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Outsider art describes any piece of art created by someone who works outside of the mainstream art establishment. Outsider art is intended to be creatively unrestrained by the traditional schools of art, resulting in works that rely more on raw creativity than artistic training. Many outsider artists come from disadvantaged backgrounds and work in obscurity for decades purely for their own enjoyment before their discovery. Some of the most famous outsider artists had mental illnesses like schizophrenia or such intellectual disabilities as Down syndrome and autism. Due to its connections to the artist rather than the artwork itself, outsider art can incorporate broad types of works ranging from simple drawings to more ornate sculptures, carvings, and paintings. It also often has strong associations to other categories of art created by untrained artists, such as folk art, naïve art, and primitive art.

Extinction rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a protest movement in which participants use nonviolent civil disobedience to bring awareness to climate change. Participants in XR believe that Earth is close to a point at which the observable effects of human-made disruptions to the world’s environment cannot be reversed. As a result, they seek to coerce political action through nonviolent mass public displays that deliberately disrupt cities, thereby bringing media attention to their cause. In one of its largest organized global events, XR mounted protests in sixty cities between October 6 and 19, 2019, which led to the arrests of more than 1,700 people in London alone.

Sirenian refers to any species of animal that belongs to the taxonomic order of aquatic mammals called Sirenia, which includes manatees and dugongs. Within this taxonomic order, Sirenia is split into five extinct and two living families. The two surviving families are the Dugongidae, which includes one existing species called the dugong, and the Trichechidae, into which all species of manatees are placed. Formerly, there was another species called the Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), which was placed into the Dugongidae family; however, this species was hunted into extinction within thirty years of its initial discovery. The animals of the order Sirenia are often referred to as sea cows.

The Irish Literary Revival was a literary movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that sought to restore interest in Ireland's heritage and promote a national cultural identity free of British influence. While under the dominion of the British Empire, native Irish culture and language had been repressed. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Irish had grown tired of British rule and desired the greater cultural freedoms that came with independence. The Irish Literary Revival, begun in 1892 by Anglo-Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), was an outgrowth of this interest and often receives credit for re-exciting the nationalist impulses that led to the 1916 Easter Rebellion and, ultimately, Irish independence in 1921.

A fast Fourier transform (FFT) is any mathematical function that is used to analyze and measure the frequency ranges of signals, vibrations, and other types of waveforms with great efficiency and speed. It can be used to summarize large amounts of data. The FFT offers a quick means of mathematically determining both the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a sequence and its inverse. The DFT converts a group of equally spaced samples of data into one single sequence that is the same length as the samples used to make the composite sequence. It can be used to examine the relationship between time and frequency in sample data. Without FFT algorithms, these calculations would have to be measured using convolution, which requires much greater effort and time. The FFT vastly reduces the number of computations necessary to determine the DFT.

The Gang of Four was a political bloc in the People's Republic of China during the turbulent period known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Aligned with Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, the faction was comprised of four senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): Jiang Qing (1913-1991), Zhang Chunqiao (1917-2005), Wang Hongwen (1935-1992), and Yao Wenyuan (1931-2005). After Mao's death, they were blamed for the harsh execution of the revolution's repressive policies. The four were demonized by the officially sanctioned national media as the perpetrators of the sweeping purges associated with the Cultural Revolution. They were convicted of treasonous actions after a highly publicized trial in 1981.

Welfare economics is the study of the well-being of a society through an analysis of its economic activities. Its purpose is to find the best way to allocate resources to advance the common good of all people within a community. Welfare economics primarily focuses on the analysis of microeconomic data. Microeconomics is a branch of economic study that focuses on the business decisions of individuals and businesses. This is in contrast to the broader concerns of macroeconomics, which is the study of the behaviors of economies as a whole. The results of a welfare economic analysis may be used to make policies that have an impact on a macroeconomic scale.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a center-left political party with historical links to the Australian labor movement. Founded in the 1890s, the ALP is the oldest party in Australian politics, and one of its two traditionally dominant parties.

