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[MorphRC]

Rama IX
Rama IX (1927- ), king of Thailand. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and educated in Bangkok and Lausanne in Switzerland, he was originally named Bhumibol Adulyadej or Phumiphon Aduldet. In June 1946, the king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej's older brother, was found shot and killed. Bhumibol Adulyadej succeeded to the throne, but regents ruled Thailand until the king was formally crowned as Rama IX on May 5, 1950. Because Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, the king has no real power and performs mostly ceremonial duties; he does, however, exercise considerable influence on the government. Rama's personal intervention played an important part in restoring stability and full civilian government after the military coup of 1991 and the pro-democracy demonstrations of 1992. In June 1996 he celebrated his golden jubilee as the world's longest-reigning living monarch. Rama is an accomplished jazz musician and composer of popular music. His son and heir, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, was born in 1952.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Prajadhipok
Prajadhipok or Rama VII (1893-1941), King of Thailand from 1925 to 1935 and the last absolute ruler of the country. Prajadhipok was born in 1893 and became king, with absolute powers, in 1925. He believed that further modernization of the country would depend on political reform and planned to proclaim a new constitution in April 1932, but was dissuaded from doing so. By then his rule was becoming unpopular, chiefly as a result of the effects of the Great Depression and a retrenchment in public spending. When Thailand decided against leaving the gold standard in 1931, its exports became less competitive with damaging effects on the economy at large. The civil service and army had been alienated by cuts in their budgets. Prajadhipok accepted the revolution which occurred in June 1932 while he was away from Bangkok. He then became unhappy at the manner in which authority was exercised in his name as constitutional monarch and left in 1934 to seek medical treatment abroad. In 1935 he announced his abdication by letter from Great Britain, where he died in 1941. He was posthumously named Rama VII.


Contributed By:
Graham Field

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Ramses I
Ramses I (?-1294 bc), first pharaoh (c. 1295-1294) of the 19th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. Ramses was born in the north-eastern delta of the Nile, the son of a military commander. He rose through the ranks in the military, eventually becoming commander of the troops and then vizier to Horemheb, the ruling pharaoh. When Horemheb died without an heir, Ramses succeeded. His rule lasted less than two years, during which time his son Seti, possibly as co-regent, conducted campaigns to regain Egyptian territories in Syria, while Ramses oversaw the enlargement of the temple of Amon at Karnak. On his death, his son succeeded as Seti I. Ramses was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings, but his body was later transferred to the temple site at Dayr el-Bahri.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Ramses II
Ramses II (reigned 1279-1213 bc), Egyptian pharaoh, third ruler of the 19th Dynasty, the son of Seti I. Building on the earlier successes of his father, Ramses set out to restore Egyptian suzerainty in Asia Minor to the extent it had reached under the pharaohs of the 16th and 15th centuries bc. His 66-year reign was one of the longest in Egyptian history, and innumerable monuments, inscriptions, and papyri testify to the extraordinary dynamism of his personality, and provide more documentary evidence for this period than for any other in ancient Egyptian history.

As a boy Ramses was designated co-regent with his father, and gained early experience of warfare on campaigns with him in Libya and Nubia. After Seti’s death Ramses established his capital at Pi-Ramesse in the eastern Nile delta, on the site of the former Hyksos stronghold of Avaris. From here he launched expeditions to subdue rebellious Egyptian dependencies in Syria, including a foray into northern Palestine during the fourth year of his reign.

Ramses’ expansionist policy came to a head in the fifth year of his reign with his incursion into the powerful empire of the Hittites. In 1294 bc Ramses and his army crossed into northern Syria as far as the Hittite stronghold of Kadesh. Believing the city to be lightly guarded, the pharaoh advanced with a division of his troops, only to find himself quickly surrounded by a Hittite army and cut off from the bulk of his forces. In the ensuing battle Ramses claimed to have fought Hittite warriors single-handedly, until reinforcements finally arrived and the enemy was defeated. Although the victory was styled by Ramses as a glorious triumph, the Egyptians had failed to take the city and afterwards were compelled to fall back.

Ramses continued to harry towns on the Hittite frontier until the ninth or tenth year of his reign, when he took Katna and Tunip. Having failed to make significant strategic gains, however, he began to adopt a more conciliatory policy, which culminated in 1258 bc when a treaty was signed dividing the contested lands between the two kingdoms and providing for Ramses to marry the daughter of the Hittite king.

