Drummer

A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. 　Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. 　The drummer's equipment includes a drum kit (or "drum set" or "trap set"), which includes various drums, cymbals and an assortment of accessory hardware such as pedals, standing support mechanisms, and drum sticks. 　Particularly in the traditional music of many countries, drummers use individual drums of various sizes and designs rather than drum kits. 　Some use only their hands to strike the drums. 　In larger ensembles, the drummer may be part of a rhythm section with other percussionists playing. 　These musicians provide the timing and rhythmic foundation which allow the players of melodic instruments, including voices, to coordinate their musical performance. 　Some famous drummers include: Max Roach, Ringo Starr (The Beatles), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Ginger Baker (Cream), Keith Moon (The Who), Neil Peart (Rush), Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Brian Blade, Jack DeJohnette, Tim "Herb" Alexander (Primus), Phil Rudd (AC/DC), Roger Taylor (Queen), Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones), Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Travis Barker (Blink-182), Phil Collins (Genesis), Rick Allen (Def Leppard), Alex Van Halen (Van Halen), Tré Cool (Green Day), Dave Grohl (Nirvana), Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), and James “The Rev” Sullivan (Avenged Sevenfold). 　As well as the primary rhythmic function, in some musical styles, such as world, jazz, classical, and electronica, the drummer is called upon to provide solo and lead performances, at times when the main feature of the music is the rhythmic development. 　Drummers tend to possess considerable stamina and hands-eyes-legs coordination. 　There are many tools that a drummer can use for either timekeeping or soloing. 　These include cymbals (china, crash, ride, splash, hi-hats, etc.), snare, toms, auxiliary percussion (bells, Latin drums, cowbells, temple blocks) and many others. 　There are also single, double, and triple bass pedals that drummers may use for the bass drum.

Beijing

Beijing (/beɪˈdʒɪŋ/ bay-JING; Chinese: 北京; pinyin: Běijīng; Mandarin pronunciation: [pèɪ.tɕíŋ] (listen)), alternatively romanized as Peking (/piːˈkɪŋ/ pee-KING), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. 　It is the center of power and development of the country. 　Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 million residents and the second largest in the country after Shanghai. 　It is located in Northern China, and is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts. 　Beijing is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin to the southeast; together, the three divisions form the Jingjinji megalopolis and the national capital region of China. 　Beijing is a global city and one of the world's leading centres for culture, diplomacy, politics, finance, business and economics, education, research, language, tourism, media, sport, science and technology and transportation. 　As a megacity, Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai. 　It is home to the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the world, as well as the world's four biggest financial institutions by total assets. 　It is also a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. 　The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic (Asia's busiest) since 2010, and, as of 2016[update], the city's subway network is the busiest and longest in the world. 　The Beijing Daxing International Airport, a second international airport in Beijing, is the largest single-structure airport terminal in the world. 　Combining both modern and traditional style architectures, Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a rich history dating back over three millennia. 　As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing has been the political center of the country for most of the past eight centuries, and was the largest city in the world by population for much of the second millennium CE. 　With mountains surrounding the inland city on three sides, in addition to the old inner and outer city walls, Beijing was strategically poised and developed to be the residence of the emperor and thus was the perfect location for the imperial capital. 　The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, parks, gardens, tombs, walls and gates. 　Beijing is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world. 　In 2018, Beijing was the second highest earning tourist city in the world after Shanghai. 　Beijing is home to many national monuments and museums and has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites—the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and parts of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal—all of which are popular tourist locations. 　Siheyuans, the city's traditional housing style, and hutongs, the narrow alleys between siheyuans, are major tourist attractions and are common in urban Beijing. 　Beijing's public universities make up more than one-fifth of Double First-Class Universities, and many of them consistently rank among the best in the Asia-Pacific and the world. 　Beijing is home to the two best C9 League universities (Tsinghua and Peking) in Asia & Oceania region and emerging countries. 　Beijing CBD is a center for Beijing's economic expansion, with the ongoing or recently completed construction of multiple skyscrapers. 　Beijing's Zhongguancun area is a world leading center of scientific and technological innovation as well as entrepreneurship. 　Beijing has been ranked the city with the largest scientific research output by the Nature Index since 2016. 　The city has hosted numerous international and national sporting events, the most notable being the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Paralympics Games. 　In 2022, Beijing became the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, and also the Summer and Winter Paralympics. 　Beijing hosts 175 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many organizations, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Silk Road Fund, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Central Academy of Drama, the Central Conservatory of Music, and the Red Cross Society of China.

