Friday, August 31, 2007
Great American Ball Park is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. The park opened on March 28, 2003 with an exhibition game with the Cleveland Indians. The first regular season game, on March 31, 2003, saw the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Reds 10-1. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by former President George H. W. Bush, who replaced his son, current president George W. Bush, who was scheduled, but unable to attend. The younger Bush eventually did get the opportunity to throw out the first pitch before the Reds' April 4, 2006 opening day game versus the Chicago Cubs.
While appearing to be a patriotic reference, Great American Ball Park is named after a business sponsor, the Great American Insurance Group, which is consistent with the norm in American professional sports. Great American is the insurance division of American Financial Group, Inc., the principal shareholder of which is former Cincinnati Reds majority owner Carl Lindner, Jr.
Location
In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new facilities for both the Cincinnati Reds and the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. Previously, the teams shared occupancy of Cinergy Field, but complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small market teams to survive.
After much discussion and debate, the site that was eventually chosen became informally known as "the wedge," due to it being "wedged" between Cinergy Field and US Bank Arena. To accommodate construction on the small plot, Cinergy Field was partially demolished, although it remained in use until Great American Ball Park was ready. Cinergy Field, which opened midway through the 1970 season under its working name, Riverfront Stadium, was demolished on December 29, 2002.
Features
"Gapper"
Thursday, August 30, 2007
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Moldova
See also: Politics of Transnistria
Politics of Moldova takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The position of the break-away republic of Transnistria, relations with Romania and integration into the EU dominate the political agenda.
President
- Vladimir Voronin Prime Minister
- Vasile Tarlev Parliament
Political parties Elections: 2005
Subdivisions
Foreign relations
- Moldova
Moldova reunion Developments since independence
There is disagreement as to whether elections and politics in Moldova is carried out in a free and democratic climate on the part of certain organizations. The United States Senate has held committee hearings on irregularities that marred elections in Moldova, including arrests and harassment of opposition candidates, intimidation and suppression of independent media, and state run media bias in favor of candidates backed by the Communist-led Moldovan Government.
Criticism
The population of the Moldovan region of Transnistria is approximately 30% Moldovan, 30% Ukrainian, and 30% Russian. After failing to establish control over the breakaway region in the War of Transnistria, Moldova offered a rather broad cultural and political autonomy to the region. The dispute has strained Moldova's relations with Russia. The July 1992 cease-fire agreement established a tripartite peacekeeping force comprised of Moldovan, Russian, and Transnistrian units. Negotiations to resolve the conflict continue, and the cease-fire is still in effect. The OSCEis also trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement and has had an observer mission in place for several years.
Moldova had successfully joined the World Trade Organization and the Southeast European Stability Pact in 2001. Of primary importance have been the government's efforts to improve relations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and to comply with agreements negotiated in 2000 by the former government. Agreement in these areas was critical, because large government debts that were due in 2002 had to be rescheduled. The government has made concerted efforts to find ways to pay for Moldova's energy supplies.
Politically the government is committed to present a budget that will deal with social safety net items such as health, education, and increasing pensions and salaries. The Moldovan Government supported democracy and human rights in FY 2001. The country remains divided, with the Transnistrian region along the Ukrainian border controlled by separatist forces. The new communist government has shown increased determination to resolve the ongoing conflict, but has been unable to make any significant progress because of fundamental disagreements with the separatist authorities in Transnistria over the status of that region.
Recent progress by Russia in destroying the weapons and munitions of the Organized Group of Russian Forces stationed in Transnistria have raised hopes that Russia intends to comply with the 1999 Istanbul Accords. In recent months, the leadership of the autonomous region of Gagauzia has become more vocal in its complaints that the Moldovan Government does not respect the region's statutory-enshrined autonomy.
Political parties and other groups publish newspapers, which often criticize government policies. There are several independent news services, radio stations, and an independent television station. Peaceful assembly is allowed, though permits for demonstrations must be obtained; private organizations, including political parties, are required to register with the government. Legislation passed in 1992 codified freedom of religion but required that religious groups be recognized by the government.
