ChemicalJewel

Skarga, Piotr

2005-04-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

After a difficult childhood during which both his parents died, he studied at Jagiellonian University, then became rector of a parish school in Warsaw. After some travel, he became a parish priest in Lwów. Subsequently, he travelled

Indian Philosophy, Principal texts and relation to Sabara

2005-04-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

Kumarila commented on Jaimini's sutraas well as on Sabara's bhasya. The Varttika (critical gloss) that he wrote was commented upon by Sucarita Misra in his Kasika (“The Shining”), by Somesvara Bhatta in his Nyayasudha (“The Nectar of Logic”), and Parthasarathi Misra in Nyayaratnakara (“The Abode of Jewels of Logic”). Parthasarathi's Sastradipika (“Light on the Scripture”) is a famous independent Mimamsa treatise

Crailsheim

2005-03-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

City, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Jagst River, about 45 miles (70 km) northeast of Stuttgart. A Frankish settlement in the 6th and 7th centuries, it was chartered in 1320 and passed to the Hohenzollerns in 1399 and to Württemberg in 1810. Most of the old city with its historic buildings was destroyed in World War II, but the Romanesque church of St. John

Wagner, Richard

2005-03-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

For the next 15 years Wagner was not to present any further new works. Until 1858 he lived in Zürich, composing, writing treatises, and conducting (he directed the London Philharmonic concerts in 1855). Having already studied the Siegfried legend and the Norse myths as a possible basis for an opera, and having written an operatic “poem,” Siegfrieds Tod (Siegfried's Death), in which he

Homburg

2005-03-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

City, Saarland, southwestern Germany, on the Erbach River, northeast of Saarbrücken. Chartered in 1330 and 1558, it belonged to the counts of Homburg, most of whose territory was divided in 1499 between the houses of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Pfalz-Zweibrücken. It became part of the Bavarian Palatinate in 1815 and was included in the Saar in 1920. The market square is surrounded by fine 17th-century

Leafy Liverwort

2005-03-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

Most leafy liverworts are found in moist habitats—in swamps and bogs and in damp forests,

Earth Exploration, Electrical and electromagnetic methods

2005-03-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

A multitude of electrical methods are used in mineral exploration. They depend on (1) electrochemical activity, (2) resistivity changes, or (3) permittivity effects. Some materials tend to become natural batteries that generate natural electric currents whose effects can be measured. The self-potential method relies on the oxidation of the upper surface of metallic

C.b.e.

2005-03-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Commander 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.

Schmidt, Arno

2005-03-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

In full Arno Otto Schmidt novelist, translator, and critic, whose experimental prose established him as the preeminent Modernist of 20th-century German literature. With roots in both German Romanticism and Expressionism, he attempted to develop modern prose forms that correspond more closely to the workings of the conscious and subconscious mind

Computers, The Z4

2005-03-20T16:12:00.000-08:00

In Germany, Konrad Zuse began construction of the Z4 in 1943 with funding from the Air Ministry. Like his Z3 (described in the section Konrad Zuse), the Z4 used electromechanical relays, in part because of the difficulty in acquiring the roughly 2,000 necessary vacuum tubes in wartime Germany. The Z4 was evacuated from Berlin in early 1945, and it eventually wound up in Hinterstein, a small

Kyoto, Climate

2005-03-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

During spring and fall Kyoto is in its prime; the rainy season (June–July), lasting three to four weeks, is unavoidable; and summers are hot and humid. Winter brings two or three light snows and a unique “chilling from below” (sokobie), which must be tolerated. The yearly mean temperature of Kyoto is about 59° F (15° C); the highest monthly mean, 80° F (27° C), is in August, and the lowest, 38° F (3° C), is in January.

