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A Call to Compassion ... Abakan River

A Call to Compassion When we are concerned mainly with our own interests, inevitably we tend to neglect others' interests. Because of this, preoccupation with our own interests-our own narrow desires, ambitions, and goals-undermines our ability to be compassionate. And since compassion is the source of happiness, self-centeredness prevents us from attaining that spiritual ... a cappella (Italian: "in the church style"), performance of a polyphonic (multipart) musical work by unaccompanied voices. Originally referring to sacred choral music, the term now refers to secular music as well. A Conversation with Lee Teng-hui: Year in Review 1997 Encyclopaedia Britannica was honoured to have the opportunity to speak with Lee Teng-hui, who in March 1996 won a landslide victory in the first direct presidential elections in the Republic of China (Taiwan). The interview, which because of space considerations is printed here in a slightly abridged version of the ... A Dinosaur Fossil Named Sue: Year in Review 2001 On May 17, 2000, Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History unveiled a display extraordinary not only for what it was-the largest (12.8 m [42 ft] long), most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered-but also for its unlikely name, Sue. The approximately 67 million-year-old fossil, named in honour of ... A Estrada town, Pontevedra provincia (province), in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It lies in a densely populated mountainous area about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Santiago de Compostela. Its industries include lumbering and processing of dairy products. The surrounding area contains a Romanesque church at Moreira ... A Kiwi a Day When the oranges are golden, physicians' faces grow pale.-Japanese proverbAn apple a day keeps the doctor away.-English proverb A Leftist Surge in Latin America: Year in Review 2006 The visit of Venezuelan Pres. Hugo Chavez (see Biographies) to New York City in September 2005 provided a dramatic illustration of the growing power of populist leaders in Latin America. Having positioned himself as a champion of the poor throughout the region, Chavez sought to take the same message to ... a lo divino in Spanish literature, the recasting of a secular work as a religious work, or, more generally, a treatment of a secular theme in religious terms through the use of allegory, symbolism, and metaphor. Adaptations a lo divino were popular during the Golden Age of Spanish literature during the 16th and ... A Major Earthquake Shakes China's Sichuan Province: Year in Review 2009 On May 12, 2008, a magnitude-7.9 earthquake brought enormous devastation to the mountainous central region of Sichuan province in southwestern China. The epicentre was in the city of Wenchuan, and some 80% of the structures in the area were flattened. Whole villages and towns in the mountains were destroyed, and ... A Moving Habitat About once a week the three-toed sloth of Central and South America (Bradypus variegatus) descends from the trees, where it lives among the branches. For this slow-moving mammal, the journey is a dangerous and laborious undertaking, but it is one of great importance to members of the community among and ... a posteriori knowledge knowledge derived from experience, as opposed to a priori knowledge (q.v.). a priori knowledge in Western philosophy since the time of Immanuel Kant, knowledge that is independent of all particular experiences, as opposed to a posteriori knowledge, which derives from experience. The Latin phrases a priori ("from what is before") and a posteriori ("from what is after") were used in philosophy originally to distinguish ... A Serious Fracture in the Anglican Church: Year in Review 2009 In 2003 the American Episcopal Church opened a rift in the worldwide Anglican Communion (Church of England) by consecrating the first openly gay bishop, the Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson. Reflecting the challenges of maintaining unity across the diverse cultural landscapes contained within a global church, the controversy rose to ... A Vision for Canada's Railways: Year in Review 2004 In 2003 many challenges faced Canada's railways, which had served for 150 years as Canada's spine, bringing together the scattered British North American colonies that made up the transcontinental country. The most important concern of all was to find a way for the railway to meet the mounting needs of ... A'ishah the third and most favoured wife of the Prophet Muhammad (the founder of Islam), who played a role of some political importance after the Prophet's death. A'sha, al- pre-Islamic