MixedNet

Ma Yuan

2005-04-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ma Yüan influential Chinese landscape painter whose work, together with that of Xia Gui, formed the basis of the Ma-Xia school of painting. Ma occasionally painted flowers, but his genius lay in landscape painting, his lyrical and romantic interpretation becoming the model for later painters. He was a master of “one-corner” painting,

Jackson Hole National Monument

2005-04-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

Fertile mountain valley and wildlife reserve mostly in Grand Teton National Park (q.v.), northwestern Wyoming, U.S.

Razmara, Ali

2005-04-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Razmara graduated from the French military academy at Saint-Cyr in 1925. After serving in the pacification campaigns in the Kurdistan and Laristan regions of Iran under Reza Khan (later Reza Shah Pahlavi), he became director of the Tehran Military Cadet College

Ramatirtha

2005-04-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Rama Tirtha, original name Tirath Rama Hindu religious leader known for the highly personal and poetic manner in which he taught what he styled “Practical Vedanta,” using common experiences to illustrate the divine nature of man. For Ramatirtha, any object whatever could be approached as a “mirror to

Sordone

2005-04-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

Rare double-reed wind instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries, an early precursor of the bassoon. It differs from the curtal, the bassoon's direct predecessor, in having a cylindrical bore (a bassoon bore is conical). The bore, cut into a single piece of wood, doubled in a narrow U-shape and emerged in a lateral hole. Finger holes were cut in the instrument wall. The sordone produced

Manasseh, Prayer Of

2005-04-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), one of a collection of songs appended to the Old Testament book of Psalms in several manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible). The Prayer of Manasseh, best known of the collection, is a penitential prayer written as an extension of 2 Chronicles 33:11–13, wherein Manasseh, successor to Hezekiah

Amphibian, Distribution and abundance

2005-03-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

Found in almost every type of environment except the high latitudes in the Arctic, Antarctica, various oceanic islands, and some extremely xeric (dry) deserts, frogs and toads show the greatest diversity in humid tropical environments. Salamanders primarily inhabit the Northern Hemisphere and are most abundant in cool, moist, montane forests;

Music, Western, Ancient Greece

2005-03-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

Of the eastern Mediterranean cultures, it was undoubtedly that of the Greeks that furnished the most direct link with musical development in western Europe, by way of the Romans, who defeated them but adopted much of Greek culture intact. Entering historical times relatively late, c. 1000 BC, the Greeks soon dominated their neighbours and absorbed many elements of earlier

Akita

2005-03-31T01:02:00.000-08:00

Breed of working dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan. In 1931 the Japanese government designated the breed as a national treasure. It was employed as a hunting and fighting dog and is now trained for police and guard work. The Akita is a powerful, muscular dog with a broad head, erect, pointed ears (small in relation to head size), and a large curved tail carried

Tolima

2005-03-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

Departamento, central Colombia, extending from the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Central across the Magdalena River valley to the Cordillera Oriental. Created in 1861, it occupies an area of 9,097 square miles (23,562 square km). The department ranks first in Colombia in the production of rice and sesame; other crops grown in Tolima include cotton, coffee, corn (maize), bananas, sugarcane,

Indian Hemp

2005-03-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Hemp Dogbane (species Apocynum cannabinum), North American plant of the dogbane family Apocynaceae (order Gentianales). It is a branched perennial that grows up to 1.5 m (5 feet) tall and has smooth opposite leaves and small greenish white flowers. Indians used the fibres from the stem to make bags, mats, nets, and cordage. Its milky juice, or latex, yields rubber, and the dried roots of Indian

Mountain, Mountain belts associated with crustal shortening

2005-03-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

Most mountain belts of the world and nearly all of those in Europe, Asia, and North America have been built by horizontal crustal shortening and associated crustal thickening. The landforms associated with such belts depend on the rates, amounts, and types of crustal deformation that occur and on the types of rocks that are exposed to erosion. To some extent the deformation

Gates Of The Arctic National Park And Preserve

2005-03-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

Large, remote wilderness area in northern Alaska, U.S. It is part of a vast region of national parks, monuments, and preserves located north of the Arctic Circle that stretches for hundreds of miles from west to east. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area underwent boundary changes in 1980 when it became a national park and preserve. The total area of the park is 11,756 square

Eurythmics

2005-03-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

Eurythmics was developed about 1905 by the Swiss musician Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, a professor of harmony at the Geneva Conservatory, who was convinced that the conventional system of

Q

2005-03-27T03:12:00.000-08:00

Pseudonym of Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (q.v.).