Fry, Roger

2005-03-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

Fry was born into a Quaker family and was educated at the University of Cambridge for a career in science. His interest in art grew, however, and he studied painting in Italy and also began to lecture on art. His first book, Giovanni

White River

2005-03-17T02:14:00.000-08:00

River formed by the confluence of its West and East forks near Petersburg in southwestern Indiana, U.S., and flowing in a southwesterly direction for 52 miles (84 km) before entering the Wabash River, opposite Mt. Carmel, Ill. Its 255-mile (410-km) West Fork rises in Randolph county, eastern Indiana; its 282-mile (454-km) East Fork (sometimes called Driftwood) is a combination of streams that join

Vaisnava-sahajiya

2005-03-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Member of an esoteric Hindu cult centred in Bengal that sought religious experience through the world of the senses, specifically human sexual love. Sahaja (Sanskrit: “easy” or “natural”) as a system of worship was prevalent in the Tantric traditions common to both Hinduism and Buddhism in Bengal as early as the 8th–9th centuries. The divine romance of Krishna and Radha was

Ibn Shem Tov, Joseph Ben Shem Tov

2005-03-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Jewish philosopher and Castilian court physician who attempted to mediate the disdain shown for philosophy by contemporary Jewish scholars by undertaking a reconciliation of Aristotelian ethical philosophy with Jewish religious thought, best exemplified by his influential Kevod Elohim (written 1442; “The Glory of God”). Here he expounded his belief that answers

'ubayd, Tall Al-

2005-03-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tell El-ubaid, ancient site that gave its name to a prehistoric cultural period, the Ubaid, in Mesopotamia; it is located near the ruins of ancient Ur in present-day southeastern Iraq. Excavations have uncovered Ubaidian remains throughout southern Mesopotamia. The hallmark of the period was a painted pottery decorated with geometric and sometimes floral and animal designs

Wichita Falls

2005-03-13T04:34:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1882) of Wichita county, northern Texas, U.S. The city is located on the Wichita River in the Red River Valley, 115 miles (185 km) northwest of Fort Worth. Founded in 1876, it was named for the Wichita Indians and the low-water river falls that existed there until 1886, when they were washed away by a flood. (A falls, with 35,000 gallons [130,000 litres] recirculating per minute, has been recreated as a tourist

Floor Covering

2005-03-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Material made from textiles, felts, resins, rubber, or other natural or man-made substances applied or fastened to, or laid upon, the level base surface of a room to provide comfort, durability, safety, and decoration. Such materials include both handmade and machine-made rugs and carpets and smooth-surfaced floor coverings. Although the words carpet and rug are frequently

Bioclimatology

2005-03-11T05:22:00.000-08:00

Branch of climatology that deals with the effects of the physical environment on living organisms over an extended period of time. Although Hippocrates touched on these matters 2,000 years ago in his treatise on Air, Waters, and Places, the science of bioclimatology is relatively new. It developed into a significant field of study during the 1960s owing largely to a growing

Hadrian

2005-03-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Adrian , Latin in full Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus , original name (until AD 117) Publius Aelius Hadrianus Roman emperor (AD 117–138), the emperor Trajan's nephew and successor, who was a cultivated admirer of Greek civilization and who unified and consolidated Rome's vast empire.

Olympiodorus The Younger

2005-03-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

A Neoplatonist philosopher who is famous for having maintained the Platonic tradition in Alexandria after the Byzantine emperor Justinian had suppressed the Greek Academy at Athens and other pagan schools in AD 529. Olympiodorus' extant works include lucid and valuable commentaries on Plato's Phaedo, Gorgias, Philebus, and Alcibiades; a biography of Plato;

Sangamon River

2005-03-08T23:28:00.000-08:00

River formed by headstreams in northwestern Champaign County, Illinois, U.S. It flows southwesterly, bending around Decatur, where a dam impounds Lake Decatur, and turns west past Springfield, the state capital, and then north and west to join the Illinois River just north of Beardstown, after a course of 250 mi (400 km). The first Illinois home (1830) of Abraham Lincoln was on a bluff

Davenport, Charles Benedict

2005-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

After receiving a doctorate in zoology at Harvard University in 1892, Davenport taught there until 1899, when

