ConsciousCart

Dyspareunia

2005-11-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

Painful or difficult sexual intercourse in the female. Disorders are generally physical rather than psychological. Dyspareunia may be caused by inflammation or infection of the vagina, vaginismus (q.v.; voluntary or involuntary contraction of the lower vaginal muscles), remnants of the hymen, insufficient lubrication of the vagina, infection, endometriosis, tumours,

Halftone Process

2005-10-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

In printing, a technique of breaking up an image into a series of dots so as to reproduce the full tone range of a photograph or tone art work. Breaking up is usually done by a screen inserted over the plate being exposed. The screens are made with a varying number of lines per inch, depending on the application; for newspapers, the range is 50 to 85, and for magazines, 100 to 120. The highest

Quadrangle

2005-07-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Byname Quad, in architecture, rectangular open space completely or partially enclosed by buildings of an academic or civic character. The grounds of a quadrangle are often grassy or landscaped. Such a quadrangular area, intended as an environment for contemplation, study, or relaxation, was a feature of monastic establishments and thus of the colleges that evolved from them.

Aznar, José María

2005-07-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

In 1975, during Spain's transition to democracy, José Marí

Lagash

2005-07-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Modern Telloh one of the most important capital cities in ancient Sumer, located midway between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southeastern Iraq. The ancient name of the mound of Telloh was actually Girsu, while Lagash originally denoted a site southeast of Girsu, later becoming the name of the whole district and also of Girsu itself. The French excavated at Telloh between

Widal, (georges-)fernand-isidore

2005-07-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

In 1896 Widal developed a procedure for diagnosing typhoid fever based on the fact that antibodies in the blood of an infected individual cause the bacteria to bind together into clumps (the Widal reaction).

Osborn, Henry Fairfield

2005-06-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

At Princeton University, Osborn conducted studies of brain anatomy while serving as assistant professor of natural sciences (1881–83) and professor of

Vecchio, Palazzo

2005-06-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

The Tuscan Gothic design of the Palazzo Vecchio has been

Arnolfo Di Cambio

2005-06-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

Arnolfo studied painting under Cimabue and sculpture under Nicola Pisano. He served as assistant to Pisano in 1265–68 in the production of the pulpit for the Siena Cathedral. Arnolfo went to Rome

Bingham, Caleb

2005-05-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Bingham was educated at local schools before entering Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. He graduated in 1782 and took the position of master at Moor's Indian Charity School. In 1784 he moved to Boston in order to establish

Triglyceride

2005-05-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

Any one of an important group of naturally occurring lipids (fat-soluble components of living cells). Triglycerides are esters in which three molecules of one or more different fatty acids are linked to the alcohol glycerol; they are named according to the fatty acid components; e.g., tristearin contains three molecules of stearic acid, and oleodistearin, one of oleic

Fu-hsin

2005-05-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Fuxin, city, northwestern Liaoning sheng (province), China. It is located near the border with the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and serves as a centre for the administration of the large Mongolian population of the border area. Until 1902 the border area remained a pasture ground reserved for the Mongolians. It was legally opened to Chinese colonization in that year, although

Actinomyxidian

2005-03-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Also called �Actinosporean,� any parasitic microorganism of the class Actinomyxidia (Actinosporea), phylum Myxosporidia (Myxospora). It inhabits the alimentary canal of certain aquatic worms. The characteristic spores develop in the host's gut after the union of large and small gametes. The spores contain three polar filaments (possibly anchoring devices) enclosed in capsules and one to many

Carte-de-visite

2005-03-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Originally, a calling card, especially one with a photographic portrait mounted on it. Immensely popular in the mid-19th century, the carte-de-visite was touted by the Parisian portrait photographer Andr�-Adolphe-Eug�ne Disd�ri, who patented the method in 1854. Disd�ri used a four-lensed camera, which made eight 3.5- by 2.5-inch (8.89- by 6.35-cm) negatives on one full-sized plate. The large print

