ConsciousGlass

Los Alamos

2005-04-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

In 1942 Los Alamos was chosen by the U.S. government (because of its comparative isolation

Yunus Emre

2005-04-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Though legend obscures the facts of his life, he is known to have been a Sufi (Islamic mystic) who sat for 40 years at the feet of his master, Tapduk Emre. Yunus Emre was well versed in mystical philosophy, especially that of the 13th-century poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi. Like Rumi, Yunus Emre

Insurance, Indirect losses

2005-04-02T04:09:00.000-08:00

An entirely different branch of the insurance business has been developed to insure losses that are indirectly the result of one of the specified perils. A prominent example of this type of insurance is business income insurance. The insurer undertakes to reimburse the insured for lost profits or for fixed charges incurred as a result of direct damage. For example,

Yunus Emre

2005-04-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

Negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union that were aimed at reducing those two countries' arsenals of nuclear warheads and of the missiles and bombers capable of delivering such weapons. The START negotiations were successors to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks of the 1970s. In resuming strategic-arms negotiations with the Soviet Union in

Rama Ii

2005-03-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

The second ruler (1809–24) of the present Chakkri dynasty, under whose rule relations were reopened with the West and Siam began a forward policy on the Malay peninsula. A gifted poet and dramatist, Rama II wrote a famous version of Inao, dramatic version of a popular traditional story, as well as episodes of

Clouet, François

2005-03-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

The son of Jean Clouet, he was known also under his father's byname, Janet, a circumstance that created a persistent confusion between the works of these two painters. François worked with Jean possibly as early as 1536 and replaced him in 1540 as official painter

Pluralism And Monism

2005-03-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

All philosophy as well as science may be regarded as a search

La Piedad Cavadas

2005-03-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Michoacán estado (“state”), west-central Mexico. On the Lerma River, which forms the Michoacán-Guanajuato border, it is 314 miles (505 km) west-northwest of Mexico City and 119 miles (192 km) northwest of Morelia, the state capital. During the colonial era it was known as Zula la Vieja but was elevated to city rank and given its present name in 1871. Much of La Piedad's economy is

Congé D'élire

2005-03-26T01:38:00.000-08:00

English permission to elect formal message conveying the English sovereign's permission for the dean and chapter of the cathedral of a vacant bishopric to proceed in regular chapter to a new election. Before the Norman Conquest (1066) it was the king's prerogative to appoint bishops to vacant sees. This came to be contested by the popes, though the sovereign usually was able to secure the appointment

Yangtze River, The upper course

2005-03-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

The upper course of the Yangtze flows across the Plateau of Tibet and descends through deep valleys in the mountains east of the plateau, emerging onto the Yunnan-Kweichou (Yunkwei) Plateau. The summers are warm and the winters cold. The source of the Yangtze is the Wu-lan-mu-lun (Ulan Muren) River, which originates in glacial meltwaters on the slopes of the T'ang-ku-la

Accursius, Franciscus

2005-03-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

A professor at the University of Bologna, Accursius had access to the many legal works of the Romans that had been brought from

Roddenberry, Gene

2005-03-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

Roddenberry briefly attended Los Angeles City College, flew B-17 bombers during World War II, and was an airline

Candidas

2005-03-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

The popularity of Candidas' songs inspired much imitation, making it difficult to establish firmly the identity of the poet.

Lamarr, Hedy

2005-03-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a prosperous Viennese banker, Lamarr was privately tutored from age four; by the time she was

Leonard, Sugar Ray

2005-03-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

By his mid-teens Leonard proved adept at boxing, and, as an amateur, he won 145 of 150 bouts and garnered two National Golden Glove

Alexander Romance

2005-03-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

The chief source of all Alexander romance literature was a folk epic written in Greek by a Hellenized Egyptian in Alexandria during the 2nd century AD. Surviving translations and copies make its reconstruction possible.

