title: Address bus

text: An address bus is a computer bus architecture. It is used to transfer data between devices. The devices are identified by the hardware address of the physical memory (the physical address). The address is stored in the form of binary numbers to enable the data bus to access memory storage.


title: Address bus

text: Address buses are made up of a collection of wires connecting the CPU with main memory that is used to identify particular locations (addresses) in main memory. The width of the address bus (that is, the number of wires) determines how many unique memory locations can be addressed. Modern personal computers and Macintoshes have as many as 36 address lines. This theoretically allows them to access 64 gigabytes of main memory. However, the actual amount of memory that can be accessed is usually much less than this theoretical limit due to chipset and motherboard limitations.


title: Address bus

text: An address bus is part of the system bus architecture, which was developed to decrease costs and enhance modular integration. However, most modern computers use a variety of individual buses for specific tasks.


title: Address bus

text: An individual computer contains a system bus, which connects the major components of a computer system and has three main elements, of which the address bus is one, along with the data bus and control bus.


title: Address bus

text: An address bus is measured by the amount of memory a system can retrieve. A system with a 32-bit address bus can address 4 gigabytes of memory space. Newer computers using a 64-bit address bus with a supporting operating system can address 16 exbibytes of memory locations, which is virtually unlimited.


title: One World Trade Center

text: One World Trade Center (also known as One WTC or Freedom Tower) is the main building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The building is tall making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Since late 2013, it is the tallest building in the United States. It opened in late 2014. It is mostly used for offices. People can view the city from an observatory near the top.


title: One World Trade Center

text: On November 8, 2013, architects in Chicago and New York City began debating about the height of the One World Trade Center and the Willis Tower. They were saying that there was a possibility that the Willis Tower is taller than the One World Trade Center.


title: One World Trade Center

text: On November 12, a committee agreed that the antenna on top is part of the building, so One World Trade Center is taller than the Willis Tower.


title: One World Trade Center

text: Even after removing the antennas from the measurement, One World Trade Center is about 325 feet (99 m) taller than the Willis Tower.


title: Moldova

text: Moldova is a country in Eastern Europe. Its full name is the Republic of Moldova (, .) It used to be called Moldavia. It borders Ukraine to the north and Romania to the south.


title: Moldova

text: The Russian Empire took almost half of the Principality of Moldova in 1812 and called it Bessarabia. Between 1918 - 1940 and 1941-1944 it was part of the Kingdom of Romania. It became independent from the Soviet Union after its dissolution.


title: Moldova

text: The average monthly salary/wages are still low, standing at only US$243. Moldova is an associated country for future membership in the European Union.


title: Acid rain

text: One of the tough concerns of today's era is the Acid rain which can have a devastating effect over all organisms living on the Earth. Acid rain is rain that is unusually acidic and highly corrosive in nature. It is rain with high levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It may be defined as "rain water having pH less than 5.6".


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, animals and humans. It is caused when gaseous compounds of ammonium, carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur are released into the atmosphere. The wind carries the gases high into the sky. There the compounds react with the water in the atmosphere and acids are made. In 1852, Robert Angus Smith showed the relationship between acid rain and atmospheric pollution in Manchester. He coined the term "acid rain" in 1872.


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain is caused by acids mixing with air. The largest source of acid is sulphur dioxide. Carbon dioxide and various oxides of nitrogen also make acid in the atmosphere. These chemicals are both natural and artificial.


title: Acid rain

text: There are various natural causes, such as gases from volcanoes. However, it is thought that air pollution by people now causes most acid rain. People started producing more acidic gases when they started building factories and power stations. These buildings as well as houses and vehicles burn coal or oil that have sulphur in them. This releases gases into the air that produce acid rain. Governments have tried since the 1970s to reduce the amount of sulphur being released into the Earth's atmosphere, and have had good results so far. However, it is expensive to clean the smoke from factories and power stations. In 2001 Great Britain still produced about five million tons of these gases every year; and China produced 18 million tons. The United States produced more than 20 million tons then, which declined to 8.1 million in 2010.


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain can also be caused naturally. For example, acids can be made by nitrogen compounds made by lightning, and volcanic eruptions can release sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere.


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain has a devastating impact on forests, freshwater and soil. It kills insect and aquatic life-forms as well as causes damage to buildings and having impacts on human health. Due to the corrosive nature of the acids it damages both non-living things as well as living organisms.


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain poisons rivers and lakes. Fish and other animals cannot live in acid water. It is also bad for buildings as the acid damages calcium carbonate stone. The acid dissolves it. Many buildings and monuments have been damaged by acid rain.


title: Acid rain

text: Acid rain is a regional air pollution problem. Canada and North Western USA are worst affected. The average pH of rainfall recorded in Toronto in Feb. 1979 was 3.5. In 1989 fog in Los Angeles had a pH as low as 2.2. However till now the record of having the most acidic rain is with US in Wheeling West Virginia where the pH was as low as 1.5.


title: Phil Lynott

text: Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott (20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician. He was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England and raised in Dublin, Ireland from age four. His mother was businesswoman Philomena Lynott. He was a rock bass guitarist and singer, and the leader of the rock band Thin Lizzy.


title: Phil Lynott

text: Lynott started Thin Lizzy in 1969, and they continued until 1983. He also made two solo albums in the early 1980s. They were famous for their songs "The Boys Are Back in Town", "Waiting for an Alibi", "Whisky in the Jar" and "Jailbreak". He also worked with Gary Moore.


title: Phil Lynott

text: Lynott had problems with drugs and alcohol in his final years. On 25 December 1985, he collapsed and was sent to clinic in Wiltshire, England. He was diagnosed with septicaemia. He died of pneumonia and heart failure in Salisbury, Wiltshire on 4 January 1986. He was 36.


title: Doctor (title)

text: Doctor is an academic degree, awarded by a university or similar institution. "Doctor" is used to refer to a person with a doctorate.


title: Doctor (title)

text: To obtain the degree, people need to pass a special exam, called a doctorate, or by writing a thesis. The requirements vary according to the subject-matter. A doctorate is usually regarded as a higher degree than a bachelor's degree (such as B.A. or B.Sc)


title: Doctor (title)

text: People who have a doctor's degree may use the title "doctor", though in practice it is often used only by medical doctors. Medical doctors examine, diagnose and treat patients. They can specialize in a number of medical areas, such as pediatrics, anesthesiology or cardiology, or they can work as general practice physicians. Becoming a medical doctor requires a doctoral degree in medicine and participating in clinical training. Medical doctors need a licence, and certification may also be required for many specialists.


title: Flamingo

text: Flamingos () are types of birds. They are noisy birds and they live in big groups called flocks. Flamingos are wading birds. This means they live by water, such as lakes.


title: Flamingo

text: They are in the genus Phoenicopterus and family Phoenicopteridae. There are six species of flamingo. Two of species are found in Africa, Europe and Asia. The other four are found in North America and South America.


title: Flamingo

text: Flamingos are pink or red. This is because of small bacteria that live in water which the flamingos eat. They also eat small crayfish and algae. Baby flamingos are gray. Flamingos can fly. This is why they have wings. Flamingos are very tall birds and they have long legs. They often stand on only one leg. Scientsts found that they do this beacuse it takes less energy than standing on two legs. Flamingos have a curved bill that is shaped like a banana. This is because they feed in the mud on the bottom of lakes.


title: Flamingo

text: Many flamingos that live in Kenya and Tanzania are dying. Scientists do not know why. They think it may be because of bacteria in the water.


title: Flamingo

text: The Phonenicopteriformes is an order of birds, which contains the family of flamingos and two another families which are extinct.


title: The Weeknd

text: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is notable for his influence on contemporary R&B and pop music. Tesfaye's work has been categorized as alternative R&B.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye began his career by anonymously uploading several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd" in 2010. A year later, he released the positively reviewed mixtapes "", "", and "". The mixtapes were later remastered and re-released on the compilation album "Trilogy" (2012), after he signed with Republic Records and created his own record label XO. His first album, "Kiss Land", was released in September 2013. In 2015, Tesfaye released "Beauty Behind the Madness." It ended up being one of the top-selling albums of 2015. That same year, Tesfaye became the first artist to hold the top three positions on the "Billboard" Hot R&B Songs chart at the same time, with "Can't Feel My Face", "Earned It", and "The Hills". His third album was released in 2016. It was called "Starboy" and was also very successful. The song of the same name reached the number-one spot in many countries. He released his first EP, "My Dear Melancholy", in 2018. It topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts in the US, the Canadian Albums Chart, and also topped charts in the UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and South Korea.


title: The Weeknd

text: The Weeknd has won three Grammy Awards, nine "Billboard" Music Awards, five American Music Awards, two MTV Music Video Awards, nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for one Academy Award. In an interview in 2013, Tesfaye said his vocals were inspired by Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Prince.


title: The Weeknd

text: Abel Tesfaye was born in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up in Scarborough, in the city's east end. He is the only child of Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye, who were Ethiopian immigrants to Canada in the late 1980s.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye's father left the family when he was a toddler. So, Tesfaye was cared for by his grandmother and mother. While living with his grandmother Tesfaye learned Amharic, which he also spoke with his mother, and attended Ethiopian Orthodox church services.


title: The Weeknd

text: In an interview regarding his father, Tesfaye said: "I saw him vaguely when I was six, and then again when I was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids. I don't even know where he lived — I'd see him for, like, a night. I'm sure he's a great guy. I never judged him. He wasn't abusive; he wasn't an alcoholic; he wasn't an asshole. He just wasn't there."Tesfaye describes his teenage years as the film ""Kids" without the AIDS". Tesfaye states he began smoking marijuana at age 11, and later moved on to harder drugs. Tesfaye claims he often shoplifted to supplement his use of ecstasy, oxycodone, xanax, cocaine, psilocybin, and ketamine.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye attended West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Toronto. At age 17 he got kicked out halfway into his junior year while at West Hill and transferred to Birchmount Park. He dropped out in 2007, six months after transferring schools. Tesfaye also left his home shortly after that and moved into a small apartment in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto, along with some friends. Tesfaye has credited his stage name as being inspired by his high school dropout status, saying he "left one weekend and never came back home", although producer Jeremy Rose claims the name was his idea. The spelling was modified in order to avoid trademark issues with the Canadian band The Weekend. He also said that his stage name was going to be the title of his mixtape, "."


