Thursday, May 31, 2012

Santería

Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

West Ham


West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing. The area has been one of the most deprived in the country and as part of the New Deal for Communities programme it forms, with neighbouring Plaistow, a regeneration area. The place lends its name to West Ham United F.C..

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tejano

Tejano music or Tex-Mex music (Texan-Mexican music) is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas. In recent years, artists such as Selena, often referred to as "The Queen of Tejano", La Mafia, Jay Perez, Mazz, and Jennifer Pena have transformed Tejano music from primarily Tejano, ethnic form of music to a genre with wide appeal in people who like Tejano.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Catalysis

Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations. Catalysts that speed the reaction are called positive catalysts. Substances that interact with catalysts to slow the reaction are called inhibitors (or negative catalysts). Substances that increase the activity of catalysts are called promoters, and substances that deactivate catalysts are called catalytic poisons.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Taquito


Taquito (from the Spanish diminutive of taco), also known as flauta, is a Mexican dish consisting of a small rolled-up tortilla and some type of filling, usually beef or chicken. The filled tortilla is crisp-fried. Corn (maize) tortillas are generally used to make taquitos.

There are many varieties of taquitos in different regions. Taquitos most often contain beef, chicken, and sometimes include cheese, pork, potato, or vegetables. They are generally thin and tend to be about 6 inches (15 cm) long. Potatoes are usually involved in the breakfast form of taquitos, which are thick and come with eggs. Taquitos are usually served with a type of salsa and/or guacamole.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Oenophilia


Oenophilia, originally from Greek, is the love (philia) of wine (oinos). An oenophile (/ˈiːnəfaɪl/) is a lover of wine. In the strictest sense, oenophilia describes a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation. In a general sense however, oenophilia simply refers to the enjoyment of wine, often by laymen. Oenophiles are also known as wine aficionados or connoisseurs. They are people who appreciate or collect wine, particularly grape wines from certain regions, varietal types, or methods of manufacture. While most oenophiles are hobbyists, some may also be professionals like vintners, sommeliers, wine merchants, or one who tastes and grades wines for a living.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

trim level

trim level

Vehicle designation assigned by vehicle manufacturers that represent specific equipment packages.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Uljjang

Uljjang, also spelled as Ulzzang, is a popular South Korean term literally meaning "best face" or "good-looking". A slang term often used by netizens, contests competing for the title of uljjang imitated from the word, Kawaii.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Alevi

The Alevi are a religious, sub-ethnic and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, numbering in the 25 millions. Alevis are classified as a branch of Shia Islam, however there are significant differences in Alevi beliefs, traditions and rituals when compared to other orthodox sects.

Monday, May 21, 2012

phatic

In linguistics, a phatic expression is one whose only function is to perform a social task, as opposed to conveying information. The term was coined by anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski in the early 1900s.

For example, "you're welcome" is not intended to convey the message that the hearer is welcome; it is a phatic response to being thanked, which in turn is a phatic whose function is to acknowledge the receipt of a benefit.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

roentgen


The roentgen (R, also röntgen) is a unit of measurement for exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-ray and gamma rays), and is named after the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen. Adopted in 1928, 1 R is the amount of radiation required to liberate positive and negative charges of one electrostatic unit of charge (esu) in 1 cm³ of dry air at standard temperature and pressure (STP). This corresponds to the generation of approximately 2.08×109 ion pairs.

Until 2006, the roentgen was accepted for use with the SI system but its value is expressed in terms of the SI units charge divided by unit mass (C/kg) rather than as in the original definition. Although its use was allowable under the SI system, it is not itself an SI unit and its continued use is "strongly discouraged" by the National Institute of Standards and Technology style guide for NIST authors.

The roentgen was occasionally used to measure exposure to radiation in forms other than X-rays or gamma rays. To adjust for the different impact of different forms of radiation on biological matter, "roentgen equivalent man" or rem was also in use. Exposure in rems is equal to the exposure in roentgens multiplied by the Q value, a constant describing the type of radiation. The rem is now superseded by the sievert.

Friday, May 18, 2012

prevarication

prevarication

  1. (now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct; transgression, perversion.
  2. Evasion of the truth; deceit, evasiveness.
    Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls.
  3. Evasiveness as a means of playing for time; procrastination, hesitancy.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Orientalism

Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Experto crede


Experto crede is a Latin motto which means "Believe one who has had experience in the matter". It is usually used by an author as an aside to the reader, and may be loosely translated as: "trust me", "trust the expert", "believe one who has tried it", or "have faith in experience".

