WhitesilverLeaf

Frank, Jacob

2005-04-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

Frank often traveled in the Balkans and there met followers of Shabbetai. An uneducated visionary,

Bulgaria, Slavic invasions

2005-04-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

The story of the modern Bulgarian people begins with the Slavic invasions of the Balkan Peninsula in the 6th and 7th centuries AD, a time when Byzantium was absorbed in prolonged conflict with Persia and could not resist the incursions from the north. Ancient sources refer to two Slavic tribes north of the Danube at this time, the Slavenae and the Antae. Evidence suggests

China, East Turkistan

2005-04-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

To the west of Kashgaria in East Turkistan, a khanate of Khokand emerged in Ferghana after 1760 as a powerful caravan trade centre. When Muslim rebellion spread rapidly from Shensi and Kansu to East Turkistan, a Khokandian adventurer, Yakub Beg, seized the opportunity to invade Kashgaria and established power there in 1865; he soon showed signs of advancing to the Ili region

Macedonia

2005-04-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ethnic tensions were on the rise in Macedonia in 1997. Early in the year ethnic Albanian and ethnic Macedonian students demonstrated over the pros and cons of Albanian-language teaching at Skopje University's pedagogical faculty;

Overton, Richard

2005-04-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

The details of Overton's early life are obscure, though he probably lived in Holland and studied at Queens' College, Cambridge, before becoming a professional actor and playwright in Southwark. In 1640 he became a political activist, writing some 50 tracts attacking the Church of England,

Ursa Major

2005-04-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

Also called The Great Bear, in astronomy, a constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, at about 10 hours 40 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and 56° north declination (angular distance north of the celestial equator). It was referred to in the Old Testament (Job 9:9; 38:32) and mentioned by Homer in the Iliad (xviii, 487). The Greeks identified this constellation

Syriac Language

2005-03-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

Semitic language belonging to the Northern Central, or Northwestern, group; it was an important Christian literary and liturgical language from the 3rd through the 7th century AD. Syriac was based on the East Aramaic dialect of Edessa, Osroëne (present-day Sanliurfa, in southeastern Turkey), which became one of the chief centres of Christianity in the Middle East at the end

Maryland, The colony

2005-03-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Leonard Calvert, the younger brother of Lord Baltimore, landed the founding expedition on St. Clement's (now Blakistone) Island in the lower Potomac in March 1634. The first settlement and capital was St. Mary's City. Aware of the mistakes made by Virginia's first colonists, Maryland's settlers, rather than hunt for gold, made peace with the local Indians and established farms

Tyrosinemia

2005-03-31T07:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Tyrosinosis, inherited inability of the body to metabolize normally the amino acid tyrosine. In the normal metabolic pathway of tyrosine, para-(p-)hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid is converted to homogentisic acid (in the liver) by a specific organic catalyst or enzyme, called p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid oxidase. This enzyme is not active in individuals with tyrosinemia. Clinical

Mondale, Walter F.

2005-03-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

Mondale, a “flexible liberal,” won election to the Senate in 1966 and reelection in 1972. He served on the Senate Finance and Budget committees and the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Elected vice president as Carter's running mate in 1976, he was a key participant in the negotiations between Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin that resulted in the Camp David Accords. The Carter-Mondale ticket was defeated for reelection in 1980 by Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Mondale captured the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and chose Geraldine A. Ferraro as his running mate, the first woman vice presidential candidate for a major party. They lost the election overwhelmingly to Reagan-Bush. Afterward Mondale practiced law until he was appointed ambassador to Japan (1993–96) by President William J. Clinton. In 2002 Paul Wellstone, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, was killed in a plane crash while campaigning to retain his seat, and the Democratic Party nominated Mondale to take Wellstone's place on the ballot. Mondale accepted the nomination but was narrowly defeated by Republican Norm Coleman.

