Alchemy, originally derived from the Ancient Greek word khemia (Χημία) meaning "art of transmuting metals", later arabicized as al-kimia (الكيمياء), is both a philosophy and an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the "elixir of longevity", and achieving ultimate wisdom, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties.
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, horse manure and water, with some kind of fibrous or organic material, which is shaped into bricks using frames and dried in the sun. It is similar to cob and mudbrick. Adobe structures are extremely durable and account for some of the oldest extant buildings on the planet.
In mathematics, computer science, and related subjects, an algorithm is an effective method for solving a problem using a finite sequence of instructions. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and many other fields. Each algorithm is a list of well-defined instructions for completing a task. Starting from an initial state, the instructions describe a computation that proceeds through a well-defined series of successive states, eventually terminating in a final ending state.
Amber (or, technically, resinite) is fossilized tree resin, which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes includes animal and plant material as inclusions.
Algol (β Per / Beta Persei), known colloquially as the Demon Star, is a bright star in the constellation Perseus. It is one of the best known eclipsing binaries, the first such star to be discovered, and also one of the first variable stars to be discovered. Algol is actually a three-star system (Beta Persei A, B, and C) in which the large and bright primary Beta Persei A is regularly eclipsed by the dimmer Beta Persei B.
In chemistry, an alkali is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element. Alkalis are best known for being bases that dissolve in water. Bases are compounds with a pH greater than 7. The adjective alkaline is commonly used in English as a synonym for base, especially for soluble bases. This broad use of the term is likely to have come about because alkalis were the first bases known to obey the Arrhenius definition of a base and are still among the more common bases.
An assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure. Assassinations may be prompted by religious, ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, or personal public recognition. Assassination may also refer to the government-sanctioned killing of opponents or to targeted attacks on high-profile enemy combatants.
Aldebaran (α Tau, α Tauri, Alpha Tauri) is an orange giant star located about 65 light years away in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. With an average apparent magnitude of 0.87 it is the brightest star in the constellation and is one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. The name Aldebaran is Arabic (al-dabarān) and translates literally as "the follower", presumably because this bright star appears to follow the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters star cluster in the night sky.
Altair (Alpha Aquilae / Alpha Aql / α Aquilae / α Aql / Atair) is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky. It is an A-type main sequence star with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.77 and is one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle; the other two are Deneb and Vega. Altair rotates rapidly, with a velocity at the equator of approximately 286 km/s.
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word خليفة Khalīfah which means "successor" or "representative". The early leaders of the Muslim nation following Muhammad's (570–632) death were called "Khalifat Rasul Allah", the political successors to the messenger of God (referring to Muhammad). Some academics prefer to transliterate the term as Khalīfah.
Leonard Montgomery Ross Dobbin (born February 23, 1935 in Montreal; died July 9, 2009) was a jazz radio broadcaster and critic. A native of Montreal, Canada, Dobbin was involved with many Montreal jazz music events for decades and was active in the jazz community as a broadcaster, radio producer, reviewer and photographer. Dobbin's jazz photographs had four showings in the years prior to his death, and can be found in many magazines and album covers in North America, as well as his liner notes.
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