ShortSquare

China, The Yüan dynasty

2005-04-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

On Chinese contacts with Asia and the West, see E. Bretschneider, Mediaeval Research from Eastern Asiatic Sources: Fragments Towards the Knowledge of the Geography and History of Central and Western Asia from the 13th to the 17th Century, 2 vol. (1888, reprinted 1967); Herbert Franke, “Sino-Western Contacts Under the Mongol Empire,” Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 6:49–72 (1966); Leonard Olschki, Marco Polo's Asia: An Introduction to His “Description of the World” called “Il Milione” (1960; originally published in Italian, 1957); and Igor de Rachewiltz, Papal Envoys to the Great Khans (1971).

Biblical Literature, Rule by the Herods

2005-04-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

The Herods who followed were under the control of Rome. Herod the Great, son of Antipater of Idumaea, was made king of Judaea, having sided with Rome, and he ruled with Roman favour (37–4 BC). Though he was a good statesman and architect, he was hated by the Jews as a foreigner and semi-Jew. Jesus was born a few years before the end of his reign, and “the slaughter of the innocents,” young children

Paul-boncour, Joseph

2005-03-31T01:40:00.000-08:00

After receiving a degree in law from the University of Paris, Paul-Boncour practiced law, organized the legal council of the Bourses du Travail (syndicalist workers'

Topiary

2005-03-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

The training of living trees and shrubs into artificial, decorative shapes. Thickly leaved evergreen shrubs are used in topiary; the best subjects are box, cypress, and yew, although others—such as rosemary, holly, and box honeysuckle—are used with success. Topiary is said to have been invented by a friend of the ancient Roman emperor Augustus and is known to have been

Tyrconnell, Rory O'donnell, 1st Earl Of, Baron Of Donegall

2005-03-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

The second son of Hugh MacManus O'Donnell, he allied with his younger brother Hugh Roe, who transferred his authority as chief to Rory upon leaving for Spain. In 1602 Rory gave his allegiance to the English lord deputy and, in the following summer, went with Hugh

Lignum Vitae

2005-03-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

Guaiacum officinale occurs from the southern United States to northern South America. It grows about 9 m (30 feet) tall and reaches a diameter of about 25 cm (10 inches). The evergreen leaves are opposite, divided into leaflets

Vyborg

2005-03-23T04:33:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1919–40) Viipuri, city, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia. The city stands at the head of Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). First settled in the 12th century, Vyborg was built as a fortress in 1293 by the Swedes after they had captured Karelia. In 1710 the fortress was captured by Peter I the Great, and Vyborg thenceforth remained

Ariel

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

The first international cooperative Earth satellite, launched April 26, 1962, as a joint project of agencies of the United States and the United Kingdom. Design, construction, telemetry, and launching of the 14.5-kilogram (32-lb) satellite was handled in the United States by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The United Kingdom was responsible for designing the

Heilungkiang

2005-03-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

Heilungkiang was long sparsely inhabited by hunters and fishermen who used canoes, dogsleds, skis, and reindeer as transport.

Jackson, Milt

2005-03-19T04:13:00.000-08:00

Jackson began playing the vibraphone (also called vibes or vibraharp) professionally at age 16. He attended Michigan State University and joined Dizzy Gillespie's sextet in 1945; he then worked with Gillespie's big band

Tabernacle

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

Israel's earliest sanctuary was a simple tent within which, it was believed,

Locarno

2005-03-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

German Luggarus town, Ticino canton, southern Switzerland. It is situated at the northern end of Lago Maggiore, near the mouth of the Maggia River, west of Bellinzona. The site was settled in prehistoric times, and the town was first mentioned in 789. A possession of the dukes of Milan from 1342, it was taken by the Swiss in 1513. It became part of the newly formed Ticino canton in 1803 and, with Lugano and Bellinzona,

Ear Disease, Erysipelas of the outer ear

2005-03-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

Erysipelas is an infection in the skin caused by a particular type of streptococcus and characterized by a slowly advancing red, slightly tender thickening of the skin. It may begin at the ear and spread to the face and neck. Centuries ago erysipelas epidemics caused severe and often fatal infections. In AD 1089 one of the most severe erysipelas epidemics occurred. The disease

