FutureBell

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

2006-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are a specialist in estate agent fitzrovia, amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

Ust-ilimsk

2005-03-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Ust-Ilimsk rayon (sector), Irkutsk oblast (province), south-central Russia. It became a city in 1973 in connection with the building of the nearby Ust-Ilimsk dam and hydroelectric-power station on the Angara River. A huge timber-processing complex was constructed there in the early 1980s. Pop. (1994 est.) 111,100.

Houbraken, Jacobus

2005-03-30T05:26:00.000-08:00

The leading portrait engraver in 18th-century Holland. The son of the painter and art writer Arnold Houbraken, he settled in Amsterdam in 1707, and during his lifetime he engraved 400 portraits after paintings by contemporary Dutch painters.

Aquarium

2005-03-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

The design of a large aquarium must take into account the requirements of the specimens, especially since exhibits at modern aquariums include all types of aquatic organisms: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates as well as fishes. Among the many factors that must be considered are traffic flow patterns of visitors, reflections off glass, acoustics,

Ribot, Théodule-armand

2005-03-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ribot received his doctorate from the École Normale Supérieure.

Mu'tasim, Al-

2005-03-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his brother al-Ma'mun in 833, al-Mu'tasim was the first caliph to employ the Turkish mercenaries who later came to dominate the 'Abbasid dynasty. In 837 he crushed a revolt of Persian schismatics led by the rebel Babak, who was cooperating with the Greeks. After the Byzantine emperor Theophilus had laid waste the Muslim

Burdett, Sir Francis, 5th Baronet

2005-03-27T02:23:00.000-08:00

His marriage to a wealthy woman enabled Burdett to buy a seat in the House of Commons in 1796. Influenced by French Revolutionary

Ah Kin

2005-03-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

(Mayan: “He of the Sun”), the regular clergy of the Yucatec Maya in pre-Columbian times. The Ah Kin are best known historically for their performance in the ritual sacrifice of victims, whose hearts were offered to the Mayan gods. The chief priest (Ah Kin Mai) served in the various capacities of administrator, teacher, healer, astronomer, adviser to the chief, and diviner. Priests

Azhari, Isma'il Al-

2005-03-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

Educated at Gordon Memorial College at Khartoum and at the American University of Beirut, al-Azhari became president of the Graduates' General Congress in 1940. At first concerned primarily with educational and social reforms, the

United Arab Emirates

2005-03-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the dominant tribal faction was the Al-Qawasim (singular: Qasimi), whose ships controlled the maritime commerce (notably fishing and pearling) concentrated in

Amon

2005-03-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

Amon may have been originally a local deity at Khmun (Hermopolis) in Middle Egypt; his cult reached Thebes, where he became the patron of the pharaohs by the reign of Mentuhotep I (2008–1957 BC). At that date he was already identified with the sun god Re of Heliopolis and, as Amon-Re, was received as a national god. Represented in human form,

Nova Persei

2005-03-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

Pipe

2005-03-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

In music, specifically, the three-holed flute played with a tabor drum (see pipe and tabor); generically, any aerophonic (wind) instruments consisting of pipes, either flutes or reed pipes (as a clarinet), and also the reed and flue pipes of organs. A pipe's pitch depends on its length, a long pipe having a low pitch. Pipes stopped at one end sound an octave lower than open pipes

Furniture, Fixed and mechanical tables

2005-03-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

In general, tables can be divided into fixed and mechanical types. The fixed table, consisting of a square or round top supported by one or more legs, is the least complicated from the viewpoint of craftsmanship. It is a form that requires wood of thick dimensions in order to make the joints by which the top is fastened to the legs strong enough to resist lateral pressure.

