RightMouth

Aracaju

2005-10-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

Port city and capital, Sergipe estado (“state”), northeastern Brazil, lying on the Continguiba River at the base of a ridge of sand hills 6 miles (10 km) from the coast. The city, which was founded in 1855 as a new state capital, is laid out in an unusual grid pattern. It is a regional commercial and industrial centre, processing leather, bananas, cassava, feijão (beans), mangoes, cashews, salt,

Bulgarus

2005-07-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Although popular tradition claims that all four doctors—Bulgarus, Martinus Gosia, Hugo da Porta Ravennate, and Jacobus

Biblical Literature

2005-07-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Exegesis, or critical interpretation, and hermeneutics, or the science of interpretive principles, of the Bible have been used by both Jews and Christians throughout their histories for various purposes. The most common purpose has been that of discovering the truths and values of the Old and New Testaments by means of various techniques and principles, though

Gonda

2005-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

The area in which Gonda is situated is drained by the Rapti and other Ghaghara tributaries and

Tu Duc

2005-07-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

The son of Emperor Thieu Tri, Prince Nguyen Phuoc Hoang Nham was chosen over his older brother to succeed his father. He ascended the throne in 1847, taking the reigning name Tu

Switzerland, Rural communities

2005-07-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Rural settlements predominate in the valleys. Alpine villages extending along the base of slopes are a characteristic sight. Since the extensive river diversions, made chiefly during the second half of the 19th century, many villages have expanded into valley plains, where intensive farming is carried on, as in the Seeland between Lakes Neuchâtel and Biel. The isolation

Kamáres Ware

2005-06-17T02:45:00.000-07:00

Style of painted pottery that flourished on Crete during the Middle Minoan period (c. 2100–c. 1550 BC). Surviving examples include ridged cups, small, round spouted jars, and large storage jars (pithoi), on which combinations of abstract curvilinear designs and stylized plant and marine motifs are painted in white and tones of red, orange, and yellow on black grounds.

Chromium Processing

2005-06-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Chromium (Cr) is a brilliant, hard, refractory metal that melts at 1,857° C (3,375° F) and boils at 2,672° C (4,842° F). In the pure state, it is resistant to ordinary corrosion, resulting in its application as an electroplated protective coating for other metals. It dissolves in nonoxidizing mineral acids but not in aqua regia or nitric acid, which passivate

Smorgasbord

2005-06-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Swedish Smörgåsbord, in Swedish cuisine, buffet offering a variety of fish, cheeses, and hot and cold dishes. In the country districts of Sweden, it was customary for guests to contribute to the fare at large gatherings. The foods were set out on long tables from which the diners helped themselves. By the 18th century, festive meals were preceded by appetizers from a bannvinsbord, offering aquavit,

Régence Style

2005-05-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Transition in the decorative arts from the massive rectilinear forms of Louis XIV furniture to those prefiguring the Rococo style of Louis XV. The style encompasses about the first 30 years of the 18th century, when Philippe II, duc d'Orléans, was regent of France. The restraint arrived at during this period resulted from a strong reaction against the pomposity of the

Shun-chih

2005-05-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

The ninth son of Abahai (1592–1643), the great ruler of the Manchu kingdom of Manchuria, he succeeded to the throne in 1643 at the age of six and ruled under the regency of Dorgon (1612–50), a paternal uncle. In 1644, Manchu troops under Dorgon's command captured Peking, the former capital of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and the young ruler

Parturition, Lacerations of the perineum, vulva, and vagina

2005-03-15T00:26:00.000-08:00

Vaginal lacerations usually make themselves known by profuse bleeding after delivery of the baby. Not all extensive lacerations cause bleeding, however, and a large tear in the vaginal wall may not be discovered until the health-care provider inspects the vagina after the placenta is delivered. There is no difficulty in diagnosing lacerations near the external

Pierce, George Washington

2005-03-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

The second of three sons of a farm family, Pierce grew up on a cattle ranch and fared well enough in the modest rural schools of central Texas to graduate (1893) after three years at the University of Texas, Austin. He taught in rural

