Air (and its variant spellings eir, eyr, aier, ayre, eyir, eire, eyer, ayer, aire, ayere, and ayr) all stem from the Latin aer. It is the most transparent but immediately necessary of all the classical Greek elements. It surrounds the Earth as...

In traditional cultures, air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as spirit, inspire, expire, and aspire, all derived from the Latin spirare ("to breathe"). if...

1/3 Just as a painter would have trouble creating a masterpiece in a dark room, a composer can't be expected to write major works for orchestras without getting a chance to hear what those works sound like. The Minnesota Orchestra's "Perfect Pitch"...

MUSICAL DYNASTIES may be the lifeblood of traditional societies, but on the international scene they are rare enough to excite curiosity. From Europe we have the Torteliers and the Ligetis and the Panufniks. From Africa, the best-known current offspring of a great parent is...

Two smaller airline companies, Midwest Air Group Inc. and Alaska Air Group Inc., reported improved earnings Thursday, crediting an increase in passenger traffic thanks to expanding service.Alaska Air, however, acknowledged that its revenue growth was slower than expected, and executives said they were unsure whether...

Judiciary: To green extremists' glee, global warming has joined the long list of issues on which the Supreme Court says courts -- not the people's elected leaders -- know best. To which we ask: Why not just let the black-robed tyrants decide everything? The environmentalist...