Mansion

A mansion is a large dwelling house. 　The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word mansio "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb manere "to dwell". 　The English word manse originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa). 　Manor comes from the same root—territorial holdings granted to a lord who would "remain" there. 　Following the fall of Rome, the practice of building unfortified villas ceased. 　Today, the oldest inhabited mansions around the world usually began their existence as fortified houses in the Middle Ages. 　As social conditions slowly changed and stabilised fortifications were able to be reduced, and over the centuries gave way to comfort. 　It became fashionable and possible for homes to be beautiful rather than grim and forbidding allowing for the development of the modern mansion. 　In British English, a mansion block refers to a block of flats or apartments designed for the appearance of grandeur. 　In many parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and Japan, the word mansion also refers to a block of apartments. 　In modern Japan, a "manshon" (Japanese: マンション), stemming from the English word "mansion", is used to refer to a multi-unit apartment complex or condominium.

Dirt

Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. 　In such cases, they are said to become dirty. 　Common types of dirt include: Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains Dust: a general powder of organic or mineral matter Filth: foul matter such as excrement Grime: a black, ingrained dust such as soot Soil: the mix of clay, sand, and humus which lies on top of bedrock. 　The term 'soil' may be used to refer to unwanted substances or dirt that are deposited onto surfaces such as clothing.

Tissue (biology)

In biology, tissue is a historically derived biological organizational level between cells and a complete organ. 　A tissue is therefore often thought of as assembly of similar cells and their extracellular matrix from the same origin that together carry out a specific function. 　Organs are then formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues. 　The English word "tissue" derives from the French word "tissu", the past participle of the verb tisser, "to weave". 　The study of tissues is known as histology or, in connection with disease, as histopathology. 　Xavier Bichat is considered as the "Father of Histology". 　Plant histology is studied in both plant anatomy and physiology. 　The classical tools for studying tissues are the paraffin block in which tissue is embedded and then sectioned, the histological stain, and the optical microscope. 　Developments in electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and the use of frozen tissue-sections have enhanced the detail that can be observed in tissues. 　With these tools, the classical appearances of tissues can be examined in health and disease, enabling considerable refinement of medical diagnosis and prognosis.

Presentation

A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. 　Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. 　Presentations usually require preparation, organization, event planning, writing, use of visual aids, dealing with stress, and answering questions. 　“The key elements of a presentation consists of presenter, audience, message, reaction and method to deliver speech for organizational success in an effective manner.” 　Presentations are widely used in tertiary work settings such as accountants giving a detailed report of a company's financials or an entrepreneur pitching their venture idea to investors. 　The term can also be used for a formal or ritualized introduction or offering, as with the presentation of a debutante. 　Presentations in certain formats are also known as keynote address. 　Interactive presentations, in which the audience is involved, are also represented more and more frequently. 　Instead of a monologue, this creates a dialogue between the speaker and the audience. 　The advantages of an interactive presentation is for example, that it attracts more attention from the audience and that the interaction creates a sense of community.

Snake

Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes /sɜːrˈpɛntiːz/. 　Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. 　Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads (cranial kinesis). 　To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. 　Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. 　Lizards have evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs about twenty-five times independently via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. 　These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbaenia, Dibamidae, and Pygopodidae). 　Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and on most smaller land masses; exceptions include some large islands, such as Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, the Hawaiian archipelago, and the islands of New Zealand, as well as many small islands of the Atlantic and central Pacific oceans. 　Additionally, sea snakes are widespread throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans. 　Around thirty families are currently recognized, comprising about 520 genera and about 3,900 species. 　They range in size from the tiny, 10.4 cm-long (4.1 in) Barbados threadsnake to the reticulated python of 6.95 meters (22.8 ft) in length. 　The fossil species Titanoboa cerrejonensis was 12.8 meters (42 ft) long. 　Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards, perhaps during the Jurassic period, with the earliest known fossils dating to between 143 and 167 Ma ago. 　The diversity of modern snakes appeared during the Paleocene epoch (c. 66 to 56 Ma ago, after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event). 　The oldest preserved descriptions of snakes can be found in the Brooklyn Papyrus. 　Most species of snake are nonvenomous and those that have venom use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than for self-defense. 　Some possess venom that is potent enough to cause painful injury or death to humans. 　Nonvenomous snakes either swallow prey alive or kill by constriction.

