AutomaticLip

Succubus

2005-04-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Female form of an incubus (q.v.).

Lockheed Martin Corporation

2005-04-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Major American diversified company with core business concentrations in aerospace products—including aircraft, space launchers, satellites, and defense systems—and other advanced-technology systems and services. About half of the company's annual sales are to the U.S. Department of Defense. Lockheed Martin is also a leading contractor for the U.S. Department

Indiana

2005-04-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

Constituent state of the United States of America. The state sits, as its motto claims, at “the crossroads of America.” It borders Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan on the north, Ohio on the east, Kentucky on the south, and Illinois on the west, making it an integral part of the Midwest. Indiana's 36,185 square miles (93,720 square kilometres) also make it, except for Hawaii, the smallest

Aurgelmir

2005-04-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

Also called Ymir in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. Aurgelmir was the father of all the giants; a male and a female grew under his arm, and his legs produced a six-headed son. A cow, Audumla, nourished him with her milk. Audumla was herself nourished by licking salty, rime-covered

Giulini, Carlo Maria

2005-03-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

Giulini studied under Bernardino Molinari at Rome's Accademia di Santa Cecilia. As violist for that institution's resident orchestra, he observed the work of such notables as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, and Bruno Walter. His conducting

Orange Walk

2005-03-31T03:18:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Belize, situated on the left (west) bank of the New River. Established in early colonial times, it was pillaged by hostile Indians in 1872. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it conducted a thriving trade in mahogany. The town declined after demand for mahogany lessened. Sugarcane and citrus fruit cultivation and rum distilling are the main economic

Agriculture And Food Supplies, Company Developments.

2005-03-30T01:35:00.000-08:00

Nestlé SA of Switzerland retained its position as the world's largest food producer, its sales increasing by 3.4% in the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 1995. Nestlé sold Wine World Estates, which owned 2,630 ha (6,500 ac) of vineyards in California, to a newly formed U.S. consortium comprising Silverado Partners and Texas Pacific Group. Nestlé sold twice the amount of soft drinks in Europe as PepsiCo,

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Typology and typological symbolism

2005-03-29T03:13:00.000-08:00

Erich Auerbach, “Figura,” in Scenes from the Drama of European Literature: Six Essays (1959); A.C. Charity, Events and Their Afterlife: The Dialectics of Christian Typology in the Bible and Dante (1966); Jean Danielou, Sacramentum futuri: études sur les origines de la typologie biblique (1950; Eng. trans., From Shadows to Reality: Studies in the Biblical Typology of the Fathers, 1960); Austin Farrer, A Rebirth of Images: The Making of St. John's Apocalypse (1949); R.P.C. Hanson, Allegory and Event (1959); W.G. Madsen, From Shadowy Types to Truth: Studies in Milton's Symbolism (1968).

Fibre, Man-made

2005-03-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

Fibre whose chemical composition, structure, and properties are significantly modified during the manufacturing process. Man-made fibres are spun and woven into a huge number of consumer and industrial products, including garments such as shirts, scarves, and hosiery; home furnishings such as upholstery, carpets, and drapes; and industrial parts such as tire cord,

Calderdale

2005-03-28T03:59:00.000-08:00

Westernmost metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough is part of the historic county of Yorkshire, except for a small area west of Todmorden that belongs to the historic county of Lancashire. The bleak gritstone Pennine moorlands, with scattered sheep farms and reservoirs, rise to an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 metres)

Han-yang

2005-03-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Ts'ai-tien , Pinyin Hanyang , or Caidian urban area and industrial city in Hupeh Province (sheng), central China. Located on the right bank of the Han Shui (river) at its confluence with the Yangtze, opposite Han-k'ou, it is the westernmost of the three cities of the Wu-han (q.v.) conurbation (Han-k'ou, Han-yang, Wu-ch'ang). Han-yang was founded under the Sui dynasty (AD 581–618) but was of little importance until modern times. In the early

Ueda

2005-03-25T01:50:00.000-08:00

City, Nagano ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Chikuma River. Ueda was a castle town during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) and later became a centre of silk manufacturing and the site of the Sericultural Professional School. The city's silk industry declined during the mid-20th century, and synthetic textiles, processed foods, and electrical appliances are now produced.

