going to be big," Forbes noted.

cnn

On paper, the race in Kentucky between Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, should be pretty clear-cut: The experienced veteran easily beats a political novice. But like most things, it's not. McConnell must cross the first hurdle by beating his primary challenger, Matt Bevin, before he engages in what is expected to be one of the most expensive and bitterly fought Senate campaigns this midterm season. A lot is at stake overall in November: control of the Senate and the political fate of one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington. Grimes' advantage Grimes, 35, was just 7 when McConnell was first elected to the Senate. Mitch McConnell would face biggest challenge yet in Alison Grimes While he rose up the ranks in Washington and became Senate Republican leader, Grimes practiced law and won statewide office as secretary of state in 2011. Despite her short political career, like McConnell, her name carries weight -- for better or worse. Grimes' family has a long history in state Democratic politics. Her father, Jerry, was the former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party and a state legislator. But he was forced out of those roles over legal problems facing his catering company. While the family name has been battered, its connections survive: She'll have access to the deep pockets and support of her father's allies, including Bill and Hillary Clinton. The former President has already hit the trail for Grimes, raising more than $600,000 at one Louisville event in February.

race

John and Sam were friends. They opened a small shop in a small village. One day, they sold out of all their wine , so they drove to the city to buy some. On their way home, the wind was strong and it was getting colder and colder. Both John and Sam wanted to drink some wine to keep warm, but they had a rule. They couldn't drink any wine because they had to sell it. According to the rule, if some-body wanted to drink some wine, he had to pay the other twice the price. John was a clever man. He took out ten cents and gave it to Sam. He said, "Here is ten cents. Would you please sell me some of your wine?" Sam was a businessman , so he said, "You give me money, so of course I will sell some to you." Then he passed John a cup of wine. After drinking the wine, John felt warm soon, but Sam was still cold. Then he took out the ten cents that John just gave to him and said to John, "Here is ten cents. Please sell me some of your wine." John agreed. Sam drank some wine and also felt much warmer. But after some time, they both felt cold again, so they kept buying wine from each other with the same ten cents. Soon they drank up all of the wine. "How could so much wine only cost ten cents?" the two friends asked each other.

wikipedia

Wade–Giles (), sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's "Chinese–English Dictionary" of 1892. Wade–Giles was the system of transcription in the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, used in standard reference books and in English language books published before 1979. It replaced the Nanking dialect-based romanization systems that had been common until the late 19th century, such as the Postal Romanization (still used in some place-names). In mainland China it has been entirely replaced by the Hanyu Pinyin system approved in 1958. Outside mainland China, it has mostly been replaced by Pīnyīn, even though Taiwan implements a multitude of Romanization systems in daily life. Additionally, its usage can be seen in the common English names of certain individuals and locations such as Chiang Ching-kuo. Wade–Giles was developed by Thomas Francis Wade, a scholar of Chinese and a British ambassador in China who was the first professor of Chinese at Cambridge University. Wade published in 1867 the first textbook on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin in English, "Yü-yen Tzŭ-êrh Chi" (traditional: ; simplified: 语言自迩集), which became the basis for the Romanization system later known as Wade–Giles. The system, designed to transcribe Chinese terms for Chinese specialists, was further refined in 1912 by Herbert Allen Giles, a British diplomat in China and his son, Lionel Giles, a curator at the British Museum.

cnn

(CNN) -- It has been a rocky couple of years for the people of Egypt. Since the 2011 revolution, the economy has tanked, street protests are an almost daily occurrence and the political situation remains volatile. However, a handful of young Egyptians have found that the best way to take a stand against the turmoil is with stand-up comedy. "We are like a little beam of sunlight, coming through and reminding people, 'Don't worry! When this cloud passes, it will be brighter. It will be happier,'" says Rami Borai, a comedian in one of Egypt's first home-grown comedy troupes, Hezb El Comedy. The group, whose name means "The Comedy Party," was formed in 2009 by Hashim Al Gahry, who admits he started up with "zero capital." Al Gahry and some friends pooled their savings, and started marketing the group through social media. When they're not performing, Hezb El Comedy teaches the art of stand-up to other aspiring comics, instructing them on things like timing and body language. "We're not the funniest people in the world, but it's the experience that has put us in a position to give them advice and tell them, 'These are our mistakes, and this is what you can do to avoid what we did,'" says Al Gahry. Read more: Book shows collection of Iran's political cartoons Other Arab nations are similarly investing in grassroots comedy. In Qatar, a few young comics have come together to form SUCQ (an acronym for Stand Up Comedy Qatar). "It's an American art. We took it from the Americans. We have reshaped it to adapt to our culture and society and people," says Hamad Al Amri, 24, a comedian who is also a banker by day. Mohamed Kamal, who also performs stand-up with SUCQ, notes that given Qatar's political climate, there are limits to what he can joke about.

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The children in the village wear dirty, cheap clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in small houses. They have no school. But they can write 26 English letters, and some know a few English words. How did it happen? It was because a U.S. group called One Computer Every Child offered them 20 computers. Can children teach themselves to read when they have no schools or teachers but have the help of today's new technology ? The goal of the group is to find out the answer. And the results are exciting. "The children are learning more than they would in one year of school," said Matt Keller, who organized the programme. The fastest learner was an eight-year-old boy called Kelbesa Negusse. He said that he himself was like a lion. Keller said, "Seven months ago he didn't know any English. But now he has known many words. I think if you give them food and water they will never leave the computer room. They will spend day and night there." Kelbesa said, "I like the computer because I can learn things with it." He added, "I know many English words, like dog, monkey, horse, sheep, cow, pig and cat." Keller said that One Computer Every Child was planning a programme for children who couldn't go to school.

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Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn't connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she'd adopted from Russia as an infant . The preschooler pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums . Whenever Hilt wasn't watching, she destroyed the family's furniture and possessions. "Every day with Nina had become a struggle," she recalls now. As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she'd never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband. On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina's deeds. "Everything she did just got to me," Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper and smearing feces on the walls and furniture, "a year and a half of frustration came to a head," Hilt says. "I snapped . I felt this uncontrollable rage." Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. "I had never hit a child before," she says. "I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again." But _ . Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead. Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn't looking for sympathy. "There is no punishment severe enough for what I did," she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison.

wikipedia

Jainism (), traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is one of the most ancient Indian religions. The three main principles of Jainism are "ahimsa" ('non-violence'), "anekantavada" ('non-absolutism'), and "aparigraha" ('non-attachment'); it is also characterized by "asceticism". Followers of Jainism take five main vows: "ahimsa" ('non-violence'), "satya" ('truth'), "asteya" ('not stealing'), "brahmacharya" ('celibacy', 'chastity'), and "aparigraha" ('non-attachment'). These principles have impacted Jain culture in many ways, such as leading to a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle that avoids harm to animals and their life cycles. "Parasparopagraho Jivanam" ('the function of souls is to help one another') is the motto of Jainism. Namokar Mantra is the most common and basic prayer in Jainism. Followers of Jainism are called "Jains", a word derived from the Sanskrit word "jina" ('victor') and connoting the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual life. Jains trace their history through a succession of twenty-four victorious saviors and teachers known as Tirthankaras, with the first being Rishabhanatha, who is believed to have lived millions of years ago, and twenty-fourth being the Mahavira around 500 BCE. Jains believe that Jainism is an eternal "dharma" with the Tirthankaras guiding every cycle of the Jain cosmology. Jainism has two major ancient sub-traditions, Digambaras and Svetambaras; and several smaller sub-traditions that emerged in the 2nd millennium CE. The Digambaras and Svetambaras have different views on ascetic practices, gender and which Jain texts can be considered canonical. Jain mendicants are found in all Jain sub-traditions, with laypersons ("śrāvakas") supporting the mendicants' spiritual pursuits with resources.

cnn

(CNN) -- Former English Premier League referees have jumped to the defense of Howard Webb after criticism of his performance in Sunday's World Cup final. Webb, the first referee to officiate the European Champions League final and World Cup final in the same season, dished out 13 yellow cards and one red as Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in a tempestuous clash at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk and several of his players suggested the English official favored the Spanish, and Netherlands fans booed Webb and his assistants when they collected their medals after the game. But ex-referee Jeff Winter, who took charge of several fiery encounters between English giants like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, was full of praise for Webb's performance in extremely testing circumstances. "I thought he had a superb game," Winter told CNN. "I find it very difficult to remember a more testing game than that at any level. I thought the players' behavior and discipline were abysmal. "It was as if the Dutch had decided the only way they were going to stop Spain was by kicking them, harassing the referee and being obnoxious throughout. "From a referee's point of view, if the players don't want to be controlled it's virtually impossible to control them. Had it had been a referee without his experience of the European game, they might have lost control within the first 30 minutes." Webb's tally of 14 yellow cards -- including the red shown to Netherlands defender Johnny Heitinga in extra-time - was a record for the World Cup final.