Indian Philosophy, Metaphysics and epistemology

2005-03-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

Both the Bhatta (the name for Kumarila's school) and the Prabhakara schools, in their metaphysics, were realists; both undertook to refute Buddhist idealism and nihilism. The Bhatta ontology recognized five types of entities: substance (dravya), quality (guna), action (karma), universals (samanya), and negation (abhava). Of these, substance was held to be of ten kinds: the nine substances recognized

Bridie, James

2005-03-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Trained at the University of Glasgow's medical school, Bridie maintained a successful general practice (until 1938) and served as a physician in World War I and World War II. His first play, The Sunlight Sonata (1928), written under the pseudonym

Sanniquellie

2005-03-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Sangbui, Sanokole, or Sanokwele, town, north-central Liberia, located at the intersection of roads from Monrovia and Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). A rural administrative centre among the Mano and Malinke (Mandingo), Sanniquellie has secondary schools and the George W. Harley Memorial Hospital. There is local trade in agricultural products (rice, cassava, palm oil and kernels) and ivory carvings. Diamond

Arrow, Kenneth J.

2005-03-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

In full Kenneth Joseph Arrow American economist known for his contributions to welfare economics and to general economic equilibrium theory. He was cowinner (with Sir John R. Hicks) of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1972. Perhaps his most startling thesis (built on elementary mathematics) was the “impossibility theorem” (or “Arrow's theorem”), which holds that, under certain

Voyageurs National Park

2005-03-27T03:37:00.000-08:00

Region of lakes and wilderness in northern Minnesota, U.S. The park lies along the Canadian border, east of International Falls. Authorized in 1971 and established in 1975, it was named for the mostly French Canadian frontiersmen called voyageurs (French: “travelers”), who were involved in fur trading in the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The voyageurs used large birch

Fu-ping

2005-03-26T03:47:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Fubing, peasant “militia” system established in China around the 6th century AD. The fu-ping was first begun by the short-lived Western Wei (535–556/557) and Northern Chou (557–581) dynasties in North China in an effort to prevent incursions by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. Groups of peasants were given military training and organized into armed companies in which they were required to participate

Yenisey River, Plant and animal life

2005-03-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Most of the basin is covered with taiga (marshy, primarily coniferous forest), with Siberian spruce, fir, and cedar predominating in the south and larch farther north. In Mongolia, Transbaikalia, and Tuva there are also steppe grasslands, bordered in the extreme south of the Selenga River basin by semidesert. In the far north of the basin, taiga is superseded by tundra

Caber, Tossing The

2005-03-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

A Scottish athletic event consisting in throwing a “caber,” a straight, approximately 17-foot- (5-metre-) long log (from which the bark has been removed) so that it turns over in the air and falls on the ground with its small end pointing directly opposite the tosser. See Highland Games.

Placidia, Aelia Galla

2005-03-24T02:39:00.000-08:00

Captured in Rome when the city fell to the Goths in 410, she was carried off to Gaul and married (414) to the Visigothic chieftain Ataulphus, who was

Kesey, Ken

2005-03-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

Kesey was educated at the University of Oregon and Stanford University. At a Veterans Administration hospital in Menlo Park, California, he was a paid volunteer experimental subject, taking mind-altering drugs

Baku Rug

2005-03-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Chilia Rug, handwoven floor covering made near Baku in the eastern Caucasus. It is a variety of Dagestan rug in modified Persian design, the ground pattern usually bearing rows of the pear or leaf forms of the Seraband rugs but larger in scale and more geometric and complex in form. Stepped medallions and stepped cornerpieces may show a toothed outline, resembling the corners

Cheilostomata

2005-03-23T02:11:00.000-08:00

Major division of the bryozoans (small, colonial, aquatic invertebrate animals) that first appeared during the Jurassic period (208 to 144 million years ago). Individual members of the cheilostome colony are protected by a calcareous or chitinous covering that may be closed by a lidlike structure, an operculum. The cheilostomes are exclusively marine animals, and the plantlike

Addax

2005-03-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

(species Addax nasomaculatus), desert-dwelling antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), once found throughout the Sahara but now much reduced in numbers and distribution and threatened with extinction from overhunting. A heavy-bodied, short-legged, gregarious antelope, the addax is characterized by broad hooves that are adapted to travel

Amici, Giovanni Battista

2005-03-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

Amici served as professor of mathematics at the University of Modena from 1815 to 1825 and

Aix-la-chapelle, Congress Of

2005-03-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

(Oct. 1–Nov. 15, 1818), the first of the four congresses held by Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and France to discuss and take common action on European problems following the Napoleonic Wars (1800–15). This congress (held at Aix-la-Chapelle—now Aachen, Ger.) was attended by Alexander I of Russia, Francis I of Austria, Frederick William III of Prussia, and their representatives. Great Britain