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye met Jeremy Rose in 2010, a producer who had an idea for a dark R&B musical project. Rose played one of his instrumentals for Tesfaye, and then Tesfaye freestyle rapped over it. This led to the two collaborating on an album. Rose produced three songs: "What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning", along with others that were ultimately scrapped. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would be credited for them. In December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music" and "The Morning" to YouTube under his stage name, although his identity was initially unknown. The songs drew some attention online, and were later included in a blog post from Drake. Drake's blog post helped the songs receive coverage from various media outlets, including "Pitchfork" and "The New York Times". Before adopting the stage name "The Weeknd", he worked under the aliases of "The Noise" and "Kin Kane", and was also in a group with JessieRay called "Bulleez n Nerdz."


title: The Weeknd

text: On March 21, 2011, Tesfaye self-released his debut mixtape "House of Balloons". The mixtape included production from Canadian producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and included the tracks produced by Rose, although he did not receive production credits like he told Tesfaye to do. When Rose found out about this, he told Tesfaye that he didn't want to work with him anymore. Rose also told VICE that he wasn't paid by Tesfaye. "House of Balloons" was met with positive reviews. It was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye began a tour of Toronto in July, with his first ever live performance at the city's Mod Club venue. He performed "High for This", "Wicked Games", and "The After Party". Fellow Toronto rapper Drake was in attendance to view the performance. It ran for a total of ninety minutes, and was sold-out. Drake later approached Tesfaye for a potential musical collaboration between the pair. They had both met in 2009 when Tesfaye and his producers wrote a song called "Birthday Suit" while Drake was putting together his debut album Thank Me Later. Although the song never made it to the album, Drake still kept an eye on Tesfaye. Tesfaye later accompanied Drake at many shows, as well as making an appearance at the second annual OVO Fest. Over the summer of 2011, Tesfaye contributed to five songs on Drake's "Take Care" as a writer, including an appearance on "Crew Love" as a featured artist.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye avoided participating in interviews and chose to communicate through Twitter after the album was released. Tesfaye also chose to communicate through Twitter before releasing his second mixtape "Thursday", which was released on August 18, 2011. It was produced by Doc McKinney and IIIangelo, just like "House of Balloons" was, and features Drake in one song. Tesfaye's third mixtape "Echoes of Silence" was released on December 21, 2011, a year after his debut singles. It also received positive reviews from Pitchfork, Billboard, and other websites.


title: The Weeknd

text: In April 2012, Tesfaye began his first tour of the United States with a performance at the Coachella Festival, where he performed the "Balloons Trilogy". The tour reached a high point in New York City with back-to-back sold-out shows, which were positively reviewed by "Rolling Stone". Tesfaye expanded his tour to include Europe, and he performed at various European festivals, including the Primavera Sound Festivals in Spain and Portugal, and the Wireless Festival in London, all during Summer 2012. He received positive responses from both Katy Perry and Florence Welch over his performance of "Dirty Diana" in London, who noted his ability to successfully undertake a complex song. In June, the "Balloons Trilogy" was revealed to have been downloaded over 8 million times, which allowed Tesfaye to initiate formal commercial release of the projects later that year.


title: The Weeknd

text: In September 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint XO. The compilation album for the mixtapes, named "Trilogy," was released two months later, and consisted of several remastered versions of songs as well as three additional ones. "Wicked Games" was remastered as the lead single, and was released in October. The song was also included in the soundtrack for the movie Southpaw. The movie features 50 Cent, and the soundtrack was produced by Eminem. "Trilogy" also officially credited Rose as a producer and writer on the three songs from "House of Balloons" that he did not initially receive credit on. It entered the U.S. "Billboard 200" chart at the number four spot, and also debuted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart. "Trilogy" was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and double-platinum by Music Canada in May 2013. It had sold 385,000 copies almost a year after the release, in September 2013. Tesfaye also gained a nomination for the Sound of 2013 poll award by the BBC a week later.


title: The Weeknd

text: On May 16, 2013, Tesfaye premiered the title track to his debut studio album "Kiss Land", and announced the album's release date as September 10. The album was later promoted by the singles "Belong to the World" and "Live For" featuring Drake, as well as with Tesfaye heading out on The Fall tour a week before the album's release. The Fall Tour ran from September to November. After being released, "Kiss Land" debuted at number two on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, selling 96,000 copies. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.


title: The Weeknd

text: In November, Tesfaye appeared on the 20/20 Experience World Tour and partnered with headline act Justin Timberlake for six shows. This was three weeks prior to his contributions to the for "" (2013), contributing "Devil May Cry", as well as featuring on Sia's "Elastic Heart". "Elastic Heart" was later chosen as the second lead single from the soundtrack.


title: The Weeknd

text: In February 2014, Tesfaye remixed "Drunk in Love", a single by Beyoncé from her studio album. He retaining the theme and concept of the song and detailed the synopsis through the perspective of a male. The remix was well-received. In June, Tesfaye officially announced his first headlining tour, called the King of the Fall tour. The tour was held across the United States in September and October, and saw Schoolboy Q and Jhené Aiko as supporting acts. This announcement came before the release of the single "Often", and led to speculation that it would be the first single from his second album. The speculation proved to be true, and Often was released on July 31, 2014 as the first single of his second album. His second album was released in August 2015. He later collaborated with Ariana Grande on a duet titled "Love Me Harder" in September, which peaked at number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100. On December 23, he released "Earned It", a single from "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2015). The song peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and it was his second contribution to a movie.


title: The Weeknd

text: After winning the Centric Award at the 2015 BET Awards for "Earned It", he performed the song again with Alicia Keys, and also debuted the song "The Hills". "The Hills" was later released for digital download, and debuted at number twenty on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The single later went on to top the chart, which meant that was Tesfaye's first number-one single.


title: The Weeknd

text: A further three songs were leaked online in the corresponding days. On June 8, "Can't Feel My Face", one of the leaked tracks, was released as a second single, following its performance at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. The song debuted at number twenty-four on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached number-one on the Hot 100, making it his third top 10 hit, and his second number-one hit in the United States. He occupied all three slots on "Billboard's" Hot R&B Songs chart at the same time with "Can't Feel My Face", "Earned It", and "The Hills" for the week of July 15. With this, Tesfaye become the first artist in history to accomplish it. In June, Tesfaye was unveiled as one of the musical faces of the new streaming service Apple Music along with fellow Canadian and frequent collaborator Drake. During the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Apple debuted a two-part promotional commercial featuring Tesfaye, which had a guest appearance from John Travolta. It was revealed that his second studio album would be titled "Beauty Behind the Madness".


title: The Weeknd

text: "Beauty Behind the Madness" was released on August 28, 2015, and debuted atop the "Billboard" 200, earning 412,000 album equivalent units in its first week. It reached the top 10 in over ten countries, as well as reaching number one in Canada, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The album was promoted by Tesfaye headlining various summer music festivals, including Lollapalooza in Chicago, the Hard Summer Music Festival in Pomona, and the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle. He announced his first large-scale tour across the United States, which began in November, and concluded in December. The album went double platinum in the US, and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. It was reported to be the most-streamed album throughout 2015, with over 60 million listeners. It was also ranked on multiple lists for best albums of the year.


title: The Weeknd

text: After engaging in multiple musical collaborations with Belly, Meek Mill, and Travis Scott, Tesfaye was featured on "Low Life", the triple platinum single from Future's album EVOL, in December of that year. In February 2016, Tesfaye was featured on "FML", a track on Kanye West's "The Life of Pablo". It was the second collaboration between the pair, and West provided production and writing on "Tell Your Friends" from "Beauty Behind the Madness". Tesfaye appeared on "6 Inch", the fifth song on Beyoncé's "Lemonade", in April. He was announced by Spotify as being among the top five most streamed artists in their first year partnering with Sony to provide the streaming service on the PlayStation 4.


title: The Weeknd

text: While preparing for his third studio album, Republic Records executive vice-president Wendy Goldstein confirmed Tesfaye began collaborating with French electronic music duo Daft Punk on August 24. On the same day, Tesfaye announced a collaboration with Norwegian DJ Cashmere Cat on his debut single "Wild Love" from his album "." A month later, the album's title was announced as "Starboy", and was set to be released on November 25. He released the album's title track, which features Daft Punk, on September 21. The song received platinum certification and peaked at number one in the United States, as well as in various other countries. It also became Daft Punk's first chart-topping song. A week later, "" was released as a promotional single. A second collaboration with Daft Punk, entitled "I Feel It Coming", was released a week after the album's release, alongside the single "". "Party Monster" topped the Rhythmic Songs Chart. He released a 12-minute short film titled "M A N I A" on November 23. It features excerpts from the album, including snippets from "" featuring Future, "" featuring Kendrick Lamar, "" and "".


