title: The Powerpuff Girls

text: The Powerpuff Girls (also abbreviated as PPG) is an American comedy-action satirical adventure superhero children's animated television series. It aired on Cartoon Network from 1998 to 2005. It is about three humanoid superheroines named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup live in Townsville, USA. They are kindergarteners and have superpowers, who use their powers for good by saving the world from villains. The show is based on a short made by the series creator from 1992 called "Whoopass Stew". The original show was created by Craig McCracken, and the 2016 revival series was developed by Nick Jennings and Bob Boyle. It was created and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios, who also developed a theatrical film adaption in 2002 titled The Powerpuff Girls Movie by Warner Bros Animation.


title: The Powerpuff Girls

text: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are 3 kindergarten superheroes who live with their father, Professor Utonium, in the City of Townsville. It is their job to use their powers to reduce crime and defend the town from evil villains who want to take it over while also partaking in normal activities like chores and going to school.


title: The Powerpuff Girls

text: The show saw several VHS and DVD releases while it was on the air, and the entire series was released on DVD in 2009 to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary.


title: Dietary mineral

text: A dietary mineral is a chemical element that a living thing needs to be part of what they eat, other from the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are already very common in living things.


title: Dietary mineral

text: One example of a dietary mineral is calcium, which humans and many other animals need to build strong bones and teeth, among other things. Iron is another mineral, which you can find in red meat. It is important for us to have iron as it creates red blood cells. Other common minerals include potassium and phosphorus.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: A Milankovich cycle is any slow but regular change in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, and the tilt of the Earth's axis.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: The dynamics are complex. The changes affect the 'insolation' (sunlight falling on parts of the Earth). This leads to cycles of climate on Earth, at about 21,000, 41,000 years, 100,000 and 400,000 years. This whole field is still under active research.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Using applied mathematics, Milutin Milanković predicted that variations in eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth's orbit caused climate patterns on Earth.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Similar astronomical theories had been advanced in the 19th century by Joseph Adhemar, James Croll and others. However, there was at first no reliable dated evidence. The issue was not settled until deep-ocean cores were taken and a paper published in "Science" in 1976.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Earth's orbit is an ellipse. The eccentricity is a measure of the departure of this ellipse from circularity. The shape of the Earth's orbit varies in time between nearly circular and mildly elliptical.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: The angle of the Earth's axial tilt varies with respect to the ecliptic plane, because perturbations from other planets shift the Earth's orbit.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: When the obliquity increases, the summers in both hemispheres receive more heat and light from the Sun, and winters less. Conversely, when the obliquity decreases, summers receive less sunshine and winters more. These slow 2.4° obliquity variations are roughly periodic. They take about 41,000 years to shift between a tilt of 22.1° and 24.5° and back again.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Precession is the wobble of the Earth's axis. This gyroscopic motion is due to the tidal forces exerted by the Sun and the Moon on the solid Earth, which has the shape of an oblate spheroid rather than a sphere. The Sun and Moon contribute roughly equally to this effect. Its period is about 26,000 years.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: When the axis points toward the Sun, one polar hemisphere has a greater difference between the seasons while the other has milder seasons. The hemisphere that is in summer at perihelion receives much of the corresponding increase in solar radiation, but that same hemisphere in winter at aphelion has a colder winter. The other hemisphere will have a relatively warmer winter and cooler summer.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Planets orbiting the Sun follow elliptical (oval) orbits that rotate gradually over time (apsidal precession).


title: Milankovich cycle

text: In addition, the orbital ellipse itself precesses in space, primarily as a result of interactions with Jupiter and Saturn. This shortens the period of the precession of the equinoxes from 25,771.5 to ~21,636 years.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: The inclination of Earth's orbit drifts up and down relative to its present orbit with a period of about 70,000 years. Milankovitch did not study this three-dimensional movement. This movement is known as 'precession of the ecliptic' or 'planetary precession'.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: Researchers noted this drift, and also that the orbit moves relative to the orbits of the other planets. The invariable plane, the plane that represents the angular momentum of the Solar System, is approximately the orbital plane of Jupiter. The inclination of the Earth's orbit has a 100,000 year cycle relative to the invariable plane. This is very similar to the 100,000 year eccentricity period. This 100,000-year cycle closely matches the 100,000-year pattern of ice ages.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: It has been proposed that a disk of dust and other debris exists in the plane, which affects the Earth's climate. The Earth moves through this plane around January 9 and July 9, when there is an increase in radar-detected meteors and meteor-related noctilucent clouds.


title: Milankovich cycle

text: A study of the Antarctic ice core, using oxygen-nitrogen ratios in air bubbles trapped in the ice, concluded that the climatic response documented in the ice cores was driven by Northern hemisphere insolation as proposed by the Milankovitch hypothesis. This is an additional validation of the Milankovitch hypothesis by a relatively new method. It is not consistent with the "inclination" theory of the 100,000-year cycle.


title: De-Stalinization

text: De-Stalinization is the way that the Soviet Union tried to undo Joseph Stalin's politics and the heroic image he created of himself using propaganda.


title: De-Stalinization

text: After Stalin died, a group led the Soviet Union for a while. Georgi Malenkov was the Premier of the Soviet Union; Lavrentiy Beria, head of the Ministry of the Interior; and Nikita Khrushchev was First Secretary of the Central Committee.


title: De-Stalinization

text: Because Stalin had so prominent a control over the Soviet Union, he was placed on a pedestal both at home and among communists abroad. In the years 1953–1955, a period of "silent de-Stalinization" took place, as the revision of Stalin's policies was done in secret, and often with no explanation.


title: De-Stalinization

text: In 1954, Nikita Khrushchev became the leader of the Soviet Union. He attempted to reform the Soviet government and change how socialism in the country should be ran. In order to do this, he had to change the way the public thought of Stalin, this is called revisionism. He removed Stalin's corpse out of the mausoleum in Red Square and he changed the name of Stalingrad (which was named after Stalin) to Volgograd. Some people disliked Khrushchev’s reform and those who oppose revisionism are called anti-revisionist.


title: Keystroke logging

text: A keylogger is a piece of software or computer hardware which records keystrokes on a computer. Its most common use is in spyware to obtain passwords and credit card details. The government sometimes uses keyloggers to break encryption and to spy on wrong-doers.


title: Oar

text: An oar is a tool used to move a boat through water. Oars have a flat blade at one end. The oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are fastened to the vessel. The use of oars is called rowing. An oar used at the stern (rear) of a boat to steer is called a steering oar.


title: H. D. Deve Gowda

text: Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda (born 18 May 1933) is an Indian politician. He was the 11th Prime Minister of India from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997. He was the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996.


title: H. D. Deve Gowda

text: He was a member of the 16th Lok Sabha, representing the Hassan constituency of Karnataka from 2004 through 2019, and was the National President of the Janata Dal (Secular) party.


title: GNU Octave

text: GNU Octave is an open source programming language for numerical analysis (especially numerical linear algebra). This language is mostly compatible with MATLAB.


title: GNU Octave

text: GNU Octave was originally made for numerical analysis. But today, it is also used for the following purposes (the purposes may increase in the future):


title: Lophotrochozoa

text: The Lophotrochozoa ("crest-bearing animals") are a group of animals above the level of phylum. It is not part of the usual system of classification. They were recently discovered through molecular phylogeny. They include two of the most successful animal phyla, the Mollusca and Annelida.


title: Mattel

text: The company makes products and brands, like Ever After High dolls, Barbie dolls, Fisher-Price toys, Thomas & Friends trains and Hot Wheels toys.


title: Proboscis

text: A proboscis is a projection or elongated appendage at the front of the face. In vertebrates, the term is used to describe an elongated nose or snout. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking.


title: Dogger Bank

text: Dogger Bank is a large sandbank in the North Sea. It lies about from the coast of England. It is about long and wide. On average, the North Sea is deep. The average depth in the area of the Dogger Bank is , at the shallowest place the water is only deep. During the last ice age, it was sometimes an island and sometimes a land bridge connecting Britain and mainland Europe.


title: Lophotrochozoa

text: The Lophotrochozoa comprise two groups, the trochozoans and the Lophophorata. The exact relationships between the different phyla are not entirely certain. However, it seems that neither the lophophorates nor the trochozoa are monophyletic groups by themselves, but are mixed together.


title: Napoleon, Ohio

text: Napoleon is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Ohio, United States. It is located near the Maumee River. It is 44 miles southwest of Toledo. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,749.


title: Škoda Octavia

text: The Škoda Octavia is a car produced by Škoda Auto in three generations since 1996. The first generation arrived in 1996 and launched in the UK in 1998 with a facelift in 2000. The second generation was launched in 2004 with a facelift in early 2009 but the first generation still continues until 2010. It entered its third generation in 2013 with a facelift in early 2017, it received some criticism for being a bit too big for some buyers. The fourth generation launched in June 2020.