Fucus

2005-03-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Rockweed, genus of brown algae, common on rocky seacoasts and in salt marshes of northern temperate regions. Adaptations to its environment include bladderlike floats (pneumatocysts), disk-shaped holdfasts for clinging to rocks, and mucilage-covered blades for resisting desiccation and temperature changes. The plant is between 25 and 30 centimetres (9.8 to 11.8 inches)

Fleming, Peggy

2005-03-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

The United States dominated men's and women's figure skating in the 1950s, but in 1961 a plane carrying the United States

Anode

2005-03-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

The terminal or electrode from which electrons leave a system. In a battery or other source of direct current the anode is the negative terminal, but in a passive load it is the positive terminal. For example, in an electron tube electrons from the cathode travel across the tube toward the anode, and in an electroplating cell negative ions are deposited at the anode.

Beta Decay

2005-03-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

Any of three processes of radioactive disintegration by which some unstable atomic nuclei spontaneously dissipate excess energy and undergo a change of one unit of positive charge without any change in mass number. The three processes are called electron emission, positron (positive electron) emission, and electron capture. Beta decay was named (1899) by Ernest Rutherford

Clisson, Olivier De

2005-03-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Brought up in England, Clisson fought on the English side for the Breton duke John IV (or V; John of Montfort) against the French-supported Charles of Blois

District Of Columbia, University Of The

2005-03-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Washington, D.C., U.S. It is the only public institution of higher education in the district, and it was the first exclusively urban land-grant university. There are three campuses—the Georgia/Harvard Street campus, the Mount Vernon Square campus, and the Van Ness campus. The university consists of the University

China

2005-03-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

On Oct. 1, 1999, Pres. Jiang Zemin and leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrated the 50th anniversary of communist rule in China with a massive military parade through downtown Beijing. When Mao Zedong had proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) half a century earlier, China was just emerging from a long and bloody civil war. Few observers

Automobile Racing

2005-03-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

Two Canadians, Jacques Villeneuve (see BIOGRAPHIES) and Scott Goodyear, figured in another astonishing finish at the 1995 Indianapolis 500. Goodyear, in a Reynard-Honda, was in the lead when he passed the Chevrolet Corvette pace car illegally just after the 190th lap of the 200-lap race; officials stopped scoring his laps on the 196th, and Goodyear finished 14th. Ironically, Villeneuve earlier

Godfree, Kitty

2005-03-18T01:55:00.000-08:00

Godfree lost the 1923 All-England final to Suzanne Lenglen of France, but

A-erh-chin Mountains

2005-03-17T01:18:00.000-08:00

The range falls into three divisions. The southwest

Smith, Gerrit

2005-03-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

Smith was born into a wealthy family. In about 1828 he became an active worker in the cause of temperance, and in his home village, Peterboro, he built one of the first temperance hotels in the country. He became

Thailand

2005-03-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

Officially Kingdom of Thailand, formerly (1856–1939) Siam, Thai Prathet, or Prades, Thai (“Thailand”), Rajanajak Thai (“Thai Kingdom”), or Sayam (“Siam”), byname Muang Thai (“Land of the Free”), country located in the centre of mainland Southeast Asia. Its area of 198,115 square miles (513,115 square kilometres) consists of two broad geographic areas: a larger section in the north and a smaller peninsular section in the south. The main body of the country is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Thailand

China

2005-03-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

To assist and increase individual participation in a fuller Jewish life, the United Synagogue has administrative divisions for youth activities, Jewish

Antibes

2005-03-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Port town, Alpes-Maritimes département, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur région, France, on the eastern side of the Garoupe Peninsula across the Baie des Anges (Bay of the Angels) from Nice. Originally Antipolis, a Greek trading post established by Phocaeans from Marseille, it became a Roman town, and from 1384 to 1608 it was a fief of the coast-ruling Grimaldi family. The Grimaldi château,

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Allegory

2005-03-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Allegory, as the basic process of arousing in the reader or listener a response to levels of meaning, provides writers with the structure of fables, parables, and other related forms. By awakening the impulse to question appearances and by bringing order to mythological interpretation, allegory imparts cultural values. A measure of allegory is present in literature

Louis

2005-03-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Louis D'or, gold coin circulated in France before the Revolution. The franc (q.v.) and livre were silver coins that had shrunk in value to such an extent that by 1740 coins of a larger denomination were needed. The French kings therefore had gold coins struck and called after their name Louis, or louis d'or (“gold Louis”). After the Revolution, Napoleon continued the practice but called the

Obbligato

2005-03-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

(Italian: “obligatory”), in music, essential but subordinate instrumental part. For example, in an 18th-century aria with trumpet obbligato, the trumpet part, although serving as accompaniment to the voice, may be as brilliant in its writing as that of the voice itself. The term obbligato accompaniment has a more specialized meaning in some 18th-century music (see accompaniment

China, Popular uprising

2005-03-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

The third quarter of the 19th century saw a series of uprisings, again as a result of social discontent.