World War I, The Western Front, 1916

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

In 1914 the centre of gravity of World War I had been on the Western Front, in 1915 it shifted to the Eastern, and in 1916 it once more moved back to France. Though the western Allies had dissipated some of their strength in the Dardanelles, Salonika, and Mesopotamia, the rising tide of Britain's new armies and of its increased munition supplies promised the means for an offensive far

Ambiguity

2005-03-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Use of words that allow alternative interpretations. In factual, explanatory prose, ambiguity is considered an error in reasoning or diction; in literary prose or poetry, it often functions to increase the richness and subtlety of language and to imbue it with a complexity that expands the literal meaning of the original statement. William Empson's Seven Types

Chaban-delmas, Jacques

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

Delmas was educated in political science and law and worked as a journalist before joining the army in 1938. As one of the early members of the Résistance (joined December 1940), he used Chaban as his code name, which he later legally added to his own. He was extremely active in

Uyuni Salt Flat

2005-03-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Spanish Salar De Uyuni, arid, windswept salt flat in southwestern Bolivia. It lies on the Altiplano, at 11,995 feet (3,656 m) above sea level. The Uyuni Salt Flat is Bolivia's largest salt-encrusted waste area (approximately 4,085 square miles [10,582 square km]) and is separated from the Coipasa Salt Flat, a similar but smaller feature to the north, by a range of hills. On its shores are saltworks at Salinas de Garci Mendoza

Baseball

2005-03-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

In January former

Kamenshek, Dorothy

2005-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Kamenshek showed promise as an outfielder with a local softball league by the time she was 17. A scout for the newly created All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) persuaded her to try out in Chicago.

Computers, The age of Big Iron

2005-03-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

Gerrit A. Blaauw and Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution (1997), is a highly technical history of the development of the concepts in computer architecture.

Taedong River

2005-02-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Korean Taedong-gang river, southern North Korea, rising in the Nangnim Mountains in Hamgyong-nam do (province). It flows 273 miles (439 km) southwestward to enter Korea Bay, an arm of the Yellow Sea, at Namp'o. With its tributaries it forms a drainage basin of 7,855 square miles (20,344 square km). Because of its deep water and the tidal influence of the Yellow Sea, it is useful for water transportation, and many river ports,

Macdonald, Flora

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

Scottish Jacobite heroine who helped Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, the Stuart claimant to the British throne, to escape from Scotland after his defeat in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745–46. The daughter of Ranald Macdonald, a tacksman or farmer of Milton in the island of South Uist (Hebrides),

Tyson, Cicely

2005-02-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

Tyson, the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, grew up in a devoutly religious household in Harlem. Discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling world. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway

Pius Ii

2005-02-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

Original name Enea Silvio Piccolomini outstanding Italian humanist and astute politician who as pope (reigned 1458–64) tried to unite Europe in a crusade against the Turks at a time when they threatened to overrun all of Europe. He wrote voluminously about the events of his day.

Gerlach, (ludwig Friedrich) Leopold Von

2005-02-19T01:53:00.000-08:00

Participating

China, Trends in the early Ch'ing

2005-02-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

The tripling of China's population from the beginning of the Ch'ing dynasty to the mid-19th century rested on the economic expansion that followed the consolidation of Manchu rule. This population growth has been frequently cited as the major cause of the decline of China in the 19th century. Certainly the year 1800 saw the Ch'ing state's surpluses, sufficient through the 18th

Audiberti, Jacques

2005-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

A former clerk for the justice of the peace in Antibes, Audiberti began his writing career as a journalist, moving to Paris in 1925 to write for Le Journal and Le Petit Parisien. Later, he wrote more than 20 plays

Greeley

2005-02-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1874) of Weld county, northern Colorado, U.S., 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of Denver, at an elevation of 4,665 feet (1,422 metres). It was founded in 1870 as Union Colony, a cooperative agricultural enterprise organized by Nathan Meeker, agricultural editor of the New York Tribune, with the support of journalist and sometime politician Horace Greeley. An agricultural-based economy prevails,

