ThickBee

Davenport, Thomas

2005-11-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

A blacksmith in Brandon, Vt., Davenport began experimenting with electromagnets after observing one in use at an ironworks in Crown Point, N.Y., in 1831. By 1834 he had

Equatorial Guinea

2005-10-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Officially Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Spanish República de Guinea Ecuatorial, country located on the west coast of Africa. It consists of Río Muni (also called Mbini), on the continent, and five islands: Bioko (formerly Fernando Po), Corisco, Great Elobey (Elobey Grande), Little Elobey (Elobey Chico), and Annobón. A fragmented country, it has a total area of 10,830 square miles (28,051 square kilometres). The capital of the republic is Malabo on Bioko. Bata is the administrative

Hooks, Benjamin L.

2005-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hooks attended Le Moyne College in Memphis (1941–43) and Howard University, Washington, D.C. (1943–44; B.A., 1944), served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and later studied law at De Paul University in Chicago (J.D., 1948); no

Vacarescu Family

2005-07-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ienachita (1740–99), after traveling and studying in St. Petersburg and Vienna, wrote poems inspired by Russian folk songs. He wrote the first Romanian grammar book (Gramatica româneasca, 1787). His chief poems, Amarîta turturea (“Sad Turtledove”) and Testamentul, reveal a high artistic

Faenza Majolica

2005-07-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Majolica also spelled Maiolica, tin-glazed earthenware produced in the city of Faenza in the Emilia district of Italy from the late 14th century. Early Faenza ware is represented by green and purple jugs decorated with Gothic lettering and heraldic lions and by Tuscan oak leaf jars. The first significant majolica piece, a wall plaque, is dated 1475. Typical Renaissance motifs appear on 15th-century ware,

Biblical Literature, The Geneva Bible

2005-07-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

The brief efflorescence of the Protestant movement during the short reign of Edward VI (1547–53) saw the reissue of the Scriptures, but no fresh attempts at revision. The repressive rule of Edward's successor, Mary, a Roman Catholic, put an end to the printing of Bibles in England for several years. Their public reading was proscribed and their presence in the churches

Lermontov, Mikhail

2005-07-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Only 26 years old when he died, Lermontov had proved his worth as a brilliant and gifted poet-thinker, prose writer, and playwright, the successor of Pushkin, and an exponent of the best traditions of Russian literature. His youthful lyric poetry is filled with a passionate craving for freedom and contains calls to battle, agonizing reflections on how to apply his strengths

Basil The Chamberlain

2005-07-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

After the death of the emperor John I, Basil the Chamberlain controlled the throne for his two grandnephews and co-emperors Constantine and Basil II. After engineering his uncle's downfall, Basil II was finally able to assume his own independent rule.

Wüst, Georg

2005-06-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Wüst received his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1919. After the death of his teacher Alfred

Sill, Anna Peck

2005-06-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sill began teaching school at the age of 20, and in 1843 she opened a seminary in Warsaw, New York. From 1846 to 1849 she headed the female department of the Cary Collegiate Institute in Oakfield, New York. For some years she had wavered between teaching

Allport, Gordon W(illard)

2005-06-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

International cooperative agency of Lutheran churches, organized at Lund, Swed., in 1947. It developed from the Lutheran World Convention, which held conventions in 1923, 1929, and 1935. The effectiveness of the Lutheran World Convention during the war years was hampered because it had no constitution or defined organization. At the Lund conference in 1947 the Lutheran World Convention

Kshitigarbha

2005-06-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”) who, though known in India as early as the 4th century CE, became immensely popular in China as Dicang and in Japan as Jizo. He is the saviour of the oppressed, the dying, and the dreamer of evil dreams, for he has vowed not to stop his labours until he has saved the souls of all the dead condemned to hell. In China he is considered the overlord of hell and is

North Germanic Languages

2005-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

The six standard languages of today, in the order of their emergence as languages of culture and prestige, are Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, Faroese, New Norwegian (Nynorsk), and Dano-Norwegian.