Nguyen Dynasty

2005-03-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

After Mac Dang Dung usurped the Vietnamese throne in 1527, Nguyen Kim fought to restore a Le emperor in 1533, leaving the Mac family in power in the northern section

Zaharoff, Sir Basil

2005-03-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

He was the son of poor Greek parents who had Russified the family name during years spent in exile in Russia. As a young man he worked for his uncle in the cloth trade in Istanbul. In

Catalonia

2005-03-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Spanish Cataluña , Catalan Catalunya comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) and historic region of Spain encompassing the northeastern Spanish provincias of Gerona, Barcelona, Tarragona, and Lérida and established by the statute of autonomy of Dec. 18, 1979. The autonomous community of Catalonia, which has an area of 12,328 square miles (31,930 square km), is the richest and most highly industrialized part of Spain. The

Gwanda

2005-03-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Zimbabwe. Gwanda was founded in 1900, and its name derives from that of a nearby hill known as Jahunda. It is located on the Bulawayo-Beitbridge road and the railway that runs south to West Nicholson. The town is the chief centre for southwestern Zimbabwe's cattle district and also trades in agricultural produce. There are gold, asbestos, and chrome mines in

Culbertson, Ely

2005-03-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

Culbertson was the son of an American oil explorer and lived as a boy in Russia. He was educated in Geneva and Paris. In his youth he was a revolutionary agent in the Russian Caucasus, Mexico, and Spain. When his father's

Turina, Joaquín

2005-03-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

After studying in Sevilla (Seville) and Madrid, Turina went in 1905 to Paris, where he was a pupil of Moritz Moszkowski for piano and Vincent d'Indy for composition. Though he absorbed elements of the French style, he was inspired in Paris by Isaac

Aelle

2005-03-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aella, or Aelli first king of Deira in northern England, whose people threw off the Bernician overlordship upon the death of Ida, king of Bernicia. Aelle became king in 559, while Ida's descendants continued to reign in the northern kingdom. On Aelle's death the Bernician king Aethelric again subdued Deira, but Aelle's son Edwin (q.v.) would return to rule as the most powerful English ruler

Jackson

2005-03-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1821) of Madison county, western Tennessee, U.S. It lies about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Memphis. The area was settled about 1819 as a port on the Forked Deer River and developed as a cotton depot and railroad junction. First called Alexandria, the community was renamed in 1822 to honour General (later President) Andrew Jackson. It was used as a supply point by both Confederate and

United States Naval Academy

2005-03-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

The academy was founded as a Naval School on Oct. 10, 1845, by George Bancroft, historian, educator, and secretary of the Navy, to improve the then-unsatisfactory

Sanger, Frederick

2005-03-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

English biochemist who was twice the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He was awarded the prize in 1958 for his determination of the structure of the insulin molecule. He shared the prize (with Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert of the United States) in 1980 for his determination of the sequence of nucleotides in the DNA of a virus. Sanger

Handgun

2005-03-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

Any firearm small enough to be held in one hand when fired. It usually fires a single projectile or bullet, and additional ammunition may be available in a revolving mechanism or magazine. Handguns may be used for target shooting, hunting small game, or personal self-defense. Automatic handguns are illegal in many countries, and private ownership of any handgun is

Beardfish

2005-03-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Any of the five species of fishes in the genus Polymixia constituting the family Polymixiidae (order Beryciformes). Beardfishes are restricted primarily to deep-sea marine habitats in tropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They generally are found at depths from about 200 to 600 metres (650 to 2,000 feet). The term beardfish comes from the beardlike appearance

Denizli

2005-03-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Turkey. It lies near a tributary of the Menderes River. Set among the gardens at the foot of Mount Gökbel (7,572 feet [2,308 m]), Denizli inherited the economic position of ancient Laodicea ad Lycum, 4 miles (6 km) away, when that town was deserted during wars between the Byzantines and the Seljuq Turks in the 12th century. By the 14th century, as Lâdik (Ladiq), Denizli had emerged

Van Heusen, Jimmy

2005-03-09T01:36:00.000-08:00

Van Heusen worked as a staff pianist at music publishing companies in New York City before collaborating with lyricist Eddie de Lange to write songs, including the popular “Darn That

Penates

2005-03-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

Formally Di Penates household gods of the Romans and other Latin peoples. In the narrow sense, they were gods of the penus (“household provision”), but by extension their protection reached the entire household. They are associated with other deities of the house, such as Vesta, and the name was sometimes used interchangeably with that of the Lares, any of various tutelary deities. The Penates

Radio Source

2005-03-08T03:24:00.000-08:00

In 1931 Karl G. Jansky, an American radio engineer, detected radio waves from outer space.