The remaining years of his rule appear to have been free from wars, and during this time Ramses undertook a building programme on a vast scale throughout Egypt. He completed the great hypostyle hall in the Temple of Amon at Karnak and the temples at Abydos and Luxor. The state cult was reinforced in Nubia with at least six new temples, including two at Abu Simbel featuring colossal statues of Ramses. He also founded a new city named Pi-Atum. His mortuary, the Ramesseum, was completed at Thebes.

Ramses fathered over 100 children with his numerous wives and concubines, the names of many of which were inscribed on official monuments. In his old age he outlived his 12 eldest sons, and was succeeded on his death by his 13th, Merenptah.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Ramses III
Ramses III (reigned 1184-1153 bc), second Egyptian pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty, a great military leader who repeatedly saved the country from invasion. In the fifth year of his reign, Ramses defeated an attack by the Libyans, and two years later he routed invaders known as the Sea Peoples. In his 11th year he again repelled a Libyan invasion. Ramses also built temples and palaces in the tradition of his 19th-Dynasty predecessor, Ramses II. The victories of Ramses III are depicted on the walls of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu, near Luxor. Egyptian records also tell of a strike by workers at Ramses's burial site and of an assassination attempt against the king near the end of his reign. Ramses III was the last Egyptian ruler to hold land in Palestine; his death was followed by centuries of weakness and foreign domination.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Raphael

Archangel (heavenly being)
Archangel (heavenly being), an angel, or heavenly being, of higher rank than angels. In Jewish and Christian literature, the four best known are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. In Islam, it is believed that four archangels guard the throne of Allah. According to Christian tradition, archangels belong to the eighth of nine choirs of angels. Arranged according to their importance, in descending order, these choirs are seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Ras al Khaimah
Ras al Khaimah, the most northern of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It consists of two parts separated by territory belonging to the Al Fujayrah emirate. It has been exporting oil from an offshore field since 1983, but it is not a major producer. Instead, the region is an important source of food for the other emirates. Crops include dates and other fruit, tobacco, and vegetables. Area 1,700 sq km (1996 estimate) (656 sq mi (1996 estimate)). Population 153,000 (1997 estimate).


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Gees Gwardafuy
Gees Gwardafuy or Ras Asir, also Cape Guardafui, cape, north-eastern Somalia, extending into the Indian Ocean, in a region known as the Horn of Africa. Gees Gwardafuy marks the eastern entrance to the Gulf of Aden.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Realism (philosophy)
Realism (philosophy), in philosophy, a term used for two distinct doctrines of epistemology.

In modern philosophy, the term realism is applied to the doctrine which states that ordinary objects of sense perception, such as tables and chairs, have an existence independent of their being perceived. In this sense, it is contrary to the idealism of philosophers such as George Berkeley or Immanuel Kant. In its extreme form, sometimes called naive realism, the things perceived by the senses are believed to be exactly what they appear to be. In more sophisticated versions, sometimes referred to as critical realism, some explanation is given of the relationship between the object and the observer that accounts for the possibility of illusion, hallucination, and other perceptual errors.

In medieval philosophy, the term realism referred to a position that regarded Platonic forms, or universals, as real. That position is now usually called Platonic realism. In the philosophy of Plato, a common noun, such as bed, refers to the ideal nature of the object, which is conveyed by its definition, and this ideal nature has metaphysical existence independent of the particular objects of that type. Thus, circularity exists independent of particular circles; justice, independent of particular just individuals or just states; and “bedness”, independent of particular beds. In the Middle Ages, this position was defended against nominalism, which denied the existence of such universals. Nominalists asserted that the many objects called by one name shared nothing but the name. Compromises between these two positions included moderate realism, which claimed that the universal existed in the many objects of the same type but not independent of them, and conceptualism, which held that the universal might exist independent of the many objects of that particular type, but only as an idea in the mind, not as a self-subsisting metaphysical entity.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Realization
Realization, in music, the process, mainly relating to Baroque music, of converting a basso continuo part (a bass line) into chords that provide harmonic support for the melody, either directly in performance by keyboard or lute players, or into another form of musical notation (usually staff notation) for the purpose of creating a modern edition. In the past, most realization took place in performance, but most modern printed editions of Baroque music include a realization.

If the continuo part is “figured”, numbers attached to the bass notes indicate which chord the composer intended. This is worked out by counting the interval up from the bass—for instance, a “six-three” chord is one in which the notes a sixth and a third above the written note are added to it. The important point however is that the figuring indicates the harmony, not the specific voicing of the chord. If the bass line is unfigured, harmonic rules of the period usually make the choice of chord plain, although an element of choice remains, often concerning whether the chord should be major or minor.