Shabbetai Tzevi

2005-03-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Shabbetai steeped himself in the influential body of Jewish mystical writings known as the Kabbala. His extended periods of ecstasy and his strong personality combined to attract

Taylor, Elizabeth

2005-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Taylor's American parents were residing in England at the time of her birth. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II her parents returned to the United States, settling in Los Angeles. Her beauty brought her to the attention of a talent scout,

Generalization

2005-03-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

In psychology, the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli. For example, a dog conditioned to salivate to a tone of a particular pitch and loudness will also salivate with considerable regularity in response to tones of higher and lower pitch. The generalized response is predictable and orderly: it will measure less than that elicited

Eclecticism

2005-03-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

(from Greek eklektikos, �selective�), in philosophy and theology, the practice of selecting doctrines from different systems of thought without adopting the whole parent system for each doctrine. It is distinct from syncretism - the attempt to reconcile or combine systems - inasmuch as it leaves the contradictions between them unresolved. In the sphere of abstract

Endive

2005-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

(Cichorium endivia), edible annual leafy plant of the family Asteraceae, variously believed to have originated in Egypt and Indonesia and cultivated in Europe since the 16th century. Its many varieties form two groups, the curly-leaved, or narrow-leaved, endive (crispa), and the Batavian, or broad-leaved, endive (latifolia). The former is mostly used for salads, the latter for

Hawkwood, Sir John

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

The son of a tanner, Hawkwood chose a soldier's career, serving in the French wars of Edward III, who probably bestowed a knighthood on him. After the Treaty of Br�tigny temporarily ended Anglo-French hostilities (1360), Hawkwood became the leader

Alabama State University

2005-03-02T02:31:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. It is a historically black school, and its enrollment is predominantly African American. Alabama State offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in the schools of Music and Graduate Studies and colleges of Business Administration, Education, and Arts and Sciences. An educational

Vakataka Dynasty

2005-03-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Indian ruling house originating in the central Deccan in the mid-3rd century AD, the empire of which is believed to have extended from Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east. The Vakatakas, like many of the contemporary dynasties of the Deccan, claimed Brahmanical origin. Little is known,

Lowe, Doug

2005-02-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

Lowe was a champion runner at Highgate School and also at the University of Cambridge, where he studied law. He came in fourth in the 1,500-metre race at the 1924 Olympics. After his final Olympics performance, he went to Berlin

Ham Nghi

2005-02-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Ung Lich was a nephew of the emperor Tu Duc, whose death in 1883 led to a disputed succession. After several equally legitimate heirs had been assassinated or deposed, Ung Lich ascended the throne through the intricate intrigues of two mandarin power

Indole

2005-02-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

Indole, first isolated in 1866, has the molecular formula C8H7N, and

Geosyncline

2005-02-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Linear trough of subsidence of the Earth's crust within which vast amounts of sediment accumulate. The filling of a geosyncline with thousands or tens of thousands of feet of sediment is accompanied in the late stages of deposition by folding, crumpling, and faulting of the deposits. Intrusion of crystalline igneous rock and regional uplift along the axis of the

Condensation

2005-02-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Deposition of a liquid or a solid from its vapour, generally upon a surface that is cooler than the adjacent gas. A substance condenses when the pressure exerted by its vapour exceeds the vapour pressure of the liquid or solid phase of the substance at the temperature of the surface where condensation occurs. Heat is released when a vapour condenses. Unless this heat

Mid-atlantic Ridge

2005-02-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

Submarine ridge lying along the north-south axis of the Atlantic Ocean; it occupies the central part of the basin between a series of flat abyssal plains that continue to the margins of the continental coasts. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is in effect an immensely long mountain chain extending for about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a curving path from the Arctic Ocean to near the southern

Lockwood, Belva Ann

2005-02-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

Belva Bennett attended country schools until she was 15 and then taught in them until her marriage in 1848 to Uriah H. McNall, who died in 1853. She then resumed teaching and continued her own education. She graduated from Genesee College

Bouira

2005-02-21T23:34:00.000-08:00

The surrounding region is encompassed by the ranges and valleys of the Tell Atlas. Although it

Avinu Malkenu

2005-02-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

The

Basie, Count

2005-02-19T00:46:00.000-08:00

Basie studied music with his mother and was later influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, receiving informal tutelage on the organ from the latter.