Saxe, (hermann-) Maurice, Comte De

2005-03-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of the elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (later also King Augustus II of Poland), young Maurice was sent by his father to serve under Prince Eugene of Savoy against the French in Flanders

Dowland, John

2005-03-26T05:24:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of Dowland's childhood, but in 1580 he went to Paris as a “servant” to Sir Henry Cobham, the ambassador to the French court. In 1588 he received a bachelor of music degree from the University of Oxford. His conversion to

Furniture, Commercial modern

2005-03-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

Most modern furniture designed between 1930 and 1940 was bulky, bulbous, glowingly coloured, glossily finished, and rich with hardware or shiny fabric. It pleased the public but not critics and connoisseurs. Gradually, and more noticeably after 1945, stylistic details filtered down from more progressive design levels to appear as commercial fads, such as sectional seating and

Nervous System, Human, Reciprocal innervation

2005-03-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Any cold, hot, or noxious stimulus striking the skin of the foot contracts the flexor muscle of that limb, relaxes the extensor muscles of the same limb, and extends the opposite limb. The purpose of these movements is to remove one limb from harm while shifting weight to the opposite limb. That is the first and immediate response, but a slower and longer-lasting reflex

Van Devanter, Willis

2005-03-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Cincinnati Law School in 1881, he initially worked for his father's law firm; but in 1884, he moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., to become a railroad attorney. There he became involved in territorial politics, serving on a commission to codify the Wyoming statutes in 1886, as city attorney

Mu'tamid, Al-

2005-03-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

At age 13 al-Mu'tamid commanded a military expedition that had been sent against the city of Silves. The venture was successful, and he was appointed governor

Aliyah

2005-03-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

Plural aliyahs, aliyoth , or aliyot , Hebrew 'aliya (“going up”) in Judaism, the honour accorded to a worshiper of being called up to read an assigned passage from the Torah (first five books of the Bible). Because the passage assigned for each sabbath-morning service is subdivided into a minimum of seven sections, at least seven different persons are called up for these readings. An additional reader is called up to repeat part of

Tihamat 'asir

2005-03-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Coastal plain of the Asir region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the central southern section of the great Tihamah (coastal plain), running down the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is situated between the mountains of western Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea and is immediately north of Yemen. Approximately 40 miles (64 km) in width, its salty tidal plain is of limited agricultural

Anthem

2005-03-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

At first, unaccompanied choral writing, or

Kahramanmaras

2005-03-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Capital of the Hittite kingdom of Gurgum (c. 12th century BC), it was known to the 8th-century-BC conquering Assyrians as Markasi and later to the Romans as

Packing

2005-03-19T03:35:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, a type of problem in combinatorial geometry that involves placement of figures of a given size or shape within another given figure—with greatest economy or subject to some other restriction. The problem of placement of a given number of spheres within a given volume of space is an example of a packing problem.

Pieman River

2005-03-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

River, northwestern Tasmania, Australia. It is formed near Tullah by the confluence of the Macintosh and Murchison rivers. The 61-mile- (98-kilometre-) long main stream is fed by the Huskisson and Stanley rivers and then flows generally west to its estuary, which also receives the Donaldson, Whyte, and Savage rivers at Hardwicke Bay on the Indian Ocean. The river was named for

Devadasi

2005-03-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

The caste appears to date from the 9th and 10th centuries, the great period of temple building in South India. The women attended the god—fanned the icon, honoured it with lights, and sang and

La Salle

2005-03-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

City, La Salle county, north-central Illinois, U.S., on the Illinois River. With Peru (west) and Oglesby (south), it forms a tri-city unit. Settled in 1830 and named for the explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, its growth was stimulated by the Illinois and Michigan Canal (1848) and the arrival in the 1850s of the Illinois Central and Rock Island railroads. Its economy, based mainly on coal

