Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria-Fort Belvoir - Alexandria, VA
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The Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites Alexandria - Fort Belvoir is set just off historic Route-1/Richmond Highway near Old Town. Business and military travelers benefit from having the I-495 Capital Beltway and I-95 within two miles of the hotel's door. Alexandria, VA is just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.
While you're here, you can securely communicate with clients via the free high-speed, wired and wireless Internet access. The Business Center and meeting room make it easy to get work done so you can enjoy the area. The hotel's central location in Alexandria, VA is one mile from such companies as VSE Corporations and Applied Technologies Group. We're just an eight-mile drive from Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
The hotel's leisure guests love Alexandria, VA, as well. We're close to George Washington's Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and about eight miles from the attractions, museums and monuments of this nation's capital. You can go shopping in Old Town Alexandria, tour the artwork at the Athenaeum and then wrap up the day with dinner and a drink at Gadsby's Tavern.
Our guests love the complimentary shuttle to the nearby Huntington Metro station. You'll be energized to see the sights thanks to the free Express Start Breakfast Bar. Enjoy the comforts of home, a 24-hour Fitness Center and more from our hotel's perfect location in Alexandria, VA.
Hotel and Resort photography & video by PhotoWeb (photowebusa.com). PhotoWeb's Virtual Tours, videos, Digital Stills & Worldwide Distribution allow clients to put their most powerful media where the booking decisions are being made. With superior technology and the highest quality custom content available, viewers are guaranteed to be impressed. Photo Web has been providing cutting edge imaging services since 1996. With offices in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, India, and Colombia, PhotoWeb provides services worldwide. For further information, please contact sales@photowebusa.com [5] [1] or tel: 614-882-3499.
FOR COLORED GIRLS 2017: Bay Area Edition
A TOURING SOCIAL JUSTICE ART ACTION FOR COLORED GIRLS CALLS ATTENTION TO MISSING AND EXPLOITED BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS
ON MAY 25th and 26th, A GROUP OF NATIONALLY KNOWN BLACK WOMEN ARTIVISTS WILL PRESENT A TOURING SOCIAL JUSTICE ART ACTION FOR COLORED GIRLS TO CALL ATTENTION TO MISSING AND EXPLOITED BLACK AND INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Oakland, California (April, 14, 2017) - SPECTRUM Queer Media (sQm) Calls Attention to the Plight of Missing and Exploited Black and Indigenous Women and Children Via The Direct Art Action Performance of For Colored Girls 2017 on May 25th and 26th.
THE MARGINALIZATION OF BLACK WOMEN and CHILDREN: A large, disproportionate number (over 75,000) of Black women (of all genders) are missing, trafficked, and murdered in the United States. Black Trans women are violently targeted and their voices are consistently devalued. Black girls and women represent less than 7% of Americans but over 35% of all missing person’s cases.
A TOURING DIRECT EFFECT ART ACTION: On May 25th a group of Black Women Artivists are staging Ntozake Shange’s seminal choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf” as a social justice “direct effect art action” to call much needed attention to the plight of Black and Indigenous women and children. The staged protest (a transformance) will offer tangible support, proactive skills, and useful information while raising funds for organizations that protect the rights of Black women and children.
THE ACTIVISTS: Each activist in this ensemble which includes Kin Folkz, Cat Brooks, Thea Matthews, Kiki Ledbetter, Sais Beraka, Nann Tsehay, Bobbi Kindred, Audacious I Am and Be Steadwell (who performed on the Womens March On Washington mainstage) are powerful artists in their own right. The organizers of the direct action are asking for the support of the entire community of social justice seekers of all ethnicities. Allies are asked to purchase tickets to allow marginalized Black and Indigenous women to attend. FOR COLORED GIRLS 2017 will travel across the U.S., highlighting Black women (of all genders) led businesses and local organizations. In each city, local social justice artivists will be selected to read alongside the current group implementing this staged art protest.