gutenberg

CHAPTER X I knew the moment I opened the door that changes were on foot. Our studio sitting-room was dismantled of many of its treasures. Allan, with his coat off and a pipe in his mouth, was throwing odds and ends in a promiscuous sort of way into a huge trunk which stood open upon the floor. Arthur, a few yards off, was rolling a cigarette. Our meeting was not wholly free from embarrassment. I think that for the first time in our lives there was a cloud between Allan and myself. He stood up and faced me squarely. "Arnold," he said, "where is Isobel?" "In Illghera with her grandfather," I answered. "Where else should she be?" "Are you sure?" "I have seen her there with my own eyes," I affirmed. There was a moment's pause. I saw the two exchange glances. Then Allan held out his hand. "That damned woman again!" he exclaimed. "Forgive me, Arnold!" "Willingly," I answered, "when I know what for." "Suspecting you. Lady Delahaye wrote Arthur a note, in which she said that the Archduchess and you had made fresh plans. You can guess what they were. And Illghera was off. You did hurry us away from Paris a bit, you know, and I was fool enough to imagine for a moment that there might be something in it. Forgive me, Arnold!" he added, holding out his hand. "And me!" Arthur exclaimed, extending his. I held out a hand to each. There was something grimly humorous in this reception, after all that I had suffered during the last few days. My first impulse of anger died away almost as quickly as it had been conceived.

cnn

Beijing, China (CNN) -- A court in eastern China sentenced a man to death Saturday for attacking 29 kindergarten students and three teachers with a knife, state-run media said. The Taixing Intermediate People's Court found Xu Yuyuan, 47, guilty of intentional homicide after a half-day trial, Xinhua news agency said. Xu told the court that his rage against society motivated him in the April 29 attacks, according to Xinhua. But he appealed the death sentence, arguing that the punishment was too severe since no one died in the attacks, Xinhua said. Chinese penal code says a person can be convicted of intentional homicide for acting on an intent to kill, the news agency reported. A police probe found Xu had been unemployed since 2001, when he was fired by a local insurance company. He told police he carried out the attack because he was angry about a series of business and personal humiliations, Xinhua said. About 300 people attended Saturday's open trial, according to Xinhua. Xu's sentence was the second death penalty conviction after a recent spate of school attacks that have prompted public outrage across China. Zheng Minsheng, 42, was sentenced to death and executed on April 28 for attacking students in front of an elementary school in Fujian province, killing eight and wounding several others. Zheng also used a knife in the attacks, Xinhua reported. Authorities said Zheng carried out the attack because he was frustrated at "failures in his romantic life," the news agency said. At least four other such attacks on school children in China have been reported since March.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XVII. AN ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION. When Wulf met the armourer next morning in the cathedral close he was accompanied by Beorn, who said, laughing, to the latter, "You have beaten me fairly, friend Ulred, and it is well that I had no wager with you on the race. But it was not by much, for I rode in here as the bells were chiming eleven. I was glad to hear from Wulf when I roused him up that he had learnt all the news from you, for indeed I was sore weary, and was right pleased to wrap myself in my cloak and go straight to sleep instead of having to sit up for an hour expounding my story." "We have resolved in the first place, Ulred, to say nought of this matter to the king," began Wulf. "He will have enough to occupy all his thoughts in the affairs of the kingdom, and in the second place his nature is so open that he will refuse to believe in such villainy unless upon strong proof, and of actual proof we have none. Beorn's appearance here will excite no surprise. He will say that having nought in particular to occupy him he had ridden north to be at the wedding, and finding that he was too late, would at any rate ride back with the king. With him and me and Osgod ever on the watch, methinks there will be little fear of a surprise; and it is by surprise only that they can succeed, for Harold himself is a match for any four or five ordinary men if he has but time to draw his sword. I will, however, on some excuse have half a score of Harold's housecarls placed under my orders, and sleeping or waking the king shall never be a moment unguarded.

gutenberg

CHAPTER I WYNDHAM PAYS DUTY Red reflections trembled on the sea, a fringe of languid surf broke along the beach, and as the liner turned a point, a white town that rose in terraces, glimmered like a pearl. A yellow flag ran up to the masthead, the throb of engines slowed, and a noisy launch steamed out from behind the mole. Marston, leaning on the rail, watched her approach, and his look was thoughtful when he turned to Wyndham. "If Don Ramon got our telegram, he's probably on board," he said. "I hope he is, because if he doesn't come it might imply he means to make things difficult for us. He could if he liked." "Larrinaga will come," Wyndham replied. "From all accounts, he's a pretty good officer, but I don't expect he neglects his interests while he looks after the State's. I'm counting on this." "I s'pose one mustn't be fastidious, but I don't want to get involved in fresh intrigue. The job we've undertaken is awkward enough." "Very awkward," Wyndham agreed, with some dryness. "In a way, it looks too big for us. To begin with, we have got to pay duties we dodged, and satisfy the Government we cheated. Then, without exciting the latter's curiosity, we're going to stop a rebellion and carry off its leader. There's the worst puzzle. The fellow's cunning and powerful. Moreover, he's my uncle." He stopped, for the engines clanked noisily as the screw turned astern; then the anchor splashed and the launch swung in to the gangway. The port doctor came on board and after him a man in tight-fitting American clothes. His wide black belt was spun from the finest silk and Marston noted his hat. Indians had woven the delicate material under running water; presidents and dictators wore hats like that, and none of the few produced were sent to Europe. It was obvious that Señor Larrinaga was now a man of importance.

cnn

(CNN) -- Music manager Allen Klein, whose clients included the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, his publicist said. Klein was 77. The son of Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Klein founded his firm Allen Klein & Co. in the late 1950s before the label evolved into ABKCO Music & Records in New York. The independent label holds the copyrights to music by the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Womack and hundreds of others. Klein represented dozens of artists, including Sam Cooke, the Animals, Bobby Darin and Herman's Hermits. He changed the music industry when he represented Sam Cooke in negotiations with RCA, winning the artist control of his own master recordings. Known for a tenacious and often blunt style in negotiations, Klein's greatest coups were inking contracts with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, though both relationships ended in legal battles. ABKCO built up a catalog of copyrights to more than 2,000 songs, including much of the Stones' 1960s catalog. Klein retained ownership of those titles even after splitting with the Stones. In 1969, John Lennon persuaded the other Beatles that Klein should take over the group's business affairs, but Paul McCartney resisted the move and some music historians say the appointment hastened the Beatles' split. Lennon later fell out with Klein, who was thought to be the target of the former Beatle's 1974 song "Steel and Glass." Defending his tough style, Klein told Playboy magazine in 1971: "The music business is about 99 percent no-talent losers who can't stand a winner in their midst."

gutenberg

CHAPTER 19 JONATHAN HARKER'S JOURNAL 1 October, 5 A.M.--I went with the party to the search with an easy mind, for I think I never saw Mina so absolutely strong and well. I am so glad that she consented to hold back and let us men do the work. Somehow, it was a dread to me that she was in this fearful business at all, but now that her work is done, and that it is due to her energy and brains and foresight that the whole story is put together in such a way that every point tells, she may well feel that her part is finished, and that she can henceforth leave the rest to us. We were, I think, all a little upset by the scene with Mr. Renfield. When we came away from his room we were silent till we got back to the study. Then Mr. Morris said to Dr. Seward, "Say, Jack, if that man wasn't attempting a bluff, he is about the sanest lunatic I ever saw. I'm not sure, but I believe that he had some serious purpose, and if he had, it was pretty rough on him not to get a chance." Lord Godalming and I were silent, but Dr. Van Helsing added, "Friend John, you know more lunatics than I do, and I'm glad of it, for I fear that if it had been to me to decide I would before that last hysterical outburst have given him free. But we live and learn, and in our present task we must take no chance, as my friend Quincey would say. All is best as they are."

wikipedia

In geodesy, a reference ellipsoid is a mathematically defined surface that approximates the geoid, the truer figure of the Earth, or other planetary body. Because of their relative simplicity, reference ellipsoids are used as a preferred surface on which geodetic network computations are performed and point coordinates such as latitude, longitude, and elevation are defined. In 1687 Isaac Newton published the Principia in which he included a proof that a rotating self-gravitating fluid body in equilibrium takes the form of an oblate ellipsoid of revolution which he termed an oblate spheroid. Current practice uses the word 'ellipsoid' alone in preference to the full term 'oblate ellipsoid of revolution' or the older term 'oblate spheroid'. In the rare instances (some asteroids and planets) where a more general ellipsoid shape is required as a model the term used is triaxial (or scalene) ellipsoid. A great many ellipsoids have been used with various sizes and centres but modern (post-GPS) ellipsoids are centred at the actual center of mass of the Earth or body being modeled. The shape of an (oblate) ellipsoid (of revolution) is determined by the shape parameters of that ellipse which generates the ellipsoid when it is rotated about its minor axis. The semi-major axis of the ellipse, "a", is identified as the equatorial radius of the ellipsoid: the semi-minor axis of the ellipse, "b", is identified with the polar distances (from the centre). These two lengths completely specify the shape of the ellipsoid but in practice geodesy publications classify reference ellipsoids by giving the semi-major axis and the "inverse "flattening, , The flattening, "f", is simply a measure of how much the symmetry axis is compressed relative to the equatorial radius: For the Earth, "f" is around corresponding to a difference of the major and minor semi-axes of approximately . Some precise values are given in the table below and also in Figure of the Earth. For comparison, Earth's Moon is even less elliptical, with a flattening of less than , while Jupiter is visibly oblate at about and one of Saturn's triaxial moons, Telesto, is nearly to .

