WideBone

Ren Essential Moroccan Rose Oil

2006-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most amazing natural bath oils I have used. It is a rich, sensuous and luxurious. Only a small amount of the Moroccan Otto Rose Oil in the bath will fill the room with this incredible smell. This rose oil really penetrates the skin during the bath leaving it soft as silk and with the beatiful scent of the rose oil

Jackson

2005-04-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

Town, seat (1921) of Teton county, northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The town lies at the southern end of the Teton Range, just north of the Snake River, and is the centre of an important recreation and tourist industry. Explored by the fur trapper John Colter in 1807, Jackson takes its name from another trapper, David Jackson, who worked in the area in the 1820s and who organized summer rendezvous

Pittsburg State University

2005-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Pittsburg, Kan., U.S. It comprises the College of Arts and Sciences, Gladys A. Kelce School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Technology and Applied Science. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers a selection of master's degree programs and specialist programs in education.

Bahnaric Languages

2005-04-03T00:29:00.000-08:00

Branch of the Mon-Khmer family of languages, itself a part of the Austroasiatic stock. The Bahnaric branch is divided into West, Northwest, North, Central, and South subbranches. North Bahnaric languages, such as Sedang and Halang, are spoken primarily in central Vietnam. Central Bahnaric languages, such as Bahnar itself, are spoken in central Vietnam and adjacent parts

Anthony Of Novgorod

2005-04-02T02:31:00.000-08:00

Anthony's importance derives mainly from his Pilgrim's

Jacobs, Jane

2005-04-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

After graduating from high school, she became a reporter on the Scranton Tribune, moving to New York City about a year later. While working as a free-lance writer, she met and married an architect, Robert Hyde Jacobs. Already keenly interested

Cáceres

2005-04-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Cáceres provincia, in the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), western Spain. It is built on a low east-west ridge, south of the Tagus River and about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Badajoz. Originating as the Roman town of Norba Caesarina, it was under Moorish control from the 9th century and was known as Alkazares until reconquered for the Christians

Skellefteå

2005-03-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

Town and port, in the län (county) of Västerbotten, northern Sweden, on the Skellefteälv (river) near the Gulf of Bothnia. Although incorporated in 1845, it did not become important until after the discovery, in 1918, of the rich Boliden mineral deposits northwestward. In 1952 Skellefteå absorbed several surrounding communities. Gold, silver, copper, arsenic, and other metals, as well

China, General works

2005-03-31T00:42:00.000-08:00

Denis Twitchett and John K. Fairbank (eds.), The Cambridge History of China (1978– ), will be the standard multivolume reference work for all aspects of Chinese history when it is completed. The following are comprehensive works: John K. Fairbank, China: A New History (1992), covering the span from paleolithic cultures to the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989, with an excellent bibliography; Wolfram Eberhard, A History of China, 4th ed. (1977, reissued 1987; originally published in German, 1948); John K. Fairbank and Edwin O. Reischauer, China: Tradition and Transformation, rev. ed. (1989); Otto Franke, Geschichte des chinesischen Reiches, 2nd ed., 5 vol. (1948–65); Jacques Gernet, A History of Chinese Civilization (1982; originally published in French, 1972), a detailed survey of China's intellectual, social, and economic history from the neolithic cultures up to the Cultural Revolution of 1966; Charles O. Hucker, China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture (1975), to 1850; and John Meskill (ed.), An Introduction to Chinese Civilization (1973), which includes a survey of Chinese history and ten essays on such aspects of Chinese civilization as anthropology, economy, geography, and religion, among others.

Amathus

2005-03-30T23:45:00.000-08:00

Ancient city located near Limassol, Cyprus, among sandy hills and sand dunes, which may explain its name (Greek amathos, “sand”). Founded by the Phoenicians (c. 1500 BC), Amathus maintained strong sympathies with the Phoenician mainland and refused to join various Cypriot revolts against Persia. When the rest of Cyprus was annexed to Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great,

Hawks, Howard (winchester)

2005-03-29T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hawks

Arzawa

2005-03-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient kingdom of western or southwestern Anatolia (its exact location is disputed). Although Arzawa was for long periods a rival of the Hittite kingdom, it was occasionally conquered and made a vassal by some of the more powerful Hittite kings, such as Labarnas I (c. 1680–c. 1650 BC). During the period of Hittite decline after the end of the Old Kingdom (c. 1500 BC), Arzawa's power and prominence

Aerospace Industry, Secondary and tertiary aerospace systems

2005-03-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

The secondary product line of the aerospace industry comprises the numerous onboard subsystems required by the designs of the various flight vehicles. Propulsion and avionics are the two most important secondary systems. The industry's tertiary product line includes those ground-based items necessary for the support of flight vehicles.

