FemaleBoat

Bach, Johann Christian

2005-04-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

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

Cloots, Jean-baptiste Du Val-de-grâce, Baron De

2005-04-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

Born into a noble Prussian family of Dutch origin, Cloots went to Paris in 1776 and took part in the compilation of Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie. He left France in 1784, traveled throughout Europe, and returned to

Kyrenia

2005-04-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Greek Kirínia, Turkish Girne, city, situated along the northern coast of Cyprus, in the Turkish Cypriot-administered area. Founded by the Achaeans, ancient Greek colonists, and fortified by the Byzantines, Franks, and Venetians, the city was the administrative headquarters of the Kyrenia district of the Republic of Cyprus until the Turkish intervention in 1974. Kyrenia city is a market centre and

Papua

2005-04-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1969–2002) Irian Jaya (until 1969) Irian Barat propinsi (province), Indonesia, the western half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands—including the individual islands of Yapen, Adi, Waigeo, Batanta, Kofiau, Salawati, Misool, and Yos Sudarsa and the Schouten Islands. Papua fronts the Ceram and Banda seas to the west, the Arafura Sea to the southwest, and the Pacific Ocean to the north; it is bounded by Papua

J. Walter Thompson Co.

2005-04-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

The company grew out of one of the first advertising agencies, Carlton & Smith, established in 1864. Four years later William J. Carlton hired James Walter Thompson, age 20, as a bookkeeper. Thompson later became

Antarctica, IGY and the Antarctic Treaty

2005-04-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

The importance of coordinating polar science efforts was recognized in 1879 by the International Polar Commission meeting in Hamburg, Ger., and thus the 11 participating nations organized the First International Polar Year of 1882–83. Most work was planned for the better-known Arctic, and, of the four geomagnetic and meteorologic stations scheduled for Antarctic regions, only

North Germanic Languages

2005-03-30T17:47:00.000-08:00

There are many-volumed native dictionaries for each language. Only some bilingual dictionaries are listed here: Jens Axelsen (ed.), The Standard Danish-English, English-Danish Dictionary (1986); Vincent Petti et al., Norstedts Comprehensive Swedish-English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (1993), and Norstedts Comprehensive English-Swedish Dictionary, 2nd ed. (1994); Willy A. Kirkeby, English-Norwegian Dictionary (1995), and Norsk-engelsk ordbok, 2nd ed. (1986); Einar Haugen (ed.), Norwegian English Dictionary, 4th ed. (1995), with entries in both the Norwegian languages; Arngrímur Sigurdhsson, Icelandic-English Dictionary, 4th ed. (1983); G.T. Zoëga, English-Icelandic Dictionary, 3rd ed. (1945, reprinted 1954); and Annfinnur Í Skála, Jonhard Mikkelsen, and Zakarias Wang, Ensk-føroysk ordhabók (1992).

Aeschylus

2005-03-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is the first and only surviving play of a trilogy probably put on in 463. It was long believed by scholars that Suppliants (Greek Hiketides; Latin Supplices) was one of Aeschylus' earliest plays because of its archaic structure; its chorus, representing the daughters of Danaus (the Danaïds), takes the leading role in the action. But there is now evidence that the trilogy

Xingu River

2005-03-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Xingu, river in Mato Grosso and Pará states, Brazil. The river rises on the Planalto (plateau) do Mato Grosso, in the drainage basin framed by the Serra do Roncador and the Serra Formosa mountain ranges. Formed by several headstreams, principally the Curiseu, Batovi, and Romuro rivers, the Xingu meanders generally northward for approximately 1,300 mi (2,100 km), emptying into the Amazon

Ibn Al-'awwam

2005-03-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Agriculturist who wrote the Arabic treatise on agriculture, Kitab al-fila-hah, the outstanding medieval work on the subject. The Spanish translation, published in the early 1800s, consists of 35 chapters dealing with agronomy, cattle and poultry raising, and beekeeping. It deals with 585 plants; explains the cultivation of more than 50 fruit trees; and includes