cnn

(CNN) -- Serena Williams came from a set down against Maria Sharapova to win the Miami Masters for a record sixth time on Saturday. After a slow start, the world No.1 sprang into life in stunning fashion, winning the last 10 games of the match to eventually prevail 4-6 6-3 6-0. Williams' win -- the 48th of her career -- means she surpasses the previous all-time title mark that she jointly held with Germany's Steffi Graf. "Maria definitely pushed me -- she did a really great job today," Williams said, WTATennis.com reported. "I look forward to our next matches -- it's going to be really fun for the fans and for us and for everyone." The match was turned on its head in the sixth game of the second set with Sharapova serving at 3-2. Williams won the game to love before streaking away with the set and the match. Williams joins Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Chris Evert as only the fourth player ever to win any WTA event six times. Defeat for Sharapova means she has now finished runner-up for three successive years in Miami and five times in all. "It's disappointing to end it like this but Serena played a great match, and I'm sure we'll play a few more times this year," Sharapova said, WTATennis.com reported.

wikipedia

The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. Special relativity applies to elementary particles and their interactions, describing all their physical phenomena except gravity. General relativity explains the law of gravitation and its relation to other forces of nature. It applies to the cosmological and astrophysical realm, including astronomy. The theory transformed theoretical physics and astronomy during the 20th century, superseding a 200-year-old theory of mechanics created primarily by Isaac Newton. It introduced concepts including spacetime as a unified entity of space and time, relativity of simultaneity, kinematic and gravitational time dilation, and length contraction. In the field of physics, relativity improved the science of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions, along with ushering in the nuclear age. With relativity, cosmology and astrophysics predicted extraordinary astronomical phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves. Albert Einstein published the theory of special relativity in 1905, building on many theoretical results and empirical findings obtained by Albert A. Michelson, Hendrik Lorentz, Henri Poincaré and others. Max Planck, Hermann Minkowski and others did subsequent work. Einstein developed general relativity between 1907 and 1915, with contributions by many others after 1915. The final form of general relativity was published in 1916.

race

"Reconstituted" families are more and more common in the UK. Steve and Debbie got married in 2001 and had two children,Lily and Alex.Unfortunately,Steve and Debbie's marriage didn't work out and they got divorced in 2006.The children live with Debbie.In 2008,Debbie remarried.Her new husband,Martin,has three children from his previous marriage and they visit Debbie,Martin,Lily and Alex at weekends.In addition,Debbie is pregnant with her third child.She's expecting a boy who will be a halfbrother to Lily and Alex and also to Martin's three other children. Confused?Debbie's family arrangements might have seemed strange 30 years ago but nowadays this kind of "reconstituted" family is increasingly common in the UK.Almost half of all marriages in Britain end in divorce and over 40% of marriages are remarriages.More than 10% of all British children live with one birth parent and a stepparent--a parent who isn't their biological mother or father.The traditional "nuclear" family of two parents and their children is not so traditional any more. What does all of this mean for parents in these "reconstituted" families?"There are difficulties and challenges," says Debbie."Different families have different routines and it can be difficult for children to move between their two families.Birthdays and holidays can be tricky.Where do the children go?Who should they spend their time with?Also,when my children are naughty it can be difficult for Martin to _ .Things that might be simple in a traditional family can be a bit more complicated." And how about the children?Martin's eldest child,Ella,is 12."I like my two families," she says."I live with my mum but visit my dad quite often and I'm happy that my mum and dad get along OK.They're not married any more but it's good that they can still be friends." Of course divorce and separation are never easy but many families in the UK are finding ways to make family life work in new ways.

cnn

The fate of three U.S. citizens who have disappeared or been imprisoned in Iran was discussed during Friday's historic conversation between the two nations' presidents, a senior U.S. administration official said. U.S. President Barack Obama, during his phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, "noted our concern about three American citizens who have been held within Iran -- Robert Levinson, Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati -- and noted our interest in seeing those Americans reunited with their families," the official said. Two of the Americans have been tried and convicted in Iranian courts, and the whereabouts of another have been unknown for more than six years. Here are the most recent developments in the stories of the detained U.S. citizens: Bob LevinsonThe family of Levinson, a retired FBI agent, has been anxiously waiting for news, any news, about his fate since he vanished during a business trip to Iran in March 2007. When Rouhani, Iran's new president, arrived in New York, Levinson's wife and children were watching closely for a sign that efforts to find Levinson might move forward. During an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Rouhani offered little when asked what he can tell Levinson's family. "We don't know where he is, who he is," Rouhani said. "He is an American who has disappeared. We have no news of him." Yet, like former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rouhani spoke of cooperation. "We are willing to help, and all the intelligence services in the region can come together to gather information about him to find his whereabouts," Rouhani told Amanpour.

wikipedia

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games (French: Les "XXIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver") and commonly known as Vancouver 2010, informally the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010, in Vancouver, Canada, with some events held in the surrounding suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands, and in the nearby resort town of Whistler. Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games were organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), headed by John Furlong. The 2010 Winter Olympics were the third Olympics hosted by Canada and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. Vancouver is the largest city to host the Winter Olympics, a title soon to be turned over to Beijing in 2022. Following Olympic tradition, then-Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan received the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The flag was raised on February 28, 2006, in a special ceremony and was on display at Vancouver City Hall until the Olympic opening ceremony. The event was officially opened by Governor General Michaëlle Jean, who was accompanied by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.

cnn

(CNN) -- Justin Timberlake is an Entertainer. That's JT, with a capital "E": Everyman, Everything and Everywhere right now. With the long-awaited release of "The 20/20 Experience," his first album in seven years, 32-year-old Timberlake has managed to endear himself to both women and men -- crafting an amalgam of talents that have made him a character not seen in a generation or two in show-business: The well-rounded performer. You won't find anyone else like him in music, or Hollywood for that matter. It's an organic chemistry of likability: equal parts movie star, debonair showman, TV comedian and successful businessman. "My idols have always been the types of guys who could do anything," Timberlake told "The Guardian" in 2011. "Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sinatra, Dean Martin; and when you look up to people like that, you don't accept that you need to be compartmentalized." "I wouldn't call him Frank Sinatra," "Billboard"'s , Phil Gallo told CNN. "I'll go Bing Crosby because Bing Crosby was more of the, A, wise investor, B, very specific vocal style that evolves -- but you knew it was Bing, just as you know this is Justin. And the acting in the kind of movies they were -- arty, but they told a good story and they appealed to the audience of the day." Timberlake's business ventures are as diverse as professional sports franchises and golf courses, fashion, the Internet, and restaurants. Gallo added, "Here's somebody who really understands popular culture -- who knows a good project when it's presented to him, that -- that captures a certain zeitgeist."

mctest

I used to be afraid of butterflies! It is true! Once, my mom took me to Seattle. There, we went to a special place. We went to the zoo! I saw lots of animals at the zoo. I saw bears. I saw tigers. I saw apes. I saw monkeys. I saw snakes. I loved seeing all these animals. They made me happy. We even saw one place where there were giant bugs and they didn't even scare me. In fact, I like bugs. But there was one place where you walked inside a big room where there were lots of plants and butterflies flying all over the place. You could buy sugar water to feed them and they could land on you. My mom and brother were so excited to go in, but I was scared. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be in the room with butterflies flying everywhere. My mom said I would be okay. My brother said I would be okay. They said butterflies were nice and beautiful. They said they would not hurt me. So I went in the room. Guess what? I was so scared when one landed on me that I went screaming for the door! The man watching the door to make sure butterflies did not escape or get hurt yelled at me to stop. He was mad at me for running out and not caring about the butterflies. I said I was sorry, but I was scared. He checked me for butterflies and then let me get out of there! I stayed outside and my mom and my brother enjoyed the butterflies. Since then, they would tease me about being afraid. They would try and get me to not be afraid. Last year for my birthday, mom bought me a butterfly book. She bought one for my brother, too. I tried really hard to not be afraid and to go out into the yard and find butterflies with my brother. It became really fun to do. Once, a butterfly landed on me and I laughed. I liked it. It tickled me. It did not hurt me. Now, I like butterflies!

cnn

(CNN)Mikaela Shiffrin is on course to make skiing history after claiming her third consecutive slalom victory on the World Cup circuit on Saturday. The young American is hoping to become the first woman to win both the discipline's world title and overall crown in successive seasons. Shiffrin, who retained her slalom title at February's world championships in Colorado, now has a 90-point lead going into next week's World Cup finale in France. "I think the first couple races of the season I was pretty arrogant and was like, 'I'm just going to win these, I guess.' And I didn't. I wasn't even close," said Shiffrin, who has won the slalom Crystal Globe two years running. "When you're racing at a high level -- or doing any sport at a high level -- everybody's going for the win. I learned that I can't take my foot off the gas and expect to win. These last races, I was pushing everything. Any race that I won this season, I was giving my entire heart into it. I'm proud of that." A day after her 20th birthday, Shiffrin won by a comfortable 1.41 seconds at Are in Sweden as she claimed the 14th World Cup win of her career, with Slovakia's Veronika Velez Zuzulova second and Czech Republic's Sarka Strachova third. Slalom title rival Frida Hansdotter finished sixth in front of her home fans. Tina Maze missed a chance to close the gap on overall World Cup leader Anna Fenninger, who did not race, as the Slovenian finished back in 16th.