Acarnania

2005-03-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

District of ancient Greece bounded by the Ionian Sea, the Ambracian Gulf, Mount Thyamus, and the Achelous River. Corinth founded several colonies on the coast of Acarnania in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Originally a tribal unit, Acarnania developed into a federal state with generals and other magistrates, a council, and an assembly by the late 5th century; its capital was

Yang Kuei-fei

2005-03-23T04:48:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yang Guifei notorious beauty and concubine of the great T'ang emperor Hsüan Tsung (reigned 712–756). Because of her the Emperor is said to have neglected his duties, and the T'ang dynasty (618–907) was greatly weakened by a rebellion that ensued. Her story has been the subject of many outstanding Chinese poems and dramas. The daughter of a high official, she was one of the few obese women

Mercouri, Melina

2005-03-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Mercouri came from a politically prominent family. She graduated from the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece. Her first major role, at the age of 20, was Lavinia in Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra,

Biblical Literature, Later and modern editions

2005-03-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

New Testament editions in the 18th century did not question the Textus Receptus (T.R.), despite new manuscript evidence and study, but its limitations became apparent. E. Wells, a British mathematician and theological writer (1719), was the first to edit a complete New Testament that abandoned the T.R. in favour of more ancient manuscripts; and English scholar Richard Bentley

Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry

2005-03-20T00:49:00.000-08:00

Educated at Dulwich College (1887–90), Shackleton entered the mercantile marine service in 1890 and became a sublieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve in 1901. He joined Captain Robert Falcon Scott's British National Antarctic (Discovery) Expedition (1901–04) as third

Christianity, New forms of worship

2005-03-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

The veneration of martyrs and the growth of pilgrimages stimulated liturgical elaboration. Great centres (Jerusalem and Rome, in particular) became models for others, which encouraged regional standardization and cross-fertilization. Though the pattern of the eucharistic liturgy was settled by the 4th century, there were many variant forms, especially of the

Biblical Literature, The Sadducees

2005-03-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

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

Sac Spider

2005-03-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Two-clawed Hunting Spider, any member of the family Clubionidae (order Araneida), a relatively common, widespread group. Sac spiders range in body length from 3 to 15 mm (about 0.12 to 0.6 inch) and build silken tubes under stones, in leaves, or in grass. Chiracanthium inclusum, found throughout the United States, is venomous to humans. Its greenish white body is about 8 mm long.

Zanjan

2005-03-18T03:32:00.000-08:00

Geographic region of northwestern Iran. It lies west of Tehran and is bordered on the northwest by Azerbaijan and on the southwest by Kordestan. The region constitutes one of the uplands that frame central Iran and has an average elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 m). It forms part of the Caspian Sea basin. The Zanjan River is the only major river in the region. Agriculture is the principal

Cattaraugus

2005-03-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

Moses, Sir Charles (joseph Alfred)

2005-03-16T03:02:00.000-08:00

Moses graduated from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, Eng. (1918), and was stationed with the British army in Ireland before immigrating

Huguenot

2005-03-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Any of the Protestants in France in the 16th and 17th centuries, many of whom suffered severe persecution for their faith. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it appears to have come from the word aignos, derived from the German Eidgenossen (confederates bound together by oath), which used to describe, between 1520 and 1524, the patriots of Geneva hostile to the duke of Savoy. The

Elijah's Cup

2005-03-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

In Judaism, the fifth ceremonial cup of wine poured during the family Seder dinner on Passover (Pesah). It is left untouched in honour of Elijah, who, according to tradition, will arrive one day as an unknown guest to herald the advent of the Messiah. During the Seder dinner, biblical verses are read while the door is briefly opened to welcome Elijah, who, it is further said,

Albert Of Saxony

2005-03-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

He studied at Prague and then at the University of Paris, where he was a master of arts from 1351 to 1362 and rector in 1353. Most probably he is to be identified with the Albert of Ricmestorp, or Rückmersdorf, who was rector of the University of Vienna in 1365 and bishop

Goncharov, Ivan Aleksandrovich

2005-03-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Goncharov was born into a wealthy merchant family and, after graduating from Moscow University in 1834, served

Arung Singkang

2005-03-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

As a young man Arung Singkang was exiled to Borneo, where he gathered a following and in 1737 returned and won control of his native state, Wadjo. He also defeated Bone, another Buginese state, and created a Buginese

Corbin, Margaret

2005-03-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

Margaret Cochran, having lost both her parents in an Indian raid when she was five, grew up with relatives and, in 1772, married John Corbin. When

Typhoon

2005-03-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Local name in the western North Pacific area for any large, traveling tropical cyclone (q.v.).