Biblical Literature, Redaction criticism

2005-03-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

Redaction criticism concentrates on the end product, studying the way in which the final authors or editors used the traditional material that they received and the special purpose that each had in view in incorporating this material into his literary composition. It has led of late to important conclusions about the respective outlooks and aims of Matthew,

Hope

2005-03-25T06:21:00.000-08:00

In Christian thought, one of the three theological virtues, the others being faith and charity (love). It is distinct from the latter two because it is directed exclusively toward the future, as fervent desire and confident expectation. When hope has attained its object, it ceases to be hope and becomes possession. Consequently, whereas “love never ends,” hope is confined

Harald I

2005-03-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Gorm the Old, the first significant figure in a new royal line centred at Jelling (North Jutland). Harald completed the country's unification begun by his father, converted the Danes to Christianity, and conquered Norway. After Harald's Baptism (c. 960) his father's pagan

Gracchus, Gaius Sempronius

2005-03-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Gaius Sempronius was the son of a Roman aristocrat whose family had regularly held the highest offices of state for the past century and was connected to the most

Marduk

2005-03-23T00:40:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, the chief god of the city of Babylon and the national god of Babylonia; as such he was eventually called simply Bel, or Lord. Originally he seems to have been a god of thunderstorms. A poem, known as Enuma elish and dating from the reign of Nebuchadrezzar I (1124–03 BC), relates Marduk's rise to such preeminence that he was the god of 50 names, each one that of a deity

Hughes, William Morris

2005-03-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hughes emigrated to Queensland in 1884. After working for the unionization of maritime workers in Sydney, he was elected to the New South Wales legislature in 1894 as a Labor Party member. He entered the first federal Parliament in 1901 and served as attorney

West Bridgewater

2005-03-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Plymouth county, eastern Massachusetts, approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Boston. The area was deeded by Massasoit, a Wampanoag Indian chief and sachem (intertribal leader) of all Wampanoags, to six people in trust for 56 proprietors of Duxbury plantation for the price of knives, hatchets, hoes, coats, and cotton. It was settled by colonists in 1656. Some mills were

Quasicrystal, Quasiperiodicity

2005-03-21T02:02:00.000-08:00

Dov Levine and Paul Steinhardt, physicists at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a resolution of this apparent conflict. They suggested that the translational order of atoms in quasicrystalline alloys might be quasiperiodic rather than periodic. Quasiperiodic patterns share certain characteristics with periodic patterns. In particular, both are

M.v.o.

2005-03-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Member, either fourth or fifth class, of the Royal Victorian Order. This rank of the order does not confer knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

Xerxes I

2005-03-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Soured by this failure, which modern historians consider the beginning of Achaemenian decline, Xerxes retired to Susa and Persepolis. He then furthered the depletion of the once-enormous resources he had gathered, through multiple taxation, by launching a vast construction program. At the capital city of Persepolis, Darius' architects, working from a unified plan

Bulge, Battle Of The

2005-03-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Battle Of The Ardennes (Dec. 16, 1944–Jan. 16, 1945), the last German offensive on the Western Front during World War II; an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill's optimistic description, in May 1940, of the resistance that he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the Germans' breakthrough in that area just

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-03-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

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

Zirid Dynasty,

2005-03-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Banu Ziri Muslim dynasty of Sanhajah Berbers whose various branches ruled in Ifriqiyah (Tunisia and eastern Algeria) and Granada (972–1152). Rising to prominence in the mountains of Kabylie, Algeria, where they established their first capital, Ashir, the Zirids became allies of the Fatimids of al-Qayrawan. Their loyal support prompted the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz, when moving to his new capital of

Community Ecology, Climatic effects

2005-03-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

The maximum development of greenhouse conditions occurred in the Cretaceous and was probably associated with an increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (see geochronology: Cretaceous environment: Paleoclimate). There were no polar ice caps during this time, and land within both the Arctic and Antarctic circles was able to support

Minamoto Shitago

2005-03-15T23:16:00.000-08:00

Although he was a descendant of the emperor Saga and was a member of the powerful Minamoto clan, Shitago was barred from high political position because he did not belong to the Fujiwara family, which controlled the government. Instead he devoted himself to scholarly and literary pursuits and became recognized