Biblical Literature, Composition and authorship

2005-03-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

The Torah, or Pentateuch (Five Scrolls), traditionally the most revered portion of the Hebrew canon, comprises a series of narratives, interspersed with law codes, providing an account of events from the beginning of the world to the death of Moses. Modern critical scholarship tends to hold that there were originally four books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers)

Chelmsford

2005-03-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

Remains of the Roman settlement of Caesaromagus have been discovered in the locality. In 1227 Chelmsford town became the regular seat of the county judicial gatherings known as assizes and quarter

La Tuque

2005-03-15T01:55:00.000-08:00

Town, Mauricie–Bois-Francs region, southern Quebec province, Canada, situated on the Saint-Maurice River. During the French regime, the site was occupied by a trading post of the Company of New France. The original lumbering settlement of 1908 was named for a rock on the river's edge that was shaped like a tuque, the woolen headgear that was worn by early French trappers. The

Advocate Of Moral Reform

2005-03-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

First published in New York City in 1835, the Advocate of Moral Reform gained some 20,000 subscribers over the next few years. Serving as a voice for members of the moral reform movement, the journal's mission

Adams, John

2005-03-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

The election of 1800 again pitted Adams against Jefferson. Adams ran ahead of the Federalist candidates for Congress, who were swept from office in a Republican landslide. However, thanks to the deft maneuvering of Aaron Burr, all 12 of New York's electoral votes went to Jefferson, giving the tandem of Jefferson and Burr the electoral victory (73–65). Jefferson was eventually elected president by the House of Representatives, which chose him over Burr on the 36th ballot. In his last weeks in office, Adams made several Federalist appointments to the judiciary, including John Marshall as chief justice of the United States. These “midnight judges” offended Jefferson, who resented the encroachment on his own presidential prerogatives. Adams, the first president to reside in the presidential mansion (later called the White House) in Washington, D.C., was also the first—and one of the very few—presidents not to attend the inauguration of his successor. On March 4, 1801, he was already on the road back to Quincy.

Averescu, Alexandru

2005-03-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

After serving in the Romanian war of independence against Turkey (Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78), Averescu was sent to Italy for military training. As an army

Canadian Shield

2005-03-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

The Canadian Shield constitutes the largest mass

Taboga Island

2005-03-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

Spanish Isla Taboga, island in the Bay of Panama, Panama. Taboga and its small neighbour, Taboguilla Island, lie 11 miles (18 km) south of Panama City, with which they are connected by boat service. Taboga, about 2 miles (3 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, is known for its pineapples and mangoes and is a year-round tourist resort. Visitors are attracted by its church, one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, by

Adams, John

2005-03-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

Nationwide association of labour unions in Canada, comprising both wholly Canadian “national” unions and “international” unions that are Canadian branches of unions based in the United States. The CLC was formed in 1956 through the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour. At the onset of the 21st century, a majority of the four

Mahajanga

2005-03-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Formerly Majunga, town and major port, northwestern Madagascar. It lies on the island's northwest coast, at the mouth of the Betsiboka River, whose estuary widens there into Bombetoka Bay. The town was the capital of the 18th-century kingdom of Boina. The French occupied Mahajanga in 1895 at the beginning of their conquest of Madagascar. The town's old sector is confined mainly to the harbour

Tucholsky, Kurt

2005-03-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

After studying law and serving in World War I, Tucholsky left Germany in 1924 and lived first in Paris and after 1929 in Sweden. He contributed to Rote Signale (1931; “Red Signals”), a collection of

Iri

2005-03-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

City, Cholla-pukto (North Cholla Province), western South Korea, 16 mi (26 km) east of the port city of Kunsan. In the northern part of the Honam-p'yongya (plain), the largest granary of South Korea, it is the market centre for the agricultural products, particularly rice, of the area. The city is also the transportation junction of rail lines leading to Mokp'o, Mok'o, Taejon, and Kunsan. Despite

Mars

2005-03-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Blood-red in colour and sometimes called the Red Planet, Mars has long been associated with warfare and slaughter. It is named for the Roman god of war. As

Sangareddi

2005-03-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sangareddy , also called Sangareddipet town, administrative headquarters of Medak district, Andhra Pradesh state, southern India, on the Deccan Plateau near the Manjra River. The town has mainly an agricultural economy (rice, sugarcane, and oilseeds) and is noted for the manufacture of brass, silverware, and silk cloth. Pop. (1981) 31,360.