Sicyon

2005-03-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Secyon, Modern Greek Sikión, ancient Greek city in the northern Peloponnese about 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Corinth. Inhabited in Mycenaean times and later invaded by Dorians, Sicyon was subject to Argos for several centuries. In the 7th century BC, Sicyonian independence was established by non-Dorian tyrants, the Orthagorids. Under the Orthagorid ruler Cleisthenes (grandfather of the Athenian

Interior Design, Special types of interiors

2005-03-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

Michael Saphier, Office Planning and Design (1968), a clear overview of the field of business and office interiors; Betty Alswang and Ambur Hiken, The Personal House (1961), a photographic collection of very personal interiors primarily designed by the artist-occupants, rather than professional interior designers. The photographs and comments contained in the following works make them significant sources for the study and understanding of special interiors: William Wilson Atkin and Joan Adler, Interiors Book of Restaurants (1960); Henry End, Interiors Book of Hotels and Motor Hotels (1963); John F. Pile, Interiors Second Book of Offices (1969); Morris Ketchum, Shops and Stores, rev. ed. (1957); George Nelson (ed.), Living Spaces (1952); Mary Gilliatt and Michael Boys, English Style in Interior Decoration (1967).

Keratitis

2005-03-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

Two types of keratitis result from dryness of the cornea. One of these, keratitis sicca, also

Devonport

2005-03-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Tasmania, Australia. It lies near the mouth of the River Mersey, which empties into Bass Strait. One of the state's largest communities, it was formed through the amalgamation in 1893 of the villages of Torquay (east bank) and Formby (west), both of which had been founded in the 1850s. A major service centre with port facilities, Devonport is on the Bass Highway and a rail

Mufulira

2005-03-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Zambia. Mufulira is situated just southwest of the Congo (Kinshasa) frontier. One of the country's chief copper-mining centres, the rich local deposits have been exploited for many years. Smelting and refining of copper and an explosives-manufacturing plant are surface industries in the town. Pop. (1990) 152,944.

Ibagué

2005-03-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

Capital of Tolima department, central Colombia, on the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera Central (Central Mountains). Founded as San Bonifacio de Ibagué in 1550 on the site of an Indian village, it was moved to its present location, on a plain 4,216 ft (1,285 m) above sea level, because of Indian attacks. It was the capital of the republic for a short time in 1854. The rapid expansion of coffee

Herder, Johann Gottfried Von

2005-03-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

German critic, theologian, and philosopher, who was the leading figure of the Sturm und Drang literary movement and an innovator in the philosophy of history and culture. His influence, augmented by his contacts with the young J.W. von Goethe, made him a harbinger of the Romantic movement.

Hoysala Dynasty

2005-03-18T03:35:00.000-08:00

Family that ruled from about 1006 to about 1346 in the southern Deccan and for a time in the Cauvery Valley. The first kings came from the hills northwest of Dorasamudra (modern Halebid), which became their capital about 1060. With their hardy, hill-dwelling, Kanarese-speaking followers, they gradually absorbed Gangavadi (Mysore state) and the rich lands beyond the Tungabhadra toward

Sha-ch'ing

2005-03-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

The artifacts of the group were mainly brick-red gritty bowls, stone tools, and large tri-legged vessels of grey pottery. Evidence of bronze

Xenarthran

2005-03-16T03:04:00.000-08:00

Alfred L. Gardner, “Order Xenarthra,” in Don E. Wilson and DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.), Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (1993), pp. 63–68, provides lists of the families, genera, and species of the Xenarthra; the author is a wildlife biologist and curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Gerald G. Montgomery (ed.), The Evolution and Ecology of Armadillos, Sloths, and Vermilinguas (1985), compiles 43 well-illustrated scholarly reports on all aspects of xenarthran biology, including pathology and parasitology.

