SeriousBook

Succubus

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

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

Lockheed Martin Corporation

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

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

Indiana

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

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

Aurgelmir

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

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

Giulini, Carlo Maria

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

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

Orange Walk

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

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

Agriculture And Food Supplies, Company Developments.

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

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

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Typology and typological symbolism

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

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

Fibre, Man-made

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

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

Calderdale

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

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

Han-yang

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

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

Ueda

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

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

Acarnania

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

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

Yang Kuei-fei

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

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

Mercouri, Melina

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

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

Biblical Literature, Later and modern editions

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

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

Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry

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

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

Christianity, New forms of worship

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

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

Agra

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

City, west-central Uttar Pradesh state, north-central India, on the Yamuna (Jumna) River. Founded by Sikandar Lodi in the early 16th century, it was the Mughal capital during some periods of their empire. In the late 18th century the city fell successively to the Jats, the Marathas, the Mughals, and the ruler of Gwalior and, finally, to the British in 1803. It was the capital of Agra (later North-Western)

Sac Spider

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

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

Zanjan

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

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

Cattaraugus

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

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

Resonance, Theory Of

2005-03-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, theory by which the actual normal state of a molecule is represented not by a single valence-bond structure but by a combination of several alternative distinct structures. The molecule is then said to resonate among the several valence-bond structures or to have a structure that is a resonance hybrid of these structures. The energy calculated for

Moses, Sir Charles (joseph Alfred)

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

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

Huguenot

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

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

Elijah's Cup

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

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

New English Dictionary On Historical Principles, A

2005-03-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

(NED), the title of the original edition (1884–1928) of The Oxford English Dictionary (q.v.), which was the revised and corrected edition published in 1933.

Philadelphia

2005-03-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1833) of Neshoba county, east-central Mississippi, U.S., and headquarters of the Choctaw Indian Agency, 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Jackson. It was settled on an old Native American site, Aloon Looanshaw, following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek (1830) and named for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The agency was established in 1918, and the majority of the state's several thousand

Arung Singkang

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

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

Corbin, Margaret

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

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

Armstrong, Samuel Chapman

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

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

Lima, Pre-Columbian and colonial periods

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

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

Amphibole, Igneous rocks

2005-03-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Calcic amphiboles are characteristically contained in igneous rocks. Igneous amphiboles are intermediate in composition between tremolite, tschermakite, edenite, and pargasite end-members. Typically, these amphiboles of intermediate composition are called hornblende. Hornblende occurs in various plutonic igneous rocks, including diorites, quartz diorites,

Cimon Of Cleonae

2005-03-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

Although Cimon has been dated to the 8th century BC, the fact would seem

Kirby, William

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

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

T'ien-t'ai

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

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

Ueno

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

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

Sanghar

2005-03-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

Town, Sind province, southern Pakistan. The town is connected by road with the cities of Hyderabad, Karachi, and Sukkur. Sanghar is a market town and has several cotton-textile factories. The surrounding area consists chiefly of semiarid land, a part of the great Thar Desert, and some cropped areas irrigated by the Mithrao Canal system, which feeds from the Indus River. Rice,

Hawkweed

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

Some species are cultivated as garden ornamentals for their attractive

Wankel, Felix

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

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

Cherwell

2005-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Oxfordshire, south-central England, occupying an area of 228 square miles (590 square km). The River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal extend north from Oxford city and bisect the district. Predominantly rural, Cherwell is a lowland area bordering the limestone Cotswold Hills on the west and the North Oxfordshire Heights on the

Mitchell, S. Weir

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

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

Benhadugah, 'abd Al-hamid

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

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

Guatemala, Flag Of

2005-03-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

Following brief rule by Mexico (1821–23), the Central American provinces united in a federation, but by 1840 disagreements between Liberals and Conservatives resulted in civil war and the separation of the five countries. Thus Guatemala hoisted a new flag on November 14, 1843, which included the volcanoes found in the coat of arms of Antigua Guatemala, the former capital of Guatemala,

Black Range

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

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

Aerospace Industry

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

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

Rio Grande

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

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

Farinati, Paolo

2005-02-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

Farinati's father, Giovanni Battista, was also a painter and may have been his first master; later he probably worked under Nicolò Giolfino. Farinati was active almost entirely in Verona. According to Carlo Ridolfi, a Madonna painted by Farinati attracted the

Religion

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

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

Water Treader

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

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

Shensi, The early period

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

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

World War I, The Turkish fronts, 1918

2005-02-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

The British–Turkish front in Palestine in the summer of 1918 ran from the Jordan River westward north of Jericho and Lydda to the Mediterranean just north of Jaffa. North of this front there were three Turkish “armies” (in fact, barely stronger than divisions): one to the east of the Jordan, two to the west. These armies depended for their supplies on the Hejaz Railway, the main

Grün, Anastasius

2005-02-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

As a member of the estates of Carniola in the Diet at Laibach, Grün was a critic of the Austrian government, and after 1848 he represented the district of Laibach briefly at the German national assembly at Frankfurt. Always an outspoken

Eisenstein, Ferdinand Gotthold Max

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

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

Régence Style

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

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

All-union Council Of Evangelical Christians And Baptists

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

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

Karakul

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

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

Flocculation

2005-02-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

In physical chemistry, separation of solid particles from a liquid to form loose aggregations or soft flakes. These flocculates are easily disrupted, being held together only by a force analogous to the surface tension of a liquid. In industrial processes, flocculation may be a desired or an undesirable phenomenon, and various methods may be used to cause or eliminate