Masirah

2005-03-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Masira, island of Oman, in the Arabian Sea, off the country's southeastern coast. The island is separated from the mainland by the narrow Tur'at (channel) Masirah. There is an airfield, occupied by the British until the late 1970s, at the northern tip. The Gulf of Masira lies between the island (north) and the Ra's (cape) al-Madrakah (south). Masirah is the habitat of large colonies of turtles. There

Luzon

2005-03-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Ear, Human, Semicircular canals

2005-03-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

The three semicircular canals of the bony labyrinth are designated, according to their position, superior, horizontal, and posterior (Figure 3). The superior and posterior canals are in diagonal vertical planes that intersect at right angles. Each canal has an expanded end, the ampulla, which opens into the vestibule. The ampullae of the horizontal and superior canals

France, History Of, The partitioning of the Carolingian empire

2005-03-07T01:59:00.000-08:00

After the death of Louis I the Pious (840), his sons continued their plotting to alter the succession. Louis II the German and Charles II the Bald affirmed their alliance against Lothair I (Oath of Strasbourg, 842).

Allele

2005-03-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Allelomorph, any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles may occur in pairs, or there may be multiple alleles affecting the expression (phenotype) of a particular trait. If the paired alleles are the same, the organism is said to be homozygous for that trait; if they are different, the organism is heterozygous. A dominant allele

Rio Grande

2005-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Grande del Norte, or (in Mexico) Río Bravo, or Río Bravo del Norte, fifth longest river of North America, and the 20th longest in the world, forming the border between the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico. Rising as a clear, snow-fed mountain stream more than 12,000 feet (3,700 metres) above sea level in the Rocky Mountains, the Rio Grande descends across steppes and deserts, watering rich agricultural regions as it flows on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The

Dog, Jackals

2005-03-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

There has been some disagreement over the years about whether the jackal is a true canid, but the four known varieties are now thought to be part of the same genus. Jackals are native from southeastern Europe into southern Asia, India, and Africa. The best-known variety is the golden jackal, which is a shimmery rust-gold in colour. Jackals are fleet-footed

Ling Canal

2005-03-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Ling Ch'ü , or (Pinyin) Ling Qu canal in northern Chuang autonomous ch'ü (region) of Kwangsi, China. Ling Canal was constructed to connect the headwaters of the Hsiang River flowing north into Hunan sheng (province), with the Li River, one of the headwater tributaries of the Kuei River, a tributary of the Hsi River leading eventually to Canton. Near the city of Hsing-an in northern Kwangsi, these two rivers

Molinos, Miguel De

2005-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Ordained in 1652, Molinos in 1663 was sent to Rome. There, in 1675, he published his Spiritual Guide, a small handbook teaching that Christian perfection is achieved by a mixture of contemplation

Malakal

2005-03-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Town, east-central Sudan. It lies along the right bank of the White Nile just below the latter's confluence with the Sobat River, 430 miles (690 km) south of Khartoum. The Junqali project, a joint Sudanese-Egyptian plan aimed at increasing agricultural production, diverts the waters of the White Nile from the As-Sudd swamps by means of a 224-mile (360-kilometre) canal that starts from the

Acaraí Mountains

2005-03-03T01:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Acarahy, or Akarai, Portuguese Serra Acaraí, low range on the border of Brazil (Pará state) and southern Guyana. The mountains, which rise to about 2,000 feet (600 m) above sea level, run in an east–west direction for about 80 miles (130 km) and form part of the northern watershed of the Amazon Basin. The whole area is covered with dense tropical rain forest and was mapped by satellite in the late 1970s.