Harcourt, Sir William

2005-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

A lawyer from 1854, Harcourt briefly taught international law at the University of Cambridge. Entering the House of Commons in 1868, Harcourt served Prime

T'ien-t'ai

2005-02-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

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

Carlos Luis De Borbón, Count (conde) De Montemolín

2005-02-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

Montemolín, grandson of Charles IV (reigned 1788–1808), was given the Carlist

Shensi, The early period

2005-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

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

Gabes, Gulf Of

2005-02-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Arabic Khalij Qabis, French Golfe De Gabès, Latin Syrtis Minor, inlet, on the east coast of Tunisia, northern Africa. It is 60 miles (100 km) long and 60 miles wide and is bounded by the Qarqannah (Kerkena) Islands on the northeast and by Jarbah (Djerba) Island on the southeast. Except for the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Venice, it is the only part of the Mediterranean with a substantial tidal range (about 8 feet [2 1/2 m] at spring tides), causing the uncovering

Dinosaur, The KT boundary event

2005-01-31T03:35:00.000-08:00

It was not only the dinosaurs that disappeared 65 million years ago at the Cretaceous–Tertiary, or K–T, boundary. Many other organisms became extinct or were greatly reduced in abundance and diversity, and the extinctions were quite different between, and even among, marine and terrestrial organisms. Land plants did not respond in the same way as land animals, and not

Port Adelaide

2005-01-30T01:48:00.000-08:00

Chief port of South Australia, on an estuarine-tidal inlet of Gulf St. Vincent, just northwest of Adelaide. Visited in 1831 by Capt. Collet Barker, the harbour, sheltered by a long sand spit to the west, was made the port for Adelaide in 1837. Port Adelaide was incorporated as a town in 1855 and became a city in 1901. The Inner Harbour, with extensive wharves, has a minimum depth of 33 ft (10 m) and is reached

Aesthetics, The aesthetic experience

2005-01-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

Such considerations point toward the aforementioned approach that begins with the aesthetic experience as the most likely to capture the full range of aesthetic phenomena without begging the important philosophical questions about their nature. Can we then single out a faculty, an attitude, a mode of judgment, or a form of experience that is distinctively aesthetic?

Augustine, Saint, Sermons

2005-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Almost one-third of Augustine's surviving works consists of sermons—more than 1.5 million words, most of them taken down by shorthand scribes as he spoke extemporaneously. They cover a wide range. Many are simple expositions of scripture read aloud at a particular service according to church rules, but Augustine followed certain programs as well. There are sermons

älvsborg

2005-01-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Former län (county) of southwestern Sweden, located to the west and south of Lake Vänern. Formed as a county in 1634, it was merged with the counties of Göteborg och Bohus and Skaraborg in 1998 to form the county of Västra Götaland.

Mesopotamia, History Of, Political fragmentation

2005-01-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

It is probable that the definitive separation from Ur III came about through changing components of the population, from “Sumerians and Akkadians” to “Akkadians and Amorites.” An Old Babylonian liver omen states that “he of the steppes will enter, and chase out the one in the city.” This is indeed an abbreviated formula for an event that took place more than once: the usurpation

Insurance, Financing and administering employment injury insurance

2005-01-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Almost all systems of employment injury insurance are financed by employers' contributions exclusively, and in almost all these systems the contribution is proportional to the risk represented by the class of activity in which the employer is engaged. Usually the insurance institution adapts the contribution to the accident experience of the undertaking

Mars-la-tour And Gravelotte, Battles Of

2005-01-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

(Aug. 16–18, 1870), two major engagements of the Franco-German War in which the 130,000-man French Army of the Rhine, under Marshal Achille-François Bazaine, failed to break through the two German armies under General Helmuth von Moltke and were bottled up in the fortress of Metz. It was followed by the Count de Mac-Mahon's abortive attempt to rescue Bazaine, which ended in Mac-Mahon's crushing

Radio

2005-01-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

Transmission and detection of communication signals consisting of electromagnetic waves that travel through the air in a straight line or by reflection from the ionosphere or from a communications satellite.