Prickleback

2005-02-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous fishes constituting the family Stichaeidae (order Perciformes). All of the approximately 60 species are marine, and most are restricted to the northern Pacific Ocean; a few species occur in the North Atlantic. Members of the family are characteristically elongate, with a low dorsal fin running the length of the body. In most species the pelvic fins are

Wilderness, Battle Of The

2005-02-17T02:16:00.000-08:00

(May 5 - 7, 1864), in the American Civil War, first stage of a carefully planned Union campaign to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Crossing the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia, early in May, General Ulysses S. Grant advanced with a Union army of 115,000 men. On May 5 he met a Confederate army of 62,000 troops under General Robert E. Lee. The confrontation occurred

Hadrian's Wall

2005-02-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

Abercromby, Sir Ralph

2005-02-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

Entering the army in 1756, Abercromby served in the Seven Years' War. When war

Tagalog

2005-02-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Largest cultural-linguistic group in the Philippines. They form the dominant population in the city of Manila; in all provinces bordering Manila Bay except Pampanga; in Nueva Ecija to the north; and in Batangas, Laguna, Marinduque, Mindoro, and Quezon to the south. Tagalog is an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language like the other Philippine languages. The mother

Mother Goddess

2005-02-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

Any of a variety of feminine deities and maternal symbols of creativity, birth, fertility, sexual union, nurturing, and the cycle of growth. The term also has been applied to figures as diverse as the so-called Stone Age Venuses and the Virgin Mary. Because motherhood is one of the universal human realities, there is no culture that has not employed some maternal symbolism

Oviedo

2005-02-12T02:34:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) �Ovetum� city, Asturias provincia and comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�), northern Spain. Oviedo lies on a hill surrounded by mountains and a fertile plain and is situated 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Gij�n. Founded as a monastery by Fruela I in 757, it became the capital of the kingdom of Asturias in 810. It was one of the few Spanish towns never conquered by the Moors during the Middle

Great Rift

2005-02-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, a complex of dark nebulae that seems to divide the bright clouds of the Milky Way Galaxy lengthwise through about one-third of their extent. From the constellation Cygnus, the rift reaches through Aquila and Sagittarius, where the centre of the Galaxy lies hidden behind it, to Centaurus. The clouds of dark material making up the Great Rift are several

Dewey Decimal Classification

2005-02-10T04:10:00.000-08:00

Also called �Dewey Decimal System, � system for organizing the contents of a library based on the division of all knowledge into 10 groups, with each group assigned 100 numbers. The 10 main groups are: 000 - 099, general works; 100 - 199, philosophy and psychology; 200 - 299, religion; 300 - 399, social sciences; 400 - 499, language; 500 - 599, natural sciences and mathematics; 600 - 699, technology; 700 - 799, the arts; 800 - 899, literature and rhetoric; and 900 - 999, history, biography, and geography. These 10 main groups

Ryerson, (adolphus) Egerton

2005-02-09T00:46:00.000-08:00

After his own local education, Ryerson taught for a time at a nearby school. He took further studies in Hamilton and then entered the ministry as a Methodist circuit-riding preacher and, later,

Alaska, Relief

2005-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Alaska comprises nine distinct physiographic and environmental regions. Much of the mainland panhandle region, a narrow strip of land 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80 km) wide lying east and south of the St. Elias Mountains, is composed of the Boundary Ranges. There are several large icefields, and the peaks include Mount St. Elias (18,009 feet [5,490 metres]), from whose summit the Alaska-Yukon border swings

Childress, Alice

2005-02-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

Childress grew up in Harlem, New York City, where she studied drama with the American Negro Theatre in the 1940s. There she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play, Florence (produced 1949), about a black woman