Uwajima

2005-03-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

City, Ehime ken (prefecture), Shikoku, Japan. It faces the Bungo Channel between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Uwajima developed as a castle town in the late 16th century. Connected by rail to major ports on the Inland Sea in 1945, it became the transport hub of southwestern Shikoku. The port is an active fishing centre; associated industries produce ships, processed foods,

Interior Design, Islamic countries

2005-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

The Arab conquest in the 7th century AD and, in the 8th century, Muslim expansion into India and Spain had profound influence on the decorative arts throughout the known world, especially as most of the long-distance trading routes passed through Arab lands. The skills of the conquerors fused with the traditional skills of their subject peoples, and because Islam forbade

Clonmel

2005-03-04T03:01:00.000-08:00

Irish Cluain Meala municipal borough and seat of Tipperary South Riding, Ireland. It lies on the River Suir. A noted sporting centre, it has fine scenery, with the Comeragh Mountains to the south and the Slievenamon peak to the northeast. Clonmel received its charter in the reign of Edward I (1239–1307). The novelist Laurence Sterne was born there in 1713. Industries include the making of pharmaceuticals

Swimming

2005-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

Fu took the women's 3-m springboard

Interior Design, Design relationships

2005-03-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

The real and conscious relationship between art, architecture, and design is of long standing. Though mural painting was largely neglected in the mid-20th century, in the past great murals have been the planned focal points of interiors and have in a way determined the architecture. Similarly, sculpture or sculptural forms, as fixed and permanent spects of buildings,

Earth Sciences, Composition of the atmosphere

2005-02-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Studies of barometric pressure by the British chemist and physicist John Dalton led him to conclude that evaporation and condensation of vapour do not involve chemical transformations. The introduction of vapour into the air by evaporation must change the average specific gravity of the air column and, without altering the height of that column, will change

Switzerland

2005-02-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

Etruscans, Rhaetians, Celts, Romans, and Germanic peoples have left their imprint on Switzerland in the course of its historical evolution. The present population shows traces mainly of the Alpine, “Nordic,” and southern Slav or Dinaric peoples. To survive as a cohesive unit, the disparate elements of the Swiss people have had to learn a mutual cooperation to protect

Gum

2005-02-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

Also called Gingiva, plural Gingivae, in anatomy, mucous membrane attached to and surrounding the necks of the teeth and adjacent alveolar bone. Before the erupting teeth enter the mouth cavity, gum pads develop; these are slight elevations of the overlying oral mucous membrane. When tooth eruption is complete, the gum embraces the neck region of each tooth. As well as being attached to adjacent alveolar

Inland Sea

2005-02-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

Japanese Seto-naikai, the body of water lying between the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It is composed of five distinct basins linked together by channels. Its east-west length is about 270 miles (440 km), and its waters are easily navigable. The sea has an irregular coastline and is dotted with hundreds of small islands, the largest of which is Awaji Island in the east. Entrance to

Pyrenees, Peace Of The

2005-02-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

During the years from the end of the Thirty Years' War until 1659 Spain and France engaged in almost continuous warfare. During the struggle Spain found itself also involved in hostilities with England,

Novgorod

2005-02-24T00:13:00.000-08:00

Oblast (province), northwestern Russia, occupying an area of 21,300 square miles (55,300 square km) and extending across the morainic Valdai Hills, which rise to 971 ft (296 m); the lowland basins of Lake Ilmen lie to the west and of the upper Volga River to the east. Much of the oblast's terrain is in swamp of peat bog or reed and grass marsh, with innumerable small lakes. The remainder (about 60 percent)

Hvar

2005-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Italian Lesina island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia. At 116 square miles (300 square km) in area and 43 miles (69 km) in length, it is the longest island in the Adriatic. A rocky island, it reaches 2,054 feet (626 m) in elevation at Mount Sveti Nikola and is separated from the island of Brac by a narrow channel. The Mediterranean climate is favourable to the production of various fruits, honey, lavender, rosemary,