Valence Electron

2005-03-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

Any of the fundamental negatively charged particles in the outermost region of atoms that enters into the formation of chemical bonds. Whatever the type of chemical bond (ionic, covalent, metallic) between atoms, changes in the atomic structure are restricted to the outermost, or valence, electrons. They are more weakly attracted to the positive atomic nucleus than

Huntsville

2005-03-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1808) of Madison county, northern Alabama, U.S. It is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains near the Tennessee River, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Birmingham. It was originally called Twickenham by planter Leroy Pope for the home of his kinsman, Alexander Pope, the English poet. It was incorporated in 1811 and was renamed for John Hunt of Virginia, a Revolutionary

'arad

2005-03-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Israel, in the northeast Negev, named for the biblical Arad, the ruins of which are visible at Tel 'Arad, about 5 1/2 miles (9 km) east-northeast. The book of Numbers (21:1–3) tells how the Canaanite king of 'Arad fought the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt, but his cities were “utterly destroyed” by Israel's armies. The city's name appears on the Temple of Amon, al-Karnak, Egypt,

Berenice Ii

2005-03-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

Magas' queen, who favoured an alliance with the Seleucid dynasty of Syria, tried to thwart the marriage by summoning Demetrius the Fair, a Macedonian prince, as a husband for Berenice. The princess, however, arranged Demetrius' murder and married

Land, Edwin Herbert

2005-03-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

While a student at Harvard University, Land became interested in polarized light, i.e., light in which all rays are aligned in the same plane.

National Association Of Free Will Baptists

2005-03-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

One Free Will Baptist group was

Japanese Beetle

2005-03-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

(species Popillia japonica), an insect that is a major pest and belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera). It was accidentally introduced into the United States from Japan about 1916, probably as larvae in the soil around imported plants. Japanese beetles are known to feed on more than 200 species of plants, including a wide

Cattaraugus

2005-03-02T00:57:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern New York state, U.S., consisting of a ruggedly hilly region bounded by Cattaraugus Creek to the north and Pennsylvania to the south. It is drained by the Allegheny River and Ischua and Great Valley creeks. Surrounding Allegheny Reservoir are Allegany Indian Reservation and Allegany State Park, both of which are the largest of their kind in the

Disinfectant

2005-03-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

Any substance, such as creosote or alcohol, applied to inanimate objects to kill microorganisms. Disinfectants and antiseptics are alike in that both are germicidal, but antiseptics are applied primarily to living tissue. The ideal disinfectant would rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans, would not corrode surgical instruments, and would not

Rhynchocephalia

2005-03-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Reptilian order that arose in the Triassic and Jurassic periods (225,000,000 to 136,000,000 years ago) and survives today as the tuatara (q.v.) of New Zealand.

Appian Way

2005-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Latin Via Appia, the first and most famous of the ancient Roman roads, running from Rome to Campania and southern Italy. (See Roman road system.) The Appian Way was begun in 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus. At first it ran only 132 miles (212 km) from Rome south-southeastward to ancient Capua, in Campania, but by about 244 BC it had been extended another 230 miles (370 km) southeastward to reach the port of Brundisium

Yung-cheng

2005-02-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

As the fourth son of the previous emperor, Yung-cheng was not immediately in line for the throne; but when the designated heir apparent became mentally deranged, the future emperor

Mfengu

2005-02-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Mfengu are descendants of refugees from the Mfecane in Natal, largely of Hlubi, Bhele, and Zizi origin, who made their way to the eastern Cape, where they were succoured by local chiefs. In the wars of 1835, 1846, and 1851–53, the Mfengu fought on the British side