title: The Weeknd

text: In 2017, Tesfaye appeared on Future's sixth studio album, as well as on the from Nav, who was signed by XO in January. He became the first person featured by Lana Del Rey when he appeared on "", the title track and second single from her fifth studio album, in April. He was featured on French Montana's "", the third single from his second album "Jungle Rules." In September, he appeared on the official music video for Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Llif3" along Nav. He was later featured on Lil Uzi Vert's debut album and Gucci Mane's eleventh studio album "Mr. Davis." He gained a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards for "Starboy" and ended up winning the award.


title: The Weeknd

text: In January 2018, Tesfaye was featured on one of the tracks in the Kendrick Lamar-produced Black Panther soundtrack album, "Pray for Me". On February 2, it was released as the soundtrack's third single. This marks the second collaboration between Tesfaye and Lamar, after the song "Sidewalks" on the "Starboy" album.


title: The Weeknd

text: On March 27, 2018, Tesfaye began promoting a possible new release in an Instagram post. On March 29, a billboard appeared in London, England promoting a possible album titled "My Dear Melancholy," and on the same day the project was officially announced. On March 30, the extended play "My Dear Melancholy" was officially released, with "Call Out My Name" as the lead single.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye released his sixth studio album, "After Hours", on March 20, 2020. The album became his fourth to reach number one on the US "Billboard" 200 album chart, selling 444,000 US copies in its first week, the most for any of his albums. It spawned his fourth and fifth US number-one songs, "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights".


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye also opened the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards by performing "Blinding Lights" at the top of Edge at Hudson Yard in New York City. The video for "Blinding Lights" won Video of the Year and Best R&B.


title: The Weeknd

text: He was featured on a remix of Colombian singer Maluma's song "Hawái", on Scottish DJ Calvin Harris' track "Over Now", and on American singer Ariana Grande's song "Off the Table" from her album, "Positions".


title: The Weeknd

text: In November 2020, Tesfaye was announced as the headliner for the halftime show of Super Bowl LV, occurring on February 7, 2021. The performance received a mixed response with critics pointing out that the coronavirus restrictions made a grander performance difficult.


title: The Weeknd

text: On 23 April 2021, Tesfaye released a remix of the number one hit "Save Your Tears" featuring fellow star Ariana Grande. The song quickly rose to number one on the US "Billboard 100".


title: The Weeknd

text: On 6 August 2021, Testaye released his recent single "Take My Breath" and announced an untitled fifth album to be released.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye began dating model Bella Hadid at the beginning of 2015. They were first seen together in April at Coachella. Hadid later starred in his music video "In the Night" in December. They also made a red carpet appearance as a couple at the 2016 Grammy Awards. In November 2016, it was reported that the couple had split. Their reasoning for the split was their conflicting schedules. Tesfaye reportedly started dating Selena Gomez in January 2017 and they moved in together temporarily in September 2017 in Greenwich Village, New York. They broke up in October 2017. By May 2018, Tesfaye and Hadid began dating again, and split in August 2019. The two have had an on and off relationship.


title: The Weeknd

text: Tesfaye often used drugs to help get over writer's block on earlier albums and also abused illegal substances such as, Ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, mushrooms and cough syrup. On social media he typically suffixed his first name with "xo". According to writer Hermione Hoby, it is meant as an emoticon for "a kiss and a hug", but VH1's Zara Golden's stated that it is a reference to his recreational use of ecstasy and oxycodone. Tesfaye later confirmed Zara Golden's statement regarding his social media name.


title: The Weeknd

text: In January 2015, Tesfaye was arrested for punching a Las Vegas police officer at . Tesfaye pleaded no contest, and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service in October of that year. Along with community service, he was also ordered to pay $1,000 to an injured police fund, complete anger management classes, and present an alcohol evaluation.


title: The Weeknd

text: In December 2015, Tesfaye, his producers, and his record label Republic Records, were sued by Cutting Edge Music. They made an that the bass line for "The Hills" had been taken from the score of "The Machine". Documents state that Tesfaye's producer allegedly sent the movie director a direct message on Twitter in March saying that he sampled the beat and that it might be on "The Hills".


title: The Weeknd

text: In September 2018, Tesfaye and Daft Punk were sued for allegedly stealing the rhythm in "Starboy" from a poet, singer and songwriter named Yasminah. Yasminah sued for at least $5 million. Tesfaye denied the allegations.


title: The Weeknd

text: In November 2018, Tesfaye was sued for copyright infringement by another comic book writer named Eymun Talasazan for stealing the "Starboy" idea. Talasazan claimed he had already created a comic book character named "Starboy" before Tesfaye. A few months earlier, Talasazan attempted to trademark the "Starboy" name unsuccessfully.


title: The Weeknd

text: In April 2019, Tesfaye was sued by a British trio for $150,000. They accused Tesfaye of plagiarizing their song "I Need to Love" with "A Lonely Night".


title: The Weeknd

text: After being presented a Professional Excellence Award by the Bikila organization in 2014, Tesfaye was asked by the organization if he would like to contribute. In August 2016, he donated $50,000 towards a class at the University of Toronto on Ge'ez, the classic language of Ethiopia. He also tweeted to help raise funds and gain support for the program. That same month, Tesfaye also donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter, and posted a tweet showing his support for the movement.


title: The Weeknd

text: In December 2015, he worked with Ryan Seacrest's foundation to visit Children's Hospital in Atlanta. Tesfaye made a donation of $50,000 to the St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Toronto in May 2016. He went to this church as a child.


title: The Weeknd

text: In June 2017, Tesfaye donated $100,000 to the Suubi Health Center, a maternity and children's medical facility in rural Uganda. His donation allowed the center to complete the construction of the first floor and increase the serving capacity. Tesfaye was inspired to support the center after learning of his friend French Montana's work with Global Citizen and Mama Hope to help raise awareness for Suubi and the people of Uganda.


title: Assembly language

text: An assembly language is a programming language that can be used to directly tell the computer what to do. An assembly language is almost exactly like the machine code that a computer can understand, except that it uses words in place of numbers. A computer cannot really understand an assembly program directly. However, it can easily change the program into machine code by replacing the words of the program with the numbers that they stand for. A program that does that is called an assembler.


title: Assembly language

text: Programs written in assembly language are usually made of "instructions", which are small tasks that the computer performs when it is running the program. They are called instructions because the programmer uses them to instruct the computer what to do. The part of the computer that follows the instructions is the processor.


title: Assembly language

text: The assembly language of a computer is a low-level language, which means that it can only be used to do the simple tasks that a computer can understand directly. In order to perform more complex tasks, one must tell the computer each of the simple tasks that are part of the complex task. For example, a computer does not understand how to print a sentence on its screen. Instead, a program written in assembly must tell it how to do all of the small steps that are involved in printing the sentence.


title: Assembly language

text: Such an assembly program would be composed of many, many instructions, that together do something that seems very simple and basic to a human. This makes it hard for humans to read an assembly program. In contrast, a high-level programming language may have a single instruction such as PRINT ""Hello, world!"" that will tell the computer to perform all of the small tasks for you.


title: Assembly language

text: When computer scientists first built programmable machines, they programmed them directly in machine code, which is a series of numbers that instructed the computer what to do. Writing machine language was very hard to do and took a long time, so eventually assembly language was made. Assembly language is easier for a human to read and can be written faster, but it is still much harder for a human to use than a high-level programming language which tries to mimic human language.


title: Assembly language

text: To program in machine code, the programmer needs to know what each instruction looks like in binary (or hexadecimal). Although it is easy for a computer to quickly figure out what machine code means, it is hard for a programmer. Each instruction can have several forms, all of which just look like a bunch of numbers to people. Any mistake that someone makes while writing machine code will only be noticed when the computer does the wrong thing. Figuring out the mistake is hard because most people cannot tell what machine code means by looking at it. An example of what machine code looks like:


title: Assembly language

text: This hexadecimal machine code tells an x86 computer processor to add 42 to the accumulator. It is very difficult for a person to read and understand it even if that person knows machine code.


title: Assembly language

text: With assembly language, each instruction can be written as a short word, called a "mnemonic", followed by other things like numbers or other short words. The mnemonic is used so that the programmer does not have to remember the exact numbers in machine code needed to tell the computer to do something. Examples of mnemonics in assembly language include "add", which adds data, and "mov", which moves data from one place to another. Because 'mnemonic' is an uncommon word, the phrase "instruction type" or just "instruction" is sometimes used instead, often incorrectly. The words and numbers after the first word give more information about what to do. For instance, things following an "add" might be what two things to add together and the things following "mov" say what to move and where to put it.


title: Assembly language

text: Assembly language also allows programmers to write the actual data the program uses in easier ways. Most assembly languages have support for easily making numbers and text. In machine code, each different type of number like positive, negative or decimal, would have to be manually converted into binary and text would have to be defined one letter at a time, as numbers.