title: Atlanta Braves

text: The Atlanta Braves are a Major League baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves currently play just outside the city limits in the Cobb County community of Cumberland at Truist Park, which opened as SunTrust Park in 2017 and was renamed in 2020. From 1991 to 2005, the Braves won their division every year except for 1994 when the season ended early due to a players' strike. They have won four World Series championships. Their first was in 1914 over the Philadelphia Athletics. They won their second championship in 1957 when they beat the New York Yankees in seven games. In 1995, the Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians. In 2021, they defeated the Houston Astros for their fourth title. One famous player that was on the Braves was Hank Aaron, who played for the team from 1954 to 1976.


title: Florida Keys

text: The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 98 miles (157 km) from Cuba. The Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude, in the subtropics. The climate of the Keys however, is defined as tropical according to Köppen climate classification. More than 95 percent of the land area is in Monroe County, but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County, primarily in the city of Islandia, Florida. The total land area is 355.6 km² (137.3 sq mi). As of the 2000 census the population was 79,535, with an average density of 223.66/km² (579.27/sq mi), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire population of the Keys.


title: Al Green

text: Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), often known as The Reverend Al Green, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including "Take Me to the River", "Tired of Being Alone", "I'm Still in Love with You", "Love and Happiness", and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together".


title: Synthetic element

text: A synthetic element is an element of the Periodic Table that has been created in a lab. Most are man made and radioactive. Scientists make synthetic elements by smashing and fusing 2 different sized elements together to makes a whole new one. They usually fall apart in seconds, though, if not minutes.


title: Atlanta Braves

text: The Braves are the oldest team in major league baseball. They began in 1871 in Boston, Massachusetts. They were originally called the "Boston Red Stockings". Later, they were known as the "Boston Beaneaters". In 1912, they were renamed as the "Boston Braves". They moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1953, where they were known as the "Milwaukee Braves". They moved to Atlanta in 1966.


title: Florida Keys

text: The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County, which consists of a section on the mainland which is almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and the Keys islands from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas.


title: Fictional universe

text: A fictional universe is a made up world that is used as the setting for one or (more commonly) many works of fiction. It is often used in books but can be used in any form used to tell a story, for example role-playing games, television or movies. It can be said that every work of fiction makes a world of its own. A fictional universe is used when things in a story become a part either of other stories, or of games or other things.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is a British socialist politician. He has twice held the leading political role in London local government. First, he was leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986. Secondly, he was the first Mayor of London, from its creation in 2000 until 2008. He also served as Labour Party Member of Parliament for Brent East between 1987 and 2001.


title: Blake Shelton

text: Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country singer and television personality. Shelton is signed to Warner Nashville. Some of his most known songs are "Ol' Red", "Some Beach", "Hillbilly Bone", "Kiss My Country Ass", "Honey Bee", "God Gave Me You", and "Drink on It". He has been a judge on "The Voice" since April 2011.


title: Daydream

text: Daydreaming is a short-term detachment from one's immediate surroundings. During a daydream, a person's contact with reality is blurred. External reality is second to a visionary fantasy.


title: Fictional universe

text: Fictional universes are most often used in science fiction and fantasy stories but they can be used in any type of fiction. A fictional universe usually has certain things in them that make them different from the real world. These things could affect anything from cities the author created to entire galaxies. In most fictional universes, the laws of physics are different to let things exist which commonly do not, for example, magic or space travel to other planets. Fictional universes may also take place in any time period during the past, present, or future.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: He was elected Mayor of London as an Independent candidate after the Labour Party decided not to nominate him as their candidate in the first mayoral elections. In January 2004, he was re-admitted to the Labour Party. As the official Labour Party candidate for Mayor in the June 2004 elections, he won with a total of 828,380 first- and second-preference votes. On 1 May 2008 Livingstone was defeated in his second re-election bid by Conservative candidate Boris Johnson, and his term as Mayor of London ended on 4 May 2008.


title: Blake Shelton

text: Shelton was married to country singer Miranda Lambert from 2011 until 2015. He is currently in a relationship with singer Gwen Stefani. The two collaborated on the song "You Make It Feel like Christmas", featured on Stefani's 2017 Christmas album of the same


title: Daydream

text: There are many types of daydreams, and there is no agreed definition. However, the characteristic that is common to all forms of daydreaming is a mild separation from the person's surroundings. Daydreams are under conscious control, so they differ from dreams, but they do have a kind of dream-like fantasy quality. Although daydreaming in children may be frowned upon by parents and teachers, it seems quite normal. There is evidence which suggests daydreaming is associated with mental health and stability.


title: Fictional universe

text: However Fictional universes are inside our Universe as fiction exist in books, movies And books movies are inside the real universe...


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone was born in Lambeth, London, England, the son of Ethel Ada (Kennard), a professional dancer, and Robert Moffat Livingstone, who was of Scottish descent and worked as a ship's master in the Merchant Navy. Livingstone has described his parents as "working class Tories".


title: Fictional universe

text: There are many examples of fictional universes. They are often used to provide a common theme to many different types of things.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone attended Tulse Hill Comprehensive School. He did not pass the eleven-plus examination in 1956 but still managed to obtain a few O-levels. He worked for eight years as a cancer research technician, between 1962 and 1970. He also trained as a teacher, qualifying in 1973, but was never active in the profession. Livingstone joined the Labour Party in 1968 at a time when party membership was falling and few new young members were joining, and rose rapidly in the local party. He was elected to the Lambeth Borough Council in May 1971 and served as Vice-Chair of the Housing Committee from 1971 to 1973 (succeeding John Major in the job).


title: Fictional universe

text: The "Star Wars" expanded universe is a fictional universe that was started from the first Star Wars movie "" in 1977.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: At the Greater London Council Election in 1973 elections Livingstone won the Norwood seat on the Greater London Council (GLC) and served as Vice-Chair of Housing Management in 1974-1975. He was dismissed when he opposed spending cuts urged by council leader Sir Reg Goodwin. He also served on the movie censorship committee and urged the abolition of censorship. Coming up to the Greater London Council Election of 1977, Livingstone realised that it would be difficult to retain his seat and managed to be selected for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, a safe seat, following the retirement of Dr David Pitt, Baron Pitt of Hampstead. This ensured that he was one of the few left-wing Labour councillors to remain on the council.


title: Fictional universe

text: Many types of fiction have their own "universe". Many started in one category and now exist in many of them. For example, Harry Potter started out as a series of books then moved to movies and then video games.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone had been selected as the Labour Parliamentary candidate for the Hampstead constituency. He moved to Camden just before the deadline to stand for the council in 1978, and was elected there. Livingstone's performance in Hampstead in the United Kingdom 1979 general election was good, although he did not come close to winning what was at that time a safe Conservative seat.


title: Fictional universe

text: The reboots of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre shared a universe, the "New Line Cinema's House of Horror" which was cancelled following disappointing figures and reviews


title: Ken Livingstone

text: He married Christine Pamela Chapman in 1973 and the marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Around that time he became involved with Kate Allen (Amnesty International UK), now director of Amnesty International in the UK, but the couple separated in November 2001.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone and his current partner Emma Beal, also his office manager, have a son, Thomas, born 14 December 2002 at the University College Hospital, London, and a daughter, Mia, born on 20 March 2004 at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. He also has three other children from previous relationships, whose existence was only publicly revealed during the London mayoral election in 2008. Livingstone is a noted "bon vivant", having twice worked as a food critic for London's "Evening Standard" newspaper and various magazines.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone again stood for Parliament in the 1987 general election, winning a seat in the north-west London constituency of Brent East. He replaced Labour MP Reg Freeson who was a committed left-winger, but his relatively moderate ("sensible left") views made him vulnerable to the hard left in the early 1980s. Freeson was able to retain his seat at the 1983 general election, but was deselected in 1985 after a bitter struggle, described as "political 'murder'" in his Guardian obituary, and replaced as Labour candidate in Brent East by Livingstone.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In his maiden speech to Parliament in July 1987, Livingstone used Parliamentary privilege to raise a number of allegations made by Fred Holroyd, a former MI6 operative in Northern Ireland. Despite the convention of maiden speeches being non-controversial, Livingstone alleged that Holroyd had been mistreated when he tried to expose MI5 collusion with loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s and the part Captain Robert Nairac is alleged to have played. He also voiced Colin Wallace's allegations of MI5 dirty tricks levelled at Harold Wilson, part of what became known as the "Wilson plot".


title: Ken Livingstone

text: As a Labour backbencher, Livingstone lost the public platform he possessed as head of the GLC; furthermore, his brand of radical socialism was increasingly out of step with the Labour leadership, which had moved sharply towards the centre under the leadership of Neil Kinnock who now blamed left-wingers like Livingstone for Labour's 'unelectability.' Over the long term, though, it was Livingstone rather than Kinnock who was to achieve electoral success. In September 1987 he was elected to the party's National Executive Committee, although he lost this position two years later; he regained it in 1997 beating Peter Mandelson in what some interpreted as a rebuke to Tony Blair. He was re-elected MP in the general election of 1992, with a 6% swing to Labour in his Brent East constituency. Besides serving in the Commons, Livingstone held a number of other 'odd jobs' during this period, including game show contestant and host, after-dinner speaker, and restaurant reviewer for the "Evening Standard". In 1987 he published an autobiography-cum-political tract, "If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It".


title: Ken Livingstone

text: As a politician comfortable in light-hearted and satirical situations, in 1990, Livingstone made the first of seven appearances on the topical panel show "Have I Got News For You". For a long time, his first six appearances would stand as the show's record; his current tally of seven - the last being in 2002 - fall one short of the record for guest appearances currently held by Germaine Greer and Will Self.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In 1995, Livingstone appeared on the track "Ernold Same" by the band Blur, taken from the album "The Great Escape". Livingstone provided spoken word vocals and was listed as 'The Right On Ken Livingstone.'


