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Extra Extra - Read all about it!
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For the first time in American history read and learn definitions from Wikipedia's staff, who write about historical or scientific facts. Hear their academic opinions. Let them explain to you in their own words about new technology to develop problem solving skills, how to understand the transmission of mind viruses or pandemics, even learn the true facts of American history or slavery in the United States. You may be amazed at how studying definitions alone can enhance your abilities to solve the most complex problems that may surround us.
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Definition of Definition
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A definition describes the meaning of a concept by stating the properties of the entities denoted by the concept.
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Definition of Etymology
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Etymology is the study of the origins of words. Some words have been derived from other languages, possibly in a changed form. Through old texts and comparisons with other languages, etymologists try to reconstruct the history of words.
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Definition of Epistemology
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Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which studies the origin, nature, and scope of knowledge. The word "epistemology" originated from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech).
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Definition of Academia
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Academia is a collective term for the scientific and cultural community engaged in higher education and peer-reviewed research, taken as a whole. The word comes from the akademeia just outside ancient Athens, where the Gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning. The sacred space had formerly been an olive grove, hence the expression 'the groves of Academe". By extension Academia has come to connote the cultural accumulation of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations and its practitioners and transmitters.
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Definition of University
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A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education. University is derived from the Latin universitas, meaning corporation (since the first medieval European universities were simply groups of scholars).
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Definition of Knowledge
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Knowlege is information of which someone is aware. Knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject, with the ability to use it for specific purpose. The unreliability of memory limits the certainty of knowledge about the past, while unpredictability of events yet to occur limits the certainty of knowledge about the future.
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Definition of Ignorance
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Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is also a "state of being ignorant" or unaware/uninformed.
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Definition of School Accreditation
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Generally, accreditation is the process by which a facility becomes officially certified as providing services of a reasonably good quality, so that the public can trust in the qualtiy of its services.
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Definition of Board of Governors
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A board of governors is usually the governing board of a public entity. Many public services, such as universities or federal independent agencies are created as corporations owned by the government.
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Definition of Philosophy
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Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, what is the nature of reality, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. The fundamental method of philosophy is the use of reasoning to evaluate arguments concerning these questions.
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Definition of Reasoning
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Reasoning is defined very differently depending on the content of the understanding it as a form of knowledge. The logical definition is the act of using reason, to derive conclusion from certain premises, using a given methodology; and the two most commonly used methods to reach a conclusion are deductive reasoning; and inductive reasoning.
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Definition of Logic
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Logic is most often said to be the study of criteria for the evaluation of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy.
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Definition of Science
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Science refers to the system of acquiring knowledge - based on empiricism, experimentation, and methodological naturalism. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge humans have gained by such research.
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Definition of Mathematics
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Mathematics can be defined as the logically rigorous study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. Another view is theat mathematics is the body of knowledge justified by deductive reasoning, starting from axioms and definitions.
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Definition of Statistics
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Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to collection, analysis, and presentation of data. It is applicable to a wide variety of academic disciplines from the physical and social sciences to the humanities, as well as to business, government, medicine and industry.
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Definition of Extrapolation
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Extrapolation is the process of constructing new data points outside a discrete set of know data points. It is similar to the process of interpolation, which constructs new points between known points, but its results are often less meaningful, and are subject to greater uncertainty.
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Definition of Quantitative Research
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Quantitative research is the systematic scientific investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. Quantitative research is widely used in both the natural and social sciences, including physics, biology, psychology, sociology, geology, education, and journalism. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and hypotheses pertaining to natural phenomena.
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Definition of Qualitative Research
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Qualitative research is one of the two major approaches to research methodology in social science. Qualitative research involves investigation participants' opinions, behaviors and experiences from the informants' point of view. It is contrasted with quantitative research in that it does not rely on quantitative measurement and mathematical models, but instead uses logical deductions to decipher gathered data dealing with the human element.
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Definition of Aristotle
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Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote books on many subjects, including physics, poetry, zoology, logic, rhetoric, government, and biology.
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Definition of Metaphysics
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Metaphysics is a branch of speculative philosophy concerned with explaining the world.
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Definition of Biology
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Biology is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. It is concerned with the characteristics, classification, and behaviors of organisms, how species come into existence, and the interactions they have with each other and with the environment.
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Definition of Zoology
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Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. It comes from the Greek zoon "animal", and logy "study".
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Definition of Anthropology
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Anthropology consists of the study of humanity. It is holistic in two senses: it is concerned with all humans and with all dimensions of humanity. A primary trait that distinguished anthropology from other humanistic disciplines is an emphasis on cultural relativity, in-depth examination of context, and cross-cultural comparisons.
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Definition of Sociology
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Sociology is the study of society and human social action, and includes the examination of the groups, institutions, organization, and development of human life.
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Definition of Behavioural Science
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Behavioural sciences is a term that encompasses all the disciplines that explore the activities of and interactions among organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behaviour through controlled and naturalistic experimental observations and rigorous formulations.
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Definition of Ethics
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Ethics is the branch of axiology, one of the four major branches of philosophy, which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to distinguish that which is right from that which is wrong.
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Definition of American Bar Association
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The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important non-controversial activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation of model legal codes, of which the most important is a code of ethical standards for lawyers.
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Definition of Cato Institute
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The Cato Institute is a large libertarian, non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute's stated mission is "to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the tradtional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace" by seeking greater involvement of the "lay public in questions of public policy and the role of government."
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Definition of Newton's Law of Motion
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Isaac Newton's laws of motion were published in his work Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Newton used them to prove many results concerning the motion of physical objects.
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Definition of Albert Einstein
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Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist widely regarded as the most important scientist of the 20th century. He developed the special and general theories of relativity and made significant contribution to quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and cosmology.
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Definition of Physics
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Physics is the science of the natural world, which deals with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results of these forces.
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Definition of Energy
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The concept of energy refers to "the potential for causing changes". The word is used in several different contexts. The scientific use has a precise, well defined meaning, whilst the many non-scientifc uses often do not.
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Definition of Electron Configuration
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The electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule or other body. It is the placement of electrons into atomic, molecular, or other forms of electron orbitals.
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Definition of Electricity
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Electricity is a property of matter that results from the presence or movement of electric charge.
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Definition of Ohm's Law
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Ohm's law states that the potential difference between two points along a connected path and the current flowing through it are proportional at a given temperature:
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Definition of Atom
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An atom is the smallest possible particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties.
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Definition of Matter
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Matter is defined as the substance of which physical objects are composed. It constitutes the observable Universe. According to the theory of relativity there is no distinction between matter and energy, because matter can be converted to energy, and vice versa.
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Definition of Remote Control
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A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a machine.
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Definition of Resonance
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Resonance is the tendency of a system to absorb more energy when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system's natural frequency of vibration than it does at other frequencies.
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Definition of Technology
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Technology is a word with origins in the Greek word technologia, techne "craft" and logia "saying." It is a broad term dealing with the use and knowledge of humanity's tools and crafts.
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Definition of Philanthropist
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A philanthropist is someone who devotes his/her time, money, or effort towards helping others. The label is most often applied to someone who gives large amounts to charity.
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Definition of Humanitarianism
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Humanitarianism is an informal ideology of practice whereby people practice humane treatment and provide assistance to others. Humanitarianism is based on a view that all human beings deserve respect and dignity and should be treated as such. Therefore, humanitarians work towards advancing the well-being of humanity as a whole. Humanitarianism is the antithesis of the "us vs. them" mentality that characterizes tribalism and ethnic nationalism. Humanitarians abhor slavery, violation of basic and human rights and discrimination on the basis of color of skin, religion, ancestry, place of birth, etc.
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Definition of Observatory
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An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events, Astronomy, astrology, climatology, geology, meterology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed.
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Definition of Problem
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Problem refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is unresolved or undersired. Usually, the nature of a problem is such that an answer or solution is needed. In such cases, problem solving is used to understand important aspects of the problem so that an answer or solution can be found. Problems occur in different forms, and can exist in different domains.
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Definition of Racism
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Racism refers to a belief system that humans can be separated into various groups based on physical attributes and that these goupings determine cultural or individual achievement and the value of human beings. This can lead to hostility against individuals based on a perceived or ascribed "race".
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Definition of Discrimination
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To discriminate socially is to make a distinction between people on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit.
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Definition of Invidious
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Invidious
- Envious; causing or arising from envy
- Enviable; desirable
- Prompted by or expressing dislike or ill will
- Hateful, odious; detestable
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Definition of To Kill a Mockingbird
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To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, which won the Pultizer Prize for Fiction in 1961. A coming-of-age story, it is told from the point of view of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch, an educated lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, a fictional small town in the Deep South of the United States. She is accompanied by her brother Jem and their mutual fiend Dill.
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Definition of Willie Lynch Speech
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The William Lynch Speech is a text of unknown origin which drew widespread attention when it circulated throughout the internet during the 1990s. It purports to be an address given to an audience on the bank of the James River in Virginia in 1712 regarding control of slaves within the colony.
