BitterBrain

Vienna

2005-04-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Modern Vienna has undergone several historical incarnations. From 1558 to 1918 it was an imperial city—until 1806 the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918 it became the capital of the truncated,

Locatelli, Pietro

2005-04-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

In full Pietro Antonio Locatelli Italian violinist and composer, one of the first great violinists who practiced virtuosity for virtuosity's sake, thereby extending the technical vocabulary of the violin. He is perhaps best known for his L'Arte del violino, a group of 12 violin concerti issued with 24 capriccios ad libitum for

Rush

2005-04-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Any of several flowering plants distinguished by cylindrical stalks or hollow, stemlike leaves. They are found in temperate regions and particularly in moist or shady locations. The rush family (Juncaceae) includes Juncus, the common rushes, and Luzula, the woodrushes. Common rushes are used in many parts of the world for weaving into chair bottoms,

Yi Sun-shin

2005-04-03T04:36:00.000-07:00

After passing the government examinations to become a military officer in 1576, Yi served at various army and navy posts. Although he was twice discharged after being falsely accused by jealous

Anhava, Tuomas

2005-04-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Anhava was a perfectionist in his poetry, with a fanatical concern for le mot propre and a great theoretical interest in the aesthetics of modern poetry. His Runoja (1953; “Poems”) has as its central theme alienation and a search for a transcendence of everyday reality.

Ski Patrol

2005-04-01T03:51:00.000-08:00

Group of paid or volunteer workers at ski resorts whose primary function is to promote skiing safety and provide first aid for injured skiers. Ski patrolmen are proficient skiers trained in first aid and cold weather rescue and survival techniques. One of the largest such organizations in the world is the National Ski Patrol System of the United States, founded

Radin, Paul

2005-03-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

U.S. anthropologist who was influential in advancing a historical model of primitive society based on a synthesis of economic and social structure, religion, philosophy, and psychology. He pioneered in such important fields of anthropology as culture-personality studies and the use of autobiographical documents. An accomplished

Distribution Function

2005-03-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

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

Arabian Sea, Resources

2005-03-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

High levels of inorganic nutrients, such as phosphate concentrate, which produce a rich fish life, have been observed in the western Arabian Sea and off the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Occurring in the euphotic zone (zone of light, which is found in the upper 450 feet of the sea), this fertilizing effect undoubtedly is attributable in part to coastal upwelling,

Sabda

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

(Sanskrit: “sound”), in Indian philosophy, verbal testimony as a means of obtaining knowledge. In the orthodox philosophical systems (darsana), sabda is equated with the authority of the Vedas (most ancient sacred scriptures) as the only infallible testimony, since the Vedas are deemed both eternal and authorless and without contradiction. Sabda is of particular importance

Kilim

2005-03-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

Patristic Literature, Monastic literature

2005-03-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Both Anthony (c. 250–355), the founder of eremitical, or solitary, monasticism in

Military Affairs, Middle East.

2005-03-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

The situation in Israel and the Palestinian Autonomous Areas devolved into a war in all but name. Palestinian militants used small arms, mortars, and suicide bombers, mostly against civilian targets. The Israeli military used weapons ranging from F-16 fighter jets and missile-equipped attack helicopters to tank-fired flechette rounds, which contained thousands

Apprenticeship

2005-03-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Training in an art, trade, or craft under a legal agreement that defines the duration and conditions of the relationship between master and apprentice.