Subiaco

2005-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ancient (Latin) Sublaqueum town, Roma provincia, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies along the Aniene River, 1,345 feet (410 m) above sea level, about 45 miles (73 km) east of Rome. Its ancient name recalls its position below three small lakes where the emperor Nero built a villa. An inundation destroyed the lakes in 1305, and only traces remain of the villa. St. Benedict retired as a hermit (c. 494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (“Holy

Gottschalk Of Orbais

2005-05-14T03:50:00.000-07:00

Of noble birth, Gottschalk was an oblate (i.e., a child dedicated to monastic life by its parents) in the Benedictine abbey of Fulda. Over the objection of his abbot and eventual lifelong enemy, Rabanus

Stuttgart

2005-03-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

City, capital (1945) of Baden-W�rttemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, astride the Neckar River, in a forested vineyard-and-orchard setting in historic Swabia. It lies between the Black Forest on the west and the Swabian Jura to the south. There were prehistoric settlements and a Roman fort in the area of Bad Cannstatt (a suburb), but Stuttgart itself originated as a Stuotgarten,

Nova Persei

2005-03-14T03:42:00.000-08:00

Bright nova that attained an absolute magnitude of -9.2. Spectroscopic observations of the nova, which appeared in 1901, provided important information about interstellar gas. The shell thrown off by the exploding star was unusually asymmetrical, and a bright nebulosity near the star appeared to be expanding incredibly fast, at practically the speed of light. This apparent

Arts, Central Asian, Tibetan music

2005-03-11T02:59:00.002-08:00

Tibetan religious music is the only Central Asian repertoire that has a long history of written notation. This notation, for liturgical chant, consists of neumes - i.e., symbols representing melodic contour rather than precise pitch, similar to the earliest music writing of medieval Europe. Also distinctive is the metaphysical aspect of Tibetan Buddhist music, related

Arts, Central Asian, Tibetan music

2005-03-11T02:59:00.001-08:00

Arts, Central Asian, Tibetan music

2005-03-11T02:59:00.000-08:00

Pitta

2005-03-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

(genus Pitta)� any of about 23 species of Old World birds constituting the family Pittidae. All are stub tailed, long legged, and short necked. They have a rather stout bill and are 15 - 27 centimetres (6 - 10 1/2 inches) in length. Pittas faintly resemble thrushes and are sometimes known as jewelthrushes. The sexes may be alike or unlike in appearance. Most species are found in the Indo-Malayan region,

Akrotiri

2005-03-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

British military enclave in south-central Cyprus that was retained as a �sovereign base area� by the United Kingdom under the London Agreement of 1959 granting the independence of Cyprus. Located southwest of Limassol, the enclave comprises Akrotiri Peninsula, the southernmost part of the island, and a small coastal area north of Episkopi Bay. The enclave has a hospital,

Biblical Literature, The Sadducees

2005-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

The Sadducees, more conservative and static, consisted mainly of the old priesthood and landed aristocracy and, perhaps, some Herodians. They were collaborators with Rome. They did not believe in resurrection because they found no Old Testament enunciation of such a doctrine. In a way, they seemed to respect the Pharisees in legal matters; but both the Pharisees - because

Visayan

2005-02-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Bisayan, � any of three cultural-linguistic groups of the Philippines - Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Samaran (qq.v.).

Earth, The concept of the geoid

2005-02-27T03:28:00.000-08:00

As noted above, the actual sea-level surface of the Earth, even in the absence of the effects of waves, winds, currents, and tides, is not a simple mathematical form. The unperturbed ocean surface must be an equipotential surface of the gravitational field, and because the latter reflects variations due to heterogeneities of density within the Earth, so also do the equipotentials.

Rickets

2005-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that is produced in the skin by the action of sunlight's ultraviolet rays on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3). Vitamin D is also absorbed from the diet, especially from irradiated milk, liver, and fish oils.

Raby, Al

2005-02-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

Raby, a grade-school dropout, taught himself to read when he was a teenager. He later graduated from Chicago Teachers College (1960) and attended the University of Chicago

Cambert, Robert

2005-02-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Cambert was a pupil of the harpsichord composer Jacques Chambonni�res and in 1666 became superintendent of music to the dowager queen, Anne of Austria. In 1659 he collaborated with the poet Pierre Perrin in his first stage work, the Pastorale

Astome

2005-02-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

Any uniformly ciliated protozoan of the order Astomatida, commonly found in annelid worms and other invertebrates. As the name implies, this parasite has no mouth. Some astomes attach themselves to their hosts by suckers; others use various types of hooks or barbs. Asexual reproduction is by transverse fission. In some cases, chains of individuals form by repeated

Abdul-jabbar, Kareem

2005-02-22T03:25:00.000-08:00

Alcindor played for Power Memorial Academy (at 6 feet 8 inches) on the varsity for four years, and his total of 2,067 points set a New York City high school record. He entered the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1965 and set a UCLA

Biblical Literature, Apocalypses

2005-02-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

In addition, it should be noted that there were

Brief

2005-02-20T05:14:00.000-08:00

In the United States a brief is a written legal argument that is presented to a court to aid it in reaching a conclusion on the legal issues involved in the case. It is invariably employed in appellate courts

Hesychius Of Jerusalem

2005-02-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

Serving as a priest in the church in Jerusalem c. 412, Hesychius gained repute as a theologian and catechist, so that by 429 he was

Eiselsberg, Anton, Freiherr Von

2005-02-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

Eiselsberg studied medicine at Vienna, W�rzburg, Z�rich, and Paris. In 1884 he received his M.D. from Vienna, where he was a pupil of and assistant

Automobile Racing

2005-02-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

The stunning success of Nigel Mansell, 1992 Formula One champion, in his first year in U.S. IndyCar competition highlighted a year in which virtuosity and tragedy shared centre stage. The 40-year-old Englishman, driving a Lola-Ford Cosworth for Newman-Haas Racing, edged 1993 Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi for the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) championship. Mansell

Khons

2005-02-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Khonsu, Khensu, or Chons,� in ancient Egyptian religion, moon god who was generally depicted as a youth. A deity with astronomical associations named Khenzu is known from the Pyramid Texts (c. 2350 BC) and is possibly the same as Khons. In Egyptian mythology, Khons was regarded as the son of the god Amon and the goddess Mut. In the period of the late New Kingdom (c. 1100 BC) a major temple was built for Khons in the Karnak

Hypothalamus

2005-02-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

The hypothalamus and pituitary

Seven Holy Founders

2005-02-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Also called �Seven Servite Founders � saints Bonfilius, Alexis Falconieri, John Bonagiunta, Benedict dell'Antella, Bartholomew Amidei, Gerard Sostegni, and Ricoverus Uguccione, who founded the Ordo Fratrum Servorum Sanctae Mariae (�Order of Friar Servants of St. Mary�). Popularly called Servites, the order is a Roman Catholic congregation

Motor-vehicle Insurance

2005-02-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

Liability insurance pays for

Roux, �mile

2005-02-12T02:40:00.000-08:00

Roux began his medical studies at the University of Clermont-Ferrand. In 1878 he was accepted into Pasteur's laboratory at the University of Paris and spent 10 years there, completing

Cineraria

2005-02-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

Greenhouse cinerarias may be

Agung, Mount

2005-02-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

According to one Balinese myth, the deities made mountains for their thrones and placed the highest, Mount Agung, in Bali. According to another myth,

Epistle

2005-02-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

In literature there are two basic traditions of verse epistles, one derived from Horace's Epistles and the other from Ovid's Epistulae heroidum (better known as Heroides). The tradition based on Horace addresses moral and philosophical themes and has been the most popular

Eleazar Ben Azariah

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

Eleazar was a wealthy, learned, and highly esteemed resident of Jabneh who traced his descent through Ezra, the legendary spiritual leader of Palestine. He served

Insurance, Underwriting and rate making

2005-02-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

The two basic functions in insurance are underwriting and rating, which are closely related to each other. Underwriting deals with the selection of risks, and rating deals with the pricing system applicable to the risks accepted.

Ca Mau Peninsula

2005-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Peninsula, the southernmost projection of Vietnam, lying between the South China Sea on the east and the Gulf of Thailand on the west, with drainage to each. The flat, triangular peninsula, with lengths ranging from 110 to 130 miles (180 to 210 km), averages about 7 feet (2 m) above sea level and owes its configuration largely to shore deposits of the Mekong River, which are also responsible

Jia

2005-02-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

The jia can either be a form of pottery or it can be bronze. It is a deep, cup-shaped vessel supported on three or four pointed, splayed legs. There is a vertical handle on the body and two small, capped, pillarlike additions on opposite sides

France, History Of, Regrowth of the French monarchy

2005-02-03T03:40:00.000-08:00

Thus the monarchy recovered much of the authority it had lost during the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. Although its influence in Burgundy and Flanders, now united in a formidable dynastic association, had declined, its definitive recovery of Aquitaine consolidated a direct domain, again extensive enough to free the Valois from anxiety about landed resources.

New Amsterdam

2005-02-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Guyana. It lies along the Berbice River near the point at which the latter empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Built in 1740 by the Dutch and first named Fort Sint Andries, it was made seat of the Dutch colonial government in 1790; in 1803 it was taken over by the British. Although a picturesque Dutch air still is found in the town, it has an Anglican cathedral. New Amsterdam

Peter I

2005-02-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

The son of Afonso IV and his consort Beatriz of Castile, Peter was married in 1336 to Constanza of Castile; but she died in 1345, and Peter is chiefly remembered for his tragic amour with In�s de Castro (q.v.), whose death he savagely avenged after his accession to the throne. Even so, some of his acts, designed to curb abuses and to enhance

Quantitative Verse

2005-01-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

In prosody, a metrical system based on the duration of the syllables that make up the feet, without regard for accents or stresses. Quantitative verse is made up of long and short syllables, the duration of which is determined by the amount of time needed for pronunciation. This system has only rarely been used successfully in English poetry because of the strongly

Kufah

2005-01-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Kufa, � medieval city of Iraq that was a centre of Arab culture and learning from the 8th to the 10th century. It was founded in 638 as a garrison town by 'Umar I, the second caliph. The city lay on the Hindiyah branch of the Euphrates River, about 7 miles (11 km) northeast of an-Najaf. It was populated largely by South Arabians and Iranians and served as the seat of the governor of Iraq, sometimes

Robbins, Jerome

2005-01-29T03:44:00.000-08:00

Original surname �Rabinowitz� one of the most popular and imaginative American choreographers of the 20th century. Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. He won acclaim for highly innovative ballets structured within the traditional framework of classical

Apple Computer, Inc.

2005-01-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

Apple had its own plan to regain leadership: a sophisticated new generation of computers that would be dramatically easier to use. In 1979 Jobs had led a team of engineers to see the innovations created at the Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto (California) Research Center (PARC). There they were shown the first functional graphical user interface (GUI), featuring on-screen windows,

Literature

2005-01-27T16:33:00.000-08:00

For historical treatment of various

Nebula, Diffuse nebulae (H II regions)

2005-01-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

As noted above, clouds of gas and dust that contain stars hot enough to ionize their hydrogen are called diffuse nebulae, or H II regions. In contrast to dark or reflection nebulae, their spectrum consists of emission lines at various wavelengths characteristic of their ions. Like dark clouds, diffuse nebulae typically have little regular structure or sharp

Ayacucho

2005-01-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Departamento (formed 1822), Los Libertadores-Wari regi�n, in the highlands of south-central Peru. It is chiefly a region of high plateaus interspersed with valleys. The region is drained by the Apur�mac River and its tributaries. Subsistence farming and herding are prevalent, but, in the north, cash crops such as sugarcane and cotton are grown. The departamento's mineral

Japanese Red Army

2005-01-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

In full �United Red Army �Japanese �Rengo Sekigun� militant Japanese organization that was formed in 1969 in the merger of two far-left factions. Beginning in 1970, the Red Army undertook several major terrorist operations, including the hijacking of several Japan Air Lines airplanes, a massacre at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport (1972), and the seizure and occupation of embassies in various countries. In 1971 - 72 the organization underwent severe

Ear Disease, Presbycusis

2005-01-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

Presbycusis is the gradual decline of hearing function that results from aging. It is similar to other aging processes because it occurs at different ages and at different rates among the population. As a person ages, there is a gradual loss of cochlear hair cells, beginning at the basal end of the organ of Corti, with the result that hearing is gradually reduced and

Ibn Tibbon, Moses Ben Samuel

2005-01-21T01:23:00.000-08:00

Jewish physician like his father, Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, and his paternal grandfather, Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, and an important translator of Arabic-language works into Hebrew. His translations served to disseminate Greek and Arab culture throughout Europe. Besides original works, which included commentaries with an allegorical bias on

Byzantine Empire, The crisis of midcentury

2005-01-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

At last the menace of simultaneous war on two fronts threatened Justinian's plans. During the 550s, his armies were to prove equal to the challenge, but a major disaster prevented them from so doing between 541 and about 548. The disaster was the bubonic plague of 541 - 543, the first of those shocks, or traumas, mentioned earlier, that would eventually transform East Rome into the medieval

Athlone

2005-01-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Irish �Baile �tha Luain� town, County Westmeath, Ireland. It lies on the River Shannon just south of Lough (lake) Ree. Located at a major east-west crossing of the Shannon, it has always been an important garrison town. In the 12th century the area, previously fortified by the kings of U� Maine and Connaught (Connacht), was seized by the Anglo-Normans. Their motte (palisade) castle was built in 1210 and underwent

Jewelry

2005-01-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

Throughout the centuries and from culture to culture, the materials considered rare and beautiful have ranged from shells, bones, pebbles, tusks, claws, and wood to so-called precious metals, precious and semiprecious stones,

Africa, Languages

2005-01-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

The knowledge of most of the individual languages of Africa is still very incomplete, but there are known to be in excess of 1,500 distinct languages. Many attempts to classify them have been inadequate because of the great complexity of the languages and because of a confusion relating language, �race,� and economy; for example, there was once a spurious view of pastoralism

Fusion Reactor

2005-01-16T02:33:00.000-08:00

Since the 1930s, scientists have known that the Sun and other stars generate their energy by nuclear fusion. They realized that if fusion energy generation could be replicated in a controlled manner on Earth, it might very well provide a safe, clean, and inexhaustible source of

Alicyclic Compound

2005-01-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, any of a large class of organic compounds in which three or more atoms of the element carbon are linked together in a ring. The bonds between pairs of adjacent atoms may all be of the type designated single bonds (involving two electrons), or some of them may be double or triple bonds (with four or six electrons, respectively); six-membered rings for which a system

Rhiannon

2005-01-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

In Celtic religion, the Welsh manifestation of the Gaulish horse goddess Epona and the Irish goddess Macha. She is best-known from The Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales, in which she makes her first appearance on a pale, mysterious steed and meets King Pwyll, whom she marries. Later she was unjustly accused of killing her infant son, and in punishment she

Vowel

2005-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

In human speech, sound in which the flow of air from the lungs passes through the mouth, which functions as a resonance chamber, with minimal obstruction and without audible friction; e.g., the i in �fit,� and the a in �pack.� Although usually produced with vibrating vocal cords, vowels may be pronounced without such vibration, resulting in a voiceless, or whispered, sound. From

Biblical Literature, Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics

2005-01-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

The Cambridge History of the Bible, 3 vol. (1963 - 70), includes contributions by specialists on biblical interpretation from pre-Christian times to the present day. J. Barr, Old and New in Interpretation (1966), discusses the relation between the Old and New Testaments and examines critically some of the interpretative principles favoured by exegetes and theologians; another work on this subject is E.C. Blackman, Biblical Interpretation (1957). C.E. Braaten, History and Hermeneutics (1966), discusses the relevance of the historical-critical method to theological study and the idea of revelation through history; F.F. Bruce, Biblical Exegesis in the Qumran Texts (1959), examines the interpretative principles followed by biblical commentaries and other documents among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The major work on the theme of salvation-history in the Bible is O. Cullmann, Salvation in History (1967). C.H. Dodd, According to the Scriptures (1952), shows the various ways in which the Christian interpretation of important areas of the Old Testament provided the substructure of New Testament theology. F.W. Farrar, History of Interpretation (1886, reprinted 1961), provides a classical survey of biblical exegesis from the early rabbinical period to the 19th century; R.M. Grant, A Short History of the Interpretation of the Bible, rev. ed. (1963), is probably the best work of its kind. B. Lindars, New Testament Apologetic (1962), studies the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament as evidence, in their text and interpretation, for the developing life and thought of the primitive church. J.M. Robinson and J.B. Cobb (eds.), The New Hermeneutic (1964), expounds modern hermeneutical concerns. B. Smalley, The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages, 2nd rev. ed. (1952), remains the standard work on early medieval exegesis. G. Vermes, Scripture and Tradition in Judaism (1961), gives an account of the interaction of the written text and oral tradition in Jewish exegesis of the pre-Christian and early rabbinical age. An outline of the history of biblical interpretation and of the main exegetical trends of the mid-20th century is presented in J.D. Wood, The Interpretation of the Bible (1958); A. Richardson and W. Schweitzer (eds.), Biblical Authority for Today (1951), discusses the difficulties of applying biblical ethics to some of the most urgent concerns of the modern world.

Uhland, Ludwig

2005-01-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Uhland studied law and classical and medieval literature at the University of T�bingen. He wrote his first poems while in T�bingen, publishing Vaterl�ndische Gedichte (�Fatherland Poems�) in 1815. It

Carter, Don

2005-01-09T02:06:00.000-08:00

A charter member and first president of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA; founded in 1958), Carter began bowling as a boy while working as a pinsetter, built his own lane in the basement of the family home, and joined the St. Louis Budweiser team in 1953. Carter was six times bowler of the

Shamanism, Southeast Asia and Oceania

2005-01-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Shamanism is prevalent in the Malay Peninsula and in Oceania. Among the Negritos of the Malay Peninsula, the shaman heals with the help of celestial spritis or by using crystals of quartz. But the influence of Indo-Malayan beliefs is noticeable, too (the shaman changing into a tiger, trance achieved by dancing, etc.). In the Andaman Islands the shaman gets his power from

Merano

2005-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Merano, first mentioned in 857, is that part of the Tirol transferred from Austria to Italy in 1918. The city is dominated by the Gothic parish church (1367 - 1495) and the small Principesco

Scandinavian Literature, Iceland

2005-01-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

H�ss-Postilla (1718 - 20; �Sermons for the Home�), by J�n V�dal�n, bishop of Sk�lholt, is the best example of early 18th-century prose. Among important later writers, Eggert �lafsson carried out a comprehensive geographical field survey (published in Danish, 1772; partial Eng. trans.) of Iceland's country and its people. In his poetry he expressed 18th-century Rationalism combined with Romantic

Mancini, Pasquale Stanislao

2005-01-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

As a deputy in the Neapolitan parliament of 1848 - 49 and as a journalist and lawyer, Mancini fought for democracy and constitutionalism until forced into exile by the reactionary Bourbon government.

Ogilvy, David

2005-01-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ogilvy was the son of a classics scholar and broker, but financial reverses left the family in straitened circumstance when he was a boy. Nonetheless, he earned scholarships

All-star Game

2005-01-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

In American professional baseball, a game between teams of outstanding players chosen from National and American league teams who oppose each other as league against league. Arch Ward, a Chicago Tribune sports editor, is credited with promoting the first All-Star Game, which was held in Chicago in 1933 in conjunction with the Century of Progress Exposition. The All-Star

Hawera

2005-01-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

Town, Taranaki local government region, western North Island, New Zealand. The original settlement, situated on the east Waimate Plain, 2 miles (3 km) from the coast of South Taranaki Bight, on the Tasman Sea, grew around a blockhouse built in 1870 for protection from hostile Maoris. The settlement became a borough in 1882, and in the late 1970s the borough was amalgamated with the surrounding

Vieques Island

2004-12-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

Spanish �Isla de Vieques � island and municipio (�municipality�), Puerto Rico. It lies 13 miles (21 km) east of the main island, fronting south on the Caribbean Sea and north on the Vieques Sound, which connects the Caribbean with the Atlantic Ocean. Composed mostly of volcanic and granite intrusives, the generally hilly island is 21 miles (34 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide, and it is 52 square miles (135 square km) in area. Isabel

Diplomatics

2004-12-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

The study of documents. The term is derived from the Greek word diploma, meaning �doubled� or �folded.� Besides the documents of legal and administrative import withwhich it is properly concerned, diplomatics also includes the study of other records such as bills, reports, cartularies, registers, and rolls. Diplomatics is therefore a basic and not simply an auxiliary

Diplomatics

2004-12-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

Allen, Elizabeth Anne Chase Akers

2004-12-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Chase grew up in Farmington, Maine, where she attended Farmington Academy (later Maine State Teachers College). She is said to have had a poem published in the Boston Olive

Aethelweard

2004-12-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Ethelwerd � English chronicler and ealderman of the western provinces (probably the whole of Wessex), a descendant of King Alfred's brother Aethelred. He wrote, in elaborate and peculiar Latin, a chronicle for his continental kinswoman, Matilda, abbess of Essen. In the printed version of the text, the chronicle stops in 975, but fragments of the burned manuscript show that it continued

Auerbach, Berthold

2004-12-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

Auerbach prepared for the rabbinate, but, estranged from Jewish orthodoxy by the study of the 17th-century Dutch philosopher Benedict de Spinoza, he turned instead to literature. Spinoza's life formed the basis of his first novel (1837); a translation