Smith, Samuel

2005-03-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Smith fought in the American

Earth, Earth dimensionsdiameter, mass, density

2005-03-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

As previously noted, terrestrial arc measurements are capable of yielding a value of the equatorial radius of the Earth, but satellite measurements are greatly superior for determining the flattening. After 10 years of satellite observations the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics adopted the Geodetic Reference System 1967, defining aequatorial, MG, and J2, o. Minor

Antiarch

2005-03-14T03:05:00.000-08:00

Any of an order of extinct, mainly freshwater, jawed fishes, class Placodermi, abundant during Middle and Late Devonian times (387 to 360 million years ago). Members of such genera as Bothriolepis and Pterichthys were representative. Antiarchs were small and weak-jawed and had closely set eyes on top of the head. Armour shields covered the front part of the body, and armoured,

Kilkeel

2005-03-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Irish Cill Chaoil fishing port and seaside resort, at the mouth of the River Kilkeel, Newry and Mourne district (established 1973), formerly in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, and the quarrying and dressing of Mourne granite is a local industry. A good harbour serves a large fishing fleet. The River Kilkeel rises to the north in the Silent Valley, where

English Literature, Other poets of the early Romantic period

2005-03-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Several of the lesser poets of this generation were more popular in their own time. The somewhat insipid Fourteen Sonnets (1789) of William Lisle Bowles were received with enthusiasm by Coleridge and Wordsworth. Thomas Campbell is now chiefly remembered for his patriotic lyrics such as “Ye Mariners of England” and “The Battle of Hohenlinden” (1807) and for the critical preface

Hackney Pony

2005-03-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

Heavy harness pony breed derived from the cross of a Hackney horse and a Welsh pony, used almost entirely as a show pony. It has the conformation and high-stepping action of the Hackney horse. Hackney ponies are shown in classes determined by height, which varies from 11.2 to 14.1 hands (about 46 to 57 inches, or 117 to 145 centimetres). They are registered in the same studbook as the Hackney horse

Ear Disease, Labyrinthitis

2005-03-11T04:47:00.000-08:00

Labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the labyrinth of the inner ear, happens when infection occurs as a result of meningitis, syphilis, acute otitis media and mastoiditis, or chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma. Loss of both equilibrium and hearing occurs in the affected ear. Prompt antibiotic treatment sometimes arrests the damage and allows for the possibility

Padauk

2005-03-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of tropical trees of the genus Pterocarpus. Padauks of the Indo-Malaysia region have a tendency to be larger than related species elsewhere. They are highly prized as shade trees and for their red or reddish brown wood. The blood-red sap is used commercially; a red dyewood, “Red Saunders,” which is obtained from the padauk, was formerly exported in

Appoggiatura

2005-03-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

(from Italian appoggiare, “to lean”), in music, an ornamental note of long or short duration that temporarily displaces, and subsequently resolves into, a main note, usually by stepwise motion. During the Renaissance and early Baroque, the appoggiatura was of moderate length, averaging one-third of the main note, and was more in the nature of a melodic than a harmonic ornament.

Arica

2005-03-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

Capital of Arica province, Tarapacá region, Chile. The city lies along the Pacific coast, at the foot of El Morro (a precipitous headland), and is fringed on its southern edge by sand dunes of the rainless Atacama Desert. Arica is situated near the Peruvian border and is the northernmost Chilean seaport. Founded as San Marcos de Arica in 1570 on the site of a pre-Columbian settlement,

Abengourou

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

Town, eastern Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), on the road from Abidjan (the national capital) to Ghana. The major trading centre for a productive forest region, it is also the residence of the Anyi (Agni) paramount chief, who is the present king of Indénié (an Anyi kingdom founded in the mid-18th century). The king's official residence (built 1882) is decorated with Indénié relics and tapestries.