Perch

2005-03-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

The common and yellow perches are found, respectively, in the fresh waters of Eurasia

Hughes, (james Mercer) Langston

2005-03-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Black poet and writer who became, through numerous translations, one of the foremost interpreters to the world of the black experience in the United States. Hughes's parents separated soon after his birth, and young Hughes was raised by his mother and grandmother. After his grandmother's death, he and his mother moved to half a dozen

Peter Claver, Saint

2005-03-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Peter entered the Society of Jesus in 1602 and eight years later was sent to Cartagena, where he was ordained in 1616. The miserable condition of the slaves aboard ship and in the pens

Earth Sciences, Desalinization, tidal power, and minerals from the sea

2005-03-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

For ages a source of food and common salt, the sea is increasingly becoming a source of water, chemicals, and energy. In 1967 Key West, Fla., became the first U.S. city to be supplied solely by water from the sea, drawing its supplies from a plant that produces more than 2,000,000 gallons of refined water daily. Magnesia was extracted from the Mediterranean in the late 19th century; at present

Croatia, Industry

2005-03-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

Already more industrialized than most of its neighbours when the communists assumed power over Yugoslavia in 1945, Croatia continued its rapid industrialization under socialist policies of economic and social development. One unfortunate result was the squandering of a great deal of money through inefficiency and the misallocation of resources through the

Perak

2005-03-18T02:53:00.000-08:00

Traditional region, northwestern West Malaysia (Malaya), bordering Thailand to the north and fronting the Strait of Malacca to the west. Its area includes a large portion of West Malaysia's west-coast plains and centres upon the Perak River, which flows north-to-south between the Keledang Range to the east and the Bintang Range to the west; both of these mountain ranges

Steichen, Edward

2005-03-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

Pioneer of American photography who, with Alfred Stieglitz, was a leader of the Photo-Secession Group. His style evolved from painterly impressionism to a sharp realism after World War I. His portraits of artists and celebrities from the 1920s and '30s are remarkable evocations of character. In 1955 he organized the “Family of Man” exhibition

Grease

2005-03-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

White grease is made from inedible hog fat and has a low content of free fatty acids. Yellow grease is made from darker parts of the hog and may include parts used to make white grease. Brown grease contains

Abyssal Plain

2005-03-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

Flat seafloor area at an abyssal depth (3,000 to 6,000 m [10,000 to 20,000 feet]), generally adjacent to a continent. These submarine surfaces vary in depth only from 10 to 100 cm per kilometre of horizontal distance. Irregular in outline but generally elongate along continental margins, the larger plains are hundreds of kilometres wide and thousands of kilometres long. In the North Atlantic the Sohm

Cincinnati Zoo And Botanical Garden

2005-03-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

Zoological park owned by the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., and administered in conjunction with the Zoological Society of Cincinnati. It maintains one of the largest animal collections in the United States, with more than 17,000 specimens representing in excess of 750 species. Often called the “gorilla capital of the world,” the zoo held the record for the most births of lowland

Furniture, Mixed forms

2005-03-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

Apart from the kinds of storage furniture already mentioned, there are numerous combination forms. An ordinary table can be used as a writing desk, and the only differences between the typical French Rococo writing desk of the 18th century and other tables are the drawers in the underframe and the leather-covered top. The novelty of Louis XV's writing desk consists

Sannazzaro, Jacopo

2005-03-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sannazzaro became court poet of the house of Aragon at the age of 20. In 1501, when Frederic, last king of the dynasty, lost his throne, Sannazzaro accompanied him into exile

More, Sir Anthony

2005-03-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

More studied his art under Jan van Scorel, and, after making a professional visit to Italy, he began to paint portraits in the style of Hans Holbein. His rise to eminence was rapid. In 1552 he was invited to Madrid by the emperor Charles V. In 1554 he

Anthraquinone Dye

2005-03-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

Anthraquinone acid dyes contain sulfonic acid groups that render them soluble in water and substantive for wool and silk; that is, they have an affinity for these fibres

Gabor, Dennis

2005-03-12T23:19:00.000-08:00

A research engineer for the firm of Siemens and Halske in Berlin from 1927, Gabor fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and worked with the Thomson-Houston Company

Anthraquinone Dye

2005-03-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

American organization created in 1890 by the merger of the two major rival women's rights organizations—the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association—after 21 years of independent operation. NAWSA was initially headed by past executives of the two merged groups, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B.