Armstrong, Samuel Chapman

2005-03-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

The son of American missionaries to Hawaii, Armstrong attended Oahu College for two years before going to the United States in 1860. He enrolled at Williams College; but, on the outbreak

Lima, Pre-Columbian and colonial periods

2005-03-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

The area around Lima has been inhabited for thousands of years. Urban communities of significant size date from the pre-Inca Early Intermediate Period (c. 200 BC–AD 600), the most important being Pachacamac, which was an important religious site in both pre-Inca and Inca times. Much of the ransom demanded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro for the Inca chief Atahuallpa (Atahualpa)

Saale River

2005-03-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Left tributary of the Elbe River, 265 miles (426 km) long and draining 9,165 square miles (23,737 square km). It rises in the Fichtelgebirge, a Bavarian highland area in southern Germany, and flows north and northwest past Hof, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Jena, Naumburg, Weissenfels, Merseburg, Halle, Bernburg, and Niemberg to join the Elbe just above Barby. Initially passing through well-wooded hills,

Kirby, William

2005-03-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

Kirby moved in 1832 to the United States and in 1839 to Canada, where he settled in Niagara and became editor of the Niagara Mail (1850–71) and collector of customs from 1871 to 1895. Kirby was a fervent loyalist (favouring

T'ien-t'ai

2005-03-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

The chief scripture of the school is the Lotus Sutra (Chinese: Fa-hua Ching; Sanskrit: Saddharmapu

Constable, Archibald

2005-03-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

At the age of 14 Constable was apprenticed to an Edinburgh bookseller, Peter Hill; after six years he left to open his own bookstore. He began to publish theological and political pamphlets, and in 1802 Sydney Smith

Ueno

2005-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

City, Mie ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies in an intermontane basin at the head of the Kii Peninsula. The city developed around a castle built in 1611 and still retains some of its early character. Hakuho Park is on the site of the old castle, which was rebuilt in 1953. The Aizen Temple in Ueno is dedicated to the god of love. The industry of the city includes the traditional manufacture

Hawkweed

2005-03-05T02:44:00.000-08:00

Some species are cultivated as garden ornamentals for their attractive

Wankel, Felix

2005-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

German engineer and inventor of the Wankel rotary engine. The Wankel engine is distinguished by the presence of an orbiting rotor in the shape of a curved equilateral triangle that does the work done by the moving pistons in other internal-combustion engines. Advantages of the Wankel engine include light weight, few moving parts, compactness,

Mitchell, S. Weir

2005-03-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

After study at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College (M.D., 1850), Mitchell spent a year in Paris specializing in neurology. As an army surgeon during the American Civil War, he became well known for his “rest cure.” His

Benhadugah, 'abd Al-hamid

2005-03-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

Algerian writer who was considered the father of modern Arabic literature in Algeria; among the concerns he addressed in such novels as Rih al-janub (1971; "The Wind from the South") were the limitations that societal tradition imposes on young people as they strive for progress and the struggle of women for emancipation (b. Jan. 9, 1925--d. Oct. 20/21, 1996).

Roxana

2005-03-02T03:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Roxane wife of Alexander the Great. The daughter of the Bactrian chief Oxyartes, she was captured and married by Alexander in 327, during his conquest of Asia. After Alexander's death (323) she had his second wife, Stateira (Barsine), killed, and she gave birth at Babylon to a son (Alexander IV), who was accepted by the Macedonian generals as joint king with the idiot Philip

Black Range

2005-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Mountain range extending 100 miles (160 km) north to south, through Catron and Sierra counties, southwestern New Mexico, U.S. The range follows the Continental Divide for much of its length. Most of the range lies within the Gila National Forest, near the headwaters of the Gila River. The highest point in the range is Reeds Peak (10,015 feet [3,053 metres]). State Highway 152, also called the Black Range

Aerospace Industry

2005-02-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

Assemblage of manufacturing concerns that deal with vehicular flight within and beyond the Earth's atmosphere. (The term aerospace is derived from the words aeronautics and spaceflight.) The aerospace industry is engaged in the research, development, and manufacture of flight vehicles, including unpowered gliders and sailplanes (see gliding), lighter-than-air craft

O'faolain, Julia

2005-02-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

O'Faolain, the daughter of authors Sean O'Faolain and Eileen Gould, was educated at University College,