Biblical Literature, II Maccabees

2005-03-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Second Book of the Maccabees, or its source, was probably written in the same period as I Maccabees. The book is preceded by two letters to the Jews of Egypt: the first from the year 124 BCE and the second one written earlier (164 BCE) commemorating the rededication of the Temple. In the preface of the book, the author indicates that he has condensed into one book the lost five-volume

Loranthaceae

2005-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

One of the mistletoe families of the sandalwood order (Santalales), having approximately 65 genera and about 850 species of parasitic flowering trees or shrubs. Some authorities also consider the 11 genera and about 450 species of the family Viscaceae, including the commonly known mistletoes of the genera Arceuthobium and Phoradendron in North America and of the genera

Biblical Literature, Uncials

2005-03-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

A, Codex Alexandrinus, is an early-5th-century manuscript containing most of the New Testament but with lacunae (gaps) in Matthew, John, and II Corinthians, plus the inclusion of the extracanonical I and II Clement. In the Gospels, the text is of the Byzantine type, but, in the rest of the New Testament, it is Alexandrian.

Cheng Chih-lung

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

As a boy, Cheng found employment with the Europeans in the Portuguese settlement at Macau, where he was baptized and given the Christian name of Nicholas Gaspard. After leaving Macau, he joined a pirate band that

Terceira Island

2005-03-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Ilha Terceira, island, part of the Portuguese Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic Ocean. It occupies an area of 153 square miles (397 square km). Terceira (The Third) was so called because it was the third island in the Azores to be discovered by the Portuguese. The chief town and port is Angra do Heroísmo, which was formerly capital of the Azores. The only other town of importance is Praia

Chrétien, Jean

2005-03-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

The 18th of 19 children of a working-class family, Chrétien studied law at Laval University and was called to the bar in Quebec in 1958. Long interested in politics, he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1963 and was reelected thereafter through

Cariboo Mountains

2005-03-03T03:34:00.000-08:00

Range in eastern British Columbia, Canada, forming the northern subdivision of the Columbia Mountains. The Cariboo Mountains lie within an area enclosed by the great bend of the Fraser River and its tributary, the North Thompson. The mountains extend for about 190 miles (305 km) and parallel the Rocky Mountain Trench, which separates them from the Canadian Rockies. From Mount

Indiana

2005-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

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

Cariboo Mountains

2005-03-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

Its music directors have been Fredrick Stock

Chiang Rai

2005-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

Chiang Rai lies at an elevation of 1,150 feet (350 m) in the basin of the Kok River, near the Khun Tan Range. It has an airport with scheduled flights, and road connections lead south to Lampang and north to Myanmar (Burma) and the Laotian border. It is a trading centre dealing in teak, coffee, and rice. The town was once the walled capital city of an independent principality.

Ibn 'aqil

2005-02-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

In 1055–66 Ibn 'Aqil received instruction in Islamic law according to the tenets of the

Bantock, Sir Granville

2005-02-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

After preparing for the Indian civil service, Bantock studied at Trinity College of Music, London, and the Royal Academy of Music, London. He was active as a conductor, founded and edited the New Quarterly Music Review (1893–96), and succeeded Sir Edward Elgar as professor

Bab, The

2005-02-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

At an early age, 'Ali Mohammad became familiar with the Shaykhi school of the Shi'i branch of Islam and with its leader, Sayyid Kazim Rashti, whom he had met on

Hyaenodon

2005-02-25T23:49:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of early, primitive mammalian carnivores that first appears in the fossil record in late Eocene time and persists through the Oligocene (the Oligocene Epoch, which followed the Eocene, began 36.6 million years ago and lasted 12.9 million years). Hyaenodon, a creodont (see Creodonta), was a large and efficient predator. Its skull was long and narrow, with teeth that

John I

2005-02-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

King of Aragon (1387–1395), son of Peter IV. Influenced by his wife, Violante, he pursued a pro-French policy but refused to become involved in the Hundred Years' War. He died by a fall from his horse, like his namesake, cousin, and contemporary of Castile, John I. He was a man of insignificant character, with a taste for artificial verse.