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Definition of Blueprint
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A blueprint is, conceptually, a plan or design documenting an architecture of an engineering design. While this may be as simple as a quick sketch or outline using pencil and paper, a blueprint is traditionally reflected as the contact printing process of cyanotype.
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Definition of Sex Offender Registration
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A Sex offender registration is a registry set up by some jurisdictions for sex offenders, in which is used for the state or province to keep in track of sex offenders activities and residence. Often the registry is public and can be viewed on the internet, television, and newspaper.
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Definition of Aggravated Assault
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Aggravated assault is a form of violent crime.
- In many jurisdictions, a person has committed an aggravated assault when that person
- attempts to cause serious bodily injury to anorther person; or
- causes such injury purposely, knowingly, or recklessly
- causes bodily injury with a weapon
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Definition of Probation
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Probation is the suspension of a jail sentence - the criminal who is "on probation" has been convicted of a crime, but instead os serving jail time, has been found by the Court to be amenable to probation and will be returned to the community for a period in which they will have to abide to certain conditions of the Court under the supervision of a probation officer.
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Definition of Human Branding
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Branding persons refers to the use of the same physical techniques as in livestock branding on a human, either with consent as a form of body modification; or under coercion, as a punishment or imposing masterly rights over a slave or other legally subservient inferior.
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Definition of Pejorative
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A word or phase is pejorative if it implies contempt or disapproval.
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Definition of Redneck
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Redneck predominantly refers to a particular stereotype of individuals living in Appalachia, the Southern United States, the Ozarks, and later the Rocky Mountain States. The word can be used either as a perjorative or as a matter of pride, depending on context.
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Definition of Peckerwood
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Peckerwood is a perjorative slang term coined in the 19th century by southern blacks to describe poor whites. Blacks saw blackbirds as a symbol of themselves and the contrasting redheaded woodpecker as a representation of working class whites. They considered them loud and troublesome like the bird, and often with red hair like the woodpecker's head plumes.
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Definition of Archie Bunker
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Archie Bunker was a fictional character in the long-running and top-rated American television sitcoms All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place. He was reactionary, bigoted, blue-collar worker and family man, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor.
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Definition of Nigger
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Nigger is an extremely perjorative term used for racial abuse towards black people. During the period when slavery was practiced worldwide, and in particular by the United States and European countries, and for several decades after Europe and North America prohibited slavery, it was a standard, casual English term for black people. The word has been associated with an often casual contempt, a racist assumption of black inherent inferiority, even of bestiality, making it extremely perjorative.
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Definition of Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
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Billie Thomas was an African-American child actor best remembered for portraying the character of Buckwheat in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short films from 1934 until the series; end in 1944.
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Definition of Amos 'n' Andy
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Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. The show began as one of the first radio comedy serials, written and voiced by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and originating from station WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois.
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Definition of Mike Tyson
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Michael Gerald Tyson is a former American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all times.
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Definition of Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson is an American musician and entertainer whose successful music career and controversial personal life have been at the forefront of pop culture for the last quarter-century.
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Definition of Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bean Bryant is an All-Start shooting gurard in the NBA who plays for LA Lakers.
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Definition of 2006 Duke Lacrosse Team Scandal
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The 2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal began in April 2006 when two members of Duke University's lacrosse team were accused of raping a female stripper during a party held at the residence of two of the team captains.
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Definition of Respect
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Respect is an attitude of acknowledging the feelings and interests of another party in a relationship, and of treating as consequential for the self the helping or harming of the other.
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Definition of Dr. Charles R. Drew
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Dr. Charles Richard Drew was an African-American physician and medical researcher. He protested against the practice of racial segragation in the donation of blood to blood banks from donors of different races since it lacked scientific foundation.
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Definition of Aretha Franklin
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Aretha Louise Franklin is an American gospel, soul and R&B singer born in Memphis, Tennessee, but raised in Detroit, MI. She has been dubbed for years "The Queen Of Soul" also the "Lady Soul".
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Definition of Rodney Dangerfield
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Rodney Dangerfield was an American comedian and actor, best known for the line "I don't get no respect" and his monologues on that theme.
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Definition of Hate Crime
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Hate crimes are crimes that are motivated by feelings of hostility against any identifiable group of people within a society. If systematic, rather than spontaneous, instigators of such crimes are sometimes organized into hate groups.
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Definition of Emmett Till
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Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American teenager from Chicago, IL who was brutally murdered in a region of MS known as the Mississippi Delta near the small town of Drew in Sunflower County.
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Definition of Melchizedek
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Melchizekek is a character in the Old Testament who appeared in Genesis to the patriarch Abraham. He is called the "king of Salem" (believed to be ancient Jerusalem) and "priest of the most high god" in Genesis 14:18.
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Definition of Jesus
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Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. In thsi context, he is known as Jesus Christ, where "Christ" is a Greek title meaning "Anointed One which corresponds to the Hebrew term "Messiah".
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Definition of Doctrine
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Doctrine means "a body of teaching" or "instructions", taught principles of positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system.
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Definition of Trinity
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Within Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is a single Being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a perichoresis of three persons: Father; the Son; and the Holy Spirit.
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Definition of the Gospel
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In Christianity, gospel means "good news". Received opinion holds that the word gospel/derives from the Old English god "good", and spell "news", a translation of the Greek workd, euangelion (eu good, -angelon message) (from this word comes the term "evangelist").
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Definition of Golden Rule
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The ethic of reciprocality or the Golden Rule, is a fundamental moral principle found in virtually all major religions and cultures, which simply means "treat others as you want them to treat you." Its universality suggests an innate human altruism, and is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights.
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Definition of Christianity
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Christianity is a montheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. Christians believe Jesus to be the Messiah, and thus refer to him as Jesus Christ.
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Definition of Salvation
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In religion, salvation refers to a rescue ("deliverance") from an undersirable state or condition - typically one in which the soul of an individual is in turmoil, and hence is peril of being lost.
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Definition of Crucifix
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A crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesus's body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christian religion. It is primarily used among Roman Catholic, certain Lutheran, and Anglican Christians, and emphasizes Christ's sacrifice-his death by crucifixion.
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Definition of Effigy
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An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture. The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments.
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Definition of Incarnation
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Incarnation, which literally means enfleshment, refers to the conception, and live birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial.
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Definition of Baptism
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Baptism is generally a water purification ritual practiced in many of various religions including Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism.
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Definition of Resurrection
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The term resurrection is used in the literal sense to mean either the religious concept of the reunion of the spirit and the body of a dead person, or the return to life of a dead person.
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Definition of Immortality
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Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of existing for a potentially infinite, or indeterminate, length of time.
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Definition of Holy Spirit
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In various religions, most notably Trinitarian Christianity, the Holy Spirit (i.e. Holy Ghost) is the third consustantial Person of the Holy Trinity. As such, the various Christian perspectives view Him as God himself, a form of God, or a manifestation of God.
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Definition of Blasphemy
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Blasphemy is the defamation of the name of God.
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Definition of Hypocrisy
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Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have morals or virtues that one does not truly possess or practice.
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Definition of Leaven
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A leeavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in doughs and batters that causes them to rise. In the presence of moisture, heat, acidity, or other triggers the leavening agent reacts to produce gas (often carbon dioxide) that becomes trapped as bubbles within the dough.
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Definition of Pride
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Pride refers to a strong sense of self-respect, a refusal to be humiliated as well as joy in the accomplishments of oneself or a person, group, or object that one identifies with.
In Christianity, pride (or vanity or arrogance) is the essentially competitive and excessive belief in one's own abilities that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God, or the worth which God sees in others. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is listed as one of the seven deadly sins, as superbia.
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Definition of Seven Deadly Sins
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The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of vices used in early Christian teachings to educate and protect followers from basic human instincts.
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Definition of Causality
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The philosophical concept of causality, the principles of causes, or causation, the working of causes, refers to the set of all particular "causal" or "cause-and-effect" relations. A neutral definition is hard to provide since every aspect of causation has received substantial debate. Most generally, causation is a relationship that holds between events, objects, variables, or states of affairs.
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Definition of Diagnosis
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Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures.
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Definition of George Boole
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George Boole was a mathematician and philosopher. As the inventor of Boolean algebra, the basis of all modern computer arithmetic, Booleis regarded in hindsight as one of the founders of the field of computer science, althought computers did not exist in his day.
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Definition of Boolean Algebra
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In abstract algebra, a Boolean algebra is an algebraic structure that captures essential properties of both set operations and logic operation. Specifically, it deals with the set operations of intersection, union, complement; and the logic operations of AND, OR, NOT.
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Definition of Norbert Wiener
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Norbert Wiener was a U.S. mathematician and applied mathematician, especially in the field of electronics engineering. He was a pioneer in the study of stochastic processes and noise processes, expecially in the field of electronic communication sytems and control systems. He is known as the founder of cybernetics.
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Definition of Cybernetics
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Cybernetics is the study of communication and control, involving regulartory feedback, in living organisms, in machines, and in combinations of the two. The term stems from the Greek (kybernetes, steersman, governor, pilot, or rudder - the same root as government).
