ImportantSpoon

organic cotton goods

2006-10-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Liv organic cotton goods are soft luxurious nad affordable and they have a huge range of organic clothing.

Beach, Alfred Ely

2005-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

While Beach was attending

Strand, Paul

2005-04-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

When he was 17 years old, Strand began to study photography with Lewis W. Hine, who was later noted for his photographs of industrial workers and immigrants. At Hine's urging, Strand began

Arran, James Hamilton, 3rd Earl Of

2005-04-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

Earl of Arran who was twice considered as a husband both for Mary Stuart and for Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth (afterward Elizabeth I). During his childhood these projects arose from his father's ambitions; later, when he had returned from commanding the Scots guards in France (1554–59) and had joined the lords of the congregation, the Protestants proposed him as suitor

X Ray

2005-04-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Any electromagnetic radiation of an extremely short wavelength produced by the deceleration of charged particles or the transitions of electrons in atoms. As can be seen in the Figure, the wavelengths of X rays range from about 10-8 metres to 12-12 metres, with corresponding frequencies of 1016 to 1021 hertz (Hz). Like other forms of electromagnetic radiation (gamma rays, ultraviolet,

Vacuum Technology

2005-03-31T02:28:00.000-08:00

Capacities are available up to many thousands of cu ft per minute, operating in the pressure range of 10-3 to below 10-11 torr. The full speed of the pump, which only pumps chemically reactive gases, is developed at pressures below 10-5 torr. In this type of pump, titanium is sublimed onto the pump walls from either a resistance or an electron-beam heated source. Active gases are pumped

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

2005-03-30T04:50:00.000-08:00

Also called Jakarta Zoological Gardens , Indonesian Kebun Binatang Ragunan , or Kebun Binatang Jakarta zoo in Jakarta, Indon., that is one of the world's notable collections of Southeast Asian flora and fauna. More than 3,500 specimens of approximately 450 animal species are exhibited on the 200-hectare (494-acre) park grounds. Among these are the orangutan, Sumatran serow, and various other rare animals of Indonesia. The zoo was founded in 1864 on a 4-hectare (11-acre) site and was moved to a new and much

Sundman, Per Olof

2005-03-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

Per Olof Sundman spent much of his life in the northern province of Jämtland and used that isolated area as a locale for his first book, Jägarna (1957; “The Hunters”), a collection of short stories. It is not incidents or human relationships

Ear Disease, Keloid of the ear

2005-03-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

In dark-skinned people, overgrowth of scar tissue from any skin incision or injury can cause a thickened elevation on the scar called a keloid. Having the earlobes pierced for earrings sometimes results in a large, painless nodular keloid enlargement of the earlobe, harmless but unsightly. Keloids are removed surgically (see also skin disease).

Dacke War

2005-03-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Led by Nils Dacke, an outlaw, the peasants of the province of Småland took up arms against the King in the spring of 1542 in protest against the royal

Narita

2005-03-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

City, Chiba ken, central Honshu, Japan. It is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Tokyo, on the Ryoso Plateau. Originally an agricultural region producing rice, peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, Narita developed as a temple town of the Shinsho Temple, which is visited by millions of Buddhist pilgrims each year, thus generating an extensive

Hojo Tokimune

2005-03-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

Tokimune was 17 when he assumed the office of regent in 1268, the year that the Mongol conqueror of China, Kublai Khan, sent a message demanding that

Atl, Doctor

2005-03-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

Educated in Mexico City, Rome, and Peru, he founded the journal Action d'Art in Paris in 1913 and edited it for three years. The paintings he created during that period generally imitated popular European trends such as Post-Impressionism

Asclepiad

2005-03-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

A Greek lyric verse later used by Latin poets such as Catullus, Horace, and Seneca. The asclepiad consisted of an aeolic nucleus, a choriamb to which were added more choriambs and iambic or trochaic elements at the end of each line. A version with four choriambs is known as the greater asclepiad; a version with three choriambs, the lesser choriamb. The form was named for