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-03-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

His earlier literary and philosophical activity, however, led to the publication of his Mélanges de littérature, d'histoire et de philosophie (1753). This work contained the impressive Essai sur les gens de lettres, which exhorted writers to pursue “liberty, truth and poverty” and also urged aristocratic patrons to respect the talents and independence of such

Biblical Literature, Form criticism

2005-03-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

In the Pauline writings, as noted above, gospel, kerygma, and creed come close together from oral to written formulas that were transmitted about the Christ event: Jesus' death and Resurrection. In the apostolic Fathers (early 2nd century), the transition was made from oral to written tradition; the translation of the presumed Aramaic traditions had taken place before

Iron Cross,

2005-03-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

Originally, the Cross had three classes,

Cullinan Diamond

2005-03-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

World's largest gem diamond, which weighed about 3,106 carats in rough form when found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, S.Af. Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, who had discovered the mine three years earlier, the colourless stone was purchased by the Transvaal government and was presented (1907) to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII. It was cut into 9 large stones and about

Narcissus

2005-03-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

Narcissus exercised great influence over Claudius and accumulated immense wealth. At first he allied himself with Claudius' third wife, Messalina Valeria, but fear that she and her lover, Gaius Silius, were conspiring

Fisk, James

2005-03-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Fisk worked successively as a circus hand, waiter, peddler, dry-goods salesman, stockbroker, and corporate official. In 1866 he formed Fisk and Belden, a brokerage firm, with the support of Daniel

Devrient, Emil

2005-03-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

Nephew of the great Romantic actor Ludwig Devrient, he made his debut in Brunswick in 1821. By way of Bremen, Leipzig, and Hamburg, he reached Dresden in 1831, where he remained associated with the court theatre there until his retirement in 1868. Devrient's greatest successes

Eritrea

2005-03-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Eritrea consists of a northward extension of the Ethiopian Plateau, bordered by lower plains to the east and west. The plateau, 6,500 feet (2,000 m) in elevation, is dissected by the valleys of westward-flowing rivers whose eroding action has formed steep-sided, flat-topped formations known as ambas. To the east, the arid, treeless coastal plain (10–50 miles [16–80 km] wide) is sharply delimited

Abdominal Muscle

2005-03-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

The first three muscle layers

Bulawayo

2005-03-11T00:53:00.000-08:00

The second largest city in Zimbabwe and the chief city of Matabeleland (i.e., the Ndebele-dominated western third of the country). The city lies along the Matsheumlope River in the southwestern part of the country, 4,405 feet (1,341 m) above sea level in undulating savanna terrain. The original site was the kraal (headquarters) of Lobengula, king of the Ndebele, who fought a major battle

Dube, John Langalibalele

2005-03-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

After studying at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, U.S., and being ordained a minister, Dube returned to Natal with the goal

Aschelminth

2005-03-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

There is a much larger literature on the nematodes than other aschelminths because of their importance to humans. Introductory works include Neil A. Croll and Bernard E. Matthews, Biology of Nematodes (1977); Armand Maggenti, General Nematology (1981); Warwick L. Nicholas, The Biology of Free-Living Nematodes, 2nd ed. (1984); and George O. Poinar, Jr., The Natural History of Nematodes (1983). Parasitic forms are discussed in William R. Nickle (ed.), Plant and Insect Nematodes (1984); Gerald D. Schmidt and Larry S. Roberts, Foundations of Parasitology, 3rd ed. (1985); and Norman D. Levine, Nematode Parasites of Domestic Animals and Man (1980). Nematodes in biologic research are the subject of Bert M. Zuckerman (ed.), Nematodes as Biological Models, 2 vol. (1980).

Venerable

2005-03-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Latin Venerabilis, title or respectful form of address, used from very early times in Europe, especially for certain clergy or for laymen of marked spiritual merit. St. Augustine in some epistles cited the term in reference to bishops, and Philip I of France was styled venerabilis and venerandus (“reverential”). The venerable by which Saint Bede is commonly known (“the Venerable Bede,” or “Bede

Lead Processing

2005-03-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Once the ore is removed from veins (narrow channels) or lodes (roughly spherical deposits) in the Earth, usually at depths of about 60 metres, the ore is treated at concentrating mills. Here the ore is finely crushed, sometimes to particle diameters of less than 0.1 millimetre (0.004 inch), and then treated by one of several mineral concentration processes. Such processes are designed

Shensi, The middle period

2005-03-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

In 221 BC Hsien-yang, in Shensi, became the capital of the Ch'in dynasty, which unified China for the first time; it was a city of vast wealth and the focus of a nationwide road system. The area remained extremely populous and was a major centre of political authority for the next millennium. The Han (206 BC–AD 220), successors of the short-lived Ch'in dynasty, made their capital Ch'ang-an, near Hsien-yang.