Bukuru

2005-03-12T04:51:00.000-08:00

Town, Plateau state, central Nigeria, located on the Jos Plateau. It lies along a branch railway from Jos town (8 miles [13 km] north-northeast), and it is a major tin- and columbite-mining centre on one of the highest parts (more than 4,000 feet [1,200 metres]) of the plateau. The Bauchi Light Railway, which was closed in 1957, had been built in 1914 to carry tin from Bukuru to Zaria (120 miles [190 km] northwest) and connected

Annelid, Nervous system

2005-03-11T00:27:00.000-08:00

The nervous system of free-moving polychaetes is similar to that of oligochaetes. It consists of a dorsal brain, or supraesophageal ganglion, which is a discrete mass of nervous tissue in the prostomium; a pair of nerves united ventrally to form the ventral subesophageal ganglion; and paired nerve cords with one ganglion per segment. In sedentary polychaetes, the

Ecstasy

2005-03-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

In mysticism, the experience of an inner vision of God or of one's relation to or union with the divine. Various methods have been used to achieve ecstasy, which is a primary goal in most forms of religious mysticism. The most typical consists of four stages: (1) purgation (of bodily desire); (2) purification (of the will); (3) illumination (of the mind); and (4) unification (of one's being or

Indian Philosophy, Relation to the Mimamsa-sutras

2005-03-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Along with Badari and Jaimini, Badarayana, a contemporary of Jaimini, was the other major interpreter of Vedic thought. Just as the Mimamsa-sutra traditions of Badari's tradition were revived by Prabhakara, a 7th–8th-century scholar, and Jaimini's defended by Sabara and Kumarila, a 7th–8th-century scholar, Baharayana's sutras laid the basis for the development of Vedanta philosophy. The relation

Gabrieli, Andrea

2005-03-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

Madrigals for three to six voices in various collections; masses in six parts, Primus liber missarum (1572); Magnificat for three choirs; motets; various ricercari and canzoni.

Refrain

2005-03-09T01:59:00.000-08:00

A phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at intervals throughout a poem, generally at the end of the stanza. Refrains are found in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and are common in primitive tribal chants. They appear in literature as varied as ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Latin verse, popular ballads, and Renaissance and Romantic lyrics. Three common refrains are

Mathematics, Foundations Of, The axiomatic method

2005-03-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

The idea is this: there are a number of basic

Nan-ga

2005-03-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Bunjin-ga (“Literati Painting”), style of painting practiced by numerous Japanese painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the most original and creative painters of the middle and late Edo period belonged to the Nan-ga school. The style is based on developments of 17th- and 18th-century individualism in the Ch'ing-dynasty painting of China. Nan-ga artists transformed as they borrowed,

Yambol

2005-03-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jambol town, east-central Bulgaria, on the Tundzha (Tundja) River. North of the present town are the ruins of Kabyle (or Cabyle), which originated as a Bronze Age settlement in the 2nd millennium BC and was conquered by the Macedonians under Philip II in 342–341 BC. Taken by Rome in 72 BC, Kabyle became a city in the Roman province of Thrace, governing the middle reaches of the Tundzha (ancient Tonsus)

Claudius Pulcher, Publius

2005-03-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Son of Appius Claudius Caecus and commander of the fleet that suffered the only serious Roman naval defeat of the First Punic War (264–241 BC). The setback occurred in 249, when Claudius was consul. He attacked the Carthaginian fleet in the harbour of Drepanum (modern Trapani, Sicily) and lost 93 of his 123 vessels. It was popularly believed that Claudius failed because he had committed