Resonance

Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. 　When an oscillating force is applied at a resonant frequency of a dynamic system, the system will oscillate at a higher amplitude than when the same force is applied at other, non-resonant frequencies. 　Frequencies at which the response amplitude is a relative maximum are also known as resonant frequencies or resonance frequencies of the system. 　Small periodic forces that are near a resonant frequency of the system have the ability to produce large amplitude oscillations in the system due to the storage of vibrational energy. 　Resonance phenomena occur with all types of vibrations or waves: there is mechanical resonance, orbital resonance, acoustic resonance, electromagnetic resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron spin resonance (ESR) and resonance of quantum wave functions. 　Resonant systems can be used to generate vibrations of a specific frequency (e.g., musical instruments), or pick out specific frequencies from a complex vibration containing many frequencies (e.g., filters). 　The term resonance (from Latin resonantia, 'echo', from resonare, 'resound') originated from the field of acoustics, particularly the sympathetic resonance observed in musical instruments, e.g., when one string starts to vibrate and produce sound after a different one is struck.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. 　Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly existed before that. 　Evidence of ritual human sacrifice can also be found back to at least pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica as well as in European civilizations. 　Varieties of ritual non-human sacrifices are practiced by numerous religions today.

Counsel

Look up counsel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. 　A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. 　It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of lawyer. 　The word counsel can also mean advice given outside of the context of the legal profession.

Missile

Missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. 　Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket is made guided). 　Missiles have five system components: targeting, guidance system, flight system, engine and warhead. 　Missiles come in types adapted for different purposes: surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles (ballistic, cruise, anti-ship, anti-submarine, anti-tank, etc.), surface-to-air missiles (and anti-ballistic), air-to-air missiles, and anti-satellite weapons. 　Airborne explosive devices without propulsion are referred to as shells if fired by an artillery piece and bombs if dropped by an aircraft. 　Unguided jet- or rocket-propelled weapons are usually described as rocket artillery. 　Historically, the word missile referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this usage is still recognized today – this is in fact one sense of the Latin missile from which the English word is borrowed.

Feedback

Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. 　The system can then be said to feed back into itself. 　The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled carefully when applied to feedback systems: Simple causal reasoning about a feedback system is difficult because the first system influences the second and second system influences the first, leading to a circular argument. 　This makes reasoning based upon cause and effect tricky, and it is necessary to analyze the system as a whole. 　As provided by Webster, feedback in business is the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source. 　— Karl Johan Åström and Richard M.Murray, Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera. 　With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. 　Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. 　The smallest bat, and arguably the smallest extant mammal, is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which is 29–34 millimetres (1+1⁄8–1+3⁄8 inches) in length, 150 mm (6 in) across the wings and 2–2.6 g (1⁄16–3⁄32 oz) in mass. 　The largest bats are the flying foxes, with the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), reaching a weight of 1.6 kg (3+1⁄2 lb) and having a wingspan of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in). 　The second largest order of mammals after rodents, bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. 　These were traditionally divided into two suborders: the largely fruit-eating megabats, and the echolocating microbats. 　But more recent evidence has supported dividing the order into Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, with megabats as members of the former along with several species of microbats. 　Many bats are insectivores, and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters) or nectarivores (nectar-eaters). 　A few species feed on animals other than insects; for example, the vampire bats feed on blood. 　Most bats are nocturnal, and many roost in caves or other refuges; it is uncertain whether bats have these behaviours to escape predators. 　Bats are present throughout the world, with the exception of extremely cold regions. 　They are important in their ecosystems for pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds; many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for these services. 　Bats provide humans with some direct benefits, at the cost of some disadvantages. 　Bat dung has been mined as guano from caves and used as fertiliser. 　Bats consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides and other insect management measures. 　They are sometimes numerous enough and close enough to human settlements to serve as tourist attractions, and they are used as food across Asia and the Pacific Rim. 　However, fruit bats are frequently considered pests by fruit growers. 　Due to their physiology, bats are one type of animal that acts as a natural reservoir of many pathogens, such as rabies; and since they are highly mobile, social, and long-lived, they can readily spread disease among themselves. 　If humans interact with bats, these traits become potentially dangerous to humans. 　Some bats are also predators of mosquitoes, suppressing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. 　Depending on the culture, bats may be symbolically associated with positive traits, such as protection from certain diseases or risks, rebirth, or long life, but in the West, bats are popularly associated with darkness, malevolence, witchcraft, vampires, and death.