title: Assembly language

text: Assembly language provides what is called an abstraction of machine code. When using assembly, programmers do not need to know the details of what numbers mean to the computer, the assembler figures that out instead. Assembly language actually still lets the programmer use all the features of the processor that they could with machine code. In this sense, assembly language has a very good, rare trait: it has the same ability to express things as the thing it is abstracting (machine code) while being much easier to use. Because of this, machine code is almost never used as a programming language.


title: Assembly language

text: When programs are finished, they have already been transformed into machine code so that the processor can actually run them. Sometimes, however, if the program has a bug (mistake) in it, programmers will want to be able to tell what each part of the machine code is doing. Disassemblers are programs that help programmers do that by transforming the machine code of the program back into assembly language, which is much easier to understand. Disassemblers, which turn machine code into assembly language, do the opposite of assemblers, which turn assembly language into machine code.


title: Assembly language

text: An understanding of how computers are organized, how they seem to work at a very low level, is needed to understand how an assembly language program works. At the most simplistic level, computers have three main parts:


title: Assembly language

text: In most computers, memory is divided up into bytes. Each byte contains 8 bits. Each byte in memory also has an "address" which is a number that says where the byte is in memory. The first byte in memory has an address of 0, the next one has an address of 1, and so on. Dividing memory into bytes makes it "byte addressable" because each byte gets a unique address. Addresses of byte memories cannot be used to refer to a single bit of a byte. A byte is the smallest piece of memory that can be addressed.


title: Assembly language

text: Even though an address refers to a particular byte in memory, processors allow for using several bytes of memory in a row. The most common use of this feature is to use either 2 or 4 bytes in a row to represent a number, usually an integer. Single bytes are sometimes also used to represent integers, but because they are only 8 bits long, they can only hold 2 or 256 different possible values. Using 2 or 4 bytes in a row raises the number of different possible values to be 2, 65536 or 2, 4294967296, respectively.


title: Assembly language

text: When a program uses a byte or a number of bytes in a row to represent something like a letter, number, or anything else, those bytes are called an "object" because they are all part of the same thing. Even though objects are all stored in identical bytes of memory, they are treated as though they have a 'type', which says how the bytes should be understood: either as an integer or a character or some other type (like a non-integer value). Machine code can also be thought of as a type that is interpreted as instructions. The notion of a type is very, very important because it defines what things can and can’t be done to the object and how to interpret the bytes of the object. For instance, it is not valid to store a negative number in a positive number object and it is not valid to store a fraction in an integer.


title: Assembly language

text: An address that points to (is the address of) a multi-byte object is the address to the first byte of that object – the byte that has the lowest address. As an aside, one important thing to note is that you can’t tell what the type of an object is - or even its size - by its address. In fact, you can’t even tell what type an object is by looking at it. An assembly language program needs to keep track of which memory addresses hold which objects, and how big those objects are. A program that does so is "type safe" because it only does things to objects that are safe to do on their type. A program that doesn’t will probably not work properly. Note that most programs do not actually explicitly store what the type of an object is, they just access objects consistently - the same object is always treated as the same type.


title: Assembly language

text: The processor runs (executes) instructions, which are stored as machine code in main memory. As well as being able to access memory for storage, most processors have a few small, fast, fixed-size spaces for holding objects that are currently being worked with. These spaces are called "registers". Processors usually execute three types of instructions, although some instructions can be a combination of these types. Below are some examples of each type in x86 assembly language.


title: Assembly language

text: The following x86 assembly language instruction reads (loads) a 2-byte object from the byte at address 4096 (0x1000 in hexadecimal) into a 16-bit register called 'ax':


title: Assembly language

text: In this assembly language, square brackets around a number (or a register name) mean that the number should be used as an address to the data that should be used. The use of an address to point to data is called indirection. In this next example, without the square brackets, another register, bx, actually gets the value 20 loaded into it.


title: Assembly language

text: If the operands (the things that come after the mnemonic), appear in the reverse order, an instruction that loads something from memory instead writes it to memory:


title: Assembly language

text: Here, the memory at address 1000h gets the value of bx. If this example is executed right after the previous one, the 2 bytes at 1000h and 1001h will be a 2 byte integer with the value of 20.


title: Assembly language

text: Here, 42 and ax are added together and the result is stored back in ax. In x86 assembly it is also possible to combine a memory access and mathematical operation like this:


title: Assembly language

text: This instruction adds the value of the 2 byte integer stored at 1000h to ax and stores the answer in ax.


title: Assembly language

text: This instruction computes the or of the contents of the registers ax and bx and stores the result back into ax.


title: Assembly language

text: Usually, instructions are executed in the order they appear in memory, which is the order they are typed in the assembly code. The processor just executes them one after another. However, in order for processors to do complicated things, they need to execute different instructions based on what the data they were given is. The ability of processors to execute different instructions depending on something's outcome is called "branching". Instructions that decide what the next instruction should be are called "branch instructions".


title: Assembly language

text: In this example, suppose someone wants to calculate the amount of paint they will need to paint a square with a certain side length. However, due to economy of scale the paint store will not sell them any less than amount of paint needed to paint a 100 x 100 square.


title: Assembly language

text: To figure out the amount of paint they will need to get based on the length of the square they want to paint, they come up with this set of steps:


title: Assembly language

text: This example introduces several new things, but the first two instructions are familiar. They copy the value of ax into bx and then subtract 100 from bx.


title: Assembly language

text: One of the new things in this example is called a label, a concept found in assembly languages in general. Labels can be anything the programmer wants (unless it is the name of an instruction, which would confuse the assembler). In this example, the label is 'continue'. It is interpreted by the assembler as the address of an instruction. In this case, it is the address of mult ax.


title: Assembly language

text: Another new concept is that of flags. On x86 processors, many instructions set 'flags' in the processor that can be used by the next instruction to decide what to do. In this case, if bx was less than 100, sub will set a flag that says the result was less than zero.


title: Assembly language

text: The next instruction is jge which is short for 'jump if greater than or equal to'. It is a branch instruction. If the flags in the processor specify that the result was greater than or equal to zero, instead of just going to the next instruction the processor will jump to the instruction at the continue label, which is "mul ax".


title: Assembly language

text: This example works fine, but it is not what most programmers would write. The subtract instruction set the flag correctly, but it also changes the value it operates on, which required the ax to be copied into bx. Most assembly languages allow for comparison instruction that do not change any of the arguments they are passed, but still set the flags properly and x86 assembly is no exception.


title: Assembly language

text: Now, instead of subtracting 100 from ax, seeing if that number is less than zero, and assigning it back to ax, ax is left unchanged. The flags are still set the same way, and the jump is still taken in the same situations.


title: Assembly language

text: While input and output are a fundamental part of computing, there is no one way they are done in assembly language. This is because the way I/O works depends on the set up of the computer and the operating system its running, not just what kind of processor it has. In the example section below, the Hello World example uses MS-DOS operating system calls and the example after it uses BIOS calls.


title: Assembly language

text: It is possible to do I/O in assembly language. Indeed, assembly language can generally express anything that a computer is capable of doing. However, even though there are instructions to add and branch in assembly language that will always do the same thing there are no instructions in assembly language that always do I/O.


title: Assembly language

text: The important thing to note is that the way that I/O works is not part of any assembly language because it is not part of how the processor works.


title: Assembly language

text: Even though assembly language is not directly run by the processor - machine code is, it still has a lot to do with it. Each processor family supports different features, instructions, rules for what the instructions can do, and rules for what combination of instructions are allowed where. Because of this, different types of processors still need different assembly languages.


title: Assembly language

text: Because each version of assembly language is tied to a processor family, it lacks something called "portability". Something that has portability or is portable can be easily transferred from one type of computer to another. While other types of programming languages are portable, assembly language, in general, is not.


title: Assembly language

text: Although assembly language allows for an easy way to use all the processor's features, it is not used for modern software projects for several reasons:


title: Assembly language

text: As a result of these drawbacks, high-level languages like Pascal, C, and C++ are used for most projects instead. They allow programmers to express their ideas more directly instead of having to worry about telling the processor what to do every step of the way. They're called high-level because the ideas the programmer can express in the same amount code are more complicated.


title: Assembly language

text: Programmers writing code in compiled high level languages use a program called a compiler to transform their code into assembly language. Compilers are much harder to write than assemblers are. Also, high-level languages do not always allow programmers to use all the features of the processor. This is because high-level languages are designed to support all processor families. Unlike assembly languages, that only support one type of processor, high-level languages are portable.


title: Assembly language

text: Even though compilers are more complicated than assemblers, decades of making and researching compilers has made them very good. Now, there is not much reason to use assembly language anymore for most projects, because compilers can usually figure out how to express programs in assembly language as well or better than programmers.


title: Assembly language

text: A function that prints a number to the screen using BIOS interrupts written in NASM x86 assembly. Modular code is possible to write in assembly, but it takes extra effort. Note that anything that comes after a semicolon on a line is a comment and is ignored by the assembler. Putting comments in assembly language code is very important because large assembly language programs are so hard to understand.


title: Battery

text: A battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy by a chemical reaction. Usually the chemicals are kept inside the battery. It is used in a circuit to power other components. A battery produces direct current (DC) electricity (electricity that flows in one direction, and does not switch back and forth).


title: Battery

text: Using the electricity from an outlet in a building is cheaper and more efficient, but a battery can provide electricity in areas that do not have electric power distribution. It is also useful for things that move, such as electric vehicles and mobile phones.


title: Battery

text: Batteries may be primary or secondary. The primary is thrown away when it can no longer provide electricity. The secondary can be recharged and reused.