Arts, Islamic, The 'Abbasids

2005-03-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

It was not until the 'Abbasids assumed power in 750, settling in Baghdad, that the golden age of Arabic literature began. The influx of foreign elements added new colour to cultural and literary life. Hellenistic thought and the influence of the ancient cultures of the Near East, for example, contributed to the rapid intellectual growth of the Muslim community. Its members,

Police Zone

2005-03-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Southern two-thirds of South West Africa (now Namibia) in which the German and later South African colonial administrations were able to establish effective European-style police control beginning in the early 20th century. The name of the area and its original boundary were adopted in 1919 by the South Africans from a 1911 German map of the territory on which the area was marked

Fabritius, Carel

2005-03-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

He was the son of a schoolmaster, who is said to have been a part-time painter, and both Carel and his brother Barent became painters; both

Amazon River, Early European exploration

2005-03-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

In the early days the river was the only means of access into the forest. Francisco de Orellana descended the main course of the river from the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic in 1541–42. Nearly a century later, Pedro Teixeira went from Belém to Quito, Ecuador, and the region increasingly became known through the explorations of the Portuguese. In 1743 the French naturalist Charles-Marie

Shigella

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

Genus of rod-shaped bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae, species of which are normal inhabitants of the human intestinal tract and can cause dysentery, or shigellosis. Shigella are microbiologically characterized as gram-negative, non-spore-forming, nonmotile bacteria. Their cells are 0.4 to 0.6 micrometre across by 1 to 3 micrometres long. S. dysenteriae, spread

Gabon, History Of

2005-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Early history is presented in David E. Gardinier, “The Beginnings of French Catholic Evangelization in Gabon and African Responses, 1844–1883,” French Colonial Studies, no. 2 (1978), pp. 49–74, on the planting of Catholicism in Gabon, and “Les Frères de Saint-Gabriel au Gabon, 1900–1918, et la naissance d'une nouvelle élite africaine,” Mondes et Cultures, 46(3):593–606 (1986), on the education of the anticolonialist elite prominent in Gabon's political life since 1944. K. David Patterson, The Northern Gabon Coast to 1875 (1975), examines the economic and political evolution of northern Gabon. Brian Weinstein, Gabon: Nation-building on the Ogooue (1966), describes political development, especially from the 1940s to the early '60s. Charles F. Darlington and Alice B. Darlington, African Betrayal (1968), is an account by the American ambassador to Libreville who witnessed the coup of 1964 and the French intervention. François Gaulme, Le Gabon et son ombre (1988), traces the political, economic, and social evolution since 1960. Michael C. Reed, “Gabon: A Neo-Colonial Enclave of Enduring French Interest,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 25(2):283–320 (June 1987), focuses on the recent modern period. David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (1981), concentrates on the political evolution in the 20th century, with a large bibliography.

Interior Design, 20th century

2005-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

The principle behind a great deal of 20th century interior decoration was first expounded in Chicago in 1896 in a magazine entitled the House Beautiful. This journal opposed both the perpetuation of vulgar display and the excess of ornament that had characterized most of the 19th century. Other American magazines like The Ladies Home Journal soon followed House

Sanjo

2005-03-06T02:54:00.000-08:00

City, Niigata Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, on the delta of the Shinano-gawa (Shinano River). Sanjo was founded as a castle town in the 16th century. It was a river port and post town during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867), when the city first became known as a centre of metal tool production. Carpenter tools and household hardware are still produced in more than 2,000 small workshops. Pop. (1980) 85,275.

