title: Pubic hair

text: Pubic hair is sometimes made into a fashion item. Men and women do this. Some people may change the way their pubic hair looks, by trimming or shaping it. One style is called a "landing strip", like a runway where an airplane lands. Some religions say to shave pubic hair. Some people use chemicals that dissolve pubic hair. Some people use wax or electrolysis to remove pubic hair. The use of wax to remove all pubic hair is sometimes called "Brazilian".


title: Pubic hair

text: Sometimes people change the color. Sometimes people ask, "Does the carpet match the drapes?" This means, "Is the person's pubic hair the same color as the hair on the person's head?" Usually people with red natural hair color have darker red pubic hair.


title: Aramaic language

text: Aramaic is a Semitic language. It has been written for 3100 years and has been spoken for longer than that.


title: Aramaic language

text: It is one of the Northwest Semitic languages. The Semitic languages include Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic and many other languages.


title: Aramaic language

text: Aramaic is the language of long parts of the two Bible books of Daniel and Ezra. It is the language of the Jewish Talmud.


title: Aramaic language

text: Words are written with the 22 characters of the Aramaic alphabet, which was widely adopted for other languages and is an ancestor to the Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic alphabets.


title: Aramaic language

text: In the 12th century BC, the first speakers of Aramaic started to live in what is now Syria, Iraq and eastern Turkey. As the bureaucratic language of the Achaemenid Empire, it became the most important language in the Middle East. Jewish speakers took the language with them to North Africa and Europe. Christian speakers took the language with them to Persia, India and even China.


title: Aramaic language

text: In the 7th century AD, Aramaic stopped being the most important language in the Middle East. The Arabic language became the new important language. Aramaic is still spoken by scattered communities of Jews, Mandaeans and some Christians. Small groups of people still speak Aramaic in different parts of the Middle East. The wars of the last two centuries have made many speakers leave their homes to live in different places around the world. Today, between 500,000 and 850,000 people speak Aramaic languages.


title: Aramaic language

text: Aramaic is not one language without any changes. Because many different people over many centuries spoke and wrote it, there are many different types of Aramaic languages, called dialects, but some of them are so different that they are like different languages.


title: Aramaic language

text: The different dialects make two groups: an Eastern group and a Western group. The division between them is around the River Euphrates.


title: Aramaic language

text: The dialects are divided also by time. Old Aramaic is the name of the oldest dialects, which only scholars learn. Middle Aramaic is the group of dialects, which are used not every day but for special things like writing and religion. Modern Aramaic is the group of dialects that is used every day by some groups.


title: Hockey

text: Hockey is a type of sport in which players try to get points by hitting an object into the other team's goal with a stick. Others believe hockey came from the French word “hoquet” which means shepherd's stick. James Creighton, an engineer who learned how to play the game of hockey while living in Nova Scotia, is credited for bringing the game to a new level. He taught his friends at McGill University in Montreal how to play the game.


title: Hockey

text: Evidence exists that shows ancient Aztecs, Greeks and Romans played similar forms of the game. The modern game of field hockey came to fruition in the mid-19th century in Great Britain. The British army brought the game to its colonies, and the first international competition took place in 1895.


title: Violin

text: The violin is a string instrument which has four strings and is played with a bow. The strings are usually tuned to the notes G, D, A, and E. It is held between the left collar bone (near the shoulder) and the chin. Different notes are made by fingering (pressing on the strings) with the left hand while bowing with the right. Unlike guitar, it has no frets or other markers on the fingerboard.


title: Violin

text: The violin is the smallest and highest pitched string instrument typically used in western music. A person who plays the violin is called a violinist. A person who makes or repairs violins is called a luthier.


title: Violin

text: The violin is important in European and Arabian music. No other instrument has played such an important part in Europe. The modern violin is about 400 years old. Similar string instruments have been around for almost 1000 years. By the time the modern orchestras started to form in the 17th century, the violin was nearly fully developed. It became the most important orchestral instrument - in fact, nearly half of the instruments in the orchestra is made up of violins, which are divided into two parts: "first violins" and "second violins". Nearly every composer wrote for the violin, whether as a solo instrument, in chamber music, in orchestral music, folk music, and even in jazz.


title: Violin

text: The violin is sometimes called a “fiddle”. Someone who plays it is a “fiddler”. To "fiddle" means "to play the fiddle". This word can be used as a nickname for the violin. It is properly used when talking about folk music, but is used in all kinds of music.


title: Violin

text: The word “violin” and the word “viol” come from the same word. The violin was not made directly from the instruments called viols. The word "violin" comes from the Middle Latin word "vitula". It means "stringed instrument". This word is also believed to be the source of the Germanic “fiddle”. The modern European violin changed over time from many different bowed stringed instruments. They were brought from the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire. Most likely, the first makers of violins took ideas from three kinds of current instruments. They are the rebec, in use since the 10th century, the Renaissance fiddle, and the "lira da braccio." These instruments were held under the chin and bowed.


title: Violin

text: In the 17th century, there were several families of luthiers who were very good at making instruments. The most famous violin makers were Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarneri. Some of the instruments that these luthiers made are still here today. They are kept in museums all around the world. They are some of the best instruments in existence. They can have prices over one million dollars.


title: Violin

text: The biggest part of the violin is the wooden body. This acts as a resonating box. It makes the vibrating strings sound louder. Many of the parts of the violin are named after parts of the body. The front is called the “belly”. The back is called the “back”. The sides are the “ribs”. The strings go from near the top of the “neck” down the “fingerboard” and on to the “tail piece”. The strings go across the bridge halfway between the end of the fingerboard and the tailpiece. The bridge is not fixed onto the violin. It is held in place by the strings. The strings keep it in place because they are so tight. If the strings are completely loosened, the bridge will not stay on. The bridge helps to send the vibrations of the strings down to the body of the instrument. Inside the body there is a “soundpost”. This is a small piece of wood. It looks like a small finger. It goes from the belly to the back. The soundpost is also held in place by the strings. In the middle of the belly there are two long, curved holes. They are called “f holes”. This is because of their shape. The top of the strings are wound around pegs. The violin can be tuned by turning the pegs. The very top of the neck is called the scroll. Violins today also have a chinrest. This helps to hold the violin against the player's shoulder. A shoulder rest can also be used. These are now made of foam. They have special legs to hold them on to the violin. Many beginners prefer to use a sponge and an elastic band instead.


title: Violin

text: To make it easier to tune the violin, many people find it helpful to have “adjusters” for “fine tuning” when the string is only slightly out of tune. These adjusters go through holes in the tailpiece. They stop the strings from slipping when being tuned.


title: Violin

text: Strings used to be made of gut. They are now mostly made of steel or nylon. Adjusters can only be used with some strings. The front of the violin body is made of spruce. The back and sides of the body are made of maple. The bow can be made of several kinds of wood. An example would be pernambuco. Some players today use bows made of carbon fibre. The bow is strung with horsehair (horsehair is hair that comes from the back of the horse's head also known as the mane or from the horse's tail).


title: Violin

text: It takes years of practice to become a good violinist. A beginner will start with pieces and or exercises that do not require precise or complicated technique in right or left hand. Some examples of pieces that do not require great technique are "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" by Mozart, "Children's Song" (A German folk tune), and "Over the Rainbow". During these "simple" songs, the violinist will develop fundamental skills necessary for all other techniques, such as proper bow and violin holding. As the musician develops more and more confidence and skill in both left and right hand, pieces and exercises will become progressively more difficult. When necessary, they will also learn techniques and skills that will enhance their playing. Vibrato, smooth bow changes in the right hand, and shifting.


title: Violin

text: The violinist has to learn to put the fingers in exactly the right place so that the music is “in tune”. This is called intonation. The musician will also learn vibrato. This changes the intonation of each note slightly by making it a little bit sharper (higher), then a little bit flatter (lower), producing a kind of wobble. This is important in many styles of music to create mood.


title: Violin

text: Besides plucking (pizzicato), there are many special effects. Some of them are glissando, portamento, and harmonics. There is also double stopping, chords, and scordatura tuning.


title: Violin

text: The violin can be played either standing or sitting down. When playing solo music the violinist normally stands. When playing in chamber music or in orchestras the violinist sits, but this was not always the case. When sitting, the violinist may have to turn his or her right leg in so that it does not get in the way of the bow.


title: Violin

text: In the 17th and 18th centuries, composers wrote a lot of music for solo violin. Many of these composers were from Italy. They were themselves violinists. Some of these violinists are Corelli, Vitali, Vivaldi, Veracini, Geminiani, Locatelli and Tartini.


title: Violin

text: In Germany, Schmelzer and Biber wrote some very virtuoso violin music. Later, in the early 18th century, Bach and Handel wrote many masterpieces for the violin.


title: Violin

text: In the Classical music period, the great composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all wrote solo works for the violin. They also wrote a large amount of chamber music, especially string quartets.


title: Violin

text: In the Romantic period many virtuoso violin works were written. These include concertos by Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, Brahms, Bruch, Wieniawski, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák. In the 20th century, many virtuoso works were written. These include Elgar, Sibelius, Szymanowski, Bartók, Stravinsky, Berg, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Hindemith, and Penderecki. In the 19th century, Niccolò Paganini was the most famous violinist. He composed and played violin music that was harder than anything that had been written before. People compared him to the devil because he could play so brilliantly and because he looked thin and moved his body about in strange ways.


title: Violin

text: In recent years the violin has also been used in jazz playing. Stéphane Grappelli was especially famous for this.