Epiphany

2005-02-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

(from Greek epiphaneia, “manifestation”), festival celebrated on January 6; it is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian Church (including Easter and Christmas). It commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of his divinity, as it occurred at his Baptism in the Jordan

Lilar, Suzanne

2005-02-26T01:26:00.000-08:00

Lilar was of Flemish origins. She began her career as

Võrtsjärv

2005-02-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Võrts-järv, or Virtsjärv, Russian Ozero Vyrts-yarv, lake (järv) in south-central Estonia, with an area of about 110 square miles (280 square km). Võrtsjärv forms part of the 124-mile (200-kilometre) course of the Ema River (German Embach, Lithuanian Emajõgi), which enters the lake from the south and drains it north and east into Peipsi Lake on the Estonia–Russia border. The Võrtsjärv is navigable, as is the lower course of the Ema. The lake and river

Vote

2005-02-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

In politics and government, a formal expression of opinion or will that indicates approval or disapproval of a proposal, motion, or candidate for office. See election.

Scaliger, Julius Caesar

2005-02-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

Scaliger became known as a scholar through

Armoury Museum

2005-02-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

Russian Oruzheinaya Palata, in Moscow, oldest museum in Russia. It is housed in a building between the Great Kremlin Palace and the Kremlin wall, was designed by Konstantin A. Thon, and was built between 1844 and 1851. The museum was originally founded to house the treasures accumulated over the centuries by Russia and is Russo-Byzantine in style. The treasures of the Kremlin cathedrals and the Synodal Treasury

Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra, Al-

2005-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Al-Muhallab first served under the caliph Mu'awiyah, campaigning in India and raiding the country between Kabul and Multan. Later he was stationed in the eastern provinces, leading expeditions against the Central Asian city

Vacuum Technology

2005-02-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

This gauge makes use of the fact that the rate of ion production by a stream of electrons in a vacuum system is dependent on pressure and the ionization probability of the residual gas. Also called the Penning gauge, it consists of two cathodes opposite one another with an anode centrally spaced between them inside a metal or glass envelope. Outside the envelope a

Gaddi, Agnolo

2005-02-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

In 1369 he was employed in Rome as an assistant to his brother Giovanni, a minor painter, in the execution of frescoes for

Cunningham, Glenn

2005-02-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

At the age of 7, Cunningham and his older brother Floyd were badly burned in a schoolhouse fire; Floyd died and Glenn was not expected to be able to walk. Cunningham overcame this adversity, running—and winning—races in high school,

Eyre, Edward John

2005-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

Emigrating from England for reasons of health, Eyre reached Australia in March 1833. As a sheep farmer he became a pioneer “overlander,” driving stock from Sydney

Ashford

2005-02-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, England. It was established in 1974 from the former urban district of Ashford, rural districts of East and West Ashford, and the metropolitan borough and rural district of Tenterden. The old town of Ashford was granted a market in the 13th century that later became a stock market for the pastoral farms

Aureate

2005-02-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

A writing style that is affected, pompous, and heavily ornamental, that uses rhetorical flourishes excessively, and that often employs interlarded foreign words and phrases. The style is usually associated with the 15th-century French, English, and Scottish writers. The word is from the Middle English aureat, “golden” or “splendid,” and was probably coined on the basis

Reston

2005-02-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

Urban community, in Fairfax county, northeastern Virginia, U.S. It lies adjacent to Herndon, 22 miles (35 km) west-northwest of Washington, D.C. The community was developed after 1962 by Robert E. Simon, whose initials form the first syllable of its name; it opened in 1965. Reston, an original concept in urban planning, consists of a number of villages (separated by woodland tracts), each with

Literature

2005-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Three novels were particularly eye-catching to the Chinese literati in 2001. The first was You Fengwei's Zhongguo 1957 (“China 1957”). Written in the first person, the novel told a series of tragic stories about the victims—mostly university students and teachers—of the antirightist campaign of 1957 in which more than 550,000 Chinese were

New Church

2005-02-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Swedenborgians, church organized in the General Conference of the New Church, the General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the U.S.A., and the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Its members are followers of the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg, the 18th-century Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. Swedenborg did not himself found a church, but he believed that his writings