Shabaka

2005-03-02T03:36:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his brother Piankhi, in Cush (in the modern Sudan), Shabaka moved north, captured Bocchoris, the second king of the 24th dynasty, and, according to tradition, burned him alive. He probably made Memphis, near Cairo, his capital and adopted the titles of the

Cabañas

2005-03-01T23:07:00.000-08:00

Department, north central El Salvador, bordered to the north and east by the Río Lempa Valley, with an area of 426 sq mi (1,104 sq km). It was formed in 1873. The production of indigo, important in the 19th century, has declined. Grain, sugar, rice, and beans are cultivated, and livestock is raised for dairy produce. Cabañas is noted for pottery, made from the excellent local clay deposits and centred

Fu-ping

2005-03-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Fubing, peasant “militia” system established in China around the 6th century AD. The fu-ping was first begun by the short-lived Western Wei (535–556/557) and Northern Chou (557–581) dynasties in North China in an effort to prevent incursions by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. Groups of peasants were given military training and organized into armed companies in which they were required to participate

Manchu Language

2005-02-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Vowel harmony, in which vowels

Deventer, Conrad Theodor Van

2005-02-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

Van Deventer, educated in the law, left in 1880 for the Indies, where he worked as a lawyer and held various judicial posts. The outer islands (i.e., those outside

Jackling, Daniel Cowan

2005-02-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the Missouri School of Mines, Rolla, in 1892, Jackling taught chemistry and metallurgy there (1891–93) and then worked (1894–95) as a chemist and metallurgist

John I

2005-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

Byname The Prince of Fond Memory, or John of Aviz, John the Great, or John the Bastard, Portuguese O Principe de Boa Memória, or João de Aviz, João o Grande, or João o Bastardo king of Portugal from 1385 to 1433, who preserved his country's independence from Castile and initiated Portugal's overseas expansion. He was the founder of the Aviz, or Joanina (Johannine), dynasty.

Mardi Gras

2005-02-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

(French: Fat Tuesday), festive day celebrated in France on the Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday; q.v.) before Ash Wednesday, which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. In the United States the festival is most elaborately celebrated in New Orleans. See carnival.

'amr Ibn Al-'as, Mosque Of

2005-02-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Though originally a modest structure, it was destroyed and restored so often that it is impossible to know the appearance of the first building. The Umayyad 'Abd al-'Az

Black Powder

2005-02-26T00:55:00.000-08:00

First type of explosive mixture invented for use in firearms and for blasting (see gunpowder).

Annelid, Regeneration

2005-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

It has been said that annelids are the most highly organized animals with the power of complete regeneration. The powers of regeneration are greater in the polychaetes and lower oligochaetes than in the higher oligochaetes; leeches lack the ability to regenerate. Most polychaetes and oligochaetes can regenerate a new tail. The ability to replace an amputated

Capuchin

2005-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Member of Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (O.F.M.Cap.) an autonomous branch of the Franciscan order of religious men, begun as a reform movement in 1525 by Matteo da Bascio, who wanted to return to a literal observance of the rule of St. Francis of Assisi and to introduce elements of the solitary life of hermits. Matteo was concerned that the habit, or religious uniform, worn by the Franciscans was not one that St. Francis had worn;

Andalusia

2005-02-23T22:54:00.000-08:00

Andalusia has a long history. Agriculture and complex society had developed in the region by 4000 BCE. During the 9th century BCE the Phoenicians founded the coastal colony of Gadir (now Cádiz), and by the 5th century BCE Carthaginians and Greeks had colonized the coast, while the indigenous Iberian peoples of the interior developed a rich urban culture. The Romans led by Scipio Africanus

Bahadur Shah Ii

2005-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

He was the second son of Akbar Shah II and Lal Bai. For most of his reign he was a client of the British and was without real authority. He figured briefly, and unwillingly, in the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58; during the

Wolcott, Roger

2005-02-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

After service as a clothier's apprentice, Wolcott became a successful tradesman. In 1707 he became a selectman for the town of Windsor. He was admitted to the bar in 1709 and was that year elected to the lower house of Connecticut's legislature. Wolcott