The real choices for the performer concern the timing of each chord, whether to spread it and if so how fast, and how many notes to include. Attitudes towards this have changed during the course of the early music revival. Many early performances (for example those of Raymond Leppard) tended to create thicker and heavier realizations which were placed in a more four-square relationship to the material being accompanied. Harpsichordists also tended to improvise florid countermelodies in the right hand which sometimes detracted from the soloist(s). More recent realizations tend to be simpler and more in sympathy with the requests of 17th- and 18th-century theorists such as C. P. E. Bach to place the accompaniment at the service of the soloist—for example, performances of Monteverdi by Musica Antiqua of Cologne, and many of the printed realizations by the scholar Peter Holman.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Rebekah
Rebekah, in the Old Testament book of Genesis, daughter of Bethuel, granddaughter of Nahor (the brother of Abraham), and sister of Laban. Rebekah’s gracious behaviour impressed Abraham's servant, who had come to Aram Naharaim (Mesopotamia) to find a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 24). Rebekah accompanied the servant to Canaan, married Isaac, and after many years of barrenness, gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. Jacob was Rebekah’s favourite child, and she helped him to deceive his father, Isaac, and thus obtain the blessings that were properly due to the first born, Esau. She then counselled Jacob to flee to her brother, Laban, in Haran, in order to escape the vengeance of Esau and to find a wife. Rebekah died in Canaan and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah, which is located in what is now Hebron, West Bank.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

Rebellion
Rebellion, armed opposition to an established government or other authority by some of those subject to its jurisdiction. Revolution has been defined as a rebellion that is successful in overthrowing a government. The terms rebellion and insurrection are frequently used synonymously, although insurrection is more likely to imply opposition with a less organized plan or purpose.

Every person who engages in rebellion against a government is liable to the criminal penalties of treason established by that government. If a rebellion becomes widespread, involving a considerable proportion of the country, and the rebels establish a government that receives the recognition of foreign nations, then captured rebels are treated as belligerents.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[MorphRC]

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
I  INTRODUCTION

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRCS), an international humanitarian agency dedicated, in time of war, to alleviating the sufferings of wounded soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war. In time of peace it renders medical aid and other help to people afflicted by major disasters such as floods, earthquakes, epidemics, and famines, and performs other public service functions.

II  ORGANIZATION

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a group of up to 25 Swiss citizens, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with 176 national Red Cross societies; and the Geneva-based International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (known until 1991 as the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies—LORCS) which coordinates peacetime activities of the national societies. IFRCS has more than 250 million members worldwide. The International Conference of the Red Cross, usually held every four years in different countries, brings together representatives of the Red Cross organizations and those governments that have ratified the Geneva Conventions. In 1986 the Movement's name was changed to include the Red Crescent, the organization's name in most Muslim nations.

III  HISTORY

The initiative for founding the Red Cross came from the 19th-century Swiss philanthropist Jean Henri Dunant. Appalled by the almost complete lack of care for wounded soldiers on the battlefield, he appealed to the leaders of nations to found societies devoted to the aid of the wounded in wartime. Five Swiss citizens formed a committee, which later became the ICRC, and issued a call for an international conference, which was held in Geneva in October 1863 and was attended by delegates from 16 nations. Another conference was held in Geneva the following year, and official delegates of 12 nations signed the first Geneva Convention, laying down rules for the treatment of the wounded and for the protection of medical personnel and hospitals. It was also at this meeting that the famous symbol of the movement, the white flag bearing a red cross, was adopted. (This symbol was later modified in non-Christian countries, with the Islamic nations substituting a crescent for a cross, and Israel substituting the Star of David.) The principles enunciated in the first Geneva Convention were subsequently revised and amended at conferences held in 1906, 1929, and 1949. The League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS) was established in May 1919 with the aim of providing humanitarian aid in peacetime. In 1977 additional protocols were added to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to protect all non-combatants in all types of conflicts, international as well as domestic. Over the decades the ICRC and the Federation have sent representatives and aid to many countries around the world to help detainees, prisoners of war, and refugees of war, political upheaval, or civil strife. The federation also assists victims of natural and man-made disasters.

Dunant was a co-recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. The ICRC has been awarded three Nobel Peace Prizes, in 1917, 1944, and 1963; it shared the 1963 prize with the League of Red Cross Societies.


Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[phatcatholic]

morph,

don't mean to interrupt, but where does the catholic info start in this thread? it would take me days to go through the entire thing.

thanks,
nick

[MorphRC]

Its in Alphabetical order.

[MorphRC]

Bump

[MorphRC]

Bump

[Scofizzle]

dude i am way confused and this is too long to read

[MorphRC]

Its all information and references. I little bit of searching is required

[Scofizzle]

kewl....