Mitchell, John Thomas Whitehead

2005-03-05T01:32:00.000-08:00

At an early age, Mitchell joined the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers and was appointed its secretary in 1857. He shaped the policy of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, established in 1863, and was its chairman from 1874 until his death. Mitchell emphasized

1945--a Watershed Year

2005-03-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Test.--The first atomic bomb in the history of mankind was exploded at 5:30 A.M. on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo air base in the desert 120 mi. southeast of Albuquerque, N.M. The bomb had been placed on a tall steel tower while scientists and military experts occupied

Leafy Liverwort

2005-03-04T03:33:00.000-08:00

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

Christchurch Mansion

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

In Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng., Tudor mansion built between 1548 and 1550 by Edmund Withipoll and now maintained as an art gallery and museum that is part of the Ipswich Museum of Art. The mansion houses a collection of local antiquities, including paintings and memorials of Edward Fitzgerald and Thomas Wollner. It has fine 16th-century paneling and part of a marble font from

Scandinavian Literature, Skaldic verse

2005-03-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

Norwegians and Icelanders of the 9th to the 13th century also composed skaldic poetry (from the Icelandic word skáld, “poet”). It was not composed in the free variable metres of the Poetic Edda but was strictly syllabic: every syllable had to be counted and every line had to end in a given form. Like Eddaic lines, the skaldic lines were joined in pairs by alliteration, often using

Austin

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

City, seat (1857) of Mower county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies along the Cedar River, in a farming area specializing in corn (maize) and livestock. It was settled in 1853, laid out in 1856, and named for its first settler, Austin R. Nicholas. Austin Community College (1940) and the Mower County Historical Center are there. George A. Hormel and Company's meat-packing and food-processing plant

Grable, Betty

2005-03-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Grable was set on the road to stardom by her mother,

Karakum Canal

2005-03-01T02:34:00.000-08:00

Waterway in Turkmenistan. The main section, begun in 1954 and completed in 1967, runs some 520 miles (840 km) from the Amu Darya (river) to Gökdepe, west of Ashgabat, skirting the Karakum Desert. In the 1970s and '80s the canal was extended to the Caspian Sea coast, making the total length 870 miles (1,400 km). Water from the canal, which is navigable for 280 miles (450 km), is used principally for irrigation, and fishing has

Ghassan

2005-02-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Ghassanid king al-Harith ibn Jabalah (reigned 529–569) supported the Byzantines against Sasanian Persia

Randstad

2005-02-28T00:17:00.000-08:00

Industrial and metropolitan conurbation occupying an area of peat and clay lowlands, west-central Netherlands. The Randstad (“Ring City”) consists of major Dutch industrial cities extending in a crescent (open to the southeast) from Utrecht in the east to Dordrecht in the south and including Hilversum, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague, and Rotterdam. It encompasses

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-02-27T23:42:00.000-08:00

If taken when young, the grizzly can be tamed quite easily and is not uncommon in circus acts. Unfortunately, man has come to picture the bear as being quite tame and harmless, with the result that the bear is viewed without the respect that this potentially dangerous creature deserves. The grizzly is the most dangerous of the bears to man, of the most interest economically

Media And Publishing, Amateur Radio.

2005-02-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

In 1998 the amateur radio (ham) community in the U.S. was grappling with the most sweeping restructuring of amateur radio licensing since 1989. In July the American Radio Relay League proposed reducing the number of classes of licenses from six to four and streamlining the examinations needed to obtain the licenses. Instead of six license classes, there would be four: technician,

Hanalei

2005-02-27T00:55:00.000-08:00

Village, Kauai county, on the north central coast of Kauai Island, Hawaii, U.S. Near the head of Hanalei (“crescent”) Bay, the village is in the scenic and fertile Hanalei or Hanohano (“majestic”) Valley (3,439 ft [1,048 m] deep), one of the state's few rice-producing regions. While some cattle are raised, the villagers are primarily paddy, taro, and vegetable farmers. Missionaries arrived at the

Gaillard, Château

2005-02-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

(French: “Saucy Castle”), 12th-century castle built by Richard the Lion-Heart on the Andelys cliff overlooking the Seine River in France; substantial portions of it still stand. Château Gaillard, the strongest castle of its age, guarded the Seine River valley approach to Normandy. Skillfully designed and executed, with the base of the keep carved out of the natural