"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. It has two versions—one each in English and French—in recognition of Canada’s bilingual heritage. Although "O Canada" has been Canada’s de facto national anthem since the first half of the twentieth century, it was not formally declared as the nation’s official song until July 1, 1980.

Australian aboriginal languages are the native languages spoken by the indigenous peoples of Australia. Before the arrival of European settlers in 1788, Australia was home to more than two hundred and fifty unique languages and five to seven hundred dialects in nearly thirty language groups. By the twenty-first century, only one hundred and fifty of these languages remained in existence, with more than one hundred considered critically endangered.

Vacuum technology refers to any type of technology in which various processes are carried out in conditions lower than the atmospheric pressure. A vacuum is defined as any space that is completely empty of physical matter. For instance, outer space (the zone between planets) consists of a partial vacuum. There is virtually no air or physical matter. In a true vacuum, not even sound can travel. For the purposes of manufacturing, however, a vacuum is used to describe differences in atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure measures the weight of air and the resulting pressure exerted by it.

The Iglesia ni Cristo, which means “Church of Christ” in the Philippine language of Tagalog, is an indigenous Filipino Christian church with about three million followers worldwide. It is among the largest independent religious groups in the Philippines, with approximately 2.5 million people claiming membership in the church in the 2010 Filipino census. Despite the comparatively low number of worshippers, especially when compared to more mainstream religious groups such as the Roman Catholic Church, the members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) are highly visible in Filipino society. In the twenty-first century, INC has grown rapidly, and as of 2018, the church claims to have 7,000 individual congregations in more than one hundred countries worldwide.Anniversary stamp marking INC's centennial celebration in 1914 and honoring Felix Manalo, first Executive Minister of the Church.Philippine Postal Corporation [Public domain] The INC Central Temple in Quezon City, Manila, dominates the city's skyline.Andrew Moore from Johannesburg, South Africa [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Freestyle wrestling is a sport in which two competitors attempt to use their bodies to gain advantage over their opponents. The primary goal of each competitor is to pin his or her opponent to the ground; however, wrestlers may also earn points by successfully completing certain moves. If neither wrestler is able to pin his or her opponent, the wrestler with the most points wins the match. Points are scored by a system that rewards risk-taking. Freestyle wrestling uses elements found in several other fighting sports, including judo, sambo, and traditional wrestling. Freestyle wrestling championship. By Staff Sergeant Jeremy T. Lock, USAF, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons American Ed Banach, in red, wrestles Akira Ota of Japan during the 1984 Summer Olympics. By Staff Master Sergeant Don Sutherland, USAF, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Contrapposto (pronounced kohn-truh-pos-toh) is an art term that is used to describe the positioning of a statue so that most of the weight of the figure rests on one leg, while the other leg remains relaxed. This allows the remainder of the body to convey a sense of dynamism to an otherwise static work of art. The word contrapposto means "counterpose" in Italian, which in turn was borrowed from the Latin term contrapositum. It remains a common way of posing sculptures in contemporary art. It may be used for either draped or nude figures and has been a recurring method of articulating statues since ancient times. Famous examples of contrapposto statues include the Kritios Boy from circa 480 BCE, Donatello's Saint Mark (1413), and Michelangelo's David (1504). The original David by Michelangelo. By David Gaya (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons Leda and the Swan, early 16th c. Cesare da Sesto [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The House of Medici is the term to describe the collective members of the Medici family, a notable Italian dynasty who had an outsized political and economic influence on Europe between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. As opposed to most influential Renaissance families, the Medici family did not acquire its power through inheritance or war spoils, but rather through the accumulation of wealth. At their peak, the Medici family was among the wealthiest and most powerful families in all of Europe. Catherine de Medici, Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 as wife of King Henry II. By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada (France-001575 - Catherine