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Preventing obesity and smoking can save lives, but it doesn't save money, reported researchers. "It was a small surprise, for it is against the common belief," said Pieter Van Baal, who led the study. "But it makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more." The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, obese people racked up the most expensive health costs. But on average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years. Smokers and obese people tended to have more heart disease than healthy people. Therefore in the long run, the thin and healthy group cost about $417, 000, from age 20 on. Smokers cost about $326, 000 and obese people $371, 000. "The result throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea, based on guesswork, that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars," said Patrick Basham, a professor of health politics. "If we're going to worry about the future of obesity, we should stop worrying about its financial impact," he said. "The benefits of obesity prevention may not be seen immediately in terms of cost saving in tomorrow's budget, but there are long-term gains," said Van Baal. "These are often immeasurable when it comes to people living longer and healthier lives." In the meanwhile, he said that governments should recognize that successful smoking and obesity prevention programs mean that people will have a longer chance of dying of something more expensive later in life. "Lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don't survive very long. But if they are old enough to get Alzheimer's one day, they may survive longer and cost more. We are not advising that governments stop trying to prevent obesity," Van Baal said. "But they should do it for the right reasons."

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII. THE NUPTIALS OF RUTH WESTMACOTT Here was Sir Rowland Blake in high fettle at knowing himself armed with a portentous weapon for the destruction of Anthony Wilding. Upon closer inspection of it, however, he came to realize--as Richard had realized earlier--that it was double-edged, and that the wielding of it must be fraught with as much danger for Richard as for their common enemy. For to betray Mr. Wilding and the plot would scarce be possible without betraying young Westmacott, and that was unthinkable, since to ruin Richard--a thing he would have done with a light heart so far as Richard was himself concerned--would be to ruin his own hopes of winning Ruth. Therefore, during the days that followed, Sir Rowland was forced to fret in idleness what time his wound was healing; but if his arm was invalided, his eyes and ears were sound, and he remained watchful for an opportunity to apply the knowledge he had gained. Richard mentioned the subject no more, so that Blake almost came to wonder whether the boy remembered what in his cups he had betrayed. Meanwhile Mr. Wilding moved serene and smiling on his way. Daily there were great armfuls of flowers deposited at Lupton House--his lover's offering to his mistress--and no day went by but that some richer gift accompanied them. Now it was a collar of brilliants, anon a rope of pearls, again a priceless ring that had been Mr. Wilding's mother's. Ruth received with reluctance these pledges of his undesired affection. It were idle to reject them, considering that she was to marry him; yet it hurt her sorely to retain them. On her side she made no dispositions for the marriage, but went about her daily tasks as though she were to remain a maid at Lupton House for a time as yet indefinite.

wikipedia

Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they believe that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. They favor biologically-based theories, which point to genetic factors, the early uterine environment, both, or the inclusion of genetic and social factors. There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences play a role when it comes to sexual orientation. Research over several decades has demonstrated that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex. Sexual identity and sexual behavior are closely related to sexual orientation, but they are distinguished, with sexual identity referring to an individual's conception of themselves, behavior referring to actual sexual acts performed by the individual, and orientation referring to "fantasies, attachments and longings." Individuals may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behaviors. People who have a homosexual sexual orientation that does not align with their sexual identity are sometimes referred to as 'closeted'. The term may, however, reflect a certain cultural context and particular stage of transition in societies which are gradually dealing with integrating sexual minorities. In studies related to sexual orientation, when dealing with the degree to which a person's sexual attractions, behaviors and identity match, scientists usually use the terms concordance or discordance. Thus, a woman who is attracted to other women, but calls herself heterosexual and only has sexual relations with men, can be said to experience discordance between her sexual orientation (homosexual or lesbian) and her sexual identity and behaviors (heterosexual).

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Roald Dahl was one of the most successful writers of children's books. He sold millions of books all over the world. Many of his books have been made into films and videos. He is so famous that there is even a Roald Dahl Museum you can visit. Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in Wales, Britain. His father was rich but he died when Roald was very young. Roald and his mother lived a hard life. He had to leave school and went to Africa where he worked for an oil company. In 1939 Roald became a pilot, but he had a bad accident. It made him limp for the rest of his life. After this, Roald went to America where he wrote a story about his experience as a pilot. It was so good that it was put in a magazine. Roald married an American film star. They bought a house in England and had five children. From 1960 to 1965, _ : Theo, one of his children, was hit by a taxi and was seriously hurt. Olivia, one of Roald's daughters, died of a strange illness. Soon after this, his wife also had a serious illness. It took her years to get completely better. Gradually Roald became more and more successful. He always did his writing in an old shed at the back of his house. He always sat in the same old armchair with a wooden board on his lap. _ In 1983 Roald won a big prize for his book The BFG. During his life, Roald wrote many famous books, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox. After he died in 1990, Roald left money to help people with serious illnesses and those with problems with reading and writing.

cnn

Dallas (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has delayed the scheduled execution on an inmate on death row in Texas amid questions about a psychologist who testified that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to commit future crimes. Duane Edward Buck already had eaten a final meal of fried chicken, fried fish, french fries, salad, jalapeno peppers and apples when news came of the court's decision on Thursday evening, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said. "Praise the Lord Jesus," Clark quoted the condemned man as saying. "God is worthy to be praised. God's mercy triumphs over judgment, and I feel good." Buck had been set to die by lethal injection, but the court delayed the execution to give it time to review the way a lower court handled the case. While that happens, Buck remains on death row. Buck was convicted of the 1995 killings of Debra Gardner and Kenneth Butler. According to Texas officials, Buck shot Gardner in front of her daughter, who begged for her mother's life. A third person, Phyllis Taylor, was shot, but she sought clemency for Buck this week. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, however, recommended against granting Buck clemency Buck's attorney, Katherine C. Black, said the recommendation, "fails to recognize what the highest legal officer in the state of Texas has acknowledged: No one should be executed based on a process tainted by considerations of race." Black is referring to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who was the state's attorney general in 2000, when he spoke of seven death row inmates, including Buck. Cornyn said he believed the inmates had been unfairly sentenced to death based on testimony that was racially tainted by psychologist Walter Quijano, who repeatedly told juries that black or Hispanic defendants were more likely to commit future crimes.

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The Ottoman Empire (/ˈɒtəmən/; Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِيّهٔ عُثمَانِیّه‎ Devlet-i Aliyye-i Osmâniyye, Modern Turkish: Osmanlı İmparatorluğu or Osmanlı Devleti), also known as the Turkish Empire, Ottoman Turkey or Turkey, was an empire founded in 1299 by Oghuz Turks under Osman I in northwestern Anatolia. After conquests in the Balkans by Murad I between 1362 and 1389, the Ottoman sultanate was transformed into a transcontinental empire and claimant to the caliphate. The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed the Conqueror. During the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular at the height of its power under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire was a multinational, multilingual empire controlling much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. At the beginning of the 17th century the empire contained 32 provinces and numerous vassal states. Some of these were later absorbed into the Ottoman Empire, while others were granted various types of autonomy during the course of centuries.[dn 4]

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North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. In 2013, its population was estimated at nearly 565 million people in 23 independent states, or about 7.5% of the world's population, if nearby islands (most notably the Caribbean) are included. North America was reached by its first human populations during the last glacial period, via crossing the Bering land bridge approximately 40,000 to 17,000 years ago. The so-called Paleo-Indian period is taken to have lasted until about 10,000 years ago (the beginning of the Archaic or Meso-Indian period). The Classic stage spans roughly the 6th to 13th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era ended with the transatlantic migrations and the arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the Early Modern period. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect different kind of interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, African slaves and their descendants.