Aedon

2005-02-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Pandareus of Ephesus. According to Homer, she was the wife of Zethus, the king of Thebes. She had only two children and envied her sister-in-law, Niobe, who had many. She planned to murder Niobe's eldest son in his sleep, but by mistake killed her own son, Itylus, who was sharing his room. Zeus took pity on Aedon in her grief and changed her into a nightingale;

Cipher

2005-02-25T01:53:00.000-08:00

All ciphers involve either transposition or substitution, or a combination of these two mathematical operations—i.e., product ciphers. In transposition cipher systems, elements of the plaintext

Land Crab

2005-02-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

Any crab of the family Gecarcinidae (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea), typically terrestrial, square-bodied crabs that only occasionally, as adults, return to the sea. They occur in tropical America, West Africa, and the Indo-Pacific region. All species feed on both animal and plant tissue. Cardisoma guanhumi, a land crab of Bermuda, the West Indies, and the southern

Diving Petrel

2005-02-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

Any of five species of small seabirds of the sub-Antarctic regions that constitute the family Pelecanoididae (order Procellariiformes). Although their nearest relatives are the storm petrels, shearwaters, and albatrosses, diving petrels differ from these long-winged forms and instead resemble the smaller auks of the Northern Hemisphere, a classic example of

Alaska, Government

2005-02-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

The state constitution was adopted in 1956. The governor and lieutenant governor are the only executive officers and are elected for four-year terms. The 40-member House of Representatives and 20-member Senate are elected for terms of two and four years, respectively. The Supreme Court has a chief justice and four associate justices. A three-member court of appeals was established

Aerophone

2005-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of musical instruments in which a vibrating mass of air produces the initial sound. The basic types include woodwind, brass, and free-reed instruments, as well as instruments that fall into none of these groups, such as the bull-roarer and the siren. Bagpipes and organs are hybrids with different kinds of pipes. The word aerophone replaces the term wind

Henogamy

2005-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

The custom by which one, and only one, member of a family is permitted to marry. The classic example is that of the patrilineal Nambudiri Brahmans of Malabar in Tamil Nadu, India; among them, only eldest sons were permitted to marry Nambudiri women and have legitimate children. The custom is concerned with the need to keep property intact and to limit the number of legitimate

Zaharoff, Sir Basil

2005-02-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

He was the son of poor Greek parents who had Russified the family name during years spent in exile in Russia. As a young man he worked for his uncle in the cloth trade in Istanbul. In

Saint Bernard

2005-02-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

Working dog credited with saving the lives of some 2,500 people in 300 years of service as pathfinder and rescue dog at the hospice founded by St. Bernard of Montjoux in Great St. Bernard Pass in the Pennine Alps. Probably descended from mastifflike dogs that were introduced from Asia to Europe by the Romans, the St. Bernard appears to have been brought to the hospice in the late

Mine Gas

2005-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Any of various harmful vapours produced during mining operations. The gases are frequently called damps (German Dampf, “vapour”). Firedamp is a gas that occurs naturally in coal seams. The gas is nearly always methane (CH4) and is highly inflammable and explosive when present in the air in a proportion of 5 to 14 percent. White damp, or carbon monoxide (CO), is a particularly

Rio Grande

2005-02-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

Port city, southeastern Rio Grande do Sul estado (“state”), southern Brazil. The city lies along the Rio Grande (river), which is the outlet to the Atlantic of the Patos Lagoon. It is built on a low peninsula, barely 5 feet (1.5 m) above sea level and 8 miles (13 km) from the river's mouth. Where it enters the ocean, the river passes over a submerged bar that has been dredged so that oceangoing vessels

Thomism

2005-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Philosophical and theological system developed by Thomas Aquinas, by his later commentators, and by modern revivalists of the system, known as neo-Thomists.