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Definition of Homeostasis
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Homeostasis is the property of an open system, especially living organism, to regulate its internal environment to maintain a stable, constant condition, by means of multiple dynamic equilibrium adjustments, controlled by interrelated regulation mechanisms.
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Definition of Algorithm
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In mathematics and computing, an algorithm is a procedure (a finite set of well-defined instructions) for accomplishing some task which, given an initial state, will terminate in defined end-state.
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Definition of ASCII Code
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ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), is a character encoding based on the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communication equipment, and other devices that work with text.
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Definition of Morse Code
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Morse code is a method for transmitting information, using standardized sequences of short and long marks or pulses - commonly known as "dots" and "dashes" - for the letters, numerals and special characters of a message.
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Definition of Flowchart
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A flowchart (also spelled flow-chart and flow chart) is a schematic representation of a process. They are commonly used in business/economic presentations to help the audience visulalize the content better, or to find flaws in the process.
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Definition of Medicine
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Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury.
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Definition of Hippocratic Oath
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The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine. It is widely believed that the oath was written by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in the 4th Century B.C.
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Definition of Euthanasia
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Euthanasia refers to assisted dying. The assistance ends the life of a person or an animal in painless way. It is most often performed in a merciful way, in order to end suffering.
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Definition of Jack Kevorkian
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Jack Kevorkian, M.D. is a controversial American pathologist. He is most noted for publicly championing a terminal patient's "right to die" and for assisting nearly 100 patients to that end, and is currently serving out a prison sentence for his practice.
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Definition of Abortion
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An abortion is the removal or expulsion from the uterus of an embryo or fetus, resulting in or caused by its death. This can occur spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced through chemical, surgical or other means.
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Definition of Criminology
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Criminology is the study of crime as a social phenomenon, including the causes and affects of crime, criminal behaviour, as well as the development of, and impact of laws. Research in criminology applies the scientific method to test hypotheses and utltimately develop theories that help explain the causes and other aspects of crime.
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Definition of Surgeon General of the United States
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The Surgeon General of the United States is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Public Health Service, and -ex Officia 0 is the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the Government of the United States.
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Definition of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, is recognized as the leading United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people.
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Definition of National Science Foundation
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States Government agency that supports fundamental researh and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. With an annual budget of about $5.6 billion (fiscal year 2006), NSF funds approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's college and universities.
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Definition of Office of Justice Programs
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The Office of Justice Programs is the branch of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and technology development, assistance to state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through grants, and assistance to crime victims.
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Definition of National Institute of Justice
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The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, and development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and other program offices, comprises the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) branch of the Department of Justice.
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Definition of Postpartum Depression
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Postpartum depression is a form of major depression which can affect women and less frequently men after childbirth.
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Definition of Mary Winkler
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Mary Carol Winkler is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, Mathew Winkler, the public minister at the local Fourth Street church of Christ in the small town of Selmer, TN. She is incarcerated and awaiting trial.
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Definition of Andrea Yates
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Andrea Pia Yates is a woman from Houston, TX, who is, as of 2006, currently awaiting retrial after previously being sentenced to life imprisonment for methodically drowning her five children in a bathtub on June 30, 2001. She was suffering from a severe case of recurrent postpartum depression, after having had her last baby.
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Definition of Massacre
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The word massacre has a number of meanings, but most commonly refers to individuals events of deliberate and direct mass killing, especially of noncombatant civilians or other innocents without any reasonable means of defense, that would often qualify as war crimes or atrocities.
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Definition of Capitol Hill Massacre
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The Capitol Hill massacre mass murder occurred on the morning of Saturday, March 25, 2006, when a 28 year-old man named Kyle Aaron Huff enered a rave afterparty in the southeast part of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood and opened fire killing six and wounding two.
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Definition of Goletta Postal Massacre
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On January 30, 2006 a former postal employee, Jennifer Sanmarco, shot and killed seven people, including six employees, before committing suicide at the local postal-processing facility. She is also suspected of shooting a neighbor just prior to the rampage. Police say the suspect, a former postal employee, killed six postal employees, including one critically wounded who later died, before committing suicide with a handgun.
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Definition of School Massacre
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A school massacre is an incident of attempted mass murder, involving at least one actual death, that occurs at a school.
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Definition of Red Lake High School Massacre
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The Red Lake High School massacre was a school massacre that toop place on Monday, March 21, 2005 in which Jeffrey Weise, a student at Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Betrami County, Minnesota, killed seven people including a teacher and a security guard.
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Definition of Jonesboro Massacre
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The Jonesboro school massacre occurred on Tuesday, March 24, 1998, in Craighead County, AR, near northwestern Jonesboro. Four female students and a teacher were killed, and nine other students and a teacher were wounded, by two armed middle school boys: Mitchell Johnson, age 13, and Andrew Golden, age 11.
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Definition of Columbine High School Massacre
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The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, CO, near Denver and Littleton. Two teenage students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a shooting rampage, killing 12 fellow students and a teacher, as well as wounding 24 others, before committing suicide.
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Definition of Neurology
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Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Physicians specializing in the field of neurology are called neurologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with neurological disorders.
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Definition of Pathology
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Pathology is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. Within biology but also a branch of medicine, it means specifically the study and diagnosis of the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs that underlie disease.
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Definition of Fanaticism
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Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause, or with an obsessive enthusiams for a pastime or hobby.
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Definition of Jonestown
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Jonestown, a town in Guyana established by Peoples Temple Cult leader Jim Jones, was located about six to eight miles from Port Kaituma. At Jones' directions, the inhabitants committed mass suicide in 1978.
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Definition of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive (repetivtive, distressing, intrusive) thoughts and related compulsions (task or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
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Definition of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurologic syndrome that exhibits symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood shifts, poor impulse control, and distractibility, when judged to be chronic, as symptoms of a neurological pathology.
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Definition of Electroencephalography
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Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic measurement of the electrical activity of the brain by recording from electrodes placed on the scalp or, in special cases, on the cortex.
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Definition of Play Attention
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Play Attention is a system marketed as a treatment for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It uses neurofeedback-based computer games to train focus and attention; it is promoted as a long-term treatment as a complement or alternative to prescription mdedication such as Ritalin and Adderall, which tend to treat symptoms instead of helping to permanently reduce the cause.
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Definition of Software Bug
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A software bug is an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program that prevents it from working as intended, or produces an incorrect result. Bugs arise from mistakes and errors, made by people, in either a program's source code or its design.
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Definition of Idiot Light
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The term idiot light refers to a simplistic method of displaying information about a system (e.g. an engine, or a piece of factory equipment). Usually found in display panels, such as an automobile dashboard, they consist of an illumination source (usually and incadescent light bulb or an LED) with an explanatory symbol or textual label.
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Definition of Pollution
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Pollution is the release of environmental contaminants.
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Definition of Meme
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The term "meme" labels a theorectical concept introduced in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, and refers to any unit of cultrual information, such as a cultural practice, idea or concept, which one mind transmits verbally or by demonstration) to another mind.
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Definition of Virus
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A virus is a submicroscopic parasitic particle that infects cells in biological organisms. The study of viruses is virology. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that lack the cellular machinery for self-reproducion. Viruses infect eukaryotes and prokaryotes such as bacteria; viruses infecting prokaryotes are also know as bacteriophages or phages. Typically viruses carry a small amount of genetic material, either in the form of DNA or RNA, never both.
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Definition of Disinformation
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Disinformation, in the context of espionage, military intelligence, and propaganda, is the spreading of deliberately false information to mislead an enemy as to one's position or course of action.
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Definition of Host (biology)
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A host is an organism that harbors a virus, parasite, mutural partner, or commercial partner, typically providing nourishment and shelter.
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Definition of Pandemic
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A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads worldwide, or at least across a large region.
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Definition of Feud
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A feud is a long-running argument or fight between parties-often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds tend to begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another. A long-running cycle of retaliation, often involving the original parties' family members and/or associates, then ensues.
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Definition of Emotion
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Emotion, in its most general definition, is a neural impulse that moves an organism to action. Emotion is differentiated from feeling, in that, emotion is a psycho-physiological state that moves an organism to action. Feeling is emotion that is filtered through the cognitive brain centers, specifically the frontal lobe, producing a physiological change in addition to the psycho-physiological change.
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Definition of Propoganda
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Propoganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information. In some cultures the term is neutral or even positive, while in others the term has acquired negative connotation. Its connotations can also vary over time.
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Definition of Rumor
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A rumor is a piece of purportedly true information that circulates without substantiating evidence. The information content/payload of rumors can range from simple gossip to advanced propaganda techniques.
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Definition of Espionage
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Espionage is the practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential (spying) without the permission of the holder of the information. What differentiates espionage from other forms of intelligence work is that espionage involves obtaining the information by accesssing the place where the information is stored or accessing the people who know the information and will divulge it through some kind of subterfuge.
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Definition of Lobbying
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Lobbying is the professional practice of public affairs advocacy, with the goal of influencing a governing body by promoting a point of view. A lobbyist is a person who is paid to influence legislation as well as public opinion.
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Definition of Assembly
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The definition of assembly is:
- A set of pieces that work together in unison as a mechanism or device.
