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Rice Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Rice is a cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many. Domesticated rice comprises two species of food crops in the Oryza genus of the Poaceae ("true grass") family: Asian rice, Oryza sativa is native to tropical and subtropical southern Asia; African rice, Oryza glaberrima, is native to West Africa. The name wild rice is usually used for species of the different but related genus Zizania, both wild and domesticated, although the term may be used for primitive or uncultivated varieties of Oryza.wfp/Rice is grown as a monocarpic annual plant, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ratoon crop and survive for up to 20 years. Rice can grow to 1-1.8 m tall, occasionally more depending on the variety and soil fertility. The grass has long, slender leaves 50-100 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad. The small wind-pollinated flowers are produced in a branched arching to pendulous inflorescence 30-50 cm long. The edible seed is a grain (caryopsis) 5-12 mm long and 2-3 mm thick.wfp/Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East, South and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain. A traditional food plant in Africa, Rice has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. Rice provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. In early 2008, some governments and retailers began rationing supplies of the grain due to fears of a global rice shortage.wfp/Rice cultivation is well-suited to countries and regions with low labor costs and high rainfall, as it is very labor-intensive to cultivate and requires plenty of water for cultivation. On the other hand, mechanized cultivation is extremely oil-intensive, more than other food products with the exception of beef and dairy products. Rice can be grown practically anywhere, even on a steep hill or mountain. Although its species are native to South Asia and certain parts of Africa, centuries of trade and exportation have made it commonplace in many cultures.wfp/The traditional method for cultivating rice is flooding the fields whilst, or after, setting the young seedlings. This simple method requires sound planning and servicing of the water damming and channeling, but reduces the growth of less robust weed and pest plants that have no submerged growth state, and deters vermin. While with rice growing and cultivation the flooding is not mandatory, all other methods of irrigation require higher effort in weed and pest control during growth periods and a different approach for fertilizing the soil. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Rice_02.jpg/800px-Rice_02.jpg The planting of rice is often a labour-intensive process http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/KerbauJawa.jpg/800px-KerbauJawa.jpg Using water buffalo to plough rice fields in Java; Indonesia is the world's third largest paddy rice producer and its cultivation has transformed much of the country's landscape. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/US_long_grain_rice.jpg/399px-US_long_grain_rice.jpg American long-grain rice http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Renaissance Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere "be born") was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historic era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not uniform, this is a very general use of the term.wfp/As a cultural movement, it encompassed a revival of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform. Traditionally, this intellectual transformation has resulted in the Renaissance being viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term "Renaissance man".wfp/There is a general, but not unchallenged, consensus that the Renaissance began in Tuscany in the 14th century. Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics, focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at the time; its political structure; the patronage of its dominant family, the Medici; and the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.wfp/The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography, and there has been much debate among historians as to the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation. Some have called into question whether the Renaissance was a cultural "advance" from the Middle Ages, instead seeing it as a period of pessimism and nostalgia for the classical age, while others have instead focused on the continuity between the two eras. Indeed, some have called for an end to the use of the term, which they see as a product of presentism - the use of history to validate and glorify modern ideals. The word Renaissance has also been used to describe other historical and cultural movements, such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century.wfp/The Renaissance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life in the early modern period. Beginning in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence affected literature, philosophy, art, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual enquiry. Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism and human emotion in art.wfp/Renaissance thinkers sought out learning from ancient texts, typically written in Latin or ancient Greek. Scholars scoured Europe's monastic libraries, searching for works of classical antiquity which had fallen into obscurity. In such texts they found a desire to improve and perfect their worldly knowledge; an entirely different sentiment to the transcendental spirituality stressed by medieval Christianity. They did not reject Christianity; quite the contrary, many of the Renaissance's greatest works were devoted to it, and the Church patronized many works of Renaissance art. However, a subtle shift took place in the way that intellectuals approached religion that was reflected in many other areas of cultural life.wfp/Artists such as Masaccio strove to portray the human form realistically, developing techniques to render perspective and light more naturally. Political philosophers, most famously Niccolò Machiavelli, sought to describe political life as it really was, and to improve government on the basis of reason. In addition to studying classical Latin and Greek, authors also began increasingly to use vernacular languages; combined with the invention of printing, this would allow many more people access to books, especially the Bible.wfp/In all, the Renaissance could be viewed as an attempt by intellectuals to study and improve the secular and worldly, both through the revival of ideas from antiquity, and through novel approaches to thought. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Da_Vinci_Vitruve_Luc_Viatour.jpg/441px-Da_Vinci_Vitruve_Luc_Viatour.jpg Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man shows clearly the effect writers of antiquity had on Renaissance thinkers. Based on the specifications in Vitruvius's De architectura, da Vinci tried to draw the perfectly proportioned man. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png 1

Mumbai Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India. With a population of 13,662,885, it is the second most populous city proper in the world. Along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms, at 19 million, the world's fifth most populous metropolitan area. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. Mumbai's port handles over half of India's maritime cargo.wfp/Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment centre of India, generating 5% of India's GDP and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. Mumbai is one of the world's top ten centres of commerce by global financial flow, home to important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies and numerous multinational corporations. The city also houses India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a better standard of living, attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a potpourri of many communities and cultures.wfp/The name "Mumbai" is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba - the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi - and Aai, "mother" in Marathi. The former name Bombay had its origins in the 16th century when the Portuguese arrived in the area and called it by various names, which finally took the written form Bombaim, still common in current Portuguese use. After the British gained possession in the 17th century, it was anglicised to Bombay, although it was known as Mumbai or Mambai to Marathi and Gujarati-speakers, and as Bambai in Hindi and Urdu. The name was officially changed to its Marathi pronunciation of Mumbai in 1996.wfp/A widespread explanation of the origin of the traditional English name Bombay holds that it was derived from a Portuguese name meaning "good bay". This is based on the fact that bom (masc.) is Portuguese for "good" whereas the English word "bay" is similar to the Portuguese baía (fem., bahia in old spelling). The normal Portuguese rendering of "good bay" would have been boa bahia rather than the grammatically incorrect bom bahia. However, it is possible to find the form baim (masc.) for "little bay" in sixteenth-century Portuguese. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Mumbai_Train_Station.jpg/800px-Mumbai_Train_Station.jpg The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus, headquarters of the Central Railway, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/Mumbaicitydistricts.png The metropolis consists of the Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban district and also the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Gateway_of_India.jpg/754px-Gateway_of_India.jpg American long-grain rice http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Jupiter Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant, along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian planets. The planet was known by astronomers of ancient times and was associated with the mythology and religious beliefs of many cultures. The Romans named the planet after the Roman god Jupiter. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can reach an apparent magnitude of -2.8, making it the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. (However, at certain points in its orbit, Mars can briefly exceed Jupiter's brightness.)wfp/The planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a small proportion of helium; it may also have a rocky core of heavier elements under high pressure. Because of its rapid rotation, Jupiter's shape is that of an oblate spheroid (it possesses a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator). The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands at different latitudes, resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries. A prominent result is the Great Red Spot, a giant storm that is known to have existed since at least the 17th century. Surrounding the planet is a faint planetary ring system and a powerful magnetosphere. There are also at least 63 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede, the largest of these moons, has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury.wfp/Jupiter has been explored on several occasions by robotic spacecraft, most notably during the early Pioneer and Voyager flyby missions and later by the Galileo orbiter. The latest probe to visit Jupiter was the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft in late February 2007. The probe used the gravity from Jupiter to increase its speed and adjust its trajectory toward Pluto, thereby saving years of travel. Future targets for exploration include the possible ice-covered liquid ocean on the Jovian moon Europa.wfp/Jupiter is one of the four gas giants; that is, it is not primarily composed of solid matter. It is the largest planet in the Solar System, having a diameter of 142,984 km at its equator. Jupiter's density, 1.326 g/cm³, is the second highest of the gas giant planets, but lower