Encaustic Painting

2005-03-12T18:43:00.002-08:00

Painting technique in which pigments are mixed with hot, liquid wax. After all of the colours have been applied to the painting surface, a heating element is passed over them until the individual brush or spatula marks fuse into a uniform film. This �burning in� of the colours is an essential element of the true encaustic technique. Encaustic wax has many of the properties

Encaustic Painting

2005-03-12T18:43:00.001-08:00

Encaustic Painting

2005-03-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Fryer, Robert

2005-03-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

American theatrical and film producer (b. Dec. 18, 1920, Washington, D.C. - d. May 28, 2000, Los Angeles, Calif.), staged some of Broadway's most popular productions from the 1950s to the 1980s. Fryer got his start on Broadway in 1951 as a co-producer, with George Abbott, of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. He went on to produce such hits as Wonderful Town (1958), Sweet Charity (1966), Chicago (1975), and Merrily We Roll Along (1981). His Broadway shows

Gaekwar Dynasty

2005-03-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Damaji I who had risen to power by 1740. The last Gaekwar, Sayaji Rao III, died in 1939.

Argenson, Ren�-louis De Voyer De Paulmy, Marquis D'

2005-03-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

French minister of foreign affairs under King Louis XV from 1744 to 1747. The son of a lawyer, he received legal training and, from 1720 to 1724, served as intendant (royal agent) in Hainaut. As patron of the Club de l'Entresol in Paris, he discussed the political concepts of the Enlightenment with Voltaire and other philosophes. In November 1744, several months after France

Arabian Sea

2005-03-04T00:59:00.000-08:00

To medieval Arabs the Arabian Sea was known as the Sea of India or as part of the �Great Sea,� from which smaller gulfs such as the Sea of Faris (Persian Gulf) or Sea of Kolzum (Red Sea) were distinguished. From about the 8th or 9th century onward, Arab and Persian seafarers learned to use the surface currents propelled by the summer and winter monsoon winds. Detailed navigational

Wrangel, Pyotr Nikolayevich, Baron

2005-03-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

A member of an old German baronial family, he served in the Russian imperial guards and became commander of a Cossack division during World War I. He continued to serve in the army after the February

Tlemcen

2005-03-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �(after 1981) Tilimsen, � town, northwestern Algeria. It lies near the Moroccan border. Tlemcen is backed by the cliffs of the well-watered Tlemcen Mountains and overlooks the fertile Hennaya and Maghnia plains. Lying at an elevation of 2,648 feet (807 m), Tlemcen is located sufficiently inland to avoid the humidity of the Mediterranean coast but is near enough to receive cooling sea breezes in summer.

Nova Scotia, Education

2005-03-01T02:05:00.000-08:00

The nondenominational system of compulsory, free public education, dating from the mid-19th century, consolidated the many rural school districts into fewer, larger, and more efficient districts during the 1970s. Considerable emphasis is placed on commercial and vocational training at the secondary as well as the college level. Dalhousie University (founded 1818) in Halifax

Molinet, Jean

2005-02-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Molinet studied in Paris and about 1464 entered the service of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, becoming secretary to Georges Chastellain, chronicler

Topiary

2005-02-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

The training of living trees and shrubs into artificial, decorative shapes. Thickly leaved evergreen shrubs are used in topiary; the best subjects are box, cypress, and yew, although others - such as rosemary, holly, and box honeysuckle - are used with success. Topiary is said to have been invented by a friend of the ancient Roman emperor Augustus and is known to have been

Aza�a Y D�az, Manuel

2005-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Aza�a studied law in Madrid and became a civil servant, journalist, and writer, figuring prominently in Ateneo, a Madrid literary club. He

Biblical Literature, Redaction criticism

2005-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Redaction criticism concentrates on the end product, studying the way in which the final authors or editors used the traditional material that they received and the special purpose that each had in view in incorporating this material into his literary composition. It has led of late to important conclusions about the respective outlooks and aims of Matthew,

