Make a list of 43 things I know very little about, & then learn at least 3 things about each of them

RealPOLITIK (German…actual, politics) is a term used to refer to practically based politics, which are *power8 oriented as oppossed to politics which are based on principles and are morally and ideologically oriented. The term was coined by German writer and politician, Ludwig von Rochau, in the 19th century. It’s interpretation difers from place to place, for instance in Germnay, it does not necessarily have the negative connotations, whereas in the US, it is similar in meaning to ‘power politics’.

Realpolitik policies were first implementd in Germany during the 1848 revolutions, in order to strengthen states. One of the most famous practitioners of these policies was Otto von Bismarck, using it to gain Prussian dominance in Germany.

US precedents were largely set by Kissinger, for instance, the Nixon presidency’s links with China, despite their opposition to Communism (hypocrisy?)

It is frequently regarded as a pejorative term, referring to amoral, coercive and Machievellian policies.
Realpolitik type foreign policies are frequently referred to as ‘realist’ policies.

B and H are located on the Balkans peninsula. The country’s primary ethic groups are the majority, Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. The country is politically decentralised and consists of B.H and republika Srpska. Formerly one of the 6 constituent nations of the socialist Yugoslavia, it got its independence in the 1990s wars. It is a founding member of the Mediterranean union (2008)An erstwhile constituent of the Ottoman empire, it was subsequently ruled by Austro-Hungary
The Dinaric alps run through the country
Currency- euro-pegged convertible Mark (BAM)
Capital city; Sarajevo

Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion, and commonly regarded as hte wolrd’s oldest. Unlike many other world religions, Hinduism does not have one particular founding figure, one set of morals, one set of beliefs, etc, but is a n umbrella term for thousands of smaller religions

Otherwise known as Sanatand Dharma/ Vaidki Dharma

It’s holy scriptures are the Vedas: the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Another important text is the the Ramayana, “a moving love story with moral and spiritual themes that has deep appeal in India to this day” 6 concerning the exploits of the hero Rama who is viewed as an avatar of Vishnu, and as ”...a principal deity in his own right.”

Hindu religions are henotheistic; they recognize a single deity, and recognise other gods and goddesses as facets, forms, manifestations, or aspects of that God.

1. Shivaism: which regards Shiva as the ultimate deity.

Karma and transmigration of the soul are Hindu beliefs, the latter being referred to as Samsara. The liberation from samsara is perceived to be the ultimate goal for mankind.

Hinduism proposes a caste system, whereby each person the member of a community or Jat, and this is divided nto four Varna, or castes, and fifth, the untouchables. Their positions in life were dictated by their varna, and it was believed you could be born into a higher or lower varna in the next life, depending on the kind of life you lead in the former. This system was abolished by law in 1949.

The displayed symbol is the symbol of Hinduism and is called the Aum,consisting of three components and having three syllables a-u-m which represents many triads-the three worlds, earth, atmosphere and heaven, the three major hindu gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the three sacred Vedic scriptures, Rg, Yajur, and Sama

The world’s second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. It consists of 46 countries, and 53 including all its islands.

It is generally agreed that the human species seems to have originated from this continent, the earliest homo sapiens being found in Ethiopia.

Its largest country is Sudan, and its smallest, the Seychelles, and archipelago (chain or cluster of small islands) off the east coats.

It is presided over by a federation known as the African Union- a union of all the states, except Morocco, and was formed in 2001.

Sarkozy was born in Paris in 1955. He was elected as president of France in 2007 after defeating the Socialist candidate Segolene Royal. In addition to being president of France, he is also co-prince of Andorra, by virtue of his position (ex officio).

His policies are heavily focused on law and order, and the revitalization of the French economy, as well as a closer collaboration with the US and the UK.

Born to a Hungarian father and a French Jewish mother. His father abandoned the family when Nicolas was four years old, and Sarkozy is said to have a great deal of resentment towards him.

He is a short man, only 5’5

He has been married three times, to three models.

He belongings to the right wing, and is regarded an anathema of the left. He has been compared to Le Pen

Prior to his political career, he pursued legal studies.

He is a popular and charismatic man.
He is often accused of being a demagogue, ie that he appeals to prejudices and fear through propaganda, fiery oration and nationalism to secure political power, valuing political power over civil liberties.

Crimea is an autonomous republic within the Ukraine, with a Peninsula onto the Black sea.

The Crimean War is also know n in Russia as the Eastern War. It was fought between 1854 and 1856, between Russia, and an alliance consisting of Britain, France, The Ottoman Empire (Turks) and the Kingdom of Sardinia. It was considered the first example of ‘modern’ warfare’ setting precedents which changed the nature of warfare ,and the greater part of the fighting took place on the Crimean peninsula, Turkey and the Baltic lands.

The war was mainly concerned with a struggle to occupy lands of the declining Ottoman empire.Following Russia’s occupation of its Danubian principalities, Russia then under Nicholas I, Turkey declared war on Russia,closely followed by the allies.

Russia lost the war to the allies, and France is said to have benefited the most from the war, not least as it replaced Russia as the dominant power in Europe.

The nurses Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole came to prominence during this war., and it was at the end of this war that Russia sold Alaska to America fir 7.2 million dollars!

The Eu, in its first incarnation initially consisted of the union of six countries, West Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands, and was known as the European Coal and Steel Community. It was established after world war II as an attempt to increase European unity and centralise cola and steel trade works. Following World War II, the rife nationalism was perceived as a threat which required dissolution. It was the first organization to be based on the principles of supranationalism, which is a form of governance where the decisions made in the group are taken by elected representatives of each country. It was founded in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, and was offered as a possible preventative measure against war between France and Germany.

In 1957, two more organisations were created, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic energy Community, and all three organizations were merged following the ratification of the Merger Treaty in 1967, after which point they were referred to collectively as the European Communities, or the European Community (EC) for short.

In 1973, the EC expanded to include Denmark, Ireland, ans the United Kingdom, Norway also negotiated membership at this time, but declined to join. and the first democratic elections to the Ec were held in 1979.
In the 1980s, Greece Spain and Portugal also joined.

In 1985, the Schengen Agreement was passed, allowing EC citizens free travel throughout Europe, with no passport control at borders.In 1986, the European flag came into use.

The European Union came into being in 1993, following the ratification of the Maastrichts Treaty, and in 1995, Austria Sweden and Finland joined the Eu.

In 2004, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the EU and in 2007, Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU.

iN TOTAL, THERE ARE 27 MEMEBER STATES.
Ireland, Uk, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Malta, and Slovenia.

Greenland withdrew form the Union in 1985.

To join the EU, the country must fulfill the requirements of the Copenhagen Criteria, which demandS that a country be a democracy which supports human, rights, has a competitive market economy, and respects the regulations of the EU
Of the 27 member states, 15 use the euro. They Are Ireland, France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Italy, Finland
Belgium, Malta, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Austria and Portugal.
Monaco, San Marino AND Vatican City are not in the EU but use the Euro as their currency with written agreements.. AlSo, The French territory the coast of Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon use the Euro, as does Mayotte, in the Indian ocean.

Montenegro, Kosovo and Andorra use the Euro without formal agreements, as do Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which adopted it when Cyprus did.

Something that has always bewildered me…

Anyway-

Object of game, get ball into hole with as few strokes as possible. Usually 9 or 18 holes on a course. The first game of golf was played in Scotland!

Golf can be played as 1. stroke play, where the person with fewest strokes wins, or
2. match play- the person with the lowest score wins

The game starts by hitting the ball from the teeing box.

PAR is the word used for the average number of shots an experienced golfer would take to put the ball in the hole. Each hole is classified by a par, usually determined by the distance between the tee and the hole. Holes are usally 2 or 3 par. Up to six exists but is rare.

Scores-
Condor (double eagle)( v. good) -4 four strokes under par.
Albatross (triple eagle) 3 stokes under -3
EAGLE 2 STROKES UNDER -2
Birdie- 1 stroke under -1
Par- right amount of strokes
Bogey- 1 strokes over par +1
Double Bogey 2 above +2
Triple bogey 3 above +3

A handicap is the number of strokes above par an ameteur player is expected to reach per good game!

There are environmental concerns around the game, such as the amount of pesticides used on the grass, the amount of water used,destruction of wetlands etc as well as interfering with animal habitats and migratory routes . A chemical frequently used on golf courses, Diazinon, was banned in 1998 as it was causing the deaths of birds. Nowadays, golf courses are more environmentally friendly, due to increased awareness.
Club types
there are three main club types.
Wood- used for long distance shots
Iron-versatile all rounder!
Putters-used for shorter distance shots, usually to get the ball into the hole on the green.
A player is allowed no more than 14 clubs per game.

President elect of the Russian Federation and current first deputy prime minister- will assume power on in the 7th of May, 2008. He won his position by securing approximately 70% of the vote.

He was born in what is now St. Petersburg, where he also studied law, attaining his PHd in private law. He was Putin’s former chief of staff and chairman of Gazprom’s board of directors. H e is a technocrat (ie a politician whose positions have been awarded based on his skills). He has written two books which are used a textbooks in Russian universities.
he married his high school sweetheart, and they have one son. He apparently is a fan of hard rock music, an avid swimmer and partial to yoga!

In 2005 he was named person of the year by Expert Magazine, a title he shared with Alexei Miller of Gazprom. He maintains that his policies will continue those of Putin, but with perhaps more anti-corruption measures being taken, the establishemnt of a new television channel devoted to law education, pension reforms and encouragement of business -m. Putin will become Medvedev’s Prime Minister after Medvedev assumes power.

My things…
bold= done

1. The workings of a car engine
2. Economics
3. Buddhism
4. History of Paris
5. Current politics
6. The united nations
7. Football -the rules!
8. Football- teams
9. Black holes
10. Dark matter
11. Anatomy
12. The new Russian president
13. The Russian alphabet
14. Dressmaking terms
15. Nelson Mandela
16. All the countries of Africa
17. Sarkozy
18. The EU
19. tHE GOVERNMENT
20. swimming strokes
21. Golf
22. Theory of relativity
23. World war 1
24. World war 11
25. The Crimean war
26. The 1st Iraq war
27. Hinduism
28. Vedic astrology
29. Dante
30. Goethe
31. Realpolitik
32. Colour
33. Airplanes
34. Space exploration
35. Nuclear energy
36. Bosnia
37. The Nobel Prize
38. Gerbils
39. Photography
40. Nutrients and their functions
41. Animal testing
42. Art movements
43. Andy Warhol