title: Violin

text: Some of the most famous violinists of the last century are Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Ida Haendel, and Isaac Stern. Today some of the greatest players include Itzhak Perlman, Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Nigel Kennedy, Hilary Hahn, Joshua Bell and fiddler Sara Watkins.


title: Religion

text: A religion is a set of beliefs regarding the origin, nature, and purpose of existence, usually including a belief in supernatural entities, such as deitys or spirits that have power in the natural world. Religious practices include the rituals and devotions directed at the supernatural. Often religions believe in the spiritual nature of humans. There are many different religions or sects, each with a different set of beliefs. Some beliefs are also concerned with the moral behavior of humans.


title: Religion

text: Each religion has different ideas about these things. Each religion also has a "moral code" which is a set of beliefs about how humans should act. Each religion usually has their own type of "devotions" when people worship or pray. They often have rituals (special things that are always done in the same way) for certain times of the year or certain times of a person's life. Other words that are used for religion are "faith" and "belief system". Altogether, followers of religion can be known as 'believers', or 'the faithful'. Few people follow more than one religion at a time.


title: Religion

text: The largest religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism and Jainism. There are many other religions. People who do not believe in any gods are called atheists. People who say that there is no evidence are called agnostics.


title: Religion

text: In many religions, one of the main beliefs is that there is a "deity" (or god) who is a great creator spirit. In many religions, there is just one deity that the people believe in. In other religions, there are many deities who each have different roles in the universe. In many religions, there are other types of spirits. These may include angels, devils and other such things which can be both good and bad.


title: Religion

text: Giving honour to God, the gods or the spirits is an important part of most religions. While this may often be done privately, it is also often done with gatherings of people and rituals. These rituals are often based on old traditions, and may have been done in almost the same way for hundreds, or even thousands of years.


title: Religion

text: Another main belief is that humans have a "soul" or spirit which lives on after their body has died. The person's spirit is on a journey through life that continues after death. Most religions believe that what a person does during their lifetime will affect what happens to their spirit in the afterlife. Many religions teach that a good person's spirit can reach a special place of peace and happiness such as Heaven or Nirvana, and that a bad person's spirit can travel to a place of pain and suffering such as Hell. Still other religions believe in reincarnation - that instead of going either to Heaven or Hell, spirits of the dead return to earth in a new body.


title: Religion

text: "Morals" are the way a human behaves to other humans. Most religions make rules about human morals. The rules of how people should act to each other are different in different religions.


title: Religion

text: For some religions, following a "path" of goodness, truth and duty is very important. This is called Tao in China. In the teachings of Judaism, people were told to "love your neighbour as yourself". In the teachings of Jesus, people were told to think of every single person as their "neighbour" and treat them with love.


title: Religion

text: Not every religion teaches people to be kind to all other people. In many religions, it has been common for people to believe that they have to act kindly only to some people and not to others. In some religions, people believed that they could please a god by killing or sacrificing another person.


title: Religion

text: A religion is passed on from one person to another through teachings and stories (which are often called "myths") which may be written down like the Bible, or told from memory like the Dreamtime stories of Australian Aboriginal people. In many religions, there are people who take the role of "priest" and spend their lives teaching others about the religion. There are also people who take the role of "pastor" and spend their life caring for other people. A person may be both a priest and a pastor. They are called by different names in different religions.


title: Religion

text: Symbols are used to remind people of their religious beliefs. They are also used or worn as a sign to other people that the person belongs to a particular religion. A symbol might be something that is drawn or written, it might be a piece of clothing or jewellery, it might be a sign that a person makes with their body, or it might be a building or monument or artwork. Picture symbols for different religions are shown in the box in the introduction to this article.


title: Religion

text: In many religions, it is thought important that people should show other people that they are following a particular religion. This might be done in a general way by wearing a symbol or a type of clothing. Many people believe that it is important to tell other people about their religion, so that they can believe as well. This is called "witnessing".


title: Religion

text: There are many ways to witness. A young person might simply say to their friends "I do not use drugs or get drunk because of my religion". This is a witness. A person may tell their classmates, workmates and friends about their beliefs. A person might go to other people's houses and talk about their beliefs, or invite the people to join in the rituals of the religion, such as going to church or to a religious festival. A person might have printed material such as books or leaflets that they give to other people to read. A person might travel to a different country to teach, to work in a health service or to help people in some other way. (People who do this are called "missionaries".) These are different ways that people witness to their religion.


title: Religion

text: When a person hears a witness and decides that they will join the religion, this is called a "conversion". Usually a person decides to join a religion because they like what they have read or been told, and they believe that they are hearing the truth. They join the religion because they choose. However, throughout history there have been many times when people have been forced to join a religion by violence and threats. This is still happening today.


title: Religion

text: In most countries of the world, people are free to belong to whatever religion they choose. This is generally thought of as a basic human right. However, there are parts of the world where it is illegal (against the law) to witness to any religion except the one accepted by the government of the country. People who belong to other religions may be threatened, put in jail or murdered.


title: Religion

text: Rituals are an important part of the tradition of many religions. In many religions, it is the tradition for people to meet for a celebration on one day in every week. There are also major celebrations that may be held only at certain times of the year, for example, on the birthday of a person who is honoured in that religion. Some religions have celebrations for different seasons of the year, or when the sun or moon is in a certain part of the sky.


title: Religion

text: In nearly every religion, the important stages of a person's life have a religious celebration. Birth, naming, reaching an age to think for oneself, reaching adulthood, marriage, childbirth, sickness and death are all celebrated by some religions. Having a celebration or special traditions when a person dies is very common.


title: Religion

text: It is the traditions that are about death that give the earliest evidence of religious beliefs. Scientists have discovered that 120,000 years ago, Neanderthal people started burying their dead. Early Homo sapiens put tools and other things into graves with the bodies, as if they could use them in the afterlife. From 40,000 years ago, many of the objects in graves are small artworks. Scientists believe that these objects were put there for religious reasons.


title: Religion

text: An institution is one name for an organization. Many religions have organizations that manage the way that people who follow the religion are to act. The organization might employ religious leaders, educate people into the ideas of the religion, manage money, own buildings and make rules. Many religions have sub-groups which are called denominations. In Islam, for example, there is Ahmadiyya, Sunnism, Shi'ism and Sufism.


title: Religion

text: Most religions have special buildings where people meet. They are often called temples. In Judaism, they are called synagogues. In Christianity, they are called churches. In Islam, they are called mosques. In Buddhism there are pagodas, temples and monasteries. In Hinduism they are called Mandirs. People often try to make their religious building as beautiful as possible. Some religious buildings are great works of architecture.


title: Religion

text: People often make artworks that are about their religion, or that are used in religious celebration, or are put in a religious building. Religious art comes in all shapes and sizes, from tiny pieces of jewellery to huge statues and paintings. Artworks often give important clues to historians about different ancient religions that are not well understood.


title: Religion

text: Music is often important in religious celebrations. Singing, chanting and playing musical instruments are often part of regular religious gatherings of people. Special music is often used on special occasions. Many famous composers have written religious music. The words of songs that are 3,000 years old are used every day in Christian churches and Jewish synagogues.


title: Classification of Indian cities

text: The Status of Indian cities has two Government of India ranking systems used to pay workers more in some cities. There are two allowances; Compensatory City Allowance (CCA) to pay more because it is more expensive to buy things in cities. CCA is divided into categories "A-1", "A", "B-1" and "B-2". House Rent Allowance (HRA) is the second additional payment. It is divided into categories "A-1", "A", "B-1", "B-2" and "C". This plan was first based on the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission of India (1997). City statuses were later changed based on the results of the 2001 Census of India.


title: Foot (unit)

text: The foot is a unit for measuring length. It is one of the Imperial units and U.S. customary units. The shortest way of writing the unit "foot" is by the abbreviation "ft" (or "ft."), or by a prime symbol ( ′ ).


title: Foot (unit)

text: One foot contains 12 inches. This is equal to 30.48 centimetres. It is called a foot, because it was originally based on the length of a foot.


title: Foot (unit)

text: The foot was a common unit of measurement throughout Europe. It often differed in length not only from country to country but from city to city. Because the length of a foot changed between person to person, measurements were not even consistent between two people, often requiring an average. Henry I of England was attributed to passing the law that the foot was to be as long as a person's own foot. This was one of the first times a standard unit of measurement was put into place.


title: Foot (unit)

text: In 1959, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom all signed a treaty known as the 'International Yard and Pound Agreement'. This standardised the avoirdupois weight and length of all nations. Those standards are still officially used in both the Imperial system and U.S customary units.


title: Foot (unit)

text: Road signs with height restrictions in the United States and the United Kingdom are in feet and inches. They are less commonly seen in Canada and Ireland. In the U.S. and the UK, people usually measure a person's height in feet and inches. If a person is "five foot eleven", this means that person is 5 feet and 11 inches, or about 180 centimeters. The height is written "5′ 11″"


title: Foot (unit)

text: Many people born before metrication in a number of Commonwealth nations still use feet and inches. Altitude measurements are still sometimes given in feet, even in metricated nations.


title: Jawaharlal Nehru

text: Jawaharlal Nehru (also referred to as "Pandit Nehru") (November 14, 1889 - May 27, 1964) was the first prime minister of India for 17 years. He became prime minister after India became independent in 1947. He was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi.


title: Jawaharlal Nehru

text: Under British rule, Nehru was jailed many times. During these periods, he used to write long letters to his daughter, Indira, on Indian and World history. These letters were remarkably well written and became very successful books when published later as "Glimpses of World History" and "The Discovery of India".