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone appeared in one of a series of advertisements extolling the virtues of cheese in the 1980s, appropriately endorsing red Leicester. On the other side of politics, Edward Heath advertised Danish Blue. Their respective choices are down to the colour red being associated with the Labour Party, and blue with the Conservative Party.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone was again re-elected in the 1997 general election, in which Labour was returned to power under the leadership of Tony Blair. Among Labour's proposals was the establishment of a Greater London Authority which was to be a strategic body: unlike the GLC the Greater London Authority would not provide any services to Londoners directly. The new Greater London Authority would be headed by a directly-elected mayor, who would be watched over by a 25-member Assembly.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Despite having earlier criticised the specific proposals for a new London-wide authority, Livingstone was widely tipped for the new post of Mayor. The mayoral election was scheduled for 2000, and in 1999, Labour began the long and trying process of selecting its candidate. Despite Blair's personal antipathy, Livingstone was included on Labour's shortlist in November 1999, having pledged that he would not run as an independent if he failed to secure the party's nomination. William Hague, then Leader of the Opposition taunted Blair at Prime Minister's Question Time: "Why not split the job in two, with Frank Dobson as your day mayor and Ken Livingstone as your nightmare?"


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Labour chose its official candidate on 20 February 2000. Although Livingstone received a healthy majority of the total votes, he nevertheless lost the nomination to former Secretary of State for Health Frank Dobson, under a controversial system in which votes from sitting Labour MPs and MEPs were weighted more heavily than votes from rank-and-file members. On 6 March, Livingstone announced that he would run against Dobson as an independent, confirming speculation that he would renege on his earlier pledge. He was suspended from the Labour Party the same day and expelled on 4 April. Tony Blair said that Livingstone as mayor would be a "disaster" for London; he later said he was wrong in that prediction.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The result of the election – held on 4 May – was a foregone conclusion: Dobson, who it was alleged, had been pressured into running by the party leadership, unsuccessfully based his campaign on claims that Livingstone was an egomaniac, and the Conservatives remained becalmed after their catastrophic national defeat in 1997. Livingstone came out ahead in the first round of balloting with 38% of first-preference votes to Conservative Steven Norris's 27%; Dobson finished third, with 13% of all first-preference votes – just ahead of Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer, with 12%. Under the modified instant-runoff voting system employed for the election, only the votes cast for Livingstone and Norris were considered in the second round, where Livingstone won with 58% of first- and second-preference votes, versus 42% for Norris.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone continued to sit in parliament, as an independent having had the Labour whip withdrawn, until standing down at the 2001 General Election.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone applied for readmittance to the Labour Party in 2002 but was rejected. In November 2003, however, rumours emerged that the Labour Party would allow Livingstone to rejoin, just ahead of the 2004 London mayoral election. Opinion polls consistently gave a poor showing to Labour's official candidate, Nicky Gavron, and many in the party leadership (including Tony Blair himself) feared that Labour would be humiliated by a fourth-place finish. In mid-December, Gavron announced she would stand down as the Labour candidate in favour of a 'unity campaign,' with Gavron as Livingstone's deputy, with Labour's National Executive Committee voting 25-2 to pave the way for Livingstone's readmittance. The deal hinged on a 'loyalty test' administered by a special five-member NEC panel on 9 January. The panel recommended that Livingstone be allowed back in the party. The move towards readmittance came amid considerable opposition from senior party members, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, and former party leader Neil Kinnock. In a ballot of Labour Party members in London, Livingstone was overwhelmingly endorsed as the Labour candidate for the 2004 Mayoral election.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone was re-elected Mayor of London on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Conservative Steven Norris's 28% and Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes's 15%. Six other candidates shared the remainder of the votes. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone or Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone sought re-election in 2008, but was defeated by Conservative candidate Boris Johnson on a night that saw the Labour Party suffer its worst electoral defeats for forty years. Once first and second votes were taken into account Johnson had 1,168,738 votes, Livingstone 1,028,966 - a margin of 139, 772 votes or just over 6% of those who voted.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Speaking immediately after the count, Johnson paid public tribute to his defeated rival, praising "the very considerable achievements of the last mayor of London" and describing Livingstone as "a very considerable public servant". Johnson went on to say "You shaped the office of mayor. You gave it national prominence and when London was attacked on 7 July 2005 you spoke for London."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Johnson also spoke of Livingstone's "courage and the sheer exuberant nerve with which you stuck it to your enemies" and expressed a desire that the new Conservative administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London".


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone's greatest challenge as Mayor of London has been dealing with the city's ageing transportation infrastructure. Despite conflict over appropriate funding schemes and engineering challenges to modernising both the London Underground and the city's bus system, an Association of London Government survey, conducted by MORI towards the end of Livingstone's first term in 2004, suggested growing public satisfaction with public transport, with buses in particular being seen as more frequent and reliable.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In accordance with his pre-election pledge, bus fares were frozen for four years, but then the standard single cash fare on buses more than doubled. Further, and contrary to his pledge during his first election campaign, when he said "only a de-humanised moron would get rid of the Routemaster", Livingstone removed the famous Routemaster buses from routine service on 9 December 2005, claiming it was because the new buses were wheelchair-accessible, although several of the old buses are used on shortened "heritage routes". There was some question over the legality of using the old Routemaster under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as the Routemasters effectively banned wheel chair users.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In tandem with the removal of Routemaster buses, Livingstone oversaw the introduction of bending articulated buses. These buses have faced criticism for allegedly being fire-prone, dangerous to cyclists, and unable to navigate some winding streets; see London articulated bus controversy.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone has been a strong proponent of the Oyster card smartcard ticketing system for London's public transport network introduced in 2003. In late 2005, Livingstone proposed large fare increases for on-the-spot tickets across the Tube and bus network to encourage regular travellers to use the automated Oyster system to reduce queuing at Underground stations and avoid delays in conductorless buses as drivers issue tickets. The plans, although ratified by the GLA and introduced in January 2006 were condemned by those who argued that the increases would increase the cost of travelling in London to tourists and others who do not travel regularly. Civil liberties groups have expressed concern over the way in which Transport for London is able to track the movements of passengers using the Oyster card system. Livingstone moved to make all bus journeys free for passengers under the age of 18 enrolled in full-time education who travel with an Oyster card and introduced initiatives to enable visitors to buy an Oyster card before arriving in London.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: One of the key points of conflict between Livingstone and the Labour Party had been the proposed 'Public-Private Partnership' for the London Underground. Livingstone had run in 2000 on a policy of financing the improvements to Tube infrastructure by a public bond issue, which had been done in the case of the New York City Subway. However the Mayor did not have power in this area at the time as the Underground operated independently of Transport for London. The PPP deal went ahead in July 2002, but it did not diminish Livingstone's desire to re-join Labour. Metronet, one of the winners of the contract for PPP, subsequently went into administration in July 2007.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone introduced the London congestion charge with the purpose of reducing traffic congestion in central London. Since being introduced the charge has proved to be controversial, though Transport for London maintains that traffic has fallen by 20% within the charge zone since the scheme began. One reason for the controversy is that whilst the scheme has been lucrative for its private-sector operator, Capita, some people argue it has not made enough money for public transport because the money has been spent on other things.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: However, its apparent success in reducing congestion has led to similar schemes being proposed in other major cities such as New York.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In November 2003, Livingstone was named 'Politician of the Year' by the Political Studies Association, which said his scheme was 'bold and imaginative'.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The United States Embassy for many years has refused to pay the charge because they argue it is a tax and not a charge on congestion.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Ken Livingstone has been called “an environmentalist, a leftist, a lover of newts," and has made a significant effort to reduce London’s impact on the environment. He began by creating the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership in his first term as Mayor of London. The Mayor’s Energy Strategy , “green light to clean power,” commits London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010. However, he does support the Thames Gateway Bridge in East London that Friends of the Earth say "would bring few benefits to the local people and lead to more traffic, more noise and air pollution and an increase in climate-changing emissions". In October 2007, London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to help chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In June 2007, Livingstone criticised a planned £200 million desalination plant at Beckton, which would be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In 2001 Livingstone set up Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a "step towards" such rights. Legal status was later passed by the government through the Civil Partnership Act 2004.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: After rejecting the idea for a couple of years, Livingstone hosted a Jewish Hanukkah ceremony at City Hall in December 2005. He said he intended this to be an annual occurrence. On 17 March 2002 Livingstone introduced an annual Saint Patrick's Day festival to London to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London, with around 250,000 people annually turning out for this. On 28 October 2006 he helped organise the first ever ""Eid in the Square"" in Trafalgar Square, in commemoration of the Eid ul-Fitr festival which marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: After the 7 July 2005 London bombings Livingstone, from the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, where it had recently been announced London would host the 2012 Olympic Games, delivered a speech.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life. I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail. In the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfill their dreams and achieve their potential. They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They do not want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone defended the police after the mistaken killing of a Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes, who police believed was a suicide bomber.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In 2001 Livingstone revived the free anti-racism Music festival now called . He believes that this, along with other anti-racist policies, is why London has seen a 35% decrease in racist attacks.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In September 2005 Livingstone came out in support of placing a statue of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square. Livingstone said "There can be no better place than our greatest square to place a statue of Nelson Mandela so that every generation can remind the next of the fight against racism." He was highly critical of the Planning and City Development Committee of Westminster City Council who refused planning permission.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In 2008 Livingstone's race advisor Lee Jasper resigned after being accused of corruption and inappropriate behaviour. Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote has said the 2008 Mayoral campaign has seen a "wholly disproportionate" focus on Jasper, Doreen Lawrence (Livingstone supporter and mother of Stephen Lawrence), and others.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: On 23 August 2007, at 12pm, Mayor Ken Livingstone formally apologised for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade. In a bicentennial day memorial event, he also called for the 23 August to be named as a national day for remembrance in the UK for the "horrific crime against humanity of the transatlantic slave trade." He went on to make the following tearful speech and formal apology:


title: Ken Livingstone

text: "It is because it is the anniversary of the biggest slave revolt in history, that UNESCO officially marks this day, the 23 August, the anniversary of that outbreak in Haiti, as slavery's official remembrance day. This is why we, in London, call for it to be the annual slave memorial day. We are therefore here to initiate London's annual slavery memorial day, and call for the establishment of a national, annual memorial day. In 1999, Liverpool became the first major British slaving city to formally apologise. The Church of England soon followed suit. In March I invited representatives of London's institutions to join the City of Liverpool and the Church of England for formally apologising for London's role in this monstrous crime. As Mayor, I offer an apology on behalf of London and its institutions for their role in the transatlantic slave trade."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Rejecting the idea that it is not possible to "meaningfully apologise for something a former generation did," Livingstone emphasised that London and by implication the rest of the developed world still profited enormously from the assets accumulated in the slave era, adding "It was the racial murder of not just those who were transported but generations of enslaved African men, women and children. To justify this murder and torture black people had to be declared inferior or not human. We live with the consequences today."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In March 2002, while still independent, Livingstone was accused of "cronyism" by some Labour party members in the London Assembly after he had appointed six officials as special advisers at a salary level which seemed to them excessive, and a manoeuvre to help his chances of being re-elected. Livingstone denied the allegations and stated the appointments were a "necessary efficiency drive."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In December 2007, the "Evening Standard" published news of an investigation into grants worth £2.5 million paid to organisations in which Ken Livingstone's adviser Lee Jasper was involved. It is confirmed that some of these grants were paid directly by the mayor's office.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Following Mr. Livingstone’s defeat in the 2008 Mayoral Elections, "The Daily Mail" reported that “Eight 'cronies' of Ken Livingstone are to receive £1.6 million in pay-offs following his defeat in the London mayoral elections.” Mr. Livingstone changed the rules for political appointees who would otherwise not have been eligible for severance packages, which paved the way for the eight City Hall advisors to receive an average of £200,000. Liberal Democrat Leader Dee Doocey stated that the payments were “completely inexcusable” and added that “It seems like there's one law for the ordinary working person and one law for the political class.” Tony Travers, local government expert at the London School of Economics, said: “I think most people will be shocked. You could do quite a lot about knife crime with £1.6 million. It is odd indeed that the full benefits of labour laws designed to protect the vulnerable are being claimed by courtiers who knew they would lose their jobs if their master lost the election.”


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Mr Livinstone refuted the comments by stating that 'It's a question of what the law requires. Either there's a legal responsibility or there is not.'


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Ken Livingstone was publicly criticised in February 2005 for remarks made to an "Evening Standard" reporter, comparing him to a Nazi concentration camp guard, after the reporter had tried to interview him following a reception marking the 20th anniversary of Chris Smith's coming out as gay. The reporter, Oliver Finegold, was in fact Jewish and said he took offence at the remarks, but Livingstone refused to withdraw the remark and was subsequently accused of antisemitism. Finegold had an audio recorder running. "The Evening Standard" decided not to run the story at first but the following transcript of the conversation was published by "guardian.co.uk":


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The epithet "German war criminal" and Livingstone's subsequent jibes refer to the Standard's owners, the Daily Mail and General Trust, which endorsed Oswald Mosley's Fascists in 1934 and supported Nazism until 1939. Livingstone also claimed the "Standard" was guilty of "harassment of a predominantly lesbian and gay event". Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell suggested in the Evening Standard that this explanation "came across as patronising. Gay people don't need the Mayor's protection to fend off a journalist asking simple questions."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: After listening to the recording supplied by Finegold, the London Assembly voted unanimously to ask Livingstone to apologise. Livingstone responded by saying "the form of words I have used are right. I have nothing to apologise for." Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron, herself the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, said of Livingstone: "These were inappropriate words and very offensive, both to the individual and to Jews in London." Some two dozen complaints were referred to the Standards Board for England, the body responsible for English local government standards, which passed it to the Adjudication Panel for England, which has the power to ban individuals from public office for five years.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The Adjudication Panel addressed the case over two days on the 13 & 14 December 2005 and adjourned the hearing for two months. On 24 February 2006, Ken Livingstone was found guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended from office for four weeks, stating that he seemed "to have failed... to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable". Livingstone attacked the decision on the grounds that the Adjudication Panel members ought not to suspend a democratically elected official from power, describing their actions as "striking at the heart of democracy". The ban was due to begin on 1 March 2006, but on 28 February, a High Court judge postponed it pending an appeal by Livingstone.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The decision was later quashed by the High Court of Justice when on 5 October, Mr Justice Collins overturned the suspension, regardless of the outcome of Livingstone's appeal concerning the breach of standards. The final judgment upheld Livingstone's appeal and stated that the Adjudication Panel had misdirected itself, although the judge stated that the Mayor should have apologised.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: On 7 December 2006, at a City Hall reception marking the launch of the London Jewish Forum, Livingstone apologised for any offence that he had caused the Jewish community.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Criticism of Livingstone by the Evening Standard intensified during the 2008 campaign, with daily front page articles attacking him, under the direction of editor Veronica Wadley who originally urged Johnson to stand and who is closely linked to Tory leadership. According to articles in The Guardian and Time Out London, she is strongly influenced by the need to renew Associated Newspaper's multi-million pound contract to deliver the Metro free paper in London Underground stations in 2010, a decision within the gift of the Mayor.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In 2004 Livingstone said "I just long for the day I wake up and find that the Saudi Royal Family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people of Saudi Arabia."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In a March 2005 commentary in "The Guardian" he accused Israel's prime minister Ariel Sharon of being a "war criminal", citing his alleged personal responsibility for the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982 and accusations of ethnic cleansing. Accusations that Sharon was implicated are frequently made by other organisations and leading politicians including the official Israeli Kahan Commission investigation into the massacres in 1982.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: On 20 July 2005, Livingstone made the following comments in a BBC interview about the role of foreign policy as a motivation for the London bombings of two weeks earlier:


title: Ken Livingstone

text: "I think you've just had 80 years of western intervention into predominantly Arab lands because of the western need for oil. We've propped up unsavoury governments, we've overthrown ones we didn't consider sympathetic. And I think the particular problem we have at the moment is that in the 1980s ... the Americans recruited and trained Osama Bin Laden, taught him how to kill, to make bombs, and set him off to kill the Russians and drive them out of Afghanistan. They didn't give any thought to the fact that once he'd done that he might turn on his creators. A lot of young people see the double standards, they see what happens in Guantanamo Bay, and they just think that there isn't a just foreign policy."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: "Under foreign occupation and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work for three generations, I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Commentator Mark Steyn described the interview as Livingstone "artfully" attempting "to draw a distinction between Muslim terrorists blowing up his own public transit (which he didn't approve of) and Muslim terrorists blowing up Israeli public transit (which he was inclined to be sympathetic to)."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In November 2003, Livingstone made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as 'the greatest threat to life on this planet,' just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative 'Peace Reception' at City Hall 'for everybody who is not George Bush,' with anti-war Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic as the guest of honour. In 2004 he referred to Bush as "the most corrupt American president since Harding in the Twenties". In July 2007 Livingstone suggested that Prime Minister Gordon Brown needed to explain to Bush "that US governments need to return to a realistic view of the world. The US is the world's single most powerful country, but much weaker than the rest of the world put together. The attempt by one country to unilaterally impose itself on the rest of the world is not only undesirable but simply won't work."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: In February 2007, Ken Livingstone signed a deal with Venezuela to provide cheaper oil for London buses. In return, the Greater London Authority advises Venezuela on recycling, waste management, traffic and reducing carbon emissions. This deal came under criticism from the London Assembly Conservatives including Richard Barnes, who stated that the "money would be better directed at the poor of Venezuela," and journalist Martin Bright, who said that the deal "effectively takes from the poor of Latin America to give to one of the richest cities in the world." Prices have been slashed by 20%; following this, half-price bus travel became available to Londoners on income support. Livingstone stated the plan "rises on the suggestion of President Hugo Chávez and builds on the work his government is doing around the world in tackling the problems of poverty," and also said, "This will make it cheaper and easier for people to go about their lives and get the most out of London. The agreement... will also benefit the people of Venezuela, by providing expertise in areas of city management in which London is a world leader."