Moses, Assumption Of

2005-03-08T03:42:00.000-08:00

A pseudepigraphal work (not in any biblical canon), a prophecy of the future relating to Israel, put into the mouth of Moses and addressed to Joshua just before the great lawgiver died. Using Moses' predictions and instructions to Joshua as a framework, the book's unknown author sets forth a brief history of Israel from Moses to the messianic age as viewed in apocalyptic

World War Ii, Allied policy and strategy: Octagon (Quebec II) and Moscow, 1944

2005-03-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

The progress of the Soviet armies toward central and southeastern Europe made it all the more urgent for the western Allies to come to terms with Stalin about the fate of the “liberated” countries of eastern Europe. London had already proposed to Moscow in May 1944 that Romania and Bulgaria should be zones for Soviet military operation, Yugoslavia and Greece—whose royalist

Wang Fu-chih

2005-03-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Born and educated during the last years of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Wang was an ardent patriot who bitterly resisted the invasion of China by the Manchu tribes

Palaung

2005-03-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Ta-ang, hill people of the Shan region and adjacent areas of eastern Myanmar (Burma), as well as southwestern Yunnan province of China. They numbered about 240,000 in the late 20th century and speak dialects of the Palaungic branch of Austro-Asiatic languages. The Palaung's language is quite distinct from the Tai speech of the Shan (see Tai), with whom they live closely intermingled. Their

Penna, Sandro

2005-03-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

In 1925 Penna graduated from the Technical Institute of Perugia. After working as a clerk in a Milan bookstore, he moved to Rome

Aelianus

2005-03-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Probably written in AD 106, Aelianus' Taktike theoria (“Tactical Theory”), based on the art of warfare as practiced by the Hellenistic successors of Alexander the Great, was an instruction manual on arming, organizing, deploying,

San Francisco Gotera

2005-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

City, eastern El Salvador, on the Río Grande de San Miguel. Formerly called Gotera, its name was modified in 1887 to honour Francisco Morazán, the former Central American president. It is an agricultural and livestock-trading centre. Gold and silver are mined nearby at El Divisadero. Pop. (1985 est.) 15,113.

Boise State University

2005-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Boise, Idaho, U.S. The university comprises eight colleges, including the Larry G. Selland College of Applied Technology, which provides applied science degrees in fields such as information technology, horticulture, and culinary arts. Boise State University offers a range of associate and bachelor's degree

Epistemology, St. Augustine

2005-03-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430) claimed that human knowledge would be impossible if God did not illumine the human mind and thereby allow it to see, grasp, or understand ideas. There are two components to his theory: ideas and illumination. Ideas as Augustine construed them are the same as Plato's; they are timeless, immutable, and accessible only to the mind, not to the senses. They

Nervous System, Axon

2005-03-03T01:51:00.000-08:00

The axon arises from the soma at a region called the axon hillock, or initial segment. This is the region where the plasma membrane generates nerve impulses; the axon conducts these impulses away from the soma or dendrites toward other neurons. Large axons acquire an insulating myelin sheath and are known as myelinated, or medullated, fibres. Myelin is composed of

East Anglia

2005-03-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

The area is low and undulating and almost entirely covered

China

2005-03-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a critical one for China. Domestically, it was a year of political transition to a new generation of leaders; internationally, significant changes in geopolitical alignments had major repercussions for the country. The 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), after some delay, was convened in early November. China's “Three Represents” doctrine

Anabasis

2005-03-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

In full Anabasis Kyrou (Greek: “Upcountry March”), prose narrative, now in seven books, by Xenophon, of the story of the Greek mercenary soldiers who fought for Cyrus in his attempt to seize the Persian throne from his brother, Artaxerxes II. It contains a famous account of the mercenaries' long trek (“the march of the 10,000”) from near Babylon to the Euxine (Black Sea) after Cyrus' defeat at the Battle of Cunaxa

Evans, Walker

2005-03-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

American photographer, important primarily for documenting the effects of economic depression in the American South and photographically interpreting American folk architecture. His approach to photography was largely formed by the documentary photographs of the French photographer Eugène Atget, whose influence

Anna

2005-02-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

Daughter of Ivan V (reigned 1682–96) and niece of Peter I the Great (reigned 1682–1725), Anna was married to Frederick William, ruler of the Baltic seacoast duchy of Courland, on Oct. 31 (Nov. 11), 1710. Although her husband died on the journey to Courland after their wedding in St. Petersburg, Anna remained at Mitau (now Jelgava,

Eddison, E.r.