title: Jawaharlal Nehru

text: Jawahar Lal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, in Allahabad to Pandit Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani. His father Motilal Nehru, a lawyer, served twice as the president of Indian National Congress and was an important figure in the Indian freedom struggle. His sister, Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman president of United Nations General Assembly. His daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi became prime ministers of India.


title: Jawaharlal Nehru

text: Nehru received his early education at home and later went to Trinity College, Cambridge and graduated with the honors degree in natural science. He studied Law at Inns of Court school. Nehru returned to India in 1912.


title: Heer Ranjha

text: Heer Ranjha is a famous sad, love story from the Punjab . Other Punjabi love stories are Mirza Sahiban, and Sohni Mahiwal.


title: Heer Ranjha

text: The story is about two lovers, Heer a beautiful girl from a rich jaat and noble family; and Ranjha, a poor farm and poor dhanak caste boy. He looked after Water buffaloes belonging to Heer's father. They both fell in love but Heer's parents were against their marriage. Heer was married by force to a rich young man. Ranjha, very saddened by this, became a hermit He later tried to meet Heer but he failed, and they both died in the end of broken hearts.


title: Heer Ranjha

text: This story has been written by different writers, at different times. The best and most famous is "Heer" by the poet Waris Shah written in 1761. Some films in Punjabi language and Urdu have also been made about this story.


title: Heer Ranjha

text: The story is still very popular today. Many young girls and boys who fall in love have to face the same problems Some people believe that there were two real young lovers called Heer and Ranjha, long ago. They say that they died and were buried together in a tomb near Jhang, in Punjab. But there is no real proof this was so. But All these are known to be myth .


title: Political party

text: A political party is an organized group of people or bodies who seek to capture political power through an election in order to run the affairs of a country. It often puts forward candidates for public office. In a democracy, leaders must "run for office" in an election. In a dictatorship, there is generally only one party allowed, that can approve a new leader without non-members having a choice.


title: Political party

text: A political party is similar to a faction, and can be the same thing. In some systems, members of one party in the legislature are all expected to vote the same way. The laws written by the party or faction with the majority of votes become adopted by the country, so this means whatever party is elected to over half the seats, gets to run the government. The next largest party is often called the "opposition". Sometimes when there are more than two parties with seats, no one party has over half of the seats. Then two or more parties might join to form what is called a "coalition".


title: Political party

text: Some parties are formed around a single issue or interest group. Others form policies to address all matters of government, known as a "platform".


title: Political party

text: Many political parties have a set of ideas and beliefs (called its "ideology"). People often describe these ideologies using words such as "conservative" and "liberal".


title: Political party

text: Common ideologies include environmentalism, socialism (ranging from social democracy to Marxism and Communism), conservatism, democracy, liberalism, and nationalism.


title: Political party

text: Political parties can be against the law in some places. When some parties get a lot of power, they can make all other political parties illegal. For example, the Nazi Party did this in Germany, and the Communist Party did it in several countries. Some countries make extreme-right parties illegal (such as Vlaams Blok in Belgium). At other times, countries have outlawed far-left parties. For example, West Germany banned the Communist Party in 1956.


title: Political party

text: A handful of countries like China, North Korea and Cuba still have one-party dictatorships. In a few other dictatorships, such as Saudi Arabia, all political parties are banned and there is no parliament at all.


title: Political party

text: In all big democratic countries, parties are very important. But there are a few very small countries, such as the island of Jersey, where most politicians do not belong to any party and where parties do not matter much.


title: Political party

text: In some democracies, there are only two big political parties. For example, in the United States, there is the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Some other parties exist but are very small and do not hold seats in Congress.


title: Political party

text: In other countries there are larger numbers of parties. In the German federal Parliament (or Bundestag), six parties have seats. In the United Kingdom, there are two big parties, one medium-sized party, and many small ones.


title: Geisha

text: The term "geisha" is made of two Japanese words, () meaning "art," and (), meaning "person who does" or "to be employed in." The most literal translation in English is "artist." Geisha are respected as artists and performers, and it is difficult to become one.


title: Geisha

text: Kyoto is the city with the strictest geisha traditions. Geisha have worked there for the longest time. Becoming a professional geisha can take up to five years of training in Kyoto.


title: Geisha

text: Apprentice geisha are called . The name comes from (), meaning "dancing," and (), meaning "child." wear white make-up called and long-sleeved kimono with many bright colors. in some places wear a belt, called an , that is up to long. Many wear fancy hairstyles made with their own hair, but in some places, they wear wigs instead. Full geisha wear simpler kimono and wear white makeup only for special occasions. Geisha also wear wigs and have a much shorter kimono belt.


title: Geisha

text: There are also geisha in other cities, but there are differences. In Tokyo, becoming a full geisha takes from six months to a year. Geisha apprentices in Tokyo are called , which means "half jewel" or "half pay." Apprentice geisha in Tokyo are also called , which means "one who serves (alcohol)." Geisha in Tokyo are normally older than those in Kyoto.


title: Geisha

text: Many geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called in neighborhoods called , which means "flower town." Older geisha who are successful may have their own home. A geisha always needs to be registered to a geisha house to be allowed to work.


title: Geisha

text: The world that geisha are a part of is called , which means "the flower and willow world." One very famous geisha, , said that is because a "geisha like a flower, beautiful in her own way, and like a willow tree, gracious, flexible, and strong."


title: Geisha

text: Before geisha appeared, some women worked as artists and entertainers. In the Heian Period (794-1185), women entertained people at the Imperial Court by singing and dancing and were known as .


title: Geisha

text: Later, women who worked as prostitutes and courtesans entertained men in the red-light districts of Japan. In 1589, authorized the building of a neighborhood in Kyoto that was closed from the outside with walls. Called , it was dedicated to pleasure. was established as an official red-light district in 1640, and became one of three areas in Japan in which prostitution could be practiced legally. The other two were in Tokyo, which had been established in 1617, and , in Osaka.


title: Geisha

text: Thelose areas were known as and were the only places that women were allowed to be prostitutes. Courtesans were collectively called and were very expensive. also entertained men with singing, dancing, poetry, music and conversation. The highest-ranking were the , who did not engage in prostitution, under the other . Instead, they would have one or two rich clients act as their patron; those men would pay a lot of money to be entertained by their clients.


title: Geisha

text: Geisha appeared only much later, during the Tokugawa period. Originally, geisha were men, who travelled throughout the red-light districts to entertain clients with music, dancing, and poetry. Such men were known as geisha but were also called , and because they played the , a Japanese drum.


title: Geisha

text: Male geisha were very low-class entertainers, but were comsidered to be upper class. Every man who wished to be with an had to follow difficult rituals and etiquette and to have enough money to pay for her time. That meant that only the richest nobility got to be entertained by . Many tea houses () appeared outside and offered entertainment that was not offered inside . At some of the tea houses, some women practiced cheaper prostitution and were called . However other women, who were called ('dancing girls'), acted as dancers and musicians and soon became very popular. They started calling themselves 'geisha', like the male artists who worked in .


title: Geisha

text: By about 1700, female geisha had become much more popular than male geisha. A few years later, almost all geisha were women.


title: Geisha

text: The government prohibited geisha from working as prostitutes and allowed them only to act as entertainers. One of the laws made them tie their (sash) in the back, as wore theirs at the front as a sign that they were available for sex. Geisha had to wear simpler hairstyles, less hair accessories, less makeup, and simpler kimono. If an accused a geisha of stealing her customers, the geisha would be investigated.


title: Geisha

text: Soon, the geisha became so much more popular than the that in 1761, the last of retired. Though continued to work in Kyoto and Osaka, as a whole were seen as outdated, too traditional, and too expensive. could not leave the red-light districts because they had a lot of debt to the owner of the brothel they worked in and were not thought of as celebrities or fashionable anymore. Most people could not afford to hire them. In contrast, geisha were cheaper and more fashionable, and could leave the red-light districts whenever they wanted. They sang popular songs and did not need several expensive meetings before they would entertain a client. New geisha neighborhoods () were created in Kyoto and other cities.


title: Geisha

text: In the 19th century, geisha were in better position than common women,bbut they also had problems in Japanese society. Some poor people sold their daughters to a geisha house, but that was less common than some people think since many geisha came from families in which the mother or another female relative had once been a geisha. Geisha could not marry but could have a patron to pay for their expenses, and some retired when they gained a rich patron. Other men paid a lot of money to take the new girls' virginity (), and if the owner of a geisha house was dishonest and greedy, a young geisha could have her virginity sold a number of times to different men.


title: Geisha

text: However, the reputation and the respect for the geisha grew in the Meiji Restoration and even more after World War II. Important laws to protect them were created. Young girls could no longer be sold to the geisha houses, and the virginity of young geisha could no longer be bought. Since then, women become geisha only by their free will.


title: Geisha

text: Though people often talk about how there are not many geisha left in Japan and that they might be about to die out, the geisha profession is very resilient. In history, the numbers of geisha sometimes fell because of changes in the economy or because of war. However, the number of working geisha usually rose again not long afterward.


title: Geisha

text: In the 1920s there were over 80,000 geisha in Japan. In 1944, all geisha districts were shut because of World War Iai, and geisha, like everyone else, had to help out with the war. In Tokyo alone, almost 9,000 geisha were still entertaining guests before they were told they could not work as geisha anymore. After the war, geisha districts opened up again on 25 October 1945. By 1967, there were nearly 5,000 geisha in Tokyo again.


title: Geisha

text: Today, there are far fewer geisha. The exact number of geisha working today is not known but is estimated to be around 1,000 to 2,000.