title: Ken Livingstone

text: The deal was discontinued by incoming mayor Boris Johnson (effective from September 2008), a decision criticized by Livingstone.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: A dispute with the US Embassy in London over payment of the London Congestion Charge escalated on 27 March 2006 when Livingstone criticised the Embassy's decision not to pay. The Embassy argued that the charge is a form of taxation, not a charge for a service, and diplomats and their staff are therefore exempt under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Embassy officials have never paid the charge, which was instituted in 2003. Livingstone, however, alleged that the decision was made by Robert Tuttle, who took up the post of Ambassador in July 2005. Livingstone described Tuttle as "one of George Bush's closest cronies and a big funder of his election campaign" and said he was trying to "skive out of [paying] like some chiselling little crook". The group Liberty and Law reported this remark to the Standards Board for England as a breach of its code, but the board chose not to investigate it.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Germany stopped paying the charge in 2005, Japan followed in 2006, and in 2007 France, Russia, Belgium, and 50 other missions followed suit when the zone extended to their missions' locations (Iran, Sweden and Syria continue to pay the charge). Asked about Japan's refusal to pay in a March 2007 interview on LBC Radio, Livingstone responded, "I think there are several problems with Japan that we could go on about here. Admitting their guilt for all the war crimes would be one thing. So if they've not got round to doing that, I doubt they're too worried about the congestion charge." London's Japanese embassy responded that their government had already apologised for previous war crimes.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: Livingstone acted as a stand-in presenter on London talk radio station LBC 97.3's Jeni Barnett for a week beginning on 30 June 2008. In July 2008 he announced his intention to run again for the office of Mayor of London at the next mayoral elections and signalled his intent to organise a "progressive alliance" of political parties (such as the Labour Party and the Green Party), trade unions and interest groups to defend the progress which was made during his terms as Mayor and to prepare for the next mayoral elections.


title: Ken Livingstone

text: On 28 August 2008, it was announced that Livingstone will be an adviser on urban planning to Caracas, Venezuela. He will act as a consultant on the capital's policing, transport and other municipal issues. As a friend of Hugo Chávez, Livingstone was appointed personally by him to advise officials and mayoral candidates in Caracas, in order to help transform the city, which journalist Rory Carroll described as suffering from, "Gridlocked traffic, a crumbling centre, hillside slums, horrific murder rates, corrupt police and inept local government". Livingstone reckoned that in twenty years a "first-world city" can be made out of Caracas, stating, "I have a very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally which I will be calling on to assist in this." No decision on a salary for the ex-mayor has been made, although he mentioned that, "The whole cost of this trip has been paid for by the government of Venezuela and as an unemployed citizen I would not be able to pay for my own fare otherwise." The appointment follows on from the controversy surrounding the deal brokered by Livingstone in February 2007 for the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to provide advice to Venezuela in exchange for cheap fuel to help with bus subsidies. The deal was later overturned by new mayor Boris Johnson, and Livingstone offered his services to Chávez so that Venezuela gets the "advice that we promised". Livingstone played down any accusations that his close relationship with the Venezuelan President was controversial, "unless you believe American propaganda", while a spokesperson for Johnson said, "Ken Livingstone is free, as a private individual, to offer his advice and services to whomever he wants." Livingstone is now being touted as a key asset for Chávez in the upcoming November elections in the country.


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: The Importance of being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. It was first performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London. In the play, the protagonists make up people who are not real to try to make their lives easier. The play's most important themes are the light humourous way it treats serious things like marriages and the satire of Victorian ways. At the time the play came out, reviews all praised the play's humour. However, some people wanted better social messages, while others thought that it was the best play Wilde had ever written. It is Wilde's most popular play.


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: The plot is about two men who try to woo their respective lovers by convincing each that their name is Ernest. The play includes many puns and plays on words. Even the title is a pun, because "Ernest" is a man's name and "earnest" is a word that means "serious, honest, and sincere." The play is about morality, style, and hypocrisy, among others, but it is noted for being humorous and lighthearted.


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, father of Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde's lover, planned to present Wilde a bouquet of spoiling vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off, and Queensberry was refused admission. Soon afterwards the feud came to a climax in court, and Wilde's new notoriety caused the play, despite its success, to be closed after just 86 performances. After imprisonment, he wrote no further comic or dramatic work. "The Importance of Being Earnest" has been revived many times since its premiere and adapted for the cinema on three occasions, in 1952, 1992 and 2002.


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: Unlike many other plays at this time, "The Importance of Being Earnest"'s light story was not about serious social or political issues. This was something that reviewers at that time were not sure what to think about. Though they were not sure of how serious Wilde was, they agreed that the play was clever, funny, and popular. George Bernard Shaw, for example, reviewed the play in the "Saturday Review". He said that comedy plays should not only be funny but touching, saying, "I go to the theatre to be "moved" to laughter". Later in a letter he said that the play was "extremely funny" but "really heartless".


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: BBC Radio 4 made a radio adaptation on 13 February 1995. It was directed by Glyn Dearman. Dame Judi Dench was "Lady Bracknell", Sir Michael Hordern was "Lane", Michael Sheen was "Jack Worthing", Martin Clunes was "Algernon Moncrieff", John Moffatt was "Rev. Canon Chasuble", Miriam Margolyes was "Miss Prism", Samantha Bond was "Gwendolen" and Amanda Root was "Cecily". The production came out on audio cassette by Hodder Headline Audiobooks with BBC Enterprises ().


title: The Importance of Being Earnest

text: On 13 December 2000, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new radio adaptation directed by Howard Davies. In this radio adaption, Geraldine McEwan was "Lady Bracknell", Simon Russell Beale was "Jack Worthing", Julian Wadham was "Algernon Moncrieff", Geoffrey Palmer was "Rev. Canon Chasuble", Celia Imrie was "Miss Prism", Victoria Hamilton was "Gwendolen" and Emma Fielding was "Cecily". The music was written by Dominic Muldowney. The production was released on audio cassette by the BBC Radio Collection ().


title: Univision

text: It was founded by the largest media company in Mexico (now known as Grupo Televisa) as a means to spread Spanish programming in the United States. Univision has grown to be the largest Spanish-language media outlet in the U.S. Its daily news program "Noticiero Univisión", co-anchored by Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas, has in several occasions outdone (in number of ratings) major English-language network evening news programming such as CBS, NBC, and ABC's World News Tonight.


title: Venom

text: Venom is a kind of poison used by animals. It is made in an animal's body. It is injected into the body of another animal by a bite or sting. Animals that use venom include some kinds of insects, fish, reptiles, and even mammals.


title: Univision

text: Univisión and Telemundo USA have been competing for the top spot among Hispanic viewers for many years, often imitating each other's programming.


title: Venom

text: Some animals use venom to kill another animal that they are going to eat. One animal that does that is the rattlesnake. Some animals use venom to protect themselves. Some animals that do that are bees, ants and stingrays. Some animals use venom for both of these things.


title: Univision

text: Univisión headquarters are based in Los Angeles, although much of its programming is filmed in Miami. Among its shows are "El Show De Cristina" (talkshow hosted by Cristina Saralegui), Don Francisco's "Sábado Gigante", "Despierta América" (morning show), "Primer Impacto" (newsmagazine), "Aquí y Ahora" (premier investigative nightly newsmagazine), and "Noticiero Univisión" (news program conducted by Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas).


title: Univision

text: In 2013, Univision and ABC News announced that they were to become partners and will form a new channel called Fusion. Fusion will show English news for Hispanic audiences. The channel began broadcasting on October 28, 2013.


title: Mark Salling

text: Mark Wayne Salling (August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor, singer-songwriter, composer, musician and convicted sex offender. He was known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series "Glee". He was born in Dallas, Texas.


title: Tom Cotton

text: Tom Cotton (born May 13, 1977) is the junior United States Senator from Arkansas. He is a member of the U.S. Republican Party. Cotton has been in Senate since January 3, 2015. He was in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015.


title: Mark Salling

text: In December 2015, Salling was arrested for having several thousand photos and videos showing child pornography. In October 2017, Salling pleaded guilty and faced four to seven years in prison. His sentencing hearing was set in March 2018.


title: Tom Cotton

text: Cotton was born on May 13, 1977 in Dardanelle, Arkansas. He graduated from the Harvard University and attended, but did not graduate from, Claremont Graduate University. He is married to Jaime Gardner. They have one child.