de' Medici) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Portrait of Pope Leo X (a de Medici) and his cousins, cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi Raphael [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Bunraku (pronounced bun-rah-koo) is a form of traditional Japanese theater involving puppets. Bunraku is named after a theater established by one of the early masters of this art form, Uemura Bunrakuken. The largest Bunraku puppets are roughly half the size of a human (12–20 inches, or 30–50 centimeters) and are traditionally made from wood. Each puppet is operated by three separate puppeteers dressed in black who synchronize their movements to create lifelike motion. A single narrator (called a tayu) provides all the voices for the characters while singing and narrating the events of the story. Bunraku performances are scored by a musician on a traditional Japanese stringed instrument called a shamisen. Bunraku plays are often based upon epic stories from Japanese mythology, including love stories, historical events, and mythic adventures. Bunraku puppet on display at National Theatre, Osaka. By Ellywa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons 18th c. porcelain figures of Hunraku puppet theatre. By Daderot (Own work) [Public domain or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Jacobins were the members of a French political organization who played influential roles in the early years of the French Revolution (1789–1799). Led by such figures as Maximilien Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat, the Jacobins helped to oust King Louis XVI and end the reign of the French monarchy. After the king's execution in 1793, the Jacobins were among the first revolutionary leaders of the new French republic. They also directed the subsequent Reign of Terror that saw the executions of thousands of French citizens. In part due to their violent governance, the Jacobins fell from power in 1794, with many of their leaders facing the same execution by guillotine they had forced upon their enemies. The Jacobin Club in Paris, 1794. By Print by Claude Nicolas Malapeau (1755-1803) after an etching by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux (1747-1819) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Maximilien de Robespierre, a member of the Mountain faction of the Jacobins. Louis-Léopold Boilly [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Baths of Caracalla are an ancient set of Roman thermal baths built in the third century CE. Thermal baths, or thermae, were a form of large public bath facilities located in many Roman cities. They were known in antiquity as the Thermae Antoninianae (or, in English, the "Antonine Baths"). People used them to bathe, relax, and interact socially with other members of the community. The Baths of Caracalla are found in the city of Rome and have been reduced to ruins since their original construction. The current remains occupy a space consisting of twenty-seven acres and are regarded as an important tourist attraction. The site was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1980. In 2012, the Italian government opened a museum in the tunnels under the baths. Ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Italy By Karelj (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Mosaics recovered at the Baths of Caracalla. By Ursus (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Byzantine (pronounced BIZ-uhn-teen) art describes any art made in the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine Empire between 330 and 1453 CE. Although located in the far eastern regions of the Roman Empire—its former capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) is located in present-day Turkey, for example—the early rulers of the Byzantine Empire were culturally Roman. They were inheritors of the political legacies of the Roman Empire. Despite its links to the Romans, the region had been colonized by the Greeks centuries earlier, and most of its residents spoke Greek rather than the state language of Latin. In addition, the heart of the Byzantine Empire sat on the geographic and political divide between Europe and Asia and included a broad cross-section of other indigenous cultural groups. The Christ Pantocrator of the Deesis mosaic (13th-century) in Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey) Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, via Wikimedia Commons A 10th c. carved ivory casket. Walters Art Museum [Public domain, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Mariana Trench (also known as the Marianas Trench) is an underwater indentation in Earth's crust that marks the deepest point in any of the world's oceans. This crescent-shaped groove is located in the western Pacific Ocean just east of the Mariana Islands, a chain of islands that includes the American dependencies of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Because of this, the Mariana Trench falls under US jurisdiction. Since 2009, it has been protected as part of the US Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