Irish Sweepstakes

2005-01-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

In full Irish Hospitals' Sweepstakes one of the largest lotteries promoted internationally; it was authorized by the Irish government in 1930 to benefit Irish hospitals. A private trust was formed to run the lottery and market tickets throughout the world. During the 57 years of its existence, the contest derived more revenue from the United States than from any other country, although all the tickets were

Shire

2005-01-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

In Great Britain, a county. The Anglo-Saxon shire (Old English scir) was an administrative division next above the hundred and seems to have existed in the south in the time of Alfred the Great (871–899) and to have been fully established by the reign of Edgar (959–975). It was administered by an ealdorman (alderman) and by a sheriff (i.e., shire-reeve), who presided over the shire court. After the

Homophony

2005-01-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Homophony does

Kunlun Mountains

2005-01-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) K'un-lun Shan, or (Pinyin) Kunlun Shan, mountain system of Asia. The Kunluns extend east to west some 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometres) from the Pamirs in Tajikistan on the west to the Kunlun Pass and the adjacent Sino-Tibetan ranges—Pu-erh-han-pu-ta (Burhan Budai), P'a-yen-k'a-la (Bayan Hara), and A-ni-ma-ch'ing (Amne Machin)—on the east. The width of the Kunluns varies considerably but rarely exceeds 125 miles. In the western margins they

Subic Bay

2005-01-05T05:02:00.000-08:00

Bay of the South China Sea, southwestern Luzon, Philippines. The bay is located 35 miles (55 km) northwest of the mouth of Manila Bay and extends northward into the Luzon coastline. From 1901 to 1992, on the southeast coast of the bay, the United States operated a naval base, Subic Bay Naval Station, the largest naval installation in the Philippines. Olongapo is the largest settlement

Sunda Islands

2005-01-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Group of islands extending from the Malay Peninsula to the Moluccas southeast of the Asiatic mainland toward New Guinea. They include the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and adjacent smaller islands) and the Lesser Sundas (Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, and Flores, Timor, Alor, and adjacent smaller islands). With the exception of Borneo, eastern Sumatra, and

El Argar

2005-01-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Culture characterized by a flourishing metallurgy of bronze, silver, and gold that appeared at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC in the Almería (southeastern) region of the Iberian Peninsula. The culture, which developed a lively trade with centres in the eastern Mediterranean, reached its peak between 1700 and 1000 BC and spread throughout the southern, central, and Levantine

Ahimsa

2004-12-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

In Jainism, ahimsa is the standard

Religion

2004-12-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 saw an explosion of scandals involving accusations of sexual abuse and cover-ups in the Roman Catholic Church in countries including Australia, Ireland, Poland, and the U.S. (See Sidebar.) The developments spurred resignations and expulsions of some prominent church leaders and led the pope to say in April that there was “no place in the priesthood and religious

Appleton, Sir Edward Victor

2004-12-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

Educated

Islamic World, Relation of religion and nationality

2004-12-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

Given the multi-communal structure of premodern Muslim societies, the relation between religion and nationality has been another major problem. Nationalism has frequently led to competition and rivalry among a new nation's religious communities. As they became independent, citizens of the nations of Islamdom could draw on no direct equivalent of national identity.

Ear Disease, Ossicular interruption

2004-12-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

The ossicular chain of three tiny bones needed to carry sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the fluid that fills the inner ear may be disrupted by infection or by a jarring blow on the head. Most often the separation occurs at its weakest point, where the incus joins the stapes. If the separation is partial, there is a mild impairment of hearing; if it is complete,

Hen-and-chickens

2004-12-20T00:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Hen-and-chicks, any of a number of succulent plants of the genera Echeveria (q.v.) and Sempervivum, the latter commonly known as houseleek (q.v.).

Kii Peninsula

2004-12-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

Japanese Kii-hanto, peninsula of southern Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean (east and south) and the Kii Strait and the Inland Sea (west). The peninsula is composed of the Kii Range, whose mountains end abruptly on the north in a fault scarp that commands the valleys of the Kushida River and the Kino River. In general, the mountains are of strong relief, being broken by deep valleys, sharp

Atlas Mountains, Transportation

2004-12-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

The massifs constitute an obstacle to traffic; roads and railroads traverse them by means of tunnels and viaducts, which are costly to build. Traffic between

Gaines, Ernest J.