Rom

2005-03-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Plural Roma , also called Gypsy , also spelled Gipsy any member of the traditionally itinerant people who originated in northern India but live in modern times worldwide, principally in Europe. Most Roma speak some form of Romany, a language closely related to the modern Indo-European languages of northern India, as well as the major language of the country in which they live. It is generally agreed that Roma groups

China, Plant life

2005-03-06T04:52:00.000-08:00

Types of natural vegetation and their floristic composition are extremely diverse. The total number of seed plants in China is about 30,000 species, representing 2,700 genera; more than 200 of these genera are restricted to China. There are about 2,500 species of forest trees, and, among flowering plants, 95 percent of the known woody group are to be found. Many of them are trees of economic

Selfridge, Harry Gordon

2005-03-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

The son of a small storekeeper in Wisconsin, Selfridge at age 21 joined the wholesale-retail firm of Field, Leiter and Company (later Marshall Field and Company) in Chicago, where he worked for 25 years and became a junior partner. In 1906 he went to England with a fortune and began to build a large department

Bond, Carrie Jacobs

2005-03-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Bond as a child learned to play the piano. During her second marriage she began to write songs, and in December 1894 two of them, “Is My Dolly Dead?” and “Mother's Cradle Song,” were published in Chicago. After her husband's death in 1895 Bond moved to Chicago, where she ran

Performing Arts, Italy.

2005-03-02T03:06:00.000-08:00

The most costly Italian production to date, Roberto Benigni's adaptation of the children's classic Pinocchio failed disastrously to win the international popularity of his Oscar-winning 1997 Life Is Beautiful. Among the most notable productions of the year were Marco Bellocchio's L'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre) (The Religion Hour [My Mother's Smile]), a fierce

Bou Saâda

2005-03-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Algeria. It is located between el-Hodna Depression (a salt lake) and the mountains of the Saharan Atlas. Although north of the Sahara, Bou Saâda is a true oasis, spread along the left bank of the Bou Saâda Wadi and standing in pleasant contrast to the nearby barren Ouled Naïl Mountains and the often dry salt marsh. The town's old walled quarter (ksar) of arched,

Double Dactyls

2005-03-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

Also called higgledy-piggledy a light-verse form consisting of eight lines of two dactyls each, arranged in two stanzas. The first line of the poem must be a jingle, often “Higgledy-piggledy” or “Jiggery-pokery”; the second line must be a name; the last lines of each stanza are truncated and they should rhyme; and one line in the second stanza must consist of a single word. The following example by R. McHenry

Alienation

2005-03-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

In social sciences, the state of feeling estranged or separated from one's milieu, work, products of work, or self. Despite its popularity in the analysis of contemporary life, the idea of alienation remains an ambiguous concept with elusive meanings, the following variants being most common: (1) powerlessness, the feeling that one's destiny is not under one's own control

Antwerp, Government

2005-02-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

Like all Belgian municipalities, Antwerp is governed by an elected city council, which in turn elects a board of aldermen, headed by a burgomaster, nominated by the king on recommendation of the council. Generally the burgomaster is a member of the elected council, but this is not obligatory. Each alderman has a specified department to manage, but decisions and resolutions

Arason, Jón

2005-02-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

The son of poor parents, he rose quickly to eminence in the church and was consecrated bishop of Hólar, the northern diocese of Iceland, in 1522. He administered his diocese prosperously until Christian III of Denmark began to impose Lutheranism

Durham

2005-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

The historic core of the city is located on a peninsula in a bend of the River Wear. This natural defensive site, chosen by William the Conqueror (reigned 1066–87) as a fortress and bulwark against the Scots to the north, soon became a seat of the feudal prince-bishops of Durham, entrusted

Peninj Mandible

2005-02-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Natron Mandible, an almost perfectly preserved fossil hominid jaw containing a complete set of adult teeth. It was found by Kamaya Kimeu at Peninj, a locale to the west of Lake Natron, about 50 miles (80 km) from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania in 1964. About 120 artifacts belonging to the Acheulian industry, including stone cleavers and hand axes, were also unearthed near the fossil. The sandstone in