title: Geisha

text: Geisha today live and work now Japan in different geisha districts (), which have their own traditions of arts, training, and clothing. The best-known geisha live in Kyoto, which has five geisha districts. The most famous one is , which is sometimes just called . There are also Manu geisha in Tokyo and in towns with hot springs like . In some places in Japan, people have decided to bring back geisha districts that had no geisha in them for decades.


title: Geisha

text: Many geisha houses and districts now use social media to advertise their work, and geisha do not need to be born into a geisha district to work there. Some geisha districts put on events to attract tourists. In Kyoto, places like Corner put on dances performed by that anyone can go and watch.


title: Geisha

text: People can also pay to dress up like geisha or for the day. Being dressed up as a geisha or is known as . Some dress-up services, like those in Kyoto, allow someone to walk around the city for the day in dress-up. However, they will not dress someone completely accuratelynso that real geisha and cannot be confused with people in costumes. If someone wearing wants to be dressed the exact same as a geisha or , they cannot walk around outside. Most, if not all, services will take photographs of someone in dress-up for them to keep. Real geisha do not have the time to take pictures with tourists and so most women dressed as geisha or who appear on the photos of tourists are in fact people in .


title: Geisha

text: Young women who wish to become geisha now usually begin their training after they finish junior high school or even high school or college. Many women begin their careers as adults. Geisha still study traditional musical instruments like the , the (bamboo flute), and drums, as well as traditional songs, Japanese traditional dance, tea ceremony, literature and poetry. By watching other geisha, apprentices also become skilled in the difficult traditions of dressing, makeup, and dealing with clients.


title: Geisha

text: Geisha are often hired to go to parties and gatheringsat tea houses or traditional Japanese restaurants (). Their time is measured by the time it takes an incense stick to burn, which called ("incense stick fee") or ("jewel fee"). In Kyoto, the terms and , meaning "flower fees," are used instead. Clients hire the services of geisha through the geisha district's union or registery office, known as the , which takes care of the geisha's schedule and makes appointments for her to entertain customers and train in the traditional arts.


title: Geisha

text: Traditionally, geisha began their training at a very young age. Although some girls were sold to become geisha as children, that was not normal practice in hanamachi with good reputation. Daughters of geisha were often educated as geisha themselves.


title: Geisha

text: The first part of training is called ""shikomi"". When girls first arrived at the okiya, they used to be put to work as maids, or do everything they were told. The work was difficult to "make" and "break" the new girls. The most junior shikomi of the house had to wait late into the night for the senior geisha to return from work, sometimes at as late as two or three in the morning. During that stage of training, the shikomi went to classes at the hanamachi's geisha school. In modern times, that stage still exists, but it is less hard than before. Shikomi now become used to the traditions and dress of the "karyūkai" ("flower and willow world").


title: Geisha

text: When an apprentice became skilled in the geisha arts and passed a final and difficult dance test, she was promoted to the second stage of training, the "minarai", and not longer did housework. This stage still exists but is much shorter than before (only a month). The minarai learn in the field and go to banquets and dance with the geisha. However, they do not participate but just sit, watch, and learn from their "onee-san" ("older sisters"). Their kimono are more elaborate than even that of a maiko, and it does the talking for them.


title: Geisha

text: After a short time, the third and most famous stage of training begins, the "maiko". The apprentice geisha stayed in this stage for years. Maiko learn from their senior geisha and follow them around to every presentation that she does. The "onee-san/imoto-san" ("older sister/younger sister") relationship is very important. The onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi. She teaches her the right ways of serving tea, playing the shamisen, and dancing and everything about the art of "iki" (see below). Maiko wear heavy white makeup and elaborate hairstyle and have their lips painted almost all the time. Their kimono and obi have more vibrant colors and richer embroidery than those of full geisha. Like the minarai, maiko charge less money to go to parties or gatherings than full geisha.


title: Geisha

text: After a period of only six months (in Tokyo) or five years (in Kyoto), the maiko is promoted to a full geisha and charges full price for her time. Geisha use kimono of fewer colors and wear makeup only for work or dance because they are more mature than a maiko, and the simpler style shows her own natural beauty. Geisha remain as such until they retire.


title: Geisha

text: Geisha must be very skilled at traditional Japanese music, dance, and poetry since they use all three skills at their work. The arts of makeup, hairstyles, and clothing are very important as well.


title: Geisha

text: The most important principle of a geisha is iki, which started in the 18th century as a reply to the extravagant ways of the courtesans ("oiran") and those who liked their style. Oiran wore very elaborate clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Geisha preferred to be discreet, and more intelligent. They created iki as a style that gave more importance to conversation and wit. Instead of working with sex, as oiran then did and simple prostitutes still do, geisha try to be sexy. A geisha will flirt, tease, and joke with men but always with art and elegance. Japanese clients know that nothing more can be expected. Men enjoy the illusion of that which is never to be. Geisha do not have sex with clients for money.


title: Geisha

text: Geisha give more importance to their reputation than prostitutes do, and they almost never enter a relationship with a client. Those who do generally act with care and usually get married. Normally, when a geisha marries, she retires from the profession. The most important quality of a geisha is her trustworthiness, especially to Japanese clients. Anything that her clients do or tell her must remain a secret. Anything said or done at a tea house will remain anonymous.


title: Geisha

text: Becoming a geisha needs such :discipline. A geisha believes she must be a work of art in herself. She works everyday to improve everything she does. A geisha's movements and her way of walking, sitting, and talking are very important. She is a geisha all the time, even when she is at home or not working. An example of the dedication is the old custom of "kangeiko" ("lessons in the cold"). Until the early 1920s, apprentice geisha would put their hands in icy water and then go outside in cold weather to practice playing the shamisen until their fingers bled.


title: Easter

text: Easter, also called Resurrection Day and Pascha, is a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ returning from the dead. Christians believe that it is the holiest day in the year. Some people who are not Christians celebrate it as a cultural holiday.


title: Easter

text: Easter is not held on the same date every year. This is called a "moveable feast". Currently all Christian churches agree on how the date is calculated. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon which is on or after March 21st. This means it is celebrated in March or April. It can occur as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. Western churches, like the Roman Catholic Church, use the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern churches, like the Eastern Orthodox Church, use the Julian calendar. Because of this, the date of Easter celebrations is different for these two types of churches even though the way they calculate the date is similar. In 2015 Easter was celebrated on April 5 for both the Gregorian calendar and Julian calendar. In 2019 Easter was celebrated on the 21st of April.


title: Easter

text: Eastertime includes a period of 50 days, beginning from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. The first Sunday after Easter is celebrated the Divine Mercy Sunday.


title: Easter

text: The word "Easter" is derived from "Eastra", the name of the ancient German Goddess of Spring. Her festival occurred at the vernal equinox. The French word for Easter, "Pâcques", comes from the Greek word for Passover, which is the Jewish holiday celebrated at about the same time of the year.


title: Easter

text: Jesus died roughly 2000 years ago in a city called Jerusalem (most of Jerusalem is in the modern country of Israel). The people who killed him did so because they believed that he was causing trouble for the government and because he was claiming to be the Messiah. When they crucified him (meaning they nailed him to a cross), they even hung a sign over his head, which said, "King of the Jews." The day he was crucified is known by Christians as Good Friday.


title: Easter

text: The New Testament states that on the Sunday after Jesus was killed, his body was no longer in the tomb where he was laid. Later, Jesus is said to have appeared to over 500 people and preached to them. The New Testament teaches that the resurrection of Jesus is what Christianity is based on. The resurrection made people believe that Jesus was the powerful Son of God. It is also spoken of as proof that God will judge the world fairly. Christians believe that God has given Christians "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". Christians believe that through faith in God they are spiritually made alive with Jesus so that they may lead a new life.


title: Easter

text: Easter is celebrated in several ways in northern Europe and the United States. Most of these celebrations have nothing to do with the Christian meaning of the holiday. These celebrations are related more to the pagan festivals of ancient Germany. Children are given baskets to fill with candy. Eggs are decorated and hidden for children to find that the "Easter Bunny" supposedly laid. People wear new clothes and go to church. Greeting cards are exchanged. An Easter Egg Roll is held on the lawn of the White House on the day after Easter. Small leafless trees or branches are carried indoors and decorated with colored eggs, paper trims, and lights. Some shopping malls offer children a chance to visit with an adult costumed as the Easter Bunny. Forced tulips, hyacinths and lilies are given as gifts. Week-long vacations are taken following Easter Day, giving families the chance to visit with distant relatives. In America, many families leave the cold of northern states to visit amusement parks or sunny beaches in the south. Spring break for American high school and college students usually occurs about Easter time.


title: Crab

text: Crabs are a form of decapods (having eight walking legs and two grasping claws), along with lobsters, crayfish and shrimps. Crabs form an order within the decapods, called the Brachyura. Their short body is covered by a thick exoskeleton.


title: Crab

text: They are an extremely successful group, found all over the world. They are basically heavily armoured shell-breakers. Most crabs live in sea-water, but there are some who live in fresh water, and some who live on land. The smallest are the size of a pea; the largest (the Japanese spider crab) grows to a leg span of 4 metres. About 7,000 species are known.


title: Crab

text: Crabs have short tails. A crab's tail and reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax. It is folded under its body, and may not be visible at all unless the crab is turned over. Usually they have a very hard exoskeleton. This means they are well protected against predators. Crabs are armed with a single pair of claws. Crabs can be found in all oceans. Some crabs also live in fresh water, or live completely on land.


title: Crab

text: The pincers (claws) of crabs are their most important weapons. They have at least three functions. The pincers' role in eating is to seize and subdue the prey. If the food is a shellfish (mollusc), then the pincers can exert force to open or break the mollusc's shell. Pincers are also used in fighting between males, and for signalling to other crabs.


title: Crab

text: Crabs are omnivores, they eat almost anything they find. Often this is algae, but animal food is essential for its good health and development. They will eat molluscs, other crustaceans, worms, fungi and bacteria.


title: Crab

text: Crabs are prepared and eaten all over the world. Some species are eaten whole, including the shell, such as soft-shell crab; with other species just the claws and/or legs are eaten. In some regions spices improve the culinary experience. In Asia, Masala Crab and Chilli crab are examples of heavily spiced dishes. In Maryland, blue crab is often eaten with Old Bay Seasoning.


title: Crab

text: For the British dish "Cromer crab", the meat is extracted and placed inside the hard shell. One American way to prepare crab meat is by extracting it and adding a flour mix, creating a crab cake. Crabs are also used in "bisque", a French soup.


title: Crab

text: True crabs appear in the fossil record in the Lower Jurassic. They are part of the 'Mesozoic marine revolution', in which a number of sea-floor predators evolved.


title: Crab

text: The closest relatives of the crabs are anomurans, a crustacean group which includes animals such as hermit crabs, king crabs and squat lobsters. They look a lot like crabs and many have the word 'crab' in their name, but are not true crabs. Anomurans can be told apart by the number of legs: crabs have eight legs, along with two claws or pincers, while the last pair of an anomuran's legs is hidden inside the shell, so that only six are visible.


title: Tamil language

text: Tamil is a Dravidian language. It is spoken in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry states of India and parts of Sri Lanka. Many people in Singapore and Malaysia also speak it. Many people speaking Tamil live in various places around the world.


title: Tamil language

text: The Tamil language is part of the Dravidian language family, which includes Telugu,Odia, Kannada and Malayalam. According to a survey, 1863 newspapers are published in the Tamil language only every day. The oldest text found in Tamil is a grammatical work called the Tolkāppiyam. Tamil has a long literary history, and is spoken by almost 100 million people.


title: Tamil language

text: The modern Tamil script is an abugida, much like the other brahmic scripts that surround it and from whom it developed from. The Tamil script has 23 consonants and 5 vowels which have long and short forms and the "āytam" ஃ. The "āytam is" used with other letters to represent sounds not native to the language". "The vowels are written as symbols above, below or on either side of the consonant. Much like other brahmic scripts, it is written from left to right.


title: Tamil language

text: Tamil is the dominant language in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and Northern provinces of Sri Lanka. It is also spoken by significant immigrant communities and the historical Tamil diaspora in like the United States, Germany, Fiji, Indonesia, France, Africa and Thailand.


title: River

text: A river is a stream of water that flows through a channel on the surface of the ground. The passage where the river flows is called the river bed and the earth on each side is called a river bank. A river begins on high ground or in hills or mountains and flows down from the high ground to the lower ground, because of gravity. A river begins as a small stream, and gets bigger the farther it flows.


title: River

text: The start of a river is called the "source" or "head water". The part of the river that is near the source is called a 'young' river. A young river is often in a V-shaped river bed, and flows quickly downhill over stones, and around big rocks. Young rivers often have lots of small waterfalls and rapids. As the rivers travel downhill they begin to erode the ground taking small bits of soft rock and soil.


title: River

text: The middle part of a river is called a mature river. A mature river makes a riverbed that is U-shaped. It might be very deep and run fast. It sweeps over small rocks and boulders, and makes big turns around hills and mountains. It is much wider than a young river, but not as wide as an old river. To cross over a mature river, people use bridges. Many cities and towns are built on the banks of mature rivers. Many farms that keep animals such as dairy cows, horses and sheep are along mature rivers because the animals can drink from the river every day.


title: River

text: A river usually ends by flowing into an ocean, a lake or a bigger river. The place where the river flows out into a bigger body of water is called the 'mouth' of the river.


title: River

text: As a river flows towards its mouth, the countryside around the river often changes from hilly to flat. As it flows over the flat land the river becomes wider and slower. A wide slow river is called an 'old river'. An old river often floods across the land after there is lots of rain at the headwaters. An old river slowly builds up its banks on either side; the high banks are called levees. An old river often meanders (twists and turns), and sometimes, after a flood, it leaves lakes behind which are called ox-bows or billabongs. Old rivers are the most useful type of river for growing crops. Corn, rice, fruit, cotton, hay, tobacco and sugar are some of the crops that are grown near old rivers.


title: River

text: The shape of the mouth depends on the conditions of the sea where it flows. If there is a strong tide where the river meets the sea, the river forms an estuary. An estuary is a wide, funnel-like mouth of the river. The fresh water of the river mixes slowly with the salt water, becoming brackish water – somewhat salty water. Many kinds of fish, clams, molluscs and other sealife live at estuaries. Many of the world's largest cities and harbours are at estuaries.


title: River

text: Where a river flows out to the sea, it sometimes flows very slowly through sandy or muddy land, making lots of little islands as it flows. The main stream of the river gets broken into many parts that spread out into a triangle shape like the Greek letter delta. When this happens, it is called the delta of the river. Deltas are often places that are not good for towns or farms but are very good for birds and other wildlife and fishing. Deltas are often made into wildlife reserves. Not all rivers have deltas. There are deltas on the Nile River, the Amazon River, the Mekong River, the Mississippi River and the Danube River.


title: River

text: Some rivers flow underground through caves. Underground rivers form in places where there are lots of cracks in the rocks above, so that in rainy weather, the water runs downs and collects in small underground streams. Sometimes the underground water trickles or gushes out of the ground to form a small spring of water. In other places, where there are caves, the small underground streams run together to form a river. The river can sometimes run through deep wide underground caverns. While many underground rivers flow gently, some underground rivers flow fast and have rapids, particularly after heavy rain. Many underground rivers flow out through a cave mouth to become an ordinary river.


title: River

text: The water in rivers is "fresh water" that has come from rain, snow and from underground streams. It can usually be drunk safely by people unless it is too dirty because of mud or human pollution. People and animals need fresh water to drink, so they often live by the side of a river.


title: Swan Lake

text: Swan Lake is a romantic ballet in four acts. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music. In 1871 he wrote a little ballet about swans for his nieces and nephews. He used some of the music from this ballet for "Swan Lake". The story of the ballet is based on a German fairy tale. This tale was probably tweaked by Tchaikovsky and his friends during the ballet's early discussion stages.


title: Swan Lake

text: "Swan Lake" is about a prince named Siegfried. He falls in love with the Swan princess, Odette. She is a swan by day, but a young woman at night. She is under a magic spell that can only be broken by a man who will make a promise to love her for all time. Siegfried makes the promise. He is tricked though by the magician who cast the spell. The ballet ends with the deaths of Siegfried and Odette.


title: Swan Lake

text: The ballet was first performed on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Critics looked upon it as a failure for many reasons. In 1895 some changes were made to the ballet. It was then performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. This time the critics thought "Swan Lake" a great success. Most performances today are based on this 1895 version.


title: Swan Lake

text: Act 1: "1. Scène"The curtain rises on Prince Siegfried's birthday party. He is 21. On the next evening a grand ball will be held. He is to select a bride from six visiting princesses. Wolfgang, his tutor, introduces a band of peasants to the merrymakers. "2. Valse. 3. Scène." The Queen Mother enters. She thinks Siegfried is frivolous. The Queen Mother leaves. Benno encourages the Prince to continue the fun. "4. Pas de trois."Dances for the peasants. "5. Pas de deux."Dances for the merrymakers. "6. Pas d'action."Wolfgang is drunk and collapses. "7. Sujet."The sun sets. Siegfried suggests a final dance. "8. Danse des coupes."The merrymakers dance a "polonaise" holding their goblets. "9. Finale."A flock of swans flies overhead. Benno suggests a hunt. The Prince agrees. They set off.


title: Swan Lake

text: Act 2: "10. Scène."A lake shimmering in the moonlight is seen. Siegfried and his friends watch a flock of swans glide across the lake's surface. "11. Scène."The hunters take aim. The birds are transformed into maidens. Their leader asks Siegfried why he troubles them. She says that she is the Princess Odette. She and her companions have all been changed into swans by her wicked stepmother. They are watched by her stepmother's companion Von Rothbart in the guise of an owl. Only a marriage vow can break the spell that keeps her a swan by day and a maiden by night. "12. Scène."Siegfried says he loves Odette. She promises to attend tomorrow's ball. She warns him that her stepmother is very dangerous. "13. Danse des cygnes." "14 Scène." Dawn breaks. Odette and her friends return to the lake as swans.


title: Swan Lake

text: Act 3: Guests arrive in Siegfried's castle for the selection of the Prince's bride. "16. Danse du corps de ballet and des nains."All dance, including a group of dwarves. "17. Scène."La sortie des invités et la Valse. The six princesses arrive. "18. Scène." Siegfried does not choose a bride from among the six princesses. Von Rothbart enters with his daughter Odile. She is disguised as Odette. "19. Pas de six." The princesses dance. "20. Danse hongroise." "21. Danse espagnole." "22. Danse napolitaine." "23. Danse Mazurka." "24. Scène."Siegfried chooses Odile as his bride, believing she is Odette. Von Rothbart flees the hall as an owl. Siegfried rushes into the night to find Odette.


title: Swan Lake

text: Act 4: "25. Entr'acte. 26. Scène."Odette's friends await her return to the lake. "27. Danse des petits cygnes. 28. Scène." Odette collapses into her companions' arms. She tells them what has happened. A storm rises. Siegfried reaches Odette. "29. Scène finale."He begs her to forgive him. She dies of grief in his arms. He throws her crown upon the waters. The waves overwhelm him. The swans are seen gliding away across the lake.