Ehrenburg, Ilya Grigoryevich

2005-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Born into a middle-class Jewish family that later moved to Moscow, Ehrenburg became involved as a youth in revolutionary activity and was arrested in his early teens. He emigrated to Paris, where he began publishing

Priesthood, The ancient Middle East

2005-02-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

In the Nile valley the occupant of the throne (the pharaoh) was regarded as a god incarnate, the sacred king. Because he was believed to be the epitome of all that was divine, he alone was the intermediary between mankind and the gods whom he summed up in his complex personality. Before Menes, founder of the 1st dynasty (c. 3100 - 2890 BC), centralized the rule of Upper and Lower Egypt, the high

Paul, Alice

2005-02-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

Paul was reared in a Quaker home. She graduated from Swarthmore College (1905) and pursued postgraduate studies at the New York School of Social Work. She then went to England to do settlement work (1906 - 09), and during her stay there

Goa

2005-02-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Goa, with a coastline of 65 miles, is hilly and includes a portion of the Western Ghats rising to nearly 4,000 feet. The two largest rivers are the Mandavi and Zuari, between the mouths of which lies the island of Goa (Ilhas). The island is triangular, the apex (called the cape) being a rocky headland separating the harbour of Goa into two anchorages. There are three principal cities in

Argol�

2005-02-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

Nom�s (department), northeastern Peloponnese, southern Greece. It is a narrow, mountainous peninsula projecting eastward into the Aegean Sea between the Saronic Gulf, (to the northeast) and the Gulf of Argolis (to the southwest). Bordered on the north by K�rinthos (Corinth) and on the west by the mountains of Arcadia, it has been inhabited since Neolithic times. A limestone

Parallel

2005-02-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

Imaginary line extending around the Earth parallel to the equator; it is used to indicate latitude. The 38th parallel, for example, has a latitude of 38� N or 38� S. See latitude and longitude.

Burbank

2005-02-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, California, U.S., in the San Fernando Valley. Part of Rancho San Rafael and La Providencia, it was laid out in 1887 by the Providencia Land, Water and Development Company and named for David Burbank, a Los Angeles dentist who had established a sheep ranch there in 1867. An early truck-manufacturing and motion-picture centre, its growth was rapid during the

Sculpture, Western, Public and private memorials

2005-02-15T23:37:00.000-08:00

After World War II there was a flood of public memorial sculpture, and in Europe especially many of the commissions were carried out by modern sculptors. A striking war memorial in Italy is Mirko Basaldella's gate for the monument to the Roman hostages killed in the Ardeatine Caves (1951). For its full effect the gate must be seen in connection with the rugged masonry wall

Arevaci

2005-02-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

The Arevaci and the Belli rose up against the Romans in the Celtiberian War, which

Gonda

2005-02-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

The area in which Gonda is situated is drained by the Rapti and other Ghaghara tributaries and

Scimitar-babbler

2005-02-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

Any of about 12 species of songbirds of the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes), which have long, curved bills used for uncovering insects in ground litter. Scimitar-babblers are 18 to 28 cm (7 to 11 inches) in length, with fairly long tails. Their plumage is mostly brown. They range through southern Asia to Australia and the Philippines. An example is the slaty-headed

France, History Of, The development of institutions in the Carolingian age

2005-02-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Carolingians contented themselves with refining their administrative system in order to strengthen royal control and to solve the problems posed by a large empire. The kingdom's cohesion was augmented by an oath of fidelity, which Charlemagne exacted from every free man (789, 793, 802), and by the publication of legislation - the capitularies - which regulated the administration

Biblical Literature, The tribal league

2005-02-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

The invading tribes who became masters of parts of Canaan, although effectively autonomous and lacking a central authority, considered themselves a league of 12 tribes, although the number 12 seems to have been more canonical or symbolical than historical. Some scholars, on the analogy of Greek leagues of six or 12 tribes or cities with a common sanctuary, speak of the Israelite