title: Battery

text: A Battery can be one "cell" or many "cells". Each cell has an anode, cathode and electrolyte. The electrolyte is the main material inside the battery. It is often a type of acid, and can be dangerous to touch. The anode reacts with the electrolyte to produce electrons (this is the "negative" or "-" end). The cathode reacts with the electrolyte and takes electrons (this is the "positive" or "+" end). An electric current happens when a wire connects the anode to the cathode, and the electrons move from one end to the other. (But a battery can be damaged by just a wire connecting the two ends, so a "load" is also needed between the two ends. The load is something that slows the electrons down, and usually does something useful, like a lightbulb in a flashlight, or the electronics in a calculator).


title: Battery

text: The electrolyte can be liquid or solid. A battery is called a wet cell or dry cell battery, depending on the type of electrolyte.


title: Battery

text: The chemical reactions that occur in a battery are exothermic reactions. This type of reaction makes heat. For example, if you leave your laptop on for a long time, and then touch the battery, it will be warm or hot.


title: Battery

text: A rechargeable battery is recharged by reversing the chemical reaction that occurs within the battery. But a rechargeable battery can only be recharged a given number of times (recharge life). Even built-in batteries, cannot be recharged forever. Moreover, each time a battery is recharged, its ability to hold a charge goes down a bit. Non-rechargeable batteries should not be charged as various harmful substances can leak out, such as potassium hydroxide.


title: Battery

text: The cells can be connected to make a bigger battery. Connecting the positive of one cell to the negative of the next cell is called connecting them "in series". The voltage of each battery are added together. Two six volt batteries connected in series will make 12 volts.


title: Battery

text: Connecting the positive of one cell to the positive of the other, and the negative to the negative is called connecting them "in parallel". The voltage stays the same, but the current is added together. Voltage is the pressure pushing the electrons through the wires, it is measured in volts. Current is how many electrons can go at once, it is measured in amps. The combination of current and voltage is the power (watts = volts x amps) of the battery.


title: Battery

text: AA, AAA, C, and D cells, including alkaline batteries, are of standard sizes and shapes, and have about 1.5 volts. The voltage of a cell depends on the chemicals used. The electric charge it can supply depends on how large the cell is, as well as what chemicals. The charge a battery delivers is usually measured in . Since the voltage stays the same, more charge means a bigger cell can supply more amps, or run for a longer time.


title: Battery

text: The first battery was invented in 1800 by Alessandro Volta. Nowadays, his battery is called the voltaic pile.


title: Battery

text: In small, modern batteries, the fluid is immobilized in a kind of paste and everything is put in a sealed case. Because of this case, nothing can spill out of the battery. Larger batteries, such as car batteries, still have liquid inside and are not sealed. A kind of battery that uses molten salts as the electrolyte was invented during World War II.


title: Battery

text: A capacitor is not a battery because it does not store the energy in a chemical reaction. A capacitor can store electricity and create electricity much faster than a battery, but it usually costs too much to make it as big as a battery can be. Scientists and chemical engineers are working to make better capacitors and batteries for electric cars.


title: Battery

text: Small electrical generators operated by hand and foot can supply power in small electrical devices. Clockwork radios, clockwork torches and similar devices also have a wind-up spring to store mechanical energy.


title: Xi

text: Xi (uppercase/lowercase Ξ ξ) is the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet. It is used to represent the "x" sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 60. The Roman letter X and Cyrillic letter Ѯ came from Xi.


title: Xi

text: In mathematics, both uppercase Ξ and lowercase ξ are used to refer to variants of Riemann Xi function (itself a variant of Riemann zeta function). In physics, the uppercase Ξ is used to represent the cascade particle and xi baryon.


title: Florence

text: Florence () is the capital city of the region of Tuscany ("Toscana"), in Italy. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence is on the Arno River. The city has a population of around 370,000 people, and a suburban population of over 2,000,000 people. The greater area has around 956,000 people. The city was a center of medieval European trade and finance. It is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the Medici family. Florence is also famous for its fine art and architecture. It is said that, of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence.


title: Florence

text: The food of Florence is based more on peasant eating rather than expensive cooking. Most of foods are based on meat. The whole animal was usually eaten. Many kinds of tripe, (trippa) and (lampredotto) were commonly served. They are still sold at the food carts in the city. Antipasti include "crostini toscani", sliced bread topped with a chicken liver-based pâté. Also common are sliced meats (mainly prosciutto and salami). They are often served with melon when it is in season. Tuscan bread has no salt or butter. It is used often in Florentine meals. It is very common in the local soups, "ribollita" and "pappa al pomodoro", Both soups are usually served with local olive oil. The bread is also used in the salad of bread and fresh vegetables called "panzanella" that is served in summer. The most famous main course is the "bistecca alla fiorentina". It is a huge steak of Chianina beef that is cooked over hot charcoal. It is served very rare with the "tagliata", sliced rare beef served on a bed of arugula, often with slices of parmesan cheese on top.


title: Florence

text: Florence has a mixed Mediterranean climate and humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and cool and damp winters. Florence is especially hot from June to August (surrounded by hills in a valley cut by the Arno river). Summer temperatures are higher than those along coastlines. Winter has some snow.


title: Clement Attlee

text: Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British politician. Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951, he was the first Labour prime minister with a majority in government, and was very important in the setting up of the welfare state. He was made a member of the House of Lords after he retired, and became the first Earl Attlee.


title: Clement Attlee

text: Attlee was born in Putney. Attlee was educated at Haileybury College. He graduated from University College, Oxford with a Second Class Honours BA in Modern History in 1904.


title: Clement Attlee

text: Attlee began a career as a barrister after graduating from Oxford. This lasted for two years. He then worked as manager of Haileybury House in East London. Attlee's work at the House inspired him to become a socialist. In 1907 he joined the Fabian Society. In 1908 he joined the Independent Labour Party. In 1911, he was employed by the UK Government. In 1919 Attlee became Mayor of Stepney. He was elected to Parliament in 1922 as the MP for Limehouse., In 1935 he was elected leader of the Labour Party. From 1942 to 1945 he was deputy prime minister. Attlee resigned as party leader after Labour lost the 1955 election. He was made a member of the Order of Merit in 1951 and a Knight of the Garter in 1956. In 1958 he started the Homosexual Reform Society with Bertrand Russell.


title: Vikings

text: The Vikings were a Scandinavian people from Northern Europe who were known as great seamen and warriors. From the 8th to the 11th centuries they travelled to Europe in their long ships, attacking and then settling in areas that are now modern Great Britain, Germany France, Spain, and Italy.


title: Vikings

text: The people of the far north, later called Vikings, were first noticed by the Romans around the year 100 BC. This is when the Cimbri and the Teutons moved into southern Gaul. The Romans believed these war-like tribes came from Jutland. But the Romans suspected they were only a part of a greater threat located further north. The Roman historians Jordanes described the destructive Ostrogoths and Visigoths as having come from Gotland. The northern menace survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire.


title: Vikings

text: The Frankish Empire that succeeded them in Gaul became more and more aware of the northern threat. As the later Carolingian Empire expanded into northern Germany they came into contact with the Danish people. This is when the Vikings first entered into written history. The first recorded raid in the west was at Lindisfarne in 793. Why the Vikings suddenly began raiding is not completely clear. But a popular theory is the populations had grown to the point there was not enough food to feed everyone. The earliest raiders did not seem to want to move out of Scandinavia. They turned to looting, then returning home. These hit-and-run raids were made possible because the Vikings were master boat builders and they created flat bottomed boats ideal for journeys up rivers, where many monastic sites lay, ready for plundering. This seems to indicate there was space enough for everyone. Because they found raiding so easy, it became more and more popular among the Vikings.


title: Vikings

text: Three different groups of Vikings can be identified. They took three different, sometimes overlapping, routes.


title: Vikings

text: Europeans were scared of the Vikings because of their strong weapons, swift attacks, and cruel fighting tactics. They were known for their bad treatment of women, children and monks in the places where they fought. When the Vikings came to England, the English kings paid them to leave the country, but the Vikings took their money and sometimes fought them anyway. These payments were called Danegeld. From the 9th century to 1066, when the French Duke of Normandy, who became King William I of England, conquered it, Danish and Norwegian Vikings ruled large parts of England.


title: Vikings

text: Because of their longships, which could float in 4 feet (1.3m) of water, the Vikings were able to make their way up rivers and land deep inside a country. For example they sailed up the River Shannon in Ireland and built a harbour 60 miles (100 km) from the coast.


title: Vikings

text: There was a difference in who led Viking raids. In the 9th century, Viking Age raids were led by men who may have been exiles in their own countries. The later Viking raids in the late 10th century and early 11th century and were led by Kings. Some of the early leaders tried to become kings with the riches they plundered from Europe and Russia. Some were successful but most were not.


title: Vikings

text: The Vikings were called Rus' by the peoples east of the Baltic Sea. The Vikings who settled in Kiev formed the first Russian state. The Vikings (Rus') who served the Byzantine Emperors were called Varangians. They became the personal bodyguards to the Emperor and were called the Varangian Guard.


title: Vikings

text: The Vikings traveled through Russia, the Mediterranean Sea, southern Europe, northern Africa and south-western Asia. Some Vikings sailed across the Atlantic Ocean via Iceland and Greenland and may have explored places in North America. The ruins of a Viking settlement have been found at L'Anse-aux-Meadows, Newfoundland.