Coralroot

2005-02-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the genus Corallorhiza, family Orchidaceae, consisting of about 13 species of nearly leafless, nonphotosynthetic orchids that live primarily on dead organic matter. One species is Eurasian; the others are native to North and Central America. The name coralroot refers to the coral-like shape of the reddish rhizomes (underground

Alicyclic Compound

2005-02-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, any of a large class of organic compounds in which three or more atoms of the element carbon are linked together in a ring. The bonds between pairs of adjacent atoms may all be of the type designated single bonds (involving two electrons), or some of them may be double or triple bonds (with four or six electrons, respectively); six-membered rings for which a system

Wagon

2005-02-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

Four-wheeled vehicle designed to be drawn by draft animals and known to have been used as early as the 1st century BC, incorporating such earlier innovations as the spoked wheel and metal wheel rim. Early examples also had such features as pivoted front axles and linchpins to secure the wheels. In its essential form, therefore, the wagon has been in common use for about

Bond, Julian

2005-02-24T00:31:00.000-08:00

The son of prominent educators, Bond attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he helped found a civil rights group and led a sit-in movement intended to desegregate Atlanta lunch

Balaguer, Victor

2005-02-21T22:05:00.000-08:00

Balaguer was a precocious youth; his first dramatic essay, Pépin el Jorobado; o, el hijo de Carlomagno (1838; “Pippin the Hunchbacked; or, The Son of Charlemagne”), was staged in Barcelona when he was 14. At 19 he was publicly “crowned” after the production of his second play, Don Enrique el Dadivoso (1843; “Don Henry

Umuahia

2005-02-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Abia state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the railroad from Port Harcourt to Enugu. It is an agricultural market centre and (since 1916) collecting point on the railway for the crops of the surrounding region: yams, cassava, corn (maize), taro, citrus fruits, and palm oil and kernels. The town has a palm-oil-processing plant and several breweries, and the National

Athanasius, Saint

2005-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Athanasius' two-part work of apologetics, Against the Heathen and The Incarnation of the Word of God, completed about 335, was the first great classic of developed Greek Orthodox theology. In Athanasius' system, the Son of God, the eternal Word through whom God made the world, entered the world in human form to lead men back to the harmony from which they had fallen away. Athanasius

Beawar

2005-02-20T23:51:00.000-08:00

Town, Rajasthan state, northwestern India. A major rail and road junction, Beawar is an agricultural and woollen market centre. Industries include cotton ginning, handloom weaving, hosiery manufacture, and wood carving. Formerly also called Nayanagar, the town was founded in 1835 and grew rapidly in prosperity because of its advantageous position between Udaipur and Jodhpur.

Portugal

2005-02-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

Officially Portuguese Republic, Portuguese Portugal, or República Portuguesa, country lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is bordered on the east and north by Spain and on the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. Occupying about 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has a total area of 35,672 square miles (92,389 square km). Despite its small size, the country displays a great diversity of geographic features;

Dievs

2005-02-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Debestevs (Latvian), Lithuanian Dievas , Old Prussian Deivas in Baltic religion, the sky god. Dievs and Laima, the goddess of human fate, determine human destiny and world order. Dievs is a wooer of Saule, the sun. As pictured by the pre-Christian Balts, he is an Iron Age Baltic king who lives on a farmstead in the sky. Wearing a silver gown, pendants, and a sword, he occasionally rides down to earth, on horseback or in a horse-drawn chariot,

Quantum Field Theory

2005-02-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Body of physical principles designed to account for subatomic phenomena. The theory also has found applications in other branches of physics. The theory arises from the attempt to combine the principles of quantum mechanics with those of relativity in an effort to describe processes such as high-energy collisions in which particles may be created or

Salado River

2005-02-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Salado, river in northeastern Mexico. It rises in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Coahuila state and flows generally east-northeastward for some 175 miles (280 km) into the lake created by the Venustiano Carranza Dam at Don Martín. Leaving the reservoir, the Salado, joined by the Sabinas River, winds southeastward for 110 miles (175 km) through northern Nuevo León and northwestern Tamaulipas