title: Mark Salling

text: Salling committed suicide by hanging at his home in Los Angeles, California on January 30, 2018 at the age of 35.


title: Tom Cotton

text: In January 2016, Cotton became the first sitting United States senator to support Bernie Sanders for President of the United States.


title: Reward

text: A reward is getting something good for doing a given task. It needs someone who has the power to give the good thing. It is the opposite of punishment.


title: Auburn University

text: Auburn University is a university in the U.S. state of Alabama. Auburn University is in the city of Auburn, Alabama. People can usually just say "Auburn" for short when they are talking about the University. There are about 24,000 students in school at Auburn.


title: Control unit

text: The control unit is a circuit inside of a computer's central processing unit (CPU). It controls the activity of all other units in the computer system, giving them directions. Its main job is to get the code from the program, decode it and operate the arithmetic logic unit and other units to run the code. The control unit manages all the computer resources. It directs the flow of data between the CPU and the other devices.


title: Reward

text: Ideas like risk and reward, reward and punishment are based on the idea that people do things, or avoid doing things, to get rewards. In psychology there is another idea that this is not true. This other idea says that training (conditioning) and emotions (affective factors) are much more important than the rewards or punishments given by others.


title: Auburn University

text: Auburn opened February 1, 1856 but was named the East Alabama Male College. The university changed the name many times until 1960 when it was named Auburn University. Auburn is one of three large universities in Alabama. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has the same number of students and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama is the third largest. Auburn University has 12 colleges on campus, including agriculture, architecture, business, education, engineering, forestry, human sciences, liberal arts, nursing, pharmacy, mathematics, and medicine.


title: Reward

text: In trying to catch criminals and other bad people, the government often offers money to people. This money is given to people who may capture the criminal, or give information that helps the police catch them. For example, after the Eureka Stockade rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria in 1854, the government offered a big reward of 400 pounds for the capture of the people who had started it.


title: Auburn University

text: The Auburn University sports teams are named the Auburn Tigers and the mascot is a tiger named Aubie.


title: Reward

text: In 2001, the US government offered a big reward of 2.5 million dollars for help in capturing the person who had sent anthrax in letters to a newspaper journalist and 2 senators. Anthrax is a disease which can kill people.


title: Incitatus

text: Incitatus was Emperor Caligula's favorite horse. He lived in Ancient Rome around 40 CE. His name means "fast-moving" in Latin.


title: Incitatus

text: There is a story that Caligula made his horse a senator, but it is probably not true. According to historian Mary Beard, no ancient historian who was alive at the same time as Caligula ever said Caligula really made Incitatus a senator, and it is likely that he only told a joke about doing it.


title: Incitatus

text: Ancient historians do say Caligula gave his horse many gifts. In 121 c.e., in his book "The Twelve Caesars", the historian Suetonius says of Incitatus: "Besides a stall of marble, a manger of ivory, purple blankets and a collar of precious stones, he even gave this horse a house, a troop of slaves and furniture, for the more elegant entertainment of the guests invited in his name; and it is also said that he planned to make him consul."


title: Incitatus

text: In Robert Graves' 1934 book "I, Claudius", the fictional Caligula does make the fictional Incitatus a senator and gives him an ivory trough to eat out of. This is one of the ways Graves shows that Caligula has become mentally unstable. After Caligula dies, Claudius treats Incitatus like a normal horse again.


title: Incitatus

text: A talking version of Incitatus appears as a villain in Rick Riordan's 2018 young adult novel "The Burning Maze".


title: Eddie Fatu

text: Edward "Eddie" S. Fatu (March 28, 1973 - December 4 2009) was a Samoan professional wrestler best known for working with the WWF/WWE under the ring names Jamal, Ekmo, and Umaga.


title: Tornado Alley

text: Tornado Alley is a colloquial term most often used to refer to the area of the United States in which tornadoes happen more than in any other part of the country. The 1974 super tornado outbreak with 148 tornadoes, took place in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.


title: Eddie Fatu

text: He worked closely with Matt Anoaʻi of the Anoa'i wrestling family which he was also a part of. With Anoaʻi, they formed the tag teams The Island Boyz, the Samoan Gangstas, and 3-Minute Warning. He also wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling and wrestled a short time in TNA Wrestling from 2003 to 2004.


title: Tornado Alley

text: States such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio are sometimes included in Tornado Alley. Research suggests that tornadoes are happening more often in the northern parts of Tornado Alley where it reaches the Canadian prairies.


title: Eddie Fatu

text: Eddie Fatu died on December 4, 2009 of a heart attack. The official cause of his death was from acute toxicity from the combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam.


title: Tornado Alley

text: Over the years, the location(s) of Tornado Alley have not been clearly defined. No definition of tornado alley has ever been officially chosen by the National Weather Service (NWS). Thus, differences in the place are because of the different criteria used.


title: Tornado Alley

text: The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) FAQ says that "Tornado Alley" is a term used by the media as a reference to areas that have mroe tornadoes. A study of 1921–1995 tornadoes concluded almost one-fourth of all significant tornadoes happen in this area.


title: Tornado Alley

text: No state has no tornadoes; however, they happen more often in the Central United States, between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains.


title: Tornado Alley

text: Another criterion for the location of Tornado Alley (or Tornado Alleys) can be where the strongest tornadoes happen more often.


title: Tornado Alley

text: The term "tornado alley" was first used in 1952 by U.S. Air Force meteorologists Major Ernest J. Fawbush (1915–1982) and Captain Robert C. Miller (1920–1998). They used it as the title of a research project to study severe weather in parts of Texas and Oklahoma.


title: Tornado Alley

text: The average tornado stays on ground for only 5 minutes. These figures, reported by the National Climatic Data Center for the period between 1991 and 2010, show the seventeen U.S. states with the most average number of tornadoes per per year.


title: Tornado Alley

text: About half of all Canadian tornadoes hit the Canadian prairies and Northern Ontario as far east as Lake Superior. Together, these areas make up the northernmost border of the U.S. Tornado Alley. Tornadoes up to EF5 in strength have been found in this region.


title: Tornado Alley

text: Schools in Tornado Alley often have tornado drills, and many homes may have tornado shelters where people can go for safety.


title: David Otunga

text: David Daniel Otunga, Sr. (born April 7, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, lawyer, and actor. He is currently signed to the WWE. He is a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion; winning it once with John Cena and once with Michael McGillicutty. He was a member of NXT season 1 and was a member of the professional wrestling stable "The Nexus".


title: David Otunga

text: Otunga is the son of a Kenyan father, Moses, and white American mother, Billie, both of whom were educators. He is the youngest of three children. He grew up in Elgin, Illinois. Otunga graduated from Larkin High School, with mostly A-grades. Otunga holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. Following his graduation, he moved to New York, where he worked at Columbia University as a lab manager in a cognitive neuroscience center. He later attended Harvard Law School, and passed the bar exam in Illinois . Following his graduation, he worked for the Sidley Austin LLP law firm.


title: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

text: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a condition where a person feels unwell, which people who have it believe it to be due to being near electromagnetic fields. Other names for it include electrohypersensitivity, electro-sensitivity, and electrical sensitivity (ES). Wi-Fi allergy is a form of EHS.


title: Billa (supermarket)

text: Billa (stylised BILLA) is an Austrian supermarket chain. It has over 1,600 locations in Europe with over a thousand in Austria alone. They also operate in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Croatia and Ukraine. Billa was founded by Karl Wlaschek in 1953, and are owned by Germany's REWE Group.


title: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

text: According to the World Health Organization, EHS is described by vague symptoms that are different in each person. The symptoms are real and can be weak or strong and can make some disabled. There is no specific list of features to diagnose someone, and there is no scientific link between electromagnetic fields and how people feel. EHS is not a medical diagnosis. People who claim to have EHS blame it for headaches, fatigue, stress, sleep disturbances, skin symptoms like prickling, burning sensations and rashes, pain and ache in muscles and many other health problems. Although electromagnetic fields can make the body hot, people who say they have EHS say they feel sick at very low levels.


title: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

text: Most experiments show that people who claim to have EHS can't correctly tell if they are near EM radiation or not, and the medical and scientific communities don't think its a real illness. Several double-blind experiments suggest that people who say they have EHS can't detect if electromagnetic fields are present, and are just as likely to report feeling sick after a phony exposure as they are after real exposure, making scientists think it is the nocebo effect.


title: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

text: In the TV show "Better Call Saul", Jimmy McGill's brother Chuck stays at home and believes he suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity.


title: JLS

text: JLS (short for Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boy band, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company New Track City and then went on to become runners-up of the fifth series of the ITV reality talent show "The X Factor" in 2008, coming second to Alexandra Burke. During their initial stint as as boy band, they have sold over 3 million records worldwide. They were runners-up in the 2008 UK series of "The X Factor". JLS signed a record deal with Epic records in 2009. Their debut album peaked at number-one on the UK Albums Chart and sold more than 1 million copies.