2004-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

When Gaines was 15, his family moved to California. He graduated from San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University) in 1957 and attended

Alkanet

2004-12-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the 50 or so mostly Mediterranean species of the genus Anchusa and the closely related Pentaglottis sempervirens, bearing blue, purple, or white forget-me-not–like flower clusters on hairy, herbaceous stems. They belong to the family Boraginaceae. True alkanet (A. officinalis) bears purple flowers in coiled sprays, on narrow-leaved

Frederick Iv

2004-12-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

Frederick's father died in October 1583, when the young elector came under the guardianship of his uncle John Casimir, an ardent Calvinist. In January 1592, on the death of John Casimir, Frederick undertook the government of the Palatinate and continued his uncle's

Vieira, António

2004-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Vieira went to Brazil with his parents as a child of six. Educated at the

Albany

2004-12-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1853) of Dougherty county, southwestern Georgia, U.S. It lies along the Flint River at the head of navigation, about 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Columbus. Founded in 1836 by Colonel Nelson Tift, it was named for Albany, New York, and was early established as a leading cotton market. In 1857 a railroad connected it with Macon. Later, six other rail lines converged on the point to make it

Statistics

2004-12-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

In an experimental study,

Teramo

2004-12-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Teramo provincia, Abruzzi regione, central Italy. It lies at the confluence of the Tordino and Vezzola rivers, between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain group, northwest of Pescara. Teramo was built on the site of Interamna (Interamnia), a town of the ancient Praetuttii tribe, and was destroyed during the barbarian invasions. It was

Cockaigne

2004-12-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

References to Cockaigne are especially prominent in medieval European lore. These accounts describe rivers of wine, houses built of cake and barley sugar, streets paved with pastry, and shops that gratuitously give goods to everyone. Roast geese wander

Blondel De Nesle

2004-11-29T00:19:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known about Blondel outside of his poetry. He was probably from Nesle, in Picardy; but the name Blondel may be a nickname, and it is uncertain how many of the 25 songs attributed to him are actually his. His poetry is conventional in its complaints to an unknown lady but contains no references

Nördlingen, Battle Of

2004-11-26T02:29:00.000-08:00

Led

Lahbabi, Mohammed Aziz

2004-11-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

Moroccan writer and philosopher (b. Dec. 25, 1922, Fès, Morocco--d. Aug. 23, 1993, Rabat, Morocco), had influence in the Arab world through his many writings, some of which were translated into as many as 30 languages. Lahbabi was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and received a doctorate of philosophy. He taught philosophy at Muhammad V University, Rabat, and the University of Algiers and held other

Chemical Synthesis

2004-11-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

Chemists synthesize chemical compounds that occur in nature in order to gain a better understanding of their structures.

Albacete

2004-11-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

Provincia in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile-La Mancha, southeast-central Spain. It occupies the southeastern end of the Meseta Central (plateau). Albacete is the driest interior province of the Iberian Peninsula, with as little as 2 inches (50 mm) annual rainfall in some areas. The south is mountainous or hilly and is crossed by the Júcar and Segura

Aerospace Industry

2004-11-18T03:25:00.000-08:00

Technological progress is the basis for competitiveness and advancement in the aerospace industry. The industry is, as a result, a world leader in advancing science and technology. Aerospace systems have a very high value per unit weight and are among the most complex, as measured by the number of components in finished products. Consequently, it is economically

Savoy, House Of

2004-11-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

Italian Savoia, French Savoie, historic dynasty of Europe, the ruling house of Italy from 1861 to 1946. During the European Middle Ages the family acquired considerable territory in the western Alps where France, Italy, and Switzerland now converge. In the 15th century, the house was raised to ducal status within the Holy Roman Empire, and in the 18th century it attained the royal title (first of the kingdom of Sicily,

Uccello, Paolo

2004-11-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

In 1436 in the Florence cathedral, Uccello completed a monochrome fresco of an equestrian monument to Sir John Hawkwood, an English mercenary who had commanded Florentine troops at the end of the 14th century. In the Hawkwood fresco, a single-point perspective scheme, a fully sculptural treatment of the horse and rider, and a sense of controlled potential energy within

France, History Of, Campaigns and conquests: 17971807

2004-11-13T01:12:00.000-08:00

Napoleon's sway over France depended from the start on his success in war. After his conquest of northern Italy in 1797 and the dissolution of the first coalition, General Bonaparte intended to invade Britain, France's century-long rival and the last remaining belligerent. Concluding that French naval power could not sustain a seaborne invasion, however, he launched

Performing Arts, Africa.