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Young people can have problems with their minds.Some students become worried because they have to study very hard.Others have trouble getting on well with people like their parents and classmates. Liu Wei,a junior 2 student from Hefei,could not understand his teacher and was doing badly in his lessons.He became so worried about it that he started to cut his finger with a knife. Another student,14-year-old Yan Fang from Guangzhou,was afraid of exams.She got very worried when she looked at the exam paper.She couldn't think of anything to write. A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of Shanghai teenagers have mental problems.Their troubles include being worried and very unhappy.And they have problems in learning and getting on with people.Many students who have problems won't ask others for advice or help.Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor.Others don't want to talk about their secret. Liang Yuezhu,an expert on teenagers from Beijing Anding Hospital has the following advice for teenagers: * Talk to your parents or teachers often * Take part in group activities and play sports * Go to see a doctor if you feel unhappy or unwell

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There are many great movie directors of all time and the following are five of those who have largely impressed audience with their body of work. As a member of the New Hollywood gang, Francis Coppola is best remembered for The God Father series. His decision to cast Marlon Brando in the lead also met with fierce opposition from the studio bosses. Good sense became popular, and The God Father went on to become one of the most memorable movies ever. Critics may point out that he has become less creative after his seventies, but try as one might, no one can possibly take the place of this great director's work. Stanley Kubrick's movies focus on the themes like sci-fi, horror, dark humor and war. He used symbolism in most of his movies, giving us some wonderful screen visuals, as shown in 2001: A Space Odyssey. His actors in Hollywood complained about the endless number of retakes, but they appreciated the performance he milked out of them. People argue about films like Lolita, A Clockwork Orange and Paths of Glory, but these are now seen as classics. Steven Spielberg is a great success at the box office, and he is one of the world's most popular filmmakers today. As the creator of classics like Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, ET, Indiana Jones series, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, no one can win his hold over the audience. His critics accuse him of being emotional and over the top, _ Woody Allen is a director who directs movies full of crime and hate. This comic genius has given us Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters and Midnight in Paris, which have also become classical. His movies constantly include characters who arouse the audience's sympathy and laughter at the same time, as they set out on a journey of self-discovery. Hollywood star power has never fazed Allen. Thankfully, awards and honors do not interest him, which results in creativity that is original.

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Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party ("Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei"; NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust. Hitler was born in Austria—then part of Austria-Hungary—and was raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. In 1919, he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the NSDAP, and was appointed leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted to seize power in a failed coup in Munich and was imprisoned. While in jail he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto "Mein Kampf" ("My Struggle"). Released in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-semitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. He frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy. By 1933, the Nazi Party was the largest elected party in the German Reichstag and led to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Following fresh elections won by his coalition, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of National Socialism. He aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the abrogation of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I and the annexation of territories that were home to millions of ethnic Germans which gave him significant popular support.

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Jack had gone to the university to study history, but he kept playing all the time and at the end of his first year, his history professor failed him in his exams. He was so poor at his subject that he would have to leave the university. However, his father made up his mind that he would go to see the professor to ask him to let Jack go on his studies the next year. "He's a good boy," said the father, "and if you let him pass this time, I'm sure he'll improve a lot next year and pass the exam at the end of it really well." "No, no, that's quite impossible." said the professor at once, "Do you know, last month I asked him when Napoleon had died, and he didn't know!" "Please, sir, give him another chance." said Jack's father. "You see, I'm afraid we don't take any newspapers in our house, so none of us even know that Napoleon was ill."

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CHAPTER SEVEN. BICYCLING AND ITS OCCASIONAL RESULTS. It is pleasant to turn from the smoke and turmoil of the city to the fresh air and quiet of the country. To the man who spends most of his time in the heart of London, going into the country--even for a short distance--is like passing into the fields of Elysium. This was, at all events, the opinion of Stephen Welland; and Stephen must have been a good judge, for he tried the change frequently, being exceedingly fond of bicycling, and occasionally taking what he termed long spins on that remarkable instrument. One morning, early in the summer-time, young Welland, (he was only eighteen), mounted his iron horse in the neighbourhood of Kensington, and glided away at a leisurely pace through the crowded streets. Arrived in the suburbs of London he got up steam, to use his own phrase, and went at a rapid pace until he met a "chum," by appointment. This chum was also mounted on a bicycle, and was none other than our friend Samuel Twitter, Junior--known at home as Sammy, and by his companions as Sam. "Isn't it a glorious day, Sam?" said Welland as he rode up and sprang off his steed. "Magnificent!" answered his friend, also dismounting and shaking hands. "Why, Stephen, what an enormous machine you ride!" "Yes, it's pretty high--48 inches. My legs are long, you see. Well, where are we to run to-day?" "Wherever you like," said Sam, "only let it be a short run, not more than forty miles, for I've got an appointment this afternoon with my old dad which I can't get off."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XX Valentin de Bellegarde died, tranquilly, just as the cold, faint March dawn began to illumine the faces of the little knot of friends gathered about his bedside. An hour afterwards Newman left the inn and drove to Geneva; he was naturally unwilling to be present at the arrival of Madame de Bellegarde and her first-born. At Geneva, for the moment, he remained. He was like a man who has had a fall and wants to sit still and count his bruises. He instantly wrote to Madame de Cintre, relating to her the circumstances of her brother's death--with certain exceptions--and asking her what was the earliest moment at which he might hope that she would consent to see him. M. Ledoux had told him that he had reason to know that Valentin's will--Bellegarde had a great deal of elegant personal property to dispose of--contained a request that he should be buried near his father in the church-yard of Fleurieres, and Newman intended that the state of his own relations with the family should not deprive him of the satisfaction of helping to pay the last earthly honors to the best fellow in the world. He reflected that Valentin's friendship was older than Urbain's enmity, and that at a funeral it was easy to escape notice. Madame de Cintre's answer to his letter enabled him to time his arrival at Fleurieres. This answer was very brief; it ran as follows:-- "I thank you for your letter, and for your being with Valentin. It is a most inexpressible sorrow to me that I was not. To see you will be nothing but a distress to me; there is no need, therefore, to wait for what you call brighter days. It is all one now, and I shall have no brighter days. Come when you please; only notify me first. My brother is to be buried here on Friday, and my family is to remain here. C. de C."

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CHAPTER XXVII LOOKING FOR CLUES Having sent their message to the Fords, the two cadets turned in the direction where the farmer had said the constable lived. "I don't think old Plodders will be able to do a thing," said Jack. "He'll look wise and ask a lot of questions, and that's all." A block had been covered when they saw the farmer and the constable approaching. On his breast Jed Plodders had pinned a bright, silver star, and he carried a policeman's club in his hand. "There they are!" cried Isaac Fasick. "Is them the cadets?" queried the guardian of the peace. "That's two of 'em. The other two said they'd stay an' watch the house." "Stop!" cried the constable, and pointed his club at the cadets. "Are you Constable Plodders?" questioned Jack. "That's who I be," was the stern reply. "Now then, out with it, young fellers. You broke into Mr. Ford's house, didn't you? Now, don't try to fool me, fer it won't wash! You broke into the house, and Mr. Fasick ketched you at it, didn't he?" And the constable cast what was meant for an eagle eye on Jack and then on Fred. He had made up his mind that he would surprise both of the boys into a confession. The two cadets stared in wonder at the constable, and then a smile came into Jack's face. The situation was so ludicrous he felt like laughing. Jed Plodders saw the smile and frowned deeply. "This ain't no laughing matter, you scamp!" he bellowed. "You broke into the Ford house an' tried to steal the silverware! Now don't try to deny it, or it will be the wuss fer you! You done it now, didn't you?" And he pointed his club at first one cadet and then the other.

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CHAPTER XI A WORD OF WARNING "In the most unlikely places!" Duncombe murmured to himself as he bowed to the Frenchman, whose name his friend had mentioned. "I am very glad to meet you again, Monsieur le Baron!" he said, aloud. They were in the covered garden at the Ritz. Duncombe had accepted the pressing invitation of an old college friend, whom he had met on the boulevards to drop in and be introduced to his wife. And the third at the tea-table was Monsieur Louis, known in society apparently as Monsieur le Baron de Seurs. Lady Hadley, his friend's wife, smiled languidly upon them both. She was a frail pink and white little woman, with the reputation of a beauty to sustain, wherein lay her life's work. "You two know one another, of course!" she remarked. "Paris is no larger than London, after all." "Sir George and I have met once at least," the Baron said, smiling. "I am glad that he does me the honor of remembering the occasion." Duncombe felt himself no match for his companion with the foils. He let the conversation drift, and waited for his opportunity. Presently some more guests arrived, and Duncombe drew his host on one side. "Hadley," he said, "how long have you known the Baron?" "Met him at Dorset House about two years ago, I think," Hadley answered. "He was doing a round of country-houses. I'm not sure that he didn't stay at Sandringham. One of the real old French families, you know, De Seurs."

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Physically, clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements, and can enhance safety during hazardous activities such as hiking and cooking. It protects the wearer from rough surfaces, rash-causing plants, insect bites, splinters, thorns and prickles by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothes can insulate against cold or hot conditions. Further, they can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. Clothing also provides protection from harmful UV radiation. There is no easy way to determine when clothing was first developed, but some information has been inferred by studying lice. The body louse specifically lives in clothing, and diverge from head lice about 107,000 years ago, suggesting that clothing existed at that time. Another theory is that modern humans are the only survivors of several species of primates who may have worn clothes and that clothing may have been used as long ago as 650 thousand years ago. Other louse-based estimates put the introduction of clothing at around 42,000–72,000 BP.

