1.
Public library
–
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is generally funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries, Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. Public access to books is not new, romans made scrolls in dry rooms available to patrons of the baths, and tried with some success to establish libraries within the empire. In the middle of the 19th century, the push for public libraries, paid for by taxes. Public libraries were started with a donation, or were bequeathed to parishes, churches. These social and institutional libraries formed the base of many academic and public collections of today. The establishment of circulating libraries in the 18th century, by booksellers and publishers provided a means of gaining profit, the circulating libraries not only provided a place to sell books, but also a place to lend books for a price. These circulating libraries provided a variety of including the increasingly popular novels. Circulating libraries were not exclusively lending institutions and often provided a place for other forms of commercial activity and this was necessary because the circulating libraries did not generate enough funds through subscription fees collected from its borrowers. As a commerce venture, it was important to consider the factors such as other goods or services available to the subscribers. The Malatestiana Library, also known as the Malatesta Novello Library, is a public library dating from 1452 in Cesena, Emilia-Romagna and it was the first European civic library, i. e. belonging to the Commune and open to everybody. It was commissioned by the Lord of Cesena, Malatesta Novello, the works were directed by Matteo Nuti of Fano and lasted from 1447 to 1452. In the early years of the 17th century, many famous collegiate, norwich City library was established in 1608 and Chethams Library in Manchester, which claims to be the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, opened in 1653. Claude Sallier, the French philologist and churchman, operated an early form of library in the town of Saulieu from 1737 to 1750. He wished to make culture and learning accessible to all people, the Załuski Library was built in Warsaw 1747–1795 by Józef Andrzej Załuski and his brother, Andrzej Stanisław Załuski, both Roman Catholic bishops. The library was open to the public and indeed was the first Polish public library, at the start of the 18th century, libraries were becoming increasingly public and were more frequently lending libraries. The 18th century saw the switch from closed parochial libraries to lending libraries, before this time, public libraries were parochial in nature and libraries frequently chained their books to desks
2.
Texas
–
Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
3.
Downtown San Antonio
–
Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It also serves as the core of Greater San Antonio. In addition to being encircled by Loops 1604 and 410, Downtown San Antonio is encircled by three Interstate freeways, I-35, I-37, and I-10. Together, the three create a rectangular route around the citys urban core, I-35 to the north and west, I-37 to the east. The rectangular loop has a circumference and is known as the Downtown Loop or Central Loop. The northwestern corner of Downtown is the Medical District, the Central Business District is home to the Shops at Rivercenter, anchored by a Macys, an IMAX theater, and formerly Dillards. The five-level Art Deco Dillards, at the corner of Alamo and Commerce streets, Joskes flagship store was 551,000 square feet in floor space until Dillards bought the Joskes chain in 1987. In August 2008, Dillards moved out of the building as a part of a redevelopment plan for Rivercenter Mall. The Rivercenter Mall was built around St. Joseph Catholic Church after the church refused to move, many people travel to visit the Alamo Plaza Historic District, which houses the famous Alamo. In the southeastern part of Downtown is the Alamodome, a 65, 000-seat arena that hosts many types of events, primarily conventions, the San Antonio Police Department serves Downtown from the Central Substation. The main SAPD headquarters are in Downtown, the San Antonio Fire Department, the citys fire protection and EMS service, is also based in Downtown. The Texas Fourth Court of Appeals is located in the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center in Downtown San Antonio, the San Antonio Post Office and Courthouse, located at 615 East Houston Street, functions as a United States Postal Service post office and as a regional office for federal agencies. In 2009, $61 million were allocated to renovate the Post Office, the six story, neoclassical, Beaux-Arts building opened in 1937. The Consulate-General of Mexico in San Antonio is located at 127 Navarro Street in Downtown, greyhound Lines operates the San Antonio Station at 500 North St. Marys Street. Both Centro Plaza and The Grand are located in the Cattleman Square District of Downtown, amtrak operates a train station in St. Pauls Square. Since Downtown is located at the Citys geographical center, Interstate Highways 10,35, and 37 combine to form a Downtown Circulator, iH35 borders Downtown S. A. to the north and west, IH10 to the south and west, and IH37 along the east end. Downtown is within the San Antonio Independent School District, which is headquartered in Downtown San Antonio, austin Academy, a PreK-8 school, is northwest of Downtown and serves parts of northern Downtown. Bonham Elementary School, a school which will become PreK-8 by 2009, is south of Downtown
4.