Stalingrad, Battle Of

2004-12-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

(summer 1942 - February 2, 1943), unsuccessful German assault on the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the Russian S.F.S.R. during World War II that marked the farthest extent of the German advance into the Soviet Union. As a major industrial centre, Stalingrad was an important prize in itself, and control of the city would have cut Soviet transport links with southern Russia via

Allende, Isabel

2004-12-23T01:26:00.000-08:00

Allende worked as a journalist in Chile until she was forced to flee to Venezuela after the assassination (1973) of her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende Gossens. In 1981 she began writing a letter to her terminally ill grandfather

Nahmanides

2004-12-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

Nahmanides earned his livelihood as a physician and served successively as rabbi at Gerona and then as chief rabbi of Catalonia. He also attempted to mediate disputes between the followers and opponents of the philosopher

Coihaique

2004-12-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Ais�n Region in southern archipelagic Chile, 50 mi (80 km) inland of Puerto Ais�n and 25 mi (40 km) west of the Argentine border. Founded in 1912 by a small group of German colonists, it is situated among grassy steppes between the Coihaique and Simpson rivers, in a densely forested and extremely wet coastal region of Patagonian Chile (rainfall reaches 58 in. [1,485 mm] annually). Although

Astruc Of Lunel,

2004-12-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Although Astruc revered Maimonides, who had attempted to reconcile Aristotle's philosophy

Interior Design, Other components

2004-12-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

The detailing referred to in connection with the handling of doors is one of the most important factors in interior design. Every architectural component must be detailed well. Poor details make for poor design. The meaning of detailing in a design sense is more than the graphic explanation of certain components on a drawing. It means the way materials are put together,

Obscene Publications Act

2004-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

In British law, either of two codifications of prohibitions against obscene literature adopted in 1857 and in much revised form in 1959. The earlier act, also called Lord Campbell's Act (one of several laws named after chief justice and chancellor John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell), not only outlawed obscene publications but empowered police to search premises on which obscene

Moscow Academic Art Theatre

2004-12-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

Also called �(until 1939) Moscow Art Theatre, �Russian �Moscovsky Akademichesky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, or Moscovsky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, �abbreviation �Mkhat, � outstanding Russian theatre of theatrical naturalism founded in 1898 by two teachers of dramatic art, Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko (qq.v.). Its purpose was to establish a theatre of new art forms, with a fresh approach to its function. Sharing similar theatrical experience and interests, the cofounders met and it was agreed that Stanislavsky

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The (zaire)

2004-12-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

On May 25, 1998, Pres. Laurent Kabila promulgated a decree that established a national constituent and legislative assembly. This apparent move toward democracy was, however, belied by a series of arrests of people believed to be critical of the government, including,

Rabat

2004-12-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

The history of Rabat is closely connected to that of neighbouring Sal�, the site of which was first occupied by the Roman settlement of Sala (Shella). During the 10th century, Sal� was established by the Zenata Berbers, who were orthodox

Moro, Aldo

2004-12-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

A professor of law at the University of Bari, Moro published several books on legal subjects and served also as president of the Federazione

Biblical Literature, Second introductory discourse

2004-12-11T02:22:00.000-08:00

The second discourse, also ascribed to Moses, again refers to the Covenant at Horeb and sets forth the Ten Commandments, which the people are admonished to obey rigorously, emphasizing the mediating function of Moses at Horeb between the awesome divine presence and the awestruck people. Israel is further admonished to obey the law through wholehearted love of

Z Particle

2004-12-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

The concept

Cambon, Jules

2004-12-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Educated in law, Cambon entered the prefectorial administration after service in the Franco-German War (1870 - 71). In June 1878 he was

Alba Iulia

2004-12-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

German �Karlsburg, �Hungarian �Gyulafeh�rv�r, � city, capital of Alba judet (county), west-central Romania. It lies along the Mures River, 170 miles (270 km) northwest of Bucharest. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, the site was selected by the Romans for a military camp. The remains of Apulum, an important city in Roman Dacia mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC, are 6 miles (10 km) from Alba Iulia, and the Regional Museum has a rich

Iran, The growth of social discontent

2004-12-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

Petroleum revenues continued to fuel Iran's economy in the 1970s, and in 1973 Iran concluded a new 20-year oil agreement with the consortium of Western firms led by British Petroleum. This agreement gave direct control of Iranian oil fields to the government under the auspices of the NIOC and initiated a standard seller-buyer relationship between the NIOC and the oil companies.