WetBell

Santa Maria Novella

2005-03-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

Frescoes painted on the interior walls of the church, cloister, and chapterhouse are by such Italian masters

New Humanism

2005-03-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

Critical movement in the United States between 1910 and 1930, based on the literary and social theories of the English poet and critic Matthew Arnold, who sought to recapture the moral quality of past civilizations in an age of industrialization and materialism. Reacting against the scientifically oriented philosophies of literary realism and naturalism, New Humanists

Staff

2005-03-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Stave, in the notation of Western music, five parallel horizontal lines that, with a clef, indicate the pitch of musical notes. The invention of the staff is traditionally ascribed to Guido of Arezzo in about the year 1000, although there are earlier manuscripts in which neumes (q.v.; signs from which musical notes evolved) are arranged around one or two lines in order to orient the

France, History Of, The Franco-German War

2005-03-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Napoleon, meanwhile, had become uncomfortably involved in a diplomatic poker game with Bismarck. Prussian victories over Denmark (1864) and Austria (1866) indicated a serious shift in the European balance of power. Napoleon, aware that he faced a severe challenge, set out to strengthen his armed forces; he proposed a tighter conscription law that would increase the size of the

Gisant

2005-03-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

In sepulchral sculpture, recumbent effigy representing the person in death; especially, an effigy depicting the deceased in a state of advanced decomposition, as was popular particularly in the 15th and 16th centuries in northern Europe. The gisant represented as a decayed corpse was often placed below a portrait, or orant, effigy, which represented the person praying

Shensi, Relief and drainage

2005-03-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

The mountainous southern region forms the drainage area of the upper Han River, which is a northern tributary of the Yangtze. The Han flows between two mountain complexes that structurally form part of a great, single

Camargo Society

2005-03-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

Group credited with keeping ballet alive in England during the early 1930s. Named after Marie Camargo, the noted 18th-century ballerina, the society was formed in 1930 by Philip J.S. Richardson, the editor of Dancing Times, the critic Arnold Haskell, and other patrons to stimulate interest in creating a national ballet. For the next three years the group annually commissioned

Oss

2005-03-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Brabant provincie, south-central Netherlands, east-northeast of 's Hertogenbosch and about 3 miles (5 km) south of the Maas (Meuse) River. A food-processing town noted for margarine and meat products, it also manufactures pharmaceuticals (especially insulin and vitamins), electrical equipment, wool products, boxes, and metalware. Mainly Roman Catholic,

Ma'mun, Al-

2005-03-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

In full Abu Al-'abbas 'abd Allah Al-ma'mun Ibn Ar-rashid seventh 'Abbasid caliph (813–833), known for his attempts to end sectarian rivalry in Islam and to impose upon his subjects a rationalist Muslim creed.

Alba

2005-02-28T01:28:00.000-08:00

Town, Cuneo provincia, Piedmont regione, northwestern Italy. It lies along the Tanaro River southwest of Turin. It occupies the site of the Roman Alba Pompeia, which was probably founded by Pompeius Strabo (consul, 89 BC) when he constructed the road from Aquae Statiellae (Acqui Terme) to Augusta Taurinorum (Turin). The town became an episcopal see dependent on Milan in the 4th

William The Aetheling

2005-02-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

In successful battles in Normandy and France, Henry I forced the Norman barons to give homage to

Anders, Wladyslaw

2005-02-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

After service in the Russian army during World War I, Anders entered the armed forces of the newly reconstituted Polish

Ancaeus

2005-02-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of Zeus or Poseidon and king of the Leleges of Samos. In the Argonautic expedition, after the death of Tiphys, the helmsman of the Argo, Ancaeus took his place. According to legend, while planting a vineyard, Ancaeus was told by a seer that he would never drink of its wine. When the grapes were ripe, he squeezed the juice into a cup and, raising it to

Hay

2005-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central New South Wales, Australia, on the Murrumbidgee River. The settlement originated in 1840 as a coach station known as Lang's Crossing Place. Surveyed in 1858, it became a town the following year and was named after John Hay, a district parliamentary representative. Developed as a river port, it was proclaimed a municipality in 1872 and a shire in 1965. Situated at the junction

Sangli

2005-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Maharashtra state, western India. It lies along the Krishna River, east of Kolhapur on the Pune–Bangalore railway. The town is the former capital (1761–1947) of Sangli state. Its market in oilseeds and turmeric is one of the most important in India. Sangli contains a Ganapati temple that attracts many pilgrims. The town's industries include cotton-textile and oil mills, copper

Iron Age

2005-02-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

Final technological and cultural stage in the Stone–Bronze–Iron-Age sequence. The date of the full Iron Age, in which this metal for the most part replaced bronze in implements and weapons, varied geographically, beginning in the Middle East and southeastern Europe about 1200 BC but in China not until about 600 BC. Although in the Middle East iron had limited use as a scarce and precious

East China Sea

2005-02-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Tung Hai, or (Pinyin) Dong Hai, arm of the Pacific Ocean and part of the China Sea (q.v.). It covers about 290,000 square miles (752,000 square km) and is bounded by the islands of Cheju (north), Kyushu (northeast), the Ryukyu chain (east), and Taiwan (south) and by China (west). It is connected to the South China Sea by the Taiwan Strait. Its Chinese name means “eastern sea.”

Karawanken

2005-02-11T03:43:00.000-08:00

Italian Caravanche , Serbo-Croatian Karavanke mountain range of the Eastern Alps, extending eastward along the Slovenian-Austrian border for 50 miles (80 km) from the town of Tarvisio in Italy. The range lies between the Drava River (north) and the upper Sava River (south) and rises to Hochstuhl (7,342 feet [2,238 m]) in the eastern part. The Karawanken, consisting mainly of limestone, is crossed by road at Wurzen, Loibl, and Seeberg passes.

Ancient Rome, Barbarian kingdoms

2005-02-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

Several barbarian kingdoms were then set up: in Africa, Gaiseric's kingdom of the Vandals; in Spain and in Gaul as far as the Loire, the Visigothic kingdom; and farther to the north, the kingdoms of the Salian Franks and the Alemanni. The barbarians were everywhere a small minority. They established themselves on the great estates and divided the land to the benefit of

Rabat

2005-02-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Malta, adjoining Mdina, west of Valletta. In Roman times the site of Mdina and Rabat was occupied by Melita, the island's capital. The modern names date from the Arab occupation of Malta, when Mdina was fortified and what remained outside the walls was called rabat (“suburb”). There are many Roman ruins, including a partially restored villa housing a museum.

Carnivore, Critical appraisal

2005-02-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

The taxonomy of the major categories of major groups placed in the Carnivora has been in a state of flux for at least 100 years, and these categories do not seem to be stabilizing, even today. Most mammalogists at present regard the seals and terrestrial carnivores as belonging to different orders, the Pinnipedia and Carnivora. There are, in reality, only a few features

Switzerland

2005-02-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

Although Switzerland may not rank foremost among the centres of European culture, the country nevertheless can boast an impressive list of contributors to the arts and sciences. On the one hand, because of limited opportunities at home, some of Switzerland's creative minds have chosen to live elsewhere. This has been especially true of architects. On the other hand,

Latent Heat

2005-01-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

For

Botosani

2005-01-28T04:52:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Botosani judet (county), northeastern Romania. It lies in a rich farming area of northern Moldavia, near the border with Moldova. As a settlement, it was first documented in 1439. The Popauti Church dates from 1496. Long known as a market centre for agricultural produce and wines, Botosani has also become an industrial centre, particularly in textiles. Pop. (1989 est.) 119,563.

Kaduna

2005-01-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Kaduna state, north-central Nigeria. It lies along the Kaduna River, which is a major tributary of the Niger River. Sir Frederick (later Lord) Lugard, the first British governor of Northern Nigeria, selected the present site along the Lagos-Kano Railway for a town, and building began in 1913. In 1917 Kaduna (a Hausa word for “crocodiles”) replaced Zungeru, 100 miles (160 km) west-southwest,

Maharashtra

2005-01-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

State of India that occupies a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau in the western peninsular part of the subcontinent. Its shape roughly resembles a triangle, with the 450-mile (725-kilometre) western coastline forming the base and the interior narrowing to a blunt apex some 500 miles to the east. It has an area of 118,809 square miles (307,713 square kilometres). It is bounded by the states

Pereira, Nuno álvares, Blessed

2005-01-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

Pereira distinguished himself in battle at age 13, fighting against the Castilians in their invasion of 1373. On the death of Ferdinand I of Portugal

Aha Of Shabha

2005-01-17T02:39:00.000-08:00

Aha's She'eltot (“Questions,” or “Theses”), published in Venice in 1546, was an attempt to codify and explicate materials contained in the Babylonian Talmud. Written in Aramaic and unique in its organization, the text connects

Om

2005-01-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

In Hinduism and other religions chiefly of India, a sacred syllable that is considered to be the greatest of all the mantras, or sacred formulas. The syllable Om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u coalesce to become o), which represent several important triads: the three worlds of earth, atmosphere, and heaven; the three major Hindu gods,

Apple Moss

2005-01-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

(Bartramia pomiformis), moss of the order Bryales that has apple-shaped capsules (spore cases) and forms wide, deep cushions in moist, rocky woods throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of more than 100 species in the genus Bartramia; more than 10 are found in North America. An apple moss is usually erect, with a two-forked caulid (stem) about 6 cm (about 2.25 inches) tall, with rust-coloured,

Education, History Of, Stages of education

2005-01-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

There were three stages of education. The basic skills of reading and writing were taught by the elementary-school master, or grammatistes, whose pupils generally ranged from six or seven to 10 years of age. The secondary-school master, or grammatikos, supervised the study and appreciation of classical literature and of literary Greek, from which the spoken Greek of

Bae Systems

2005-01-10T00:59:00.000-08:00

Major British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, and other aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of British Aerospace PLC (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems, formerly part of General Electric Company PLC. BAe, in turn, dates to the merger in 1977 of British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, and two other firms. Headquarters

Badminton

2005-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

On the men's side Indonesia came through its preliminary round-robin group without losing a single

Kadár, Ján

2005-01-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Kadár attended Charles University, Prague, and the Film School at Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (1938). During World War II he was interned in a Nazi labour camp, after which he worked as a scriptwriter and assistant director, first at

Madurai

2005-01-04T19:18:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1949) Madura, city, south-central Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, bounded on the west by Kerala state. It is the second largest, and probably oldest, city in the state. Located on the Vaigai River and enclosed by the Anai, Naga, and Pasu (Elephant, Snake, and Cow) hills, the compact old city, site of the Pandya (4th–11th century AD) capital, centres on Minaksi-Sundaresvara Temple. The temple, Tirumala Nayak

Irish Elk

2005-01-02T03:09:00.000-08:00

Genus (Megaloceros) of extinct giant elk commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene deposits in Europe and Asia (the Pleistocene Epoch began 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Irish elk, about the size of the modern moose, had the largest antlers of any form of deer known—in some specimens, 4 m (about 13 feet) across. The antlers differed from those of the modern elk; the main

Jerne, Niels K.

2004-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

Jerne was born of Danish parents and grew up in The Netherlands. After studying physics for two years at the University of Leiden,

Kerch

2004-12-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kerc , ancient (Greek) Panticapaion , or (Latin) Panticapaeum city and seaport, Crimea republic, southern Ukraine, on the western shore of the Strait of Kerch at the head of a small bay. Founded in the 6th century BC by Miletan Greeks, it flourished as a trading centre, and in the 5th century it became the capital of the kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus. Abundant archaeological evidence of its wealth occurs in catacombs and burial mounds,

Sea Lake

2004-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Located on the Calder Highway and a rail line running southeast to Melbourne (195 miles [314 km] southeast),

Aybak

2004-12-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

Upon the death of as-Salih, the last great sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty, his son succeeded him but offended his father's slave guards, or Mamluks, who killed him (April 30, 1250). Shajar ad-Durr, as-Salih's widow, thereupon proclaimed herself “queen of the Muslims”; she was recognized in Egypt, but the Syrian emirs refused to pay her homage.

Morality Play

2004-12-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Together with the mystery play and the miracle play, the morality play is one of the three main types of vernacular drama produced during

Antarctica

2004-12-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

Lying almost concentrically around the South Pole, Antarctica—the name of which means “opposite to the Arctic”—is the southernmost continent, a circumstance that has had momentous consequences for all aspects of its character. It covers about 5.5 million square miles

Viola

2004-12-19T00:37:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 500 species of herbs or low shrubs, including the small, solid-coloured violets and the larger-flowered, often multicoloured violas and pansies. Viola occur naturally worldwide but are found most abundantly in temperate climates, with the greatest variety occurring in the Andes Mountains of South America. They have also been widely cultivated

Sabratha

2004-12-16T01:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sabrata, western-most of the three cities of ancient Tripolis, located near the modern town of Sabratah, west of Tripoli, in Libya. Founded by the Carthaginians as a trading post, it was first permanently settled in the 4th century BC. Sabratha had a modest natural harbour, later improved by the Romans, and together with Oea (Tripoli) it served as an outlet for the trans-Saharan caravan

Amadeus Quartet

2004-12-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

English string quartet (1948–87), one of the most durable and highly regarded quartets of Europe. The quartet was formed in 1947, the result of an internment-camp meeting during World War II between three young Austrian refugees—Peter Schidlof, the group's violist; Norbert Brainin, a violinist; and Siegmund Nissel, also a violinist. They were released from the camp with help from Dame

Triforium

2004-12-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

In architecture, space in a church above the nave arcade, below the clerestory, and extending over the vaults, or ceilings, of the side aisles. The term is sometimes applied to any second-floor gallery opening onto a higher nave by means of arcades or colonnades, like the galleries in many ancient Roman basilicas or Byzantine churches. The triforium became an integral

Dunash Ben Labrat

2004-12-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Dunash was born either in Fès or in Baghdad and after travelling to Sura, Babylonia,

Wackernagel, Jacob

2004-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Influenced by his father, Wilhelm Wackernagel, a professor of Germanic studies at the University of Basel, he became interested in comparative linguistics and Sanskrit while studying at the University of Göttingen. In 1876 Wackernagel became

Locmariaquer

2004-12-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Village and seaside resort, on the coast of the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan département, Bretagne région, western France, south of Auray. It is famous for its megalithic monuments, notably the Fairies' Stone, a huge, broken standing stone, originally 66 feet (20 m) high—the greatest known menhir (upright monumental stone) in existence. Behind it is the Merchants' Table, composed

Melanchthon, Philipp

2004-12-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

Original name Philipp Schwartzerd (German: “Black Earth”; in Greek, Melanchthon) German author of the Confession of Augsburg of the Lutheran Church (1530), humanist, Reformer, theologian, and educator. He was a friend of Martin Luther and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the Loci communes, the first systematic treatment of evangelical doctrine. Because of his academic

Sabot

2004-12-03T01:20:00.000-08:00

Variations of the sabot—wooden-soled shoes topped with a variety of materials such as leather and suede—became popular

Cork

2004-11-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Irish Corcaigh county in the province of Munster, Ireland. The largest county in Ireland, with an area of 2,880 sq mi (7,460 sq km), it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean (south), by Counties Waterford and Tipperary (east), by County Limerick (north), and by County Kerry (west). Cork has long east–west ridges forming uplands and hills. Less than three-tenths of its area is rough pasture, and farmlands climb as high

Domingo, Plácido

2004-11-29T00:06:00.000-08:00

Domingo's parents were noted performers in zarzuela, a form of Spanish light opera. He grew up in Mexico, where he studied piano at the National Conservatory of

Byron Bay

2004-11-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated on Cape Byron, easternmost point of the Australian mainland, which shelters Byron Bay and was discovered in 1770 by Captain James Cook, who named it after Commodore (later Admiral) John Byron, grandfather of the poet Lord Byron. Founded in 1860 as a timber port, Byron Bay was declared a town in 1896 and a shire in 1906. Before

Binomial Theorem

2004-11-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

In which n! (called n factorial) is the product of the first n natural numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . n (and where 0! is defined

Brooks Range

2004-11-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

Northernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains in northern Alaska, U.S. It is separated from the Alaska Range (south) and the Mackenzie Mountains (southeast) by the lowlands of the Yukon and Porcupine river systems. It extends about 600 miles (1,000 km) in a west–east direction across Alaska, from the Chukchi Sea to the Yukon (Canadian) border, and reaches widths of 80 miles (128 km). Its peaks

Bruch, Max

2004-11-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

At 14 Bruch wrote a symphony and won a scholarship enabling him to study at Cologne. His first opera, Scherz, List und Rache (Jest, Deceit, and Revenge, text adapted from a work by Goethe), was performed in 1858. He conducted orchestral and choral

Vent, îles Du

2004-11-20T23:23:00.000-08:00

English Windward Group eastern group of islands within the Society Islands, French Polynesia, in the central South Pacific. The group is composed of volcanic islands surrounded by coral reefs. The far larger Tahiti and Moorea (qq.v.) lie at the centre of the group. Maiao, covering about 3 square miles (8 square km) and located some 60 miles (95 km) west of Tahiti, is sparsely populated and is cultivated for

Beza, Theodore

2004-11-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

After studying law at Orléans, Fr. (1535–39), Beza established a practice in Paris, where he published Juvenilia (1548), a volume of amorous verse that earned him a reputation as a leading Latin poet. On recovering

Muhammad Ibn Al-hanafiyah

2004-11-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would

Maupertuis, Pierre-louis Moreau De

2004-11-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

Maupertuis became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1731 and soon became the foremost French proponent of the Newtonian theory of gravitation. In 1736 he led an expedition to Lapland to measure the length of a degree along the

Robber Crab

2004-11-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

The crab uses two large chelae, or pincers, to pound or chip open coconuts—the soft, white

Quinn, Anthony Rudolph Oaxaca

2004-11-15T23:14:00.000-08:00

Mexican-born American actor (b. April 21, 1915, Chihuahua, Mex.—d. June 3, 2001, Boston, Mass.), appeared in more than 150 films but was universally identified with one role especially—the earthy full-of-life title character in Zorba the Greek (1964), whom he inhabited so completely and comfortably that many of his later parts seemed also to be infused with that character's spirit. He embraced his offscreen

Affix

2004-11-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

A grammatical element that is combined with a word, stem, or phrase to produce derived and inflected forms. There are three types of affixes: prefixes, infixes, and suffixes. A prefix occurs at the beginning of a word or stem (sub-mit, pre-determine, un-willing); a suffix at the end (wonder-ful, depend-ent, act-ion); and an infix occurs in the middle. English has no infixes, but they are

Pietism

2004-11-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

German Pietismus influential religious reform movement that began among German Lutherans in the 17th century. It emphasized personal faith against the main Lutheran church's perceived stress on doctrine and theology over Christian living. Pietism quickly spread and later became concerned with social and educational matters. As a phenomenon of personal religious renewal, its

Zamyatin, Yevgeny Ivanovich

2004-11-13T04:01:00.000-08:00

Zamyatin also spelled Zamiatin Russian novelist, playwright, and satirist, one of the most brilliant and cultured minds of the post-revolutionary period, and creator of a peculiarly modern genre—the anti-Utopian novel. His influence as an experimental stylist and as an exponent of the cosmopolitan-humanist traditions

Binnig, Gerd

2004-11-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

Binnig graduated from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt and received a doctorate from the University of Frankfurt in 1978. He then

Analytic Philosophy, Divergence of ordinary language from formal logic

2004-11-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

Ordinary language, however, seems to differ from the artificial language of symbolic logic in more respects than its lack of precisely stated rules. On the surface, it often appears to violate the rules of symbolic logic. In the English statement “If this is gold [symbolized by p], then this will dissolve in aqua regia [symbolized by q],” for example, which in symbolic logic is

Unification Church

2004-11-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Born in 1920, Moon was raised in the Presbyterian church, which eventually excommunicated him for heresy. As a teenager he had a

Azay-le-rideau

2004-11-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Town and château, Indre-et-Loire département, Centre région, central France. The town lies along the Indre River a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Loire River, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Tours. Originally the site of a Roman villa, the town was known in the 12th century as Azayum. When the French dauphin (later Charles VII) was insulted by the Burgundian guard

Wyong

2004-11-08T03:50:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern New South Wales, Australia, on the Wyong River, immediately west of the Tuggerah Lakes (coastal lagoons). The district was settled in 1823 for the purpose of exploiting its cedar trees. As the forests were removed, agricultural activities increased, with citrus groves being planted after 1887. The town, proclaimed in 1888, derived its name from an Aboriginal word meaning

Conrad Von Hötzendorf, Franz (xaver Josef ), Graf (count)

2004-11-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

Advancing rapidly in the Austro-Hungarian army, Conrad became chief of staff in 1906 on the recommendation of the heir to the throne,

Peter Ii

2004-11-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Peter married (1204) Mary, lady of Montpellier, and thus greatly extended Aragonese power in southern France. Despite the violent objections of his subjects, he had himself crowned by Pope Innocent III in Rome and declared his kingdom a feudatory of the Holy See (1204). Peter, with other Spanish kings,

Canadian High

2004-11-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Alaskan high large atmospheric high-pressure centre produced by the extremely low winter temperatures over northwestern Canada. Its cold, dense air does not extend above 3 km (2 miles). The high's location east of the Canadian Rockies shelters it from the relatively warm Pacific Ocean and helps it maintain its identity. Its average January sea level pressure is 1,020 millibars (30.12 inches

Epiphyte

2004-11-03T05:03:00.000-08:00

Any plant that grows upon or is in some manner attached to another plant or object merely for physical support. Epiphytes are primarily tropical in distribution and are often known as air plants because they have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source. They obtain water and minerals from rain

Yi In-mun

2004-11-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

A follower of the traditional Northern school of Chinese painting, Yi was known for the subtlety of his designs and the confidence of his brushstrokes. His most famous work, “River in Spring,” is a long horizontal scroll depicting an endless landscape along a river. His use of

Swan Theatre

2004-11-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Elizabethan theatre built about 1595 by Francis Langley in Bankside, London. A description and a sketch of the Swan made by Johann DeWitt of Utrecht (the sketch copied by Arend van Buchell) have proved most useful in attempts to reconstruct the form of the Elizabethan theatre. The last known mention of the Swan Theatre was in 1632.

X-ray Diffraction

2004-10-31T19:52:00.000-08:00

A phenomenon in which the atoms of a crystal, by virtue of their uniform spacing, cause an interference pattern of the waves present in an incident beam of X rays. The atomic planes of the crystal act on the X rays in exactly the same manner as does a uniformly ruled grating on a beam of light. See also Bragg law; Laue diffraction pattern.

Zoochlorella

2004-10-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

Plural Zoochlorellae, any small green alga (often Chlorella) or, sometimes, flagellate protozoan (e.g., the chlamydomonad Carteria) that lives within the bodies of various freshwater protozoans and invertebrates. Zoochlorellae often colour their hosts green (e.g., green hydra and green Paramecium bursaria). As symbionts, zoochlorellae use carbon dioxide and nitrogenous and phosphorous

Abruzzo, Ben L.

2004-10-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

Abruzzo graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1952 and served two years in the U.S. Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M. (1952–54). He settled in Albuquerque

France, History Of, Economy, society, and culture in the 14th and 15th centuries

2004-10-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

The long war, fought almost entirely in France, benefited few but the captains and peculators; it injured almost everyone. Even the best disciplined companies lived off the land, so that French peasants and defeated townsfolk in effect paid the expenses of both sides; and undisciplined mercenary bands were a wearisome scourge in times of truce after the middle of

Masbate

2004-10-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Island and town, central Philippines, part of the Visayas group, bordered by the Sibuyan (west), Visayan (south), and Samar (east) seas. The island, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of the southern tip of Luzon, is V-shaped, with the open end of the V forming the Asid Gulf on the south; it has an area of 1,262 square miles (3,269 square km). The discontinuous highlands that stretch along both arms of the V represent

Hokkaido

2004-10-27T03:05:00.000-07:00

Northernmost of the four main islands of Japan, bordered by the Sea of Japan (west), the Sea of Okhotsk (north), and the Pacific Ocean (east and south). The island of Hokkaido has an area of 30,107 square miles (77,978 square km). Together with a few small adjacent islands, it constitutes a do (province) with an area of 32,247 square miles (83,520 square km), making up 21 percent of Japan's land area. Hokkaido is characterized

Amiel, Henri Frédéric

2004-10-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Swiss writer known for his Journal intime, a masterpiece of self-analysis. Despite apparent success (as professor of aesthetics, then of philosophy, at Geneva), he felt himself a failure. Driven in on himself, he lived in his Journal, kept from 1847 until his death and first published in part as Fragments d'un journal intime (1883–84; later enlarged editions;

Fish Louse

2004-10-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Also called Carp Louse, plural Fish Lice, or Carp Lice, any member of the crustacean subclass Branchiura, a group of parasites of migratory marine and freshwater fishes. Of the approximately 120 known species, most belong to the genus Argulus. The fish louse has a very distinctive oval-shaped, flattened body formed by a broad carapace. Other notable physical features include compound eyes, a pair of large suckers, four pairs

Moll Cutpurse

2004-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

London-born, she began her career as a pickpocket, or cutpurse, but after being caught four times, she assumed male attire and turned to highway robbery, until she was apprehended and jailed briefly at Newgate. She then achieved a

Pytheas

2004-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sailing from the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic, Pytheas stopped at the Phoenician city of

Vaasa

2004-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

In full Vaasan Lääni, Swedish Vasa Län, lääni (province), western Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The province's land rises from a level but indented coastline through generally forested country, with large cultivated plains, toward an eastern lake region. The timber industry and agriculture are important. The city of Vaasa is the province's administrative capital, main seaport, and largest city. Other important

Faroese Language

2004-10-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Faeroese , Faroese Føroysk language spoken in the Faroe Islands by some 44,000 inhabitants. Faroese belongs to the West Scandinavian group of the North Germanic languages. It preserves more characteristics of Old Norse than any other language except modern Icelandic, to which it is closely related, but with which it is mutually unintelligible. The written language was established by the Faroese

La Mothe Le Vayer, François De

2004-10-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

La Mothe Le Vayer became an avocat in the Parlement of Paris, taking over his father's seat, but soon resigned when the attraction of belles lettres became stronger. His work La

Leaf

2004-10-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

In botany, any usually flattened green outgrowth from the stem of a vascular plant. Leaves manufacture food for plants, which in turn ultimately nourish and sustain all land animals. Botanically, leaves are an integral part of the stem system, and they are initiated in the apical bud along with the tissues of the stem itself. Certain organs that are superficially very

Kabila, Laurent Desire

2004-10-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

After having dropped out of sight for nearly a decade, Zairean opposition leader Laurent Kabila reemerged in October 1996 as leader of the newly formed Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire. Supported by a nation outraged by the dictatorial leadership of Mobutu Sese Seko, Kabila rallied forces consisting mostly of Tutsi from eastern Zaire

Frederick Iv

2004-10-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Frederick's father died in October 1583, when the young elector came under the guardianship of his uncle John Casimir, an ardent Calvinist. In January 1592, on the death of John Casimir, Frederick undertook the government of the Palatinate and continued his uncle's

Toadfish

2004-10-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Any of about 45 species of bottom-living fishes constituting the family Batrachoididae and the order Batrachoidiformes. They are found chiefly in the New World and mostly in warm seas—occasionally in freshwater. Toadfishes are heavy-bodied fishes with broad, flattened heads and large mouths equipped with strong teeth. They grow to a maximum of about 40 cm (16 inches) and

Tibet, Health and welfare

2004-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Under the health program of the Tibetan government, medical advice and medicine were provided free to expectant mothers. In addition to free vaccinations, sacred pendants known as rims-srungs were distributed annually to prevent epidemics. The construction and maintenance of proper drainage systems, wells, and canals—and security facilities to guard against

Nagarjuna

2004-10-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Indian Buddhist monk-philosopher and founder of the Madhyamika (“Middle Path”) school whose clarification of the concept of sunyata (“emptiness”) is regarded as an intellectual and spiritual achievement of the highest order. He is recognized as a patriarch by several later Buddhist schools. The two basic works that are substantially his and that have remained available

Mammal, Circulatory system

2004-10-13T02:47:00.000-07:00

In mammals, as in birds, right and left ventricles of the heart are completely separated, so that pulmonary (lung) and systemic (body) circulations are completely independent. Oxygenated blood arrives in the left atrium from the lungs and passes to the left ventricle, whence it is forced through the aorta to the systemic circulation. Deoxygenated blood from the tissues

Philippines, The downfall of Marcos and return of democratic government

2004-10-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

The assassination of Benigno Aquino as he returned to Manila in August 1983 was generally thought to have been the work of the military; it became the focal point of a renewed and more heavily supported opposition to Marcos' rule. By late 1985 Marcos, under mounting pressure both inside and outside the Philippines, called a snap presidential election for February 1986. Corazon

Anastatic Printing

2004-10-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Also called relief etching a technique of printmaking from a plate on which all but the design to be printed is etched away, leaving the design in relief. In zinc etching, the most popular anastatic process, the design is painted on a zinc plate in asphalt varnish and the uncoated portions of the plate are bitten away by a solution. The process is best known as that in which the English poet and artist

Ashi

2004-10-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ashi was head of the Jewish Academy at Sura, Babylonia, and was one of two chief editors who fixed the canon of the Babylonian Talmud. Under Ashi's leadership the Academy, which had been closed since 309, was revived,