A 1990 Soviet law and a 1991 Parliamentary decision authorizing formation of social organizations provide for independent trade unions. However, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Moldova, successor to the former organizations of the Soviet trade union system, is the sole structure. It has tried to influence government policy in labor issues and has been critical of many economic policies. Moldovan labor law, which is based on former Soviet legislation, provides for collective bargaining rights.
Transnistria
The president is elected by the Parliament for a four-year term. According to the Moldovan constitution, the president, on consulting with the parliament, will designate a candidate for the office of prime minister; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate will request a vote of confidence from the parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet. The cabinet is selected by prime minister-designate, subject to approval of parliament.
Legislative branch
For other political parties see List of political parties in Moldova. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Moldova.
AMN, PDM and PSL formed the Electoral Bloc Democratic Moldova (Blocul Electoral Moldova Democrată).
Socialist Party of Moldova (Partidul Socialist din Moldova)
Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (Partidul Socialiştilor din Republica Moldova) Political parties and elections
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court is the sole authority of constitutional judicature
Administrative divisions
ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
- Moldova
- Vasile Tarlev Parliament
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.
Bartel was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jesse and William Bartel, an advertising executive.
Bartel also appeared as an actor in several films. Some of his other well known cameos were in the 1975 cult film Death Race 2000, which he also directed, and the 1979 cult classic Rock 'n' Roll High School alongside Eating Raoul co-star Mary Woronov. Bartel made a short appearance in Tim Burton's short film Frankenweenie as Victor's science teacher. Bartel directed ten movies, mostly low-budget comedies that he was hired to direct after the success of Eating Raoul. He sometimes contributed to the writing of these movies as well. A typical Bartel film of this period stars one or more "B-list" celebrities, includes modest sexual content (often presented ironically), a song and dance routine, and a cameo by Bartel himself.
He also made many guest appearances on TV shows. Bartel died May 13, 2000 of a heart attack, following liver cancer surgery two weeks prior. He was 61.
The Belgian horror movie Calvaire paid a tribute to the actor and director: the mad innkeeper is called Paul Bartel.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Guy of Dampierre (Dutch: Gwijde van Dampierre) (c. 1226 – March 7, 1304, Compiègne) was the count of Flanders during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. His coat-of-arms was "Or, a lion rampant sable".
Guy was the second son of William II of Dampierre and Margaret II of Flanders. The death of his elder brother William in a tournament made him joint Count of Flanders with his mother. (She had made William co-ruler of Flanders 1246 to ensure that it would go to the Dampierre children of her second marriage, rather than the Avesnes children of her first.) Guy and his mother struggled against the Avesnes (led by John I, Count of Hainaut) in the War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault, but were defeated in 1253 at the Battle of Walcheren, and Guy was taken prisoner. By the mediation of Louis IX of France, he was ransomed in 1256. Some respite was obtained by the death of John of Hainaut in 1257.
In 1270, Margaret confiscated the property of English merchants in Flanders; this led to a devastating trade war with England, which supplied most of the wool for the Flemish weavers. Even after her abdication in 1278, Guy often found himself in difficulties with the fractious commoners.
In 1288, complaints over taxes led Philip IV of France to tighten his control over Flanders. Tension built between Guy and the king; in 1294, Guy arranged a marriage between his daughter Philippa and Edward, Prince of Wales. However, Philip imprisoned Guy and two of his sons, forced him to call off the marriage, and imprisoned Philippa in Paris until her death in 1306. Guy was summoned before the king again in 1296, and the principal cities of Flanders were taken under royal protection until Guy paid an idemnity and surrendered his territories, to hold them at the grace of the king.
After these indignities, Guy attempted to revenge himself on Philip by an alliance with Edward I of England in 1297, to which Philip responded by declaring Flanders annexed to the royal domain. The French under Robert II of Artois defeated the Flemings at the Battle of Furnes, and Edward's expedition into Flanders was abortive. He made peace with Philip in 1298 and left Guy to his fate. The French invaded again in 1299 and captured both Guy and his son Robert in January 1300.