Disasters

2005-03-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

January 8, Charlotte, N.C. A commuter plane, a Beechcraft 1900 twin-engine turboprop operated by US Airways Express, crashes into a hangar on takeoff, killing 21 passengers and crew members; the cause of the crash is believed to be

Cartier, Jacques

2005-03-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

When King Francis I of France decided in 1534 to send an expedition to explore the northern lands in the hope of discovering gold, spices, and a passage

Sunbeam Snake

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

(Xenopeltis unicolor), primitive, little-known burrowing serpent found in cultivated and other open regions of India and southeast Asia. It is sometimes classified as the sole member of the family Xenopeltidae. Its colour is dark brown or black, but it is highly iridescent (hence the common name). The sunbeam snake reaches a length of 1 m (about 3 feet). It feeds on lizards, other

Haviland Crater

2005-03-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Brenham Crater small, shallow impact crater in farmland near Haviland, Kiowa county, Kansas, U.S. The depression, some 50 feet (15 metres) in diameter, is oval in shape. The first meteorite fragment, now known to be of the strong-iron, or pallasite, type, was found at the site in 1885, but the shallow crater was not identified until 1925 (it is one of the smallest impact craters in the world). Meteoritic fragments,

Pontevedra

2005-03-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Provincia, northwestern Spain, smallest of the four provinces of the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Galicia. It is mountainous, with an Atlantic coastline deeply indented by the picturesque rías bajas (inlets) of Arosa, Pontevedra, and Vigo. Numerous traditional fiestas held throughout the province contribute, with the scenic beauty and fine beaches,

Sunbeam Snake

2005-03-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

Also called South American dog or South American jackal any of several South American carnivores of the genus Dusicyon, family Canidae. One member of the genus, the small-toothed dog, is sometimes considered to comprise a distinct genus called Lycalopex. Although these canids are not actually foxes, they resemble true foxes. There are about 6 to 11 species, depending on the authority consulted. In general, South American foxes

Arundel, Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl Of, 11th Earl Of Surrey

2005-03-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

King Richard II made him a ward of John Holland, duke of Exeter, from whose keeping he escaped about 1398 and joined his uncle, Archbishop Thomas Arundel, at Utrecht, returning to England in 1399 with Henry of Lancaster, afterward King Henry IV. In October 1400 he was restored to

Amazon

2005-03-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, member of a race of women warriors. The story of the Amazons probably originated as a variant of a tale recurrent in many cultures, that of a distant land organized oppositely from one's own. The ascribed habitat of the Amazons necessarily became more remote as Greek geographic knowledge developed. When the Black Sea was colonized by Greeks, it

San Carlos

2005-03-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

City, south-central Nicaragua. It lies at the extreme southeastern corner of Lake Nicaragua near the Costa Rican border, where the San Juan River begins its journey to the Caribbean Sea. With its strategic location, San Carlos served as a fort to guard against pirate attacks during the colonial period. Although the city was severely damaged by fire in 1948, it is still a port

Gahn, Johan Gottlieb

2005-03-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

Swedish mineralogist and crystallographer who discovered manganese in 1774. His failure to win fame may be related to the fact that he published little. He saved the notes, papers, and letters of his friend Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who discovered chlorine, but not his own. His essays on the balance and use of the blowpipe in analysis

Estates-general

2005-03-20T01:35:00.000-08:00

The origins of the Estates-General are to be found in traditions of counsel and aid and the development of corporate representation

Lorenzetti, Ambrogio

2005-03-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Younger brother of Pietro Lorenzetti, who ranks in importance with the greatest of the Italian Sienese painters, Duccio and Simone Martini. Only six documented works of Ambrogio, apparently covering a period of merely 13 years, have survived. They include four scenes from the legend of St. Nicholas of Bari in the Uffizi, Florence, which are parts