Abbott, George

2005-02-27T03:54:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Rochester, N.Y., in 1911, Abbott began acting on Broadway in 1913. He soon began writing and directing plays as well, and he achieved

Ustyurt Plateau

2005-02-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Kazak Üstirt , Turkmen Üstyurt plateau in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan, lying between the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya (river) delta in the east and the Mangyshlak (Tupqarghan) Plateau and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol (Garabogazköl; an inlet of the Caspian Sea) in the west. It has an area of about 77,000 square miles (about 200,000 square km) and an average elevation of about 500 feet (about 150 m), rising to a maximum of 1,200 feet (365 m) in the southwest. At its

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

2005-02-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

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

Ruskin, John

2005-02-25T03:30:00.000-08:00

English critic of art, architecture, and society who was a gifted painter, a distinctive prose stylist, and an important example of the Victorian Sage, or Prophet: a writer of polemical prose who seeks to cause widespread cultural and social change.

Cradle Mountain

2005-02-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Mountain situated at the northern boundary of the 622-square-mile (1,611-square-kilometre) Cradle Mountain–Lake St. Clair National Park, in northwest-central Tasmania, Australia. Located on Tasmania's central plateau, its lava basalt peak rises to 5,069 feet (1,545 m). It is an arête (narrow ridge) that resembles a cradle, hence the name. The mountain was reportedly first scaled either by Henry

Acre

2005-02-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

Unit of land measurement in the British Imperial and United States Customary systems, equal to 43,560 square feet, or 160 square rods. One acre is equivalent to 0.4047 hectares (4,047 square metres). Derived from Middle English aker (from Old English aecer) and akin to Latin ager (“field”), the acre had one origin in the typical area that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen pulling a wooden

Judaism, Antirabbinic reactions

2005-02-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

The firm, and on occasion oppressive, tactics of exilarchs and geonim generated antirabbinic reactions, especially in outlying areas where enforcement was difficult, in the form of sectarian and messianic revolts. Inspired in part by ancient Palestinian sectarian doctrines and in part by Muslim usage, the sects were by and large quickly and forcefully suppressed.

Ayrshire

2005-02-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

Breed of hardy dairy cattle originating in the county of Ayr, Scotland, in the latter part of the 18th century and considered to be the only special dairy breed to have originated in the British Isles. The body colour varies from almost pure white to nearly all cherry red or brown with any combination of these colours; black or brindle are considered undesirable. The beef

Visitation

2005-02-23T03:42:00.000-08:00

The visit, described in the Gospel According to Luke (1:39–56), made by the Virgin Mary, pregnant with the infant Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, the pregnant Elizabeth felt the infant St. John the Baptist leap in her womb, which, according to later doctrine, signified that he had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin. Mary then said the Magnificat

Mineral, Cyclosilicates

2005-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

Silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons are linked into rings in cyclosilicate structures, which have an overall Si:O ratio of 1:3. There are three closed cyclic configurations with the following formulas: Si3O9, Si4O12, and Si6O18. The rare titanosilicate benitoite (BaTiSi3O9) is the only mineral that is built with the simple Si3O9 ring. Axinite [(Ca, Fe, Mn)3Al2(BO3)(Si4O12)(OH)] contains Si4O12 rings, along with

China, Taoism

2005-02-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

The suppression of the Yellow Turbans and other Taoist religious movements in AD 184 had left the Taoist church decapitated. With the elimination of its highest leadership, the movement had fallen apart into many small religious communities or parishes, each led by a local Taoist master (tao-shih), assisted by a council of wealthy Taoist laity. Under such circumstances,

Celastrales

2005-02-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

Order of flowering plants, belonging to the class Magnoliopsida, or the dicotyledons (q.v.; characterized by two seed leaves). Its members are chiefly trees belonging to 12 families, 147 genera, and about 2,000 species. Four of the families—the Aquifoliaceae (holly), Celastraceae (staff-tree), Icacinaceae (icacina), and Hippocrateaceae (hippocratea)—are broadly distributed in the world

Haug, émile

2005-02-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Strasbourg (1884) and spending three years in postgraduate research,

Togo, German occupation

2005-02-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

German missionaries arrived in Ewe territory in 1847, and German traders were soon established at Anécho. In 1884 Gustav Nachtigal, sent by the German government, induced a number of coastal chiefs to accept German protection. The protectorate was recognized in 1885, and its coastal frontiers with Dahomey and the Gold Coast were defined by treaties with France and Great Britain.