title: Vikings

text: Archaeologists used radiocarbon dating to find out how old the settlement was. Their tests gave them a range of dates from about AD 700 to about AD 1000.


title: Vikings

text: Some English words, and many place names, came from the Scandinavian and Viking language (Norse). For example, the words "skirt" and "shirt" came from the word "skyrta", meaning a tunic. As English changed, the semantics altered to give us the separate words 'skirt' and 'shirt' we know today. "Skin" came from the Norse word "skinn" (which meant to strip the meat off something). Some place-names in the areas the Vikings conquered are still in use. For example, in Yorkshire places ending with "thwaite" meant a "clearing" and "dale" meant a "valley". The word "thorpe" meant "new village", such as Scunthorpe.


title: Vikings

text: The Anglo-Saxons called the Vikings pagans. They worshiped a great many gods. Viking gods belonged to two groups of gods in Norse mythology. They either belonged to the Aesir or the Vanir. The Aesir were gods of war. Aesir means "gods". They were the rulers of Asgard. Odin was the leader of the Aesir. He and the gods under him ruled mortal men. The vanir were wise gods skilled in magical arts. they live in Vanaheim, although nobody knows where it is. The Vanir can also predict the future. There was a war between the Aesir and the Vanir. When it ended the god Njord and his children Freya and Freyr came to live in Asgard.


title: Vikings

text: The pagan Vikings were exposed to Christianity from the beginning of the Viking Age. They were surrounded by Christian countries. Early Christian missionaries were either enslaved or put to death. The Vikings came into contact with Christianity when they raided other areas around them. Viking raids produced many Christian slaves who were brought back to Scandinavia. They called Christians "Cross-men" because of the cross in their worship. In response many Vikings adopted Thors hammer as their religious symbol. When Vikings settled in Christian areas they converted to Christianity. There are still Headstones in England with both a cross and a hammer. Perhaps they thought it was better to be safe than sorry. That, or the more gods the better. As some Vikings turned from raiding to trading they found a nominal (in name only) profession of Christianity to be helpful. Scandinavia, their homeland, was slower to change to the Christian religion. But by the mid-11th century most of Norway and Denmark had converted. Sweden was converted by the mid-12th century. Overall Scandinavia and the peoples of the Baltic Sea were the last to accept Christianity.


title: Vikings

text: The Viking's religion affected Christianity as well. The pagan celebration of Yuletide became Christmas along with the custom of the Christmas tree. Priests blessing the fields took the place of pagan fertility rites of spring held to make sure there was a good harvest. Norse kept their "farm gods" well after Christianity just to make sure they were protected. Santa Claus owes much of his legend to the Norse god Odin. With his snow-white beard he traveled the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir visiting his people with gifts. He became Father Christmas. Blended with the Christian Saint Nicholas he (they) became Santa Claus.


title: Vikings

text: In the late 19th century (the 1800s), Richard Wagner and other artists in the Romantic period made operas and other artwork about ancient Germanic culture. They liked the Vikings because they were not Greeks or Romans. They came up with the idea of Vikings wearing fur clothes and helmets with wings or horns on them and drinking out of hollowed-out animal horns. Some ancient Germans wore helmets with horns on them, but real Vikings did not. Wagner and his partners deliberately dressed the actors in the opera "Ring des Nibelungen" so they would look like ancient Germans and so the audience would feel like modern Germans came from medieval Vikings.


title: Curling

text: Curling is a sport played on ice. Players slide "curling stones" on the ice towards a target, called the "house". There are two teams with four players on each team. Each team slides eight stones, this is called an "end". After an end the team with the stone closest to the centre of the house (target) scores points. The game is over after eight or ten ends. The team with the most points is the winner.


title: Curling

text: The player sliding the stone can make it turn or "curl" slowly. Two other players on the team sweep the ice in front of the stone with brooms. This is to make the stone stop in the right place.


title: Curling

text: Curling was invented in Scotland in medieval times. It was played outside in the winter because there was lots of ice. Today curling is played all over Europe and in many other countries such as Canada, the United States, Japan and South Korea.


title: Curling

text: The ice is called a "curling sheet". It is a rectangular sheet of flat ice, between 146 and 150 feet (45-46 metres) long and 14.5 to 15.5 feet (4.4-5.0 metres) wide. The house, or target, is marked at the end of the sheet by coloured rings. The rings help players to aim for the centre of the house. They are also useful to decide which stone is closest to the centre when scoring. There is also a "hack" at the end of the sheet which players push against when sliding a stone.


title: Curling

text: Curling stones are made of granite. They are heavy, weighing 38-40 pounds (17-20kg). There is a handle on the top of each stone to help slide and turn the stone. The handles are different colours for each team. The stones are usually red for one team and yellow for the other team.


title: Curling

text: Players wear special shoes for curling. One shoe has a smooth surface for sliding on the ice and the other rough.


title: Curling

text: The purpose of the game is to score points by getting stones close to the centre of the house. Players from each team take turns to slide a stone towards the house. This is called "delivering" or "throwing" a stone. An end is completed when all stones have been delivered. There are eight stones for each team. The winner is the team with the most points after all ends have been played. There are usually eight or ten ends.


title: Curling

text: The captain of the team is called the "skip". The skip chooses how hard the stone should be delivered, the direction of delivery, and the amount of turn (curl) that the stone should be given. The skip can choose to aim the stone for the house, hit one of the other team's stones out of play, or make a stone stop before the house as a guard if their team has a stone in a good position.


title: Curling

text: The player delivering the stone starts at the hack. The skip stands at the other end of the curling sheet behind the house. The skip shows where to aim the stone. The other two players sweep the ice in front of the stone as it slides. The players take turns to deliver stones. When the skip is delivering a stone another player stands behind the house instead.


title: Curling

text: To deliver a stone the player puts one foot on the hack. The player lines up towards the skip. The stone is on the ice in front of the foot in the hack. The player then slides the stone back before sliding forwards on their other foot. The player lets go of the stone, gently turning the handle just before letting go to give the stone curl.


title: Curling

text: Then the other players can sweep the stone. Sweeping helps the stone to travel faster, and makes it curl less. The aim of sweeping is to help the stone stop in the right place.


title: Curling

text: Points are scored at when an end has finished. The team with the stone closest to the centre of the house wins the end. The team scores one point for every stone that is closer to the centre than the other team's closest stone.


title: Curling

text: Only stones that are in the house count for scoring. If it is difficult to see which stone is closest to the centre of the house there are special measuring devices to help.


title: George Best

text: George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish footballer. He played as a winger. Best played most of his club career at Manchester United. Best is said to be one of the best players in the history of the sport. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. Best received praise for his playing style. It combined pace, skill, balance, feints, goalscoring and the ability to get past defenders. In Belfast, where Best was born, they named the airport after him.


title: George Best

text: Both of Best's marriages ended in divorce. He was married to Angie Best from 1978-1986; the couple had a son, Calum Best. George Best was married to Alex Best from 1995-2004.


title: George Best

text: Best was an alcoholic. He had a liver transplant in 2003. He died of a lung infection and multiple organ failure in London [England]


title: Southwestern United States

text: The Southwestern United States (called the American Southwest or simply the Southwest) is a region of the western United States. The region is than the northern states and than the eastern states. The area includes Arizona and New Mexico, as well as the nearby parts of Southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado and western Texas. The Southwest is growing really fast, big cities in the area are Phoenix, Las Vegas, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Tucson. It is one of the fastest growing parts of the country.


title: Southwestern United States

text: The main parts of the Southwest are the ones that were in Santa Fe de Nuevo México and the New Mexico Territory.


title: Martin Luther

text: Martin Luther (10 November 1483 in Eisleben - 18 February 1546 in Eisleben) was a German monk and theologian of Christianity. He is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. As this happened, what are now called Protestant churches split from the Roman Catholic church. He started the Lutheran Church, the first Protestant church.


title: Martin Luther

text: Luther studied philosophy at the University of Erfurt. In 1505, he entered into the Augustinian Order as a monk. Luther studied theology and ancient languages in Erfurt. In 1512 he became a doctor of theology in Wittenberg and began his lectures on the Psalms and Letters of Paul.


title: Martin Luther

text: In October 1517, Luther wrote his 95 Theses. Many people think that he put them on the door of a church in Wittenberg, but we do not know this for sure. Instead, he published a copy. He presented these to church officials at Worms Cathedral. Luther called them "The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences". It questioned the teaching of the western Church and its ideas about penance, the authority of the Pope and the usefulness of "indulgences". At that time, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences to get out of purgatory, and go right to Heaven after death. They were selling indulgences for money for the dead so they could go to Heaven faster. If that was true, it would mean that poor people would not be able to go to Heaven as quickly, but that the priests in the church would be rich from selling these things. Luther thought that this was all wrong, and was against the Bible.


title: Martin Luther

text: After studying the Letters of Paul, especially the Letter to Romans, Luther came up with an idea called "sola fide". This means that faith is the only way that people can get salvation from God. According to sola fide, this would mean that many church customs were useless, and should be cast away.


title: Martin Luther

text: First, Luther believed that he could reform (change) the Roman Church from the inside (while still being a part of the Church) with his Theses, but the Papacy took his attitude as heresy and excommunicated him on June 15 1520 with a paper saying he did not have their permission to go to Heaven. In October, Luther burned the paper in public, and showed he would not obey the Church unless they accepted his words.