Ilesha

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

Town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the Yoruba Hills and at the intersection of roads from Ile-Ife, Oshogbo, and Akure. The town is one of the oldest settlements in Yorubaland—according to tradition, it was founded by an owa (“king”) who was one of the 16 sons of the deity Oduduwa. Ilesha was an important military centre in the campaigns against Ibadan, 60 miles (97 km) west-southwest,

Asthma

2005-02-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

A chronic disorder of the lungs in which inflamed airways are prone to constrict, causing episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness that range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Inflamed airways become hypersensitive to a variety of stimuli, including dust mites, animal dander, pollen, air pollution, cigarette smoke, medications,

Costumbrismo

2005-02-20T00:04:00.000-08:00

(from Spanish costumbre, “custom”), a trend in Spanish literature that emphasized the depiction of the everyday manners and customs of a particular social or provincial milieu. Although the origins of costumbrismo go back to the Golden Age of Spanish literature in the 16th and 17th centuries, it grew into a major force in the first half of the 19th century, first in verse and

Ashford

2005-02-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, England. It was established in 1974 from the former urban district of Ashford, rural districts of East and West Ashford, and the metropolitan borough and rural district of Tenterden. The old town of Ashford was granted a market in the 13th century that later became a stock market for the pastoral farms

Bent, Charles

2005-02-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

After moving from Charleston, Va., to Marietta, Ohio, in 1805, the Bent family settled in St. Louis the following year. Charles and his brother William developed an interest in the fur trade, and they probably worked for John

Condottiere

2005-02-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

The first mercenary armies in Italy (often called free companies) were made up of foreigners. The earliest (1303) was composed

Amos

2005-02-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

The little that is known about Amos' life has been gleaned from his book, which was, in all likelihood, partly

Condé, Louis-henri-joseph, 9e Prince De (9th Prince Of), Duc (duke) De Bourbon

2005-02-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

The 9th Prince of Condé was married in 1770 to Louise-Marie-Thérèse d'Orléans (1750–1822), who bore him a son, Louis-Antoine, duc d'Enghien, in 1772, but from whom he parted in 1780. Emigrating with his father and son

Kilim

2005-02-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Pileless floor covering handwoven by tapestry techniques in Anatolia, the Balkans, or parts of Iran. In the rest of Iran, the Caucasus, and Turkistan, the name for similar pieces is palas. In most kilims, a slit occurs wherever two colours meet along a vertical line in the pattern, but in a few Karabagh or South Caucasian pieces, interlocking methods are employed in order

Pecos River

2005-02-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

River in the southwestern United States, rising in Mora County, north-central New Mexico, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and flowing about 926 miles (1,490 km) through eastern New Mexico and western Texas. It drains about 38,300 square miles (99,200 square km) before emptying into the Rio Grande at the Amistad National Recreation Area. After leaving the mountains, the Pecos flows over desertlike

Korda, Sir Alexander

2005-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Before he was 20 years old he was working as a journalist in Budapest, and in 1914 he started the film periodical Pesti Mozi (“Budapest Cinema”). He made his first film in 1914, and by 1917 he had become the co-owner

Economic Indicator

2005-02-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

Statistic used, along with other indicators, in an attempt to determine the state of general economic activity, especially in the future. A “leading indicator” is one of a statistical series that fairly reliably turn up or down before the general economy does. Common leading indicators are building permits (suggesting the future volume of new construction), common

Asherah

2005-02-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

Ancient West Semitic goddess, consort of the supreme god. Her principal epithet was probably “She Who Walks on the Sea.” She was occasionally called Elath (Elat), “the Goddess,” and may have also been called Qudshu, “Holiness.” According to texts from Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra, Syria), Asherah's consort was El, and by him she was the mother of 70 gods. As mother goddess she was widely worshiped

Basil

2005-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Also called Sweet Basil, spice consisting of the dried leaves of Ocimum basilicum, an annual herb of the family Lamiaceae (Labiatae) native to India and Iran. A number of varieties are used in commerce including the small-leaf common basil, the larger leaf Italian basil, and the large lettuce-leaf basil. The dried large-leaf varieties have a fragrant aroma faintly reminiscent of anise, and a