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Something roared like thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire. "Father!" Hassan cried. We sprung to our feet and raced out of the living room. "Father! What's that sound? Hassan screamed, his hands outstretched toward Ali. Ali wrapped his arms around us. A white light flashed and lit the sky in silver. It flashed again and was followed by rapid sharp sounds of gunfire. "They're hunting ducks." Ali said in a hoarse voice. "They hunt ducks at night, you know." Don't be afraid. A siren went off in the distance. Somewhere glass broke and someone shouted. I heard people on the street, jolted from sleep and probably still in their pajamas, with ruffled hair and puffy eyes. Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close, clutched him with tenderness. We stayed huddled that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born. Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. The end came when Russian tanks were rolling into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting. Just before sunrise, Baba's car peeled into the driveway. His door slammed shut and his running footsteps pounded the stairs. Then he appeared in the doorway and I saw something on his face. Something I didn't recognize right away because I'd never seen it before: fear. "Amir! Hassan!" He cried as he ran to us, opening his arms wide. "They blocked all the roads and the telephone didn't work. I was so worried!" We let him wrap us in his arms and, for a brief moment, I was glad about whatever had happened that night.

wikipedia

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income per capita indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. A country scores higher HDI when the life expectancy at birth is longer, the education period is longer, and the income per capita is higher. The HDI was developed by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, often framed in terms of whether people are able to "be" and "do" desirable things in their life, and was published by the United Nations Development Programme. The 2010 Human Development Report introduced an Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). While the simple HDI remains useful, it stated that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (accounting for inequality)," and "the HDI can be viewed as an index of 'potential' human development (or the maximum IHDI that could be achieved if there were no inequality)."

cnn

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Earlier this week, the case of Hiroki Ando, the Japanese 11-year-old boy who was denied a heart transplant in Japan, highlighted the vast cultural divide in attitudes towards organ transplant and availability worldwide. Hiroki plays catch at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital. Hiroki had to travel to the U.S., where he is awaiting a heart, because Japan prohibits organ transplants involving children. His story highlights the wide range of policies around the world regarding organ donation. Watch Hiroki's trip to the U.S. » Organ donation has saved and improved countless lives. But medical advancements have led to a rise in demand for organs that is outpacing donation rates. Some countries, particularly Spain, have succeeded in raising the number of organ donors, but there is still much room for improvement, according to Leo Roels, managing director of the Donor Action Foundation. "What we see in our experience in so many countries is that there is still a lot of potential when it comes to identifying donors," he told CNN. The Donor Action Foundation is a non-profit group that helps hospitals implement programs designed to improve their donation rates. It's active in 17 countries worldwide. Looking at deceased donors per million population -- a commonly used benchmark -- rates vary widely around the world. Spain leads internationally with 34 deceased donors per million population, according to figures from the International Registry of Organ Donation and Transplantation. Australia, on the other hand, noticeably lags countries with comparable health care systems with just 12 deceased donors per million population.

gutenberg

CHAPTER II A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD There was a rush of business at the news-stand between twelve and one o'clock, but shortly after one this died away, and inside of half an hour Phil Newell told Walter that they might be on their way--"If you are bound to enlist in Uncle Sam's service," he added. Walter made sure that the paper containing Job Dowling's permission for him to enter the navy was safe in his coat pocket, and then announced his readiness to depart. The owner of the stand called up Dan Brown and gave him a few directions, and in another minute Newell and Walter had boarded a Charlestown car and were off. "I haven't been over to the navy-yard for several years," remarked Phil Newell, as they rode along. "I used to know several of the boys that were there, but they've grown too old for the service. I reckon the yard is a busy place these days." And a busy place it proved to be as they turned into Chelsea Street, and moved along the solid granite wall which separates the yard from the public thoroughfare. From beyond came the creaking of hoists, and the ringing of countless hammers and anvils, for the government employees were hard at work, fitting out a warship or two and converting several private vessels into naval craft. "I don't know if I'm just right about this," went on Phil Newell, as they headed for one of the numerous buildings near the wall, after being passed by a guard. "It may be that they want to keep strangers out, now the war is on, and you'll have to go elsewhere to sign articles. But I know old Caleb Walton is here, and he'll tell me all he can, and set us straight."

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(CNN) -- It's been more than three weeks since militants from the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group dragged 276 girls out of their beds at a boarding school in northern Nigeria, and still no one knows where the girls are. International assistance has begun to flow into Nigeria, whose president has vowed to end the terror threat plaguing his country. Here's what you need to know to get caught up: Where are the girls? It's anyone's guess. Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in a video that he was going to sell them into slavery, but it's unknown whether he has. Pentagon spokesman U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby and other officials have said they believe the girls may have been separated into smaller groups, making the task of finding them inordinately more difficult. Gordon Brown, a former UK prime minister and the U.N.'s special envoy for global education, speculated that the girls may have been moved into neighboring countries. "The search must be in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, to see if we can find information," he said. What's being done to find them? Nigeria hasn't given a lot of information about its efforts other than to say that its soldiers have been out in the field, looking for the girls. Nigerian police offered a $310,000 reward, but there's no evidence that has turned up any leads. The United States and Britain have sent advisers to help the Nigerian government find the girls, stage rescue missions and help in the larger fight to defeat Boko Haram.

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American sign language has an interesting history. Although there have always been deaf individuals in America, the history really begins in 1817. Before 1817 deaf people communicated by using "home signs". Gestures were individually created and used within the home for simple communication. There were no schools or formal sign language training for the deaf. So, why was 1817 an important date? Well, the story begins with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet met his neighbor's daughter Alice Cogswell. Alice was the young deaf daughter of Dr. Mason Cogswell from Hartford, Connecticut. Gallaudet began teaching Alice to read and write a few simple words. Excited by the success Dr. Cogswell encouraged Gallaudet to establish a school for the deaf. Cogswell raised the money and Gallaudet traveled to Britain to learn the methods used there. However, the schools refused to share their instructional techniques and methods. While in London, there happened to be a demonstration of the French method of deaf education. Britain was using an oral method of instruction; however, the French method used signs. Gallaudet was fascinated with the method and was able to meet with the instructor, Sicard, and his two deaf pupils, Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc. Sicard agreed to teach Gallaudet his method and Gallaudet went to Paris to learn French signs. After a while, Gallaudet wished to return home and convinced Clerc to go with him and help him establish the school. The trip home was a 52-day voyage during which Clerc taught Gallaudet French signs and Gallaudet taught Clerc English. On April 15, 1817, Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established what is currently known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. The opening of the first school for the deaf can be viewed as one of the most important events in current deaf culture.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XLII. GEORGE II. A.D. 1725--1760. The reign of George II. was a very warlike one. Indeed he was the last king of England who ever was personally in a battle; and, curiously enough, this battle--that of Fontenoy--was the last that a king of France also was present in. It was, however, not a very interesting battle; and it was not clear who really won it, nor are wars of this time very easy to understand. The battle of Fontenoy was fought in the course of a great war to decide who would be emperor of Germany, in which France and England took different sides; and this made Charles Edward Stuart, the eldest son of James, think it was a good moment for trying once again to get back the crown of his forefathers. He was a fine-looking young man, with winning manners, and a great deal more spirit than his father: and when he landed in Scotland with a very few followers, one Highland gentleman after another was so delighted with him that they all brought their clans to join him, and he was at the head of quite a large force, with which he took possession of the town of Edinburgh; but he never could take the castle. The English army was most of it away fighting in Germany, and the soldiers who met him at Prestonpans, close to Edinburgh, were not well managed, and were easily beaten by the Highlanders. Then he marched straight on into England: and there was great terror, for the Highlanders--with their plaids, long swords, and strange language--were thought to be all savage robbers, and the Londoners expected to have every house and shop ruined and themselves murdered: though on the whole the Highlanders behaved very well. They would probably have really entered London if they had gone on, and reached it before the army could come home, but they grew discontented and frightened at being so far away from their own hills; and at Derby. Charles Edward was obliged to let them turn back to Scotland.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXVII: The Great Fight Down from the top of the ridge back of the pond of Paddy the Beaver plunged Lightfoot the Deer, his eyes blazing with rage. He had understood the screaming of Sammy Jay. He knew that somewhere down there was the big stranger he had been looking for. The big stranger had understood Sammy's screaming quite as well as Lightfoot. He knew that to run away now would be to prove himself a coward and forever disgrace himself in the eyes of Miss Daintyfoot, for that was the name of the beautiful stranger he had been seeking. He MUST fight. There was no way out of it, he MUST fight. The hair on the back of his neck stood up with anger just as did the hair on the neck of Lightfoot. His eyes also blazed. He bounded out into a little open place by the pond of Paddy the Beaver and there he waited. Meanwhile Sammy Jay was flying about in the greatest excitement, screaming at the top of his lungs, "A fight! A fight! A fight!" Blacky the Crow, over in another part of the Green Forest, heard him and took up the cry and at once hurried over to Paddy's pond. Everybody who was near enough hurried there. Bobby Coon and Unc' Billy Possum climbed trees from which they could see and at the same time be safe. Billy Mink hurried to a safe place on the dam of Paddy the Beaver. Paddy himself climbed up on the roof of his house out in the pond. Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare, who happened to be not far away, hurried over where they could peep out from under some young hemlock-trees. Buster Bear shuffled down the hill and watched from the other side of the pond. Reddy and Granny Fox were both there.