2005-02-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Mitsui Group

2005-02-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

The original enterprise dates from 1673, when Mitsui Takatoshi (1622–94), the son

Acheampong, Ignatius Kutu

2005-02-27T01:22:00.000-08:00

Ghanaian army officer, who, after leading a military revolt that overthrew the government of Kofi Busia, became Ghana's chief of state in 1972. In July 1978 he was forced to resign, and the following June he and his successor, Lieut. Gen. F.W.K. Akuffo, were executed after a coup led by young officers, whose Armed Forces Revolutionary Council returned

Ezzelino Iii Da Romano

2005-02-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ezzelino also spelled Eccelino Italian noble and soldier who was podestà (feudal mayor) of Verona (1226–30, 1232–59), Vicenza (1236–59), and Padua (1237–56). A skilled commander and successful intriguer, he expanded and consolidated his power over almost all northeast Italy by aiding the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II and the pro-imperial Ghibellines in their struggle against the papist party, the Guelfs.

Metalogic

2005-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

The study and analysis of the semantics (relations between expressions and meanings) and syntax (relations among expressions) of formal languages and formal systems. It is related to, but does not include, the formal treatment of natural languages. (For a discussion of the syntax and semantics of natural languages, see the articles linguistics and semantics.)

Glubb, Sir John Bagot

2005-02-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

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

Cromwell, Richard

2005-02-24T22:58:00.000-08:00

He served in the Parliamentary army and, during his father's protectorate, was a member of the Parliaments of 1654 and 1656. In 1655 he was

Glubb, Sir John Bagot

2005-02-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Of the two organizations, the AEU was larger and older, though both originated as unions of skilled craftsmen and only later opened their

Malaria

2005-02-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

A serious, acute and chronic relapsing infection in humans, characterized by periodic attacks of chills and fever, anemia, splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen), and often fatal complications. Malaria also is found in apes, monkeys, rats, birds, and reptiles. It is caused by various species of protozoa (one-celled organisms) called sporozoans (subphylum Sporozoa) that

Kirchhoff's Circuit Rules

2005-02-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

The first rule, the junction theorem, states that the sum of the currents into a specific junction in the circuit equals the sum of the currents out of the

Kafue River

2005-02-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

River rising on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Zambia border. It meanders generally southward until it turns west near the Lukanga Swamp (which it drains). The river then flows south and finally east through the Kafue Flats and Kafue Gorge to join the Zambezi River near Chirundu, Zimbabwe, after a course of 600 miles (960 km). One of Zambia's major rivers, its waters are used for irrigation.

Birnin Kebbi

2005-02-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

Town and capital of Kebbi state, northwestern Nigeria. It lies along the Sokoto (Kebbi) River at the intersection of roads from Argungu, Jega, and Bunza. An early settlement of the Kebbawa, a subgroup of the Hausa, it was captured about 1516 by Muhammadu Kanta, founder of the Kebbi kingdom; subsequently, it was incorporated into Kebbi, one of the banza bakwai (the seven illegitimate

Amargosa Range

2005-02-21T01:49:00.000-08:00

Group of mountains in eastern California and southern Nevada, U.S., separating Death Valley from the Amargosa Desert. Part of the Basin Ranges of eastern California, the Amargosa Range extends 110 miles (180 km) from Grapevine Peak (8,705 feet [2,653 m]), south-southeastward to the Amargosa River. It is composed of three distinct mountain groups: the Grapevine, Funeral, and Black. Dante's View,

Jewelry

2005-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

It is probable that prehistoric

Dammam, Al-

2005-02-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Damman city, eastern Saudi Arabia. It lies on the Persian Gulf northwest of Bahrain Island and forms a larger metropolitan and industrial complex with Al-Khubar, Al-Qatif, and Al-Zahran. The discovery of immense oil reserves in the locality in 1938 led to the radical transformation of the once small coastal settlement into a boomtown that is now a major seaport, a petroleum and natural