Romanesque art is a term used to describe art created in Europe during a period that stretched between the late tenth and thirteenth centuries. This era is situated between the pre-Romanesque and Gothic eras of European art history. The term Romanesque means in the style of the Romans and was devised in the nineteenth century to describe this broad era of art history. As the name suggests, this form of art was strongly influenced by ancient Roman works of art and architecture. Romanesque art was the first artistic style to see broad use across the whole of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century. Romanesque art was the primary style in use in metalwork, sculpture, architecture, and painting during this time, although the various regions of Europe had differing interpretations of the broader Romanesque aesthetic. Romanesque goldsmiths' work and carving on a tabernacle detail, c. 1180, Cologne, Germany. By Adam Morgan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons A Romanesque monastery in Spain. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Yersinia pestis is the bacterium that is responsible for causing three forms of plague: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. These plagues have historically been among the most devastating diseases to strike humanity. Several pandemics throughout human history have been traced back to the Yersinia pestis bacterium. These include the Justinian plague that began in 541 CE and killed 25 million people over a 200-year period of reoccurrence; the Black Death, which is estimated to have killed up to 60 percent of Europe's population in the fourteenth century; and the modern plague, which killed 10 million people in China in the mid-nineteenth century. Oriental rat flea. By The original uploader was Necrophorus at German Wikipedia (http://phil.cdc.gov/Phil/detail.asp?id=2069) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Yersinia pestis. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Peaky Blinders was the name of an infamous British youth gang active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Centered in Birmingham, England, the Peaky Blinders developed as a consequence of the dense slums and high poverty rates that existed in the city in the 1870s. Gang violence escalated in the wake of a severe recession in the early 1870s. The Peaky Blinders differentiated themselves from other gangs by their distinctive style of dress, which included ties, jackets, and peaked hats.

Least restrictive environment (LRE) describes the principle in which children with disabilities, or special needs, are granted the chance to study alongside their nondisabled classmates as much as possible. LRE is a federal requirement established through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a piece of US legislation drafted to help further the educational opportunities of children with disabilities. LRE is intended to take into consideration both the capabilities of individual disabled children and the needs of their nondisabled peers, so that both groups are given the same opportunities to be taught together without disruption to either's educational experience. This principle of education is often associated with such terms as mainstreaming, inclusion, and integration, all of which fall under the guidelines of LRE.

A mastaba (pronounced mass-tah-bah) is a type of flat-topped, rectangular tomb from ancient Egypt that predates the pyramids. The word mastaba means "bench" in contemporary Arabic, a term that was coined by local workers because of the tombs' distinctive shapes. Typically, mastabas had inward-sloping walls and a level roof. Mastabas were used to bury the pharaohs of the Predynastic (before 3100 B.C.E.), Early Dynastic (c. 3100–c. 2686), and the Old Kingdom (c. 2650–c. 2181) periods of ancient Egypt. During the First Intermediate period (c. 2181–c. 2040), royal tombs were increasingly shaped as pyramids. However, mastabas continued to be built for royal retainers, civil servants, and other figures able to afford their construction.

A kore (pronounced ko-reh; plural korai) is a type of ancient Greek statuary depicting a standing young woman. This style of freestanding statue was primarily made during the Archaic period of Greek history. The word kore means "maiden" or "young woman" in Greek. The statues were typically used as a form of religious offering called a votive, although they also functioned as grave markers. Perhaps the most famous korai have been found at the Athenian Acropolis.

Indian Ocean trade describes the system of international exchange facilitated through the use of the Indian Ocean. The region has historically been one of the most robust areas of trade between its various nations, helping to shape its cultural development over the course of several centuries. In addition to providing a passageway for a wealth of goods throughout the region, the predictable weather patterns of the Indian Ocean enabled peoples from Africa, Asia, and Arabia to easily travel to each other’s lands by sea. Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, where vast stretches without land stood as early barriers to human movement, the Indian Ocean’s near continuous temperate coastlines were more inviting for traders. Combined with the trade routes of the Silk Road across inland Asia, the Indian Ocean trade route helped shape history throughout the region.Vasco da Gama meeting with Zamorin, the King of Calicut.See page for author [Public domain] Roman trade with Dindia, 1st century CE.George Tsiagalakis [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

A bride-price (or alternatively, bridewealth) is any money, property, or other assets provided to the family of a bride in exchange for granting the groom the right to marry her. The offering of such assets is a traditional marital practice in many cultures, particularly in Africa and Asia. It is viewed as strengthening the bonds of marriage and legitimizing in the eyes of the community both the union and any resulting children. In many cultures, the act is largely symbolic and is intended to show respect for both the families' ethnic traditions and the woman's honor and value. A bride-price is different from a dowry; a dowry is composed of financial assets that are provided to the groom by the bride's family at the time of marriage to help ensure her financial future with her spouse.