Enchilada
–
An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, the Real Academia Española defines the word enchilada, as used in Mexico, as a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chili sauce. Enchilada is the past participle of Spanish enchilar, to add pepper to. The idiomatic English phrase the whole enchilada means the whole thing, Enchiladas originated in Mexico, where the practice of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to Mayan times. The people living in the region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán, which included foods served in corn tortillas. The Nahuatl word for enchilada is chīllapītzalli which is formed of the Nahuatl word for chili, chīlli, kennedy goes on to heartily disagree with that characterization, likely brought on by culture shock. Another early mention, in English, is a 1914 recipe found in California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook, in their original form as Mexican street food, enchiladas were simply corn tortillas dipped in chili sauce and eaten without fillings. There are now many varieties, which are distinguished primarily by their sauces, fillings and, in one instance, various adjectives may be used to describe the recipe content or origin, e. g. enchilada tapatia would be a recipe from Jalisco. Enchiladas con mole, instead of sauce, are served with mole. Enchiladas placera are Michoacán plaza-style, made with vegetables and poultry, Enchiladas poblanas are soft corn tortillas filled with chicken and poblano peppers, topped with oaxaca cheese. Enchiladas potosinas originate from San Luis Potosi, Mexico and are made with cheese-filled, chili-spiced masa, Enchiladas San Miguel are San Miguel de Allende-style enchiladas flavored with guajillo chilies by searing the flavor into the tortillas in a frying pan. Enchiladas suizas are topped with a white, milk or cream-based sauce and this appellation is derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese. Enfrijoladas are topped with refried beans rather than chili sauce, their name comes from frijol, entomatadas are made with tomato sauce instead of chile sauce. Ground beef or chicken can be added to the filling, the stack is often topped with a fried egg. Shredded lettuce and sliced black olives may be added as a garnish, fillings include meat or cheese, potatoes, vegetables, and any combination of these. Enchiladas are commonly topped or garnished with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, olives, chopped onions, chili peppers, salsa, Diccionario de Cocina o el Nuevo Cocinero Mexicano en Forma Diccionario. El Cocinero Mexicano o coleccion de los mejores recetas para guisar al estilo americano y de las mas selectas segun el metodo de los cocinas Espanola, Italiana, Mexico City, Imprenta de Galvan a cargo de Mariano Arevalo
5.
Mexicans
–
Mexicans are the people of the United Mexican States, a multiethnic country in North America. Mexicans can also be those who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity, the Mexica founded Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1325 as an altepetl located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico. It became the capital of the expanding Mexica Empire in the 15th century, at its peak, it was the largest city in the Pre-Columbian Americas. It subsequently became a cabecera of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, today the ruins of Tenochtitlan are located in the central part of Mexico City. In 2015,21. 5% of Mexicos population in Mexico self-identify as being indigenous, there are about 12 million Mexican nationals residing outside of Mexico, with about 11.7 million living in the United States. The larger Mexican diaspora can also include individuals that trace ancestry to Mexico, the Nahuatl language was a common tongue in the region of modern Central Mexico during the Aztec Empire, but after the arrival of Europeans the common language of the region became Spanish. Mexicano is derived from the word Mexico itself, in the principal model to create demonyms in Spanish, the suffix -ano is added to the name of the place of origin. Another hypothesis suggests that Mēxihco derives from the Nahuatl words for Moon and this meaning might then refer to Tenochtitlans position in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The system of interconnected lakes, of which Texcoco formed the center, had the form of a rabbit, still another hypothesis suggests that it is derived from Mēctli, the goddess of maguey. The term Mexicano as a word to describe the different peoples of the region of Mexico as a group emerged in the 16th century. In that time the term did not apply to a nationality nor to the limits of the modern Mexican Republic. The document stated, el venturoso descubrimiento que los Mexicanos han hecho, Mexican politicians and reformers such as José Vasconcelos and Manuel Gamio were instrumental in building a Mexican national identity on the concept of mestizaje. The word has somewhat pejorative connotations and most of the Mexican citizens who would be defined as mestizos in the sociological literature would probably self-identify primarily as Mexicans, in Chiapas the word Ladino is used instead of mestizo. White Mexicans are Mexican citizens of full European descent, another group in Mexico, the mestizos, also include people with varying amounts of European ancestry, with some having a European admixture superior to 90%. Because of this, the line between whites and mestizos has become rather blur, and the Mexican government decided to abandon racial classifications. Intermixing would produce a group which would become the majority by the time of Independence. However, at its height, the immigrant population in Mexico never exceeded twenty percent of the total. Many of these came with money to invest and/or ties to allow them to become prominent in business
6.