Clair, René

2005-03-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

Clair was raised

Gateleg Table

2005-03-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

Type of table first used in England in the 16th century. The top had a fixed section and one or two hinged sections, which, when not in use, folded back onto the fixed section or were allowed to hang vertically. The hinged section, or flap, was supported on pivoted legs joined at the top and bottom by stretchers and so constituting a gate. Large flaps had two supports,

Military Aircraft, Reconnaissance

2005-03-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

For military staffs contemplating offensive operations, aerial photography became the most important source of detailed information on enemy dispositions. British reconnaissance aircraft were especially capable. Modified versions of the Spitfire and Mosquito, stripped of armament and fitted with extra fuel tanks, proved essentially immune to interception

Culverwel, Nathanael

2005-03-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

Details of Culverwel's life are obscure. Though it is known that he was elected to a fellowship at the University of Cambridge in 1642, he is thought to have suffered a mental breakdown in his last years. His writings

Hawaii

2005-03-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

Volcanic island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies south of Maui Island and constitutes Hawaii county. Known as the Big Island, it is the largest (area 4,028 square miles [10,433 square km]) and southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Island group. It is the youngest geologically and was formed by five volcanoes connected by lava saddles (ridges). Kilauea is the world's most active volcano. The island is roughly

China, Mongol government and administration

2005-03-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

After their initial successes in northern China in 1211–15, the Mongols faced the problem of how to rule and extract material benefits from a largely sedentary population. They were assisted by Khitan and Chinese and even Juchen renegades; these defectors were treated as “companions” (nökör) of the Mongols and were given positions similar to the higher ranks of the steppe

Earth, Secular variation of the main field

2005-03-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

The main magnetic field of the Earth, as observed at the surface, changes continuously with time. Changes of very short duration compared with geologic processes are called secular variation. Observations of declination made in London since 1540, for example, show that the direction of the field at that site has nearly completed a full cycle with a peak-to-peak amplitude

T'ien-chi

2005-03-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Ascending the throne at the age of 15, T'ien-chi preferred carpentry to governmental affairs. He handed the powers of government to Wei, a former butler in the empress dowager's service and a friend of the young

Altimeter

2005-03-16T04:37:00.000-08:00

A typical pressure altimeter

Ribaut, Jean

2005-03-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

Jean Ribaut began his naval career as a youth, rising through the ranks to become one of the most dependable officers serving under Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. In 1558 Ribaut was commander of a French supply vessel at the successful capture of Calais from the English, and the following year

Natha

2005-03-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

Religious movement of India whose members strive for immortality by transforming the human body into an imperishable divine body. It combines esoteric traditions drawn from Buddhism, Saivism (worship of the Hindu deity Siva), and Hatha Yoga, with a liking for the occult. The term is derived from the names of the nine traditional masters, all of which end in the word natha

Ambassador

2005-03-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, ambassadors were one of the four classes of diplomatic agents who were formally defined and recognized. Ambassadors were deemed to represent the person and dignity of the sovereign (or head of state) and were entitled to personal access to the sovereign

Furniture, Modern

2005-03-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

After World War I, the Bauhaus school in Germany became a creative centre for entirely revolutionary thinking, resulting, for example, in tubular steel chairs designed by the architects Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and others. During World War II, the aircraft industry accelerated the development of laminated wood and molded plastic furniture. The dominant

Saturnian Verse

2005-03-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Saturnian metre the ancient Latin verse used mainly by Livius Andronicus and Gnaeus Naevius before the adoption of Greek verse forms by later Latin writers. Little is known about its origins or whether its rhythm was accentual or quantitative.