than any of the four terrestrial planets.wfp/Jupiter's upper atmosphere is composed of about 88-92% hydrogen and 8-12% helium by percent volume or fraction of gas molecules (see table to the right). Since a helium atom has about four times as much mass as a hydrogen atom, the composition changes when described in terms of the proportion of mass contributed by different atoms. Thus the atmosphere is approximately 75% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass, with the remaining one percent of the mass consisting of other elements. The interior contains denser materials such that the distribution is roughly 71% hydrogen, 24% helium and five percent other elements by mass. The atmosphere contains trace amounts of methane, water vapor, ammonia, and silicon-based compounds. There are also traces of carbon, ethane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, oxygen, phosphine, and sulfur. The outermost layer of the atmosphere contains crystals of frozen ammonia. Through infrared and ultraviolet measurements, trace amounts of benzene and other hydrocarbons have also been found.wfp/The atmospheric proportions of hydrogen and helium are very close to the theoretical composition of the primordial solar nebula. However, neon in the upper atmosphere only consists of 20 parts per million by mass, which is about a tenth as abundant as in the Sun. Helium is also depleted, although to a lesser degree. This depletion may be a result of precipitation of these elements into the interior of the planet. Abundances of heavier inert gases in Jupiter's atmosphere are about two to three times that of the sun.wfp/Based on spectroscopy, Saturn is thought to be similar in composition to Jupiter, but the other gas giants Uranus and Neptune have relatively much less hydrogen and helium. However, because of the lack of atmospheric entry probes, high quality abundance numbers of the heavier elements are lacking for the outer planets beyond Jupiter.wfp/Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets in our Solar System combined - this is so massive that its barycenter with the Sun actually lies above the Sun's surface (1.068 solar radii from the Sun's center). Although this planet dwarfs the Earth (with a diameter 11 times as great) it is considerably less dense. Jupiter's volume is equal to 1,317 Earths, yet is only 318 times as massive. A Jupiter mass (MJ) is used to describe masses of other gas giant planets, particularly extrasolar planets. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Jupiter.jpg/600px-Jupiter.jpg This image was enhanced by the U.S. Geological Survey to bring out detail. It is based on a 1979 image from the Voyager 1 spacecraft. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Jupiter-Earth-Spot_comparison.jpg/699px-Jupiter-Earth-Spot_comparison.jpg Approximate size comparison of Earth and Jupiter, including the Great Red Spot http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png 1

Egypt Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.wfp/Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 82 million live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.wfp/Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.wfp/One of the ancient Egyptian names of the country, Kemet, (from kem "black"), is derived from the fertile black soils deposited by the Nile floods, distinct from the deshret, or "red land", of the desert. The name is realized as kimi and kim in the Coptic stage of the Egyptian language, and appeared in early Greek as Khemía.wfp/At 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt is the world's 38th-largest country. In terms of land area, it is approximately the same size as all of Central America, twice the size of France, four times the size of the United Kingdom, and the combined size of the US states of Texas and California.wfp/Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. Egypt's important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic position: a transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge (the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, which in turn is traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Alexcoast.jpg/250px-Alexcoast.jpg The Coastline of Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Nile_N517266177_30554_627.jpg/180px-Nile_N517266177_30554_627.jpg The Nile River in Egypt http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Catalonia Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Catalonia (Spanish: Cataluña; Catalan: Catalunya; Aranese:Catalonha), is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. The Autonomous Community of Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,210,508 from which immigrants represent an estimated 12.3% of the total population. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east (580 km coastline). Official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese. The capital city is Barcelona. Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its territory corresponds to most of the historical territory of the former Principality of Catalonia.wfp/The name of Catalunya, (Catalonia) began to be used in the 12th century in reference to the group of counties that comprised the Marca Hispanica, which gradually became independent from the French. The origin of the term is subject to diverse interpretations. The most accepted theory suggests that Catalunya derives from the term "Land of Castles", having evolved from the term castlà, the ruler of a castle (see castellan). This theory, therefore, suggests that the term castellà, "Castilian" would have been synonymous. Another theory suggested that Catalunya derives from Gothia, "Land of the Goths" since the Spanish March was one of the places known as Gothia, whence Gothland and Gothlandia theoretically derived, though critics usually consider it rather simplistic. Yet another speculation points out the Lacetani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area, whose name, due to the Roman influence, would have evolved to Katelans