Wagner-jauregg, Julius

2005-02-20T00:54:00.000-08:00

Original name Julius Wagner, Ritter (Knight) von Jauregg Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist whose treatment of syphilitic meningoencephalitis, or general paresis, by the artificial induction of malaria constituted the first example of shock therapy. The method brought a previously incurable fatal disease under medical control and earned him the Nobel Prize for Physiology or

Base

2005-02-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Radix, in mathematics, an arbitrarily chosen number in terms of which any number can be expressed. See number system.

Beecher, Lyman

2005-02-19T04:08:00.000-08:00

A graduate of Yale in 1797, he held pastorates at Litchfield, Conn., and at Boston, during which he opposed rationalism, Catholicism, and the liquor traffic. Turning his attention to evangelizing the West, he became president of the newly founded Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati,

Encratite

2005-02-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Tatian converted to Christianity while studying in Rome

Lowndes, Marie Adelaide

2005-02-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

The sister of the poet and essayist Hilaire Belloc, she received little formal education, but, because of the prominence of her family in intellectual circles, she was acquainted

Smith, Lee

2005-02-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Smith was educated at Hollins College, Roanoke, Va. (B.A., 1967), and the Sorbonne in Paris; she taught at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Her first novel, The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed (1968), was written while she was in college. Her stories are set in the

Bohemond V

2005-02-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

The son of Bohemond IV by his wife Plaisance, he succeeded his father in 1233 and carried on the struggle with Armenia until 1251, when the marriage of the future Bohemond VI to the sister of the Armenian king finally brought peace. By his first marriage (1225) with Alice, the widow of Hugh I of Cyprus, Bohemond V connected the history

Biblical Literature, Old Testament history

2005-02-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Two current histories of Israel exhibit the full range of historiographical problems and methods relating to the subject: John Bright, A History of Israel (1959); and Martin Noth, Geschichte Israels, 3rd ed. (1956; Eng. trans., The History of Israel, 1958). They differ mainly in where they begin; Bright begins with Abraham, Noth with the federation of tribes that calls itself Israel in the land of Canaan. They disagree about the demonstrability of such a community in the pre-Canaanite times because of their respective assessment of the character of the Pentateuch. Bright assumes that it was intended as a history concerned to record the early past, while Noth assumes that its thematic traditions were intended to define and celebrate the identity of the later Israel and hence do not constitute a usable historical resource about its earliest beginnings. This whole methodological problem in Israelite historiography is lucidly discussed and illustrated in a little book by John Bright—Early Israel in Recent History Writing: A Study in Method (1956). For the use of archaeology, geography, and history of religion in the study of the history of Israel, see George Ernest Wright. Biblical Archaeology, rev. ed. (1962); Luc H. Grollenberg, Atlas van de Bijbel, 3rd ed. (1954; Eng. trans., Atlas of the Bible, 1956); Yehezkel Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile (1960); and Helmer Ringgren, Israelitische Religion (1963; Eng. trans., 1966).