Khanty And Mansi

2005-03-11T04:32:00.000-08:00

Their present-day territory

Bukowski, Charles

2005-03-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

Bukowski lived most of his life in Los Angeles. He briefly attended Los Angeles City College (1939–41) and worked at menial jobs while writing short stories, the first of which were published

Pen-hsi

2005-03-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

From the time of the Liao dynasty (907–1125) it was the centre of a small-scale iron industry, and coal began to be mined in the late 18th century. The startling modern growth of Pen-hsi began with the establishment in 1905 of the Pen-hsi Coal Mining Company with joint Chinese

Aerospace Industry, Spacecraft, launch vehicle, and missile development

2005-03-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

The research effort that goes into the development of missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft parallels that of the airplane in the design and ground-test stages but differs for the flight-test stage. For major launch vehicles and strategic missiles, the absence of a pilot on board, the great expense of a single launch, and the inability to recover and reuse the test

Wyntoun, Andrew Of

2005-03-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

Wyntoun was a canon of St. Andrews, and, from about 1393 to his retirement because of old age in 1421, he served as prior of St. Serf's, Loch Leven (Kinross, Scotland). Written for Sir John Wemyss of Leuchars, Fife,

Conegliano

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

Town, Treviso provincia, Veneto regione, northeastern Italy, near the Piave River, just north of the city of Treviso. It is dominated by a castle with a museum and a cathedral (1352), which has a bell tower (1497) and a fine altarpiece (1493) by the painter Cima da Conegliano, a native of the town. There is modern construction along the old perimeter of the town. Noted for its wines, Conegliano

Johnson, Leon William

2005-03-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

General (ret.), U.S. Air Force (b. Sept. 13, 1904, Columbia, Mo.--d. Nov. 10, 1997, Fairfax, Va.), was awarded (1943) the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest decoration, for his World War II heroic role in the attack on the oil fields at Ploesti, Rom., an action that effectively destroyed enemy fuel supplies. Following graduation (1926) from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., he served in the infantry before transferring

Freckled Duck

2005-03-06T03:11:00.000-08:00

(Stictonetta naevosa), rare Australian waterfowl, characterized by dark dots scattered over its metallic-gray plumage; in breeding season the drake's bill turns red. The freckled duck is a surface feeder. It lacks alarm calls, courtship display, and demonstrative pair bonds. It may constitute a separate tribe, Stictonettini, family Anatidae (q.v.; order Anseriformes).

Natural Bridges National Monument

2005-03-06T01:22:00.000-08:00

The largest bridge, Sipapu, rises 220 feet

Roberts, Bartholomew

2005-03-05T05:19:00.000-08:00

Byname Black Barty pirate captain of a succession of ships—the “Royal Rover,” “Fortune,” “Royal Fortune,” and “Good Fortune”—who burned and plundered ships from the coasts of West Africa to the coasts of Brazil and the Caribbean and as far north as Newfoundland. His conquests are said to have included more than 400 vessels and, in terms of sheer

Tivoli

2005-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Latin Tibur, town and episcopal see, Roma provincia, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It is picturesquely situated on the western slopes of the Sabine Hills, along the Aniene River where it enters the Campagna di Roma, just east of Rome. The site commanded the principal natural route eastward from Rome along the Via Tiburtina Valeria and has been continuously occupied since

Ahtisaari, Martti

2005-03-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

Ahtisaari graduated from the University of Oulu in 1959 and in the early 1960s worked in Pakistan on an educational project for the Swedish Agency for International Development. He returned to Finland and joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1965; eight years later he was

Computers, Colossus

2005-03-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

The exigencies of war gave impetus and funding to computer research. For example, in Britain, the impetus was code-breaking. The Ultra project was funded with much secrecy to develop the technology necessary to crack ciphers and codes produced by the German electromechanical devices known as the Enigma and the Geheimscheiber (“Secret Writer”). The first code-breaking

Yacht

2005-03-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

After the decade 1840–50, when steam began to replace sail power in commercial vessels, the steam engine and, later, the internal-combustion engine were increasingly employed in pleasure vessels. Large power yachts were developed to a high degree, and long-distance cruising became a favourite pastime of the rich. The earliest power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then

Platform Tennis

2005-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Also called Platform Paddle Tennis, or Paddle Tennis, sport that is a combination of tennis and squash, devised in 1928 by American sports enthusiasts Fessenden Blanchard and James Cogswell at Scarsdale, N.Y. It is played on specially constructed platforms, 60 by 30 feet (18 by 9 m), surrounded by back and side walls of tightly strung wire netting 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The actual court measures 44 by 20 feet (13.4 by 6 m), and the net is 2 feet 10 inches (86 cm) high at its centre.