Kyrgyzstan, Plant and animal life

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

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

Easement

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

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

Monasticism

2005-02-18T03:59:00.000-08:00

An institutionalized religious movement whose members attempt to practice works that are above and beyond those required of both the laity and the spiritual leadership of their religions. Generally celibate and universally ascetic, the monastic individual separates himself or herself from general society either by living as a hermit or anchorite (religious

Great Barrington

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

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

Ba

2005-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

In ancient Egyptian religion, with ka and akh, a principal aspect of the soul; the ba appears in bird form, thus expressing the mobility of the soul after death. Originally written with the sign of the jabiru bird, and thought to be an attribute of only the god-king, the ba was later represented by a man-headed hawk, often depicted hovering over the mummies of king and populace

Mormon

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

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

Szilard, Leo

2005-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

In 1922 Szilard received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin and joined the staff of the Institute of Theoretical

Lip Ring, Lip Plug, And Lip Plate

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

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

Xia Gui

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

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

Kudu

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

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

Lucas Van Leyden

2005-02-13T03:52:00.000-08:00

Lucas was first trained by his father, Huygh Jacobszoon; later, he entered the workshop of Cornelis Engelbrechtsz(oon), a painter of Leiden. Lucas is more highly regarded today as a printmaker than as a painter. He was extraordinarily precocious. Even

Armistice

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

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

Cloak And Sword Drama

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

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

Downing, Andrew Jackson

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

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

Sokol

2005-02-10T02:04:00.000-08:00

City and river port, centre of Sokol rayon (sector), Vologda oblast (province), northwestern Russia. The port lies along the Sukhona River. Before the Russian Revolution of October 1917 it was the site of only two small factories, but it grew rapidly in the early Soviet period and was incorporated in 1932. Today it is a centre of paper, woodworking, and food industries and has a

Belgium

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

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

Scandinavian Literature, Norwegian and Icelandic literature

2005-02-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

The roots of Norwegian literature reach back more than 1,000 years and become inextricably intertwined with early Icelandic literature. Although a large part of this early literature was composed either in Iceland or elsewhere in Scandinavia by Icelanders, the Norwegian element in it is considerable and indisputable, even though this cannot always be isolated

Epistemology, St. Anselm of Canterbury

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

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

Azali

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

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

Wiener Neustadt

2005-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

City, Niederösterreich Bundesland (federal state), northeastern Austria. It lies near the Leitha River south of Vienna. Founded in 1194 by the Babenberg duke Leopold V, it was chartered in 1277 and had a mint at that time. It was most prosperous in the 15th century, when it was the residence of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III, but it declined to such an extent in the 17th century that

Kilian, Saint

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

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

Lowell, Percival

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

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

Shih-chia-chuang

2005-02-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

In pre-Han times (i.e., before 206 BC) it was the site of the city of Shih-i in the state of Chao, and, from Han (206 BC–AD 220) to Sui (581–618) times, it was the site of a county

Gate

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

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

Waigeo Island

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

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

Chaillu Massif

2005-02-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Mountain range in south-central Gabon, rising to more than 3,300 feet (1,000 m) between the Ngounié and the Ogooué rivers; it forms the country's main watershed. The range contains Mount Milondo (3,346 feet [1,020 m]), the highest peak in Gabon, 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Koula-Moutou. Other high points in the range are Mount Iboundji (3,215 feet [980 m]) and Mount Mimongo (2,822 feet [860 m]). The granite massif is named for the explorer

Gate

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

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

China, Urban socialist changes

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

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

Military Technology, The ax

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

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

Paris, Foundation and medieval growth

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

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

France, History Of, Domestic policy and reform efforts

2005-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

As stated above, in the context of 17th-century absolutism, Louis XIV had already initiated many rationalizing reforms. The crown had worked selectively to replace corporatist, traditionalist institutions with meritocratic associations. In 1648, for example, Cardinal Mazarin had already sponsored a Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture (because it lent itself better

Olympic Games, Helsinki, Finland, 1952

2005-01-30T05:58:00.000-08:00

The 1952 Games were the first Olympics since 1912 in which the Soviet Union participated, and the international tension caused by the Cold War initially prevailed. Prior to the Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee used the rivalry between East and West to raise funds for the U.S. team. The Soviet Union announced plans to house their athletes in Leningrad and fly into Helsinki each

Alaska, Agriculture

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

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

Literature

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

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

Epictetus

2005-01-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

His original name is not known; epiktetos is the Greek word meaning “acquired.” As a boy he was a slave but managed to attend lectures

Biogeochemical Cycle

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

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

Alcántara

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

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

Amir Ali, Sayyid

2005-01-25T03:16:00.000-08:00

Amir Ali, who traced his ancestry to the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah, took his law degree at the University of Calcutta, was called to the bar of the Inner Temple (1873) in England, and returned to practice

Quintus Smyrnaeus

2005-01-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Quintus claimed that the Muses inspired him when, still a beardless lad, he kept sheep near the temple of Artemis. His style is monotonous, and his vocabulary

Bhaktapur

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

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

Los Alamos

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

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

Constanta

2005-01-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), southeastern Romania, bounded by Bulgaria on the south. The Black Sea lies to the east, and the northward-draining Danube River delimits the county's western border. Constanta judet, consisting mostly of lowlands, contains several lakes. Constanta (q.v.) city, Romania's principal seaport, is the county seat. Agricultural activities include livestock raising