Clare

2005-02-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern South Australia, 80 miles (130 km) north of Adelaide. Founded in 1842, it was named for the Irish county in which one of its early settlers was born. In 1851, Jesuits planted the first vineyard of the district. Grapes for table use and wine making, along with other fruits, grains, livestock, and dairy products, now form the basis of the local economy. Declared a municipality

Cherry, Donald Eugene

2005-02-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

U.S. jazz trumpeter (b. Nov. 18, 1936, Oklahoma City, Okla.--d. Oct. 19, 1995, Málaga, Spain), was a pioneer of free jazz as a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet and later joined jazz with elements of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and European music, thereby becoming a pioneer of world music as well. Cherry, who grew up in Los Angeles, hailed from a musical family. He had already achieved some local

Torgau

2005-02-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

City, Saxony Land (state), eastern Germany. It is a port on the Elbe River, northeast of Leipzig. First mentioned in 973 and chartered in 1255–67, it was, after 1456, a frequent residence of the electors of Saxony, who built the Hartenfels Castle (1533–44 and 1616–23; now a museum). In 1526 the Torgauer Bund, a league of evangelical princes against the Roman Catholic princes, was formed there. During that period Martin

Wu-ch'ang

2005-02-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wuchang industrial city and capital of Hupeh sheng (province), central China. Located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, it is the oldest city of the Wu-han conurbation (Han-kou, Han-yang, Wu-ch'ang). It is the oldest of the Wu-han cities and served as a capital under the Wu dynasty in the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220–280) and is the administrative and cultural centre of the Wu-han cities. Northeast

Byzantine Empire, The crisis of midcentury

2005-02-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

At last the menace of simultaneous war on two fronts threatened Justinian's plans. During the 550s, his armies were to prove equal to the challenge, but a major disaster prevented them from so doing between 541 and about 548. The disaster was the bubonic plague of 541–543, the first of those shocks, or traumas, mentioned earlier, that would eventually transform East Rome into the medieval

Music, Western, Solo and ensemble instruments

2005-02-17T03:40:00.000-08:00

The four major vehicles for instrumental music of the period were the lute, the organ, stringed keyboard instruments, and instrumental ensembles. Most popular by far was the lute, which could produce the major elements of instrumental style except for long, sustained tones. Noteworthy composers of lute music included Luis Milán in Spain, Arnold Schlick in Germany,

Condé, Louis I De Bourbon, 1er Prince De (1st Prince Of)

2005-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

Louis de Bourbon was the hunchback youngest son of Charles, duc de Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon. Brought up among Huguenots, he was married in

Ma-xia School

2005-02-16T03:27:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ma-hsia group of Chinese landscape artists that used a style of painting named after Ma Yuan and Xia Gui, two great painters of the Southern Song academy, of which they were members in the last quarter of the 12th century AD and the beginning of the 13th century. The aim of their landscapes was to create a feeling of limitless space, a vast atmospheric void out of which a few elements,

Greek Literature, Lyric poetry

2005-02-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

Hesiod, unlike Homer, told something of himself, and the same is true of the lyric poets. Except for Pindar and Bacchylides at the end of the classical period, only fragments of the works of these poets survive. There had always been lyric poetry in Greece. All the great events of life as well as many occupations had their proper songs, and here too the way was open to advance

Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup

2005-02-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

When Prime Minister Poul Schlüter was forced from office by Denmark's ongoing "Tamilgate" affair on Jan. 14, 1993, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the leader of the Social Democrats, was faced not only with the challenge of forming a new government but also with the task of overseeing Denmark's key second referendum on the Maastricht Treaty. Furthermore, the country had just taken over

Anatolian Religion

2005-02-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

The earliest evidence of religious beliefs has come to light at the mound of Çatal Hüyük, to the south of modern Konya. Here in four seasons of excavations (1961–65), James Mellaart discovered remains of a Neolithic village of mud-brick houses, many of which could be identified as shrines. They are dated by radiocarbon to about 6500–5800 BC (calculated with a half-life of 5,730 years). Huge figures