The Flemish burghers, however, found direct French rule to be more oppressive than that of the count. After smashing a French army at the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302, Guy was briefly released by the French to try to negotiate terms. His subjects, however, refused to compromise; and a new French offensive in 1304 destroyed a Flemish fleet at the Battle of Zierikzee and fought the Flemings to a draw at the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle. Guy was returned to prison, where he died.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 - January 1, 1923) in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.
Keeler was a remarkable hitter, whose advice to hitters was, "Keep your eye clear, and hit 'em where they ain't" -- "they" being the opposing fielders. He compiled a .341 batting average over his career, currently 14th all time behind Pete Browning. He hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, and hit over .400 once. He twice led his league in batting average and three times in hits. Willie had an amazing 206 singles during the 1898 season. Additionally, he had an on-base percentage of greater than .400 for seven straight seasons. When Keeler retired in 1910, he was second all time in hits with 2,932 behind only Cap Anson.
He was one of the smaller players to play the game, standing approximately 5'7" (some sources say he was as short at 5'4") and weighing 140 pounds (64 kg), resulting in his nickname. Keeler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He is among the shortest players ever elected to the Hall, and the shortest to appear on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he ranked number 75. In 1999, he was named as a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Having played his last game in 1910, he was the most chronologically distant player on both Top 100 lists.
Keeler had the amazing ability to bunt practically any ball sent his way. He was the impetus for the rule change that made a third-strike foul bunt into a strike out. With John McGraw's Baltimore Orioles he perfected the "Baltimore Chop" in which he would chop the ball into the ground hard enough for it to bounce so high he could reach base before the fielder could throw the ball to first.
In 1897, Keeler had a 44-game hitting streak to start the season, beating out the previous single season record of 42, set by Bill Dahlen. Keeler had a hit in his final game of the 1896 season, giving him a National League record 45-game hitting streak. This mark was finally surpassed by Joe DiMaggio in 1941, who had a 56-game hitting streak. In 1978, Pete Rose tied Keeler's single season mark of 44 games. No other player in baseball has ever matched this feat. Another one of Keeler's unbroken records is his eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits or more.
In 1905 he set the Yankees team record for most Sacrifice Hits in a season with 42.
In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Because of space limitations the Irish team, including Keeler as center fielder, was omitted.
Keeler was immortalized in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday, by Ogden Nash, thus:
K is for Keeler, As fresh as green paint; The firstest and mostest To hit where they ain't.
Willie Keeler is interred in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.New York Giants (1892-1893, 1910)
Brooklyn Grooms/Supurbas (1893, 1899-1902)
Baltimore Orioles (1894-1898)
New York Highlanders (1903-1909)
Career batting average (.341) 14th in major league history
National League batting champion: 1897, 1898
National League runs scored leader: 1899
National League hits leader: 1897, 1897, 1900
8 200-hit seasons
8 seasons with 100+ runs scored
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Grid computing is a phrase in distributed computing which can have several meanings:
These varying definitions cover the spectrum of "distributed computing", and sometimes the two terms are used as synonyms. This article focuses on distributed computing technologies which are not in the traditional dedicated clusters; otherwise, see computer cluster.
Functionally, one can also speak of several types of grids:
A local computer cluster which is like a "grid" because it is composed of multiple nodes.
Offering online computation or storage as a metered commercial service, known as utility computing, computing on demand, or cloud computing.
The creation of a "virtual supercomputer" by using spare computing resources within an organization.
The creation of a "virtual supercomputer" by using a network of geographically dispersed computers. Volunteer computing, which generally focuses on scientific, mathematical, and academic problems, is the most common application of this technology.
Computational grids (including CPU Scavenging grids) which focuses primarily on computationally-intensive operations.
Data grids or the controlled sharing and management of large amounts of distributed data.
Equipment grids which have a primary piece of equipment e.g. a telescope, and where the surrounding Grid is used to control the equipment remotely and to analyze the data produced. Grids versus conventional supercomputers
One feature of distributed grids is that they can be formed from computing resources belonging to multiple individuals or organizations (known as multiple administrative domains). This can facilitate commercial transactions, as in utility computing, or make it easier to assemble volunteer computing networks.