Jainism, Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism

2005-03-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism share many key concepts derived from the Sanskrit language and dialects that have enabled them to hone their religious debates. For example, all three traditions share a notion of karman as the actions of individuals that determine their future births; yet each has attached unique connotations to the concept. This is also true with

Paresis

2005-03-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Also called brain syphilis, syphilitic meningoencephalitis, general paralysis of the insane, or dementia paralytica, psychosis caused by widespread destruction of brain tissue occurring in some cases of late syphilis. Mental changes include gradual deterioration of personality, impaired concentration and judgment, delusions, loss of memory, disorientation, and apathy or violent rages. Convulsions are not uncommon, and while temporary remissions sometimes occur, untreated

Glubb, Sir John Bagot

2005-03-17T03:56:00.000-08:00

The son of a British army officer, Glubb attended the Royal Military Academy and then rose steadily in the British army. He served in Europe in World War I and then volunteered for service

Aravali Range

2005-03-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Aravalli Range, hill system of northern India, running northeasterly for 350 miles (560 km) through Rajasthan state. Isolated rocky offshoots continue to just south of Delhi. The series of peaks and ridges, with breadths varying from 6 to 60 miles (10 to 100 km) are generally between 1,000 and 3,000 feet (300 and 900 m) in elevation. The system is divided into two sections—the Sambhar-Sirohi ranges, taller and including Guru Peak

Literature, United States.

2005-03-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

Most serious readers of American fiction would have to say that 2002 was an unusual year because the novel that dominated the best-seller list from late spring on was a first novel—California writer Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones—and the National Book Award (NBA) nominees in fiction, some of them first books, were

Rabbinical Assembly, The

2005-03-14T06:58:00.000-08:00

Organization of Conservative rabbis in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Israel. It was founded in 1900 as the Alumni Association of the Jewish Theological Seminary and was reorganized in 1940 as the Rabbinical Assembly of America; in 1962 it acquired its present name and international scope. The Rabbinical Assembly recommends rabbis for appointment to Conservative

Radcliffe, Ann

2005-03-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

Radcliffe's father was in trade, and the family lived in well-to-do gentility. In 1787, at the age of 23, she married William Radcliffe, a journalist who encouraged her literary pursuits.

X Ray

2005-03-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

According to classical electromagnetic theory, the deceleration of electrons will produce electromagnetic radiation, in the same way that accelerated electrons in a radio antenna produce radio waves. The failure of magnetic fields to deflect an X-ray beam seems to confirm this classical idea of the origin of X rays. Crucial evidence for the existence of waves

Jew's Harp

2005-03-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Jaw's Harp, or Guimbarde, musical instrument consisting of a thin wood or metal tongue fixed at one end to the base of a two-pronged frame. The player holds the frame to his mouth, which forms a resonance cavity, and plucks the instrument's tongue. The notes produced are limited to the fourth through tenth tones of the harmonic series (in relative pitch, c–e–g–b [approximately]–c¢–d¢–e¢). The tongue produces

Russia

2005-03-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Growth revived somewhat in mid-2001, and the government remained bullish,

Lear, Edward

2005-03-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

English landscape painter who is more widely known as the writer of an original kind of nonsense verse and as the popularizer of the limerick. His true genius is apparent in his nonsense poems, which portray a world of fantastic creatures in nonsense words, often

Biblical Literature, Types of manuscript errors

2005-03-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Since scribes either copied manuscripts or wrote from dictation, manuscript variants could be of several types: copying, hearing, accidental, or intentional. Errors in copying were common, particularly with uncial letters that looked alike. In early manuscripts OC (for hos, “[he] who”), for example, might easily be mistaken for the traditional abbreviation of God: QC (for

West Virginia, Colonial period and Virginia's dominion

2005-03-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

The second charter of Virginia in 1609 provided for settlement of that colony's western frontiers. Exploration and trade were further encouraged by Governor William Berkeley after 1660. The Blue Ridge was reached in 1670, and in 1671 another expedition encountered the first westward-flowing stream, the New River, in southwestern Virginia. The expedition descended the river to Peter's

Steel

2005-03-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Alloy of iron and carbon in which the carbon content ranges up to 2 percent (with a higher carbon content, the material is defined as cast iron). By far the most widely used material for building the world's infrastructure and industries, it is used to fabricate everything from sewing needles to oil tankers. In addition, the tools required to build and manufacture such