2004-11-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

A few notable African films reached the international festival circuit during the year. Most notable among them was Clando, the first feature by Cameroonian director Jean-Marie Teno, the story of a young opponent of the repressive government who becomes an illegal immigrant in Germany. From Zaire, José Laplaine's Macadam Tribu offered a lively portrait of an urban

Port Antonio

2004-11-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Chief town of the Parish of Portland, on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, 60 mi (97 km) northeast of Kingston. The island's third largest port, it is a shipping point for bananas, coconuts, and cacao and is one of Jamaica's oldest and least commercialized tourist resorts. It lies on a bay divided by a promontory into East and West Harbours; the latter is sheltered by the small Navy

Tibet, Customs

2004-11-07T00:37:00.000-08:00

Traditional marriage ceremonies involve consultations with both a lama and an astrologer in order to predict the compatibility of a couple. The signing of a marriage contract is followed by an official ceremony at the home of the bridegroom. Appearance in a temple or before a civil authority is not required. After a couple is officially wedded, prayer flags are

Wu Mountains

2004-11-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization and Pinyin Wu Shan mountain complex on the borders of Hupeh, Szechwan, and Kweichow provinces, China. They are often referred to by Western writers as the Gorge Mountains, owing to the fact that the Yangtze River cuts its way through the area from the Szechwan Basin into the central Yangtze Basin, below I-ch'ang, through a series of deep and impressive gorges. The area is one of great complexity,

Brown, Ronald Harmon

2004-11-02T00:58:00.000-08:00

U.S. politician (b. Aug. 1, 1941, Washington, D.C.--d. April 3, 1996, near Dubrovnik, Croatia), was regarded as an adroit deal maker and political strategist who helped resuscitate both the Democratic Party as its national chairman (1989-93) and the U.S. Department of Commerce as its secretary (1993-96). A prominent member of Pres. Bill Clinton's Cabinet, he wielded heavy influence in international trade but was

Italian Peninsula

2004-10-31T14:07:00.000-08:00

One of the three great peninsulas of southern Europe, the other two being the Balkan (to the east) and the Iberian (to the west). The Italian Peninsula extends from the region of the Po River southward for some 600 miles (960 km); it has a maximum width of 150 miles (240 km). To the east lies the Adriatic Sea, to the south the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. The

August

2004-10-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

Eighth month of the Gregorian calendar. See month and the accompanying Table.

Subsidy

2004-10-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

A direct or indirect payment, economic concession, or privilege granted by a government to private firms, households, or other governmental units in order to promote a public objective. Identification of a subsidy is often complicated because of the variety of subsidy instruments, the multiplicity of the objectives they are designed to serve, and the complexity

Roman Catholicism, History Of, The rise of heresy

2004-10-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Before the middle of the 12th century heresy on a large scale was unknown in the West. The early dissenters were often radical reformers such as the Italian canon Arnold of Brescia (d. 1155), an outspoken critic of clerical wealth and corruption. Then there appeared in northern Italy and southern France the sect, Eastern and Manichaean in origin, later known as the Cathari (the

Turbine

2004-10-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Any of various devices that convert the energy in a stream of fluid into mechanical energy. The conversion is generally accomplished by passing the fluid through a system of stationary passages or vanes that alternate with passages consisting of finlike blades attached to a rotor. By arranging the flow so that a tangential force, or torque, is exerted on the rotor

Boyne, River

2004-10-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Irish An Bhóinn river rising in the Bog of Allen, County Kildare, Ireland, and flowing 70 miles (110 km) northeast to enter the Irish Sea just below Drogheda. Neolithic passage graves at Knowth, Newgrange, and Dowth are of archaeological significance, and nearby in the Boyne valley is Tara, seat of the high kings of Ireland. The river was the scene of the famous Battle of the Boyne (1690).