Chédiak-higashi Syndrome

2005-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Persons with Chédiak-Higashi syndrome experience persistent or recurrent infections. Other symptoms associated with the disease include enlargement of the liver and spleen, partial albinism, and depressed activity

Dinguiraye

2005-02-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Guinea. It lies at the eastern edge of the Fouta Djallon plateau. The town was once the seat of the imamate (region ruled by a Muslim religious leader) of 'Umar Tal, whose jihad (holy war) led to the creation of the Tukulor empire (1850–93) in the Niger River valley. Dinguiraye is now connected by road with the towns of Siguiri and Dabola. It is the chief trading centre

Tsutsumi Family

2005-02-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

Born into a peasant family, Tsutsumi Yasujiro (b. 1889, Shiga prefecture, Japan—d. April 26, 1964) graduated from Waseda University in 1913. He founded the Kokudo Keikaku land-management company in 1918 and began buying

Stone, Fred (andrew)

2005-02-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

Stone was raised in Topeka, Kan., making his stage debut there at age 11, and soon joined his brother on tour with a number of small circuses. In the 1890s he teamed up with Dave Montgomery and together they toured in vaudeville and minstrel shows before appearing in their first Broadway

Phoenix

2005-02-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, son of Amyntor, king of Thessalian Hellas. After a violent quarrel Amyntor cursed him with childlessness, and Phoenix escaped to Peleus (king of the Myrmidons in Thessaly), who made him responsible for the upbringing of his son Achilles. Phoenix accompanied the young Achilles to Troy and was one of the envoys who tried to reconcile him with Agamemnon,

Aerospace Industry, Mergers and divestitures

2005-02-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

With a decline in defense funding and a narrowing of commercial markets in the decades following World War II, the number of business opportunities shrank, and competition for each project became more intense. In response, aerospace companies sought mergers as a way to integrate strengths, to combine talent and other resources, and to reduce costs by eliminating

Death Rite, Commemorative rites and services

2005-02-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

The attitude of the living toward the dead has also been conditioned by the particular belief held about the human nature and destiny. Where death is regarded as the virtual extinction of the personality, the dead should logically have no more importance beyond that which their memory might stir in those who knew them. Even in the negative eschatologies of ancient

Kamban, Gudmundur

2005-02-25T01:21:00.000-08:00

Kamban's greatest work is the

Crichton, Charles Ainslie

2005-02-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

British film director who achieved near-legendary status with a series of classic comedies he made for Ealing Studios in the 1940s and '50s, notably Hue and Cry (1947), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), and The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953); by the 1960s he had retreated to directing for television, but he made a triumphant big-screen comeback—and garnered an Academy Award nomination—for A Fish Called

Kikwit

2005-02-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Town and river port, southwestern Congo (Kinshasa). It lies along the Kwilu River, which is a tributary of the Kasai River. European settlement of the site began in 1901, and the town became a colonial administrative centre about 1910. Kikwit is now the largest community in the area. The production of palm oil and kernels, cassava, peanuts (groundnuts), and corn (maize) has replaced rubber

Stringed Instrument

2005-02-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

The violin family at present comprises the violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass; it forms the backbone of the modern symphony orchestra. In addition, the violin and viola are widely used in the music of South India and North Africa, in modern Greek and Arab music, in European and American folk music, and by Romany musicians. The term violin, a diminutive of viola (itself

Antarctica, Discovery of the Antarctic poles

2005-02-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

National and personal prestige in attaining the Earth's poles, as well as territorial acquisition and scientific inquiry, provided strong motivation for polar exploration in the early 1900s. The south magnetic pole, the point of vertical orientation of a magnetic dip needle, which was predicted by the German physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss to lie at 66° S, 146° E, inspired the