González, Manuel

2005-03-07T23:54:00.000-08:00

Born on a ranch in the state of Tamaulipas, González began his military career in 1847 and became a general during the civil war of 1858–60. He became president in 1880 at the virtual dictation of his political friend Porfirio Díaz, who had preceded him as president. As head of state,

Fruit Processing

2005-03-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

Fruit is sometimes defined as the product of growth from an angiosperm, or flowering plant. From a purely botanical point of view, the fruit may be only the fleshy growth that arises from the ovary of a flower and may not necessarily include any other structures. From the consumer's or food processor's point of view, however,

Gull

2005-03-06T02:05:00.000-08:00

Adult gulls are mainly gray or white, with variable head markings. In breeding season the

Mace

2005-03-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

In the processing of mace, the crimson-coloured aril is removed

Local Colour

2005-03-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Style of writing derived from the presentation of the features and peculiarities of a particular locality and its inhabitants. The name is given especially to a kind of American literature that in its most characteristic form made its appearance just after the Civil War and for nearly three decades was the single most popular form of American literature, fulfilling

San Leandro

2005-03-04T00:57:00.000-08:00

City, Alameda County, western California, U.S., adjoining Oakland (south), forms part of the East Bay metropolitan strip characterized by suburban developments, commercial trading centres, and waterfront industries. Once part of Rancho San Leandro (1839), it was known as Squatterville when prospectors settled there after the 1849 Gold Rush. Laid out in 1855, it began as a horticultural

Tiselius, Arne

2005-03-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

As an assistant to The Svedberg at the University of Uppsala (1925–32), Tiselius developed the use of electrophoresis for the delicate task of separating proteins in suspension on the basis of their electrical charge. For

Equestrian Sports

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

In the 2001 U.S. high-handicap season, held in Palm Beach, Fla., from January to April, Outback, led by Argentine Adolfo Cambiaso, prevailed at the U.S. Open for the third straight year, and Boca Polo triumphed in the Gold Cup in Boca Raton, Fla. Peter Brant's White Birch, led by Mariano Aguerre and Carlos Gracida, won the Sterling Cup and the Gold Cup of the Americas. In the summer season,

Visigoth

2005-03-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

The Visigoths were settled agriculturists in Dacia (now in Romania) when they were attacked by the Huns in 376 and driven southward

Yurok

2005-02-28T19:47:00.000-08:00

Yurok villages were small; a village was a collection of independent houses owned by individual families rather than a unified community with an overall political authority. Village

South America, Iberians

2005-02-28T06:32:00.000-08:00

Until the end of the era of Iberian domination, only the Spanish and Portuguese were admitted to their South American colonies. The rigid exclusion of all other foreigners had but few exceptions, though a small number of non-Iberian Europeans settled as a result of illegal or tolerated immigration. Most of the Spaniards came from Castile and the southern regions.

Plain Weave

2005-02-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Tabby Weave, simplest and most common of the three basic textile weaves. It is made by passing each filling yarn over and under each warp yarn, with each row alternating, producing a high number of intersections. Plain-weave fabrics that are not printed or given a surface finish have no right or wrong side. They do not ravel easily but tend to wrinkle and have less absorbency than

Gullstrand, Allvar

2005-02-27T05:32:00.000-08:00

Gullstrand studied in Uppsala, Vienna, and Stockholm, earning a doctorate in 1890. He became professor of diseases of the eye at Uppsala in 1894 and in 1913 was appointed professor of physiological

Wiener, Norbert

2005-02-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

Wiener, a child prodigy whose education was controlled by his father, a professor of Slavonic languages and literature

Gatchina

2005-02-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1929) Khotchino , or (1929–44) Krasnogvardeysk city, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia, lying 15 miles (24 km) southwest of St. Petersburg. The first mention of Khotchino dates from 1499, when it was a possession of Novgorod. Later it belonged to Livonia and Sweden. After 1721 it was returned to Russia and in the 1720s belonged to the sister of Peter I the Great, Natalia. The town grew only after the building, between 1766 and 1772, of a summer

Insurance, Inland marine insurance

2005-02-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

Although there are no standard forms in inland marine insurance, most contracts follow a typical pattern. They are usually written on a named-peril basis covering such perils of transportation as collision, derailment, rising water, tornado, fire, lightning, and windstorm. The policies generally exclude losses resulting from pilferage, strike, riot, civil commotion,