mctest

Jason lay in his bed after a night of no sleep. He was too excited for today. There was a football game that he was going to play with his friends. It would be him, Jack, James, and John competing with David, Ruth, Parsons, and Mike. David, Rush, Parsons, and Mike were much bigger than them, and were big bullies at school. When Jason got up, he had the choice to eat cereal, candy, chocolate milk, or pizza. He chose to eat cereal because he thought that eating something good for you would make him play better. They were going to play at the school, but the school was closed. They then went to the park, and got their teams set up. Jason's team got the ball first and they scored! David's team got the ball next, but they also scored. Unfortunately, it started raining. Everyone was getting wet, and people were starting to get angry. A fight soon broke out, and they all started fighting with each other. Eventually, Jason yelled for everyone to stop. They all stopped and chose to eat pizza together and forgive each other. Jason then went home bruised and dirty, and his parents grounded him for getting into a fight.

cnn

"He never asked nor accepted any reward, because he was good and simple and did not think that one did good for a reward." (Primo Levi, If This Is A Man) Gino Bartali wanted to keep it to himself. How could a man, so famous and so revered, keep it a secret for so long? "Good is something you do, not something you talk about," Bartali once explained. "Some medals are pinned to your soul, not to your jacket." He was Italy's very own version of Babe Ruth -- a man whose personality, character and success transcended sport. In the 1930s, Bartali, a son of Tuscany, was one of the leading cyclists in the world, a man admired by all. He had won three Giro d'Italia titles -- one of the three major European cycling events -- in addition to his triumph at the 1938 Tour de France and was very much the country's poster boy. And yet for a man who lived in his life in the full glare of the public, a new film, My Italian Secret reveals a very different side to Bartali's remarkable life. Directed by Oren Jacoby, the film shows how Bartali was part of a secret Italian resistance movement which helped hide the country's Jews during the Nazi invasion of 1943. Using the handlebars on his bike to hide counterfeit identity papers, Bartali would ride to Jews in hiding and deliver their exit visas which allowed them to escape transportation to the death camps -- he is credited with saving the lives of 800 people.

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CHAPTER II--NIGHT IN THE PARK Although with her infallible instinct Mrs. Small had said the very thing to make her guest 'more intriguee than ever,' it is difficult to see how else she could truthfully have spoken. It was not a subject which the Forsytes could talk about even among themselves--to use the word Soames had invented to characterize to himself the situation, it was 'subterranean.' Yet, within a week of Mrs. MacAnder's encounter in Richmond Park, to all of them--save Timothy, from whom it was carefully kept--to James on his domestic beat from the Poultry to Park Lane, to George the wild one, on his daily adventure from the bow window at the Haversnake to the billiard room at the 'Red Pottle,' was it known that 'those two' had gone to extremes. George (it was he who invented many of those striking expressions still current in fashionable circles) voiced the sentiment more accurately than any one when he said to his brother Eustace that 'the Buccaneer' was 'going it'; he expected Soames was about 'fed up.' It was felt that he must be, and yet, what could be done? He ought perhaps to take steps; but to take steps would be deplorable. Without an open scandal which they could not see their way to recommending, it was difficult to see what steps could be taken. In this impasse, the only thing was to say nothing to Soames, and nothing to each other; in fact, to pass it over. By displaying towards Irene a dignified coldness, some impression might be made upon her; but she was seldom now to be seen, and there seemed a slight difficulty in seeking her out on purpose to show her coldness. Sometimes in the privacy of his bedroom James would reveal to Emily the real suffering that his son's misfortune caused him.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXII THE FIGHT WITH THE BUCK "Look out!" These were the only words Henry had time to utter and as they left his lips he leaped to one side as swiftly as possible. Hardly knowing what Henry meant, Dave and Barringford stood their ground, looking first one way and then another. On the instant the big buck came forward. His rush was aimed at Henry, but missing that youth, he went onward with a wild plunge, directly between Dave and Barringford. "A buck!" yelled the frontiersman. "Back out, Dave, an' be quick about it!" He himself started on a run, reloading his rifle as he went. Dave wanted to do as bidden, but he had been so surprised that before he could turn his heel caught on a rock and down he went flat on his back. His gun struck on the trigger and went off, the charge tearing over the top of the cave into the tree branches beyond. Dave was now helpless and if the truth must be told the fall had more than half dazed him, for his head came down on a spot that was far from soft and comfortable. More than this, with an empty gun he could do but little to defend himself. The big buck had now come to a halt and turned around. He stood as if uncertain whether to renew the attack or take to his heels. Then he gazed at his mate and a strange red light shone in his angry eyes. He was "blood struck," as old hunters call it, and drawing in a sharp, hissing breath, he leaped forward once again, straight for Dave, who was now trying to rise.

wikipedia

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and commonly known as Beijing 2008, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from 7 to 24 August 2008. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 28 sports and 302 events (a total of one event more than the schedule of the 2004 Games). China became the 22nd nation to host the Olympic Games and the 18th to hold a Summer Olympic Games. It was the third time that the Summer Olympic Games were held in East Asia and Asia, after Tokyo, Japan, in 1964 and Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. The Games were the most watched Olympics in history, attracting 4.7 billion viewers worldwide and landed on Guinness World Records. The event was also the most expensive Summer Olympic Games ever held, reaching a total cost of US$40 billion, and among the most successful. The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, making it the third time the events of the same Olympics were held under the jurisdiction of two different NOCs, while sailing was contested in Qingdao, and football events took place in several different cities.

race

Christine and Elena grew up in the same suburb of Sydney and first met at kindergarten. They took to each other immediately and became inseparable friends throughout their school lives. Elena's parents had moved from Greece to Australia, and her grandparents still lived on the small Greek island of Santorini, When she was 16, Elena visited her grandparents for the first time. On returning to Australia, she talked endlessly about her grandmother's next-door neighbor, Mara. When Christine expressed puzzlement at Elena's obsession with people next door, Elena admitted that Maria had a handsome son called Nicos. She showed Christine a photo of him, standing next to his prize possession, a motorbike. Elena and Nicos exchanged emails for a while, but suddenly Nicos stopped writing. While not heartbroken, Elena was nevertheless hurt. A year later, when Christine announced that she was going to visit Greece, Elena begged her to visit Santorini and say hello to Maria and Nicos. Christine agreed to do so. When she flew into Athens on an unseasonably cold day in September, she quickly realized that she hadn't brought enough warm clothes. Walking through the streets of the Greek capital, she happened to see a nice coat in a shop window and went in to ask about the price. The coat was too expensive, but as Christine was about to leave the shop, the woman asked her where she was from. When Christine answered Australia, the woman agreed to reduce the price because she knew a nice girl from Australia called Elena. Christine then noticed a photo of a young man standing next to a motorbike. Her eyes opened wide with astonishment. It was Nicos! Indeed the young man was Nicos, and the woman in the shop was Maria. She had come to Athens from Santorini to look after the shop for a friend. Sadly, the story has a tragic ending. Nicos had been killed in a motorcycle accident. "I wanted to tell Elena," said Maria. "But I didn't know how. Now that I have met you, I know that it's time to tell her."

gutenberg

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX IN WHICH MISS PECKSNIFF MAKES LOVE, MR JONAS MAKES WRATH, MRS GAMP MAKES TEA, AND MR CHUFFEY MAKES BUSINESS On the next day's official duties coming to a close, Tom hurried home without losing any time by the way; and after dinner and a short rest sallied out again, accompanied by Ruth, to pay his projected visit to Todgers's. Tom took Ruth with him, not only because it was a great pleasure to him to have her for his companion whenever he could, but because he wished her to cherish and comfort poor Merry; which she, for her own part (having heard the wretched history of that young wife from Tom), was all eagerness to do. 'She was so glad to see me,' said Tom, 'that I am sure she will be glad to see you. Your sympathy is certain to be much more delicate and acceptable than mine.' 'I am very far from being certain of that, Tom,' she replied; 'and indeed you do yourself an injustice. Indeed you do. But I hope she may like me, Tom.' 'Oh, she is sure to do that!' cried Tom, confidently. 'What a number of friends I should have, if everybody was of your way of thinking. Shouldn't I, Tom, dear?' said his little sister pinching him upon the cheek. Tom laughed, and said that with reference to this particular case he had no doubt at all of finding a disciple in Merry. 'For you women,' said Tom, 'you women, my dear, are so kind, and in your kindness have such nice perception; you know so well how to be affectionate and full of solicitude without appearing to be; your gentleness of feeling is like your touch so light and easy, that the one enables you to deal with wounds of the mind as tenderly as the other enables you to deal with wounds of the body. You are such--'

cnn

Decatur, Georgia (CNN) -- A former Georgia sheriff's deputy convicted of murder in the slaying of his wife and a day laborer in 2008 was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences plus five years in prison. That means that Derrick Yancey, 51, will have to serve at least 60 years before he is eligible for parole. He stared straight forward and showed no emotion as a Superior Court judge imposed the sentence for the murders of Linda Yancey, 44, who was also a sheriff's deputy, and Marcial Cax-Puluc, 23, a day laborer from Guatemala. Referring to Linda Yancey, Judge Linda Hunter said, "She was an officer, she was a wife, she was a mother, she was a daughter, she was a sister, she was a friend. Mr. Cax-Puluc, who had barely began to live his life, he died that day. It's not lost on the court, and probably yourself, that today an officer has fallen because you were a law enforcement officer entrusted with so many responsibilities." Hunter and the defendant, who both worked at the Dekalb County Courthouse, knew each other, prosecutors have said. Yancey was convicted earlier this month of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Cax-Puluc and Linda Yancey were shot multiple times in the Yanceys' home in Stone Mountain. The defendant told police that he shot Cax-Puluc in self-defense after the day laborer had shot his wife. Prosecutors argued that Yancey was the lone gunman and that he hired Cax-Puluc as part of an elaborate plan to kill his wife.