title: Swan Lake

text: In 1871 Tchaikovsky was passing the summer in the Ukraine with his sister Alexandra Davydova. It was in her home at Kamenka that he wrote a short ballet about swans for her children to perform. The story of the ballet was based on "The Lake of Swans", a German fairy tale. Tchaikovsky used a musical theme from this children's ballet in the mature "Swan Lake". Little else is known of this ballet for children.


title: Swan Lake

text: In 1875 Vladimir Begitchev asked Tchaikovsky to write a ballet about swans. Begitchev was the official in charge of the repertory of the Imperial Theatres. Tchaikovsky accepted his invitation to write the ballet. He told Rimsky-Korsakov, "I accepted the work, partly because I want the money, but also because I have long had the wish to try my hand at this kind of music." In August he had completed sketches for two acts. He finished the ballet on 10 April 1876.


title: Swan Lake

text: It is uncertain who wrote the libretto of the ballet. Both Begitchev and the dancer Vasily Geltzer were credited in the programme. They likely based it upon discussions with the artists who met at Begitchev's salon. They also used tales from Johann Musäus's "Volksmärchen der Deutschen" (178286), a collection of German fairy and folk tales.


title: Swan Lake

text: Tchaikovsky had no experience writing ballet music for the professional theatre when he accepted Begitchev's invitation. In 1875 he began work on "Swan Lake". It was his first ballet. He studied the ballet music of other writers. He liked the music and ballets of Leo Delibes. Tchaikovsky thought Delibes's music was pretty and tuneful. Tchaikovsky however would base "Swan Lake" on a symphonic scale. Writing the music for "Swan Lake" was a way for Tchaikovsky to avoid the reality of being a homosexual in czarist Russia. Russia was a repressive state. Homosexuals were sent to prison, exiled, or banished. Symphonies did not ease the stress in the way ballet music did; he had to put too much of his inner life into symphonies. He was hired to write "Swan Lake" in May 1875. He completed the music in April 1876. The official responsible for the music at the Bolshoi Theatre thought Tchaikovsky's music impossible to understand. A "leitmotif" in Tchaikovsky's little ballet music for his nieces and nephews came to be called the "Song of the Swans". Tchaikovsky used this "leitmotif" in "Swan Lake".


title: Swan Lake

text: John Warrack points out that Tchaikovsky put the drama in the story into music: "By making B the key of the tragedy, he initiates a musical "plot" with the dark forces of Rothbart tending to drag the tonality down into flatter keys. The main action, on the other hand, lies on the key area of A." Tchaikovsky balanced all the musical components of the work. "The divertissements are in his lightest, most appealing musical manner", Warrack writes, "The dances that further the plot have rather greater musical substance, while the scenes of narrative and action are in what was found his "symphonic" manner." Critics said Tchaikovsky's music was "too noisy, too 'Wagnerian' and too symphonic".


title: Swan Lake

text: Rehearsals for "Swan Lake" began before Tchaikovsky finished the score, and took place over 11 months. Everyone involved in the production had never heard such a complex score for a ballet. They described the music as "undanceable". Even the conductor threw his hands up in despair over the music.


title: Swan Lake

text: The choreographer Julius Reisinger was incompetent, and the sets lacked a cohesiveness because they were designed by three different men. In addition, the Bolshoi Theatre was suffering at the time from problems including the lack of a ballet master who could develop a production based on the score. The role of Odette was not given to a first rate dancer but instead to a second rate talent. The reason may have been political.


title: Swan Lake

text: "Swan Lake" was first performed on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Julius Reisinger designed the dances. Pauline Karpakova danced Odette. She put some numbers she liked from other ballets into "Swan Lake". The ballet was a failure. In 1883 the Bolshoi dropped the ballet from its repertory. At that time, the sets were falling apart. It was not until 1901 that Alexander Gorsky staged a new production of "Swan Lake" for the Bolshoi.


title: Swan Lake

text: The first performance of "Swan Lake" was a disaster. Herman Laroche wrote, "I must say that I had never seen a poorer presentation on the Bolshoi stage. The costumes, decor, and machines did not hide in the least the emptiness of the dances. Not a single balletomane got out of it even five minutes of pleasure." He praised the music. He wrote that Tchaikovsky was "in excellent humour ... he was fully at the height of his genius." Tchaikovsky's brother Modest wrote, "The poverty of the production, meaning the décor and costumes, the absence of outstanding performers, the Ballet Master's weakness of imagination, and, finally, the orchestra ... all of this together permitted [Tchaikovsky] with good reason to cast the blame for the failure on others." The ballet was a moderate success with theatre-goers however. It was presented 33 times between its première at the Bolshoi in 1877 and its final performance in 1883.


title: Swan Lake

text: Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893. People started to take more interest in his music after his death. Lev Ivanov was the assistant Ballet Master at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. He designed new dances for Act 2. This act was presented on 1 March 1894 in a concert at the Mariinsky in memory of Tchaikovsky. Pierina Legnani danced Odette. The revised act was a great success. It was presented again with even greater success. Marius Petipa was the Ballet Master at the Mariinsky. He was impressed with the success of these two presentations. He made the decision to stage the complete ballet at the Mariinsky. He designed the dances for Acts 1 and 3 while Ivanov designed the dances for Acts 2 and 4.


title: Swan Lake

text: Riccardo Drigo was the conductor of the Mariinsky orchestra. He dropped some numbers from the ballet. He orchestrated three piano numbers from Tchaikovsky's Op. 72. He then put them in the ballet. These three numbers were "L'Espiègle", "Valse Bluette", and "Un poco di Chopin". He then put a number into Act 3 which he may have written himself.


title: Swan Lake

text: Tchaikovsky's brother Modest changed the ballet's story a little for the revision. He gave the ballet a happy ending. The new "Swan Lake" was presented on 27 January 1895 at the Mariinsky. Pierina Legnani danced both Odette and Odile. The ballet was a great success. This version of the ballet is the one generally seen today.


title: Swan Lake

text: "Swan Lake" is famous for the 32 "fouettés en tournant" in Act 3. These "fouettés" are danced at the end of the "Black Swan" "pas de deux" by the ballerina playing Odile. The "pas" was an afterthought of Tchaikovsky's. It was not included in the original production. It consists of the opening adagio followed by a variation for the male dancer. This is followed by a variation for the ballerina. The whole concludes with a brisk movement for both dancers that includes the "fouettés". Pierina Legnani first danced the "fouettés" in the Mariinsky production of 1895. Ballet-goers were uncertain about the 32 "fouettés". Some thought they were just a stunt. Others found them exciting. These ballet-goers went to every performance to count the number of turns.


title: Swan Lake

text: "Swan Lake" became known in Europe and the United States not long after the revised version was presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1895. It was first presented in Europe at Prague in June 1907. It was first presented in the United States at the Metropolitan Opera House in December 1911. Diaghilev's Ballets Russes presented a two-act "Swan Lake" in London in 1911. The Ballets Russes presented a one-act version in London in 1925. The complete "Swan Lake" was first presented in England by the Sadler's Wells Ballet in November 1934. Ballerinas portraying Odette include Mathilde Kchessinska, Anna Pavlova, and Margot Fonteyn. Pavel Gerdt was the Prince Siegfried of the 1895 St. Petersburg production. Nijinsky and Rudolph Nureyev have also performed Prince Siegfried.


title: Swan Lake

text: The score used in this comparison is Tchaikovsky's score. It may be different from Riccardo Drigo's score which is usually performed today. The titles for each number are taken from the original published score. Some of the numbers are titled simply as musical indications, those that are not are translated from their original French titles.


title: Swan Lake

text: "Pas de deux for Mme. Anna Sobeshchanskaya" fashioned from the original music by Léon Minkus (AKA the "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux")


title: Singapore

text: Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign country as well as a city-state. It is an island state at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula in Asia, between the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. Singapore is about one degree of latitude () north of the equator. About 5.70 million people live in Singapore. About 3.31 million are citizens. Most of them are ethnically Chinese, Malay, or Indian, as well as a smaller number of other Asians.


title: Singapore

text: Present-day Singapore was founded in 1819 by Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. During the Second World War, Singapore was taken over by Japan in 1942, but returned to British control after Japan surrendered in 1945. Singapore started to govern itself in 1959, and in 1963 became part of the new federation of Malaysia, together with Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Political and social differences led to Singapore being removed from the federation two years later, then becoming an independent country on its own.


title: Singapore

text: Most Singaporeans are bilingual. The symbolic national language of Singapore is Malay. Other official languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin and Tamil. English is the language of choice because everyone in Singapore knows and uses it. It is the first language taught in schools and the language used by the government and in court. Students are also usually taught the language of their ethnicity. This means that the Chinese will learn Mandarin, Malays will learn Malay, and so on. Students can also choose to learn a third language in secondary school.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is also known as a "Garden City" or a "City in a Garden". This is because there are plants everywhere, making it look like a garden. Singapore has one of the highest standards of living in the world, with very good education, healthcare, housing, and very low corruption. It is also known for having many strict rules and punishments, including fines. This is why it is also sometimes jokingly called a "fine" city. The government says this has helped Singapore be a very safe country. Singapore is one of the founding members of ASEAN.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore's name comes from 'Singa Pura', which means Lion City in Sanskrit. Many people around the world understand "Lion City" to refer to Singapore. There is some debate about who founded Singapore. According to the Malay Annals, a Sumatran prince called Sang Nila Utama landed on Temasek (Singapore's old name) and saw a Lion which is called 'Singa' in Malay. Thus he gave the island a new name, 'Singapura'. However, Sang Nila Utama was likely mistaken, as lions never existed in Singapore. It is believed that the "lion" was actually a Malayan Tiger, which also exists in neighbouring Malaysia. While now extinct in Singapore it used to be present back then.