Cloister

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

Quadrilateral enclosure surrounded by covered walkways, and usually attached to a monastic or cathedral church and sometimes to a college. The term used in a narrow sense also applies to the walkways or alleys themselves (the central area being the cloister garth), in a general sense to the houses of religious orders, and in a generic sense to places of retreat for

Interior Design, 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe

2005-02-07T03:32:00.000-08:00

Neoclassicism predominated in France till the rise of Napoleon, when to Roman styles were added Egyptian motifs from his Egyptian campaign of 1798. This was known in France as the Empire style, after the First Empire of France (1804 - 14), and in England as Regency, for the period (1811 - 20) when George III was too deranged to rule. Furniture design, for the most part light and graceful during the

Averro�

2005-02-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Averro�s was born into a distinguished family of jurists at C�rdoba and died at Marrakech, the North African capital of the Almohad dynasty. Thoroughly versed in the traditional Muslim sciences (especially exegesis of the Qur'an - Islamic scripture - and Hadith, or Traditions, and fiqh, or Law), trained in medicine, and accomplished in philosophy, Averro�s rose to be chief

Amatique Bay

2005-02-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Spanish �Bah�a De Amatique, � inlet of the Gulf of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea, indenting eastern Guatemala and southeastern Belize (formerly British Honduras). Extending northwestward for about 40 miles (64 km) from Santo Tom�s de Castilla, Guatemala, it is some 15 miles (24 km) from northeast to southwest. Amatique Bay receives the Dulce River, which drains Izabal Lake; the Sarstoon (Sarst�n) River, which

Skene

2005-02-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

(from Greek skene, �scene-building�), in ancient Greek theatre, a building behind the playing area that was originally a hut for the changing of masks and costumes but eventually became the background before which the drama was enacted. First used c. 465 BC, the skene was originally a small wooden structure facing the circle of spectators. It developed into a two-story edifice decorated

Farlow, William Gilson

2005-02-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

After receiving the M.D. degree from Harvard University (1870), Farlow studied in Europe until 1874, when he became professor of cryptogamic botany (the study of flowerless and seedless plants)

Pitman Shorthand

2005-02-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

System of rapid writing based on the sounds of words (i.e., the phonetic principle) rather than on conventional spellings. Invented by Sir Isaac Pitman, an English educator, the Pitman shorthand method was first published in 1837 as Stenographic Sound Hand. Pitman's system classifies the sounds of a language into basic groups and makes use of simple abbreviations for rapidity.

Mithra

2005-01-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Mithras, �Sanskrit �Mitra, � in ancient Indo-Iranian mythology, the god of light, whose cult spread from India in the east to as far west as Spain, Great Britain, and Germany. (See Mithraism.) The first written mention of the Vedic Mitra dates to 1400 BC. His worship spread to Persia and, after the defeat of the Persians by Alexander the Great, throughout the Hellenic world. In the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, the cult of

Padjelanta National Park

2005-01-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

Park in Norrbotten l�n (county), northwestern Sweden, adjoining Norway (west) and Sarek National Park (east). It is the largest of the Swedish national parks and one of the largest parks in Europe, with an area of 776 square miles (2,010 square km). It was established in 1962. Padjelanta National Park contains several lakes, the largest of which are Virihaure, Vastenjaure, and Salojaure, as

Brecon Beacons National Park

2005-01-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Welsh �Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog� national park in southern Wales, occupying 519 square miles (1,344 square km) of mountains, moors, forests, pastureland, lakes, and the broad Usk valley. The easternmost highlands in the park are the Black Mountains (old red sandstone) of Powys county, lying east of the River Usk between Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye, with their highest point at Waun Fach, elevation 2,660 feet (811 metres). Centrally

Houlton

2005-01-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

Town, seat (1839) of Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Meduxnekeag River 120 miles (193 km) northeast of Bangor. Settled in 1805 and named for one of its founders, Joseph Houlton, it soon developed as a lumbering town and was incorporated in 1831. From 1828 to 1847 it was a military station (Hancock Barracks [partially restored] on Garrison Hill) that played an active role during the