Rātana is a political and religious movement established in the early twentieth century as a response to colonial domination of the native Māori peoples of New Zealand. Initially begun in 1918 as a Christian mission by faith healer Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, for whom the movement is named, it increasingly took on sociopolitical overtones in the 1920s.

A virtual community (VC), or "online community," is a collection of people who gather together online to engage in shared interests. Different platforms in cyberspace allow people to form such communities. Online gaming sites, chat rooms, and social media platforms are all examples of VCs that allow people to actively engage with one another. VCs are a digital outgrowth of humanity's interest in forming relationships, even in virtual settings. Such communities enable people to express themselves without the constraints of national boundaries or distance.

Ukiyo-e (pronounced you-KEE-oh-eh) is a style of Japanese art using woodcuts that was popular during the Edo (or Tokugawa) period (1603–1868). Meaning "pictures of the floating world" in Japanese, this genre of art depicted everyday scenes of life in the city of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and other urban centers. Ukiyo-e relied on thick black lines outlining the images that were often contrasted with a pastiche of subtle colors in later works.

The Indigenous peoples of British Columbia are the indigenous peoples of Canada's westernmost province of British Columbia. The term indigenous or aboriginal is used to describe the first known inhabitants of a region. In Canada, it includes all native people who claim Inuit, Métis, or First Nations ancestry. The Inuit are a specific group of native people living in Canada's Far North who are differentiated from other aboriginal peoples under Canadian law. Métis (from a French word meaning "mixed") is a term used to indicate any Canadian person of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous heritage. First Nations describes all indigenous Canadians who are neither Métis nor Inuit. 19th c. Tsimshian Bag with 65 Inlaid Gambling Sticks. By Museum Expedition 1905, Museum Collection Fund (Brooklyn Museum) [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons Salmon weir at Quamichan Village on the Cowichan River, Vancouver Island, ca 1866. By Dally, Frederick [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Nintinugga was a goddess of healing associated with the ancient religions of the Mesopotamian region. Her attested origin dates back to the earliest days of written language. She was known by a broad variety of names, including Gula, Azugallatu, Bēlet Balāti, Bau, Ninisinna, and Ninkarrak. In all of these incarnations, she was portrayed as the patron goddess of medicine and doctors. In testament to this, one of her primary symbols was a staff with serpents twisted around its head, an image that was later adopted by the Egyptians and then by the Greeks. The Greeks called this staff the caduceus, which they described as being carried by Hermes. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, many North American groups adopted this symbol as a representation of medicine.NintinuggaOsama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] NintinuggaLouvre Museum [CC BY 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)]

Balance of power is a political theory used in the field of international relations that suggests that when the world's strongest opposing powers are at equal strength, they keep each other in check. By contrast, during periods when there is only a single dominant power, the potential for international conflict is heightened. The principal goal behind a balance of power is to ensure that no single state is able to impose its will unopposed.

Animal worship, or zoolatry,is a practice in which animals are given special significance as part of religious belief. Such beliefs are among the earliest known examples of religious observation in human history and may be a reflection of the close relationship between humankind and the natural world. Zoolatry can involve any number of practices, including animal sacrifice, the reverence of animals as holy, or the physical worship of specific animals.