Colchester

2005-02-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

As Camulodunum, the town of Colchester was the capital of the pre-Roman Belgic ruler Cunobelinus and is so named on his coins. Although burned in 60 CE during the rising of the British queen Boudicca, Colchester soon became one of the

Wailua River

2005-02-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

River on Kauai Island, Hawaii, U.S. It flows from the slopes of Mount Waialeale about 10 miles (16 km) inland, to the east-central coast. The Wailua River Reserve, a 587-acre (238-hectare) coastal state park along the river, is rich in Hawaiian tradition. The first migratory Tahitians, including the great chief Puna-nui, arrived in the 12th century and settled near the present coastal towns

Wu-hsi

2005-02-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Wu-hsi is one of the older cities in the

Tjurunga

2005-02-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Churinga, in Australian Aboriginal religion, a mythical being and a ritual object, usually made of wood or stone, that is a representation or manifestation of such a being. An Aranda word, tjurunga traditionally referred to sacred or secret–sacred things set apart, or taboo; for example, certain rites, stone, and wooden slab objects, bull-roarers, ground paintings and earth mounds,

Augrabies Falls

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

Also spelled Aughrabies Falls, series of separately channeled cataracts and rapids on the Orange River in arid Northern Cape province, South Africa. The falls, which form the central feature of Augrabies Falls National Park (established in 1966), occur where the Orange River leaves a plateau formation of resistant granite. The main fall of water is 305 feet (93 m); and the total drop is about 625 feet (191 m). At the bottom

Heuss, Theodor

2005-02-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

After receiving a political science degree from the University of Munich (1905), Heuss was an editor on several newspapers

Cordeliers, Club Of The

2005-02-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Formally Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , French Club des Cordeliers , or Société des Amis des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen one of the popular clubs of the French Revolution, founded in 1790 to prevent the abuse of power and “infractions of the rights of man.” The club's popular name was derived from its original meeting place in Paris, the nationalized monastery of the Cordeliers (Franciscans). It became a political force under the leadership of such men as Jean-Paul Marat and Georges Danton. After

Metalanguage

2005-01-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

In semantics and philosophy, language used for the analysis of object language (language that is used to talk about objects in the world). Thus, a metalanguage may be thought of as a language about another language. Such philosophers as the German-born Logical Positivist Rudolf Carnap and Alfred Tarski, Polish-born mathematician, argued that philosophical problems

Earth

2005-01-30T02:15:00.000-08:00

The basic structure and composition of the Earth's interior have been known since the mid-20th century. In a landmark paper published in 1952, the American geophysicist Francis Birch described the constitution of the planetary interior based on a broad array of seismological, experimental, and geochemical observations. Although there have been numerous advances in

Mitchell, John Newton

2005-01-29T19:24:00.000-08:00

Mitchell played semiprofessional hockey while working his way through Fordham University (New York City) and Fordham law school. During World War II he served in the Navy as a torpedo boat

Arts, South Asian, Gupta period: central India

2005-01-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

In addition to the major schools of Sarnath and Mathura, important sculpture of the 5th and 6th centuries is found at several sites in central India. The sculptures here are often in their original locations, surviving not as isolated images torn from their architectural context but in association with the temples of which they formed a part. At Udayagiri, near Vidisa, are

Kocaeli

2005-01-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Il (province), of northwestern Turkey, with an area of 1,428 sq mi (3,698 sq km), bounded on the north by the Black Sea and on the west by the Sea of Marmara. It is drained by the lower course of the Sakarya River. It was once part of the kingdom of Bithynia (3rd century BC), and Hannibal was buried there (at modern Gebze) in 183 BC. The area was taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century.

Eads, James B.

2005-01-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

His writings are collected in Estill McHenry (ed.), Addresses and Papers of James B. Eads (1884). Florence L. Dorsey, Road to the Sea: The Story of James B. Eads and the Mississippi River (1947), is the standard work, a well-documented biography, based on research in technical and family papers. Louis How, James B. Eads (1900, reissued 1970), is by Eads's grandson. H.J. Hopkins, A Span of Bridges (1970), offers a good account of the building of the bridge. Quinta Scott and Howard S. Miller, The Eads Bridge (1979), includes a photographic essay.