Amulet

2005-01-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Natural amulets

Switzerland, Rural communities

2005-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Spaatz, Carl

2005-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

A graduate (1914) of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Spaatz served as a combat pilot during World War I and then acquired extensive staff and command experience between 1919 and 1942. He went to England in 1940 to evaluate German military

France, History Of, The Grand Empire

2005-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

Napoleon now had a free hand to reorganize Europe and numerous relatives to install on the thrones of his satellite kingdoms. The result was known as the Grand Empire. Having annexed Tuscany, Piedmont, Genoa, and the Rhineland directly into France, Napoleon placed the Kingdom of Holland (which until 1806 was the Batavian Commonwealth) under his brother Louis, the Kingdom

Babahoyo

2005-01-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

City, west central Ecuador, on the southern shore of the R�o Babahoyo, a major branch of the R�o Guayas. A processing and trade centre for the surrounding agricultural region, the city handles rice, sugarcane, fruits, balsa wood, and tagua nuts (vegetable ivory). Rice and sugar are milled, and there is also a government-owned distillery making alcohol, ether, and perfume. A

Macarthur, John

2005-01-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

In 1789 Macarthur went to Australia as a lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps. By 1793 he had become a large landholder, having attained power as inspector of public works and paymaster

Gundulic, Ivan (franov)

2005-01-18T03:20:00.000-08:00

A prolific writer, Gundulic also occupied various governmental positions in the Dubrovnik

Mansur, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub Al-

2005-01-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

When his father, Abu Ya'qub Yusuf, died on July 29, 1184, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub succeeded to the throne with minor difficulties. In November factious tribes in Algeria captured Algiers and other towns, but by 1188 he had pacified his African territories

Roma

2005-01-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Queensland, Australia, principal settlement of the Maronoa district, on Bungil Creek. The town, surveyed in 1862 and declared a municipality in 1867, was named after Diamantina Roma Bowen, wife of the state's first governor. Linked to Brisbane (about 315 miles [510 km] east-southeast) by rail, air, and the Carnarvon and Warrego highways, it serves an agricultural and pastoral

Loreto

2005-01-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Loreto lies almost entirely in the Amazonian rain forest at an average elevation of about 500 ft (152 m). The climate is hot and humid, with heavy rainfall. The Ucayali River

Vitalism

2005-01-14T23:14:00.000-08:00

School of scientific thought - the germ of which dates from Aristotle - that attempts (in opposition to mechanism and organicism) to explain the nature of life as resulting from a vital force peculiar to living organisms and different from all other forces found outside living things. This force is held to control form and development and to direct the activities

Permafrost, Thermokarst formations

2005-01-13T04:26:00.000-08:00

Thawed

Alloway

2005-01-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

Southern suburb of the town of Ayr, South Ayrshire council area, historic county of Ayrshire, Scotland, famous as the birthplace of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. There is a museum alongside the thatched cottage where he was born in 1759 and a memorial built in 1820 in the form of a Grecian temple. The Brig o' Doon, immortalized in Burns's poem �Tam o' Shanter,� is nearby.

Rose, Hugh Henry, Baron Strathnairn Of Strathnairn And Of Jhansi

2005-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Son of the diplomat Sir George Rose, he was educated and received his military training in Berlin and entered the British army in 1820. From 1841 to 1848 he was consul general in Syria. As British liaison officer at French headquarters during the Crimean War,

Atat�rk, Kemal

2005-01-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Atat�rk was born in 1881 in Salonika, then a thriving port of the Ottoman Empire, and was given the name Mustafa. His father, Ali Riza, had been a lieutenant in a local militia unit during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 - 78, indicating that his origins were within the Ottoman ruling class, if only marginally. Mustafa's mother, Z�beyde Hanim, came from a farming community west of

Vijayanagar

2005-01-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

The city and its first dynasty were founded in 1336 by five sons

Furniture, The American colonies

2005-01-08T03:26:00.000-08:00

While the Southern planter still depended largely upon London for his fine furnishings, the