The 2017 Puebla earthquake, or Puebla-Morelos quake, occurred during a period of increased seismic activity in Mexico. Only twelve days before, on September 7, 2017, a devastating 8.2 earthquake located about 400 miles (650 kilometers) south of the Puebla epicenter had damaged the region of Chiapas, Mexico, killing 98. The 2017 Puebla quake struck on the thirty-second anniversary of a 1985 Mexico City earthquake that resulted in more than 10,000 deaths and $4.2 billion in damage. In fact, national commemorations of the 1985 disaster had taken place in Mexico City only hours before the 2017 earthquake.Buliding collapsed in 2017 Puebla earthquake.AntoFran [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] Recovery after the 2017 Puebla earthquake.xolotl [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

An espoused value is a term used to describe the internal standards established by an organization as a guideline for behavior. The concept is applied most frequently in a corporate setting, where such values are intended to be used as a framework to inform many aspects of corporate culture, including a company's business model, goals, business strategy and policy, and moral philosophy.

Euglena (pronounced you-GLEEN-nuh) is the name of a genus of single-cell organisms with both plant and animal characteristics. Euglena have the unique ability to adapt to their environment by using methods to eat traditionally associated with either plants or animals depending on what resources are available. Euglena belongs to an informal category of organisms called protists whose defining characteristics are that they are primarily microscopic in size, are composed of a single cell, and have a set of specialized cellular mechanisms called organelles that mimic the functions of organs in multicellular organisms such as human beings. Euglena primarily live in freshwater environments such as ponds and puddles, although they are occasionally seen in damp soils and brackish or saltwater habitats. Due to ongoing studies into their evolutionary status, there is no consensus on how many species may be properly identified as belonging to Euglena, although various estimates place from 138 to more than 1,000 species within the genus.

The echidna (ih-KID-nuh) is a type of primitive mammal found in Australia and New Guinea. Echidnas belong to the taxonomic family called Tachyglossidae. These animals are also monotremes. Monotremes, which are limited to platypuses and echidnas, are a group of mammals that lay eggs rather than give birth to live young as most other mammals do. Echidnas are considered the most primitive living mammals and may be the oldest surviving mammal species. They are also sometimes called spiny anteaters, though they are not part of the anteater family.

Ecological resilience is a term used to describe the ability of an ecosystem to respond to changes created by natural or human-made disturbances without losing its original function and structure. Ecosystems may demonstrate resilience either through resistance to stressors or by adapting to these stressors. Ecological resilience is used as a measurement of the relative stability of an ecosystem.

Child labor in India is a human rights issue related to the employment of children under the age of fifteen in the workforce in India. Child labor is considered detrimental to the physical, social, and mental health of children, and it is condemned as a practice by the world's governing bodies. As approximately nineteen percent of all children under the age of eighteen live in India—the largest such population in the world—child labor has proven to be a particularly troublesome national problem in that country.

Campylobacter jejuni, or C. jejuni, is a type of bacterium that is responsible for many cases of food poisoning. It is believed to be the most common bacterial cause of foodborne infection in the United States. Infection with C. jejuni can result in a number of complications. Victims often have diarrhea, fever, nausea, and an inflammation of the intestinal tract called gastroenteritis. However, in more severe cases, exposure to C. jejuni can result in arthritis or Guillain-Barré syndrome, which results in the rapid development of muscle weakness. C. jejuni can even cause a pregnant woman to miscarry. Perhaps equally worrisome, C. jejuni has demonstrated an increasing resistance to most forms of antimicrobial therapy.