- A congregation of people in one place for a purpose.
Assembly may refer to:
- politics
- manufacturing
- computing
- music
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Definition of Freedom of Assembly
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Freedom of assembly is the freedom to associate with, or organize any group, gatherings, clubs, or organizations that one wishes. It is held to be a key right in liberal democracies, whereby citizens may form or join any political party, special interest group, or union without government restrictions.
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Definition Freedom of Thought
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Freedom of thought is the freedom of an individual to hold a viewpoint, or thought, regardless of anyone else's view.
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Definition of Freedom of Speech
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Freedom of speech is the concept of being able to speak freely wihout censorship. It is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies. The right to freedom of speech is guaranteed under international law through numerous human rights instruments, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Definition of Family
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A family consists of a domestic group of people affiliated by birth or marriage, or by legal relationships - including domestic partnership, adoption, surname and ownership.
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Definition of Group
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In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection of humans or animals, who share certain characteristics, interact with one another, accept expectations and obligations as members of the group, and share a common identity.
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Definition of Minority Group
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A minority group is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant plurality of the total population of a given society.
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Definition of Gang
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A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. Historically the term referred to both criminal groups and ordinary groups of friends, such as Our Gang. Some anthropologists believe that the gang structure is one of the most ancient forms of human organizations.
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Definition of Trade/Labor Unions
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A Trade Union (Labor union) is a continous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. Over the last three hundred years, trade unions have developed into a number of forms - with differing political and economic regimes influencing them. The immediate objectives and activities of trade unions vary.
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Definition of Political Action Committee
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A political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the group's special interests.
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Definition of Corporation
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A corporation is a legal person which, while being composed of natural persons, exists completely separately from them. This separation gives the corporation unique powers which other legal entities lack. The extent and scope of its status and capacity is determined by the law of the place of incorporation.
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Definition of Non-profit Organization
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A nonprofit organization is an organization whose primary objectives is to support some issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. Nonprofits may be involved in an innumerable range of areas relating to the arts, charities, education, politics, religion, research, or some other endeavor.
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Definition of Charter
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A charter is a document bestowing certain rights on a town, city, university, land or institution; sometimes used as a loan of money. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights.
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Definition of Bylaw
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A bylaw was originally the Viking town law in the Danelaw. Contrary to popular etymology the element by has nothing to do with the preposition by. It is the Old Norse word for larger settlement as in Whitby and Derby. In modern days, a bylaw is a rule governing the internal management of an organization, such as a business corporation.
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Definition of Board of Directors
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A board of directors is a group of people who oversee the affairs of a corporation.
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Definition of Politics
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Politics is a process by which decisions are made within groups. Although the term is generally applied to behavior with governments, politics is observd in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic,and religous institutions.
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Definition of Unanimity
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Unanimity is complete agreement. When unanimous, everbody is of same nind and acing together as an undiversified whole. Many groups consider unanimous decisions a sign of agreement, solidarity, and unity. However, there is considerable and difficult-to-controvert evidence that most unanimous decisions are a sign of coercion, fear, undue persuasive power of eloquence, inability to comprehend alternatives, or plan impatience with the process of debate.
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Definition of Consensus
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Consensus has two common meanings. One is a general agreement among the members of a given group or community, each of which exercises some discretion in decision making and folow-up action. The other is as a theory and practice of getting such agreements (for information on the practice of achieving formal consensus, consensus decision-making).
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Definition of Official
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An official is, in the primary sense, someone who holds an office in an organisation, of any kind, but participating in the exercise of authority.
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Definition of Constituent
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A constituent is someone who can or does appoint or elect another as his agent or representative. A constituecncy is all the constituents of a particular agent or representative.
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Definition of Shareholder
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A shareholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. The shareholders are the owners of a corporation.
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Definition of Treasury
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Treasury refers to a place in which treasure is kept. Treasury was first used in classical times to describe the votive buidings erected to house gifts to the gods, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or the many buildings put up in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states, to impress one another during the Ancient Olympic Games.
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Definition of Piracy
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Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation.
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Definition of Conspiracy (Political)
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Conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'etat or through assassination.
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Definition of Skull and Bones
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Skull and Bones is one of the secret societies based at Yale University, in New Haven, Conneticut. It is a group of 15 Yale seniors.
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Definition of Fantasy
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Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting.
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Definition of Walt Disney
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Walter Elias Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator.
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Definition of Hollywood
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Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A., situated northwest of Downtown. Due to its fame and identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the American film and television industry.
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Definition of Hero
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From the Greek cognate, in mythology and folklore, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character archetype that quintessentially embodies key traits valued by its originating culture. The hero commonly possesses superhuman capabilities or idealized character traits which enable him or her to perform extraordinary, beneficial deeds for which he or she is famous.
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Definition of Villain
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A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether an historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villains are the bad guys, the characters who strive against the hero. Female villains are sometimes called villainesses.
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Definition of Enemy
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An enemy or foe is a relativist term for an entity that is seen as forcefully adverse or threatening. The term is usually used within the greater contest of war, to denote an oposing group and the individuals within as threats to one's own national, ethnic, or political group.
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Definition of Adversary
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One's adversary is someone whose purposes are opposed to, or conflict with, one's own purposes.
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Definition of Robin Hood
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Robin Hood is the archetypal folk hero; a courteous, pious and swashbuckling outlaw of the medieval era who, in modern versions of the legend, is famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tryanny.
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Definition of Untouchables (T.V. Series)
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The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. Based on the novel by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it dealt with the experiences of Eliot Ness, A U.S. States Treasury agent, as he fought crime in Chicago in the 1930's with the help of a special team of agents handpicked for their incorruptibility, nicknamed the Untouchables.
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Definition of Perry Mason
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Perry Mason is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erie Stanley Gardner.
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Definition of COPS (TV Series)
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COPS is a United States television show that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police work.
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Definition of Commerce
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Commerce is the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money between two or more entities. It is the central mechanism which drives capitalism etc.
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Definition of Capitalism
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Capitalism has been defined in various ways by different economic theorists, and is commonly understood to mean an economic or socioeconomic system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned and operated for profit.
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Definition of Marxism
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Marxism is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary.
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Definition of Socialism
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Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines, and may also refer to political movements that aspire to put these doctrines into practice. These movements envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control.
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Definition of Communism
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Communism is a political ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of produciton.
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Definition of Black Market
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The black market or underground market is the part of economic activity involving illegal dealings, typically the buying and selling of merchandise or services illegally.
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Definition of Property
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Property means 'ones own thing' and refers to the relationship between individuals and the objects which they see as being their own to dispense with as they see fit. Scholars in the social sciences frequently conceive of property as a 'bundle of rights and obligations.' They stress that property is not a relationship betweeen people and things, but a relationship between peope with regard to things. Property is often conceptualized as the rights of 'ownership' as defined in law. Private property is that which belongs to an individual; public property is that which belongs to a community collectively or a State.
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Definition of Bailment
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Bailment describes a legal relationship where physical posession of personal property (chattels) is transferred from one person (the 'bailor') to another person (the 'bailee') who subsequently holds possession of the property.
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Definition of Library of Congress
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The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. It is one of the Largest libraries in the world. Its collections include more than 29 million catalouged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 58 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America, including a Gutenberg Bible.
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Definition of Intellectual Property
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In law, intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements which attach to certain types of information, ideas, or other intangibles in their expressed form. The holder of this legal entitlement is generally entitled to exercise various exclusive rights in relation to the subject matter of the IP.
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Definition of Deed
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A deed is a legal instrument used to grant a right. The deed is best known as the method of transferring title to real estate from one person to another. However, by the general definition, powers of attorney, commissions, patents, and even diplomas conferring academic degrees are also deeds.
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Definition of Authority
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In politics, authority is often used interchangeably with the term "power". However, their meanings differ. "Power" refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, 'authority' refers to the legitimacy, justification and right to exercise that power.
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Definition of Escrow
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Escrow is a legal arrangment whereby an asset is delivered to a third party to be held in trust pending a contingency of the fulfillment of a condition or conditions in a contract. Upon that event occurring, the escrow agent will deliver the asset to the proper recipient, otherwise the escrow agent is bound by his or her fiduciary duty to maintain the escrow account.
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Definition of Power of Attorney
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A power of attorney or letter of attorney in common law systems or mandate in civil law systems is an authorization to act on someone else's behalf in a legal or business matter. The person authorizing the other to act is the 'principle' or 'grantor (of the power)', and the one authorized to act is the 'agent' or 'attorney-in-fact' (AIF).
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Definition of Agent (Law)
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An Agent in Commercial law is a person who is authorised to act on behalf of another (called the Principal) to create a legal relationship with a Third Party. Agency law deals with the tripartite relationships.
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Definition of Contract
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A contract is a "promise" or an "agreement" that is enforced or recognized by the law. In the civil law, contracts are considered to be part of the general law of obligations.
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Definition of Breach of Contract
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Breach of contract is a legal concept in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance.
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Definition of Marriage
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A marriage is a committed relationship between or among individuals, recognized by civil authority and/or bound by the religious beliefs of the participants. The dual nature, a binding legal contract plus a moral promise, makes marriage difficult to characterize.