In the form experto credite it is a quotation from the Aeneid by Virgil.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Reconquista


The Reconquista (a Portuguese and Spanish word for "Reconquest"; Arabic: الاستردادal-ʼIstirdād, "Recapturing") was a period of about 700 years (539 years in Portugal) in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking (and repopulating) the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Al-Andalus Province. The Islamic conquest of the Christian Visigothic Kingdom in the 8th century (begun 710–12) extended over almost the entire peninsula (except major parts of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Marca Hispanica (Aragon and Catalonia) and the Vasconia). After 500 years, in the 13th century, the last remaining Moors ruling were the Nasrid dynasty in the Kingdom of Granada. With their defeat in 1492, the entire Iberian Peninsula had been brought back under Christian rule, thus completing the Reconquista.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

dramaturge

A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre company that deals mainly with research and development of plays. Its modern-day function was originated by the innovations of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, an 18th-century German playwright, philosopher and theorist about theatre.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Perigalacticon

Perigalacticon

The point of closest approach of an orbiting body to the centre of a galaxy.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Stakhanovite


In Soviet history and iconography, a Stakhanovite (стахановец) follows the example of Aleksei Grigorievich Stakhanov, employing hard work or Taylorist efficiencies to over-achieve on the job.

The Stakhanovite movement began during the second 5-year plan in 1935 as a new stage of the socialist competition. The Stakhanovite movement was named after Aleksei Stakhanov, who had mined 102 tons of coal in less than 6 hours (14 times his quota).

Thursday, May 10, 2012

collimator


A collimator is a device that narrows a beam of particles or waves. To "narrow" can mean either to cause the directions of motion to become more aligned in a specific direction (i.e. collimated or parallel) or to cause the spatial cross section of the beam to become smaller.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

lakh

A lakh or lac is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; 105). It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan, and is often used in Indian English.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Doppelbock

Doppelbock or double bock is a stronger version of traditional bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner monks, an order founded by St. Francis of Paula.

Monday, May 7, 2012

titer

A titer (or titre) is a measure of concentration. Titer testing employs serial dilution to obtain approximate quantitative information from an analytical procedure that inherently only evaluates as positive or negative. The titer corresponds to the highest dilution factor that still yields a positive reading. For example, positive readings in the first 8 serial twofold dilutions translate into a titer of 1:256 (i.e, 2−8). A specific example is a viral titer, which is the lowest concentration of virus that still infects cells. To determine the titer, several dilutions are prepared, such as 10−1, 10−2, 10−3,...,10−8.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

fulsome

fulsome
  1. Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive.  [quotations ▼]
    • 1727, Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, Ch. 35:
      I immediately stripped myself stark naked, and went down softly into the stream. It happened that a young female YAHOO, standing behind a bank, saw the whole proceeding, and inflamed by desire . . . embraced me after a most fulsome manner.
    • 1820, Sir Walter Scott, The Monastery, ch. 35:
      You will hear the advanced enfans perdus, as the French call them, and so they are indeed, namely, children of the fall, singing unclean and fulsome ballads of sin and harlotrie.
  2. Excessively flattering (connoting insincerity).  [quotations ▼]
    • 1889, Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, ch. 34:
      And by hideous contrast, a redundant orator was making a speech to another gathering not thirty steps away, in fulsome laudation of "our glorious British liberties!"
    • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, Episode 15—Circe:
      Mrs. Bellingham: He addressed me in several handwritings with fulsome compliments as a Venus in furs.
  3. Abundant, copious.
    The fulsome thanks of the war-torn nation lifted our weary spirits.
  4. Fully developed, mature.
    Her fulsome timbre resonated throughout the hall.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Thermidor

Thermidor was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word thermal which comes from the Greek word "thermos" which means heat.

Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (mois d'été). It started July 19 or 20. It ended August 17 or 18. It follows the Messidor and precedes the Fructidor. During Year 2, it was sometimes called Fervidor. It was named berolis in Souletin Basque.

Thermidor has come to mean a retreat from more radical goals and strategies during a revolution, especially when caused by a replacement of leading personalities (see Thermidor reaction).

Friday, May 4, 2012

Thermador

Thermador is a line of kitchen appliances produced by BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH. They specialize in appliance equipment such as cook ranges, refrigerators, and dishwashers.

Thermador competes with products made by Wind Crest, Sub-Zero Refrigerator, Fulgor, Dacor, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, and Whirlpool Corporation.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Thermidor

For historians of revolutionary movements, the term Thermidor has come to mean the phase in some revolutions when power slips from the hands of the original revolutionary leadership and a radical regime is replaced by a more conservative regime, sometimes to the point where the political pendulum may swing back towards something resembling a pre-revolutionary state. Leon Trotsky, in his book The Revolution Betrayed, refers to the rise of Joseph Stalin and the accompanying post-revolutionary bureaucracy as the Soviet Thermidor.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Piquette

Piquette is a French wine term which commonly refers to a vinous beverage produced by adding water to grape pomace but sometimes refers to a very simple wine or a wine substitute.

lordosis

  Lordosis is historically defined as an abnormal inward curvature of the lumbar spine.