Alban, Saint

2005-02-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

According to the historian Bede, he served in the Roman army and was converted to Christianity by a fugitive priest whom he sheltered and with whom he exchanged clothes, so that he was martyred in the priest's place (c. 304; other dates suggested by scholars are c. 254 or c. 209). His feast day is commemorated

Feline Respiratory Disease

2005-02-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

A complex of viral contagions of cats (including rhinotracheitis, pneumonitis, and influenza), marked by fever, sneezing, and running eyes and nose. Rhinotracheitis and pneumonitis are the most common and have identical symptoms. Mortality is low, but recovery from severe cases may be difficult and prolonged, with relapses. A vaccine is available against pneumonitis.

Terminal Velocity

2005-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

Steady speed achieved by an object freely falling through a gas or liquid. A typical terminal velocity for a parachutist who delays opening the chute is about 150 miles (240 kilometres) per hour. Raindrops fall at a much lower terminal velocity, and a mist of tiny oil droplets settles at an exceedingly small terminal velocity. An object dropped from rest will increase its

Thompson, John Griggs

2005-02-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

Thompson earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1955 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1959. After a year at Harvard University (1961 - 62), he returned to the University of Chicago (1962 - 68), and he subsequently moved to Churchill College, Cambridge,

Metachromatic Leukodystrophy

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

Rare inherited metabolic disease in which the lack of a key enzyme causes loss of the protective myelin sheath from the white matter of the brain, resulting in psychological disturbances, mental deterioration, and sensory and motor defects. The absence of the enzyme cerebroside sulfatase (arylsulfatase A) allows certain specialized lipids (sphingolipids) to

Kukenaam Falls

2005-02-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Spanish �Salto Cuquen�n, � high waterfalls on the Guyana-Venezuelan border. They spring from a table mountain, Kukenaam (8,620 feet [2,627 m]), to the northwest of Mount Roraima (9,094 feet) and are the beginning of the Cuquen�n River, a tributary of the Caroni River. The falls have a 2,000-foot (600-metre) drop, one of the highest drops in South America.

Elixir

2005-01-31T15:27:00.000-08:00

In alchemy, substance thought to be capable of changing base metals into gold. The same term, more fully elixir vitae, �elixir of life,� was given to the substance that would indefinitely prolong life - a liquid that was believed to be allied with the philosopher's stone. Chinese Taoists not only sought the �pill of immortality� but developed techniques (meditation, breathing

Medicine, United States

2005-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Whereas in Britain the doctor of first contact is regularly a general practitioner, in the United States the nature of first-contact care is less consistent. General practice in the United States has been in a state of decline in the second half of the 20th century, especially in metropolitan areas. The general practitioner, however, is being replaced to some degree

Penicillium

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

Genus of blue or green mold fungi (division Mycota) of the form-class Deuteromycetes (Fungi Imperfecti). Those species for which the sexual phase is known are placed in the Eurotiales. Found on foodstuffs, leather, and fabrics, they are of economic importance in the production of antibiotics (penicillin, q.v.), organic acids, and cheeses.

Sa Dec

2005-01-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Sa Dac, � town on the Mekong River delta, southern Vietnam. It is a river port, agricultural trading centre, and transshipment point for small craft on the left bank of the shallow Bassac River (Song Han Giang), 88 miles (140 km) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). It is linked by highway to Rach Gia, on the Gulf of Thailand, via Long Xuyen. It is crossed east-west by a waterway linking

Ahaggar

2005-01-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Hoggar, � large plateau in the north centre of the Sahara, on the Tropic of Cancer, North Africa. Its height is above 3,000 feet (900 m), culminating in Mount Tahat (9,573 feet [2,918 m]) in southeastern Algeria. The plateau, about 965 miles (1,550 km) north to south and 1,300 miles (2,100 km) east to west, is rocky desert composed of black volcanic (basalt) necks and of flows rising above a pink granite massif. The main caravan route to

Wang Mang

2005-01-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Pinyin �Wang Mang�, posthumous name, or shih (Wade-Giles romanization) �Chia Huang-ti�, or �She Huang-ti� founder of the short-lived Hsin dynasty (AD 9 - 25). He is known in Chinese history as the �Usurper.�

Scandinavian Languages

2005-01-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

Languages forming the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. The modern standard languages are Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian), Icelandic, and Faroese. These languages are usually divided into East Scandinavian (Danish and Swedish) and West Scandinavian (Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese) groups. They developed from the dialects

Onoe Shoroku Ii

2005-01-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Yutaka Fujima made his debut at the age of five as Ushiwakamaru at the Teikoku Theatre in the kabuki drama Shusse Kagekiyo, about the 12th-century hero Taira no Kagekiyo. After starring in Neiboku

N'djamena

2005-01-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Fort-lamy, � capital of Chad, on the southwestern border, adjacent to Cameroon. It lies on the east bank of the Chari (Shari) River at its confluence with the Logone River in an alluvial plain that is flooded during the rainy season (July - September). The city was founded in 1900 across the Chari River from Fort-Fureau (Kousseri), where French colonial troops defeated and killed the Sudanese

Self-defense

2005-01-22T05:29:00.000-08:00

In general, killing is not a criminal act when the killer reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of losing his life from an assailant or of suffering serious bodily injury and that killing the assailant

Scaliger, Joseph Justus

2005-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

The son of an Italian physician and philosopher, Julius Caesar Scaliger, who immigrated to Agen in 1525, the young Joseph entered school at Bordeaux and

Pre-columbian Civilizations, The Spanish conquest

2005-01-20T00:31:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, the Spaniards had landed at Tumbes on the northern coast of Peru early in 1532 and were seeking an interview with Atahuallpa so that they could kidnap him. It is clear that they understood the nature of the Inca civil war and were dealing with emissaries from both factions. Their actions, however, must have seemed puzzling to Atahuallpa. On the one hand, Pizarro

Mar�chal, Pierre-sylvain

2005-01-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

By profession a lawyer and librarian, Mar�chal was by philosophy a materialist and an atheist. After writing

Alexander Of Pherae

2005-01-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

Despot of Pherae in Thessaly, Greece, from 369 to 358, whose tyranny caused the intervention of a number of city-states in Thessalian affairs. The other Thessalian cities, refusing to recognize Alexander as tagos, or head magistrate, appealed to the Thebans, who sent Pelopidas to their assistance. Alexander imprisoned Pelopidas, and the Thebans had to send a large army to procure

'abdullah I

2005-01-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

'Abdullah, the second son of Husayn ibn 'Ali, the ruler of the Hejaz, was educated in Istanbul in what was then the Ottoman Empire. After the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, he represented Mecca in the Ottoman parliament. Early in 1914 he joined the Arab nationalist movement, which sought independence

Madison, James

2005-01-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Fourth president of the United States (1809 - 17) and one of the founding fathers of his country. At the Constitutional Convention (1787) he influenced the planning and ratification of the U.S. Constitution and collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in the publication of The Federalist Papers. As a member of the new House of Representatives, he sponsored the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, commonly called the Bill of Rights. He was secretary of state under President Thomas Jefferson when the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France. The War of 1812 was fought during his presidency. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President James Madison.)

Alderman

2005-01-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

Member of the legislative body of a municipal corporation in England and the United States. In Anglo-Saxon England, ealdormen, or aldermen, were high-ranking officials of the crown who exercised judicial, administrative, or military functions. Earls, the governors of shires (counties), and other persons of distinction were among those who received the title of alderman.