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Definition of Same Sex Marriage
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Same-sex marriage is marriage between two people who are the same sex. Other terms include both the inclusive "gender-neutral marriage" and "equal marriage"; and the exclusive "gay marriage", "homosexual marriage", "same-gender marriage", "lesbian marriage".
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Definition of Wedding Vows
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Marriage vows are promises made by the bride and groom to each other during a wedding ceremony. In Western culture, these promises have traditionally included the notions of affection ("love, comfort, keep"), faithfulness ("forsaking all others"), unconditionality ("for richer or for poorer", "in sickness and in health"), and permanence ("as long as we both shall live", "until death do us part").
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Definition of Unconditional Love
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Unconditional Love is the title of a sleeper comedic film released in 2002. The film follows Grace Beasley who in the face of her failing marriage, and the death of her favorite pop star, learns the value and limitations of unconditional love, and the evils of sexism and homophobia.
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Definition of Divorce
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Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody and distribution of property.
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Definition of Tort
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In the common law, a tort is a civil wrong, other than a breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy. The origins of the modern law of torts lie in the old remedies of trespass and trespass on the case.
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Definition of Probate Court
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Probate Court is a court found in some jurisdictions which is primarily concerned with the proper distribution of the assests of a descedent. Probate Court exists to determine the validity of wills, enforce the provisions of valid wills, to prevent malfeasance by executors and adminstrators of estates, and to provide for an equitable distribution of the assets of persons who die intestate (without a valid will).
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Definition of Profession
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A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usually has a professional association, ethical code and process of certification or licensing.
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Definition of Petition
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A petition is a request to an authority, most commonly a government official or public entity. In the collquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some official and signed by numerous individuals. A petition may be oral rather than written, and in this era may be transmitted via the internet.
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Definition of Electronic Signature
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The term 'electronic signature' means an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record
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Definition of License
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A license or licence in the sphere of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is a document, contract or agreement giving permission or the 'right' to a legally-definable entity to do something (such as manufacture a product or to use a service), or to apply something (such aa a trademark), with the objective of achieving commercial gain.
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Definition of Patent
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A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter which is new, inventive, and useful.
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Definition of Trademark
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A trademark is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses.
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Definition of Copyright
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Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted by governments to regulate the use of a particular expression of an idea or information.
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Definition of Certificate
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A certificate is an official document affriming some fact. For example, a birth certificate or death certificate testifies to basic facts regarding a person's birth or death. A certificate may also certify that a person has received specific education or has passed a test, and is considered below the standard of an academic degree.
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Definition of Diploma
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A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has sucessfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree.
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Definition of Doctorate
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A doctorate is an academic degree of the highest level. Traditionally, the award of a doctorate implies recognition of the candidate as an equal by the university faculty under which she or he studied.
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Definition of Dissertation
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In academia, a thesis or dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree of professional qualification.
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Definition of Nobel Peace Prize
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The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequested by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. Ironically, as some point out, Alfred Nobel was the man whose inventions include dynamite and Ballistite, which led to the death of millions of people. He created the Nobel Prize in an effort to make up for what he believed to be past evils. According to the will of Alfred Nobel, the prize should be awared "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity betweeen the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".
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Definition of Pulitizer Prize
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The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions. It is adminstered by Columbia University in New York City.
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Definition of Inheritance
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Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an extremely important role in human societies.
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Definition of Will
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A will is a document by which a person regulates the rights of others over his/her property or family after death.
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Definition of Civilization
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Civillization has a variety of meanings related to human society. The word comes from the Latin word for townsman or citizen, civis, and its adjectival form, civillis. To be "civilized" essentially meant being a townsman, governed by the constitution and legal statutes of the community.
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Definition of Civilian
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In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. The term may also be used to identify people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, particularly those who do not belong to the military, to the police or another emergency service.
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Definition of Civil
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The definition of civil is:
- having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
- being reasonable or polite.
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Definition of Civil Law
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Civil law is the area of law in common law countries governing relalations between private individual; it includes the private law in common law systems, as well as non-criminal statutes regulating actions of individuals and corporations in a society.
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Definition of Right
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A right is the power of liberty to which a person or a group is justly entitled or a thing to which they have a moral or legal claim. The specific enumeration of rights accorded to citizens has historically differed greatly from one century to the next, and from one regime to the next, but nowadays is normally addressed by the constitutions of the respective nations. Rights serve as rules of interaction between people, and, as such, they place constraints or positive obligations on individuals or groups.
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Definition of Civil Rights
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Civil Rights are the protections and privileges of personal liberty given to all citizens by law. Civil Rights are distinguished from "human rights" or " natural rights" - civil rights are right that are bestowed by nations on those within their territorial boundaries, while natural or human rights are rights that many scholars claim ought to belong to all people.
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Definition of Public Affairs
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Public affairs is a catch-all term that includes public policy as well as public administration, both of which are closely related to and draw upon the fields of political science as well as economics.
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Definition of Conservative vs. Libertarian
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The definition of conservative is:
- A person who favors maintenance of the status quo or reversion to some earlier status
- A member of the Conservative party
- A fiscal conservative
- A political conservative
- A social conservative
- One who favors the Republican party
Conservatism is a philosopy defined by Edmund Burke as "a disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve. The term derives from conserve; from Latin conservare, to keep, guard, observe. Classical conservatism does not readily avail itself to the ideology of objectives. It is a philosophy primarily concerned with means over ends.
The definition of libertarian is:
- One who advocates liberty either generally or on a specific issue, e.g. "civil libertarian"
- A believer in a political doctrine that emphasizes individual liberty and a lack of government regulation and oversight both in matters of the economy
- In the philosophy branch of metaphysics, a believer in thinking beings' freedom to choose their own destiny, i.e. a believer in Free Will
- A member of the Republican Party who emphasizes economic and Constitutional, rather than religious and personal, aspects of the party's platform
Libertarianism is a political philosophy advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others.
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Definition of American History
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The history of the United States has occurred at the regional, territorial, state and local level. It has often depended on the geography of the United States, which is primarily situaed in central North America, a large and diverse expanse of land and people.
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Definition of No Taxation without Representation
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"No taxation without representation" was a rallying cry of the American Revolutionary War. During the years prior to and during the Revolution, advocates of the American independence decried the fact that the American colonies were required to pay taxes to London, yet they had no representatives in Parliament.
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Definition of Boston Tea Party
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The Boston Tea Party was a direct action protest by the American colonists against Great Britain in which they destroyed many crates of tea on ships in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution.
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Definition of Duty
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Duty is a term loosely applied to any action (or course of action) which is regarded as morally incumbent, apart from personal likes and dislikes or any external compulsion.
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Definition of Paul Revere
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Paul Revere was a French American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He was immortalized after his death for his role as a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord. Revere's name and his Midnight Ride are well-known in the United States. In his lifetime, Revere was a prosperous and prominent Boston craftsman, who helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the Bristish military. Revere later served as an officer in one of the most disastous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, a role for which he was later exonerated.
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Definition of Emergency
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An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate threat to human life or serious damage to property. A false report of an emergency is usually a crime.
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Definition of False Alarm
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A false alarm is the phony report of an emergency, causing unnecessary panic and/or bringing resources to a place where they are not needed.
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Definition of Year 2000 Problem
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The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug and the Y2K Bug) was the result of a practice in computer program design that caused some date-related processing to operate incorrectly for dates and times on and after January 1, 2000.
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Definition of Perjury
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Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing.
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Definition of Benedict Arnold
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Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He is be known for an act of treason against the United States - plotting to surrender the American fort at West Point, New Yourk to the British.
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Definition of Shot Heard Round the World
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"The shot heard 'round the world" is a famous phrase in United States history that refers to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
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Definition of Revolutionary War
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The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a conflict that erupted betweeen Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen British colonies, who declared their independence as the United States of America in 1776.
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Definition of Slavery in the United States
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The history of slavery in the United States began soon after Europeans first settled in what in 17776 became the United States. It ended with the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the 13th Amendment 1865.
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Definition of Black Loyalists
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Black Loyalists is the name given to formerly enslaved Africans or free people of color of the North American continent who joined the British Army against the colonists in the American Revolutionary War.
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Definition of Declaration of Independence
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The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the Thirteen Colonies in North America declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. It was ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
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Definition of Thirteen Colonies
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The Thirteen Colonies were thirteen British colonies in Northern America, separately chartered and governed, that rebelled, signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 becoming independent sovereign states, thereby establishing the United States of America.
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Definition of Democracy
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Democracy, literally, rule by the people. This can be contrasted with oligarchy and autocracy, rule by a few people or a single person.
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Definition of First Continental Congress
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The First Continental Congress was a body of some 55 representatives appointed by the legislatures of twelve North American colonies of Great Britain in 1774.
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Definition of Second Continental Congress
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The Second Continental Congress was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of several British North American colonies which met from May 10, 1775 to March 1, 1781.