title: Kimbanguism

text: Kimbanguism is an African religion practiced by the "Church of Jesus Christ on Earth through his prophet" Simon Kimbangu. It has roots in Christianity and has its headquarters in N'kamba in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


title: Kimbanguism

text: In April 1921, during the Belgian colonization in Congo, Simon Kimbangu started preaching to people and using the powers that he believed he had received from God in visions to heal people. During his ministry, he attracted a large group of people. Under pressure from the Catholic Church, who was afraid of the popularity of the movement, the Belgian authorities tried to arrest Kimbangu on June 09, 1921. They failed in arresting him, and Kimbangu escaped. He continued his ministry in secret before turning himself in on September 12, 1921. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. He died in prison in 1951.


title: Kimbanguism

text: During Kimbangu’s imprisonment, Kimbanguism was prohibited, but the followers continued to practice it. It grew through the leadership of Kimbangu’s wife, Muile Marie, and his son, Joseph Diangenda. After Kimbangu’s death, the movement was recognized as a religion by the Belgian authorities in 1959 and became a member of the World Council of Churches in 1969. The church was led by Kimbangu’s youngest son, Joseph Diangenda Kuntima, until his death in 2001. Since 2001, Kimbangu’s grandson, Simon Kimbangu Kiangani, has become the spiritual leader.


title: Kimbanguism

text: Three dates are important in Kimbanguist beliefs: April 6 (the start of the ministry of healing), May 25 (Christmas), and October 12 (Kimbangu’s death anniversary). Kimbanguism has roots in Christianity and the Bible. However, it has developed its own beliefs.


title: Kimbanguism

text: The basic principles of the Kimbanguist church are Bolingo (Love in English), Mibeko (Laws in English), and Misala (Works in English). According to Kimbanguist beliefs, Simon Kimbangu is God the Holy Spirit. Charles Kisolokele, his first son, is God the Father. Salomon Dialungana, his second son, is believed to be Jesus Christ who has come back in our times. Joseph Diangenda, his third son, is the reincarnation of his Father, the Holy Spirit.


title: Kimbanguism

text: According to  Kimbanguist rules, polygamy, smoking, drugs, alcohol, eating pork, sleeping naked, and trading on Sundays are all forbidden. During the Sunday services, believers do not wear shoes in the church. Green and white are the colors used in Kimbanguism. Green represents hope and white represents integrity. The churches are painted in these colors, and the believers wear them almost every day. The Kimbanguist has its headquarters in N'kamba, the hometown of Simon Kimbangu, which is considered “the New Jerusalem.”


title: Kimbanguism

text: Kimbanguism has expanded outside of the Congo. Some smaller communities are in other central African countries, as well as Belgium, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.


title: Kimbanguism

text: The spiritual leader is the supreme authority of the church. He is followed by the elders, who are the highest level of the Kimbanguist clergy. National and regional representatives make the second level of the leadership of the church. Decisions are made by the elders during meetings of representatives from the congregations. The Kimbanguist Church has its headquarters in N'kamba, the hometown of Simon Kimbangu, which is considered “the New Jerusalem.” Baptism is required to become a member of the church.


title: Game port

text: The Game port is a port that is present on some PC hardware, and hardware similar to it. This port lets the connection of analog devices used to control computer games, such as joysticks. In most relevant hardware designs for personal computers in 2010, the port is an integrated component on the sound card, another I/O card, or the motherboard itself. Starting with Windows Vista Microsoft no longer supports this port with drivers from the Operating System, but third party drivers are still available. There are also drivers that allow to map the game port to an USB device.


title: Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

text: The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6–9) written in the New Testament is a parable of Jesus. It is a parable about a fig tree which does not produce fruit, unlike the parable of the budding fig tree.


title: Ski Mask the Slump God

text: Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne (born April 18, 1996), known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God (formerly stylized as $ki Mask "The Slump God"), is an American rapper and songwriter. He first became known for his work with XXXTentacion and their hip hop collective Members Only. His 2017 songs "Catch Me Outside" and "Babywipe" were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His first album, "Stokeley", was released in November 2018.


title: Call of Duty: Finest Hour

text: Call Of Duty: Finest Hour is a WW2 war shooter. The game launched on November 16, 2004, it was a spin-off of the first Call of Duty, which sets the stage for World War II. It is the third video game in the series and the first to make the release to PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox consoles. There is not a PC version.


title: Michael Bisping

text: Michael Bisping (born 28 February 1979) is an English retired mixed martial artist and current commentator and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the UFC middleweight champion from 2016 to 2017. He had 39 professional fights, winning 30 and losing nine.


title: Game port

text: Unlike most other ports present on the PC, the Game port is an analog port. This means that signal first needs to be changed to digital form, a task which is usually done by an analog-to-digital converter. In the early days, most joystick designs were digital, which made them easier to build and cheaper. The game port has a 15-pin DSUB interface, most home computers that used digital joysticks had a 9-pin one. This made existing joysticks incompatible with the new interface.


title: Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

text: The owner of the vineyard represents God. The fig tree is a symbol for Jerusalem (and also for Jesus's church). The vineyard where the tree was planted is the earth. The tree was meant to bear the good fruit of the Holy Spirit and the gardener (vinedresser) is Jesus. Fig trees are often planted in vineyards.


title: Ski Mask the Slump God

text: Goulbourne was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is of Jamaican ancestry/descent. His father was a rapper who used the stage name "Sin City".


title: Michael Bisping

text: Bisping was born on a British military base in Nicosia, Cyprus. He grew up in Clitheroe, Lancashire. His father was in the British Army and is of Polish ancestry. His mother is Irish. He has three children with his Australian wife Rebecca.


title: Game port

text: Digital joysticks are easy for programmers to access. The signal is already digital, and only gets transferred to the PC. Analog signals are much harder to use, they need careful software interrupt driven programming (to get a useful signal). Interrupts use the main CPU of the system. Digital circuits can use Transistor–transistor logic, which does not use the CPU.


title: Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

text: The parable indicates Jesus is giving his hearers one last chance to repent their sins. "These three years" refers to the period of his ministry on earth. The parable is connected to the miracle of cursing the fig tree. Richard Whately commented that this parable "is one which our Lord may be said to have put before his hearers twice; once in words, once in action."


title: Game port

text: The usual implementation of a game port uses a capacitor and a simple voltage comparator. Both together form a sort of simple ramp-compare ADC. This system is polled periodically and reset at precise moments to read an input. This must be done more than 30 times every second to provide a responsive game input. The actual acquisition frequency and value usually depend on the joystick's resistance inside, noise, CPU speed and the total joystick-capacitor's RC time constant.


title: Game port

text: Its analog nature has also been the cause of a great number of problems. One problem was that all kinds of joysticks needed "calibration". This was true even for arcade-style ones. The reason for this was that no game controller and no joystick produced the same measurements each time. These depended on the exact way acquisition was made. Some of the worse designs even depended on the speed of the CPU. Also, all kinds of PC game ports suffer from electrical noise.


title: Game port

text: The calibration procedure is still needed at some point, even under modern operating systems such as Windows XP. Usually, it consists of moving the joystick around all of its axes to measure the maximum axis excursion values, no matter if the joystick uses analog signals (from potentiometers) or digital signals (using microswitches or contacts). USB joysticks, on the other hand, do not need calibration. This is because USB sends digital signals.


title: Game port

text: In the days of DOS, every game using the game port(s) had to do its own calibration, often each time the game started, and some poorly coded calibration routines even failed to work consistently and properly, rendering some joysticks unusable with some games. With Windows XP, only one calibration per joystick is enough, which is thought "valid" until the joystick is unplugged.


title: Game port

text: Certain applications and games are able to use some analog joysticks even without explicit calibration, under certain restricted conditions. A system of a joystic and game port that is not calibrated can give a "direction", at best. It can not give an intensity. For this setup, an analog joystick can be "self calibrated" just by leaving the joystick in the middle position and taking a measurement, and then using some arbitrary or adaptive threshold to detect movement and excursion from the middle position. The limitation of this method is that the reading of the same joystick over the same game port can change over time, and some joysticks cannot work at all with this method. Also, the joystick must be in the middle position at least once when the implicit "self calibration" takes place, even if this is not directly stated.


title: Game port

text: Microsoft declared it would no longer include support for game ports in operating systems beginning with MS-Windows XP Professional x64 edition, reasoning that USB-based gaming equipment had become more common. This leaves game port support up to the manufacturer of the device (i.e. Sound card or USB converters) the game port ships on.


title: Game port

text: Some advanced game port joysticks supports more than 4 buttons (e.g. 6 or 8) but typically require a special device driver for the additional buttons to work properly, since the game port does not have actual hardware support for more than 4 distinct buttons.


title: Game port

text: This can be overcome by using pins and input meant for the second joystick (i.e. button 5 through 8 are mapped to the signals to the axis pins meant for the second joystick - resulting in the issue of the two buttons mapped to the same axis being not simultaneously usable), using some normally "unused" pins, or changing the joystick's circuits (and related software) to read a 4-bit state code from the four button inputs, thus giving up to 16 button combinations (albeit with some limitations e.g. some buttons may not be held down) or a combination of both techniques.