and then Catalans.wfp/The climate of Catalonia is very diverse. The most populated areas by the coast, including three capitals out of the four provinces (Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona) are mediterranean weatherwise, but the inland part of the region (Lleida and the inner part of Barcelona) is a Continental Mediterranean climate for the most of it. Then there is a mountain or even alpine climate at the higher Pyreneean peaks. In the Mediterranean area, summers are hot and humid, with sea breezes (max. around 30 °C). Rain is scarce there during this season, however, summer is the most rainy season at the Pyreneean valleys due to frequent summer storms activity. Winter is cool to cold depending on the location. Snow is frequent at the Pyrenees, and every year there are some episodes of snow reaching lower altitudes, sometimes including the coast line. Overall, the most rainy months are in spring and autumn.wfp/The inland part of Catalonia is hotter and, especially, dryer in summer, temperatures can reach 35 °C or more, even 40 °C is not rare. Nights are cooler than by the coast, (14°-16 °C). Fog is not uncommon in valleys and plains, it can be especially resilient and with freezing drizzle episodes during Winter by the Segre and other river valleys. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Sant_Climent_de_Ta%C3%BCll.jpg/150px-Sant_Climent_de_Ta%C3%BCll.jpg The Medieval church, Sant Climent in Taüll, which is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Barcelona_-_Carrer_del_Bisbe.jpg/180px-Barcelona_-_Carrer_del_Bisbe.jpg Bisbe Irurita Street in Barcelona's Barri Gòtic http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/MontserratMonastery01.jpg/150px-MontserratMonastery01.jpg Santa Maria de Montserrat http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Santa Maria de Montserrat Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey located in the Montserrat mountain, in Monistrol de Montserrat, in Catalonia.wfp/It hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, and the Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house, the oldest press in the world, still running, with the first book published in 1499.wfp/The monastery is Catalonia's most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia make overnight hikes at least once in their lives to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is 48 kilometers (approx 30 miles) west of Barcelona, and can be reached by road, train/cable car.wfp/At 1236 meters (4055 ft) above the valley floor, Montserrat, is the highest point of the Catalan lowlands, and stands central to the most populated part of Catalonia. The stone monolith is ideally located to play an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia.wfp/The Basilica houses a museum with works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors including works by El Greco, Dalí, Picasso and more. Montserrat's highest point, Sant Jeroni, can be reached by funicular railway from the Romanesque monastery of Santa Cecilia. From Sant Jeroni, almost all of Catalonia can be seen and on a clear day the island of Majorca is visible. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Monestir_de_Montserrat_vista_Roca_de_St._Jaume.jpg/800px-Monestir_de_Montserrat_vista_Roca_de_St._Jaume.jpg Monestir de Montserrat http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png 1

Salvador Dalí Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11, 1904 - January 23, 1989), was a Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres.wfp/Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography in collaboration with a range of artists in a varity of mediums.wfp/Dalí attributed his "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes" to a self-styled "Arab lineage," claiming that his ancestors were descended from the Moors.wfp/Widely considered to be greatly imaginative, Dalí had an affinity for partaking in unusual behavior to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork.wfp/Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, was born on May 11, 1904, at 8:45 a.m. GMT in the town of Figueres, in the Empordà region, close to the French border in Catalonia, Spain. Dalí's older brother, also named Salvador (b. October 12, 1901), had died of gastroenteritis nine months earlier, on August 1, 1903. His father, Salvador Dalí i Cusí, was a middle-class lawyer and notary whose strict disciplinary approach was tempered by his wife, Felipa Domenech Ferrés, who encouraged her son's artistic endeavors. When he was five, Dalí was taken to his brother's grave and told by his parents that he was his brother's reincarnation, which he came to believe. Of his brother, Dalí said, "...[we] resembled each other like two drops of water, but we had different reflections." He "was probably a first version of myself but conceived too much in the absolute."wfp/Dalí also had a sister, Ana María, who was three years younger. In 1949 she published a book about her brother, Dalí As Seen By His Sister. His childhood friends included future FC Barcelona footballers Sagibarbá and Josep Samitier. During holidays at the Catalan resort of Cadaqués, the trio played football together.wfp/Dalí attended drawing school. In 1916, Dalí also discovered modern painting on a summer vacation to Cadaqués with the family of Ramon Pichot, a local artist who made regular trips to Paris. The next year, Dalí's father organized an exhibition of his charcoal drawings in their family home. He had his first public exhibition at the Municipal Theater in Figueres in 1919.wfp/In February 1921, Dalí's mother died of breast cancer. Dalí was sixteen years old; he later said his mother's death "was the greatest blow I had experienced in my life. I worshipped her" I could not resign myself to the loss of a being on whom I counted to make invisible the unavoidable blemishes of my soul." After her death, Dalí's father married his deceased wife's sister. Dalí did not resent this marriage, as some think, because he had a great love and respect