Rio Grande

2005-02-28T03:05:00.000-08:00

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

Argentina, Forestry and fishing

2005-02-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

The forestry industry does not supply all of Argentina's needs. Most of the harvest is used for lumber, with smaller amounts for firewood and charcoal. In Mesopotamia the Paraná pine is harvested for its timber; there are also plantations of poplar and willow. The Northwest highlands produce pine and cedar, used for pulp and industry. The red quebracho of the Chaco region

Religion

2005-02-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

During January and February 1995, an estimated 18 million Hindu pilgrims from around the world journeyed to Allahabad to bathe in the sacred Ganges River as part of the triennial Kumbh Mela, "Festival of the Pot." Allahabad is regarded as particularly holy because it lies

Yellow-green Algae

2005-02-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

Members of the division Xanthophyta (about 6,000 species), once classified with the green algae on the basis of similarity of body organization. The Xanthophyta are distinguished by their food reserve (oil), the quantity of b-carotene in their plastids, and motile bodies with unequal flagella. Frequently their cell walls are two overlapping halves. The

Water Treader

2005-02-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Mesoveliids are predaceous and are usually seen on floating vegetation or on the water surface. One species, Phrynovelia papua of New Guinea, lives in leaves on the forest

Shensi, The early period

2005-02-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

The northern parts of Shensi, particularly the Wei Valley, were some of the earliest settled parts of China. In the valley some remains of the Mesolithic Period have been found, while there are Neolithic Yang-shao culture sites spreading along the whole of the west–east corridor from Kansu to Honan, showing that this was already an important route. Chinese Neolithic

Eisenstein, Ferdinand Gotthold Max

2005-02-23T02:34:00.000-08:00

Eisenstein's family converted to Protestantism from Judaism just before his birth. He was the oldest of six children and the only one of them to survive childhood meningitis. Eisenstein entered the Friedrich Wilhelm University (now the Humboldt

Protestantism, The rise of Pietism

2005-02-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Dutch Pietism—influenced by Englishman William Ames (1576–1633), whose Medulla Sacrae Theologiae (1623; The Marrow of

Régence Style

2005-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

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

All-union Council Of Evangelical Christians And Baptists

2005-02-21T04:14:00.000-08:00

Voluntary association of Baptist churches in Russia that was formed (in the Soviet Union) in 1944 by uniting the Union of Evangelical Christians and the Russian Baptist Union. The Baptists in Russia grew from religious revival movements that began in the 1860s and '70s. In Ukraine, groups of Russians influenced by German Mennonite settlers gathered for Bible study and eventually

Karakul

2005-02-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sheep breed of central or west Asian origin, raised chiefly for the skins of very young lambs, which are covered with glossy, tightly curled black coats and are called Persian lamb in the fur trade. The wool of mature Karakul sheep, classified as carpet wool, is a mixture of coarse and fine fibres, from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long, of colours varying from black to various shades

San Fernando

2005-02-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

Town, Cadiz provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. It is situated on a rocky island surrounded by salt marshes that line the southern shore of the Bay of Cadiz, south of Cadiz city. Founded in 1776, it was known as Isla de León until renamed (1813) in honour of Ferdinand VII during the Spanish War of Independence (Peninsular War).

Earth, Joints

2005-02-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Joints have a variety of causes. They may be produced during the cooling of an igneous rock. Such joints are called primary joints, and all others are secondary

Kyrgyzstan, Plant and animal life

2005-02-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Woodlands run along the lower valleys and on slopes of the north-facing ranges. These are coniferous forests, containing the striking Tien Shan white spruce and occupying 3 to 4 percent of the country's area. The brown bear, wild pig, lynx, gray wolf, and ermine live in the woodlands. Wooded ravines and the valleys of the mountainous steppe regions provide the abode of the

Easement

2005-02-18T05:03:00.000-08:00

An easement may be created expressly by a written deed of grant conveying to another the right to use for a specific purpose a certain parcel of land. An easement may also be created when one sells his land to another but reserves for himself

Great Barrington

2005-02-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Berkshire county, southwestern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Housatonic River, in the Berkshire Hills, 19 miles (31 km) south of Pittsfield, and includes the communities of Great Barrington and Housatonic. Settled in 1726, the site was set off from Sheffield and incorporated in 1761. It was probably named for the 2nd Viscount Barrington, a nephew of the Massachusetts