Automotive Industry, The industry in the United States

2005-02-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

At the end of World War II the American automobile industry had intact facilities, somewhat enlarged by construction for military needs. There was also a great demand for automobiles. This situation invited several attempts by newcomers to enter the industry, but all proved unsuccessful. The most promising, Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, lasted some 10 years but lacked

Wolf-ferrari, Ermanno

2005-02-22T04:04:00.000-08:00

The son of a German father and an Italian mother, Wolf-Ferrari studied music in Munich and then returned to Venice, where he became director of the Liceo Benedetto Marcello in 1902. He wrote Italian operas, of which five are based on the comedies of Carlo Goldoni.

Chi-nan

2005-02-22T01:24:00.000-08:00

Well watered from natural springs, the area was settled in early times. From the 8th century BC it was the site of Li-hsia, a major

Macbeth

2005-02-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

Tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, performed at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1605–06 and published in the First Folio of 1623, from a promptbook of a version prepared for court performance. Some portions of the original text are corrupted or missing from the published edition. The play is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, without diversions or subplots. It chronicles

M

2005-02-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Messier catalog (q.v.), an astronomical listing.

Sorabji, Kaikhosru Shapurji

2005-02-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Dudley was of Parsi, Sicilian, and Spanish descent and spent most of his life in England. As a young man he became interested in his father's Parsi

Hovenweep National Monument

2005-02-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

Hovenweep consists of six groups of pre-Columbian Indian ruins built of coursed-stone masonry: the Square Tower Canyon Cluster and the Cajon Canyon Group in Utah; and

Kathiawar Peninsula

2005-02-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Peninsula in southwestern Gujarat state, west-central India. It is bounded by the Little Rann (marsh) of Kachchh (Kutch; north), the Gulf of Cambay (east), the Arabian Sea (southwest), and the Gulf of Kachchh (northwest). From the northeast an ancient sandstone formation extends into the peninsula, which has an area of 23,000 square miles (60,000 square km). Most of the sandstone, however, is masked

Stafford, Thomas P(atten)

2005-02-18T02:53:00.000-08:00

A graduate (1952) of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., Stafford transferred to the Air Force

Aksum

2005-02-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Despite common belief to the contrary, Aksum did not originate from one of the Semitic Sabaean kingdoms of southern Arabia but instead developed as a local power. At its apogee (3rd–6th century AD), Aksum became the greatest market of northeastern Africa; its merchants traded as far as Alexandria and

Tsong-kha-pa

2005-02-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Tibetan lama who founded a new Tibetan Buddhist sect known as the Dge-lugs-pa (q.v.), literally “Model of Virtue” but more commonly referred to as the Yellow Hat sect to distinguish it from the older Red Hat sect. Hoping to restore monastic discipline, Tsong-kha-pa enforced celibacy, required the wearing of yellow robes, and insisted on adherence to a rigorous routine. The

Hindu, The

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

Established in 1878 as a weekly, The Hindu became a daily in 1889. While India was under British rule, the paper spoke out for independence—but in a moderate vein. After 1947, when India achieved independence, The Hindu built a network of foreign bureaus, while extending

Indonesia, Animal life

2005-02-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Indonesia is located in the transitional zone between two of the world's major faunal regions: the Oriental of Asia in the west and the Australasian of Australia and New Guinea in the east. The boundary of these realms, called Wallace's Line, runs between Borneo and Celebes in the north and Bali and Lombok in the south. To the west the Asian animal community includes such

Shahn, Ben

2005-02-15T03:13:00.000-08:00

Shahn immigrated with his family to New York City in 1906. In 1913–17 he worked as a lithographer's apprentice while attending high school at night. He later attended

Brecht, Arnold

2005-02-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

After studying at several universities, Brecht received a law degree from the University of Leipzig in 1906 and, after in-service training, was appointed a judge in Lübeck in 1910. In the same year

Sabzevari, Hajji Hadi

2005-02-13T05:44:00.000-08:00

Iranian teacher and philosopher who advanced the hikmah (wisdom) school of Islamic philosophy. His doctrines—composed of diverse elements of gnosis (esoteric spiritual knowledge), philosophy, and revelation—are an exposition and clarification of the philosophical concepts of Mulla Sadra. But he differed to some extent by classifying knowledge

Howard

2005-02-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

Howard county was created in 1851, having earlier been (from 1838) a district of Anne Arundel county.