toward his aunt http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD_1939.jpg/220px-Salvador_Dal%C3%AD_1939.jpg Salvador Dalí http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Dali_museum.jpg Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueres, home of his crypt. http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Provence Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Provence (Provençal Occitan: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The traditional region of Provence comprises the départements of Var, Vaucluse, and Bouches-du-Rhône and parts of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes. Provence is so named because it was the first Roman province outside of Italy.wfp/Provence has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Paleolithic sites dating to 900,000 B.C. have been found along the Côte d'Azur in the interior country above Nice, at the Cave of Valloet(near Roquebrune) and a site dating to 600,000 B.C. at Terra Amata, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Remains of a settlement dating to between 27,000 and 19,000 B.C. were found by Henri Cosquer in 1991 at the Cosquer Cave, an underwater cave in a calanque on the coast near Marseille. The cave walls were decorated with drawings of bisons, seals, penguins, horses and outlines of human hands. A Neolithic site dating to about 6,000 B.C. was discovered in Marseille near the Saint-Charles railway station. Dolmens from the Bronze Age (2,500-900 B.C.) can be found near Draguignan and the Valley of Marvels near Mt. Bégo in the Alpes-Maritimes, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, has an outdoor sanctuary with more than 40,000 rock carvings.wfp/Greek sailors from Asia Minor began to arrive along the coast in the 7th Century B.C.. establishing depots (emporia) for trade with the local inhabitants. The first permanent Greek settlement was Massalia, established at modern-day Marseille in about 546 B.C. by colonists coming from Phocaea (now Foça, in modern Turkey) on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, who were fleeing an invasion by the Persians. Massalia became one of the major trading ports of the ancient world. The Phocaeans also established colonies at Nicoea (now Nice), Tauroentum and Rohanousia (now Arles); at Cannes, and south of Nimes.wfp/Other Greek settlements were established at Olbia (modern Saint-Pierre d l'Almanarre, near Hyeres); Antipolis (modern Antibes). The Greek traders ventured inland by rivers (the Durance and Rhone) deep into France, and overland to Switzerland and Burgundy. One enterprising Greek navigator, Pytheas, sailed from Marseille as far as Cornwall in England between 330 and 320 B.C. in search of tin.wfp/In the 2nd century BC the people of Massalia appealed to Rome for help against the Ligures. Roman legions entered Provence three times; first in 181 B.C. the Romans suppressed Ligurian uprisings near Genoa; in 154 B.C. the Roman Consul Optimus defeated the Oxybii and the Deciates, who were attacking Antibes; and in 125 B.C., the Romans put down an uprising of a confederation of Celtic tribes. After this battle, the Romans decided to establish permanent settlements in Provence. In 122 B.C., next to the Celtic town of Entremont, the Romans built a new town, Aquae Sextiae, later called Aix-en-Provence. In 118 B.C. they founded Narbonne. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Moustiers_Sainte_Marie_1.jpg/800px-Moustiers_Sainte_Marie_1.jpg Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, in Upper Provence http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Pont_du_gard.jpg Pont du Gard, First Century BC http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png 1

Mistral (wind) Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png The mistral in France is a fresh or cold, often violent, and usually dry wind, blowing throughout the year but is most frequent in winter and spring. It blows from the northwest or north of Europe through the valley of the Rhône River to the Mediterranean. It also affects the whole of Sardinia in Italy.wfp/In the south of France the name comes from the Languedoc dialect of the provençal language and means "masterly". The same wind is called mistrau in the Occitan language, mestral in Catalan and maestrale in Italian and Corsican.wfp/The mistral is usually accompanied by clear and sunny weather, and it plays an important role in creating the climate of Provence. It can reach speeds of more than ninety kilometers an hour, particularly in the Rhone Valley.wfp/The mistral is an example of a katabatic wind, which is created by the difference in pressure between the cold air of a high pressure system over the Atlantic or northwest Europe and a low pressure system over the Gulf of Lion or the Gulf of Genoa in the Mediterranean. The high-pressure air flows south through the Rhone Valley, gathering speed as it is funneled between the Alps and the Massif Central.wfp/In France, the mistral particularly affects Provence, Languedoc east of Montpellier, and the department of the Var to the west of Frejus, as well as all of the Rhone Valley from Lyon to Marseille as far as Corsica and Sardinia. The mistral usually blows from northwest or north, but in certain pre-alpine valleys and along the Cote d'Azur, the wind is channelled by the mountains so that it blows from east to west. Sometimes it also blows from the north-north-east toward the east of Languedoc as far as Cap Béar. Frequently the mistral will affect only one part of the region, particularly when it is not caused by a flow of air from the northwest.wfp/The mistral and the similar north wind in France, the tramontane, usually originate with a flow of air from the northwest. A cold front associated with a low pressure area over northern Europe moves toward the east. The flow shifts to the northwest, bringing with it cold maritime air. The cool wind from the northeast dries the air and rapidly disperses the clouds. The acceleration of the wind is caused by the creation of a depression, or low-pressure area, in the Gulf of Genoa under the wind from the Alps. In this case the mistral affects the entire Rhone Valley, the inland territory of Provence and the Cote d'Azur, where the wind comes from the east. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Mistral_sur_le_Frioul.JPG/300px-Mistral_sur_le_Frioul.JPG Mistral wind blowing near Marseille. In the center is the Château d'If http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Mistral_wind1.jpg/280px-Mistral_wind1.jpg Meteorological conditions leading to Mistral winds. http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1