Mormon

2005-02-16T23:56:00.000-08:00

Mormon doctrine diverges from the orthodoxy of established Christianity, particularly in its polytheism, in affirming that God has evolved from man and that men might evolve into gods, that the Persons of the Trinity are distinct beings, and that human souls have preexisted. Mormons accept that Christ came to earth so that all might be saved and raised from the dead

Anhalt

2005-02-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

Former German state, which was a duchy from 1863 to 1918 and a Land (state) until 1945, when it was merged in Saxony-Anhalt. Saxony-Anhalt was a Land of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 to 1952, when it was broken up into Bezirke (districts), the former territories of Anhalt being divided between the Bezirke of Magdeburg and of Halle. Upon the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, Saxony-Anhalt

Lip Ring, Lip Plug, And Lip Plate

2005-02-15T01:30:00.000-08:00

In South America at the time of the Spanish conquests, lip plugs, usually made of stone, gold, or rock crystal, were worn by the indigenous peoples. In several parts of Africa, especially in Congo (Kinshasa), Tanzania,

Xia Gui

2005-02-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

Xia's birth and death dates are unknown. According to most Chinese sources, however, he served in the Imperial Academy (Yuhuayuan) under the emperor Ning Zong (reigned 1194/95–1224/25), eventually attaining the rank of daizhao, or “painter in attendance,” and being awarded the highest honour a court painter could receive, the Golden Belt. The earliest source of information on him, however,

Kudu

2005-02-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

Any of certain handsome, slender antelopes of the genus Tragelaphus, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). The greater kudu (T. strepsiceros) lives in small groups in hilly bush country or open woods of eastern and southern Africa. It stands about 1.3 m (51 inches) at the shoulder. It has a fringe on the throat and a crest of hair on the neck and back, and

Durham, John George Lambton, 1st Earl Of

2005-02-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

Also called (1828–33) Baron Durham British reformist Whig statesman sometimes known as “Radical Jack,” governor general and lord high commissioner of Canada, and nominal author of the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), which for many years served as a guide to British imperial policy. The “Durham Report” was largely written by his chief secretary

Waitaki River

2005-02-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

River in central South Island, New Zealand. Streams issuing from Lakes Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo in the Southern Alps form the Waitaki (Maori: “Weeping Waters”), which, draining a 4,565-square-mile (11,823-square-kilometre) basin, flows southeast for 130 miles (209 km) to enter the Pacific at Glenavy, about 70 miles (113 km) north of Dunedin. The Waitaki River Power Development, which includes several large

Armistice

2005-02-12T02:25:00.000-08:00

An agreement for the cessation of active hostilities between two or more belligerents. Generally, the terms, scope, and duration of an armistice are determined by the contracting belligerents. An armistice agreement may involve a partial or temporary cessation of hostilities—called a local armistice or truce—established for a variety of specific purposes, such

Bhagavata-purana

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

(Sanskrit: “Ancient Stories of the Lord”), the most celebrated text of a variety of Hindu sacred literature in Sanskrit that is known as the Puranas, and the specific text that is held sacred by the Bhagavata sect. Scholars are in general agreement that the Bhagavata-Purana was probably composed about the 10th century, somewhere in the Tamil country of South India;

Cloak And Sword Drama

2005-02-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

Also called cloak and dagger theatre , Spanish comedia de capa y espada 17th-century Spanish plays of upper middle class manners and intrigue. The name derives from the cloak and sword that were part of the typical street dress of students, soldiers, and cavaliers, the favourite heroes. The type was anticipated by the plays of Bartolomé de Torres Naharro, but its popularity was established by the inventive dramas of Lope de Vega and Tirso

Downing, Andrew Jackson

2005-02-10T02:28:00.000-08:00

Downing was born into horticulture, his father being a nurseryman. After finishing his schooling at 16, he worked in his father's nursery and gradually became interested in landscape gardening and architecture.