Jam Master Jay

2005-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

American rap musician and producer (b. Jan. 21, 1965, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 30, 2002, New York City), was a member of Run-D.M.C., the first rap group to attract a worldwide audience. Jam Master Jay teamed with Joe (“Run”) Simmons and Darryl (“D.M.C.”) McDaniels to form the group in the early 1980s. The trio's debut album, Run-D.M.C. (1984), featuring the hit singles “It's like That” and “Sucker MCs,” became the first rap album to attain gold

Coosa River

2005-02-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

River flowing through northwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama, U.S. It is formed by the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers at Rome, Ga., and flows southward for 286 mi (460 km) through the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region into the Gulf coastal plain at Wetumpka, Ala. Its initial course is southwesterly into Cherokee County, Ala., where it receives the Chattooga

Sabzevari, Hajji Hadi

2005-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

The company was incorporated in 1892, acquiring all the assets of the Edison General Electric

Sweating Sickness

2005-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Apart

Hohenlohe-schillingsfürst, Chlodwig Karl Viktor, Fürst Zu (prince Of)

2005-02-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

A Bavarian Roman Catholic, he was a member of a princely house and

Santa Maria Novella

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

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

Saxony

2005-02-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

German Sachsen, Land (state), eastern Germany. Saxony Land was re-created in the process of the reunification of East with West Germany in 1990 from the former East German Bezirke (districts) of Dresden, Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt), and most of Leipzig, along with a small part of Cottbus Bezirk. The East German Bezirke had themselves been created in 1952 from historic Saxony. The current territory

Eclogite

2005-02-07T01:40:00.000-08:00

Any member of a small group of igneous and metamorphic rocks whose composition is similar to that of basalt. Eclogites consist primarily of green pyroxene (omphacite) and red garnet (pyrope), with small amounts of various other stable minerals—e.g., olivine and diopside. They are formed when volcanic or metamorphic rocks rich in such mafic minerals are subjected to

Anastasius Iii

2005-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Pope from April or June 911 to 913. Because his pontificate came during a period when Rome was under the control of the house of Theophylactus, he had little authority or freedom of action.

Forbes, George William

2005-02-05T01:33:00.000-08:00

Forbes held a seat in the House of Representatives for thirty-five years as member for Hurunui (1908–43). He began his political career as a member of the Liberal Party, and when that party declined he became in 1928 a leader of the newly created United Party.

Laos, Lan Xang

2005-02-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

Recorded Laotian history begins with Fa Ngum, the ruler who founded the first Laotian state, Lan Xang (“Kingdom of the Million Elephants”), with the help of the Khmer sovereign at Angkor. Fa Ngum was a great warrior, and between 1353 and 1371 he conquered territories that included all of present-day Laos and much of what is today northern and eastern Thailand. He extended the Indo-Khmer

Lord Dunmore's War

2005-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

(1774), Virginia-led attack on the Shawnee Indians of Kentucky, removing the last obstacle to colonial conquest of that area. During the early 1770s the Shawnee watched with growing distress the steady encroachment upon their rich Kentucky hunting grounds by white trappers, traders, speculators, and settlers. In early 1774 the Virginia militia seized Fort Pitt and renamed it Fort

Blood Analysis

2005-02-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Laboratory examination of a sample of blood to obtain information on its physical and chemical properties and on its components. Hundreds of hematological tests and procedures have been developed, and many can be carried out simultaneously on one sample of blood with such instruments as autoanalyzers. Blood analysis includes the following areas of study: (1) determination

Padmasambhava

2005-02-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

According to tradition, he was a native of Udyana (now Swat, Pak.), an area famed for its magicians. Padmasambhava was a Tantrist and a member of the Yogacara sect and taught at Nalanda, a centre of Buddhist studies

Palana

2005-01-31T16:14:00.000-08:00

Urban settlement and administrative centre of Koryak autonomous okrug (district), Kamchatka oblast (province), far eastern Russia. The settlement is situated on the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula and lies along the Palana River, 5 miles (8 km) from its mouth on the Sea of Okhotsk. The district was formed in 1930. The settlement has a regional museum. Pop. (1993 est.) 4,100.