title: Martin Luther

text: Emperor Charles V Opened the imperial Diet of Worms on 22 January 1521 to hear the case. For Luther, it was the last chance to say he had been wrong. But he did not change his mind. The Diet declared Luther an outlaw.


title: Martin Luther

text: With the help of a friend, Luther hid in Wartburg Castle, near Erfurt. In the castle, he translated the Bible. First, he wrote the New Testament in German instead of the original Greek. Later, he translated the Old Testament into German, too. Until then, the Mass and the Bible were in Latin. Very few people understood it. Most people went to Mass, and did not understand what the priest said because they did not speak Latin. Luther translated the Bible so that more people could read and understand it. That way they were no longer depending on the priest to tell them what was in the Bible, but could read it themselves.


title: Martin Luther

text: Luther strongly believed that his cause was righteous. He wrote harsh criticism against his enemies, especially Catholics and Jews, who he believed to be false prophets from the Devil. He rejected Jewish beliefs about the Old Testament, and accused Jewish leaders of lying. He advised rulers to deal violently with the Jews in their realms. These arguments make Martin Luther controversial. Luther died in 1546.


title: Martin Luther

text: From the Bible, Luther formed firm ideas about families. Luther knew that what a child learned at home would greatly influence his life. He said in "Table Talks", "Sermons very little edify children, who learn little thereby; it is more needful they be taught and well instructed in schools, and at home, and that they be learned and examined what they have learned; this way profits much; 'tis very wearisome, but very necessary". Luther also preached against the Catholic Church's demands that ministers cannot marry. After hearing his preaching, many nuns wrote to him to ask for help in escaping their convents. Luther helped nine nuns escape from a convent. On April 4, 1524, Luther had a friend help the nuns sneak over the wall and then hid them in barrels on a wagon until they were out of the city. One of these nuns was Katherine von Bora.


title: Martin Luther

text: After finding husbands for the nuns whose families would not accept them, Luther had to find a husband for Katherine von Bora. Katherine, however, not only rejected a match Luther arranged for her, but said she would accept only Luther or another pastor named Amsdorf as her husband.


title: Martin Luther

text: At first Luther did not really like Katherine and thought "she was proud and haughty." His feelings changed, though, and they married on June 13, 1525. Luther later said, "And thank God it hath turned out well; for I have a pious (holy, God-loving) and faithful wife, to whom one may safely commit (give) his heart".


title: Martin Luther

text: They had six children. On June 6, 1526, Luther wrote, "I am a happy husband...for from the most precious woman, my best of wives, I have received, by the blessing of God, a little son, John Luther, and, by God's wonderful grace, I have become a father."


title: Martin Luther

text: The firstborn was John Luther. The next was a daughter, Elizabeth; but Elizabeth died when she was just eight months old, and Luther wrote in a letter, "My little daughter Elizabeth is taken from me, and hath left me with a bleeding and almost womanly heart, so sad am I on her account. I never thought the heart of a father was so tender towards his children. Pray the Lord for me." A third child, Magdalene, also died young. After Magdalene came Martin, then Paul, and finally Margaret. It was for his children that Luther wrote the Small Catechism - a book showing the basics of Lutheran beliefs.


title: Martin Luther

text: Since the time of the silent movies 28 movies about Martin Luther have been made. The newest movie is titled Luther, released in 2003.


title: Native American

text: Native Americans (also called Aboriginal Americans, American Indians, Amerindians or indigenous peoples of the Americas) are the indigenous peoples and their descendants, who were in the Americas before Europeans arrived.


title: Native American

text: Sometimes these people are called Indians, but this may be confusing, because it is the same word used for people from India. When Christopher Columbus explored, he did not know about the Americas. He was in the Caribbean but thought he was in the East Indies, so he called the people Indians. Today, some think that calling a Native American an Indian is racist.


title: Native American

text: There are many different tribes of Native American people, with many different languages. Some tribes were hunter-gatherers who moved from place to place. Others lived in one place and built cities and kingdoms.


title: Native American

text: Many Native Americans died after the Europeans came to the Americas. There were diseases that came with the Europeans but were new to the Native Americans. There were battles with the Europeans. Many native people were hurt, killed, or forced to leave their homes by settlers who took their lands.


title: Native American

text: Today, there are more than three million Native Americans in Canada and the U.S. combined. About 51 million more Native Americans live in Latin America. Many Native Americans still speak native languages and have their own cultural practices, while others have adopted some parts of Western culture. Many Native Americans face problems with discrimination and racism.


title: Native American

text: The ancestors of Native Americans came to the Americas from Asia. Some of them may have come to America 15,000 years ago when Alaska was connected to Siberia by the Bering land bridge.


title: Native American

text: The earliest people in the Americas came from Siberia when there was an ice bridge across the Bering Strait. The cold but mainly grassy plain which connected Siberia with Canada is called Beringia. It is reckoned that a few thousand people arrived in Beringia from eastern Siberia during the Last Glacial Maximum before moving into the Americas sometime after 16,500 years before the present (BP). This would have occurred as the American glaciers blocking the way southward melted, but before the bridge was covered by the sea about 11,000 years BP.


title: Native American

text: Before European colonization, Beringia was inhabited by the Yupik peoples on both sides of the straits. This culture remains in the region today, with others. In 2012, the governments of Russia and the United States announced a plan to formally establish "a transboundary area of shared Beringian heritage". Among other things this agreement would establish close ties between the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and the Cape Krusenstern National Monument in the United States and Beringia National Park in Russia.


title: Native American

text: Native Americans are divided into many small nations, called First Nations in Canada and tribes elsewhere.


title: Native American

text: Each Native American tribe has their own culture. The cultures can be grouped together depending on region. For example, the tribes living in Mesoamerica have similar cultures.


title: Native American

text: Before Europeans came, the native peoples of the Americans practiced many different religions. Each tribe had their own different beliefs.


title: Native American

text: Today, many Native Americans practice Christianity, a religion that was brought to the Americas by Europeans. Meanwhile, others still practice their own religions.


title: Native American

text: Native Americans today speak over a thousand different languages. Some of these languages had writing systems before Europeans came.


title: Native American

text: Many of these languages are endangered because more people are speaking European languages and not teaching Native American languages to their kids.


title: Native American

text: According to the 2010 United States census, 0.9% of Americans say they are Native American, 2.9 million people, and 0.8% of Americans say they are both Native American and something else. They are not evenly spread out through the United States. About a third of the people in Alaska are Native Alaskan and about a sixth of the people in Oklahoma are Native American.


title: Native American

text: In the United States, most Native Americans live in cities. About 28% of Native Americans live on reservations. Many Native Americans are poor, and 24% are extremely poor. The history of violence against Native Americans persists today in higher rates of violence against Native American people than white people.


title: Native American

text: Many Mexicans are of Native American or mestizo ancestry. Mexico has the largest and most diverse Native American population in Latin America.


title: Native American

text: In the 2016 census, More than 1.67 million people in Canada identified as Indigenous, making them 4.9 per cent of Canada’s population.


title: Native American

text: About 40% of the people of Guatemala identify as Native American. Many indigenous groups in the country are descendants of the Maya.


title: Native American

text: Many Native Americans in Guatemala are poor. Many of them have left the country to find better jobs elsewhere.


title: Native American

text: Peru has a large indigenous population, around 80% of Peru's population identify as indigenous or mestizo.


title: Native American

text: In the later half of the 20th century, many Native Americans started to protest the unfair treatment they experienced from the societies they lived in.


title: Native American

text: Some Native Americans have become famous in politics. For example, an Aymara man named Evo Morales was elected as president of Bolivia in 2005. He was the first indigenous presidential candidate in Bolivia and South America.


title: Musical instrument

text: Musical instruments are things used to make music. Anything that somehow produces sound can be considered a musical instrument, but the term generally means items that are specifically for making music.


title: Musical instrument

text: Some people think that the voice is a "natural musical instrument" because singing is a way to make music without any instrument at all.


title: Monarchy

text: A monarchy is a kind of government where a monarch, a kind of hereditary ruler (someone who inherits their office), is the head of state. Monarchs usually rule until they die or pass down (when a monarch resigns it is called abdication). Most monarchies are hereditary, but some are elected. The most famous elected monarch is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Some well known titles for monarchs are King, Queen, Emperor, Empress, Czar, Kaiser, Shah, Emir, Khan and Sultan.


title: Monarchy

text: In less formal societies, the leader was often chosen by fighting. That was the way of warrior societies like the Zulu. Kings of England and Scotland were sometimes decided by battle. Warfare has been very frequent between human societies. "Wars of succession" is the general term for warfare caused by two or more individuals claiming the right of successor to a dead or deposed monarch.


title: Monarchy

text: Monarchy is one of the oldest kinds of government. Most historians agree that the first monarchies were tribes or small groups of people who decided to let a war-chief or other leader pass on their office to their children. This created a dynasty. Over time, the rules for deciding who got to become the next monarch became more complicated. Primogeniture is usual. The oldest son or, in some countries, daughter, becomes the next monarch when the old one dies. Akkad and Sumer were the first recorded monarchies.


title: Monarchy

text: Kings and other kinds of monarchs have ruled for many thousands of years; for example, many kings are mentioned in the Bible and in ancient historical records. Three of the oldest countries with monarchs that still hold office are the United Kingdom, which has had the same British Royal Family for nearly 1,000 years, Denmark where the royal line has remained unbroken for almost 1,200 years, and Japan, which has records showing a line of Emperors dating back even farther.