title: Singapore

text: There were also many pieces of old items, such as Chinese coins, that showed that Temasek was an important Asian trading port even before the British rule.


title: Singapore

text: Few people lived in Singapore at the beginning of the 19th century. British governor Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore on 28 January 1819 and wanted to set up a British trading town. At the time, the island was then ruled by Tengku Abdul Rahman, the Sultan of Johor, who the Dutch and the Bugis from Sulawesi had controlled. However, the Sultanate was weakened by infighting: the Temenggong (Chief Minister) of Tengku Abdul Rahman, as well as his officials, supported the Sultan's elder brother Tengku Long, who was living in exile in Riau.


title: Singapore

text: With the Temenggong's help, Raffles managed to secretly bring Tengku Long back into Singapore. Raffles offered to recognize Tengku Long as the true Sultan of Johor, under the title of Sultan Hussein, as well as giving him $5000 per year and another $3000 to the Temenggong; in return, Sultan Hussein would give the British the right to establish a trading post on Singapore. An official treaty was signed on 6 February 1819.


title: Singapore

text: In 1824, another treaty with the Sultan led to the entire island becoming under the British. In 1826, Singapore became part of the Straits Settlements. Singapore became the regional capital in 1836. Before Raffles arrived, there were only about a thousand people living on the island, mostly Malays along with a handful of Chinese. By 1860, the population had grown to over 80,000, more than half being Chinese. The country was given colony status in 1867. Later, in the 1890s, when the rubber industry became established in Malaya and Singapore, the island became a global center for sorting rubber and exporting them.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore was not really affected by the First World War (1914–18), as the conflict did not spread to Southeast Asia. The only significant event during the war was the 1915 Singapore Mutiny by Muslim soldiers from British India, who were garrisoned in Singapore. After hearing news that they were to be sent to fight the Ottoman Empire in Europe, a Muslim state, the soldiers killed their officers and several British civilians before the mutiny was stopped by non-Muslim troops arriving from Johore and Burma.


title: Singapore

text: After World War I, the British built the large Singapore Naval Base as part of the defensive Singapore strategy. First announced in 1921, the construction of the base went at a slow pace until the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Costing $60 million and not fully completed in 1938, it was the largest dry dock in the world, the third-largest floating dock, and had enough fuel tanks to support the entire British Navy for six months. The base was defended by heavy naval guns stationed at Fort Siloso, Fort Canning and Labrador Park, as well as a Royal Air Force airfield at Tengah Air Base. Winston Churchill called Singapore the "Gibraltar of the East", and military discussions often referred to the base as just "East of Suez".


title: Singapore

text: However, the main fleet was in Europe, and the British did not have enough money to build a second fleet to protect their Asian colonies. The plan was for the Home Fleet to sail quickly to Singapore in the event of an emergency. As a result, after World War II broke out in 1939, the fleet was busy defending Britain from Germany, leaving Singapore open for a Japanese invasion.


title: Singapore

text: Due to the weak defenses of the country, the Japanese attacked Singapore and easily took control of the colony on 15 February 1942. Up to 60,000 British soldiers surrendered on that day, and Churchill called it "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". There were a lot of losses by both the British and the rest of the Empire, with a total of nearly 85,000 people captured. About 5,000 were killed or injured, many from Australia and India.


title: Singapore

text: People of Singapore went through hard times during the Japanese rule, until the surrender of the Japanese in September of 1945. Many people were tortured or killed by the Japanese as they did not follow the rules properly or because they were suspected of going against the Japanese. The Japanese also targeted the Chinese the most; between 5,000 and 25,000 Chinese were killed, now known as the Sook Ching massacre. The most notable anti-Japanese force was Force 136, headed by Lim Bo Seng. Its purpose was to encourage and supply resistance movements in the enemy-occupied territory and occasionally mount sabotage operations.


title: Singapore

text: The hard times during World War II made the people think that the British were not as strong as before. Therefore, many people were supportive of independence once the British had returned.


title: Singapore

text: A few years after the war, In 1963, Singapore joined with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the new nation of Malaysia. Malaysia is a country with many races. In Malaya, only the Malays have special benefits. For example, the Malays could get university education more easily than other races.


title: Singapore

text: As most people in Singapore are Chinese, Singapore wanted equality for all the people of Malaysia. Singapore also wanted a common market to be set up so that goods to Malaysia would not be taxed. However, this was not done and caused arguments between the state government of Singapore and the federal government of Malaysia.


title: Singapore

text: After Independence, the president of Singapore was Yusof Ishak and its prime minister was Lee Kuan Yew.


title: Singapore

text: At first, many people thought Singapore's independence would not last. In 1967, Singapore helped to start the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in 1970 it joined the Non-Aligned Movement. Lee Kuan Yew was in charge of the country as Prime Minister of Singapore and saw it become very developed.


title: Singapore

text: In 1990, Goh Chok Tong replaced Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister, while Lee Kuan Yew became Senior Minister. When Goh Chok Tong was Prime Minister, Singapore went through the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak and terrorist threats by Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, took over as Prime Minister. Goh Chok Tong became the Senior Minister, and Lee Kuan Yew became the Minister Mentor of Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew died in 2015.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing constituencies. Its constitution states representative democracy as its political system. Singapore is ranked regularly as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International.


title: Singapore

text: The Cabinet has executive power, and is led by the Prime Minister, and the President. The president is elected through popular vote, and has some veto powers for a few big decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judges, but otherwise occupies a post with little power.


title: Singapore

text: The Parliament serves as the legislative branch of government. Members of Parliament (MPs) are made up of elected, non-constituency and nominated members. Elected MPs are voted into parliament on a "first-past-the-post" (plurality) system and represent either single-member or group-representation constituencies. Elections are free, and the People's Action Party has won control of Parliament with large majorities in every election since self-governance in 1959. In the most recent parliamentary elections in 2020, the largest opposition, led by the Workers' Party, increased its representation in the House to 10 elected MPs out of 93.


title: Singapore

text: The legal system of Singapore is based on English common law, however with large and important local differences. Trial by jury was removed in 1970 leaving judicial judgement done completely and only by judgeship. Singapore has laws that include corporal punishment in the form of caning for rape, rioting, vandalism, and some immigration crimes. There is a mandatory death penalty for murder, and for certain drug-trafficking and firearms offences. In a 2008 survey, international business executives believed Singapore had the best judicial system in Asia.


title: Singapore

text: Buddhism is the most common religion in Singapore. Other common religions include: Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism.


title: Singapore

text: Students in Singapore go through six years of compulsory primary school, which ends with all students taking a Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Then, depending on their results in the PSLE, students are streamed into "Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", and "Normal (Technical)" groups. The amount of time a student spends studying in Secondary school (4–5 years) depends on their group.


title: Singapore

text: Students are taught in English and their mother tongue, which can be Chinese, Malay or Tamil. Secondary school students may also choose to study a third language such as:


title: Singapore

text: Students can take a third language as it increases their chances in getting an overseas scholarship and can improve their examination grades, especially in the GCE Ordinary Level ("O" Levels), which are Secondary students take after their five or four years of education. However, only some students can qualify to take a third language.


title: Singapore

text: After their "O" Levels, students can choose to go to a polytechnic, which is a place where students can study for 3 years for a diploma or to a junior college where students study for 2 years to receive an "A" Level. Students can also go to Institutes of Technical Education (ITE), where students study for two years to receive a "National ITE Certificate" (NITEC). This certificate is only recognized in Singapore. Students who go to ITE usually continue their education at a polytechnic.


title: Singapore

text: With either a diploma, or an "A" Level certificate, students can apply to go to universities in Singapore or overseas.


title: Singapore

text: The Singapore government has chosen four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin), and Tamil. English is the primary language. Singapore English is the main language in Singapore.


title: Singapore

text: English is the first language of the nation, but it is not the most common. English is the second most commonly spoken language among Singaporeans. The most commonly spoken language amongst Singaporeans in their homes is Chinese (51%), followed by English (32%), Malay (13%) and Tamil (7%). This means that 32% of Singaporeans are native English speakers. Most of the rest of the people speak it as a second language. However, English has the largest total number of speakers including native and second language speakers. Mandarin Chinese is the second most common.


title: Singapore

text: Almost 40% of people in Singapore are foreign. Most foreigners come from Asia. The country where most foreigners come from are Malaysia, its closest neighbor. In 2009, there may have been 350,000 Malaysians working in Singapore. Many Chinese-speaking foreigners and Chinese-speaking Singaporeans work in services. Thus, Chinese is the main language of many workers such as hawkers, retail assistants, hairdressers, etc. in Singapore today.


title: Singapore

text: Singaporean English mainly comes from British English. The forms of English spoken in Singapore range from Standard English to a pidgin called Singlish. The Singapore government and many Singaporeans are against using Singlish. There is a "Speak Good English" campaign each year. Public schools and in the media also have rules against Singlish. There are many Singapore accents in English because of the many languages and identities of people in the city. Languages can even change over the generations and children may speak different languages and have different accents from their mother. For example, in a Singaporean Chinese family, the grandmother might speak Hokkien as her first language. Differently, the mother might speak Mandarin as her first language and Hokkien/English as her second languages, while the grandson might speak English as his first language and Mandarin as his second language.