One disadvantage of this feature is that the computers which are actually performing the calculations might not be entirely trustworthy. The designers of the system must thus introduce measures to prevent malfunctions or malicious participants from producing false, misleading, or erroneous results, and from using the system as an attack vector. This often involves assigning work randomly to different nodes (presumably with different owners) and checking that at least two different nodes report the same answer for a given work unit. Discrepancies would identify malfunctioning and malicious nodes.
Due to the lack of central control over the hardware, there is no way to guarantee that nodes will not drop out of the network at random times. Some nodes (like laptops or dialup Internet customers) may also be available for computation but not network communications for unpredictable periods. These variations can be accommodated by assigning large work units (thus reducing the need for continuous network connectivity) and reassigning work units when a given node fails to report its results as expected.
The impacts of trust and availability on performance and development difficulty can influence the choice of whether to deploy onto a dedicated computer cluster, to idle machines internal to the developing organization, or to an open external network of volunteers or contractors.
In many cases, the participating nodes must trust the central system not to abuse the access that is being granted, by interfering with the operation of other programs, mangling stored information, transmitting private data, or creating new security holes. Other systems employ measures to reduce the amount of trust "client" nodes must place in the central system such as placing applications in virtual machines.
Public systems or those crossing administrative domains (including different departments in the same organization) often result in the need to run on heterogeneous systems, using different operating systems and hardware architectures. With many languages, there is a tradeoff between investment in software development and the number of platforms that can be supported (and thus the size of the resulting network). Cross-platform languages can reduce the need to make this tradeoff, though potentially at the expense of high performance on any given node (due to run-time interpretation or lack of optimization for the particular platform).
Various middleware projects have created generic infrastructure, to allow various scientific and commercial projects to harness a particular associated grid, or for the purpose of setting up new grids. BOINC is a common one for academic projects seeking public volunteers; more are listed at the end of the article.
CPU scavenging
The term Grid computing originated in the early 1990s as a metaphor for making computer power as easy to access as an electric power grid in Ian Foster and Carl Kesselmans seminal work, "The Grid: Blueprint for a new computing infrastructure".
CPU scavenging and volunteer computing were popularized beginning in 1997 by distributed.net and later in 1999 by SETI@home to harness the power of networked PCs worldwide, in order to solve CPU-intensive research problems.
The ideas of the grid (including those from distributed computing, object oriented programming, cluster computing, web services and others) were brought together by Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman and Steve Tuecke, widely regarded as the "fathers of the grid." They led the effort to create the Globus Toolkit incorporating not just computation management but also storage management, security provisioning, data movement, monitoring and a toolkit for developing additional services based on the same infrastructure including agreement negotiation, notification mechanisms, trigger services and information aggregation. While the Globus Toolkit remains the defacto standard for building grid solutions, a number of other tools have been built that answer some subset of services needed to create an enterprise or global grid.
History
BOINC - 525 teraflops, as of 4 Jun 2007 Fastest virtual supercomputers
See also
Production gridsFriday, August 24, 2007
John Adam Estes (25 January 1904 - 5 June 1977), commonly known as Sleepy John Estes or Sleepy John, was a U.S. blues guitarist and vocalist born in Ripley, Tennessee.
In 1915, Estes's father, a sharecropper who also played some guitar, moved the family to Brownsville, Tennessee. Not long after, Estes was hit in the right eye by a stone, and his sight was never good after that. After working as a field hand in his teens, he began to perform professionally by 1919, mostly at local parties and picnics, often in the company of Hammie Nixon, a harmonica player, and James "Yank" Rachell, a guitarist and mandolin player. He would continue to work with both musicians, off and on, for more than fifty years.
Estes made his debut as a recording artist in Memphis in 1929, at a session organized by Ralph Peer for Victor Records. He later recorded for the Decca and Bluebird labels, with his last pre-war recording session taking place in 1941. He made a brief return to recording at Sun Studio in Memphis in 1952, recording "Runnin' Around" and "Rats in My Kitchen," but otherwise was largely out of the public eye for two decades.