Thrust

Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. 　When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that system. 　The force applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular or normal to the surface is also called thrust. 　Force, and thus thrust, is measured using the International System of Units (SI) in newtons (symbol: N), and represents the amount needed to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at the rate of 1 meter per second per second. 　In mechanical engineering, force orthogonal to the main load (such as in parallel helical gears) is referred to as static thrust.

Ballet

Ballet (French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. 　It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. 　Ballet has been influential globally and has defined the foundational techniques which are used in many other dance genres and cultures. 　Various schools around the world have incorporated their own cultures. 　As a result, ballet has evolved in distinct ways. 　A ballet as a unified work comprises the choreography and music for a ballet production. 　Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained ballet dancers. 　Traditional classical ballets are usually performed with classical music accompaniment and use elaborate costumes and staging, whereas modern ballets are often performed in simple costumes and without elaborate sets or scenery.

Zane

The name Zane may be a given name or a surname. 　Its western usage derives from the Venetian form of Gianni or an alternate spelling of the German and Jewish name Zahn. 　An Arabic name Zain, Zayn, or as it is often anglicized Zane, is an Arabic personal name meaning "beauty, grace". 　It was popularized as a given name in the early 20th century through the American writer Zane Grey. 　Zayne is an alternative spelling. 　Notable people with the name Zane or Zayne include:

Bristol

Bristol (/ˈbrɪstəl/ (listen)) is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. 　Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. 　Bristol is the most populous city in South West England. 　The wider Bristol Built-up Area is the eleventh most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. 　Iron Age hillforts and Roman villas were built near the confluence of the rivers Frome and Avon. 　Around the beginning of the 11th century, the settlement was known as Brycgstow (Old English: 'the place at the bridge'). 　Bristol received a royal charter in 1155 and was historically divided between Gloucestershire and Somerset until 1373 when it became a county corporate. 　From the 13th to the 18th century, Bristol was among the top three English cities, after London, in tax receipts. 　A major port, Bristol was a starting place for early voyages of exploration to the New World. 　On a ship out of Bristol in 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian, became the first European to land on mainland North America. 　In 1499, William Weston, a Bristol merchant, was the first Englishman to lead an exploration to North America. 　At the height of the Bristol slave trade, from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slave ships carried an estimated 500,000 people from Africa to slavery in the Americas. 　The Port of Bristol has since moved from Bristol Harbour in the city centre to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock. 　Bristol's modern economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries; the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture. 　The city has the largest circulating community currency in the UK, the Bristol Pound, which is pegged to the pound sterling. 　The city has two universities: the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). 　There are a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini, Spike Island, Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium. 　It is connected to London and other major UK cities by road and rail, and to the world by sea and air: road, by the M5 and M4 (which connect to the city centre by the Portway and M32); rail, via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway mainline rail stations; and Bristol Airport. 　Bristol was named the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017; it won the European Green Capital Award in 2015.

