Nadir Nadir The nadir (, ; from / ALA-LC: "naẓīr", meaning "counterpart") is the direction pointing directly "below" a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of "being below" is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous terms. Specifically, in astronomy, geophysics and related sciences (e.g., meteorology), the nadir at a given point is the local vertical direction pointing in the direction of the force of gravity at that location. The direction opposite the nadir is the zenith. Nadir is
Stranger, Bear Word to the Spartans We... is directly taken from Schiller's translation of the famous Epitaph of Simonides, commemorating the heroic Battle of Thermopylae. In German, the full distich reads: The historic context thus praises death while defending the "Vaterland" and had in fact therefore been specially selected to prepare the young men for war. Böll uses it to demonstrate that even the "humanities-oriented" Gymnasium had their curricula adapted to Nazi propaganda. At the same time, the German title cuts the word "Sparta" short to "Spa...", bringing up thoughts about the municipality of Spa, Belgium, site of the German Headquarters during the previous Great War. The