Mordvin

2005-02-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Mordvinian, member of a people speaking a Finno-Ugric language of the Uralic language family and living mainly in Mordvinia republic and other parts of the middle Volga River region of Russia. Under the Soviet government the Mordvins were given some autonomy in 1928, and a Mordvinian autonomous republic, which lasted from 1934 to 1991, had its capital at Saransk. The Mordvin numbered about

Vietnam War

2005-02-16T04:39:00.000-08:00

(1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina

Montalembert, Marc-rené, Marquis De

2005-02-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Montalembert entered the French army in 1732 and served in the War of the Polish Succession

Reza Shah Pahlavi

2005-02-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

After centuries of misrule by its former rulers and the ravages of the war waged by foreign belligerents on its soil from 1914 to 1919, Iran in 1921 was prostrate, ruined, and on the verge of disintegration. The last of the shahs of the Qajar dynasty, Ahmad Shah, was young and incompetent, and the Cabinet was weak and corrupt. Patriotic and nationalist elements had long been outraged at the

Strachey, (evelyn) John (st. Loe)

2005-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Son of John St. Loe Strachey, publisher and editor of The Spectator, Strachey broke with his family's Conservative allegiances and in 1923, while a student at Oxford, joined

Bay Bridge

2005-02-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

In full San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge complex crossing that spans San Francisco Bay from the city of San Francisco to Oakland via Yerba Buena Island. One of the preeminent engineering feats of the 20th century, it was built during the 1930s under the direction of C.H. Purcell. The double-deck crossing extends 8 miles (13 km) and consists of two end-to-end suspension bridges of 2,310-foot (704-metre) main spans and 1,160-foot (354-metre) side

Muna Island

2005-02-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

Indonesian Pulau Muna , Dutch Moena Eiland island and kabupaten (regency), Sulawesi Tenggara provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. The island lies in the Flores Sea south of the southeastern arm of Celebes. With an area of 658 square miles (1,704 square km), it has a hilly surface, rising to 1,460 feet (445 m). The north and northeast have teak forests. The Muna, a Muslim people speaking an Austronesian language, practice a simple agriculture,

Qa

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

Also spelled qû or ka ancient Babylonian liquid measure equal to the volume of a cube whose dimensions are each one handbreadth (3.9 to 4 inches, or 9.9 to 10.2 cm) in length. The cube held one great mina (about 2 pounds, or 1 kg) of water by weight. Five qa made up a šiqlu, 100 qa equaled an imeru (donkey load), and 300 qa equaled a gur. The gur was the equivalent of about 80 U.S. gallons (302 litres).

Malang

2005-02-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

Kotamadya (municipality) and kabupaten (regency), Jawa Timur provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. Malang regency has an area of 3,391 square miles (8,782 square km). It is principally agricultural and known for its production of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Malang is located on a plateau between Mount Kawi (8,697 feet [2,651 m]) and the Tengger Mountains, and the city enjoys a comfortable climate. The

Aguadilla

2005-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Puerto Rico. The town is a port on a wide bay formed on the south by the hills of Punta Higüero (Jiguera) and on the north by Punta Borinquen, the northwestern corner of the island. It was established as a town in 1775 and elevated to the royal rank of villa in 1861. The town is a processing and trading centre for a prosperous agricultural hinterland; products include

Udayagiri

2005-02-11T04:45:00.000-08:00

Village and archaeological site, south-central Orissa state, eastern India. In the village are located several Jaina and Buddhist rock-cut caves. One of these is a double-storied cave with ranges of cells cut into three sides of an open courtyard. Inscriptions in the caves date from the 2nd century BC to the 10th century AD.

Binchois, Gilles

2005-02-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Binchois was in Paris in 1424 serving William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, and returned with him to Hainaut in 1425. In 1430 Binchois joined the chapel of Philip III

Water Rat

2005-02-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Any of 18 species of amphibious carnivorous rodents. They exhibit many adaptations associated with hunting in water for food and burrowing along streams, rivers, and lakes. The eyes are small, the nostrils can be closed to keep water out, and the external portion of the ears is either small and furry or absent. Highly sensitive whiskers are abundant on the fleshy blunt

Habituation

2005-02-09T03:15:00.000-08:00

The waning of an animal's behavioral response to a stimulus, as a result of a lack of reinforcement during continual exposure to the stimulus. It is usually considered to be a form of learning involving the elimination of behaviours that are not needed by the animal. Habituation may be separated from most other forms of decreased response (not including changes caused

Pozzo Di Borgo, Charles-andré, Count

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

A native of Corsica, Pozzo favoured its political incorporation into France and, after Corsica was declared a département