title: Game port

text: High-end game port joysticks such as the Microsoft SideWinder rely on multiplexing a proprietary data stream through the 4 standard button inputs and sometimes through the "unused" pins, achieving full support for a rather high number of buttons (e.g. 16 or 20) while special features such as daisy-chaining multiple joysticks, force feedback or joystick programming become possible in some cases.


title: Game port

text: The obvious drawback is the need for a special device driver to interpret the joystick input, and making its use time consuming and operating system-dependent, while the joystick is usually unusable without a special driver (unless multiple operating modes are supported).


title: Game port

text: Some hardware and DIY enthusiasts have found ways to connect a wide array of input devices to the game port and even found other applications for it, such as voltage or current measurement or simple interfacing and data acquisition.


title: Game port

text: The original game port design by IBM (released in 1981 as a separate expansion card for the first IBM PC) initially allowed four analog axes and four buttons on one port, allowing two joysticks or four paddles to be connected, although this required a special "Y-splitter" cable and is not fully supported by some combined midi/game ports usually found on sound cards.


title: Game port

text: Some poorly implemented game ports (usually built-in on old motherboards and I/O cards) did not fully support either 4 axes or 4 buttons, making only the use of a single 2-axis and 2-button joystick possible.


title: Game port

text: The 15-pin game port is no longer provided on presently manufactured PCs, though adapters exist that allow older joysticks and controllers to connect via USB. However, Microsoft's Vista operating system natively lacks all game port support, even for USB adapters.


title: Game port

text: Game ports use DA-15 connectors (also incorrectly called DB-15). Since the game port moved from dedicated expansion cards to sound cards about 1990, these connectors usually double as connectors for MIDI instruments; two of the redundant +5V and GND pins of the original standard were rededicated to MIDI input and output to make this possible. To use a game port with MIDI instruments, one requires a cable with a male and a female DA-15 and two male 5-pin DIN connectors. The drivers and hardware for the game port midi capabilities are based around the now standard Roland MPU-401 MIDI interface (in UART mode only), and support most MPU-401 standard applications for Windows and DOS. The official "proper design" for a game port-MIDI adapter can be found at midi.org.


The United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department in charge of taking care of the affairs of war veterans. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and second to last at 17th in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the United States Department of Homeland Security was added in 2006). To date, all appointees and acting appointees to the post have been United States military veterans, but that is not a requirement to fill the position.


title: Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

text: Amelia was the youngest daughter of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was her father's favorite daughter. After her death at the age of 27 in 1810 George III had his final dissent into madness.


title: Inventions and Sinfonias (Bach)

text: The Inventions and Sinfonias (1720; revised 1723) are 30 pieces of keyboard music (15 each in sinfonia and invention) composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. They are sometimes known as the Two and Three Part Inventions. Bach arranged the two groups of pieces in order of ascending key. Each group covers the eight major and seven minor keys. Bach wrote them as exercises and study pieces for his 12 year old son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. The 1720 versions are found in the boy's "Little Keyboard Book" of 1722. The invention and sinfonias are often used as preparation for two volumes of Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier".


title: United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

text: When the position of Secretary is vacant, the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs or another person picked by the President serves as Acting Secretary until the President picks and the United States Senate confirms a new Secretary.


title: Inventions and Sinfonias (Bach)

text: Bach wrote in the preface to the printed edition of the "Inventions and Sinfonias": "Honest method, by which the amateurs of the keyboard – especially, however, those desirous of learning – are shown a clear way not only (1) to learn to play cleanly in two parts, but also, after further progress, (2) to handle three obligate parts correctly and well; and along with this not only to obtain good inventions (ideas) but to develop the same well; above all, however, to achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition."


title: Ivory (color)

text: Ivory is a color that is mostly white, but with a small amount of yellow. It looks like ivory, the material from which the teeth and tusks of animals (such as, notably, the elephant and the walrus) is made. It has a very slight tint of yellow.


title: Katherine Schwarzenegger

text: Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger Pratt (born December 13, 1989) is an American author. She is the oldest child of actor and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and broadcast journalist Maria Shriver.


title: Katherine Schwarzenegger

text: Her granduncles were President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy because her grandmother Eunice Kennedy was their sister.


title: Katherine Schwarzenegger

text: She started dating actor Chris Pratt in June 2018. Schwarzenegger and Pratt announced their engagement on January 13, 2019. On June 8, 2019, they were married in Montecito, California.


title: Mistletoe

text: Mistletoe is the common name for a group of semi-parasitic plants in the order Santalales. They grow attached by a haustorium to the branches of trees or shrubs.


title: Bangladesh Standard Time

text: Bangladesh Standard Time (BST) is the time zone for Bangladesh. It is six hours ahead of UTC (UTC+6). Bangladesh does not observe any daylight saving time.


title: Tony Snow

text: Robert Anthony Snow, better known as Tony Snow (June 1, 1955 - July 12, 2008), was an American journalist, television personality, commentator and radio host who made contributions for Fox News very regularly beginning in 1996. He was born in Berea, Kentucky and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was host of "Fox News Sunday, "before working for President Bush the second, but he briefly performed switched to CNN during 2008. However, he was merely an analyst at CNN, not a journalist. He was strongly associated with George W. Bush (when he was the President). Before Fox News, Snow was often a guest for "The Rush Limbaugh Show". Snow died from colon cancer in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.


title: Mistletoe

text: The name was first given to "Viscum album" (European mistletoe, Santalaceae), the only species native in Great Britain and much of Europe. Later the name was given to other related species, including "Phoradendron serotinum" (the eastern mistletoe of eastern North America, also Santalaceae).


title: Bangladesh Standard Time

text: Bangladesh used summer time, making it Bangladesh Daylight Time (BDT). This was used from June 19 until December 31, 2009. The measure has not been used since.


title: Mistletoe

text: European mistletoe played a large role in Greek mythology, and is believed to be The Golden Bough of Aeneas, ancestor of the Romans. The Norse god Baldr was killed with mistletoe.


title: Mistletoe

text: William Shakespeare mentions it in "Titus Andronicus", Act II, Scene I: "Overcome with moss and baleful mistletoe".


title: Mistletoe

text: Mistletoe is often used as a Christmas decoration. "Viscum album" is used in Europe and "Phoradendron serotinum" is used in North America. According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal as the last of Christmas greens at Candlemas; it may remain hanging through the year, often to preserve the house from lightning or fire, until it was replaced the following Christmas Eve.


title: Mistletoe

text: According to a custom during Christmas, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are urged to kiss. The custom started in Scandinavia.


title: Punjab Province (British India)

text: Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between India and Pakistan. The area that made up British Punjab streched from Himachal Pradesh in the east to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west, which itself was separated in 1909; has today been split into the following areas:


title: Pernell Roberts

text: Early in his career, Roberts got a small role in the film "Desire Under the Elms" (1958) with Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins.


title: Punjab Province (British India)

text: The word Punjab is named from the "five rivers" which flow through it: the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, all tributaries of the Indus.


title: Pernell Roberts

text: In 1959, he contracted with Lorne Greene, Michael Landon and Dan Blocker to star in the NBC television series "Bonanza". Roberts played Adam Cartwright, the eldest son of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene).


title: Punjab Province (British India)

text: The Punjab province of British India was a triangular area of country bordered by the Indus and the Sutlej rivers.


title: Pernell Roberts

text: In the 1970s he starred in westerns such as "Four Rode Out" (1970) and TV Western "The Bravos" (1972) with George Peppard.


title: Punjab Province (British India)

text: In 1947, the province of Punjab was divided between the new republics of India and Pakistan. The mostly Muslim western part of the province became Pakistan's Punjab Province; the mostly Sikh and Hindu eastern part became India's Punjab state in 1966. Many Hindus and Sikhs lived in the west, and many Muslims lived in the east, and so the partition saw many people displaced and much intercommunal violence. Lahore and Amritsar were at the center of the problem, the British were not sure where to place them - make them part of India or Pakistan. The British decided to hand both cities to India, but because of a lack of control and regulation for the border, Amritsar became part of India while Lahore became part of Pakistan. Areas in west Punjab such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujrat, had a large Sikh population and many of the residents were attacked or killed by radical Muslims. On the other side in East Punjab cities such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Gurdaspur had a majority Muslim population in which many of them were wiped out by Sikh guerrillas who launched an all out war against the Muslims.


title: Pernell Roberts

text: He also starred in the television western "High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane" (1980) with Lee Majors.


title: Pernell Roberts

text: His other success in television was in the series "Trapper John, M.D." (1979-1986). He played the doctor John McIntyre.


title: Pernell Roberts

text: Roberts was a special guest star in many TV shows like "Tombstone Territory" (1958), "Zane Grey Theater" (1958), "The Detectives" starring Robert Taylor (1960), Jim West, "Gunsmoke" (1967), "Mission Impossible" (1967-1973), "Banacek" (1972), "Mannix" (1973), "Police Story" (1974-1975), "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1976), "Baretta" (1977), "Vega$" (1980) and "Diagnosis Murder" (1994-1997).