Loyola, Saint Ignatius Of

2005-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Spanish San Ignacio de Loyola, baptized Iñigo Spanish theologian and one of the most influential figures in the Catholic Reformation of the 16th century, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Paris in 1534.

Kingston Upon Hull

2005-01-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

Hull was a medieval wool port that passed from the monks of Meaux Abbey to Edward I, king of England, in 1293. Edward renamed the town Kingston upon

Avery, Milton (clark)

2005-01-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

Avery painted many landscapes, particularly

Eliot, Charles William

2005-01-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

Eliot graduated from Harvard in 1853 and was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry there in 1858. In 1867 he sailed for Europe, where he made a study of European educational systems.

Vajrapani

2005-01-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Vajrapani (Sanskrit: Thunderbolt-Bearer) is believed to be the protector of the nagas (half-man, half-serpent deities) and sometimes assumes the shape of a bird in order to deceive their traditional enemy, the hawklike Garuda. Because of his association

Aenesidemus

2005-01-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

Philosopher and dialectician of the Greek Academy who revived the Pyrrhonian principle of “suspended judgment” (epoche) as a practical solution to the vexing and “insoluble” problem of knowledge. In his Pyrrhonian Discourses Aenesidemus formulated 10 tropes in defense of Skepticism, four suggesting arguments that arise from the nature

John

2005-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Byname John Lackland, French Jean Sans Terre king of England from 1199 to 1216. In a war with the French king Philip II, he lost Normandy and almost all his other possessions in France. In England, after a revolt of the barons, he was forced to seal the Magna Carta (1215).

Gnetales

2005-01-18T03:23:00.000-08:00

Only order of plants in the subdivision Gnetopsida, a group with characteristics of both angiosperms and gymnosperms. The order contains three families: Ephedraceae, Gnetaceae, and Welwitschiaceae, each with a single genus. See also Ephedra; Gnetaceae; Welwitschiaceae.

Indian Ocean, Ocean basins

2005-01-17T05:03:00.000-08:00

Ocean basins are characterized by smooth, flat plains of thick sediment with abyssal hills (i.e., less than 3,300 feet high) at the bottom flanks of the oceanic ridges. The Indian Ocean's complex ridge topography led to the formation of many basins that range in width from 200 to 5,600 miles. From roughly north to south they include the Arabian, Somali, Mascarene, Madagascar, Mozambique,

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints

2005-01-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

The largest denomination of the Mormon religion. See Mormon.

Pien-tsung-lun

2005-01-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Bianzonglun (Chinese: “Discussions of Essentials”), treatise by Hsieh Ling-yun, an early Chinese Buddhist intellectual, valued chiefly as one of the few sources of information about the author's eminent teacher, Tao-sheng (d. 434). According to Tao-sheng, enlightenment is a sudden and all-encompassing experience, rather than a gradual process as described by his contemporaries. This assertion,

Brooks Range

2005-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Northernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains in northern Alaska, U.S. It is separated from the Alaska Range (south) and the Mackenzie Mountains (southeast) by the lowlands of the Yukon and Porcupine river systems. It extends about 600 miles (1,000 km) in a west–east direction across Alaska, from the Chukchi Sea to the Yukon (Canadian) border, and reaches widths of 80 miles (128 km). Its peaks

Eurodollar

2005-01-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

A United States dollar that has been deposited outside the United States, especially in Europe. Foreign banks holding Eurodollars are obligated to pay in U.S. dollars when the deposits are withdrawn. Dollars form the largest component of all currencies in which such deposits are held and which are generally known as Eurocurrency. The name originated in the early

Ernest I

2005-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

When Ernest succeeded to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld on the death of his father (Francis) in 1806, the duchy was occupied by Napoleon,