Shamanism, Eskimo

2005-02-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

Shamanism predominates in the religious life of the Eskimo. The chief prerogatives of the Eskimo shaman (angakok; plural angákut) are healing, the ecstatic underwater journey to the Mother of Animals for the purpose of assuring an abundance of game, and the aid he brings to barren women. Sickness is brought on by the violation of taboos or results from the capture of

Hawkins, Sir John

2005-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hawkins wrote, among other works, an annotated edition

Roux, Jacques

2005-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

At the outbreak of the Revolution in 1789, Roux was a vicar of a parish in Paris. Soon he began preaching the ideals of popular democracy to crowds of Parisian sansculottes (wage earners and shopkeepers). In 1791 he was elected

Diorite

2005-02-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Medium- to coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock that commonly is composed of about two-thirds plagioclase feldspar and one-third dark-coloured minerals, such as hornblende or biotite. The presence of sodium-rich feldspar, oligoclase or andesine, in contrast to calcium-rich plagioclase, labradorite or bytownite, is the main distinction between diorite and gabbro

Gaboriau, émile

2005-02-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Gaboriau's prolific imagination and acute observation generated 21 novels (originally published in serial form) in 13 years. He made his reputation with the publication in 1866 of L'Affaire

Fyn

2005-02-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Amtskommune (county commune), Denmark, comprising 25 inhabited islands between Zealand and the Jutland peninsula. Funen and Langeland (qq.v.) are the two largest islands, with more than 90 percent of the population. Odense is the administrative centre and largest city. Road bridges connect the islands of Funen, Tåsinge, and Langeland; Ærø and smaller islands have ferry connections

Peru, Pre-Hispanic patterns

2005-02-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Diverse groups of indigenous Indians occupied Peru during the pre-Hispanic period. When the first migrants arrived in the Andean area, probably more than 13,000 years ago, they were at a hunting and gathering stage of cultural development. Over a long period of time, however, varied and more sophisticated ways of life were developed. Along the coast, groups became specialized

Latin American Central Of Workers

2005-02-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Spanish Central Latinoamericana de Trabajadores (CLAT), regional Christian Democrat trade union federation linked to the World Confederation of Labour (WCL). Its affiliated member groups represent some 10,000,000 workers in more than 35 Latin-American and Caribbean countries and territories. Its headquarters are in Caracas, Venez. From its founding in 1954 until 1971 it was known as the Latin American Federation of Christian Trade

Basal Metabolic Rate (bmr)

2005-02-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

Index of the general level of activity of an individual's body metabolism, determined by measuring his oxygen intake in the basal state—i.e., during absolute rest, but not sleep, 14 to 18 hours after eating. The higher the amount of oxygen consumed in a certain time interval, the more active is the oxidative process of the body and the higher is the rate of body metabolism. The

Chandigarh

2005-02-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

City and union territory of India. Located on the plain just south of the Shiwalik Hills, about 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of New Delhi, Chandigarh is bounded by the state of Haryana on the east and by the state of Punjab on all other sides. The territory is administered by a chief commissioner, who is appointed by the president of India's union (central) government. The city of

France, History Of, Frankish expansion and the unification of Gaul

2005-02-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

During the years following his accession, Clovis consolidated the position of the Franks in northern Gaul. In 486 he defeated Syagrius, the last Roman ruler in Gaul, and in a series of subsequent campaigns with strong Gallo-Roman support occupied an area situated between the Frankish kingdom of Tournai, the Visigothic and Burgundian kingdoms, and the lands occupied

Biblical Literature, Anglo-Saxon versions

2005-02-08T03:56:00.000-08:00

For about seven centuries after the conversion of England to Christianity (beginning in the 3rd century), the common man had no direct access to the text of the Scriptures. Ignorant of Latin, his knowledge was derived principally from sermons and metrical prose paraphrases and summaries. The earliest poetic rendering of any part of the Bible is credited to Caedmon