Cane Furniture

2005-02-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

Furniture in which a mesh of split canes is stretched over parts of the framework, principally on the backs and seats of chairs. It was made in India as early as the 2nd century AD and was also known in China. Cane was imported into Europe by the East India Company, and cane furniture became fashionable in England and the Netherlands toward the end of the 17th century. It is particularly

Magdalena

2005-02-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Departamento, northern Colombia, occupying the Caribbean lowlands and bounded by the Magdalena River on the west. Much of its area is swamp, floodplain, or high mountains (including the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the northeast). The major economic activity is banana cultivation, especially in the vicinity of Santa Marta (q.v.), the departmental capital, which has

Antarctica, Discovery of the Antarctic poles

2005-02-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

The paca

Maxwell, William

2005-02-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Illinois (B.A., 1930) and Harvard University (M.A., 1931), Maxwell taught English at the University of Illinois before joining the staff of The New Yorker magazine, where he worked

Tasmania, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

2005-02-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Less than a third of Tasmania's area is agricultural land; almost all of it is used for grazing; just under half is sown pasture, and the rest is used for rough grazing or is open forest. Crops occupy only 4 percent of agricultural land but contribute one-third of the total value of agricultural production. Seasonal irrigation, mainly spray for crops and some pasture, is

Uddevalla

2005-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

Town, Västra Götaland län (county), southwestern Sweden. It lies along the Bäve River, at the head of By Fjord (an inlet of the Skagerrak), north of Göteborg. The site has been identified with Odensvold, a pagan place of sacrifice. The town was incorporated in 1498. On several occasions during the Danish-Swedish wars, large parts of it were destroyed and ravaged by fire. Uddevalla

More, Paul Elmer

2005-02-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

More was educated at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., and at Harvard, where he met Irving Babbitt and where, from 1894 to 1895, he was assistant in Sanskrit. In 1895–97 he was associate in Sanskrit and classical literature at Bryn Mawr

Macbeth

2005-02-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

King of Scots from 1040, the legend of whose life was the basis of Shakespeare's Macbeth. He was probably a grandson of King Kenneth II (reigned 971–995), and he married Gruoch, a descendant of King Kenneth III (reigned 997–1005). About 1031 Macbeth succeeded his father, Findlaech (Sinel in Shakespeare), as mormaer, or chief, in the province

O'brien, Parry

2005-02-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

O'Brien began putting the shot in high school in Santa Monica, where he also threw the discus, was a sprinter, and played football. In his freshman year at the University

Sea Lion

2005-02-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

Any of the five species of seals, belonging to the family Otariidae (eared seals), characterized by a coat of short, coarse hair that lacks a distinct undercoat. Sea lions are lithe animals with the small ears typical of the Otariidae (see seal); the males, except in the California sea lion, have manes. Like the other otariids, sea lions have longer flippers than do the true,

Charadriiform

2005-02-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

The order is a heterogeneous assemblage of 16 families linked by similarities in anatomical features (especially skeleton and plumage) and developmental pattern. Better-known members of the order fall into three groups, easily recognized on the basis of general body plan. The first of these (the suborder Charadrii), collectively known as shorebirds or waders, includes

Biblical Literature, Canaanite culture and religion

2005-02-13T04:02:00.000-08:00

The Israelite tribes during the period of the guidance and leadership of Moses and Joshua mainly had to contend with nomadic tribes; in their contacts with such groups, they absorbed some of the attitudes and motifs of the nomadic way of life, such as independence, a love of freedom to move about, and fear of or disdain for the way of life of settled, agricultural, and urban

Kertész, André

2005-02-13T00:48:00.000-08:00

While working as a clerk on the Budapest Stock Exchange from 1912 to 1914, Kertész began to experiment with photography. During World War I he served in the Hungarian

Costa Rica, Flag Of

2005-02-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

For a discussion of the properties and applications of mercury, see Chemical Elements: Zinc group elements. For treatment of the mining, recovery, and refining of mercury, see Industries,

Satcher, David

2005-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

The son of a small farmer, Satcher nearly died of whooping cough at age two because his family had little access to health care. He was attended by the only black physician in the area and resolved from an early age to become a doctor.