Tsu

2005-01-11T02:19:00.000-08:00

Capital, Mie ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the mouth of the Ano River, facing Ise Bay. Tsu developed around a 16th-century castle and served as a post town and trade centre for cotton during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867). A modern cotton mill established in Tsu in 1898 was followed after World War II by factories producing electrical machines, glass, and appliances. During the

Abseron Peninsula

2005-01-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Apsheron , Azerbaijani Abseron Yasaqligi peninsula in Azerbaijan that extends 37 miles (60 km) eastward into the Caspian Sea and reaches a maximum width of 19 miles (30 km). An eastern extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the Abseron Peninsula consists of a gently undulating plain, in part dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes and lands flooded by tides. Vineyards and tea plantations are features

Calanthe

2005-01-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Many species of Calanthe lack pseudobulbs (bulblike stems); those that do occur are large and usually are accompanied by large leaves.

Balbus, Lucius Cornelius

2005-01-06T04:14:00.000-08:00

Gnaeus Pompey conferred Roman citizenship on Balbus and his family for his services against the rebel Quintus Sertorius in Spain. Becoming friendly with all political parties in Rome, Balbus had the determining

Lusaka

2005-01-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

City and capital of Zambia. It is situated in the south-central part of the country on a limestone plateau 4,198 feet (1,280 m) above sea level. In the 1890s the area in which Lusaka is situated was taken over by the British South Africa Company from the local chiefs in the course of the formation of Northern Rhodesia, with control passing to the British Colonial Office in 1924. Lusaka became

Pittsburgh

2005-01-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1788) of Allegheny county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. The city is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which unite at the point of the “Golden Triangle” (the business district) to form the Ohio River. A city of hills, parks, and valleys, it is the centre of an urban industrial complex that includes the surrounding cities of Aliquippa

Distribution Function

2005-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

Mathematical expression that describes the probability that a system will take on a specific value or set of values. For example, the probability (dP) that a molecule of gas will be found with velocity components u, v, and w in the x, y, and z directions, respectively, is given by the product of the distribution function and the infinitesimal volume du dv dw; i.e., dP = f (u, v, w) du dv

Cadenza

2004-12-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

(Italian: “cadence”), unaccompanied bravura passage introduced at or near the close of a movement of a composition and serving as a brilliant climax, particularly in solo concerti of a virtuoso character. Until well into the 19th century such interpolated passages were often improvised by the performer at suitable openings left for that purpose by the composer. They

Ducetius

2004-12-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

A Hellenized leader of the Siculi, an ancient people of Sicily, who for a short time welded the native communities of east Sicily into a powerful federation. He seized his opportunity during the confusion that followed the collapse of tyranny in Syracuse and other Sicilian states in 460. Enjoying the goodwill of the Syracusan democracy, he enlisted its help in driving

Literature

2004-12-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

During 1999 the list assembled by Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly) of the 100 best Chinese fictional works of the 20th century was released in Hong Kong. The first-place winner was Lu Xun for his Nahan (“Call to Arms”); it was followed in order by Shen Congwen for Bian cheng (“Remote Town”), Lao She for Luotuo xiangzi (“The Camel”), Zhang Ailing for Chuanqi (“Legend”), Qian Zhongshu for Wei cheng (“Enclosed

Arrowroot

2004-12-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of the genus Maranta, members of the family Marantaceae (q.v.), the rhizomes, or rootstocks, of which yield an edible starch; the chief among these is M. arundinacea, the source of genuine, or West Indies, arrowroot. This herbaceous perennial, probably a native of Guyana and western Brazil, is cultivated throughout the West Indies,

Jackdaw

2004-12-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Daw (species Corvus monedula), crowlike black bird with gray nape and pearly eyes of the family Corvidae (q.v.; order Passeriformes). Jackdaws, which are 33 cm (13 inches) long, breed in colonies in tree holes, cliffs, and tall buildings: their flocks fly in formation around the site. They lay four to six light, greenish blue eggs that are spotted and blotched. The bird's

