Ba'athism is an Arab political doctrine which combines elements of socialist thinking with pan-Arabism. This theory of Arab nationalism conceives of the 'Arab nation' as a single entity stretching from Morocco to Iraq which has been artificially divided by colonialism and imperialism.
Ba'athism originated in Syria, where the first Ba'ath Party was founded in 1953. Ba'athists have held power in Syria since 1963 and held power in Iraq from 1968 until they were overthrown in 2003 by a US led coalition of America, Britain and Australia which invaded Iraq in March 2003 under the pretence of disarming the regime of weapons of mass destruction. The Syrian and Iraqi branches of the movement were deeply divided. There have been further divisions between its civilian and military elements. While the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein employed the slogans of pan-Arabism to justify his invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the Ba'ath Party in Iraq was reduced to an instrument of state power. Research Ba'athism
A confidence trickster, also known as a confidence man or con man is a species of thief or swindler who operates by first gaining the confidence of the victim, and then robbing or swindling them. Modern confidence tricksters frequently pose as officials when calling at the houses of strangers, but traditionally they befriend a naïve tourist for several days, gaining the trust of the victim, before perhaps borrowing money and then disappearing, or robbing the victim. Confidence tricksters are common and ancient. During the Victorian period, visitors to London were warned of the plethora of confidence tricksters who befriended visitors only to rob or swindle them, and this practice continues in many parts of the world today, notably in Tangier Morocco, where hundreds of European lorry drivers stop over while passing through only to be fleeced by local thieves. Research Confidence Trickster
The ISO (International Standards Organisation) assigns a two character code to each country name. These codes are used by Internet 'whois' databases (these two character abbreviations are the whois country codes) and also other applications.
The Entente Cordiale was the semi-formal alliance between England and France before the Great War. The alliance was first sought by France in 1903 seeking that in the event of a conflict with Germany, England would be at least neutral. In 1904 an agreement was signed whereby France had a free hand in Morocco and England a free hand in Egypt. Research Entente Cordiale
A paedophile (spelt in America pedophile and frequently incorrectly pedofile) is someone who exhibits a desire for sexual relations with children (paedophilia or pedophilia). The practice is strongly taboo in Great Britain, but none-the-less quite widespread with sex tourists travelling to Morocco and Thailand where the practice is tolerated, with children working as prostitutes some pimped by their parents. Research Paedophile
A philtre is a love-compelling magic potion or charm. They were common in Greece and Rome and in medieval Europe and more recently in the East. They are still widely used in Africa and among races of strong African descent, for example Jamaicans, where a common form of philtre is for a woman to add her own menstrual fluid to a preparation of food or drink for her intended mate along with a spell. Fear of philtres is very great in Jamaica, Morocco and other parts of Africa. Research Philtre
Cetiosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. The first remains of Cetiosaurus were discovered in 1870 near Oxford, England. An early and relatively primitive dinosaur, Cetiosaurus was a herbivore, had a large, heavy body and walked on four legs. It had a long neck and tail and was about 18 metres long. A thighbone of Cetiosaurus found in Morocco in 1979 was two metres long. Research Cetiosaurus
The goat is a horned ruminantquadruped of the genus Capra. The horns are hollow, erect, turned backward, annular on the surface, and scabrous. The male is generally bearded under the chin. Goats are nearly of the size of sheep, but stronger, less timid, and more agile. They frequent rocks and mountains, and subsist on scanty coarse food. Their milk is sweet, nourishing, and medicinal, and their flesh furnishes food. Goats are of almost interminable variety, and it is not certainly known from which the domesitic goat is descended, though opinion favours the Capra cegagrus, or wild goat of Western Asia. Goats are generally subdivided into ibexes and goats proper. They are found in all parts of the world, and many varieties are valued for their hair or wool. The skin is prepared for a variety of purposes, and yields the leather known under the name of morocco. The Cashmere goat, as its name indicates, is a native of Cashmere; it is smaller than the common domestic goat, and has long, silky, fine hair. The Angora goat is also furnished with soft silky hair of a silver-white colour, hanging down in curling locks about 20 centimeters long. Its horns are in a spiral form, and extend laterally. The Rocky Mountain goat is the Haplocerus montanus, or big-horn. In Massachusetts, USA, it is illegal for a goat to wear trousers. Research Goat
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Ba'athism