Arabian Sea

2005-02-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Geology and hydrology of the Arabian Sea are dealt with in N.K. Panikkar and R. Jayaraman, “Biological and Oceanographic Differences Between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal as Observed from the Indian Region,” Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, 64:231–240 (1966); Henry Stommel and Warren S. Wooster, “Reconnaissance of the Somali Current During the Southwest Monsoon,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 54(1):8–13 (July 1965). Economic resources are outlined in J.H. Ryther et al., “Primary Organic Production in Relation to the Chemistry and Hydrography of the Western Indian Ocean,” Limnology and Oceanography, 11:371–380 (1966). A series of short reports in Science, 209(4456):588–603 (Aug. 1, 1980), summarizes the results of the Indian Ocean Experiment in 1979 surveying the Somali Current and the western equatorial Indian Ocean.

Loden Coat

2005-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Loden cloth is dyed in several colours, but bluish green is the most common. The jacket sometimes has a stiff, standup collar and is trimmed with

Gerizim, Mount

2005-02-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jabal At-tur, Hebrew Har Gerizim, mountain in Samaria, central Palestine, just south of Nabulus and the site of biblical Shechem. In modern times, it was in mandated Palestine 1923–48, and subsequently in Jordan 1950–67. Since 1967, it has been part of the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) territory under Israeli administration. Rising to 2,890 ft (881 m) above sea level, it is a twin of Mt. Ebal (Hebrew Har 'Eval, Arabic Jabal 'Aybal; 3,084 ft [940 m]) just north.

Vagus Nerve

2005-02-21T04:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Tenth Cranial Nerve, longest and most complex of the cranial nerves. The vagus nerve runs from the brain through the face and thorax to the abdomen. It is a mixed nerve that contains parasympathetic fibres. The vagus nerve has two sensory ganglia (masses of nerve tissue that transmit sensory impulses): the superior and the inferior ganglia. The branches of the superior ganglion innervate

Cumberland Presbyterian Church

2005-02-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

Denomination organized in 1810 by a group of Presbyterians on the Kentucky–Tennessee frontier who left the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The immediate cause of the separation was a religious revival in the Kentucky area (1799–1802) that brought many converts into the church and led to a shortage of ordained ministers. The Cumberland Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in

Simon, Paul

2005-02-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

One of the most paradoxical figures in rock-and-roll history, Simon exemplified many of the principles against which the music initially reacted. From his first big hit, “The Sounds of Silence,” in 1965, Simon aspired to a self-consciously elevated poetic tone in his

Guadeloupe

2005-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Officially Department of Guadeloupe, French Département de la Guadeloupe, overseas département of France, a group of islands in the Lesser Antilles chain in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The nearest neighbours of the principal islands are the British dependency of Montserrat to the northwest and the republic of Dominica to the south. The island of Martinique, also a French overseas département, lies about 74 miles to the south. The main territory

Bonaventure, Saint

2005-02-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

He was a son of Giovanni of Fidanza, a physician, and Maria

Euripides

2005-02-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Last of classical Athens' three great tragic dramatists, following Aeschylus and Sophocles.

Switzerland, Environment

2005-02-18T05:41:00.000-08:00

A number of environmental problems must be addressed if Switzerland is to maintain the integrity of its unique landscape. Air pollution in the cities and the mountain valleys, depending on atmospheric conditions, has steadily worsened despite federal legislation. All Swiss vehicles must pass an annual emissions test; however, weak links are the millions of foreign

Bradley, Edward Riley

2005-02-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Bradley worked in steel mills, then went to the Southwest, where he became a cowboy and fought Indians and was briefly a miner before he turned to gambling, which became a lifelong passion. Before the turn of the century,

Simon, Paul

2005-02-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Yajña

2005-02-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

A yajña is always purposeful, even though the aim may be as general as sustaining the natural order of the universe. Correct performance

Meletius Of Lycopolis

2005-02-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

For presuming to ordain clergy and bishops for Christian

Mountain, Tectonic processes that produce high elevations

2005-02-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

As noted above, individual mountains, mountain ranges, mountain belts, and plateaus exist because tectonic processes have elevated terrains faster than erosion could destroy them. High elevations are created by three major processes: volcanism, horizontal crustal shortening as manifested by folding and by faulting, and the heating and thermal expansion of

Actinium Series

2005-02-14T02:32:00.000-08:00

Set of unstable heavy nuclei constituting one of the four radioactive series (q.v.).