Landsat

2004-10-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Byname of Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) any of a series of unmanned U.S. scientific satellites. The first three Landsat satellites were launched in 1972, 1975, and 1978. These satellites were primarily designed to collect information about the Earth's natural resources, including the location of mineral deposits and the condition of forests and farming regions. They were also equipped to monitor atmospheric and oceanic

Louvet, Jean

2004-10-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Louvet was the son of a miner. As a young man, he was influenced by Existentialism, and left-wing politics led him into work in the theatre. Strongly autobiographical, his work goes beyond ideology to embrace the history of the Walloon people of southern

Xylene

2004-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Any of three isomeric dimethylbenzenes [which have the same chemical formula, C6H4(CH3)2, but different molecular structure], used as solvents, as components of aviation fuel, and as raw materials for the manufacture of dyes, fibres, and films. The three isomers, designated ortho (o), meta (m), and para (p), differ structurally only in the location of the methyl groups. All three are

Amazonas

2004-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Departamento (formed 1832), Nor Oriental del Marañón región, northern Peru, bounded on the north by Ecuador. It consists mostly of rain forest in the north, while in the south the Marañón River and its tributaries dissect the Cordillera Central. The Marañón forms part of the western boundary with Cajamarca departamento before flowing northeastward into the Amazon River

Saw, U

2004-10-12T05:34:00.000-07:00

Unlike most other Burmese politicians, U Saw was not university-educated. He held a license to plead some types of legal cases, however, and helped in the defense

Subsidence

2004-10-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sinking of the Earth's surface in response to geologic or man-induced causes. When subsidence occurs in great belts, providing troughs for the accumulation of sediments, the resulting features are termed geosynclines; nonlinear subsidence produces basins and irregular depressions. Subsurface solution during cave formation may lead to a series of subsidence

Shichi-go-san

2004-10-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

(Japanese: “Seven-Five-Three”), one of the most important festivals for Japanese children, observed annually on November 15. On this date girls of three and seven years of age and boys of five years of age are taken by their parents to the Shinto shrine of their tutelary deity to offer thanks for having reached their respective ages and to invoke blessings for the future. In

Eisner, Kurt

2004-10-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

Eisner studied literature and neo-Kantian philosophy with Hermann Cohen at the University of Marburg. In 1892 he published Friedrich Nietzsche und die Apostel der Zukunft (“Friedrich Nietzsche and the Apostle

Lennoaceae

2004-10-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

The sand food family, composed of three genera and four to six species of curious, parasitic plants, which send out rootlike structures (haustoria) that penetrate the roots of other plants for food. Once the parasite's haustoria have entered the host roots, the parasite develops its aboveground portions, usually club-shaped, fleshy, yellowish or brownish stems on which

Grayback

2004-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Any of several North American fishes including the alewife (q.v.), cisco (see whitefish), and Menominee whitefish.

Kudirka, Vincas

2004-09-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Educated in medicine,

Andragoras

2004-09-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

Seleucid satrap (governor) of Parthia during the mid-3rd century. He apparently defied Seleucid imperial authority, which was weakly established in his area, and issued coins on which his image bore the royal diadem. After ruling only a few years, he was defeated and killed by Parni tribesmen from the Caspian steppes led by Arsaces, who later set up an independent kingdom

Bridgeport, University Of

2004-09-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Bridgeport, Conn., U.S. The university is composed of the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (including the schools of arts, humanities, and social sciences; business; general studies; education and human resources; and science, engineering, and technology), the Fones School of Dental Hygiene, and the

Buick, David Dunbar

2004-09-23T03:10:00.000-07:00

Buick was taken to the United States in 1856. His first independent business venture was a company that made plumbing equipment, started in 1884. In about 1899 he became interested in gasoline engines for agricultural and marine purposes, and

Sacchetti, Franco

2004-09-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Sacchetti was born of a noble Florentine family. Both as merchant and as public official he traveled widely. In his letters, in some of his verses, and in the Sposizioni di Vangeli (“Expositions on the Gospels”) he expressed