New to CI - Having global variables available to every controller?

[eluser]Bleeding Edge Productions[/eluser]
Sorry - as an aside to this, if the controller is called Start and there is a function of the same name (Start - with a capital) in it, is that function automatically run?

If I had a controller called Start with functions Start and index in, and then go to:

domain.com/index.php/start/

will both Start and index functions be called?

Thanks!