Atrium (architecture)
–
In architecture, an atrium is a large open air or skylight covered space surrounded by a building. Atria were a feature in Ancient Roman dwellings, providing light. Modern atria, as developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries, are several stories high and having a glazed roof or large windows. Atria are a design feature because they give their buildings a feeling of space. The atrium has become a key feature of buildings in recent years. Atria are popular with building users, building designers and building developers, users like atria because they create a dynamic and stimulating interior that provides shelter from the external environment while maintaining a visual link with that environment. Designers enjoy the opportunity to new types of spaces in buildings. Fire control is an important aspect of contemporary atrium design due to criticism that poorly designed atria could allow fire to spread to a buildings upper stories more quickly. The Latin word atrium referred to the central court from which enclosed rooms led off. The impluvium was a shallow pool sunken into the floor to catch rainwater from the roof, some surviving examples are beautifully decorated. The opening in the ceiling above the pool called for some means of support for the roof, as the centrepiece of the house, the atrium was the most lavishly-furnished room. Also, it contained the chapel to the ancestral spirits. The term was used for a variety of spaces in public and religious buildings, mostly forms of arcaded courtyards. Byzantine churches were often entered through such a space, the 19th century brought the industrial revolution with great advances in iron and glass manufacturing techniques. Courtyards could then have horizontal glazing overhead, eliminating some of the elements from the space. One of the public spaces at Federation Square, in Melbourne, Australia, is called The Atrium and is a street-like space, five storeys high with glazed walls. The structure and glazing pattern follow the system of fractals used to arrange the panels on the rest of the facades at Federation Square, as of 2016, the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, has the worlds tallest atrium at 590 feet. The Luxor Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada, has the largest atrium in the world at 29 million cubic feet, cavaedium Courtyard Quadrangle Roth, Leland M. Understanding Architecture, Its Elements History and Meaning
7.
Mural
–
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surface. A distinguishing characteristic of painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture. Some wall paintings are painted on canvases, which are then attached to the wall. Whether these works can be accurately called murals is a subject of controversy in the art world. Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France, many ancient murals have been found within ancient Egyptian tombs, the Minoan palaces and in Pompeii. During the Middle Ages murals were executed on dry plaster. The huge collection of Kerala mural painting dating from the 14th century are examples of fresco secco, in Italy, circa 1300, the technique of painting of frescos on wet plaster was reintroduced and led to a significant increase in the quality of mural painting. In modern times, the became more well-known with the Mexican muralism art movement. There are many different styles and techniques, the best-known is probably fresco, which uses water-soluble paints with a damp lime wash, a rapid use of the resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts. The colors lighten as they dry, the marouflage method has also been used for millennia. Murals today are painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water-based media, the styles can vary from abstract to trompe-lœil. Initiated by the works of artists like Graham Rust or Rainer Maria Latzke in the 1980s, trompe-loeil painting has experienced a renaissance in private. The buon fresco technique consists of painting in pigment mixed with water on a layer of wet, fresh. The pigment is absorbed by the wet plaster, after a number of hours. After this the painting stays for a time up to centuries in fresh. Fresco-secco painting is done on dry plaster, the pigments thus require a binding medium, such as egg, glue or oil to attach the pigment to the wall. By the end of the century this had largely displaced the buon fresco method. This technique had, in reduced form, the advantages of a secco work, in Greco-Roman times, mostly encaustic colors applied in a cold state were used
8.
Dale Chihuly
–
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur. His works are considered unique to the field of blown glass, the technical difficulties of working with glass forms are considerable, yet Chihuly uses it as the primary medium for installations and environmental artwork. Chihuly was born in Tacoma, Washington, to George and Viola Magnuson Chihuly, in 1956, his older brother and only sibling, George, died in a Navy Air Force training accident in Pensacola, Florida. Two years later, in 1957, Chihulys father died of an attack at the age of 52. Initially, Chihuly had no interest in continuing his education after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1959. However, at his mothers urging, he enrolled at the College of Puget Sound, a year later, he transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle to study interior design. In 1961, he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and that same year he learned how to melt and fuse glass. Chihuly became disillusioned with his studies, and in 1962 he dropped out of school to art in Florence. He later traveled to the Middle East and met architect Robert Landsman and their meeting and his time abroad spurred Chihuly to return to his studies. In 1963, he took a class where he incorporated glass shards into tapestries. He received an award for his work from the Seattle Weavers Guild in 1964, Chihuly graduated from the University of Washington in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interior design. Chihuly began experimenting with glassblowing in 1965, and in 1966 he received a scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He studied under Harvey Littleton, who had established the first glass program in the United States at the university, in 1967, Chihuly received a Master of Science degree in sculpture. After graduating, he enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design, Chihuly earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the RISD in 1968. That same year, he was awarded a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant for his work in glass and he traveled to Venice to work at the Venini factory on the island of Murano, where he first saw the team approach to blowing glass. After returning to the United States, Chihuly spent the first of four consecutive summers teaching at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, in 1969, he traveled to Europe, in part to meet Erwin Eisch in Germany and Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová in Czechoslovakia. In 1971, with the support of John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg, Chihuly cofounded the Pilchuck Glass School near Stanwood, Chihuly also founded the HillTop Artists program in Tacoma, Washington at Jason Lee Middle School and Wilson High School. In 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a car accident during which he flew through the windshield
9.