Davies, Peter Maxwell

2005-01-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Davies studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music (1952 - 56) and at Manchester University (1952 - 57) and then in Italy (1957 - 59) with the composer Goffredo Petrassi. From 1959 to 1962 he taught music at the Cirencester Grammar

Reproductive System, Animal, Sponges, coelenterates, flatworms, and aschelminths

2005-01-06T00:37:00.000-08:00

Sponges are at a cellular level of organization and thus do not have organs or even well-developed tissues; nevertheless, they produce sperm and eggs and also reproduce asexually. Some species of sponge are monoecious, others are dioecious. Sperm and eggs are formed by aggregations of cells called amoebocytes in the body wall; these are not considered gonads because

Parturition, Face presentation

2005-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

When the child's head becomes bent back (extended) so that it enters and passes through the pelvis face first, the condition is known as a face presentation. The chin is then the leading pole and follows the same course that is followed by the back of the head in occipital presentations. If the chin lies to the front as it enters the pelvis, labour often is easy and of short

Cohens V. Virginia

2005-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

(1821), U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court reaffirmed its right to review all state court judgments in cases arising under the federal Constitution or a law of the United States. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for mandatory Supreme Court review of the final judgments of the highest court of any state in cases �where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute

Anselm Of Laon,

2005-01-03T04:12:00.000-08:00

Anselm apparently studied at Bec, Fr., under St. Anselm of Canterbury. In the final quarter of the 11th century, he taught with distinction at Paris, where with William of Champeaux he supported realism. About 1100 he returned to Laon, where his theological and exegetical

Argonaut

2005-01-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

The Golden Fleece had originated

Barasingha

2005-01-01T05:03:00.000-08:00

Also called �Swamp Deer� (species Cervus duvauceli), graceful deer, belonging to the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), found in open forests and grasslands of India and Nepal. The barasingha stands about 1.1 m (45 inches) at the shoulder. In summer, its coat is reddish or yellowish brown with white spots; in winter, its coat is heavier, particularly on the neck - brown with faint spots or none. The male

La Salle

2004-12-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

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

Macdonald, Cynthia

2004-12-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

Macdonald was educated at Bennington (Vermont) College (B.A., 1950); Mannes College of Music, New York City; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York (M.A., 1970); and the Houston-Galveston (Texas) Psychoanalytic Institute, where she was certified as a psychoanalyst

Astronomy

2004-12-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

Without doubt the most exciting event in astronomy was the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, but studies of other small bodies in the solar system provided their own delights and surprises. Although the solar system is traditionally viewed as comprising the Sun, nine planets, their moons, and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the discovery in

Eleusinian Mysteries

2004-12-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

Most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient Greece. According to the myth told in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the earth goddess Demeter (q.v.) went to Eleusis in search of her daughter Kore (Persephone), who had been abducted by Hades (Pluto), god of the underworld. Befriended by the royal family of Eleusis, she agreed to rear the queen's son. She was, however, prevented

Dance, Western, The French dance suite

2004-12-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

At the great balls of the French court at Versailles, the minuet was the high point of the festivities, which culminated in a suite of dances. The opening branle, led by the king and his escort, was a measured circling around, one couple after another. Next came the courante, which had been toned down from its earlier rather capricious figurations. Over the years it assumed

Aristeas, Letter Of

2004-12-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Pseudepigraphal work of pseudo-history produced in Alexandria, probably in the mid-2nd century BC, to promote the cause of Judaism. Though the size and prestige of the Jewish community had already secured for itself a definite place in Alexandrian society and serious anti-Semitism had not yet gained currency, the Jewish community was in conflict. While some Jews embraced

Iridescence

2004-12-25T23:45:00.000-08:00

Interference of light either at the surface or in the interior of a material that produces a series of colours as the angle of incidence changes. Best known are the colours seen in precious opal resulting from the interference of light by submicroscopic layers of nearly spherical particles 1,500 - 3,000 angstroms in diameter that are arranged in a regular pattern. Common opal