France, History Of, Monarchy and church

2005-02-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

In the 18th century the king still thought of himself as the feudal suzerain of his subjects. Familial imagery was an important component of royal rhetoric; the king of France was father of his subjects. His right to reign echoed all husbands' right to rule over their wives and all fathers' right to rule over their children. His messages, however draconian and confiscatory

Rush, William

2005-02-15T01:41:00.000-08:00

Rush trained to make ornamental ship carvings and figureheads. During the American Revolution he served as an officer in Philadelphia's militia and campaigned with George Washington in the city's defense. Shortly after

Rabbit

2005-02-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

J.C. Sandford, The Domestic Rabbit, 5th ed. (1996), describes the 50-plus breeds and all aspects of raising domestic rabbits. Harry V. Thompson and Carolyn M. King (eds.), The European Rabbit: The History and Biology of a Successful Colonizer (1994), thoroughly examines the biology of the European rabbit worldwide. Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux (compilers and eds.), Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (1990), is a taxonomically arranged review of the biology and status of the world's rabbits and other lagomorphs. Ronald M. Nowak, Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed., 2 vol. (1999), photographically illustrates an article on each rabbit genus.

Agusan River

2005-02-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Longest river in Mindanao, Philippines. It rises in the southeast and flows northward for 240 miles (390 km) to enter Butuan Bay of the Bohol Sea. The river forms a fertile valley 40 to 50 miles (65–80 km) wide between the Central Mindanao Highlands (west) and the Pacific Cordillera (east). Important population centres are clustered around the bay and include Butuan, Cabadbaran, and

Catamarca

2005-02-13T03:42:00.000-08:00

Also called San Fernando Del Valle De Catamarca city, capital of Catamarca province, northwestern Argentina, on the Río del Valle de Catamarca, a river between the two south-pointing spurs of the Andean sierras of Ambato and Ancasti. Originally named Londres, it was founded by the explorer Juan Pérez de Zurita (1559) in the Valle de Quinmivil. Following various moves due to hostile Indians, Catamarca was established in

Min

2005-02-13T01:17:00.000-08:00

In ancient Egyptian religion, a god of fertility and harvest, embodiment of the masculine principle; he was also worshiped as the Lord of the Eastern Desert. His cult originated in predynastic times (4th millennium BC). Min was represented with phallus erect, a flail in his raised right hand. His cult was strongest in Coptos and Akhmim (Panopolis), where in his honour great festivals

Javorníky

2005-02-12T04:03:00.000-08:00

Mountains in central Czechoslovakia, on the western fringe of the Carpathian Mountains and forming part of the boundary between Moravia and Slovakia. The ridge of the Javorníky peaks—the highest, at 3,514 feet (1,071 m), is Velký Javorník, overlooking the village of Velké Karlovice—divides the Becva-Oder river systems to the north and west from the Váh River to the east. Climate

Argentina, Press and broadcasting

2005-02-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

The mass media in Argentina are well advanced among Latin American nations. In Buenos Aires the largest newspapers are published, and many have electronic editions on the Internet. The largest daily circulation is claimed by Clarín; two other large-circulation dailies, La nación and La prensa, founded in 1870 and 1869, respectively, have high reputations in the Spanish-speaking

Affective Fallacy

2005-02-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Those who support the affective criterion

Gulmarg

2005-02-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

Resort town situated in the Indian-held sector of Jammu and Kashmir state, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Located at an elevation of 8,500 feet (2,600 m), Gulmarg (meaning “meadow of flowers”) displays a breathtaking panoramic view of the whole Vale of Kashmir and of Nanga Parbat, one of the highest peaks (26,660 feet [8,126 m]) of the Himalayas. The valley and mountains may be viewed

Saraikela

2005-02-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Seraikela city, southern Bihar state, northeastern India. The city is a road and agricultural-trade centre located on an undulating plain with copper, iron-ore, asbestos, and limestone deposits. Saraikela was the capital of a former princely state that was founded by Bikram Singh of the Porahat Raj family in the 17th century. It was a sanad (grant) state of the Chota Nagpur Commission