Kamchatka Peninsula

2005-02-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kamcatka, Russian Poluostrov Kamchatka, peninsula in far eastern Russia, lying between the Sea of Okhotsk on the west and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea on the east. It is about 750 miles (1,200 km) long north-south and about 300 miles (480 km) across at its widest; its area is approximately 140,000 square miles (370,000 square km). Two mountain ranges, the Sredinny (“Central”) and Vostochny (“Eastern”), extend along the peninsula and rise to 15,584 feet (4,750 m) in Klyuchevskaya

Earth, Faulting

2005-02-10T02:31:00.000-08:00

Normal

Yar'adua, Shehu Musa

2005-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Nigerian major general (ret.) and former vice president in Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo's military government (1976-79) who, amid international protests, was convicted in 1995 of conspiring to overthrow Gen. Sani Abacha's Provisional Ruling Council and reestablish civilian rule. Yar'Adua died while serving a 25-year prison term (b. March 5, 1943--d. Dec. 8, 1997).

Plain

2005-02-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Any relatively level area of the Earth's surface exhibiting gentle slopes and small local relief. Plains vary widely in size. The smallest occupy only a few hectares, whereas the largest cover hundreds of thousands of square kilometres—as, for example, the Great Plains of North America and the expanse of gently undulating land that sweeps from the Pyrenees Range

Lafayette, Marie-joseph-paul-yves-roch-gilbert Du Motier, Marquis De

2005-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Born into an ancient noble family, Lafayette had already inherited

Anderson, Philip W.

2005-02-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Educated at Harvard University, Anderson received his doctorate in 1949. From 1949 to 1984 he worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. From 1967 to 1975 he was professor

Phidias

2005-02-07T01:16:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Pheidias Athenian sculptor, the artistic director of the construction of the Parthenon, who created its most important religious images and supervised and probably designed its overall sculptural decoration. It is said of Phidias that he alone had seen the exact image of the gods and that he revealed it to man. He established forever general conceptions of Zeus and

Gräfe, Albrecht Von

2005-02-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Albrecht was the son of Karl Ferdinand von Gräfe, a noted surgeon who was a pioneer in early German plastic surgery. The creator of one of Europe's leading eye clinics (1850), Albrecht was the first to recognize the importance to diagnosis of the German physiologist

Biblical Literature, The Gothic version

2005-02-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Gothic version was produced in the mid-4th century by Ulfilas, a Christian missionary who also invented the Gothic alphabet. It constitutes practically all that is left of Gothic literature. The translation of the Old Testament has entirely disappeared except for fragments of Ezra and Nehemiah. Though a Greek base is certain, some scholars deny the attribution

Hypotension

2005-02-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Extensive bleeding is an obvious cause of reduced blood volume that leads to hypotension. There are other possible causes. A person

Skagen

2005-02-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Also called The Skaw city and port, Nordjylland amtskommune (county commune), northern Jutland, Denmark, near the northern tip of the peninsula on the Kattegat strait. Chartered in 1413, it is one of the principal fishing centres in Denmark. It is also a summer resort and, from the 1870s, the site of an artists' and writers' colony. Notable are the Rå-bjerg Mile sand dunes to the south and the Old Church, which

Kenai Fjords National Park

2005-02-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

The park includes the 300-square-mile (777-square-km) Harding Icefield and its outflowing glaciers and numerous coastal fjords and islands, which are remnants

Cooper, Gary

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

The son of a Montana Supreme Court justice, Cooper left Grinnell College, Iowa, in 1924 and went to Hollywood, where he earned a living

Eco, Umberto

2005-02-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Turin (1954), Eco worked as a cultural editor for Italian Radio-Television and also lectured at the University of Turin (1956–64). He then taught in Florence and Milan and finally, in 1971, assumed a professorial post at the University of Bologna.