Mormon

2004-12-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

The First Presidency (church president and two councillors), the Council of the Twelve, the First Quorum of Seventy (and its presidency, concerned especially with missions), and the presiding bishop and two councillors (who control the Aaronic priesthood) constitute the �General Authorities� of the church. They are �sustained in office� by the regular and now ritualized

Lamarr, Hedy

2004-12-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

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

Great Sand Dunes National Monument And Preserve

2004-12-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

Federal legislation enacted in 2000 created Great Sand

France, History Of, Loss of prestige

2004-12-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Genuinely popular in the earlier years of his reign, Louis XV had become

Kahn, Florence Prag

2004-12-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Florence Prag graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1887. Her ambition to study law was frustrated by the family's finances, and

Aza�s, Pierre-hyacinthe

2004-12-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

Philosopher whose optimism was rooted in the idea that human experience is imbued with a natural and harmonious balance between joy and sadness and that it is in this balance that meaning can be discovered. He advocated the idea in the work that first brought him fame, Des compensations dans les destin�es humaines, 3 vol. (1809). In a following work,

Sculpture

2004-12-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

A form of aesthetic expression in which hard or plastic materials are worked (as by carving, molding, or welding) into three-dimensional art objects. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments ranging from tableaux to contexts that envelop the spectator. An enormous variety of media may be used, including clay, wax,

Biblical Literature, In Christianity

2004-12-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

The Hebrew Bible is as basic to Christianity as it is to Judaism. Without the Old Testament, the New Testament could not have been written and there could have been no man like Jesus; Christianity could not have been what it became. This has to do with cultural values, basic human values, as much as with religious beliefs. The Genesis stories of prehistoric events and people

Elias Of Cortona

2004-12-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

In 1217 Elias headed the new Franciscan mission to the Holy Land as first minister provincial of Syria. He visited holy places in Palestine with Francis, returning with him

Asceticism

2004-12-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

In all strictly ascetic movements, celibacy (q.v.) has been regarded as the first commandment. Virgins and celibates emerged among the earliest Christian communities and came to occupy a prominent status. Among the earliest Mesopotamian Christian communities, only the celibates were accepted as full members of the church, and in some religions only celibates have

Black Belt

2004-12-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

Physical region in Alabama and Mississippi, U.S., so named for its soil. The Black Belt is a fertile plain, generally 25 - 30 miles (40 - 50 km) wide and stretching approximately 300 miles (480 km) across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous soils, it was one of the South's most important agricultural areas before the American Civil War. Though corn (maize) was

Affreightment

2004-12-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

Essentially, such a contract is an agreement between two parties, the carrier and the shipper. The carrier undertakes to carry the goods to

Pitot, Henri

2004-12-12T05:34:00.000-08:00

Beginning his career as a mathematician and astronomer, Pitot won election to the Academy of Sciences in 1724. He became interested in the problem of flow of water in rivers and canals and discovered that much contemporary theory was erroneous - for example,

Joveyni, 'ata Malek

2004-12-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Born into a well-known and highly respected family of governors and civil servants,

Zangi

2004-12-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

When Zangi's father, the governor of Aleppo, was killed in 1094, Zangi fled to Mosul. He served the Seljuq dynasty, and in 1126 the Seljuq sultan, Mahmud II, appointed Zangi governor of Basra. When the 'Abbasid dynasty caliph al-Mustarshid

Motor-vehicle Insurance

2004-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

Liability insurance pays for

Henry Viii

2004-12-07T04:17:00.000-08:00

King of England (1509 - 47), who presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. His six wives were, successively, Catherine of Aragon (the mother of the future queen Mary I), Anne Boleyn (the mother of the future queen Elizabeth I), Jane Seymour (the mother of Henry's successor, Edward VI), Anne of Cleves, Catherine

Bebel, August

2004-12-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Bebel was the son of a Prussian noncommissioned officer. Growing up in extreme poverty