Myanmar, Religious groups

2005-01-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

The vast majority of the population is Theravada Buddhist. The Burmans are Buddhists except for minimal numbers of Christians and Muslims; the Shan also are Buddhists. Among the Karen, there are many more Buddhists than Christians. The other hill peoples are animists except for a small number of Kayah Buddhists and Kachin and Chin Christians, and even they practice

Narameikhla

2005-01-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

When Arakan became the scene of a struggle between rival centres of power in the 15th century, Narameikhla, the son of King Rajathu (reigned 1397 - 1401), was forced in the first year

Earle, John

2005-01-12T03:16:00.000-08:00

An outstanding book of �characters,� it avoids didacticism and displays genuine personalities, such as a �child,� a �Good old Man,� a �young raw Preacher,� and a �Grave Divine.� It is alive with its humour, perception, and epigrammatic

Typhus

2005-01-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

Acute, infectious series of diseases that are characterized by a sudden onset with headache, chills, fever, and general pains, a rash appearing on the third to fifth day, and toxemia (toxic substances in the blood), and terminating after about two to three weeks. Originally considered a single clinical entity, it is now regarded as a group of closely related diseases caused

Lettow-vorbeck, Paul Von

2005-01-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

A member of the South West Colonial

Spongilla

2005-01-09T05:35:00.000-08:00

Sponge genus that includes the freshwater sponge (q.v.) species.

Dominus

2005-01-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

American organization formed at a convention in Washington, D.C., as the product of the merger in 1896 of the National Federation of Afro-American Women and the National League of Colored Women - organizations that had arisen out of the African American women's club movement. Founders of the NACW included Harriet Tubman, Frances E.W. Harper, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, and Mary

Pietism

2005-01-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

German �Pietismus � influential religious reform movement that began among German Lutherans in the 17th century. It emphasized personal faith against the main Lutheran church's perceived stress on doctrine and theology over Christian living. Pietism quickly spread and later became concerned with social and educational matters. As a phenomenon of personal religious renewal, its

Smith College

2005-01-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Liberal arts college for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S. One of the Seven Sisters schools, it is among the largest privately endowed colleges for women in the United States. Bachelor's degrees are granted in 29 departmental and 8 interdepartmental programs, and undergraduates are urged to study in seven fields of knowledge: literature, historical studies,

Consistory

2005-01-03T00:59:00.000-08:00

(from Latin consistorium, �assembly place�), a gathering of ecclesiastical persons for the purpose of administering justice or transacting business, particularly meetings of the Sacred College of Cardinals with the pope as president. From the 11th century, when the institution of the cardinalate became more important, the Sacred College of Cardinals, assembled in

Skiing

2005-01-02T02:33:00.000-08:00

In the 18th Nordic World Cup series, D�hlie and Vyalbe

Argens, Jean-baptiste De Boyer, Marquis D' (marquess Of)

2005-01-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

French writer who helped disseminate the skeptical ideas of the Enlightenment by addressing his polemical writings on philosophy, religion, and history to a popular readership. Argens's writings simplified the unorthodox empirical reasoning of such Philosophes as Pierre Bayle, Bernard de Fontenelle, and Voltaire;

Mars

2004-12-31T02:46:00.000-08:00

Mars's festivals at Rome occurred in the spring and the

Refugee

2004-12-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

Any uprooted, homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection of his former government. Prior to the 19th century the movement from one country to another did not require passports and visas; the right to asylum was commonly recognized and honoured. Although there have been numerous waves of refugees throughout history,

Boughton, Rutland

2004-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Boughton studied at the Royal College of Music in 1900 but was otherwise self-taught. He had the idea of writing a series of music dramas based on Arthurian legends and of creating a festival theatre for their performance

Tyrrhenian Sea

2004-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

Latin �Mare Tyrrhenum, �Italian �Mare Tirreno, � arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the western coast of Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. It is connected with the Ligurian Sea (northwest) through the Tuscan Archipelago and with the Ionian Sea (southeast) through the Strait of Messina. Chief inlets of the sea include the Bay of Naples and the gulfs of Gaeta, Salerno, Policastro, and Sant'Eufemia.