China, Foreign relations in the 1860s

2005-02-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Tsungli Yamen had two offices attached to it: the Inspectorate General of Customs and the Language School, called T'ung-wen-kuan. The former was the centre for the Maritime Custom Service, administered by Western personnel appointed by the Ch'ing. The latter was opened to train the children of bannermen in foreign languages, and later some Western sciences were

Tabora

2005-02-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

Formerly Kazeh, town, west-central Tanzania. Lying on the Central Plateau at an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), it has a mean annual temperature of 73° F (23° C). The town has been the capital of the Nyamwezi people and was the major trade link between the coast and the Congo River basin prior to European colonial rule. As the junction point of the east-west (Dar es-Salaam–Ujiji) railway and the north-south railway

Great Appalachian Valley

2005-02-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Great Valley Region, longitudinal chain of valley lowlands of the Appalachian mountain system of North America. Extending from Canada on the northeast to Alabama, U.S., on the southwest, it includes the St. Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Kittatinny, Cumberland, Shenandoah, and Tennessee river valleys in the United States. In its southerly region the Great Appalachian Valley divides

Somalia, Forestry

2005-02-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

The acacia species of the thorny savanna in southern Somalia supply good timber and are the major source of charcoal, but charcoal production has long exceeded ecologically acceptable limits. More efficient and careful handling of Boswellia, Commiphora, and other resin-exuding trees could increase yields of aromatic gums.

Waagenoceras

2005-02-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct cephalopods (animals related to the modern squid, octopus, and nautilus) found as fossils in Permian marine rocks (from about 286 to 245 million years ago). Waagenoceras has a small, globular shell whose distinctive pattern of sutures between shell chambers is complexly convoluted, aiding in identification. Some species of Waagenoceras serve as excellent

Akimov, Nikolay Pavlovich

2005-02-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Scenic designer and producer, known for the diversity of his bold experiments in stage design and dramatic interpretation—most especially for his cynical reinterpretation of Hamlet (1932), in which the king's ghost was represented as a fiction cunningly devised by Hamlet,

Hawke's Bay

2005-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

Local government region, eastern North Island, New Zealand. It consists mostly of the hill country fronting Hawke Bay to the east, stretches from the Mahia Peninsula in the northeast to the vicinity of Cape Turnagain in the southeast, and is noted for its rolling sheep lands. The region extends westward to the Huiarau, Maungaharuru, Kaweka, and Ruahine mountain ranges;

Jouvenet, Jean

2005-02-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Jouvenet was the most celebrated of a family of artists and was son and pupil of Laurent Jouvenet. On arriving in Paris in 1661 he attracted the attention

Mine

2005-02-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

In military and naval operations, a usually stationary explosive device that is designed to destroy personnel, ships, or vehicles when the latter come in contact with it. Submarine mines have been in use since the mid-19th century; land mines did not become a significant factor in warfare until a hundred years later.

China, The Cultural Revolution, 196676

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

As the clash over issues in the autumn of 1965 became polarized, the army initially provided the battleground. The issues concerned differences over policy directions and their implications for the organization of power and the qualifications of senior officials to lead. Much of the struggle went on behind the scenes; in public it took the form of personal vilification

Ezra And Nehemiah, Books Of

2005-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Esdras and Nehemias, two Old Testament books that together with the books of Chronicles formed a single history of Israel from the time of Adam. Ezra and Nehemiah are a single book in the Jewish canon. Roman Catholics long associated the two, calling the second “Esdras alias Nehemias” in the Douay-Confraternity. Later works, e.g., the Jerusalem Bible, maintain separate identities but associate

Ryazan

2005-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Riazan, or R'azan ', oblast (province), western Russia. It occupies an area of 15,300 square miles (39,600 square km) in the middle Oka River basin and extends southward across the northern end of the Central Russian Upland and Oka-Don Plain to the upper Don River basin. North of the Oka is the Meshchera Lowland, with extensive swamps of reed and grass marsh and mixed forest of oak, spruce, pine, and birch. Considerable

Tritone

2005-02-01T02:41:00.000-08:00

In musical notation the tritone is written either as an augmented