poet whose qasidah ("ode") is included by the critic Abu 'Ubaydah (d. 825) in the celebrated Mu'allaqat, a collection of seven pre-Islamic qasidahs, each of which was considered by its author to be his best; the contents of the collection vary slightly, according to the views of several compilers. A-mdo one of three historical regions of Central Asia (the other two being Dbus-Gtsang and Khams) into which Tibet was once divided. Aachen city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. Its municipal boundaries coincide on the west with the frontiers of Belgium and the Netherlands. It was a royal residence of the emperor Charlemagne, and it served as the principal coronation site of Holy Roman emperors and of German kings from the Middle ... Aakjaer, Jeppe poet and novelist, leading exponent of Danish regional literature and of the literature of social consciousness. Aalen city, Baden-Wurttemberg Land (state), southern Germany, on the Kocher River, at the northern foot of the Schwabische Alb (Swabian Alps), 30 miles (48 km) north of Ulm. It originated around a large Roman fort, much of which remains; nearby are the remains of the Roman limes (frontier wall). It became ... Aalenian Stage lowest of the four divisions of the Middle Jurassic Series, representing all rocks formed worldwide during the Aalenian Age, which occurred between 175.6 million and 171.6 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. The Aalenian Stage underlies the Bajocian Stage and overlies the Toarcian Stage of the Lower Jurassic Series. Aalsmeer gemeente (municipality), western Netherlands, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Amsterdam, on the Ring Canal and Westeinder Lake, a remnant of Haarlem Lake. The older part of the town is on peaty soil at about sea level, surrounded by polders with loamy soil 9-15 feet (3-5 metres) below sea level. ... Aalst municipality, Flanders Region, north-central Belgium, on the Dender River, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Brussels. The town hall (begun in the middle of the 12th century), with its 52-bell carillon, is the oldest in Belgium, and its archives include 12th-century manuscripts. Ravaged by fire in 1360, the town hall ... Aalto, Alvar Finnish architect, city planner, and furniture designer whose international reputation rests on a distinctive blend of modernist refinement, indigenous materials, and personal expression in form and detail. His mature style is epitomized by the Saynatsalo, Fin., town hall group (1950-52). Aarau capital of Aargau canton, northern Switzerland, at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, on the right bank of the Aare River, west of Zurich. Founded about 1240 by the counts of Kyburg, it passed to the Habsburgs in 1264 and was taken by the Bernese in 1415. In 1798 ... aardvark stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. The name aardvark-Afrikaans for "earth pig"-refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits. The aardvark weighs up to 65 kg (145 pounds) and measures up to 2.2 metres (7.2 feet) long, including the heavy, 70-cm (28-inch) ... aardwolf insectivorous carnivore that resembles a small striped hyena. The shy, mainly nocturnal aardwolf lives on the arid plains of Africa. There are two geographically separate populations, one centred in South Africa and the other in East Africa. Aare River tributary of the Rhine and the longest stream (183 miles [295 km]) entirely within Switzerland; it drains an area of 6,865 square miles (17,779 square km). The river rises in the Aare Glacier of the Bernese Alps in Bern canton, below the Finsteraarhorn and west of the Grimsel Pass, in ... Aargau canton, northern Switzerland. It borders Germany to the north and is bounded by the demicanton of Basel-Landschaft and by the cantons of Solothurn and Bern to the west, Lucerne to the south, and Zug and Zurich to the east. It forms the northeastern section of the great Swiss Plateau between ... Aaron the traditional founder and head of the Israelite priesthood, who, with his brother Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt. The figure of Aaron as it is now found in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, is built up from several sources of traditions. In the Talmud ... Aaron ben Elijah theologian of Constantinople (now Istanbul), the only scholar to seek a philosophical basis for Karaite beliefs. Karaism, a Jewish movement originating in 8th-century Iran, rejected the oral tradition and challenged the authority of the Talmud, the rabbinical compendium of law, lore, and commentary. Aaron's Rod novel by D.H. Lawrence, published in 1922. Lawrence constructed a parallel between the power that was miraculously manifested in the blossoming rod