Eagles, The, The Eagles

2004-12-27T02:11:00.000-08:00

Pottery, Thailand and Annam

2004-12-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

Pottery was made in the old Siamese capitals of Sukhothai and Sawankhalok. It is also thought that potteries persisted at Ayutthaya until the 18th century. Little is known of the early history of the region, and definite information on its pottery is almost nonexistent. Dating of the pottery from these regions for the most part has been by analogy with related Chinese

Pitchstone

2004-12-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

Most pitchstone occurs as dikes or marginal phases of dikes and therefore may grade into porphyry. Pitchstone porphyry (vitrophyre)

Gyllenborg, Gustaf Fredrik, Greve (count)

2004-12-24T01:15:00.000-08:00

Swedish poet known for his satirical and reflective poetry. Although members of his family were prominent in political life, as a courtier he took no part in politics and attacked the weaknesses of modern society in the spirit of the French Romantic philosopher Rousseau in such poems as �Verldsf�raktaren

Thomas, Helen

2004-12-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Born to Lebanese immigrants, Thomas was the seventh of nine children. When she was four years old, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan. While attending high school, Thomas decided

Eckener, Hugo

2004-12-22T00:42:00.000-08:00

As a member of the firm operated by Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin, Eckener helped to develop the rigid airships of the early 1900s. During World War I, Eckener trained airship pilots and directed the

Tacitus

2004-12-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

In full �Publius Cornelius Tacitus�, or �Gaius Cornelius Tacitus� Roman orator and public official, probably the greatest historian and one of the greatest prose stylists who wrote in the Latin language. Among his works are the Germania, describing the Germanic tribes, the Historiae (Histories), concerning the Roman Empire from AD 69 to 96, and the later Annals, dealing with the empire in the period from AD 14 to 68.

1848, Revolutions Of

2004-12-20T01:56:00.000-08:00

The revolutionary movement began in Italy with a local revolution in Sicily in January 1848; and, after the revolution

Antanaclasis

2004-12-19T22:50:00.000-08:00

The first use of �sleep� refers to nocturnal rest, the second to death.

Eastern Africa, Habitat

2004-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

A more useful way of grouping the East African peoples into types is according to their habitats, which can be summarized as follows: wet lowland, wet highland, semiarid, and arid. Wet lowland habitats are concentrated around Lake Victoria, and among the peoples found there about 1900 were the Ganda and Luo, both large in number. Wet highland habitats are less concentrated

Arts, Central Asian, Mongols

2004-12-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

Genghis Khan (died 1227), the renowned Mongol conqueror, sacked and destroyed Bukhara in 1224, sparing only the 12th-century Kalyan tower, which was used for throwing criminals to their death. The 14th-century Turkic conqueror Timur, however, endowed Samarkand with new glory by building a series of religious monuments widely renowned for their splendour and decorative use of glazed

Macadamia

2004-12-15T00:37:00.000-08:00

Macadamias originated in the coastal rain forests and scrubs of what is now Queensland in northeastern Australia. The macadamias grown commercially in Hawaii and Australia are principally

Ashburton

2004-12-14T00:58:00.000-08:00

Town (�parish�), Teignbridge district, administrative and historic county of Devon, England, lying on the southeastern margin of Dartmoor. It was designated a stannary (tin-mining) town in 1285. The priest of the Chantry Chapel of St. Lawrence kept a �free scole,� which survived as a grammar school from the late 16th century until 1938. The Church of St. Andrew in the town was built of granite

Earth Sciences

2004-12-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

Steam

2004-12-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

Odourless, invisible gas consisting of vaporized water. It is usually interspersed with minute droplets of water, which gives it a white, cloudy appearance. In nature, steam is produced by the heating of underground water by volcanic processes and is emitted from hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and certain types of volcanoes. Steam also can be generated on a large

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Fable

2004-12-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

E. Chambry, Fables (1927), in Greek and French; S.A. Handford, Fables of Aesop (1956); B. Pares, Krylov's Fables (1926); Marianne Moore, Fables of La Fontaine (1954). For commentary on fables, see P. Clarac, La Fontaine, l'homme et l'oeuvre (1947); B.E. Perry, Aesopica (1952).

Justus, Saint

2004-12-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

In 601 he was sent by Pope St. Gregory I the Great to assist Archbishop St. Augustine of Canterbury in the conversion of England to Christianity. He was consecrated by