China, Posts and telecommunications

2005-02-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Posts and telecommunications were established rapidly in the 1950s and '60s. By 1952 the principal posts and telecommunications network centred on Peking, and links to all large cities had been established. Great progress was made in improving the postal service under the First Five-Year Plan. Postal service was also developed in the rural areas. Besides extending rural postal

Arts, Central Asian, Turkish literature

2005-02-19T03:47:00.000-08:00

Philologiae Turcicae Fundamenta, vol. 2 (1965), a collection of monographs on literatures of Turkish-speaking peoples—see Alessio Bombaci, “The Turkic Literatures: Notes on the History and Style”; also his Letteratura turca (1969), an important survey with several chapters on Central Asian Turkish literature; Janos Eckmann, Chagatay Manual (1966), mainly a grammar containing selections of Central Asian literary texts and a vocabulary; Talat Tekin, A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (1968), an excellent introduction to the language and literature of the Central Asian Turks before Islam; Sir Gerard Clauson, An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-13th Century Turkish (1972), and Turkish and Monogolian Studies (1962); and the Handbuch der Orientalistik, vol. 5, pt. 1 (1963), three important studies of the arts of the Central Asian peoples; E. Denison Ross, “The Tonyukuk Inscription,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies (London University), vol. 6 (1930), English translation of one of the oldest Turkish inscriptions. (Tibetan literature): J. Bacot, F.W. Thomas, and G.C. Toussaint, Documents de Touen-houang relatifs à l'histoire du Tibet, (1940); J. Bacot, Trois mystères tibétains (1921); W.Y. Evans Wentz (ed.), Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines (1935), The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 3rd ed. (1957), The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation (1954), Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa, 2nd ed. (1951); H.V. Guenther, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by sGam-po-pa (1959), and The Life and Teaching of Naropa (1963). E. Obermiller, History of Buddhism by Bu-ston (1931); G.N. Roerich, The Blue Annals of gZhon-nu-dpal (1949, 1953); D.S. Ruegg, The Life of Bu-ston Rin-po-che (1966); R.A. Stein, Tibetan Civilization (1972); G.C. Toussaint, Le Dict de Padma (1933); T.V. Wylie, The Geography of Tibet According to the 'Dzam-ling rgyas-bshad (1963). (Mongolian literature): Richard P. Lister, The Secret History of Genghis Khan (1969), a retelling of the ancient chronicle of Genghis' life and successors; Charles R. Bawden, The Mongol Chronicle Altan Tobci (1955), a translation with notes of a major native historical work incorporating folk elements; The Mongolia Society, Mongolian Folktales, Stories, and Proverbs in English Translation (1967), a small collection of typical old tales; Ts. Zhamtsarano, The Mongol Chronicles of the Seventeenth Century, trans. by Rudolf Loewenthal (1955), a description of five major historical chronicles; Walther Heissig, “Mongolische Literature,” in Altaistik, vol. 5 of the Handbuch der Orientalistik, pt. 2, pp. 227–274 (1964), the best overall general sketch; Ludmilla K. Gerasimovich, History of Modern Mongolian Literature, 1921–1964 (1970; originally published in Russian), a careful survey of the modern decades and writers.

Paul Vi

2005-02-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

Original name Giovanni Battista Montini Italian pope of the Roman Catholic church (reigned 1963–78) during a period including most of the second Vatican Council (1962–65) and the immediate postconciliar era, in which he issued directives and guidance to a changing Roman Catholic church. His pontificate was confronted with the problems and uncertainties

Farini, Luigi Carlo

2005-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

After participating in the revolutionary uprisings of 1831, Farini received his medical degree at Bologna and went into practice. Exiled from the Papal States and from Tuscany, he drafted the manifesto

Plymouth

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

Town (township), Windsor county, south-central Vermont, U.S. The town includes the villages of Plymouth, Plymouth Union, and Tyson. It was chartered in 1761 as Saltash and renamed in 1797. Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, was born (July 4, 1872) in Plymouth in a small house behind the crossroads village store. The homestead in Plymouth Notch where he took the presidential

Kirkland, Samuel

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

While still a student at Princeton, Kirkland began his wilderness treks on snowshoes to preach to the Indians. Gradually he mastered several Indian languages

