The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. Created in 1913 by the enactme (more)

The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. Created in 1913 by the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, it is a quasi-public (government entity with private components) banking system composed of (1) the presidentially appointed Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C.; (2) the Federal Open Market Committee; (3) twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation acting as fiscal agents for the U.S. Treasury, each with its own nine-member board of directors; (4) numerous private U.S. member banks, which subscribe to required amounts of non-transferable stock in their regional Federal Reserve Banks; and (5) various advisory councils. As of February 2006, Ben Bernanke serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (less)

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonogra (more)

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention, and therefore is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.

Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
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Louis Vuitton Malletier, or sometimes shortened to LV, is a French luxury fashion and leather goods brand and company, one of the main divisions of LVMH hea (more)

Louis Vuitton Malletier, or sometimes shortened to LV, is a French luxury fashion and leather goods brand and company, one of the main divisions of LVMH headquartered in Paris, France. Known especially for bags and trunks, the company collaborates with prominent figures for marketing and design (most noted, Gisele Bündchen, supermodel, & Marc Jacobs, fashion designer). Internationally renowned and highly regarded for name recognition in the fashion world, as a result LV has become one of the most counterfeited contemporary luxury brands known.

It is also one of the oldest fashion brands in the world having started around 1850s. It sells its products primarily through its own retail stores and online. It primarily competes with Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Prada and similar brands.

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[Photo: Prius hybrid vehicle] A hybrid vehicle uses multiple energy sources or propulsion systems to provide motive power. This most commonly refers to ga (more)

[Photo: Prius hybrid vehicle]

A hybrid vehicle uses multiple energy sources or propulsion systems to provide motive power. This most commonly refers to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, which use gasoline (petrol) and electric batteries for the energy used to power internal-combustion engines (ICEs) and electric motors. These powerplants are usually relatively small and would be considered "underpowered" by themselves, but they can provide a normal driving experience when used in combination during acceleration and other maneuvers that require greater power.

Modern mass-produced hybrids can recharge their batteries while underway. When cruising or idling, some of the output of the combustion engine is fed to a generator (sometimes merely the main electric motor running backwards) which generates electricity to charge the batteries. This contrasts with all-electric cars which use batteries charged by an external source. Hybrids still require conventional fuel—usually gasoline, though diesel and other fuels have also seen occasional use.
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Médecins Sans Frontières (English: Doctors Without Borders, its official name in the United States) is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental (more)

Médecins Sans Frontières (English: Doctors Without Borders, its official name in the United States) is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic disease.
Médecins Sans Frontières was created in 1971 by a small group of French doctors (including Bernard Kouchner), in the aftermath of the Biafra secession. The organization is known in most of the world by its French name or simply as MSF, but in the United States the name Doctors Without Borders is often used instead.

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[Photo: Yaroslav Horak's rendition of James Bond] James Bond 007, is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. Fleming wrote numerous (more)

[Photo: Yaroslav Horak's rendition of James Bond]

James Bond 007, is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. Fleming wrote numerous novels and short stories based upon the character and, after his death in 1964, further literary adventures were written by Kingsley Amis (pseudonym 'Robert Markham'), John Pearson, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson. In addition, Christopher Wood wrote two screenplay novelisations and other authors have also written various unofficial permutations of the character.

Although initially made famous through the novels, James Bond is now best known from the EON Productions film series. Twenty-one films have been made (as of 2006) as well as two that were independently produced and one American television adaptation of Fleming's first novel under legal licence. The EON films are generally referred to as the 'official' films (although its origin is unclear, this terminology is used throughout this article). Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman produced most of these up until 1975, when Broccoli became the sole producer. From 1995, his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, and his stepson, Michael G. Wilson, jointly continued production duties.




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[Photo: Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute (more)

[Photo: Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict]

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel and the Palestinians. It forms part of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict. Essentially, it is a dispute between two national identities with claims over the same area of land. Many attempts have been made to broker a two state solution, which would entail the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. At present, the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians, according to many major polls, agree a two state solution is the best way to end the conflict. Most Palestinians view the West Bank and Gaza Strip as constituting the area of their future state, which is a view also accepted by most Israelis. A handful of academics advocate a one-state solution, whereby all of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and West Bank would become a bi-national state with equal rights for all. However, there are significant areas of disagreement over the shape of any final agreement and also regarding the level of credibility each side sees in the other in upholding basic commitments.

There are various domestic and international actors involved in the conflict. The direct negotiating parties are the Israeli government, currently led by Ehud Olmert, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), currently headed by Mahmoud Abbas. The official negotiations are mediated by an international contingent known as the Quartet on the Middle East (the Quartet) represented by a special envoy, currently Tony Blair, that consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. The Arab League is another important actor, which has proposed an alternative peace plan. Egypt, a founding member of the Arab League, has historically been a key participant.

Since 2006, the Palestinian side has been fractured by conflict between the two major factions: Fatah, the largest party, and Hamas. As a result, the territory controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (the Palestinian interim government) is split between Fatah in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza strip. This has proved problematic as Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and many other countries which means that despite the fact it won the Palestinian elections of 2006, it has not been allowed to participate in official negotiations.
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The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de fact (more)

The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors.

In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the conquest of the Wu by the Jin Dynasty in 280. However, many Chinese historians and laymen extend the starting point of this period back to the uprising of the Yellow Turbans in 184.

The three kingdoms were Wei (魏), Shu (蜀), and Wu (吳). (less)

[Photo: Dance in Hawaii] The State of Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the conti (more)

[Photo: Dance in Hawaii]

The State of Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The most recent census estimate puts the state's population at 1,283,388.

This state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. The last is by far the largest, and is often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. This archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.
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