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Definition of Articles of Confederation
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The Articles of Confederation or Perpetual Union, was the first governing document of the United States of America. The articles, which combined the Thirteen Colonies of the American Revolutionary War into a loose confederation, were adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 after 16 months of debate. The articles were ratified three years later on March 1, 1781.
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Definition of Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist
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The term federalist refers to a proponent of one of several different ideologies, depending on the locale or subject matter. It usually has reference to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation. Sometimes it refers to an advocate of a type of government more properly called a confederation.
Anti-Federalism was the name given to two distinct counter-movements in the late 18th Century American politics:
- The first Anti-Fedralist movement formed in reaction to the Federalist movement of the 1780s. It opposed the creation of a stronger national government under the Constitution and sought to leave the government under the Articles of Confederation intact.
- The second Anti-Federalist movement formed in reaction to Alexander Hamilton's aggressive fiscal policies of George Washington's first administration. This movement is sometimes called the Anti-Administration "Party", and it would coalesce into one of the nation's fist two true political parties, the Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
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Definition of United States
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The United States of America is a federal republic in North America. Founded in 1776, it is the oldest extant constitutional republic in the world.
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Definition of Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
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The Preamble to the United States Constitution consists of a single sentence that introduces the document and its purpose. The preamble neither grants any powers nor inhibits any actions. It only explains the rationale.
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Definition of United States Constitution
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The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was completed on September 17, 1787, with its adoption by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was later ratified by special conventions in each state. It created a federal union of sovereign states, and a federal government to operate the union. It replaced the Articles of Confederation and took effect on March 4, 1789.
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Definition of Separation of Powers
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A French political thinker Montesquieu proposed a division of political power between an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary. Under this model, each branch has separate and independent powers and duties; however, each branch may also be able to place limits on the power exerted by the other branches.
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Definition of Law
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Law in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, forbid or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, intended to provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishment of/for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct.
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Definition of Rule of Law
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The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with written laws, which were adopted through an established procedure. The principle is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary rulings in individual cases.
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Definition of Color of Law or Office
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Color of: is a legal term meaning "pretense or appearance of" some right. Color of law refers to an appearance of legal right to act but which is actually in violation. Color of office refers to an act usually committed by a public official under the appearance of authority, but which exceeds such authority.
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Definition of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
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The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.
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Definition of Legislator
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A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people.
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Definition of Judiciary
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In law, the judiciary or judicature is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, and provide a mechanism for the resolution of disputes.
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Definition of Justice
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Justice is a concept involving the fair, moral, and impartial treatment of all persons. In its most general sense, it means according individuals what they actually deserve or merit, or are in some sense entitled to. Justice is a particularly fundamental concept with most systems of "law" and draws highly upon established and well-regarded social traditions and values.
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Definition of Obstruction of Justice
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Obstruction of Justice refers to the crime of offering interference of any sort of work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials.
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Definition of Justice Minister
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A justice minister is a ministerial position in the governments of some countries, with general responsibility for policing and the maintenance of public order. The minister of justice may also be responsible for the justice system, and in some countries has responsibility for general elections.
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Definitions of Forensics
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Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system.
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Definition of Whistleblower
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A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power to take corrective action. Generally the misconduct is a violation of law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest - fraud, health, safety violations, and corruption are just a few examples.
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Definition of Court Order
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A court order is an official proclamtion by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties before the court and requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case. It can be a simple setting a date for trial or as complex as restructuring contractual relationships by and between man corporations in multijurisdictional dispute.
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Definition of Pain
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Pain is an unpleasant sensation which may be associated with actual or potential tissue damasge and which may have physical and emotional components. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), one should distinguish between pain and nociception.
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Definition of Cruelty
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Cruelty is indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involve violence, but violence is not necessary for an act to be cruel.
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Definition of Punishment
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Punishment is the practice of imposing something unpleasant on a subject as a response to some unwanted behavior or disobedience that the subject has displayed.
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Definition of Capital Punishment
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Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the State as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offenses.
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Definition of Cruel and Unusual Punishment
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The statement that the government shall not inflict cruel and unsual punishment for crimes is found in the English Bill of Rights signed in 1689 by King William III and Queen Mary II who were then the joint rulers of England following the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688. These exact words later appeard in the Eight Amendment to the United States Constitution (1787).
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Definition of Religion
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Religion is commonly referred to as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief.
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Definition of Scientology
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Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosohy.
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Definition of Heresy
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Heresy is a "theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orhodox.
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Definition of Salem Witch Trials
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The Salem witch trials, which began in 1692 resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in both Salem Village and Salem Town, MA. It was the result of a period of factional infighting and Puritan witch hysteria which led to the deaths of 20 people and the imprisonment of scores more.
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Definition of Inquisition
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The term Inquisition refers broadly to a number of historical movements orchestrated by the Pope and aimed at securing Papal religious and financial authority in Europe through the conversion, and sometimes persecution, of alleged heretics.
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Definition of Spanish Inquisition
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The Spanish Inquisition was a legally constituted court decreed by Sixtus IV's Papal Bull and implemented under Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile beginning in 1478. As Christian European monarchs regained control of Spain from Muslim rulers, the Christian Monarch gradually imposed and enforced certain legal restrictions on non-Catholics.
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Definition of Separation of Church and State
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The separation of church and state is a political doctrine which states that the institution of the state or national government should be kept separate from those of religious institutions.
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Definition of Alliance Defense Fund
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The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is a U.S. based, Christian, conservative, non-profit organization with the stated goal of using the United States legal system in "defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and direct litigation."
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Definition of God
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God denotes the deity believed by monotheists to be the sole creator and ruler of the universe. Conceptions of God can vary widely, despite the use of the same term for them all.
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Definition of Satan
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Satan is a Abrahamic term which is traditionally applied to an angel, demon, or minor god in many belief systems.
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Definition of Sin
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Sin is a term used maninly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral code of conduct or the state of having committed such a violation. In monotheistic religions, the code of conduct is determined by God. Colloquially, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, shameful, harmful, or alienative might be termed "sinful".
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Definition of the Ten Commandments
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The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives which, according to religious tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets.
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Definition of Sanhedrin
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The Sanhedrin is the name given to the council of seventy-one Jewish sages who constituted the supreme court and legislative body of Ancient Israel.
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Definition of Pharisees
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The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era.
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Definiton of Sadducees
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The sect of the Sadducees - which may have originated as a political party - was founded in the 2nd century BC and ceased to exist sometime after the 1st century AD. Their rivals, the Pharisees, are said to have originated in the same time period, but have survived as the later forms of Rabbinic Judaism.
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Definition of Judaism
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Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006. It is one of, if not the first, recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today.
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Definition of Samaritanism
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Samaritanism is the religion practiced by the Samaritan people. Like Judaism, it claims to be descended from ancient Israelite religion. It is closely related to Judaism in that it accepts the Torah as its holy book, though there are differences in the version accepted. Samaritans consider Jewish thinkers after the Torah as having been led astray while they themselves stayed to the true religion.
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Definition Paul (Saul) of Tarsus
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Saul of Tarsus, also known as Paul, Paulus, and Saint Paul the Apostle is widely considered to be central to the early development and spread of Christianity, particularly westward from Judea. Many Christians view him as an important interpreter of the teachings of Jesus. Paul is described as a Hellenized Jew and Roman citizen. He was a persistent persecutor of early Christians, almost all of whom were Jewish.
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Definition of Persecution
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Persecution is persistent mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution and ethnic persecution. The terms have some overlap, as religion is an aspect of culture that can be a barrier. The most common scenario is a majority group persecuting a minority group.
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Definiton of Proselytism
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The English language word proselytism is derived ultimately from the Greek language. It generally describes attempts to convert a person from one point of view to another, usually in a religious context.
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Definition of Proselyte
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Proselyte, is used in the Septuagint for stranger, and in the New Testament for a convert to Judaism from Paganism.
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Definition of Prosecutor
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The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries adopting the common law adversarial system or the civil inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual suspected of breaking the law in a criminal trial.
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Definition of Controversy
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A controversy is an opinion or opinions over which parties are actively arguing. Controversies can range from private disputes between two to large scale disagreements.
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Definition of Contest (Law)
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To contest, in law, is to disagree with a civil or criminal legal charge.
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Definition of Right to Bear Arm
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Some people have the point of view that the right to bear arms is synonymous with the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, though some people disagree and instead have the point of view that the right to bear arms is a broader, global and more complex human rights.
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Definition of Duel
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A duel or duel of honour is a formalised type of armed combat in which two individuals participate, Duels represent a contrived combat situation designed to maximise fairness of combat. They usually develop out of a desire for one party (the challenger) to redress an insut to his honour.
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Definition of Defendant
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A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute.
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Definition of Subject (Philosophy)
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In philosophy, a subject is a being which has subjective experiences or a relationship with another entity (or "object"). A subject is an observer and an object is a thing observed. This concept is especially important in Continental philosophy, where 'the Subject' is a central term in debates over human autonomy and the nature of the self.