Broad Church

2005-02-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Moderate movement that emerged as one of the three parties in the Church of England during the mid-19th century. The Broad Church represented “broad” views and eschewed narrow expressions of doctrine as practiced by Anglo-Catholics (or High Churchmen) on one hand and anti-Roman Evangelicals (or Low Churchmen) on the other. Broad Churchmen in the 19th century—including such

Stearyl Alcohol

2005-02-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Also called 1-octadecanol, or Octadecyl Alcohol, waxy solid alcohol formerly obtained from whale or dolphin oil and used as a lubricant and antifoam agent and to retard evaporation of water from reservoirs. It is now manufactured by chemical reduction of stearic acid.

Japanese Language

2005-02-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

One of the world's major languages, ranking ninth in terms of the number of speakers with 125 million. It is primarily spoken throughout the Japanese archipelago; there are also some 1.5 million Japanese immigrants and their descendants living abroad, mainly in North and South America, who have varying degrees of proficiency in Japanese. Since the mid-20th century, no nation

Rushworth, John

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

Rushworth studied law, perhaps at the University of Oxford (from which he received an M.A. in 1649), and in 1638 was made

Turing Test

2005-02-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

There are extreme difficulties in devising any objective criterion for distinguishing “original” thought from sufficiently sophisticated “parroting”; indeed, any evidence for original thought can be denied on the grounds that it

The Rockettes

2005-02-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

The origins of the Rockettes, the world's most famous precision dance team, can be traced to 1925, when impresario Russell Markert of St. Louis, Missouri, billed a group of women dancers as the Missouri Rockets. Following a positive reception locally, the dance team began a nationwide tour. Among their admiring audiences in New

Sunga Script

2005-02-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Brahmi script of north India, possibly connected with the late Maurya scripts and the early Kalinga character, and associated with the Sunga dynasty (c. 185 BC–c. 73 BC). The script was one of three prototypes of the North Indian subdivision of Brahmi script, out of which the Gupta scripts rose.

Flogging

2005-02-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

A beating administered with a whip or rod, usually on the person's back. Flogging was once a common method of punishing criminals and of preserving discipline in the home, school, armed forces, and prisons. In the Mosaic code flogging was a punishment for crime. Slaves in the ancient world were frequently flogged to death when they were sufficiently numerous to be of

Essex, Arthur Capel, 1st Earl Of, Viscount Malden, Baron Capel Of Hadham

2005-02-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

The son of Arthur Capel, 1st Baron Capel, who was executed by the Parliamentarians in 1649, he was, after the Restoration of Charles II, created Viscount Malden and earl of Essex (April 1661). Although his antagonism to court life, to Roman Catholicism, and to extension of

Peter I

2005-02-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

King of Aragon from June 1094. The son of Sancho Ramírez, the third in order of the historic kings of Aragon, Peter belonged to times anterior to the authentic written history of his kingdom; and little is known of him save that he conquered Huesca (1096) and Barbastro (1100) from the Moors of Saragossa. He was twice married but left no children and was succeeded by his brother Alfonso

Nabul

2005-02-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nabeul, Latin Neapolis, town, northeastern Tunisia, on the Hammamet Gulf. Formerly a Phoenician settlement, it was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC and later rebuilt as a Roman colony called Neapolis. It is a noted pottery and ceramics handicraft centre and the eastern terminus of a railroad from Tunis, 40 miles (65 km) northwest. Other industries include stone cutting, quarrying (chalk), citrus fruit and

Chernogorsk

2005-02-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cernogorsk, city, Khakassia republic, south-central Russia, situated just west of the port of Podkunino on the Yenisey River. The city is the centre of mining in the Minusinsk coal basin, which has been in operation since before 1917. Consumer-goods industries are also important. Chernogorsk became a city in 1936. A mining college is located there. Pop. (1993 est.) 80,000.

Cabanis, Pierre-jean-georges

2005-02-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

Cabanis' early interest in poetry and medicine and a budding political

Cha-shitsu

2005-02-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Small Japanese garden pavilion or room within a house, specifically designed for the tea ceremony. Ideally, the cha-shitsu, or tea house, is separated from the house and is approached through a small garden called a roji (“dewy path”), the first step in breaking communication with the outer world. The tea house is usually a small, thatched-roof structure with plain plaster