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CHAPTER VI CAPTAIN PUTNAM INVESTIGATES "Reff Ritter has been knocked out!" "My, what blows they were!" "Well, he brought it on himself," said Pepper. "That's what," added Fred. "He struck Jack after Jack told him he didn't believe in fighting." "He couldn't save himself because he was too close to the wooden horse," came from Coulter, who felt bound to stick up for his crony. "It wasn't fair to run him up against the horse." "Coulter, a poor excuse is worse than none," answered Dale. "Ritter was knocked out fair and square," came from Bart Connors. While the talking was going on, Paxton had rushed off for water. Now he returned with a pailful and a sponge, and commenced to bathe the fallen one's face. Ritter soon opened his eyes and gave a groan. "Le--let me al--alone," he muttered. "Get up, Reff," said Paxton. "Go for him again." "I--I can't," mumbled the bully, and now it was seen that two of his front teeth were loose. He stared around in a helpless fashion. Paxton put some more water on his face. "Has he had enough?" demanded Jack, stepping up. "You go away," answered Coulter, surlily. "You wouldn't hit him when he's down, would you?" snapped Paxton. "I asked you if he had enough. If he has, I'm going for a sail." "I'll--I'll finish this some other time," mumbled Ritter, as he glared at the young major. "No, Ritter, you'll finish it now if you finish it at all," answered Jack, coldly. "You started this fight, and now you must take the consequences. Get up, if you want to go at it again."

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Chapter Fifth _How Sir Gareth Fought with the Red Knight of the Red Lands and How it Fared with Him in that Battle. Also How His Dwarf was Stolen, and How His Name and Estate Became Known and Were Made Manifest_ 91 PART III THE STORY OF SIR LAUNCELOT AND ELAINE THE FAIR Chapter First _How Sir Launcelot Rode Errant and How He Assumed to Undertake the Adventure of the Worm of Corbin_ 107 Chapter Second _How Sir Launcelot Slew the Worm of Corbin, and How He was Carried Thereafter to the Castle of Corbin and to King Pelles and to the Lady Elaine the Fair_ 117 Chapter Third _How King Arthur Proclaimed a Tournament at Astolat, and How King Pelles of Corbin Went With His Court Thither to that Place. Also How Sir Launcelot and Sir Lavaine had Encounter with two Knights in the Highway Thitherward_ 125 Chapter Fourth _How Sir Launcelot and Sir Lavaine Fought in the Tournament at Astolat. How Sir Launcelot was Wounded in that Affair, and How Sir Lavaine Brought Him Unto a Place of Safety_ 137 Chapter Fifth _How Sir Launcelot Escaped Wounded into the Forest, and How Sir Gawaine Discovered to the Court of King Pelles who was le Chevalier Malfait_ 147 Chapter Sixth _How the Lady Elaine Went to Seek Sir Launcelot and How Sir Launcelot Afterwards Returned to the Court of King Arthur_ 159 PART IV THE MADNESS OF SIR LAUNCELOT Chapter First _How Sir Launcelot Became a Madman of the Forest and How He Was Brought to the Castle of Sir Blyant_ 171

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXIV Lady Linlithgow at Home Lucy, in her letter to her lover, had distinctly asked whether she might tell Lady Linlithgow the name of her future husband, but had received no reply when she was taken to Bruton Street. The parting at Richmond was very painful, and Lady Fawn had declared herself quite unable to make another journey up to London with the ungrateful runagate. Though there was no diminution of affection among the Fawns, there was a general feeling that Lucy was behaving badly. That obstinacy of hers was getting the better of her. Why should she have gone? Even Lord Fawn had expressed his desire that she should remain. And then, in the breasts of the wise ones, all faith in the Greystock engagement had nearly vanished. Another letter had come from Mrs. Hittaway, who now declared that it was already understood about Portray that Lady Eustace intended to marry her cousin. This was described as a terrible crime on the part of Lizzie, though the antagonistic crime of a remaining desire to marry Lord Fawn was still imputed to her. And, of course, the one crime heightened the other. So that words from the eloquent pen of Mrs. Hittaway failed to make dark enough the blackness of poor Lizzie's character. As for Mr. Greystock, he was simply a heartless man of the world, wishing to feather his nest. Mrs. Hittaway did not for a moment believe that he had ever dreamed of marrying Lucy Morris. Men always have three or four little excitements of that kind going on for the amusement of their leisure hours,--so, at least, said Mrs. Hittaway. "The girl had better be told at once." Such was her decision about poor Lucy. "I can't do more than I have done," said Lady Fawn to Augusta. "She'll never get over it, mamma; never," said Augusta.

wikipedia

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. South Georgia is long and wide and is by far the largest island in the territory. The South Sandwich Islands lie about southeast of South Georgia. The territory's total land area is . The Falkland Islands are about north-west from its nearest point. There is no permanent population on the islands. The present inhabitants are the British Government Officer, Deputy Postmaster, scientists, and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey who maintain scientific bases at Bird Island and at the capital, King Edward Point, as well as museum staff at nearby Grytviken. The United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over South Georgia in 1775 and the South Sandwich Islands in 1908. The territory of "South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands" was formed in 1985; previously it had been governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. Argentina claimed South Georgia in 1927 and claimed the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. Argentina maintained a naval station, Corbeta Uruguay, on Thule Island in the South Sandwich Islands from 1976 until 1982 when it was closed by the Royal Navy. The Argentine claim over South Georgia contributed to the 1982 Falklands War, during which Argentine forces briefly occupied the island. Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

mctest

Ralph was an alligator that loved to splash around in the water. Ralph had three brothers, named Henry, Larry, and Thomas. But none of Ralph's three brothers liked to play in the water. They were very mean brothers, but the meanest of them all was Henry. Henry would always chase Ralph around the lake and try to beat him up when he was splashing around. Then on his birthday, Ralph thought of a great idea. His idea was to stop Henry from beating him by using a trick. He would trick Henry into thinking one side of the lake was scary. Ralph dressed up in a spooky costume and waited for Henry to swim over to the side of the lake. Then when Henry came over, Ralph started making spooky sounds and scared Henry back to the other side of the lake. Henry was so scared he never came to the other side of the lake again and Ralph was free to splash around in peace.

wikipedia

ABC News is the news division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), owned by the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast "ABC World News Tonight"; other programs include morning news-talk show "Good Morning America", newsmagazine series "Nightline", "Primetime" and "20/20", and Sunday morning political affairs program "This Week with George Stephanopolous". ABC began news broadcasts early in its independent existence as a radio network after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered NBC to spin off the former NBC Blue Network into an independent company in 1943. The split (which NBC conducted voluntarily in the event that its appeal to have the ruling overturned was denied) was enforced to expand competition in radio broadcasting in the United States as the industry had only a few companies such as NBC and CBS that dominated the radio market, and in particular, was intended to prevent the limited competition from dominating news and political broadcasting and projecting narrow points-of-view. Television broadcasting was suspended, however, during World War II. Regular television news broadcasts on ABC began soon after the network signed on its initial owned-and-operated television station (WJZ-TV, now WABC-TV) and production center in New York City in August 1948. ABC news broadcasts have continued as the television network expanded nationwide, a process that took many years beginning with its launch in 1948. However, from the 1950s through the early 1970s, ABC News' programs (as was the case with the television network in general during that period) consistently ranked third in viewership behind news programs on CBS and NBC. Until the 1970s, the ABC television network had fewer affiliate stations, as well as a weaker prime-time programming slate to be able to truly support the network's news operations in comparison to the two larger networks, each of which had established their radio news operations during the 1930s.

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Mrs Black is sixty-nine years old. She has only a daughter named Sandra. Mr Black died twelve years ago. She was very sad and lived in her house alone. Two years later her daughter had a baby. The woman was busy all the time and no time to look after her son James. She asked her mother to live with with them. The old woman had to sell her house and moved there. She was strong and could do all the housework. And the family liked her. Last autumn Mrs Black went to do some shopping. A car hit her and her leg was hurt. She had to be in hospital for three months. She couldn't do anything after she came back. At first her daughter was kind to her, but soon she began to tired of her. The old woman wanted to leave, but she had no money to buy a house and nobody could take care of her. She didn't know what to do. One morning Mrs Black broke a plate. It made her daughter angry. She told James to buy a wooden for her grandma. That afternoon James came back with two wooden plates. She was surprised and asked "Why did you buy two plates, son" "One is for my grandma," answered the boy. "The other is for you." She cried for long. She's kind to her mother as she did before.