WE ARE SEEKING PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS and SPONSORS: This consciousness building and fundraising event is seeking promotional partners and ad sponsors (May 20, 2017 deadline with ad sponsorship levels ranging from $75 to $1,000. Proceeds will support effective programs serving marginalized Black women and children (of all genders) including: MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth); The Black AIDS Institute; TGI Justice Project; Black and Missing Incorporated; Black and Missing, But Not Forgotten Incorporated; and The Black LGBTQ Digital Storytelling Project.
PROMOTIONAL PARTNER and AD SPONSOR LINK: bit.ly/ForColoredGirls2017Sponsor
TICKET LINK: forColoredGirlsOakland.eventbrite.com
MORE INFO: bit.ly/ForColoredGirls2017Facebook
CASTING: The Berkeley and San Francisco castings are still unfolding. Interested artivists are encouraged to contact us via: OurKinFolkz@gmail.com
Life on the Mississippi By Mark Twain [Part 5/5] VideoBook
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. A good portion of the work also deals with his post-war visit to the old haunts.
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Pope Pius XII | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Pope Pius XII
00:02:34 1 Early life
00:05:28 2 Church career
00:05:37 2.1 Priest and Monsignor
00:09:23 2.2 Archbishop and Papal nuncio
00:16:48 2.3 Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo
00:22:19 2.4 iReichskonkordat/i and iMit brennender Sorge/i
00:27:29 2.5 iRelation with the Media/i
00:27:51 3 Papacy
00:28:00 3.1 Election and coronation
00:30:16 3.2 Appointments
00:32:10 3.3 Consistories
00:34:00 4 Church reforms
00:34:09 4.1 Liturgy reforms
00:35:49 4.2 Canon Law reforms
00:36:44 4.3 Priests and religious
00:37:52 5 Theology
00:38:45 5.1 Theological orientation
00:38:54 5.1.1 Biblical research
00:39:52 5.1.2 The role of theology
00:40:47 5.2 Mariology and the dogma of the Assumption
00:40:58 5.2.1 World consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
00:41:35 5.2.2 The dogma of the Assumption of Mary
00:42:38 5.3 Social teachings
00:42:47 5.3.1 Medical theology
00:43:40 5.3.2 Family and sexuality
00:44:18 5.3.3 Theology and science
00:44:52 5.3.4 Evolution
00:45:52 5.3.5 Capital punishment
00:46:48 5.4 Encyclicals, writings and speeches
00:49:41 5.5 Feasts and devotions
00:50:21 6 Canonisations and beatifications
00:51:13 7 World War II
00:53:20 7.1 Outbreak of war
00:53:29 7.1.1 Summi Pontificatus
00:57:34 7.1.2 Invasion of Poland
01:00:31 7.1.3 Early actions to end conflict
01:04:29 7.1.4 Widening conflict
01:09:49 7.1.5 Final stages
01:10:27 7.2 Holocaust
01:25:09 7.2.1 Jewish orphans controversy
01:26:27 8 Post-World War II
01:31:46 9 Later life, illness and death
01:31:56 9.1 Late years of Pope Pius XII
01:33:40 9.2 Illness and death
01:36:03 9.3 Botched embalming
01:37:32 9.4 Funeral
01:38:22 10 Cause for canonisation
01:41:57 10.1 Potential miracle
01:42:26 11 Views, interpretations and scholarship
01:42:37 11.1 Contemporary
01:45:55 11.2 Early historical accounts
01:47:05 11.3 iThe Deputy/i
01:49:37 11.4 iActes/i
01:50:21 11.5 iHitler's Pope/i and iThe Myth of Hitler's Pope/i
01:56:35 11.6 International Catholic-Jewish Historical Commission
02:01:02 11.7 Recent developments
02:05:16 12 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Pope Pius XII (Italian: Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (Italian pronunciation: [euˈdʒɛːnjo maˈriːa dʒuˈzɛppe dʒoˈvanni paˈtʃɛlli]; 2 March 1876 – 9 October 1958), was the Pope of the Catholic Church from 2 March 1939 to his death. Before his election to the papacy, he served as secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, papal nuncio to Germany, and Cardinal Secretary of State, in which capacity he worked to conclude treaties with European and Latin American nations, most notably the Reichskonkordat with Nazi Germany.While the Vatican was officially neutral during World War II, Pius XII maintained links to the German Resistance, used diplomacy to aid the victims of the war and lobby for peace, and spoke out against race-based murders and other atrocities. The Reichskonkordat and his leadership of the Catholic Church during the war remain the subject of controversy—including allegations of public silence and inaction about the fate of the Jews. After the war, he advocated peace and reconciliation, including lenient policies towards former Axis and Axis-satellite nations. He was also a staunch opponent of Communism and of the Italian Communist Party.