Africa Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With about 922 million people (as of 2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.2% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. There are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.wfp/Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae tree (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago - including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster - with the earliest Homo sapiens (human) found in Ethiopia being dated to ca. 200,000 years ago.wfp/Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. Because of the lack of natural regular precipitation and irrigation as well as glaciers or mountain aquifer systems, there is no natural moderating effect on the climate except near the coasts.wfp/Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth's exposed surface. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez (transected by the Suez Canal), 163 km (101 miles) wide. (Geopolitically, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa, as well. ) From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles); from Cape Verde, 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles). The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only 10,400,000 km² (4,010,000 square miles) - about a third of the surface of Africa - has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).wfp/The eastern region of sub-Saharan Africa is the scientifically agreed-upon location of the origin of modern humans ~200,000 years ago. For, although Ethiopia is sometimes described as Northeast African due to its historical ties with this region, it is technically below the Sahara (i.e. it is sub-Saharan). Notably, modern humans are now thought to have exited sub-Saharan Africa ~60,000 years ago by way of the Horn of Africa rather than through Northeast Africa/Egypt. Furthermore, those who remained in sub-Saharan Africa also likely spread out during this time to populate other regions of the continent (Tishkoff, 2006). For example, the click speakers (Khoisan), most of whom are currently located in the desert regions of southern Africa, are thought to have once occupied East Africa in large numbers. In addition, due to what is called the Sahara pump theory effect, those who migrated north and westward from East Africa likely did so because the animals that they hunted had gradually spread into the cyclically fertile regions of the Sahara. Humans therefore occupied this region when it was livable. During these times, there was abundant food and water such that population numbers soared. However, during the Sahara's dry cycles (which, like the wet cycles, lasted thousands of years), its occupants were gradually forced to abandon the area by migrating either northward towards the Mediterranean, or southward towards sub-Saharan Africa. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Afryka_1890.jpg/300px-Afryka_1890.jpg 1890 map of Africa http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/489px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png 1

Lion Last updated: --now-- en.wikipedia.org/ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png/100px-Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. With exceptionally large males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population in northwest India, having disappeared from North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene (about 10,000 years ago), the lion was the most widespread large land mammal beside humans. They were found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from western Europe to India and, in the Americas, from the Yukon to Peru.wfp/Should they survive the rigors of cubhood, lionesses in secure habitat such as Kruger National Park may frequently reach an age of 12-14 years whereas lions seldom live for longer than 8 years. However, there are records of lionesses living for up to 20 years in the wild. In captivity both male and female lions can live for over 20 years. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator, although they will resort to scavenging if the opportunity arises. While lions, in general, do not selectively hunt humans, some have been known to become man-eaters and seek human prey.wfp/The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of 30 to 50 percent over the past two decades in its African range; populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not well understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Lions have been kept in menageries since Roman times and have been a key species sought after and exhibited in zoos the world over since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies.wfp/Visually, the male is highly distinctive and is easily recognized by its mane. The head of the male lion is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. It has been depicted extensively in literature, in sculptures, in paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Lion_waiting_in_Nambia.jpg/250px-Lion_waiting_in_Nambia.jpg Male http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Lion_in_Ngorongoro_Crater%2C_Tanzania.jpg/250px-Lion_in_Ngorongoro_Crater%2C_Tanzania.jpg Female (Lioness) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Panthera_leo_Kruger_Skull.jpg/180px-Panthera_leo_Kruger_Skull.jpg Skull of a modern lion at Kruger National Park http://localhost:8080/thewriteformat/png/logo.png 1