Medium Practice

Belgium has mandatory voting with fines for non-voters. Voting is compulsory for all eligible citizens aged 18 and over. Failure to vote can result in fines, and chronic non-voters may be disenfranchised. The system dates to 1893 and has produced consistently high turnout (around 90%). Other countries with compulsory voting include Australia (fines), Brazil (voting mandatory for literate citizens 18-70), Argentina, and Singapore. Supporters argue it increases legitimacy, encourages civic engagement, and prevents marginalization of certain groups. Critics say it violates individual freedom and may produce uninformed voting. Australia's system is often studied as a successful model-voters can cast blank ballots, satisfying the legal requirement while expressing dissatisfaction. Compulsory voting tends to produce more representative electorates and shifts campaign focus from turnout to persuasion. Debates about adopting it elsewhere continue, but few countries have implemented it.

Neptune is often called the "Blue Giant" (or an "Ice Giant") because of its deep blue color and its massive size (it is the 4th largest planet). Its blue color comes from methane in its atmosphere, which absorbs red light and reflects blue.

Abu Bakr was the first Caliph of Islam, serving from 632 to 634 AD after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. He was one of Muhammad's closest companions and his father-in-law. His leadership ensured the survival of the early Islamic state through the Ridda Wars (Apostasy Wars).

The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1951, limits a President to serving a maximum of two elected terms in office. It was passed largely in response to Franklin D. Roosevelt serving four consecutive terms from 1933 to 1945. Before this amendment, there was no legal limit - only an unwritten tradition established by George Washington, who voluntarily stepped down after two terms. The amendment allows someone who has served more than two years of another president's term to be elected only once more.

Sir Robert Walpole is the longest-serving Prime Minister in British history, serving for approximately 20 years and 314 days from 1721 to 1742, across the reigns of King George I and King George II. He is also widely regarded as the first Prime Minister, though the title was not officially used at the time. Walpole maintained political dominance through his mastery of parliamentary management, patronage, and his close relationship with the monarch. His long tenure established many of the conventions of British cabinet government.

Judicial review is the power of courts to examine laws, executive actions, and government decisions to determine whether they are consistent with the constitution, and to invalidate them if they are not. It is a fundamental mechanism of constitutional democracy, ensuring that no branch of government acts beyond its legal authority. In the United States, judicial review was established by the Supreme Court's landmark 1803 ruling in Marbury v. Madison. Courts in over 100 countries now exercise some form of judicial review.

Sukarno (often spelled Soekarno) was the first President of Indonesia, serving from independence on August 17, 1945, until he was effectively removed from power in 1967 following a military takeover led by General Suharto. Sukarno was one of the founders of Indonesian nationalism and proclaimed independence from Dutch colonial rule at the end of World War II. He was a charismatic orator and a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, positioning Indonesia as a major voice of the developing world during the Cold War.

Bonds are units of corporate or government debt that are securitized as tradable assets. When you buy a bond, you are essentially "loaning" money to the issuer for a fixed period of time in exchange for regular interest payments.

Sunil Gavaskar of India was the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, reaching the milestone in 1987 against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. Gavaskar was renowned for his technically correct batting and his extraordinary ability to face the fastest bowlers without a helmet in his early career. He scored 34 Test centuries and averaged over 51 across his career.

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula, and it is considered the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by six countries: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. The sea is known for its clear blue waters, thousands of islands along the Croatian coast, and historic port cities like Venice and Dubrovnik.

Jesse Owens of the United States won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, triumphing in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay. His victories were a powerful rebuke to Adolf Hitler's claims of Aryan racial superiority, as Owens - an African American - dominated the Games. Owens set three world records and tied another during the Berlin Games.

The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert in the world, covering the entire continent of Antarctica. While most people associate deserts with sand and heat, they are scientifically defined by their extremely low levels of precipitation. Antarctica receives so little snow or rain that it is classified as a cold desert.

Carbon dioxide makes up about 96.5% of Venus's atmosphere, with nitrogen accounting for most of the remaining 3.5%. This extremely thick atmosphere, about 90 times denser than Earth's, creates a runaway greenhouse effect that makes Venus the hottest planet in the solar system. The atmosphere also contains clouds of sulfuric acid.

The Boxer Rebellion was a violent anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising that took place in China between 1899 and 1901. Led by a group called the "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" (known as the Boxers), the rebels protested the growing influence of Western powers and Japan in Chinese affairs. The rebellion ended after an international coalition of eight nations sent troops to Beijing to rescue besieged foreigners and suppress the uprising.

The Bosphorus Strait is a narrow, natural waterway located in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia. It connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and is one of the world's most important strategic maritime passages, as it provides the only sea access to the Mediterranean for several countries.

Tendons connect muscle to bone. They are tough, flexible bands of fibrous connective tissue that transmit the force generated by muscles to the bones, enabling movement. Tendons are composed mainly of collagen and are extremely strong-the Achilles tendon, for example, can withstand forces of up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds). Unlike muscles, tendons have limited blood supply, which is why they heal slowly when injured.

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Unlike traditional LCDs which need a backlight, each pixel in an OLED screen produces its own light. This allows for "perfect blacks" because the pixels can be turned completely off.

Pumice is an igneous rock that is so light and full of air bubbles that it actually floats in water. It forms during explosive volcanic eruptions when lava is ejected into the air and cools very rapidly, trapping gas bubbles inside like a sponge.

The Mekong River Delta is located in southern Vietnam, where the massive Mekong River empties into the South China Sea through a complex network of distributaries. This region is known as the "Rice Bowl" of Vietnam because its fertile soil and abundant water produce more than half of the country's rice and fruit. Life in the delta revolves around the water, with famous floating markets and villages built on stilts.

Swift is the current main language for iOS development. While older apps were written in Objective-C, Apple now encourages all new developers to use Swift because it is easier to write and much more "type-safe."