During his papacy, the Church issued the Decree against Communism, declaring that Catholics who profess Communist doctrine are to be excommunicated as apostates from the Christian faith. In turn, the Church experienced severe persecution and mass deportations of Catholic clergy in the Eastern Bloc. He explicitly invoked ex cathedra papal infallibility with the dogma of the Assumption of Mary in his Apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. His magisterium includes almost 1,000 addresses and radio broadcasts. His forty-one encyclicals include Mystici corporis, the Church as the Body of Christ; Mediator Dei on liturgy reform; and Humani generis on the Chur ...
Library | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Library
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
A library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A library's collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to several million items. In Latin and Greek, the idea of a bookcase is represented by Bibliotheca and Bibliothēkē (Greek: βιβλιοθήκη): derivatives of these mean library in many modern languages, e.g. French bibliothèque.
The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing—the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC. In the 6th century, at the very close of the Classical period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria.
A library is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation, or a private individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not to—or cannot afford to—purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs. Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and they also often offer common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. Libraries often provide public facilities for access to their electronic resources and the Internet.
Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing very large amounts of information with a variety of digital resources. Libraries are increasingly becoming community hubs where programs are delivered and people engage in lifelong learning. As community centers, libraries are also becoming increasingly important in helping communities mobilize and organize for their rights. The relationship between librarianship and human rights works to ensure that the rights of cultural minorities, immigrants, the homeless, the disabled, LGBTQ community, as well as other marginalized groups are not infringed upon as protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Museum | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:01:12 1 Etymology
00:01:48 2 Purpose
00:05:18 3 Most visited museums
00:05:52 4 History
00:06:01 4.1 Early museums
00:14:03 4.2 Modern museums
00:19:48 5 Management
00:23:55 5.1 Exhibition histories
00:25:30 6 Museum planning
00:28:55 6.1 Financial uses of museums
00:31:27 6.2 Museum funding
00:32:39 7 Exhibition design
00:38:04 8 Types
00:39:48 8.1 Agricultural museums
00:40:35 8.2 Architecture museums
00:43:40 8.3 Archaeology museums
00:44:19 8.4 Art museums
00:47:15 8.5 Biographical museums
00:48:16 8.6 Automobile museums
00:49:03 8.7 Children's museums
00:54:02 8.8 Design museums
00:54:34 8.9 Encyclopedic museums
00:55:47 8.10 Ethnology or ethnographic museums
00:56:20 8.11 Historic house museums
00:59:32 8.12 History museums
01:02:38 8.13 Living history museums
01:05:06 8.14 Maritime museums
01:05:59 8.15 Medical museums
01:08:21 8.16 Memorial museums
01:10:53 8.17 Military and war museums
01:12:09 8.18 Mobile museums
01:12:52 8.19 Natural history museums
01:13:47 8.20 Open-air museums
01:14:44 8.21 Pop-up museums
01:16:33 8.22 Science museums
01:20:20 8.23 Specialized museums
01:22:55 8.24 Virtual museums
01:23:59 8.25 Zoological parks and botanic gardens
01:24:57 9 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
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Speaking Rate: 0.9802876756552308
Voice name: en-AU-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
A museum ( mew-ZEE-əm; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public.
There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, and children's museums. Amongst the world's largest and most visited museums are the Louvre in Paris, the National Museum of China in Beijing, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the British Museum and National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Vatican Museums in Vatican City. According to International Council of Museums, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries.
Liverpool | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Liverpool
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Liverpool () is a city in North West England, with an estimated population of 491,500 in 2017. Its metropolitan area is the fifth-largest in the UK, with a population of 2.24 million in 2011. The local authority is Liverpool City Council, the most populous local government district in the metropolitan county of Merseyside and the largest in the Liverpool City Region.
Liverpool is on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, and historically lay within the ancient hundred of West Derby in the south west of the county of Lancashire. It became a borough in 1207 and a city in 1880. In 1889, it became a county borough independent of Lancashire. Its growth as a major port was paralleled by the expansion of the city throughout the Industrial Revolution. Along with handling general cargo, freight, raw materials such as coal and cotton, the city merchants were involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In the 19th century, it was a major port of departure for Irish and English emigrants to North America. Liverpool was home to both the Cunard and White Star Line, and was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic, the RMS Lusitania, RMS Queen Mary and RMS Olympic.
The popularity of the Beatles and other music groups from the Merseybeat era contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination. Liverpool is also the home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton, matches between the two being known as the Merseyside derby. The Grand National horse race takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of the city.
The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007. In 2008, it was nominated as the annual European Capital of Culture together with Stavanger, Norway. Several areas of the city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City includes the Pier Head, Albert Dock, and William Brown Street. Liverpool's status as a port city has attracted a diverse population, which, historically, was drawn from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly from Ireland and Wales. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe.
Natives and residents of the city of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians, and colloquially as Scousers, a reference to scouse, a form of stew. The word Scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect.
Liverpool | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:03:12 1 Origins of the name
00:04:11 2 History
00:04:20 2.1 Early history
00:06:30 2.2 19th century
00:09:18 2.3 20th century
00:15:29 2.4 21st century
00:18:37 2.5 Inventions and innovations
00:24:34 3 Government
00:25:17 3.1 Mayor and local council
00:29:22 3.2 Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
00:30:42 3.3 Parliamentary constituencies and MPs
00:31:42 4 Geography
00:31:51 4.1 Physical
00:32:00 4.1.1 Environment
00:33:09 4.1.2 Climate
00:36:18 4.2 Human
00:36:27 4.2.1 Green Liverpool
00:36:47 4.2.2 Green belt
00:38:07 5 Demography
00:38:16 5.1 Population
00:38:25 5.1.1 The city
00:40:05 5.1.2 Urban and metropolitan area
00:43:05 5.2 Ethnicity
00:46:10 5.3 Religion
00:50:40 5.4 Demonymy and identity
00:51:21 6 Economy
00:55:43 7 Landmarks and recent development projects
00:57:14 7.1 Waterfront and docks
01:00:54 7.2 Commercial district and cultural quarter
01:04:01 7.3 Other notable landmarks
01:07:28 7.4 Parks and gardens
01:08:01 8 Transport
01:08:44 8.1 National and international travel
01:08:54 8.1.1 Road links
01:10:11 8.1.2 Rail links
01:11:17 8.1.3 Port
01:11:58 8.1.4 Airport
01:12:44 8.2 Local travel
01:12:53 8.2.1 Trains
01:14:30 8.2.2 Buses
01:15:31 8.2.3 Mersey Ferry
01:16:24 8.3 Cycling
01:16:48 9 Culture
01:17:44 9.1 Music
01:21:06 9.2 Visual arts
01:23:00 9.3 Literature
01:30:52 9.4 Performing arts
01:32:22 9.5 Nightlife
01:33:50 10 Education
01:38:34 11 Sport
01:38:43 11.1 Football
01:40:58 11.2 Boxing
01:42:07 11.3 Horse racing
01:43:03 11.4 Golf
01:43:30 11.5 Greyhound Racing
01:44:12 11.6 Other sports
01:48:33 11.7 Sports stadiums
01:52:34 12 Media
01:55:31 13 Notable people
01:55:40 14 Quotes about Liverpool
02:00:28 15 International links
02:00:38 15.1 Twin cities
02:00:50 15.2 Friendship links
02:01:06 15.3 Consulates
02:01:48 16 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
Speaking Rate: 0.8146969675899826
Voice name: en-US-Wavenet-F
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Liverpool () is a city in North West England, with an estimated population of 491,500 in 2017. Its metropolitan area is the fifth-largest in the UK, with a population of 2.24 million in 2011. The local authority is Liverpool City Council, the most populous local government district in the metropolitan county of Merseyside and the largest in the Liverpool City Region.