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Definition of Objectivity
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Objectivity has various meanings in philosophy, and is surely one of the most important philosophical problems, since it concerns the epistemological status of knowledge, the problem of an objective reality and the question of our subjective relationship to the objects in the world. Objectivity may be considered as a synonym of neutral point of view, as in journalism;
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Definition of Right to a Fair Trial
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The Right to a fair trial is an essential right in all countries respecting the rule of law. It is explicitly proclaimed in Article Ten of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution, and Article Six of the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as numerous other constitutions and declarations throughout the world.
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Definition of Bill of Rights
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In the United States, the Bill of Rights is the term for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments explicitly limit the Federal government's powers, protecting the rights of the people by preventing Congreess from abridging freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religious worship, and the right to bear arms, preventing unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual punishment, and self-incrimination, and guaranteeing due process of law and a speedy public trial with an impartial jury.
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Definition of Due Process
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Due process of law is a legal concept that ensures the government will respect all of a person's legal righs instead of just some or most of those legal rights when the government deprives a person of life, liberty, or property. Due process has also been interpreted as placing limitations on laws and legal proceeding in order to guarantee fundamental fairness, justice, and liberty.
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Definition of Grand Jury
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A grand jury is a type of common law jury responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issusing indictments if they believe there is enough evidence for a trial to proceed.
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Definition of Jury Trial
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A jury trial is a trial in which the judge of the facts, as opposed to the judge of the law, is a jury, made up of citizens selected from among a pool that has been randomly selected and are generally not legal professionals.
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Definition of Prima facie
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Prima facie is a Latin expression (come by way of Middle English) meaning "on its first appearance," used in common law jurisprudence to denote evidence that is sufficient, if not rebutted, to prove a particular proposition or fact.
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Definition of Habeas corpus
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In common law, habeas corpus is the name of several writs which may be issued by a judge ordering a prisoner to be brought before the court.
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Definition of Prison
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A prison or a correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of personal freedoms.
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Definition of Prisoner
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Prisoner may refer to one of the following:
- A person incarcerated in a prison or similar facility
- Prisoner of war held by an enemy
- Political prisoner held for their ideology
- Hostage held to ransom
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Definition of Hostage
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A hostage is a person or entity (group, even pet) which is held by a captor, originally handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war, but in modern days more often seized by a criminal abductor in order to compel another party such as a relative, employer or government to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way, often under threat of serious physical harm to the hostage(s) after expiration of an ultimatum.
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Definition of Ransom
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Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property to secure their release. Holding people for ransom has occurred thoughout history. In 78 BC, pirates of modern-day Turkey captured Julius Caesar and held him on Pharmacusa until someone paid a fee for him. It also refers to demanding concessions from a person or organization by threatening damaging action.
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Definition of Bail
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The word bail as a legal term means:
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
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Definition of Burden of Proof
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In the common law, burden of proof is the obligation to prove allegations which are presented in a legal action. More colloquially, burden of proof refers to an obligation in a particular context to defend a position against a prima facie other position.
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Definition of Culpability
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Culpability descends from the Latin concept of fault (culpa), which is still found in today in the phrase mea culpa (literally, "my fault"). The concept of culpability is intimately tied up with notions of agency, freedom and free will. All are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for culpability.
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Definition of Crime
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A crime in a nontechnical sense is an act that violates a political or moral rule. But in many nations, the governments have discovered that informal sanctions are ineffective to control some types of antisocial behaviour, so the system of social control has to be formalized.
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Definition of Felony
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A felony is the term for a 'very serious' crime, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. It is principally used in criminal law in the United States legal system.
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Definition of Inalienable Rights
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The term inalienable rights refers to a set of human rights that are said to be absolute, not awarded by human power, not transferable to another power, and incapable of rupudiation.
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Definition of Jeffersonian Democracy
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A Jeffersonian democracy is a form of government named for American statesman Thomas Jefferson. It dominated American politics in the era of the First Party System after 1800. It is often contrasted with the characteristics of Jacksonian democracy, or Second Party System which dominated the political era.
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Definition of Jacksonian Democracy
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Jacksonian democracy refers to the political philosophy of President Andrew Jackson and his followers in the new Democratic Party. It was resisted by the rival Whig Party. More broadly, it refers to the period of the Second Party System in which this philosophy was ascendant as well as the spirit of that era.
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Definition of Dred Scott vs. Sandford
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Dred Scott (ca. 1795 - September 17, 1858) was a slave who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom in the infamous case of Dred Scott v. Sandford 1857. This case was one of the major factors leading to the American Civil War.
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Definition of American Civil War
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The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a bitter sectional conflict that began after southern states of the United States tried to secede from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.
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Definition of Confederation vs. Federation
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A confederation is an association of sovereign states, usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution. Confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defence, foreign affairs, foreign trade, and a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members.
A federation is a state comprised of a number of partially self-governing regions united by a central government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states are typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the central government.
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Definition of General Robert E. Lee
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Robert Edward Lee was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War.
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Definition of Union Army
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The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. The Union Army is also known as the Northern Army or the Federal Army.
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Definition of General Ulysses S. Grant
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Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States. He achieved international fame in the American Civil War, in which he commanded Union forces as a general, and as general-in-chief.
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Definition of George Armstrong Custer
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George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Native American tribes led by Sitting Bull.
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Definition of US Colored Troops
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The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were those regiments of the US Army during the Ameerican Civil War which were made up of African-American soldiers. The USCT were the forerunners of the famous Buffalo Soldiers.
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Definition of John Brown (Abolitionist)
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John Brown was an American abolitionist and one of the first white abolitionists to advocate and to practice guerilla warfare as a means to the abolition of slavery.
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Definition of Emancipation Proclamation
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The Emancipation Proclamation was a declaration by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring that all slaves in Confederate territory still in rebellion were freed. The Proclamation did not affect areas already under Union control, but did apply to all Union army advances after that date.
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Definition of Period of Reconstruction
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Reconstruction refers to the period in American history that direcly followed the civil war. For victory in the American Civil War to be achieved, Northern moderate Republicans and Radical Republicans concurred that the Confederacy and its system of slavery had to be destroyed and the possibility of being revived had to be eliminated.
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Definition of Prohibition against Alcohol
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In the United States, Prohibition was accomplished by means of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution (ratified January 16, 1919) and the Vostead Act (passed October 28, 1919). Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the 18th Amendment went into effect.
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Definition of Repeal of Prohibition
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In 1933, the legislatures of the states ratified the 21st Amendment , which repealed Amendment XVIII and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to "intoxicating liquors".
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Definition of Jim Crow Laws
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Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws enacted in the Southern and border states of the United States and in force between 1876 and 1964 that restricted access of African-Americans to public facilities.
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Definition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minster and American political activist who was the most famous leader of the American civil rights movement. King won the Nobel Peace Prize before being assasinated in 1968.
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Definition of Malcolm X
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Malcolm X was a Muslim Minister and National Spokesman for the Nation of Islam. He was also founder of the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City on February 21, 1965 on the day of National Brotherhood Week.
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Definition of Civil Rights Movement
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The Civil Rights Movement in the United States refers in part to a set of noted events and reform movements in our country aimed at abolishing public and private acts of racial discrimination and racism against African Americans between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern United States.
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Definition of Civil Rights Act of 1964
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President Lyndon Baines Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964: To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injucitve relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to proect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.
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Definition of U. S. Commission on Civil Rights
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The Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) is an independent agency of the United States government. The Commission on Civil Rights is composed of eight Commissioners, who provide direct leadership to the organization, the Staff Director, and a professional career staff. Four of the commissioners are appointed by the President, the other four by Congress.
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Definition of Fair Housing
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In the United States, the phrase fair housing dates back to the 1960's. It refers to a political movement of the time to outlaw discrimination in the rental or puchase of homes and a broad range of other housing-related tgransactions, such as advertising, mortgate lending, homeowner's insurance and zoning. At the urging of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Congress passed the federal Fair Housing Act in April 1968 only one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Definition of Equal Opportunity
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Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to an environment of benefits, such as education, employment, health care, or social welfare to all, often whith emphasis on members of various social groups who historically suffered from discrimination.
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Definition of Voting Rights Act of 1965
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The Voting Rights act of 1965 (Public Law 89-10) outlawed the requirement that would-be voters in the United States take literacy tests to qualify to register to vote, and it provided for federal registration of voters - instead of state or local voter registration which had often been denied to minorities and poor voters - in areas that had less than 50% of eligible minority voters registered. The act also provided for DOJ oversight to registration, and the Department's approval for any change in voting law in districts whose populations were as least 5% African American. It was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965.
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Definition of Dixiecrats Political Party
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The term Dixiecrat is a portmanteau of Dixie, referring to the Southern United States, and Democrat, referring to the United States Democratic Party. Initially, it referred to a 1948 splinter from the party: for over a century, white Southerners had overwhelmingly been Democrats, but that year many bolted the party and supported Strom Thurmond's third party candidacy for president of the United States. Over the next several decades, as the white South slowly re-aligned from the Democrats to the Republicans, the term came to have a broader usage, including, for example, with reference to the members of the Electoral College who in the election of 1960 voted for Harry Flood Byrd rather than John F. Kennedy, or the white Southern voters and electors who in 1968 supported George C. Wallace.