Curtea De Arges

2005-02-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

Town, Arges judet (county), south central Romania. It is on the Arges River, at an elevation of 1,480 ft (450 m), on the southern slopes of the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians), about 80 mi (130 km) northwest of Bucharest. Curtea de Arges succeeded Câmpulung as capital of feudal Walachia. Outstanding architectural monuments include the St. Nicholas church, one of the oldest churches in

Hansen, Peter Andreas

2005-01-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hansen became director of the Seeberg Observatory, near Gotha, in 1825, and in 1857 a new observatory was built for him. He worked on theoretical geodesy, optics, and the theory of probability. His most important

Adamawa

2005-01-31T01:52:00.000-08:00

Traditional emirate centred in what is now Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria. The emirate was founded by Modibbo Adama, who was one of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio's commanders and who began a Fulani jihad (holy war) in 1809 against the non-Muslim peoples of the region. Adama moved the capital of his kingdom, which was then known as Fumbina, several times before settling it finally in

Lahmu And Lahamu

2005-01-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Usually, Lahmu and Lahamu represent silt, but in some texts they seem to take the form

Swaziland

2005-01-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

The name Swazi is the Anglicized name of an early king and nation builder, Mswati II, who ruled from 1840 to 1868. The administrative

Widnes

2005-01-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

Town in the unitary authority of Halton, historic county of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Mersey at its lowest bridging point and on the southern periphery of the Liverpool metropolitan region. The modern town is a result of 19th-century industrial expansion and is a principal centre of the British chemical industry, largely because

Scaevola, Publius Mucius

2005-01-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

In 133, Scaevola

Biblical Literature, The Sibylline Oracles

2005-01-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

The Sibylline Oracles is a collection of oracles in Greek verse containing pagan, Jewish, and Christian material from various periods. It comprised 15 books (books IX, X, and XV are lost), of which 4,240 verses are extant. Sibyl is the name (or title) of a legendary ancient pagan prophetess. In the Hellenistic period, eastern nations fabricated Sibylline oracles as propagandistic

Amaterasu

2005-01-27T02:46:00.000-08:00

In full Amaterasu Omikami (Japanese: “Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven”), the celestial sun goddess from whom the Japanese imperial family claims descent, and an important Shinto deity. She was born from the left eye of her father, Izanagi, who bestowed upon her a necklace of jewels and placed her in charge of Takamagahara (“High Celestial Plain”), the abode of all the kami. One of her brothers, the storm

Dientzenhofer, Christoph And Kilian Ignaz

2005-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Father and son, members of a large family of German architects, who were among the leading builders in Bohemian Baroque. Among their joint works are the Church of St. Nicholas (1703–11, 1732–52) and the Brevnov Monastery (1708–21), both in Prague. K.I. Dientzenhofer built the churches of St. Thomas (1725–31; a Gothic structure reworked into Baroque)

Gaborone

2005-01-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1969) Gaberones, town, capital of Botswana. The seat of government was transferred there from Mafeking (now spelled Mafikeng), South Africa, in 1965, one year before Botswana became independent of Britain. Gaborone is located on the Cape-Zimbabwe railway and is the site of government offices, parliament buildings, health facilities, a thermal power station, and an airport. It is the seat of

Obscene Publications Act

2005-01-25T05:41:00.000-08:00

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

Borman, Frank

2005-01-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

Borman graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1950, was commissioned in the Air

Han River

2005-01-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Han Shui, Pinyin Han Shui, one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River of China. It has a total length of about 952 mi (1,532 km). The Han Shui rises in the Shen-ch'iung Shan (mountains), part of the Mi-t'sang Shan in the north of Ning-ch'iang County in the extreme southwest of Shensi Province. Its upper stream is known successively as the Yü-tai Ho, the Yang Shui, and, below Mien-hsien, the Mien Shui. At Han-chung

Tragedy

2005-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Although the word tragedy is often used loosely to describe any sort of disaster or misfortune, it more precisely refers to a work of art that probes

Armstrong (of Cragside), William George Armstrong, Baron

2005-01-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

Armstrong abandoned his Newcastle law practice in 1847 to devote full time to scientific experimentation. He founded an engineering works at Elswick-on-Tyne