Black Lung

2005-02-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Black-lung Disease, or Coal-workers' Pneumoconiosis, respiratory disorder, a type of pneumoconiosis caused by repeated inhalation of coal dust over a period of years. The disease gets its name from a distinctive blue-black marbling of the lung caused by accumulation of the dust. Georgius Agricola, a German mineralogist, first described lung disease in coal miners in the 16th century, and it is now widely recognized. It

Talbiyah

2005-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

In Islam, the formulaic pronouncement labbaykah allahummah labbaykah (“at your service, O Lord, at your service”), recited especially during a pilgrimage when pious Muslims perform the tawaf—i.e., walk around the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah. The question whether the talbiyah is obligatory or merely a commendable tradition has been much discussed, but Muslim theologians have

Zaharoff, Sir Basil

2005-02-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

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

Fargue, Léon-paul

2005-02-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Before he reached 20 years of age, Fargue had already published his important poem Tancrède in the magazine Pan (1895; published in book form in 1911) and had become a member of the Symbolist circle connected with Le Mercure de France. His first collection of verse, Poèmes, was published

Cartridge

2005-02-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

In weaponry, unit of small-arms ammunition, composed of a metal (usually brass) case, a propellant charge, a projectile or bullet, and a primer. The first cartridges, appearing in the second half of the 16th century, consisted merely of charges of powder wrapped in paper; the ball was loaded separately. During the next century, methods of including the ball with the powder were

épinal

2005-02-12T06:22:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of the Vosges département, Lorraine région, eastern France, on the Moselle River, south-southeast of Nancy. The town, located on two arms of the Moselle, is divided into four parts. The town proper, known as the grande ville (“large town”), or vieille ville (“old town”), stands on the right bank of the main river. The petite ville (“little town”) is on an island between the two

Tegea

2005-02-11T00:57:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek city of eastern Arcadia, 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of the modern town of Trípolis. The Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea was described by the Greek geographer Pausanias (2nd century AD) as excelling all others in the Peloponnese. Originally built by the city's traditional founder, Aleus, the temple was later rebuilt by Scopas, the famous sculptor. Fragments of the temple

Arnold Of Brescia

2005-02-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

George William Greenaway, Arnold of Brescia (1931, reprinted 1978).

Montalembert, Marc-rené, Marquis De

2005-02-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

Montalembert entered the French army in 1732 and served in the War of the Polish Succession

Thompson, Dorothy

2005-02-09T03:55:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a Methodist minister, Thompson attended the Lewis Institute in Chicago and Syracuse University in New York (A.B., 1914), where she became ardently committed to woman suffrage. After World War I she went to Europe as a freelance correspondent

Muhu

2005-02-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

German Moon, archipelago and island, Estonia, separating the Gulf of Riga from the Baltic Sea. The archipelago's three main islands are Saaremaa (q.v.), the largest, in the south; Hiiumaa (q.v.) in the north; and Muhu, the smallest, in the east nearest the mainland. Navigable straits separate the islands from each other and from the mainland. Ferries serve the archipelago, and a causeway links

Biblical Literature, Biblical literature in the liturgy of Judaism

2005-02-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

Because the synagogue arose in a land separated from the Jerusalem Temple with its sacrificial

Jacobs, Helen Hull

2005-02-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Jacobs was the national junior tennis champion in 1924–25 and attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 1926 to 1929. She was defeated by Helen Wills in the 1928 finals at Forest Hills, New York, and in the Wimbledon

Beijing, Museums and libraries

2005-02-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

The Palace Museum, housed in the main buildings of the former Imperial Palaces, contains the city's greatest collection of art treasures. Many of the halls are kept as they were in dynastic times, each constituting a museum in itself, and others are used to display some of the priceless treasures from China's past. Of special interest are its porcelains and enamels, works

Parade

2005-02-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

A type of pageant (q.v.) whose main feature is a public procession.