wielded by the biblical figure Aaron and the effect of the flute played by Aaron Sisson, the novel's protagonist. Sisson, who works in a coal mine, is an ... Aaron, Hank American professional baseball player who, during 23 seasons in the major leagues (1954-76), surpassed batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial. Aaronic priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the lesser of the two categories of priests, concerned principally with church finances and administration. See Mormon. Aasen, Ivar language scholar and dialectologist, who created the written standard of Nynorsk (New Norwegian), one of the two official languages of Norway. ab ovo in literature, the practice of beginning a poetic narrative at the earliest possible chronological point. The Latin poet and critic Horace approvingly notes in Ars poetica that Homer does not begin a tale of the Trojan War with the twin egg from which Helen was born but rather in the ... Aba city, Abia state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the west bank of the Aba River, at the intersection of roads from Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot Abasi (Opobo). Aba was a traditional market town for the Igbo (Ibo) people of the tropical rainforest before the establishment of ... Aba Novak, Vilmos painter and printmaker who was one of the most original and controversial talents in modern Hungarian painting. abaca plant of the family Musaceae, and its fibre, which is second in importance among the leaf fibre group. Abaca fibre, unlike most other leaf fibres, is obtained from the plant leaf stalks (petioles). Although sometimes known as Manila hemp, Cebu hemp, or Davao hemp, the abaca plant is not related ... Abacha, Sani Nigerian military leader, who served as head of state (1993-98). Abaco island, The Bahamas, located about 55 miles (90 km) north of Nassau, the capital, on New Providence Island. Abaco is the largest island of the Abaco and Cays, or Abacos, group; the other main island is Little Abaco, just to the northwest, from which Abaco is separated by a narrow, ... abacus calculating device, probably of Babylonian origin, that was long important in commerce. It is the ancestor of the modern calculating machine and computer. Abadan city, extreme southwestern Iran. The city is situated in Khuzestan, part of the oil-producing region of Iran. Abadan lies on an island of the same name along the eastern bank of the Shatt Al-'Arab (river), 33 miles (53 km) from the Persian Gulf. The city thus lies along Iran's border ... Abaddon the angel of the bottomless pit, referred to in the Revelation to John. John Milton extended the meaning of the term to include the pit (i.e., the abyss of hell) itself in his poem Paradise Regained (1671) . Abae ancient town in the northeast corner of Phocis, Greece. The town was famous for its oracle of Apollo, which was one of those consulted by the Lydian king Croesus. Although the Persians sacked and burned the temple in 480 BC, the oracle continued to be consulted-e.g., by the Thebans before ... Abahai Manchurian tribal leader who in 1636 became emperor of the Manchu, Mongols, and Chinese in Manchuria (Northeast China). In addition, for his family he adopted the name of Qing ("Pure"), which also became the name of the Chinese dynasty (1644-1911/12) ruled by the Manchu. Abaiang Atoll coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Comprising six islets in the northern Gilberts, the atoll has a lagoon (16 miles by 5 miles [26 km by 8 km]) that provides sheltered anchorage. The islets of Abaiang are Teirio, Nuotaea, Nanikirata, Twin Tree, ... Abajo Mountains volcanic segment of the Colorado Plateau, in San Juan county, southeastern Utah, U.S. Abajo Peak (11,362 feet [3,463 metres]) is the highest point in the mountains, which comprise eight summits and are embraced by the Manti-LaSal National Forest. The heavily forested range is locally called the Blue Mountains for its ... Abakaliki town, capital of Ebonyi state, southeastern Nigeria. It lies at the intersection of roads from Enugu, Afikpo, and Ogoja. An agricultural trade centre (yams, cassava, rice, and palm oil and kernels) for the Igbo (Ibo) people, the town is located in an area known for its lead, zinc, and limestone ... Abakan city and administrative centre of the republic of Khakassia, south-central Russia. The city lies on the left bank of the Abakan River near its confluence with the Yenisey River. The starting point of a southern Siberian railway line (opened in 1960), Abakan is connected with Novokuznetsk and thence to Barnaul, ... Abakan River river, rising in the Altai Mountains in the republic of Khakassia, Russia, that flows northeastward for 319 miles (514 km) to join the Yenisey River.