African Greek Orthodox Church

2005-01-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

A religious movement in East Africa that represents a prolonged search for a Christianity more African and, its adherents say, more authentic than the denominational mission forms transplanted from overseas. It began when an Anglican in Uganda, Reuben Spartas, heard of the independent, all-black African Orthodox Church in the United States and founded his own

Dominion Arboretum And Botanic Garden, Central Experimental Farm

2005-01-31T00:17:00.000-08:00

Ottawa, part of the Plant Research Institute of Agriculture Canada (formerly Canada Department of Agriculture). Established in 1889, the arboretum is Canada's oldest. It occupies 40 hectares (99 acres) and includes about 10,000 kinds of plants. Its special collections of flowering crabs, lilacs, lilies, and hedge plants are as much for experimental work and study as for display to the

Ashikaga Yoshiaki

2005-01-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

Shogun (hereditary military dictator) of Japan who was the 15th and last of his family to hold the title. Yoshiaki had been a priest, but in 1568, with the aid of his protector, the general Oda Nobunaga, he deposed his cousin Yoshihide and took over the shogunate. Subsequently, rivalry developed between Yoshiaki and Oda, and the latter deposed Yoshiaki and banished

Tibet, The arts

2005-01-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

Tibet is most renowned for its religious scroll paintings (tankas, or thang-ka), metal images, and wooden block prints. There are three categories of images—representing the peaceful, moderate, and angry deities—and three schools of painting—the Sman-thang, Gong-dkar Mkhan-bris, and Kar-ma sgar-bris—which are differentiated by colour tones and depicted facial

Diagnosis, Percussion

2005-01-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

Percussion is a diagnostic procedure used to determine the density of a part by tapping the surface with short, sharp blows and evaluating the resulting sounds. In the abdomen it can be used to detect fluid (ascites), a gaseous distention of the intestine as occurs in bowel obstruction, or an enlargement of the liver. It is used most often to evaluate the chest. Percussion

Abe Masahiro

2005-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Born into an influential noble family, Abe was only 25 years old when he was appointed head of the roju (senior councillors), the highest administrative office under the shogun,

Glaucoma

2005-01-26T18:11:00.000-08:00

Disease caused by an increase in pressure within the eye as a result of blockage of the flow of aqueous humour, a watery fluid produced by the ciliary body. (The ciliary body is a ring of tissue directly behind the outer rim of the iris; besides being the source of aqueous humour, it contains the muscle that flattens the curvature of the lens for far vision.) The normal flow

Burgos

2005-01-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Burgos province, in the Castile-León comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), northern Spain. It is located on the lower slopes of a castle-crowned hill overlooking the Arlanzón River, about 2,600 feet (800 m) above sea level. Founded in 884 as an eastern outpost of the Asturian kingdom by the Castilian count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, it became the capital of the

China, The foreign presence

2005-01-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

As a result of several wars and many treaties with China since 1842, foreign powers had acquired a variety of unusual privileges for their nationals. These were specified in the “unequal treaties,” which patriotic Chinese bitterly opposed. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and vast areas in Siberia and Central Asia had been detached from China. Dependencies such as Korea, Outer Mongolia,

Sacasa, Juan Bautista

2005-01-23T23:53:00.000-08:00

Sacasa studied in the United States from 1889 to 1901, earning an M.D. from Columbia University. In 1924 he was elected vice president of Nicaragua as leader of the Liberal Party in a coalition government. The following year a coup d'état installed General Emiliano Chamorro

Pride, Sir Thomas

2005-01-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

Pride's early life is obscure. Entering the Parliamentary army as a captain, he became a lieutenant

Middle Rhine Highlands

2005-01-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Rhenish Slate Mountains , German Rheinisches Schiefergebirge mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The Highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of rugged relief, as in the Eifel and the Rothaargebirge in the region of Sauerland, though

Alexander The Great, Asia Minor and the Battle of Issus

2005-01-22T01:47:00.000-08:00

In winter 334–333 Alexander conquered western Asia Minor, subduing the hill tribes of Lycia and Pisidia; and in spring 333 he advanced along the coastal road to Perga, passing the cliffs of Mt. Climax, thanks to a fortunate change of wind. The fall in the level of the sea was interpreted as a mark of divine favour by Alexander's flatterers, including the historian Callisthenes. At