Belgium

2005-02-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Belgian Parliament approved a further decentralization of power to the country's three regions during 2001. After six months of intense negotiations between the major political parties, it was agreed in July that responsibility for agricultural policy, foreign trade, development cooperation, and control over communal and provincial councils would pass from

Epistemology, St. Anselm of Canterbury

2005-02-08T02:45:00.000-08:00

The phrase St. Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109) used to describe his own project, namely, “faith seeking reason” (fides quaerens intellectum), well characterizes medieval philosophy as a whole. All the great medieval philosophers, Christian, Jewish, and Islamic alike, were also theologians. Virtually every object of interest was related to their belief in God, and virtually every

Maccabeus, Jonathan

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

Also called Apphus, Maccabeus also spelled Maccabaeus Jewish general, a son of the priest Mattathias, who took over the leadership of the Maccabean revolt after the death of his elder brother Judas. A brilliant diplomat, if not quite so good a soldier as his elder brother, Jonathan refused all compromise with the superior Seleucid forces, taking advantage of their internal troubles to free Judaea again from external

Azali

2005-02-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

Any member of the Babi movement (followers of a 19th-century Iranian prophet, the Bab) who chose to remain faithful to the Bab's teachings and to his chosen successor, Mirza Yahya, given the religious title Sobh-e Azal, after a split in the movement occurred in 1863. For about 13 years after the Bab's execution (1850), his followers acknowledged Sobh-e Azal as their lawful leader. In 1863, when Sobh-e Azal's half-brother

Kilian, Saint

2005-02-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

Missionary bishop who, with his companions Saints Colman and Totnan, gave his life for the Christianization of Thuringia and eastern Franconia. At Würzburg, in about 689, all three were beheaded by orders of Duke Gozbert of Würzburg, whom Kilian had supposedly converted and baptized. In 752 Bishop Burchard

Thomas, Norman (mattoon)

2005-02-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

Following his graduation from Union Theological Seminary, New York City, about 1911, Thomas accepted the pastorate of the East Harlem Church and the chairmanship of the American Parish, a settlement house in one of the poorest sections of New York City.

Lowell, Percival

2005-02-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

A member of the distinguished Lowell family of Massachusetts (he was brother to A. Lawrence Lowell and Amy Lowell), he devoted himself (1883–93) to literature and travel, much of the time in the Far East, which he described

Texas, Settlement

2005-02-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

By the 1730s the Spanish had sent more than 30 expeditions into Texas. San Antonio, which by 1718 housed a military post and a mission, had become the administrative centre. Missions, with military support, were established in Nacogdoches in East Texas, Goliad in the south, and near El Paso in the far west. The French also explored Texas. The explorations of Robert Cavelier, Lord de

Gate

2005-02-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

In hydraulic engineering, movable barrier for controlling the passage of fluid through a channel or sluice. River and canal locks have a pair of gates at each end. When closed, the gates meet at an obtuse angle that points upstream in order to resist the water pressure. When opened, they swing into recesses in the walls of the lock. Gates also regulate the outflow of water

Waigeo Island

2005-02-03T03:52:00.000-08:00

Indonesian Pulau Waigeo , also spelled Waigeu largest island of the Raja Ampat group in the Dampier Strait, Irian Jaya provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. Waigeo Island lies about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the Doberai (Vogelkop) Peninsula and across the strait from Irian Jaya. It is 70 miles (110 km) long (east-west) and 30 miles (48 km) wide (north-south). The island, which is almost bisected by a narrow inlet of the Dampier Strait, has a rocky and

Solfeggio

2005-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

French Solfège, vocal exercises sung to the solmization syllables (do, re, mi, etc.) and, by extension, vocalizes, or exercises sung to a single vowel, often florid and difficult to master. Solfeggio collections survive from the 17th century onward, with examples by leading composers of 18th-century opera, such as Nicola Porpora (also a singer and famed singing teacher) and Alessandro Scarlatti

Gate

2005-02-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

Also called interstitial-cell stimulating hormone (ICSH) one of two gonadotropic hormones (i.e., hormones concerned with the regulation of the gonads, or sex glands) that is produced by the pituitary gland. LH is a glycoprotein and operates in conjunction with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Following the release of the egg (ovulation) in the female, LH promotes the transformation of the graafian follicle (a small egg-containing

China, Urban socialist changes

2005-02-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Mao combined this massive transformation of the agricultural sector with a call for the “socialist transformation” of industry and commerce, in which the government would become, in effect, the major partner. In Chinese Communist fashion, this change was not simply decreed from above. Rather, extreme pressures were put on private merchants and capitalists in late

Mahapurusa

2005-02-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Salakapurusa, in Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist belief, an individual of extraordinary destiny, distinguished by certain physical traits or marks (laksanas). Such men are born to become either universal rulers (cakravartins) or great spiritual leaders (such as buddhas or the Jaina spiritual leaders, the Tirthankaras). In the case of Gautama Buddha, soothsayers were able to recognize the

Military Technology, The ax

2005-01-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

Limitations on the strength of bronze and difficulties in casting and hafting restricted the ax at first to a relatively broad blade mortised into a handle at three points and secured with bindings or rivets. The hafting problem became acute as improvements in armour dictated longer, narrower blades designed primarily for piercing rather than cutting. This

Paris, Foundation and medieval growth

2005-01-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Paris was in existence by the end of the 3rd century BC as a settlement on an island, the modern Île de la Cité, in the Seine River and was inhabited by a Gallic tribe known as the Parisii. The first recorded name for the settlement was Lutetia (Latin: “Midwater-Dwelling”). When the Romans arrived, the Parisii were sufficiently organized and wealthy to have their own gold coinage.