Tear Gas

2005-02-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Lacrimator, any of a group of substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, causing a stinging sensation and tears. They may also irritate the upper respiratory tract, causing coughing, choking, and general debility. Tear gas was first used in World War I in chemical warfare, but since its effects are short-lasting and rarely disabling, it came into use by law-enforcement

Houbraken, Arnold

2005-02-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Dutch painter and art writer noted for his three-volume biographical study of Netherlandish painters, De groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen (1718–21). Houbraken was a competent if rather uninspired academic painter, but his De Groote Schouburgh is the single most important source of information

Rime Riche

2005-02-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

Also called identical rhyme in French and English prosody, a rhyme produced by agreement in sound not only of the last accented vowel and any succeeding sounds but also of the consonant preceding this rhyming vowel. A rime riche may consist of homographs (fair/fair) or homophones (write/right). It is distinguished from rime suffisante.

Valdemar Iv Atterdag

2005-02-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

A son of King Christopher II, Valdemar lived after 1328 at the court of Louis IV the Bavarian, Holy

Wollstein, Martha

2005-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Wollstein graduated from the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary in 1889. In 1890 she joined the staff of the Babies Hospital in New York City, where she was appointed pathologist in 1892. Her first experimental work involved infant diarrhea and confirmed earlier studies

Arabian Religion

2005-02-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

The sanctuaries, sometimes carved in the rock on high places, consisted of a haram, a sacred open-air enclosure, accessible only to unarmed and ritually clean people in ritual clothes. There the baetyl, a “raised stone,” or a statue of the god, was worshiped. The Nabataeans originally represented their gods as baetyls on a podium, but later they gave them a human

Sayers, Gale

2005-02-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Sayers first gained national attention as a two-time

Stadholder

2005-02-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Stadtholder, Dutch Stadhouder, provincial executive officer in the Low Countries, or Netherlands, from the 15th through the 18th century. The office acquired extensive powers in the United Provinces of the Netherlands (Dutch Republic). Introduced by the ruling Burgundian dukes in the 15th century and continued unchanged by the succeeding Habsburg rulers, the stadholderates were at first occupied

Lod

2005-02-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Lydda, city, central Israel, on the Plain of Sharon southeast of Tel Aviv–Yafo. Of ancient origin, it is mentioned several times in the Bible: in a New Testament account (Acts 9:32), the apostle Peter healed the paralytic at Lod. The city was a well-known centre of Jewish scholars and merchants from the 5th century BC until the Roman conquest in AD 70. It was the Roman colony of Diospolis after AD 200 and

Armstrong (of Cragside), William George Armstrong, Baron

2005-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Armstrong abandoned his Newcastle law practice in 1847 to devote full time to scientific experimentation. He founded an engineering works at Elswick-on-Tyne

Arts, South Asian, Epics

2005-02-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

The age of the Pallavas (300?–900), a warrior dynasty of Hindu kings, is known for its epics, beginning with Cilappatikaram (“The Jewelled Anklet”) and Manimekalai (“The Girdle of Gems”) and including an incomplete narrative, Perunkatai (“The Great Story”), the Civakacintamani (“The Amulet of Civakan”) by Tiruttakkatevar, and Culamani (“The Crest Jewel”) by Tolamolittevar. The last three works depict Jaina kings

Scandinavian Literature, Finno-Swedish literature

2005-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

A significant literature in the Swedish language developed in Finland during the 1800s. Its emergence can be traced to the works of Johan Ludvig Runeberg. His epic poems, Elgskyttarne (1832; “The Moose Hunters”) and Hanna (1836), won him a place in Swedish letters. Notable, too, were the writings of Zacharias Topelius, which contributed to the development of the Finnish historical novel.

