The A to Z of British Radio

The A to Z of British Radio
Author: Seán Street
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2009-08-04
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0810870134

Founded in 1922, the British Broadcasting Corporation is probably the most well-known national radio corporation in the world, but the BBC is just part of the British radio picture. There are 'pirate' radio stations, community radio, commercial radio, and more recently, experimentation and development in the digital arena. All aspects of the 85 years of UK radio, from issues of regulation to the role played by commercial operators prior to World War II, are covered in this new book by SeOn Street. The A to Z of British Radio relates the history of this medium through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on the BBC and other companies, many of the specific stations, the more memorable programs and those who wrote for or appeared on them, and the administrative and technical aspects. This quick reference tool's structure and ease of navigation will have scholars, students, radio industry professionals, journalists, and critics turning to it again and again.

The A to Z of Belarus

The A to Z of Belarus
Author: Vitali Silitski
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 471
Release: 2010-04-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461731747

The political map of Eastern Europe changed dramatically in December 1991 when the leaders of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine huddled together in a Bielavieza Forest retreat and decided to dissolve the 15 union republics, which composed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). One of those republics was the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). A United Nations member since 1945, Belarus has a rich cultural heritage that is seen as a promising base for the development of a solid national identity and for real independence. It is this cultural heritage and sense of history that nourish the ongoing efforts of the nationalist minority, as well as the larger democratic opposition, to resist the regime of President Alaksandr Luka?enka who is bent on restoring ties to Russia. Thus Belarus, with its burdens of the past and potential for the future, finds itself in a struggle that will affect not only its own destiny, but also the international structure of Eastern Europe. The A to Z of Belarus—through its chronology, introductory essays, appendixes, map, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects—traces Belarus' history and provides a compass for the direction the country is heading.

The A to Z of Denmark

The A to Z of Denmark
Author: Alastair H. Thomas
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 564
Release: 2010-05-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0810872056

Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe. At different points in its history, Denmark's boundaries have encompassed England, Sweden, West Africa, India, and the West Indies. Despite its changing and relatively small boundaries, Denmark has played a much larger part in the politics of Europe than might be expected. Additionally, through its territories (Faroe Islands and Greenland), Denmark has managed to retain an important presence in the North Atlantic. Today, democratic Denmark, with its thriving capital Copenhagen, is peaceful, prosperous, and progressive. Within NATO, Denmark has contributed to peace-keeping in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia. The "Danish Model" of welfare gives Danes a real sense of social security and presents many naysayers with a provocative example of a successfully managed welfare state. Danes have a reputation for inventiveness and good design, whether in architecture, furniture, or industrial design. The A to Z of Denmark relates the history of this successful country through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on kings, politicians, officials, explorers, authors, architects, composers, painters, astronomers, educationists, reformers, political parties, social movements, and other aspects of Danish society.

The A to Z of Vietnam

The A to Z of Vietnam
Author: Bruce M. Lockhart
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2010-04-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461731925

Vietnam became part of French Indochina in 1887 and did not regain its independence again until after the Vietnam War. However, despite a relatively peaceful two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. In an effort to change this stagnation, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The A to Z of Vietnam focuses on the recent changes and leadership of Vietnam while giving due attention to the earlier kingdoms, the period of French Indochina, the wars for liberation, the Vietnam War, and much more. Hundreds of cross-referenced A to Z dictionary entries are included on political, economic, social and cultural aspects as well as the major cities and geographic features. This book also contains a chronology and introduction that traces Vietnam's history, as well as a bibliography.

The A to Z of Aesthetics

The A to Z of Aesthetics
Author: Dabney Townsend
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461671698

Aesthetics is not a "factual" discipline; there are no aesthetic facts. The word itself is derived from the Greek word for "feeling" and the discipline arises because of the need to find a place for the passions within epistemology—the branch of philosophy that investigates our beliefs. Aesthetics is more than just the study of beauty; it is a study of that which appeals to our senses, most often in connection with the classification, analysis, appreciation, and understanding of art. The A to Z of Aesthetics covers its history from Classical Greece to the present, including entries on non-western aesthetics. The book contains a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the main concepts, terminology, important persons (philosophers, critics, and artists), and the rules and criteria we apply in making judgments on art. By providing concise information on aesthetics, this dictionary is not only accessible to students, but it provides details and facts to specialists in the field.