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Definition of Vietnam War 1945-1975
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Vietnam War was a conflcit in which the Democratic Republic of North Vietnam and its allies fought against the Republic of South Vietnam and its allies. The war lasted 30 years through six presidential administrations beginning with Harry S. Truman and ending with Gerald Ford.
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Definition of Chapter 31 (G.I. Bill of Rights)
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Chapter 31 is a Vocational Rehabilitation program for service-disabled veterans who require further education to attain suitable, stable employment. This program may provide vocational and other training services and assistance including tutorial assistance, tuition, books, fees, supplies, handling charges, licensing fees and equipment and other training materials necessary.
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Definition of President Nixon's 1971 War on Drugs
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The War on Drugs is an initiative undertaken by the United States to carry out an "all-out offensive" (as President Nixon described it) against the prohibited use of certain controlled drugs. The United States has also initiated a number of military actions as part of its "War on Drugs", such as the 1989 invasion of Panama codenamed Operation Just Cause involving 25,000 United States troops. The U.S. alleged that Gen. Manuel Noriega, head of government of Panama, was involved in drug trafficking.
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Definition of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
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The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the short title of United States Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327 (July 26, 1990) codified at 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The ADA is a wide range civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal.
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Definition of The Star-Spangled Banner
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"The Star-Spangled Banner" is a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key and is the national anthem of the United States of America.
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Definition of Statue of Liberty
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The Statue of Liberty, is a statue given to the United States by France in the late 19th century, standing at Liberty Island in the mouth of the Huson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans.
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Definition of Pledge of Allegiance
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The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise or oath of allegiance to the United States, and to its national flag. It is commonly recited in unison at public events, and especially in public school classrooms, where the Pledge is often a morning ritual.
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Definition of Treason or High Treason
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In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to one's nation or state. A person who betrays the nation of their citizenship and/or reneges on an oath of loyalty and in some way willfully cooperates with an enemy, is considered to be a tratior.
High treason, broadly defined, is an action which is grossly disloyal to one's country or sovereign. Participating in a war against one's country, attempting to overthrow its government, and attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps the best know examples of high treason.
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Definition of Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
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The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of military law in the United States. The UCMJ was passed by Congress on 5 May 1950, signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and became effective on 31 May 1951.
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Definition of Privacy Act of 1974
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The Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law No. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1897 (Dec. 31, 1974), codified in part at 5 U.S.C. 552a, was passed by the United States Congress following revelations of the abuse of privacy during the administration of President Richard Nixon.
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Definition of Internal Affairs vs International Relations
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The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force.
International Relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, government, non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations. It is both an academic and public policy field, and can be either positive or normative as it both seeks to analyze as well as formulate foreign policy.
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Definition of Citizenship
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Citenship is membership in a political community and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen.
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Definition of U.S. Nationality Law
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United States Nationality Law protects the right of U.S. citizens to participate in the political system of the United States (with most U.S. states having restrictions for felons, and federal restrictions on naturalized persons), are represented and protected abroad by the United States (through U.S. embassies and consulates), and are allowed to reside in the United States, and certain territories, without any immigration requirements.
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Definition of Immigration Laws
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Shortly after the American Civil War, some states started to pass their own immigration laws, which prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in 1875 that immigration was a federal responsibility.
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Definition of Illegal Immigration
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Illegal immigration describes the long term shift of populations across national borders without complying with the legal requirements.
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Definition of Refugee
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A refugee is a person seeking asylum in a foreign country in order to escape persecution. Some regional legal instruments further include those seeking to escape generalized violence in the definition of a refugee. Those who seek refugee status are sometimes known as asylum seekers and the practice of accepting such refugees is that of offering political asylum.
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Definition of Native Americans
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Native Americans, in the United States, are the indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska, and their descendants in modern times.
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Definition of Mexican American
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The ethnonym Mexican American is the usual term of self description for people with strong ties to bothe the United States and Mexico. It descr5ibes both United States citizens of Mexican ancestry and Mexican citzens who reside in the United States.
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Definition of Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus was an explorer and trader who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached the Americas on October 12, 1492 under the flag of Castile.
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Definition of Juan Ponce de Leon
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Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Santervvas de Campos. As a young man he joined the war to conquer Granada, the last Moorish state on the Iberian peninsula. Ponce de Leon accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He is regarded as the first European know to have visited the United States in Florida 1513.
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Definition of Battle of Alamo
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The Battle of the Alamo was a 19th century battle between the Republic of Mexico and the rebel Texan forces during the latter's fight for independence - the Texas Revolution. It took place at the Alamo mission in San Antonia, Texas in February and March of 1836.
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Definition of Oklahoma City Bombing
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The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist attack on April 19, 1995, in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, a U.S. government office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was destroyed, killing 168 people. It is the largest domestic terrorist attack in the history of the United States and was the largest act of terrorism within U.S. borders until September 11, 2001. Two men later convicted of the bombing, Timothy McVeigh and his friend Terry Nichols, had sympathies with the anti-government movement. McVeigh later claimed that his aim was to avenge the Waco massacre.
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Definition of Timothy McVeigh
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Timothy James McVeigh, considered by the FBI as an American domestic terrorist, was executed for his part in the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Hundreds were injured and 167 people died when a truck loaded with improvised explosives was detonted in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building as federal offices began business for the day.
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Definition of David Koresh
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David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell. He was the self-proclaimed head of the Branch Davidians from 1988 until a raid by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and subsequent siege by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ended with the burning of Branch Davididan ranch, the Mount Carmel Center.
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Definition of John Allen Muhammad
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John Allen Muhammad is an American spree killer. Together with his younger partner Lee Boyd Malvo, he carried out the Beltway sniper attacks in a an apparent attempt to extort $10 million dollars during his shooting spree.
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Definition of September 11, 2001 Attacks
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The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks upon the United States of America carried out on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The attackers crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower, causing the collapse of both towers within two hours.
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Definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical and, increasingly, radiological weapons. The term arose in 1937 in reference to the mass destruction of Guernica, Spain, by aerial bombardment. Following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and progressing through the Cold War, the term came to refer more to non-conventional weapons.
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Definition of Jihad
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Jihad is an Islamic term, which connotes a wide range of meanings: anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle to further the Islamic cause. Individuals involved in th political or military forms of jihad are often labeled with the neologism "jihadist".
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Definition of Terrorism
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Terrorism refers to a strategy of using political violence, social threats or coordinated attacks closely related with unconventional warfare in manner of conduct and operation.
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Definition of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
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The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 prescribes procedures for the physical and eleectronic surveillance and collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers".
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Definition of National Security Agency
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The National Security Agency / Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) isbelieved to be the largest United States government intelligence agency. It is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and for the security of U.S. government communications against similar agencies elsewhere. Officially established November 04, 1952 the NSA is a component of the Department of Defense and has always been directed by a three-star flag or general officer. NSA is the key component of the United States Intelligence Community headed by the Director of National Intelligence.
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Definition of Freedom of Information Legislation
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Over sixty one countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. Many more countries are working towards introducing such laws, and many regions of countries with national legislation have local laws.
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Definition of Operation Tennessee Waltz
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Operation Tennessee Waltz was a sting operation set up by federal and state law enforcement agents, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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Definition of Patriot (American Revolution)
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Patriots were British North American colonists who rebelled against the Crown during the American Revolution and established independent states that became the United States of America.
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Definition of Scouting
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Scouting is a worldwide youth organization. Its aim is to develop young people physically, spiritually and mentally so that youth may take a constructive place in society.
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Definition of AMVETS
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AMVETS is a volunteer-led organization formed by World War II veterans which accepts honorably discharged veterans as members.
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Definition of American Legion
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The American Legion is an organization of veterans of the United States armed forces who served in wartime. The Organization was founded in 1919 by veterans from Europe after World War I and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Definition of Peace Corps
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The Peace Corps is an independent federal agency of the United States designed to promote mutual understanding between Americans and the outside world. The Peace Corps was established by executive order in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and apporved by Congress as a permanent agency with the State Department.
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Definition of USA Patriot Act
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The USA Patriot Act (Public Law 107-56) is short for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appopriate Tools Required to intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" Act of 2001 and is a controversial piece of federal legislation in the United States.
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Definition of Federal Grant
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In the United States grants are economic aid issued by the United States government out of the general federal revenue.
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Definition of Office of Management and Budget
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The Offie of Management and Budget (OMB) is a body within the Executive Office of the President of the United States which is tasked with coordinating United States Federal agencies. A "stop-and-think shop," it is a senior management team of the White House.
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Definition of Inspector General in the United States
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In the United States, an Inspector General is a type of investigator charged with examining the actions of a government agency or military organization as a general auditor to ensure they are operating in compliance with general established policies of the government, to audit the effectiveness of security procedures, or to discover the possibility of misconduct, waste, fraud, theft, or certain types of criminal activity by individuals or groups related to the agency's operation, usually involving some misuse of funds or credit.
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Definition of Truth Commission
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A truth commission or truth and reconcilliation commission is a commission tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government, in the hope of resolving conflict left over from the past.
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