Charadriiform, Reproduction

2004-12-19T02:59:00.000-08:00

The modes of reproduction in the charadriiforms are only slightly less diverse than the food habits. Nearly all are ground nesters, laying few eggs (two to four in most families; up to six in jacanas) often with little or no nesting material. Usually the eggs are protectively coloured. Some species nest in crevices or burrows, a few in trees. Many are colonial, with aggregations

Chagres River

2004-12-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Chagres stream in Panama forming part of the Panama Canal system. It rises in the Cordillera de San Blas, flows south-southwest, and broadens to form Madden Lake (22 square miles [57 square km]) at Madden Dam, which was built in 1935 for navigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power. Below the dam it continues southwest to Gamboa, where it joins the Panama Canal at the north end of the Gaillard

Canary Current

2004-12-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Canaries Current, part of a clockwise-setting ocean-current system in the North Atlantic Ocean. It branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwestward along the northwest coast of Africa as far south as Senegal before turning westward to eventually join the Atlantic North Equatorial Current. The cool temperature of the water is produced by upwelling caused

Caribbean Sea

2004-12-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Suboceanic basin of the western Atlantic Ocean, lying between 9° to 22° N and 89° to 60° W. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,754,000 square kilometres) in extent. To the south it is bounded by the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama; to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico; to the north by the Greater Antilles islands of Cuba, Hispaniola,

World Water Crisis: Is There A Way Out?

2004-12-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

According to British hydrologist J.A. Allan, a country that imports food crops is essentially importing the water that was used to grow the crops in the exporting country. This virtual water can amount to as much as 1,000 to 5,000 tons of water per ton of crop imported. Virtual water, acquired as food and agricultural products through global food trade, can actually help to overcome

Rossi, Aldo

2004-12-10T03:31:00.000-08:00

Italian architect (b. May 3, 1931, Milan, Italy--d. Sept. 4, 1997, Milan), created simple yet powerful works by using such geometric shapes as cones, cylinders, and squares and by making skillful use of light and shadow. Rossi was educated at the Milan Polytechnic and following graduation (1959) went to work for the design magazine Casabella, becoming its editor in 1964. In 1966 he set forth his architecture

Kara-yo

2004-12-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “Chinese style”), one of the three main Japanese styles of Buddhist temple architecture in the Kamakura period (1192–1333). Kara-yo originally followed Chinese forms that featured strict symmetry on a central axis. The word kara-yo is written with the character that stands for the Chinese T'ang dynasty (618–907), but the style seems to have represented the official building code

Cheese

2004-12-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Nutritious food consisting primarily of the curd, the semisolid substance formed when milk curdles, or coagulates. Curdling occurs naturally if milk is not used promptly: it sours, forming an acid curd, which releases whey, a watery fluid containing the soluble constituents; and it leaves semisolid curd, or fresh cheese. In some areas, cheese is still made simply by

Latakia

2004-12-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

Ancient Ramitha replaced

Paddle Tennis

2004-12-01T04:40:00.000-08:00

Small-scale form of tennis similar to a British shipboard game of the 1890s. Frank P. Beal, a New York City official, introduced paddle tennis on New York playgrounds in the early 1920s. He had invented it as a child in Albion, Mich. It became popular, and national championship tournaments are still held in the United States. Platform tennis, a later development, is sometimes called

Adamsite

2004-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

In chemical warfare, sneeze gas developed by the United States and used during World War I. Adamsite is an arsenical diphenylaminechlorarsine and an odourless crystalline organic compound employed in vaporous form as a lung irritant. It appears as a yellow smoke that irritates eyes, lungs, and mucous membranes and causes sneezing, vomiting, and acute discomfort

Chad Australopithecine

2004-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Specimen of early hominid, known from the frontal bone and part of the face of a single individual, found in sandstone by Yves Coppens in 1960, at Koro Toro, southeast Chad. The remains were associated with the teeth of an extinct elephant and have been given a provisional date of late Early Pleistocene or early Middle Pleistocene Epoch (500,000 to 200,000 years ago). The frontal bone is steep