The A to Z of Ethics

The A to Z of Ethics
Author: Harry J. Gensler
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2010-02-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0810875888

The A to Z of Ethics covers a very broad range of ethical topics, including ethical theories, historical periods, historical figures, applied ethics, ethical issues, ethical concepts, non-Western approaches, and related disciplines. Harry J. Gensler and Earl W. Spurgin tackle such issues as abortion, capital punishment, stem cell research, and terrorism while also explaining key theories like utilitarianism, natural law, social contract, and virtue ethics. This reference provides a complete overview of ethics through a detailed chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries, including bioethics, business ethics, Aristotle, Hobbes, autonomy, confidentiality, Confucius, and psychology.

The A to Z of Moldova

The A to Z of Moldova
Author: Andrei Brezianu
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 500
Release: 2010-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461672031

The Republic of Moldova claims a European lineage reaching back in time long before its 14th century accession to statehood. In the 15th century, it managed against all odds to avoid being conquered by Islam and-albeit an intermittent vassal after 1485-it maintained its autonomy and was never turned into a province of the Ottoman Empire. After this period, however, Moldova would not be so fortunate, as it altered between Russian, Romanian, and Soviet control until it finally gained its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. The A to Z of Moldova, through its chronology, introduction, appendixes, maps, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects, traces the history of this small, but densely populated country, providing a compass for the direction it is heading.

The A to Z of Logic

The A to Z of Logic
Author: Harry J. Gensler
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2010-02-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461731828

The A to Z of Logic introduces the central concepts of the field in a series of brief, non-technical, cross-referenced dictionary entries. The 352 alphabetically arranged entries give a clear, basic introduction to a very broad range of logical topics. Entries can be found on deductive systems, such as propositional logic, modal logic, deontic logic, temporal logic, set theory, many-valued logic, mereology, and paraconsistent logic. Similarly, there are entries on topics relating to those previously mentioned such as negation, conditionals, truth tables, and proofs. Historical periods and figures are also covered, including ancient logic, medieval logic, Buddhist logic, Aristotle, Ockham, Boole, Frege, Russell, Gödel, and Quine. There are even entries relating logic to other areas and topics, like biology, computers, ethics, gender, God, psychology, metaphysics, abstract entities, algorithms, the ad hominem fallacy, inductive logic, informal logic, the liar paradox, metalogic, philosophy of logic, and software for learning logic. In addition to the dictionary, there is a substantial chronology listing the main events in the history of logic, an introduction that sketches the central ideas of logic and how it has evolved into what it is today, and an extensive bibliography of related readings. This book is not only useful for specialists but also understandable to students and other beginners in the field.

The A to Z of Slovakia

The A to Z of Slovakia
Author: Stanislav J. Kirschbaum
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2010-05
Genre: Slovakia
ISBN: 0810872153

The A to Z of Slovakia offers an up to date series of cross-referenced dictionary entries on Slovak political, social, and economic development since the creation of the second Slovak Republic in 1993 until its admission into the European Union in 2004. It includes all of the political actors: the presidents, prime ministers, and party leaders, and many leading academics and cultural personalities, including those from the national minorities. It also contains entries on the various institutions of the Slovak Republic like the judiciary, the armed forces, the media, and parliamentary committees as well as entries that explain Slovakia's position and role in international organizations like NATO and the European Union. The historical survey explains how Slovakia, in its post-Communist transformation, was almost excluded, but in the end became a full member of these two institutions.

The A to Z of Slovenia

The A to Z of Slovenia
Author: Leopoldina Plut-Pregelj
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 620
Release: 2010
Genre: Slovenia
ISBN: 0810872161

For more than 1,300 years Slovenes had lived in Eastern Europe without having a separate Slovene state, but in December of 1990, they voted for independence, or, put more appropriately, for "disassociation" from Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, Slovenia had to fight for its independence, which it did not fully achieve until 1995 after its bloody disintegration with Yugoslavia was over. Since independence, however, Slovenia has prospered; its economy is far ahead of other former communist states and in 2004 Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the European Union, the only republic of former Yugoslavia to do so. The A to Z of Slovenia covers the history of Slovenia and its struggle to gain independence from communism. This is done through a detailed chronology, an introduction, appendixes, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on some of the more significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets.