B'nai B'rith Vbo-'na-'brithX (Hebrew: “Sons of the Covenant”) Oldest and largest Jewish service organization. Founded in New York City in 1843, it now has men’s lodges, women’s chapters, and youth organiza¬ tions around the world. Its goals include defending human rights, aiding Jewish college students (mainly through the Hillel Foundation), sponsor¬ ing educational programs for adult and youth groups, helping victims of natural disasters, supporting hospitals and philanthropic institutions, and promoting the welfare of Israel. In 1913 it established the Anti- Defamation League to combat anti-Semitism.
Bo Hai Vbo-'hrf or Po Hai conventional Gulf of Chihli Vjo-'leX Arm of the Yellow Sea off the northern China coast. With the Gulf of Liaodong (generally considered part of the Bo Hai), its maximum dimensions are 300 mi (480 km) northeast-southwest and 190 mi (306 km) east-west. The Liao River and Huang He (Yellow River) empty into it.
Bo Juyi Vbwo-'jiE-'eX or Po Chu-i (b. 772, Xinzheng, China—d. 846, Luoyang) Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. He began composing poetry at age 5, and at age 28 he passed the examinations for the Chinese civil service. He rose steadily in official life and became the informal leader of a group of poets who rejected the courtly style of the time, believing that poetry should have a moral and social purpose. His satirical ballads and poems of social protest often took the form of free verse based on old folk ballads. He was revered in both China and Japan, where his poems, notably the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” became material for other literary works.
bo tree See bodhi tree
boa Any of about 60 species of stout-bodied snakes (subfamily Boinae, family Boidae) found in both the Old and New Worlds, mostly in warm regions. Species vary in length from about 8 in. (20 cm) to more than 25 ft (7.5 m). Most are terrestrial or semiaquatic; some live in trees. Most species have blotches and diamonds on their brown, green, or yellowish body. Boas bite their prey, then kill by wrapping their body around the prey and crushing it. Several species have heat-sensitive lip pits for detect¬ ing warm-blooded prey, and most bear live young. Contrary to folklore, boas are not dangerous to humans.
Boadicea See Boudicca
boar or wild boar or wild pig Any wild member of the pig species Sus scrofa; the ancestor of domestic pigs. It is native to forests ranging from western and northern Europe and North Africa to India, the Andaman Islands, and China and has been introduced to New Zealand and the U.S. It has a bristly, blackish or brown coat and stands up to 35 in. (90 cm) tall at the shoulder. Except for old, solitary males, boars live in groups. They are omnivores and are good swimmers. They have sharp tusks and, though normally not aggressive, can be dangerous. Because of its strength, speed, and ferocity, the boar has long been a prized game animal.
Board of Trade See Board of Trade
Boas Vbo-,az\, Franz (b. July 9, 1858, Minden, Westphalia [Germany]—d. Dec. 22, 1942, New York, N.Y., U.S.) German-bom U.S. anthropologist. Trained in physics and geography (Ph.D., 1881), Boas was part of an early scientific expedition to Baffin Island (1883-84), where he turned to studying Eskimo culture. He later studied native peoples of Brit¬ ish Columbia, including the Kwakiutl. From 1896 to 1905 he directed the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, which investigated the relationships between the aboriginal peoples of Siberia and North America. Teaching
at Columbia University from 1896 until his death, he was a leading organizer of the profession in the U.S. and the mentor of Ruth Bene¬ dict, Alfred L. Kroeber, Margaret Mead, and Edward Sapir. He is largely credited with establishing anthropology as an academic disci¬ pline in the U.S. His achievements in anthropology are virtually unrivaled.
Before Boas, most anthropologists adhered to a relatively crude theory of sociocultural evolution, arguing that some peoples are inherently more civilized or developed than others. Boas argued that such views are ethnocentric and that all human groups have actually evolved equally but in different ways. It is largely because of Boas that anthropologists now attribute human differences to historic “cultural,” rather than genetic, factors. His books include The Mind of Primitive Man (1911), Primitive Art (1927), and Race, Language, and Culture (1940).
boat people Refugees fleeing by boat. The term originally referred to the thousands of Vietnamese who fled their country by sea following the collapse of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. Crowded into small vessels, they were prey to pirates, and many suffered dehydration, starvation, and death by drowning. The term was later applied to waves of refugees who attempted to reach the U.S. by boat from Cuba and Haiti and also to Afghan and other refugees seeking asylum in Australia.
Bob and Ray in full Robert Brackett Elliott and Raymond Walter Goulding (respectively b. March 26, 1923, Boston, Mass., U.S.(b. March 20, 1922, Lowell, Mass.) —d. March 24, 1990, Manhas- set, N.Y.) U.S. comedy team. They met while working at a Boston radio station and soon established their comic style in a program of parodies and satire (1946-51). The Bob and Ray Show was nationally syndicated (1951-53), and their comedy sketches were popular in the 1950s and ’60s on several networks. They also performed in the theatre and starred in the Broadway show The Two and Only (1970).
bobbin Elongated spool of thread, used in the textile industry. In mod¬ em processes, the spun fibres are wound on bobbins; the weft filling in weaving comes off bobbins. Bobbins are essential to the manufacture of bobbin lace (see lacemaking). The first bobbin lace probably originated in Flanders in the early 16th century. Early bobbin lace consisted of rows of deep acute-angled points worked from a narrow band, and the patterns were usually similar to those of the needle laces. It was much used for ruffs and collars in the 16th— 17th centuries. See also tapestry.
bobcat Bobtailed, long-legged North American cat ( Lynx rufus ) found in forests and deserts from southern Canada to southern Mexico. It is a close relative of the lynx and caracal. Bobcats have large paws and tufted ears; are 24-40 in. (60-100 cm) long, excluding the 4-8-in. (10-20-cm) tail; stand 20-24 in. (50-60 cm) at the shoulder; and weigh 15-33 lb (7—15 kg). The fur is pale brown to reddish with black spots. Bobcats are noc¬ turnal and generally solitary. They feed on small mammals and some birds and are important for controlling rodent and rabbit populations. They are sometimes found in suburban areas. See photograph on opposite page.
bobolink Vbab-o-.liqkX Songbird ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) that breeds in northern North America and winters chiefly in central South America. Migrating flocks may raid rice fields, and the fat “ricebirds” were for¬ merly shot as a table delicacy. In the breeding season the 7-in (18-cm) male bobolink (named for his bubbling song) has a black underside, yel¬ low hindneck, white back and rump, and white patches on the wings; in winter he resembles the brown female.
bobsledding Sport of sliding down a winding ice-covered run on a large metal sled (bobsled). The sled is equipped with two pairs of run¬ ners, a long seat for two or more (usually four) people, a steering wheel or steering ropes, and a hand brake. Bobsledding originated in Switzer¬ land in the 1890s and was included in the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Championship competitions are held each year. Bob runs are typi¬ cally about 4,920 ft (1,500 m) long, with 15-20 banked turns. Four-person sleds attain speeds approaching 100 mph (160 kph).
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
bobwhite ► bodhi tree I 239
bobwhite North American quail species ( Colinus virginianus) that exists in about 20 subspecies from southern Canada to Guatemala. It is reddish brown and has a gray tail. Its name is suggestive of its two-note call. A popular game bird of the southern and central U.S., it is found in brush, open pinelands, and abandoned fields.