Anderson, Poul

2005-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Anderson published his first science-fiction story while an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota and became a freelance writer following his graduation with a degree

Kyoha Shinto

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

By 1908, 13 sects had been recognized

Gatling Gun

2005-02-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Hand-driven machine gun, the first to solve the problems of loading, reliability, and the firing of sustained bursts. It was invented by Richard J. Gatling during the American Civil War (about 1862). After early experiments with a single barrel using paper cartridges (which had to have a separate percussion cap), he saw in the newly invented brass cartridge (which had its own

Gabelle

2005-02-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

In the 14th century the gabelle denoted any tax on the sale of consumer goods; an ordinance of 1360 made it a permanent tax. In the 15th century the gabelle began to mean specifically the salt tax, that is, a tax on consumption of salt. The nobility, the clergy, and certain other privileged

G.c.

2005-02-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

The George Cross, a British decoration for bravery. See George Cross.

Duck

2005-02-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

Any of several genera of relatively small, short-necked, large-billed waterfowl that belong to the subfamily Anatinae, family Anatidae (q.v.), order Anseriformes. In true ducks, i.e., those classified in Anatinae, the legs are placed rearward, as in swans, resulting in a waddling gait. Most true ducks, including a few inaccurately called geese by reason of size and build, differ

Reproductive System, Animal, Annelids and mollusks

2005-02-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Annelids have a well-developed body cavity (coelom), a part of the lining of which gives rise to gonads. In some annelids, gonads occur in several successive body segments. This is true, for example, in polychaetes, most of which are dioecious. Testes and ovaries usually develop, though not invariably, in many body segments; and the sperm and eggs, often in enormous numbers,

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-02-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, d'Alembert began an active social life and frequented well-known salons, where he acquired a considerable reputation as a witty conversationalist and mimic. Like his fellow Philosophes—those thinkers, writers, and scientists who believed in the sovereignty of reason and nature (as opposed to authority and revelation) and rebelled against old dogmas

Ammons, A.r.

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

A 1949 graduate of Wake Forest College (now University), Ammons worked as an elementary school principal and as a glass company executive before turning his full attention to literature. From 1964 to 1998 he taught

FutureBell

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

Ust-ilimsk

Houbraken, Jacobus

Aquarium

Ribot, Théodule-armand

Mu'tasim, Al-

Burdett, Sir Francis, 5th Baronet

Ah Kin

Azhari, Isma'il Al-

United Arab Emirates

Amon

Nova Persei

Pipe

Furniture, Fixed and mechanical tables

Fucus

Fleming, Peggy

Anode

Beta Decay

Clisson, Olivier De

District Of Columbia, University Of The

China

Automobile Racing

Godfree, Kitty

A-erh-chin Mountains

Smith, Gerrit

Thailand

China

Antibes

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Allegory

Louis

Obbligato

China, Popular uprising

Bukuru

Annelid, Nervous system

Ecstasy

Indian Philosophy, Relation to the Mimamsa-sutras

Gabrieli, Andrea

Refrain

Mathematics, Foundations Of, The axiomatic method

Nan-ga

Yambol

Claudius Pulcher, Publius

Rom

China, Plant life

Selfridge, Harry Gordon

Bond, Carrie Jacobs

Performing Arts, Italy.

Bou Saâda

Double Dactyls

Alienation

Antwerp, Government

Arason, Jón

Durham

Peninj Mandible

Abbott, George

Ustyurt Plateau

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

Ruskin, John

Cradle Mountain

Acre

Judaism, Antirabbinic reactions

Ayrshire

Visitation

Mineral, Cyclosilicates

China, Taoism

Celastrales

Haug, émile

Togo, German occupation

Wagner-jauregg, Julius

Base

Beecher, Lyman

Encratite

Lowndes, Marie Adelaide

Smith, Lee

Bohemond V

Biblical Literature, Old Testament history

Mordvin

Vietnam War

Montalembert, Marc-rené, Marquis De

Indian Philosophy, Relation to the Mimamsa-sutras