title: Singapore

text: Before independence in 1965, Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, was the common language among the Chinese laborers. Malay and English were used to communicate between the different ethnic groups. After independence in 1965, English became the first language of the nation and replaced Hokkien and Malay as the one shared language. Today, most younger Singaporeans have English as their first language or are fluent in English.


title: Singapore

text: Malay is a national language of Singapore because of the history of the city. However, less than 20% of Singaporeans can read and write in Malay. Malay is still used at home by most Malay Singaporeans. The Malay used in Singapore (Bahasa Melayu) is closer to the language in Malaysia than the language in Indonesia. However, there are differences between the Malay in Singapore and in Malaysia. The national anthem "Majulah Singapura" is sung in Malay.


title: Singapore

text: Many people speak Chinese – Mandarin and other Chinese dialects – in Singapore. Just over 50% of Singaporeans speak it at home, so it is the most common language in homes. Singaporean Mandarin is based on simplified Chinese and it is similar to the system used in mainland China. The forms of Mandarin spoken in Singapore range from Standard Mandarin to a pidgin known as Singdarin. Besides Mandarin, many southern Chinese dialects are also spoken in Singapore.


title: Singapore

text: Hokkien used to be a lingua franca among the Singaporean Chinese so many older Singaporeans still understand Hokkien. The most common Chinese dialects spoken by Singaporeans are the Hokkien, Hainan, Teochew and Cantonese. However, Chinese dialects other than Mandarin are not allowed in the media, so these dialects are quickly dying out. Most younger Singaporeans do not speak them anymore.


title: Singapore

text: Tamil, a South Indian language, is spoken by about half of Indians in Singapore. That is about 5% of all Singaporeans. However, North Indian languages such as Hindi and Punjabi are also spoken by a small group of Singaporean Indians in Singapore.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore has many kinds of people and immigrants from many places. Therefore, Singaporean culture has often been described as a mix of cultures – European, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan. Also, foreigners are 42% of the population in Singapore and they are part of changing Singaporean culture.


title: Singapore

text: Dining is an important part of life in Singapore. Singaporean food is an example of the many different cultures in the country. It is also an example of mixing among cultures. British, Chinese, Indian, Malay, Tamil, and Indonesian styles of cooking all mix together. It is especially known for its seafood. Typical Singaporean food includes: Satay, Nasi lemak, Chilli crab, Kaya toast, and Hainanese chicken rice, Laksa, Fish Head Curry, Hokkien Prawn Meeand Char Kway Teow.


title: Singapore

text: MediaCorp, the state-owned media corporation, operates all seven local broadcast television channels in Singapore. It also runs 13 radio stations of the total 18 radio stations in Singapore. Radio and television stations are all owned by government controlled companies. However, one radio transmitter in Singapore is not controlled by the government. That is the Far Eastern Relay Station of the BBC World Service.


title: Singapore

text: Print media of Singapore includes 16 newspapers and several magazines. Daily newspapers are published in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.


title: Singapore

text: The national flower of Singapore is Vanda Miss Joaquim. It is a type of orchid and it is a hybrid orchid. This makes Singapore the only nation in the world to have a hybrid as a national flower. It was chosen because it was part of the effort to create national pride and identity.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore has a strong and free economy that supports a large middle class. The city state is a global shipping and logistics hub and many multinational firms have their offices in Singapore. The national airline, Singapore Airlines, has a large global network which brings tourists and business travelers alike, to the city. The airline has often been ranked as the world's best airline.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore also has a port located at the south of Singapore, called Keppel Harbour. It is one of the busiest ports around the world with many ships coming in to trade in a single day. Singapore also has another port on Jurong Island.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore's currency is the Singapore dollar. The short name for the Singapore dollar is SGD. Brunei dollar can be used in Singapore, because they have the same value.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is made up of 63 islands, including the main island, which is known as Singapore Island to most people, but is also known as Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor–Singapore Causeway in the north, and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at .


title: Singapore

text: About 23% of Singapore's land area are forest and nature reserves. Urbanisation has removed most primary rainforest, with Bukit Timah Nature Reserve the only significant remaining forest. Even though there is very little primary rainforest left, there are more than 300 parks and four nature reserves in Singapore. There are also many trees planted all over Singapore and almost fifty per cent of the country is covered by trees and plants. Because of this, Singapore is also commonly known as the 'Garden City'.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore, being a small country, has been reclaiming land from the sea around the island. The first time Singapore started to reclaim land was in the 1960s. The total land area of Singapore at that time was 581.5 km and it has increased to 730 km in the 2010s, which is an increase of about 20% in total land area. It may grow by another by 2030. Some land reclamation projects involve joining together smaller islands to make larger islands with more uses, like Jurong Island. Singapore uses the landfill method to reclaim the sea at the south of the country, but polders have been recently used too. The country's rapid reclamation projects has made disputes with its neighbouring countries, Malaysia and Indonesia.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is hot and wet all year round. It has a tropical rainforest climate ("Af" in the Köppen climate classification), which means there are no seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) in Singapore. There is the most rain at the end of the year, and the temperature is usually around 20 °C to 35 °C.


title: Singapore

text: Although Singapore does not experience the four seasons, the period from May to June is usually warmer, while the period from November to January is cooler because of the more frequent rains and monsoonal winds in Singapore during the year-end.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore has diplomatic relations with 175 other Sovereign states. Singapore's foreign policy is to maintain a secure environment in Southeast Asia as well as the countries near Southeast Asia. A basic rule is the political and economic stability in Southeast Asia.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is part of the ASEAN (Association of the South East Asian nations) network, which is an organisation that unites all Southeast Asian countries. Member countries of ASEAN work with and help other countries in ASEAN. Singapore is one of the countries that founded ASEAN, and is the most developed country among them all.


title: Singapore

text: Singapore is also part of the Commonwealth of Nations, which is for countries that used to be under the British's rule.


title: Singapore

text: There are also school holidays, lasting one week in March and September, about one month in June, and about one and a half months in December.


title: Singapore

text: Even though it is a small country, Singapore holds many world records with its buildings and people. Some are:


title: Singapore

text: Singapore has one of the best infrastructure qualities in the world. Buses, trains, and taxis are easily found.


title: Singapore

text: Most of Singapore are well-connected by a railway system known as the Mass Rapid Transit, or MRT in short. There are also taxi companies like Comfort Cabs, Silver Cab, SMRT Taxis, CityCab and Premier Taxi. There is one telephone number to call a taxi, of which the closest taxi from any company will respond. Apps such as Grab and Gojek as an alternative to taxi companies are also available.


title: Singapore

text: The Singaporean land transport system is controlled by the LTA (Land Transport Authority) of Singapore.


title: Singapore

text: The Singapore Changi Airport is the main airport of Singapore. It is in the east of Singapore, with a total of four terminals with airlines flying to many different parts of the world. It has also received many awards for being the best airport in the world. A Skytrain service is also available at the airport.


title: Singapore

text: The airport is in Changi. It is on a 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi) site which was reclaimed from the sea.


title: Backstreet Boys

text: Backstreet Boys, also known as BSB, is an American pop supergroup that became popular during the 1990s and 2000s. They are the highest selling boy band of all time with 130 million records sold. The members are AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell. Kevin Richardson left the group in 2006 and rejoined in 2012.


title: Backstreet Boys

text: Backstreet Boys originated in Orlando, Florida and was formed on April 20, 1993 by Lou Pearlman with the help of a producer, Lil’ Shy. The early line-up of the group were Howie Dorough (19), AJ McLean (15), Nick Carter (13), Sam Licata and Charles Edwards. However Licata and Edwards left in early 1993 for personal reasons. In April 1993, Kevin Richardson along with his cousin Brian Littrell completed the group.


title: Backstreet Boys

text: After series of tours and the failure of possible Mercury Records, the Backstreet Boys was finally spotlighted in Cleveland, Ohio by Jive Records in February 1994. They recorded their very first single, “We’ve Got it Goin’, written by Denniz PoP and included in Backstreet Boys’ first self-titled album that was released in summer of 1996.


title: 6 (number)

text: Six is also the first perfect number which means that the sum of its factors (1, 2 and 3) are equal to the number itself (6). The next perfect number is 28. In Roman numerals, it is VI.


title: Cardinal direction

text: Cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main directions or points of the compass: north, east, south and west. These direction are also written in short form as N, E, S and W.


title: Cardinal direction

text: North and south are directed towards the north and south poles of the Earth. The Earth's rotation defines east and west. The sun rises in the morning in the east, and sets in the afternoon in the west.


title: Cardinal direction

text: If a needle is magnetised and allowed to move freely (for example floated on water) it will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field which is almost in the same direction as north. The direction of the needle in this situation is called magnetic north which in some places differs from the direction of the North Pole by a few degrees.


title: Cardinal direction

text: Through history, different cultures have given different values to each direction. For example, in old Asian culture, each direction is given a color, as follows:


title: Arnold Schwarzenegger

text: Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, film producer, screenwriter, and director. He was the governor of the American state of California from 2003 to 2011. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.


title: Arnold Schwarzenegger

text: After serving in the army, Schwarzenegger moved to Munich, where he often slept in a gym because he did not have anywhere else to live.


title: Arnold Schwarzenegger

text: Schwarzenegger then moved to the United States in 1968 and eventually became an actor. He has been in several big budget Hollywood movies including "The Terminator" series. He eventually stopped acting in order to run for governor of California in 2003. In 2003, Governor Gray Davis was removed as governor and Schwarzenegger was elected. His term ended in early January 2011, and he was replaced by Jerry Brown.