San Antonio River Walk
–
The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of San Antonio, Texas, USA. Lined by bars, shops, restaurants, nature, and public art, the River Walk is an important part of the urban fabric. The River Walk is a successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street, during the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, the River Parade features flowery floats that float down the river. In September 1921, a flood along the San Antonio River took 50 lives. Plans were then developed for control of the river. Among the plans was to build a dam and bypass a prominent bend of the river in the Downtown area, then to pave over the bend. Work began on the Olmos Dam and bypass channel in 1926, however, no major plans came into play until 1929, when San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted his plans for what would become the River Walk. 5-mile-long River Walk. The bend would then be surrounded by development, which he titled The Shops of Aragon. Hugman went as far as to maintain his architects office along the bend, Hugmans plan was initially not well-received – the area was noted for being dangerous. At one point, it was declared off-limits to military personnel, people were warned of the threat of being drowned like a rat should the river flood. Hugmans persistence paid off, he was named project architect and his plan would be put to the test in 1946, when another major flood threatened Downtown San Antonio, but the Olmos Dam and bypass channel minimized the area damage. Casa Rio, a landmark River Walk restaurant, became the first restaurant in the area in 1946, through the following decades the network has been improved and extended. The first major extension of the Riverwalk was constructed by the joint venture of two general contractors Darragh & Lyda Inc. and H. A. Lott Inc. to Tower of the Americas as part of HemisFair 68. That was also the year the Hilton Palacio del Rio was built, a subsequent major expansion opened in 1988 that extended a branch from the 1968 extension to create a lagoon at the new Rivercenter Mall and the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel. In 1981 the Hyatt Regency San Antonio opened with a new pedestrian connector that linked Alamo Plaza to the River Walk with concrete waterfalls, waterways and indigenous landscaping. Known as the Paseo del Alamo, this extension actually flows from Alamo Plaza into the San Antonio River through the atrium of the hotel. Many downtown buildings like the Casino Club Building have street entrances and this separates the automotive service grid and pedestrian traffic below, and creating an intricate network of bridges, walkways, and old staircases. The San Antonio Spurs had their five NBA Championship victory parades/cruises along the river, expansion plans are planned for areas of the river north and south of Downtown
10.
Alamo Mission in San Antonio
–
The Alamo Mission in San Antonio is commonly called The Alamo and was originally known as Misión San Antonio de Valero. It was founded in the 18th century as a Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound and it was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and is now a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District. The compound was one of the early Spanish missions in Texas, the mission was secularized in 1793 and then abandoned. Ten years later, it became a housing the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras military unit. During the Texas Revolution, Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos surrendered the fort to the Texian Army in December 1835, a relatively small number of Texian soldiers then occupied the compound for several months. They were wiped out at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6,1836, when the Mexican army retreated from Texas several months later, they tore down many of the Alamo walls and burned some of the buildings. For the next five years, the Alamo was periodically used to garrison soldiers, in 1849, several years after Texas was annexed to the United States, the U. S. Army began renting the facility for use as a quartermasters depot. The U. S. Army abandoned the mission in 1876 after nearby Fort Sam Houston was established, the Alamo chapel was sold to the state of Texas, which conducted occasional tours but made no effort to restore it. The remaining buildings were sold to a company which operated them as a wholesale grocery store. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas formed in 1895 and began trying to preserve the Alamo, Adina Emilia De Zavala and Clara Driscoll successfully convinced the state legislature in 1905 to purchase the remaining buildings and to name the DRT as the permanent custodian of the site. Over the next century, periodic attempts were made to control of the Alamo from the DRT. In early 2015, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush officially removed control of the Alamo to the Texas General Land Office, the Alamo and the four missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites on July 5,2015. In 1716, the Spanish government established several Roman Catholic missions in East Texas, the isolation of the missions—the nearest Spanish settlement, San Juan Bautista, Coahuila was over 400 miles away—made it difficult to keep them adequately provisioned. To assist the missionaries, the new governor of Spanish Texas, Martín de Alarcón, in April 1718, Alarcón led an expedition to found a new community in Texas. On May 1, the group erected a temporary mud, brush, one mile north of the mission, Alarcón built a presidio, the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar. Close by, he founded the first civilian community in Texas, within a year, the mission moved to the western bank of the river, where it was less likely to flood. Over the next years, a chain of missions were established nearby. In 1724, after remants of a Gulf Coast hurricane destroyed the structures at Mission San Antonio de Valero