Liverpool is on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, and historically lay within the ancient hundred of West Derby in the south west of the county of Lancashire. It became a borough in 1207 and a city in 1880. In 1889, it became a county borough independent of Lancashire. Its growth as a major port was paralleled by the expansion of the city throughout the Industrial Revolution. Along with handling general cargo, freight, raw materials such as coal and cotton, the city merchants were involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In the 19th century, it was a major port of departure for Irish and English emigrants to North America. Liverpool was home to both the Cunard and White Star Line, and was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic, the RMS Lusitania, RMS Queen Mary and RMS Olympic.
The popularity of the Beatles and other music groups from the Merseybeat era contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination. Liverpool is also the home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton, matches between the two being known as the Merseyside derby. The Grand National horse race takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of the city.
The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007. In 2008, it was nominated as the annual European Capital of Culture together with Stavanger, Norway. Several areas of the city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City includes the Pier Head, Albert Dock, and William Brown Street. Liverpool's status as a port city h ...
John Paul II | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
John Paul II
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written
language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through
audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio
while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using
a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
In case you don't find one that you were looking for, put a comment.
This video uses Google TTS en-US-Standard-D voice.
SUMMARY
=======
Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; Polish: Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła; [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa]; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) served as Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005.
He was elected by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after thirty-three days.
Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted his predecessor's name in tribute to him. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception and the ordination of women, but also supported the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reforms.
He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonised 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of John Paul's papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada.John Paul II was the second longest-serving pope in modern history after Pope Pius IX, who served for nearly 32 years from 1846 to 1878. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523. John Paul II's cause for canonisation commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed Venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to his intercession, the healing of a French nun from Parkinson's disease. A second miracle attributed to John Paul II's intercession was approved on 2 July 2013, and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later (two miracles must be attributed to a person's intercession to be declared a saint). John Paul II was canonised on 27 April 2014 (again Divine Mercy Sunday), together with Pope John XXIII. On 11 September 2014, Pope Francis added these two optional memorials to the worldwide General Roman Calendar of saints, in response to worldwide requests. It is traditional to celebrate saints' feast days on the anniversary of their deaths, but that of John Paul II (22 October) is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration. Posthumously, he has been referred to by some Catholics as John Paul the Great, although the title has no official recognition.
Who was George Washington?
George Washington (February 22, 1732 -- December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States, (1789--1797), and led the Continental Army to victory over the Kingdom of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775--1783).
Washington was chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces in 1775. The following year, he forced the British out of Boston, lost New York City, and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey and defeating the surprised enemy units later that year. As a result of his strategy,
Revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies—Saratoga and Yorktown. Negotiating with Congress, the colonial states, and French allies, he held together a tenuous army and a fragile nation amid the threats of disintegration and failure. Following the end of the war in 1783, Washington retired to his plantation on Mount Vernon.
Unsatisfied with the Articles of Confederation, he presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787. Washington became President of the United States in 1789 and established many of the customs and usages of the new government's executive department. He sought to create a great nation capable of surviving in a world torn asunder by war between Britain and France. His unilateral Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 provided a basis for avoiding any involvement in foreign conflicts. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank. Washington avoided the temptation of war and began a decade of peace with Britain via the Jay Treaty in 1795; he used his prestige to get it ratified over intense opposition from the Jeffersonians. Although never officially joining the Federalist Party, he supported its programs and was its inspirational leader. Washington's farewell address was a primer on republican virtue and a stern warning against involvement in foreign wars.
Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration,Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents.
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