Kabuki (pronounced kuh-boo-kee) is a form of traditional Japanese theater that involves dance, drama, elaborate costumes, and intricate stage makeup. The name is derived from the Japanese word kabuku, meaning to slant, sway, or incline in a certain way. It referenced a class of people who defied the mores of traditional Japan. In particular, it described the extravagant dress styles of a group of largely itinerant seventeenth-century samurais known as the Kabuki-mono (or strange ones) who used a highly exaggerated way of talking and were known to gather in violent street gangs. The three individual characters of the Japanese kanji (the Japanese form of writing) for Kabuki respectively mean singing, dancing, and skill. Kabuki theater Ichimura-za, mid-18th c. Okumura Masanobu [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Kabuki Acrobats, London, 2010. By Flickr user: GanMed64 http://www.flickr.com/people/ganmed64/ [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Mannerism is a sixteenth-century artistic movement that developed in the wake of the Renaissance era. Works of mannerist art are generally defined as any piece of European artwork created between 1520 and 1600. A related style known as northern mannerism lasted until the early seventeen century in some regions of Europe. The term mannerist is generally used to refer to visual arts—such as paintings, sculpture, and architecture—from this era. However, the same underlying aesthetics that gave rise to mannerist art also influenced other artistic avenues, such as literature and music, and are included as part of the movement under some broader definitions of the term. Detail of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. Michelangelo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Madonna with Long Neck Parmigianino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Pietà (pronounced pee-EH-tah) is an artistic depiction of the deceased body of Jesus Christ being cradled in the arms of his mother, the Virgin Mary, after his crucifixion. Pietà means "the pity" or "the mercy" in Italian, and it is one of the most evocative forms of Christian imagery. Most typically, this subject is depicted through sculpture, although it has also been represented through other forms of art, including paintings, carvings, and church ornamentations. The best-known example of the Pietà in art is Michelangelo's Pietà, a large marble statue located at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The "Pietà" by Michelangelo, Saint-Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. Michelangelo [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons Pietro Perugino's Pieta. Pietro Perugino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The New Covenant is an interpretation of biblical language that refers to a spiritual contract between God and his people after the Old Covenant was broken. The New Covenant may be seen as either a renewal or replacement of the previous covenant. This original Old Covenant had been broken by humankind's failure to faithfully obey the rules set out by God. However, the New Covenant restored God's commitment to humanity despite its inherently sinful nature. It is a central theological point in establishing the relationship between God and humanity. The ultimate meaning of this New Covenant, however, differs between the Jewish and Christian faiths.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (or PCT) is a nationally designated hiking trail on the West Coast of the United States. Covering a distance of 2,650 miles, it stretches continuously from the border of Mexico and crosses California, Oregon, and Washington before reaching its terminus at the border with Canada. The PCT is mostly set on federal lands, but 10 percent of its total land area is in private hands. It passes through seven national parks and twenty-five national forests, and it covers a diverse terrain, ranging from high mountain ridges to lakes, deserts, and meadows. The name Pacific Crest is derived from the fact that large stretches of the trail pass along the high crests of the Cascade and Sierra mountain ranges on the Pacific coast. The PCT contains dramatic vistas of mountains and other scenic views. Together with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, the PCT is part of the so-called triple crown of American long-distance hiking.

The Shanidar Cave is an archaeological site in Iraq where the remains of several Neanderthals were first discovered in 1957. Consisting of ten individuals—seven adults and three infants—these remains have helped to better shape scientists' understanding of the biology and society of Neanderthals. While evidence of Neanderthals has been located in various locations around Eurasia, the Shanidar Cave remains are unique because of the evidence they offer about the possible burial practices of Neanderthals and other aspects of their social customs.

Cichlids are a large group of freshwater fish that form an important family of fishes. Pronounced "sick-lid," this group includes more than 1,500 individual known species of fish across 140 genera. Cichlids are known for their ability to adapt to a broad range of habitats. Additionally, certain species are so similar to each other that differences can only be identified via genetic analysis. For these reasons, new forms of cichlids are regularly discovered and the total number of species in the family remains undetermined. Known members include such seemingly dissimilar specimens as angelfish, tilapia, and peacock bass.

A bell tower is any tall structure that contains a set of bells. A campanile (pronounced cam-puh-NEE-lee) is a bell tower that is freestanding. The word campanile is derived from the Italian word for bell. The bell tower design was originally intended to accentuate the sound of the bells, with their great height enabling the bells to be heard across the entire community. Bell towers may be used to indicate the time, serve as a commemorative monument, or operate as a musical instrument.