title: Monarchy

text: Many monarchs today perform mostly the ceremonial jobs of a head of state, while the head of government, who is usually elected, passes and enforces laws. It is also very important in other parts of the country.


title: Monarchy

text: In an absolute monarchy the monarch is the only source of all laws. The monarch has total power to make any law just by deciding it. Any other institution in the country cannot make laws that affect the monarch, unless the monarch decides to allow it. Sometimes the monarch is also the head of the state religion and makes religious laws also. All land and property in the country can be taken or given away by the monarch at any time for any reason. The army and navy is under the personal control of the monarch and can be used for any purpose at any time. The monarch can also pick who gets to be the next monarch and can change the rules at any time. There is usually no elected government or Parliament, and if there is one, it has no real power. This kind of government is very rare today. The people do not have a lot of power in it.


title: Monarchy

text: Countries that are examples of an absolute monarchy are Vatican City, Brunei, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Swaziland.


title: Monarchy

text: A constitutional monarchy is a form of government that is usually a democracy and has a constitution, with the monarch as head of state. Either the monarch has to obey the laws like everyone else, or there are special laws that say what the monarch can and cannot do. The monarch usually can not decide their special laws on their own. There may be laws about whom the monarch's children can marry, for example, that are passed by the Parliament. For example, in the Netherlands, if a member of the royal family marries without the permission of Parliament, they cannot become king or queen themselves. The army and navy may swear an oath to the monarch, but the real control is given to the elected government. There are laws about property and the order of succession (who gets to be the next monarch) that can only be changed by the elected government. Usually the monarch must sign laws into effect, but is required to follow the will of the elected government.


title: Monarchy

text: A constitutional monarchy usually has separation of powers, and the monarch often has only ceremonial duties, such as representing the country while traveling or acting as a symbol for the whole country (not for a particular political party). Constitutional monarchs usually do not vote, even when it is legal for them to do so. Voting would mean that they picked a side in political arguments and then could not claim to represent everyone in the country. Some constitutional monarchies give the power to veto laws to the monarch, but in most countries where this is the case it is a power that is very rarely used. In countries where the monarch can dismiss or appoint governments, this is usually only done to make sure that the democratic process is respected, without taking sides in politics. Appointments to public office made by constitutional monarchs are generally approved by the democratically elected government beforehand.


title: Monarchy

text: Examples of Constitutional monarchies are the United Kingdom, most members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Australia, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Japan and Spain. Thailand has a monarch who sometimes take part in politics to influence the government unlike in other constitutional monarchies, but he/she still is subject to law.


title: Monarchy

text: Today, there are three basic forms how to choose a new monarch, after the death of the old one; or because the old monarch left power:


title: Monarchy

text: Of these three, the order of succession is the most common case. Countries, where the monarchs are elected include Malaysia, Samoa, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates, Andorra, and Vatican City.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system for writing down sounds. It was created by the International Phonetic Association in 1886, so that people could write down sounds of languages in a standard way. Linguists, language teachers, and translators use this system to show the pronunciation for words.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: Wikipedia also uses the IPA to show how certain words are meant to be spoken. Most symbols are letters in the Latin alphabet, or variations of it. For example, the "palatal approximant" (the "y" in yesterday) is written with []. In IPA symbols can be written between slashes (called a broad transcription, e.g."little" can be written as /lɪtl/ ) or in square brackets (called a narrow transcription, e.g. "little" can be written [lɪɾɫ], which is how specific groups say it). Narrow translation is more precise than broad.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: The IPA has symbols only for sounds that are used normally in spoken languages. The Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet (or extIPA) are used to write down other sounds.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: The IPA is sometimes changed, and symbols are added or taken away. Right now there are 107 different letters in the IPA. There are also 52 marks which are added to letters to change their sound. These marks are called "diacritics".


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: In 1886, a group of French and British language teachers formed the International Phonetic Association. These teachers used the Romic alphabet at first. They later changed the alphabet so that different languages would all write the same sounds with the same letters.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: The IPA is made to have one symbol for every sound. This means that every letter always makes the same one sound. This is different from English. In English, some letters make multiple sounds. For example, the letter <x> in English normally is spoken as two sounds ([ks]), but could also be spoken as [gz] or [z].


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: The International Phonetic Alphabet has letters for three types of sounds: pulmonic consonants, non-pulmonic consonants, and vowels.


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: Pulmonic consonants are made by blocking air coming from the lungs. Most consonants (and all English consonants) are pulmonic. The symbols for these sounds are arranged in a table. The rows show how the sound is made (the manner of articulation), and the columns show where it is made (the place of articulation).


title: International Phonetic Alphabet

text: Non-pulmonic consonants are made without air coming from the lungs. There are three types of non-pulmonic consonants. Implosive consonants are made by taking air into the mouth. Ejective consonants are made by forcing the air out of the larynx instead of the lungs. Click consonants are made by creating an airtight pocket in the mouth and quickly releasing it.


title: Amar Shonar Bangla

text: Amar Shonar Bangla (, ; "My Golden Bengal") is the national anthem of Bangladesh. Adopted in 1972, the lyrics (words) were written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1909 and the music was composed by Gagan Harkara in 1889.


title: Amar Shonar Bangla

text: It was originally an ode to "Bangamata" ('Mother Bengal'); the music is based on the melody of the folk song "Āmi Kōthāy Pabo Tarē". The modern instrumental rendition was arranged by Samar Das.


title: Xi Jinping

text: Xi Jinping (; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who is currently the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China. As paramount leader, he holds the offices of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the President of the People's Republic of China, and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. As General Secretary, he is also a member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body.


title: Xi Jinping

text: Xi Jinping is the son of former Chinese Vice Premier Xi Zhongxun and Qi Xin. He rose politically in China's coastal provinces. He was the Governor of Fujian between 1999 and 2002. Between 2002 and 2007, he was Governor and CPC party chief of Zhejiang. After the dismissal of Chen Liangyu, Xi was transferred to Shanghai as the party secretary for a short time in 2007. Xi was promoted to the central leadership in October 2007 and trained to become Hu Jintao's successor.


title: Xi Jinping

text: In November 2012, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission in the CPC convention. In March 2013, he was elected as the President of the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Congress. This started his first term as China's leader.


title: Xi Jinping

text: Chinese leadership changes every 5 years, and it happens roughly in October/November (for CPC and military) and March next year (for government). In October 2017 and March 2018, Xi was re-elected as party, military and government leader. This started his second term.


title: Xi Jinping

text: By tradition in recent decades, the Chinese leader leads two terms (10 years in total). The second term identifies his successor and prepares for the power transfer. However, Xi stopped this tradition and abandoned his potential successors Hu Chunhua and Sun Zhengcai.


title: Xi Jinping

text: On 11 March 2018, the National People's Congress approved an amendment to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, so that Xi and the future presidents could be reelected for president without term limits.


title: Xi Jinping

text: In July 2018, a trade war started between US and China. At the early stage Xi showed China's muscle by declaring to fight "a tooth for a tooth". As the conflicts continues to worsen, China softened its stance. There were reports that Xi's authority got damaged by his handling of the trade dispute with US.


title: Xi Jinping

text: Xi was born on 15 June 1953 in Beijing, China. His father held lots of posts, including party propaganda chief and vice premier. He has been married to Peng Liyuan since 1987. They have one daughter, Xi Mingze, who graduated from Harvard University in 2015. Xi lives in Zhongnanhai, China.


title: Brian May

text: Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter and astrophysicist, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. He uses a guitar he built himself with the help of his father. The guitar they built is called the "Red Special".


title: Brian May

text: Apart from music, May earned his PhD in astrophysics in 2007 and is currently the Chancellor of "Liverpool John Moores University". Together with Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott, he wrote a book called "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe".


title: Brian May

text: Brian Harold May, the only child of Harold and Ruth May, was born on 19 July 1947 in Hampton, Middlesex and attended Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School). During this time he formed his first band with vocalist and bassist Tim Staffell named Nineteen Eighty-Four after George Orwell's novel of the same name. He graduated from Hampton Grammar School with ten GCE Ordinary Levels and four Advanced Levels in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Additional Mathematics.


title: Brian May

text: May's father Harold worked as a draughtsman at the Ministry of Aviation and had been a long-time cigarette-smoker. As a result, May dislikes smoking, even to the point where he has prohibited smoking indoors at his more recent concerts.


title: Brian May

text: From 1974 to 1988, May was married to Chrissie Mullen, who is the mother of his three children: Jimmy, who was born on 15 June 1978; Louisa, who was born on 22 May 1981 and Emily Ruth, who was born on 17 February 1987. Chrissie and Brian separated in 1988.


title: Brian May

text: He has stated in interviews that he suffered from depression in the late 1980s, even to the point of contemplating suicide, for reasons having to do with his troubled first marriage and his perceived failure as a husband and a dad, his father Harold's death, and Freddie Mercury's illness. May is married to former Eastenders actress Anita Dobson, whom he met in 1986, and who gained fame in the 1980s for providing vocals to the theme tune to the aforementioned soap, entitled "Anyone Can Fall in Love". May himself produced the song, which reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1986.


title: Isle of Man

text: The Isle of Man () is an island in the Irish Sea, off the coast of Great Britain (of which it is a crown dependency). Douglas is the capital city. It also has a flag with a red background and 3 armoured legs joined together - "whichever way you throw us, we always land on our feet".