Tábor

2005-02-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

City, Jihoceský kraj (region), Czech Republic. It lies along a bend in the Luznice River 50 miles (80 km) south of Prague. Founded in 1420 by Jan Zizka and other followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus, Tábor became the radical centre of the more militant members of the movement, known as the Taborites. These people fostered the national spirit and the preservation of the Czech

Ibn Falaquera

2005-02-02T02:21:00.000-08:00

His numerous works include Dialogue Between a Philosopher and a Man of Piety; an ethical treatise known as The Balm of Sorrow; an introduction

Chadwick, George Whitefield

2005-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

Chadwick studied organ and music theory in Boston and in 1877 went to Germany to study under Karl Reinecke, Salomon Jadassohn, and Josef Rheinberger. Returning to the United States in 1880, he was engaged as instructor in music theory

Udi-nsukka Plateau

2005-02-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Pair of plateaus in south-central Nigeria that form a nearly continuous elevated area. The Nsukka Plateau, which forms the main eastward-facing escarpment, extends about 80 miles (130 km) from Nsukka in the north to Enugu in the south. The Udi Plateau continues southward for about 100 miles (160 km) to a point near Okigwi. The average elevation is slightly more than 1,000 feet (300 m), and the highest

Planet X

2005-01-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

At the time its existence was proposed (1972), Planet X was stated to be located in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia. The planet was calculated to have a mass approximately

Wells-barnett, Ida Bell

2005-01-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

Ida Wells was the daughter of slaves. She was educated at Rust University, a freedmen's school in her native Holly Springs, Mississippi, and at age 14 began teaching in a country school. She continued to teach after moving to Memphis, Tennessee,

China, Tibet and Nepal

2005-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Ch'ing control of Tibet reached its height in 1792. But thereafter China became unable to protect Tibet from foreign invasion. When an army from northern India invaded western Tibet in 1841, China could not afford to reinforce the Tibetans, who expelled the enemy on their own. China was a mere bystander during a coup d'état in Lhasa in 1844 and could not protect Tibet when it was invaded

Oak Moss

2005-01-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

(Evernia prunastri), species of fruticose (branched, bushy) lichen valued in perfumery for its heavy, oriental fragrance and as a fixative base. It grows in mountainous areas throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. The pale greenish gray thallus, 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3 inches) long, is palmately branched, ending in pointed tips. The upper surface is green and warty with pale gray

Austin, John Langshaw

2005-01-30T03:41:00.000-08:00

After receiving early education at Shrewsbury School and Balliol College, Oxford, he became a fellow at All Souls College (1933) and Magdalen College (1935), where he studied traditional Greco-Roman

Nova Scotia, Industries

2005-01-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

Mining is another major industry in Nova Scotia. Coal is the leading mined product, and some 70 percent of the province's energy needs are met through thermal coal. Salt and anhydrite production also meet a wide demand, and the provincial gypsum deposits yield 75 percent of Canada's supply. There are also significant supplies of barite and construction materials, such

Mysticism, Union of opposites

2005-01-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Mystical experience is flanked with a communication hazard, a “polar identity.” The linguistic liberties and extravagances are part of the logical impossibility of having to describe one order of experience in terms of another. Hence, the rhetoric of mysticism is largely one of symbols and paradoxes. The most striking of the strategies, as the medieval Christian

Acuff, Roy

2005-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Turning his attention to music after an aborted baseball career, Acuff gained

Auster, Paul

2005-01-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Columbia University (M.A., 1970), Auster moved to France, where he began translating the works of French writers and publishing his own work in American journals. He gained renown for

Laidoner, Johan

2005-01-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

Educated in Russia for a military career, Laidoner earned the rank of lieutenant colonel in Russian service. He served in World War I (1914–18) as an intelligence

Keaton, Buster

2005-01-26T21:44:00.000-08:00

The son of vaudevillians, Keaton is said to have earned his famous nickname when, at age 18 months, he fell down a staircase; magician

France, History Of, Mitterrand's first term

2005-01-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

Mitterrand moved at once to carry out what appeared to be the voters' mandate. He named as prime minister a longtime Socialist militant, Pierre Mauroy, whose Cabinet was almost solidly Socialist except for four Communists. Major reforms followed quickly. A broad sector of the economy was nationalized (including 11 large industrial conglomerates and most private