Mona Monkey

2005-02-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

(Cercopithecus mona), common West African guenon that is found in tropical rainforests. The mona monkey is a speckled reddish brown in colour, with white underparts and an oval patch of white on each side of the tail. Its face is marked by a white band across the forehead and a thin, black stripe between eye and ear. The mona monkey is lively and is one of the most widely exhibited

Pacific Mountain System

2005-02-16T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Pacific mountain region had a large American Indian population before the arrival of white explorers and settlers. Hunting, the gathering of berries, roots, and nuts, and fishing were the major economic activities. Trade and barter were common among tribes, especially in the north, where peoples from the interior traded hides, meat, and roots for salmon caught

Lee, Sammy

2005-02-16T05:11:00.000-08:00

In 1942, while a student at Occidental College (Los Angeles), Lee won his first national championship with victories in both the 3-metre springboard and 10-metre platform events. Standing only 5 feet 1 inch, Lee utilized his short stature in his dives, tucking tighter and

Israeli, Isaac Ben Solomon

2005-02-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Israeli

Heinrich Julius

2005-02-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

A gifted scholar, theologian,

Closed Shop

2005-02-14T05:24:00.000-08:00

By the 1930s the closed shop had become a commonly negotiated agreement meant to protect labour organizations. This and other

France, History Of, Foreign policy and financial crisis

2005-02-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

The monarchy's international performance from 1715 to 1783 was basically creditable. From the time of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), when France had been invaded and nearly beaten, French statesmen pursued a double goal—the preservation of the balance of power in Europe, and, in the world at large, the expansion of the French colonial empire and the containment of England.

Hatif

2005-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

In Arab folklore, a mysterious nocturnal voice that is sometimes prophetic. A hatif is mentioned in the Bible (Ezekiel 21:2 and 7; Amos 7:16) as a prophet's voice, and it seems to have presaged Muhammad's prophetic mission. It is said that the hatif can rise from within a calf sacrificed to an idol or from the idol itself. The Bedouin believe that it most often announces the death of some

Bloch, Robert Albert

2005-02-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

U.S. writer (b. April 5, 1917, Chicago, Ill.--d. Sept. 23, 1994, Los Angeles, Calif.), crafted dozens of screenplays, mysteries, fantasies, and essays but was best remembered for his spine-tingling psychological tales of horror and suspense, most notably the classic Psycho (1959), a cult favourite that was adapted for Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film of the same title. Bloch, who relied on elements of surprise rather

O.b.e.

2005-02-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

Officer of the British Empire, member of a British order of knighthood, although this rank does not confer knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Rambouillet, Catherine De Vivonne, Marquise De

2005-02-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

Mme de Rambouillet was of noble background and was married at the age of 12 to Charles d'Angennes, later marquis de Rambouillet. Revolted by the coarseness of the French court under Henry IV and distressed by the amount

Abbott, Bud; And Costello, Lou

2005-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Bob Furmanek and Ron Palumbo, Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1991); Stephen Cox and John Lofflin, The Abbott and Costello Story: Sixty Years of Who's on First? (1997).

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of, The economy

2005-02-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

Because of the dry climate, most of the cultivated land in Sinkiang depends entirely on irrigation. The various nationalities in the region have had rich experience in water conservancy techniques, of which the wells of the qanat system in the Turfan and Ha-mi depressions are a fine example. Since the 1950s, these have been greatly supplemented with canals and reservoirs,

Shansi, Industry

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

Most of the province's industries are concentrated in the T'ai-yüan–Yü-tz'u region. The iron and steel industry produces ingot steel, pig iron, and finished steel products. Heavy machinery, industrial chemicals, and chemical fertilizers are produced, as are cement, paper, textiles, milled flour, and wine. Other iron and steel centres include Yang-ch'üan, Ch'ang-chih, Ta-t'ung

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

2005-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

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

Wokha

2005-02-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Town, Nagaland state, northeastern India, at the foot of the Wokha Hills, 50 miles (80 km) north of Kohima town. It is a trade and agricultural centre for the surrounding Naga Hills, in which grains (mainly rice) and fruits are grown on previously forested slopes. There are some cottage industries (weaving, pottery making, woodworking). Wokha is linked by highway to Mokokchung and

