The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church,is the largest Latter Day Saint denomination. Founded by Joseph Smith during the Second Great Awakening,the church is headquartered in Salt Lake City,Utah,and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church,as of 2023,it has over 17.2 million members of which over 6.8 million live in the U.S. The church also reports over 99,000 volunteer missionaries and 350 temples.
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 449 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house,the House of Lords,it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London,England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 members known as members of Parliament (MPs),who are elected to represent constituencies by the first-past-the-post system and hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved.
The Ku Klux Klan,commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan,is an American Protestant-led Christian extremist,white supremacist,far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction in the devastated South. Various historians have characterized the Klan as America's first terrorist group. The group contains several organizations structured as a secret society,which have frequently resorted to terrorism,violence and acts of intimidation to impose their criteria and oppress their victims,most notably African Americans,Jews,and Catholics. There have been three distinct iterations with various other targets relative to time and place.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization,also called the North Atlantic Alliance,is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermath of World War II,the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty,signed in Washington,D.C.,on 4 April 1949. NATO is a collective security system:its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War,NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact,and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans,the Middle East,South Asia,and Africa. The organization's motto is animus in consulendo liber. The organization's strategic concepts include deterrence.
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral,composed of a lower body,the United States House of Representatives,and an upper body,the United States Senate. It meets in the United States Capitol in Washington,D.C. Members are chosen through direct election,though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a governor's appointment. Congress has a total of 535 voting members,a figure which includes 100 senators and 435 representatives;the House of Representatives has 6 additional non-voting members. The vice president of the United States,as President of the Senate,has a vote in the Senate only when there is a tie.
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization aiming to maintain international peace and security,developing friendly relations among nations and countries,achieving international cooperation,and serving as a centre for coordinating the actions of member states. It is widely recognized as the world's largest international organization. The UN is headquartered in New York City,in international territory with certain privileges extraterritorial to the United States,and the UN has other offices in Geneva,Nairobi,Vienna,and The Hague,where the International Court of Justice is headquartered at the Peace Palace.
The House of Commons of Canada is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada,they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896,it predates the founding of its regulating organization,the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont,Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of ten prominent universities,which accounts for its name. On August 2,2024,the conference expanded to 18 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS),formerly known as Division I-A,the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry,rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences,work with charitable and welfare organisations,and public service outside the civil service. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions,the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal,whose recipients are affiliated with,but not members of,the order.
The Lok Sabha,also known as the House of the People,is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament,with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past-the-post system to represent their respective constituencies,and they hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the president on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Parliament House,New Delhi.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11,1975,under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches,which often parody contemporary American culture and politics,are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest,who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast,with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming,"Live from New York,it's Saturday Night!",properly beginning the show.
An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.
The Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom,security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU),it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention,both signed in Schengen,Luxembourg.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an international military alliance consisting of 32 member states from Europe and North America. It was established at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. Of the 32 member countries,30 are in Europe and two are in North America. Between 1994 and 1997,wider forums for regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbours were set up,including the Partnership for Peace,the Mediterranean Dialogue initiative,and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.
The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress,with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together,they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The House is charged with the passage of federal legislation,known as bills;those that are also passed by the Senate are sent to the president for signature or veto. The House's exclusive powers include initiating all revenue bills,impeaching federal officers,and electing the president if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
The Commonwealth of Nations,often simply referred to as the Commonwealth,is an international association of 56 member states,the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed. They are connected through their use of the English language and historical-cultural ties. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat,which focuses on intergovernmental relations,and the Commonwealth Foundation,which focuses on non-governmental relations between member nations. Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth. It is known colloquially as the British Commonwealth.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial,free-to-air television network based in Arlington,Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programs to public television stations in the United States,distributing shows such as Frontline,Nova,PBS News Hour,Masterpiece,Sesame Street,This Old House and American Experience. Certain stations also provide service to Canada.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organization consisting of ten countries—Brazil,Russia,India,China,South Africa,Egypt,Ethiopia,Indonesia,Iran and the United Arab Emirates. It is considered to be a counterpart and alternative to the G7 bloc of the world's largest economies.
Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol,specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK),or said to be teetotal. Globally,in 2016,57% of adults did not drink alcohol in the past 12 months,and 44.5% had never consumed alcohol. A number of temperance organisations have been founded in order to promote teetotalism and provide spaces for nondrinkers to socialise.