Praise

Praise as a form of social interaction expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. 　Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). 　Verbal praise consists of a positive evaluations of another's attributes or actions, where the evaluator presumes the validity of the standards on which the evaluation is based.　[clarification needed] As a form of social manipulation, praise becomes a form of reward and furthers behavioral reinforcement by conditioning. 　The influence of praise on an individual can depend on many factors, including the context, the meanings the praise may convey, and the characteristics and interpretations of the recipient. 　While praise may share some predictive relationships (both positive and negative) with tangible (material) rewards, praise tends to be less salient and expected, conveys more information about competence, and is typically given more immediately after the desired behavior. 　Praise is distinct from acknowledgement or feedback (more neutral forms of recognition) and from encouragement (expressedly future-oriented). 　Praise is given across social hierarchy, and both within the ingroup and towards an outgroup; it is an important aspect in the regulation of social hierarchy and the maintenance of group cohesion, influencing the potential for political action and social upheaval. 　When given by a dominant individual it takes the form of recognition and reassurance; when given by a submissive to a dominant individual it takes the form of deference, admiration or exultation, or deification. 　Praise of gods may form part of religious rites and practices (see for example prayer of praise and praise and worship).

Skull

The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. 　The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. 　However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. 　In humans, these two parts are the neurocranium and the viscerocranium (facial skeleton) that includes the mandible as its largest bone. 　The skull forms the anterior-most portion of the skeleton and is a product of cephalisation—housing the brain, and several sensory structures such as the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. 　In humans these sensory structures are part of the facial skeleton. 　Functions of the skull include protection of the brain, fixing the distance between the eyes to allow stereoscopic vision, and fixing the position of the ears to enable sound localisation of the direction and distance of sounds. 　In some animals, such as horned ungulates (mammals with hooves), the skull also has a defensive function by providing the mount (on the frontal bone) for the horns. 　The English word skull is probably derived from Old Norse skulle, while the Latin word cranium comes from the Greek root κρανίον (kranion). 　The human skull fully develops two years after birth.The junctions of the skull bones are joined by structures called sutures. 　The skull is made up of a number of fused flat bones, and contains many foramina, fossae, processes, and several cavities or sinuses. 　In zoology there are openings in the skull called fenestrae.

Happiness

Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. 　Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. 　Since the 1960s, happiness research has been conducted in a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including gerontology, social psychology and positive psychology, clinical and medical research and happiness economics.

Engagement

An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). 　During this period, a couple is said to be fiancés (from the French), betrothed, intended, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. 　Future brides and grooms may be called fiancée (feminine) or fiancé (masculine), the betrothed, a wife-to-be or husband-to-be, respectively. 　The duration of the courtship varies vastly, and is largely dependent on cultural norms or upon the agreement of the parties involved. 　Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages, and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange marriages many years before the engaged couple were old enough. 　This is still done in some countries. 　Many traditional Christian denominations have optional rites for Christian betrothal (also known as 'blessing an engaged couple' or 'declaration of intention') that bless and ratify the intent of a couple to marry before God and the Church.