Visitation

2005-02-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

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

Lockheed Martin Corporation

2005-02-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

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

Handsome Lake Cult

2005-02-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Longhouse Religion , or Gai'wiio (Seneca: “Good Message”) longest-established prophet movement in North America. Its founder was Ganioda'yo (q.v.), a Seneca chief whose name meant “Handsome Lake”; his heavenly revelations received in trance in 1799 rapidly transformed both himself and the demoralized Seneca. Their Christian beliefs, which came primarily from Quaker contacts, included a personal creator-ruler, a devil, heaven, hell,

Hawick

2005-02-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

Small burgh (town), largest town in the Scottish Borders council area of southeastern Scotland, in the historic county of Roxburghshire. It lies at the confluence of the Rivers Slitrig and Teviot 15 miles (24 km) from the English border. Border skirmishes were frequent in Hawick's history, and in 1570 the town was almost completely burned down. The only building to survive was the

Ekofisk

2005-02-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

Group of Norwegian offshore natural-gas and oil fields located in the North Sea about 180 miles (290 km) southwest of Norway, halfway between Norway and the United Kingdom. The Ekofisk district includes the Ekofisk field itself (1969; petroleum) and the original, relatively small natural-gas discovery at Cod (1968), as well as petroleum fields at Tor (1970), West Ekofisk (1970), and

Visitation

2005-02-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Chemical element, metal of Group IVb of the periodic table, used as a structural material for nuclear reactors.

Ekofisk

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

Any member of the egg-laying mammalian order Monotremata, which includes the amphibious platypus (family Ornithorhynchidae) and the terrestrial echidnas (family Tachyglossidae) of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

Yukon Territory

2005-02-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

The mineral wealth

Pacific Ocean, Central Pacific region

2005-02-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

The central Pacific region lies between the boundaries of the eastern and western regions. The largest and the most geologically stable of the structural provinces of the Earth's crust, it is characterized by expansive areas of low relief, lying at a general depth of about 15,000 feet below the surface.

Goulburn Islands

2005-01-31T09:58:00.000-08:00

Group of islands in the Arafura Sea off the northern coast of Arnhem Land in Northern Territory, Australia. They comprise South Goulburn Island (30 square miles [78 square km]), lying 2 miles (3 km) offshore across Macquarie Strait; North Goulburn Island (14 square miles [36 square km]), 10 miles (16 km) offshore; and some small sandy islets. Perhaps sighted in 1644 by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman,

Nagercoil

2005-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

City, southernmost Tamil Nadu state, southern India. Nagercoil lies west of the Aramboli Gap in the Western Ghats. It controls the major routes between Madras and Trivandrum and is a commercial centre for a rich agricultural area. Its name, meaning “snake temple,” indicates the early significance of the town's Saiva temple. Although historically a part of the Hindu kingdom

Fernández De Avellaneda, Alonso

2005-01-30T04:10:00.000-08:00

Probably the pseudonym of the otherwise unknown author of Segundo tomo del ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (1614; “Second Book of the Ingenious Knight Don Quixote of La Mancha”), a fraudulent sequel to the first volume of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605). In the 59th chapter of the second volume of Don Quixote (1615), Cervantes mocks the spurious book. Suggestions of the author's

Skunk Cabbage

2005-01-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

Any of three species of plants that grow in bogs and meadows of temperate regions. In eastern North America the skunk cabbage is Symplocarpus foetidus, which belongs to the arum family (Araceae, order Arales; q.v.). In French-speaking parts of Canada it is called tabac du diable (“devil's tobacco”) or chou puant (“stinking cabbage”). It is a fleshy, herbaceous plant with large leaves,

Abbreviation

2005-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

In communications (especially written), the process or result of representing a word or group of words by a shorter form of the word or phrase. Abbreviations take many forms and can be found in ancient Greek inscriptions, in medieval manuscripts (e.g., “DN” for “Dominus Noster”), and in the Qur'an. Cicero's secretary, Marcus Tullius Tiro, devised many abbreviations that have survived