Though only modestly skilled as a guitarist (he was frequently teamed with more capable musicians, like Rachell, Nixon, and the piano player Jab Jones), Estes was a fine singer, with a distinctive "crying" vocal style. He sounded so much like an old man, even on his early records, that blues revivalists reportedly delayed looking for him because they assumed he would have to be long dead, and because fellow musician Big Bill Broonzy had written that Estes had died. By the time he was tracked down, by Bob Koester and Samuel Charters in 1962, he had become completely blind and was living in abject poverty. He resumed touring and recording, though his later records are generally considered less interesting than his pre-war output.
Many of Estes's original songs were based on events in his own life or on people he knew from his home town, such as the local lawyer ("Lawyer Clark Blues"), local auto mechanic ("Vassie Williams' Blues"), or an amorously inclined teenage girl ("Little Laura Blues"). He also dispensed advice on agricultural matters ("Working Man Blues") and chronicled his own attempt to reach a recording studio for a session by hopping a freight train ("Special Agent (Railroad Police Blues)"). His lyrics combined keen observation with an ability to turn an effective phrase, and he was less reliant than many of his contemporaries on borrowed verses and boilerplate swagger.
Some accounts attribute his nickname of Sleepy to a blood pressure disorder and/or narcolepsy. Others, such as Bob Koester, claim he simply had a "tendency to withdraw from his surroundings into drowsiness whenever life was too cruel or too boring to warrant full attention."
Estes died on June 5, 1977 and is buried at Durhamville Baptist Church in Durhamville, Tennessee.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 353 days remaining (354 in leap years).
Births
1321 - Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France (b. 1256)
1519 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
1583 - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1508)
1665 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
1674 - Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (b. 1605)
1700 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, saint (b. 1620)
1705 - Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)
1732 - John Horsley, British archaeologist (b. 1685)
1735 - John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
1759 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
1777 - Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1726)
1781 - Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
1817 - Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)
1834 - William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
1899 - Hiram Walker, American distiller (b. 1816)
1909 - Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
1940 - Edward Smith, English soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1899)
1943 - Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer (b. 1902)
1944 - Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
1956 - Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)
1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)
1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist (b. 1869)
1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer (b. 1936)
1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer (b. 1890)
1977 - Henri-Georges Clouzot, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
1983 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR (b. 1903)
1990 - Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator et writer (b. 1919)
1996 - Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)
1997 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901)
1997 - Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
1999 - Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (b. 1914)
1999 - Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
2000 - Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)
2000 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
2001 - Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)
2001 - William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (b. 1913)
2001 - Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
2002 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
2002 - Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
2003 - Dean Amadon, American ornithologist (b. 1912)
2003 - Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)
2003 - Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina (b. 1926)
2003 - Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)
2004 - Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
2004 - Randy VanWarmer, American singer and songwriter (b. 1955)
2005 - Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
2005 - Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
2005 - Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
2007 - Alice Coltrane, American jazz musician (b. 1937) Holidays and observances
Benedict Biscop
January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Timothy Montgomery (born January 25, 1975) is a former American athlete and 100 m record holder. He was stripped of his records after being found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Career
He has one child with sprinter Marion Jones.
Personal LifeMontgomery did not qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing seventh in the final of the United States Olympic trials. Before the trials, however, he was charged with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). While he has not returned a positive drug test, according to press reports he testified to the agency that he, along with a number of other prominent athletes (including baseball star Barry Bonds), obtained steroids and human growth hormone from BALCO, a laboratory near San Francisco. The USADA sought a four year suspension on Montgomery, who appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On 13 December 2005, the CAS found Montgomery guilty and imposed a two year ban. On top of the ban, all of Montgomery's results and awards since 31 March 2001, including his former world record, had also been stripped.[1] After the ban was announced, Montgomery announced his retirement.
The investigation also implicated his former partner Marion Jones, winner of the women's 100 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympic games.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
40 - 50 million (est.) may be foreign in origin.
The indigenous ethnic groups of ScotlandFurther information: Highland Clearances, Lowland Clearances and Ulster-Scots
Today, Scotland has a population of just over five million people, the majority of whom consider themselves Scottish. and Mexico.
Culture
Surnames beginning with M