Peru

Coordinates: 10°S 76°W / 10°S 76°W / -10; -76 Peru (/pəˈruː/ (listen); Spanish: Perú [peˈɾu]; Quechua: Piruw [pɪɾʊw]; Aymara: Piruw [pɪɾʊw]), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú (help·info)), is a country in western South America. 　It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. 　Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon River. 　Peru has a population of 34 million, and its capital and largest city is Lima. 　At 1.28 million km2 (0.5 million mi2), Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America. 　Peruvian territory was home to several cultures during the ancient and medieval periods, and has one of the longest histories of civilization of any country, tracing its heritage back to the 10th millennium BCE. 　Notable pre-colonial cultures and civilizations include the Caral-Supe civilization (the earliest civilization in the Americas and considered one of the cradles of civilization,) the Nazca culture, the Wari and Tiwanaku empires, the Kingdom of Cusco, and the Inca Empire, the largest known state in the pre-Columbian Americas. 　The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a viceroyalty that encompassed most of its South American territories, with its capital in Lima. 　Higher education started in the Americas with the official establishment of the National University of San Marcos in Lima in 1551. 　Peru formally proclaimed independence in 1821, and following the foreign military campaigns of José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar, and the decisive battle of Ayacucho, Peru completed its independence in 1824. 　In the ensuing years, the country first suffered from political instability until a period of relative economic and political stability began due to the exploitation of guano. 　Later, the War of the Pacific (1879–1884) with Chile brought Peru to a state of crisis, from which the oligarchy[clarification needed] seized power through the Civilista Party. 　In the 20th century, the country endured coups, social unrest, and internal conflicts, as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. 　In the 1990s, the country implemented a neoliberal economic model under Alberto Fujimori, with his political ideology of Fujimorism encompassing the governance of Peru into the present day through a cult of personality. 　As the 2000s commodities boom took place, Peru experienced a period of constant economic growth and a decrease in poverty. 　Through the 2010s and into the 2020s, political crises and the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru revealed long existing vulnerabilities of the nation's lack of political function and the inability to provide social services for its citizens, with unrest beginning into 2023 raising concerns of political leaders in Lima seeking a more authoritarian government. 　The capital city of Lima is currently in a state of emergency until 2 June 2023 due to the protests. 　The sovereign state of Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. 　Peru has a high level of human development with an upper middle income level ranking 82nd on the Human Development Index. 　It is one of the region's most prosperous economies with an average growth rate of 5.9% (in 2017) and it has one of the world's fastest industrial growth rates at an average of 9.6% (as of 2018). 　Its main economic activities include mining, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing, along with other growing sectors such as telecommunications and biotechnology. 　The country forms part of The Pacific Pumas, a political and economic grouping of countries along Latin America's Pacific coast that share common trends of positive growth, stable macroeconomic foundations, improved governance and an openness to global integration. 　Peru ranks high in social freedom; it is an active member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Alliance, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the World Trade Organization; and is considered as a middle power. 　Peru has a population that includes Mestizos, Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians. 　The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechuan languages, Aymara, or other Indigenous languages. 　This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

Lighting

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. 　Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. 　Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light shelves) is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. 　This can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy consumption in buildings. 　Proper lighting can enhance task performance, improve the appearance of an area, or have positive psychological effects on occupants. 　Indoor lighting is usually accomplished using light fixtures, and is a key part of interior design. 　Lighting can also be an intrinsic component of landscape projects.

Robot

A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. 　A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. 　Robots may be constructed to evoke human form, but most robots are task-performing machines, designed with an emphasis on stark functionality, rather than expressive aesthetics. 　Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and range from humanoids such as Honda's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility (ASIMO) and TOSY's TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot (TOPIO) to industrial robots, medical operating robots, patient assist robots, dog therapy robots, collectively programmed swarm robots, UAV drones such as General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, and even microscopic nano robots. 　By mimicking a lifelike appearance or automating movements, a robot may convey a sense of intelligence or thought of its own. 　Autonomous things are expected to proliferate in the future, with home robotics and the autonomous car as some of the main drivers. 　The branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing is robotics. 　These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, or cognition. 　Many of today's robots are inspired by nature contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics. 　These robots have also created a newer branch of robotics: soft robotics. 　From the time of ancient civilization, there have been many accounts of user-configurable automated devices and even automata resembling humans and other animals, such as animatronics, designed primarily as entertainment. 　As mechanical techniques developed through the Industrial age, there appeared more practical applications such as automated machines, remote-control and wireless remote-control. 　The term comes from a Slavic root, robot-, with meanings associated with labor. 　The word 'robot' was first used to denote a fictional humanoid in a 1920 Czech-language play R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti – Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek, though it was Karel's brother Josef Čapek who was the word's true inventor. 　Electronics evolved into the driving force of development with the advent of the first electronic autonomous robots created by William Grey Walter in Bristol, England in 1948, as well as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools in the late 1940s by John T. Parsons and Frank L. Stulen. 　The first modern digital and programmable robot was invented by George Devol in 1954 and spawned his seminal robotics company, Unimation. 　The first Unimate was sold to General Motors in 1961 where it lifted pieces of hot metal from die casting machines at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey. 　Robots have replaced humans in performing repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to do, or are unable to do because of size limitations, or which take place in extreme environments such as outer space or the bottom of the sea. 　There are concerns about the increasing use of robots and their role in society. 　Robots are blamed for rising technological unemployment as they replace workers in increasing numbers of functions. 　The use of robots in military combat raises ethical concerns. 　The possibilities of robot autonomy and potential repercussions have been addressed in fiction and may be a realistic concern in the future.