Smith, Preserved

2005-01-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

The son of a prominent Presbyterian clergyman, Smith earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University (1907). He was subsequently a fellow in history at Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.) until 1914. He lectured in history at Harvard University (1919–20) and was made professor

Shamanism

2005-01-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Although the classic model and most complete expression of shamanism is found in the Arctic and Central Asian regions, the phenomenon must not be considered as limited to those countries. It is encountered, for example, in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and among many North American aboriginal tribes (shamanism does not play a role of the first order in Africa). A distinction

Accoramboni, Vittoria

2005-01-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

She was the 10th child in a well-to-do but not illustrious family that hoped to better its position by marrying Vittoria,

Augustine, Saint

2005-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

Fifteen years after Augustine wrote the Confessions, at a time when he was bringing to a close (and invoking government power to do so) his long struggle with the Donatists but before he had worked himself up to action against the Pelagians, the Roman world was shaken by news of a military action in Italy. A ragtag army under the leadership of Alaric, a general

Qajar Dynasty

2005-01-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

In 1779, following the death of Mohammad Karim Khan Zand, the Zand dynasty ruler of southern Iran, Agha Mohammad Khan (reigned 1779–97), a leader of the Turkmen Qajar tribe, set out to reunify Iran. By 1794 he had eliminated all his rivals, including Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last of the Zand dynasty, and had reasserted Iranian sovereignty over the former Iranian territories in

Vietnam, Nam Viet

2005-01-25T04:49:00.000-08:00

This kingdom covered much of southern China and was ruled by Trieu Da from his capital near the present site of Canton. Its population consisted chiefly of the Viet who had earlier been driven by the Chinese from their kingdoms south of the Yangtze River. Trieu Da, after throwing off Chinese sovereignty and killing all officials loyal to the Chinese emperor, adopted

Arges

2005-01-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), southern Romania. The Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) and the sub-Carpathians rise above the settlement areas that are found in intermontane valleys. The county is drained eastward by the Arges, Cotmeana, and Teleorman rivers. It was formerly included in feudal Walachia. Agricultural activities consist of vineyard and orchard cultivation

FemaleBoat

Bach, Johann Christian

Cloots, Jean-baptiste Du Val-de-grâce, Baron De

Kyrenia

Papua

J. Walter Thompson Co.

Antarctica, IGY and the Antarctic Treaty

North Germanic Languages

Aeschylus

Xingu River

Ibn Al-'awwam

Biblical Literature, Redaction criticism

Hope

Harald I

Gracchus, Gaius Sempronius

Marduk

Hughes, William Morris

West Bridgewater

Quasicrystal, Quasiperiodicity

M.v.o.

Xerxes I

Bulge, Battle Of The

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

Zirid Dynasty,

Community Ecology, Climatic effects

Minamoto Shitago

Smith, Samuel

Earth, Earth dimensionsdiameter, mass, density

Antiarch

Kilkeel

English Literature, Other poets of the early Romantic period

Hackney Pony

Ear Disease, Labyrinthitis

Padauk

Appoggiatura

Arica

Abengourou

Biblical Literature, II Maccabees

Loranthaceae

Biblical Literature, Uncials

Cheng Chih-lung

Terceira Island

Chrétien, Jean

Cariboo Mountains

Indiana

Cariboo Mountains

Chiang Rai

Ibn 'aqil

Bantock, Sir Granville

Bab, The

Hyaenodon

John I

Coralroot

Alicyclic Compound

Wagon

Bond, Julian

Balaguer, Victor

Umuahia

Athanasius, Saint

Beawar

Portugal

Dievs

Quantum Field Theory

Salado River

Mona Monkey

Pacific Mountain System

Lee, Sammy

Israeli, Isaac Ben Solomon

Heinrich Julius

Closed Shop

France, History Of, Foreign policy and financial crisis

Hatif

Bloch, Robert Albert

O.b.e.

Rambouillet, Catherine De Vivonne, Marquise De

Abbott, Bud; And Costello, Lou

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of, The economy

Shansi, Industry

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

Wokha

Earth, Earth dimensionsdiameter, mass, density