Alaska, Agriculture

2005-01-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

Only a small sector of Alaska's economy is agricultural, but a viable in-state market is still under development. More than 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of tillable land are available for farming, but much clearing has yet to be done. Most acreage is near Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula, though there is some near Fairbanks, and stock ranching is practiced on Kodiak

Pyrrhon Of Elis

2005-01-29T01:14:00.000-08:00

Pyrrhon was a pupil of Anaxarchus of Abdera and in about 330 established himself as a teacher at Elis. Believing that equal arguments can be offered on both sides of any proposition, he dismissed the search for truth as a vain endeavour. While traveling with

Literature

2005-01-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

The year 2001 was one of losses and gains for Russian literature. Several leading figures died, among them Viktor Krivulin, a major poet, critic, and organizational force in Russia's 1970s “underground”; Vadim Kozhonov—critic, literary scholar, and an intellectual leader of the “populist” wing of Russian literature; and

Philikí Etaireía

2005-01-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

(Greek: Friendly Brotherhood), Greek revolutionary secret society founded by merchants in Odessa in 1814 to overthrow Ottoman rule in southeastern Europe and to establish an independent Greek state. The society's claim of Russian support and the romance of its commitment (each member swore “irreconcilable hatred against the tyrants of my country”) brought thousands

Biogeochemical Cycle

2005-01-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

Any of the natural circulation pathways of the essential elements of living matter. These elements in various forms flow from the nonliving (abiotic) to the living (biotic) components of the biosphere and back to the nonliving again. In order for the living components of a major ecosystem (e.g., a lake or forest) to survive, all the chemical elements that make up living cells

Alcántara

2005-01-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Town, Cáceres provincia, in the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), western Spain, on a rock above the southern bank of the Tagus (Tajo) River just east of the Portuguese frontier. The walled town was named by the Moors after the six-arched Roman bridge Al-Qantarah (Arabic: “The Bridge”), which there spans the Tagus. Built in AD 105–106 in honour of the emperor Trajan,

Bruce, Michael

2005-01-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Bruce's parents gave him a good education, and he attended four winter sessions at the University of Edinburgh. In 1766 he wrote his last and finest poem, “Elegy Written in Spring.” His reputation

Toadflax

2005-01-24T16:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Spurred Snapdragon, any member of a genus (Linaria) of nearly 100 herbaceous plants native to the North Temperate Zone, particularly the Mediterranean region. The common name refers to their flaxlike leaves; the flowers are two-lipped and spurred like snapdragons. Among the prominent members are common toadflax, or butter-and-eggs (L. vulgaris), with yellow and orange flower

Bhaktapur

2005-01-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Bhatgaon , or Bhadgaon town, central Nepal, in the Nepal Valley, southeast of Kathmandu. Said to have been founded by Raja Ananda Malla in 865, it was for 200 years the most important settlement in the valley. The old palace in Durbar Square, built in 1700, is well preserved and has beautifully carved woodwork and a finely worked gilt gateway. Opposite, on a stone pillar, is the copper-gilt figure of King Bhupatindra

Los Alamos

2005-01-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

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

Elisha Ben Abuyah

2005-01-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

Byname Aher Jewish scholar who renounced his faith and who came to be regarded in later ages as a prototype of the heretic whose intellectual pride leads him to infidelity to Jewish laws and morals. In the Talmud, Elisha is not mentioned by name but is usually referred to as Aher (“the Other,” or “Another”). His renunciation of Judaism was considered doubly heinous because he was a tanna

Pompadour, Jeanne-antoinette Poisson, Marquise De

2005-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Byname Madame De Pompadour, also called (1741–45) Jeanne-antoinette Le Normant D'étioles influential mistress (from 1745) of the French king Louis XV and a notable patron of literature and the arts.