EarlyStation

Organic Underwear

2006-10-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

Natural soft Organic Clothinggoods are hard to find as they can often be a little course. Liv Organic Cotton Goodsare soft and luxurious and their Organic Underwear is to die for.

Ito Hirobumi

2005-04-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

In full (from 1907) Koshaku (Duke [or Prince]) Ito Hirobumi , original name Toshisuke Japanese elder statesman (genro) and premier (1885–88, 1892–96, 1898, 1900–01), who played a crucial role in building modern Japan. He helped draft the Meiji constitution (1889) and brought about the establishment of a bicameral national Diet (1890). He was created a marquess in 1884 and a duke (or prince) in 1907.

Amos

2005-04-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

Brackley, Thomas Egerton, Viscount, Baron Ellesmere

2005-04-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, and called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1572, Egerton was promoted rapidly under Queen Elizabeth I, becoming lord keeper of the great seal in

Proclus

2005-04-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

Proclus was reared at Xanthus in Lycia, and he studied philosophy under Olympiodorus the Elder at Alexandria. At Athens he studied under the Greek philosophers Plutarch and Syrianus,

Penates

2005-04-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

Formally Di Penates household gods of the Romans and other Latin peoples. In the narrow sense, they were gods of the penus (“household provision”), but by extension their protection reached the entire household. They are associated with other deities of the house, such as Vesta, and the name was sometimes used interchangeably with that of the Lares, any of various tutelary deities. The Penates

Spodumene

2005-03-31T04:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Triphane a lithium aluminum silicate mineral (LiAlSi2O6) in the pyroxene family, an important ore of lithium and a source of ceramic materials. It is ordinarily found in lithium-bearing granite pegmatites. When brilliant and glassy, clear spodumene is valued as a semiprecious gem (more by collectors and museums than by the public, because its colour fades when it is exposed to

Córdoba

2005-03-31T02:21:00.000-08:00

Departamento, northwestern Colombia. It occupies the Caribbean lowlands north of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Occidental. During most of the colonial period the area was sparsely settled, the original densely settled Indian population having disappeared by the time of the first major Spanish penetration in 1534. Created in 1951, the territory, 9,660 square miles (25,020 square

Dowland, John

2005-03-31T01:40:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of Dowland's childhood, but in 1580 he went to Paris as a “servant” to Sir Henry Cobham, the ambassador to the French court. In 1588 he received a bachelor of music degree from the University of Oxford. His conversion to

Quiché

2005-03-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Department, northwestern Guatemala, bounded on the north by Mexico. The 3,235 sq mi (8,378 sq km) of the department extend from the valley of the upper Río Motagua across the Sierra de Chuacús and the Altos (mountains) Cuchumatanes to the lowlands of the Río Lacantum, at the Mexican border. Most of the inhabitants, many of whom are Maya Indians, are farmers, raising livestock, corn (maize),

Carbuncle

2005-03-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

In mineralogy, a deep red, cabochon-cut almandine, which is an iron aluminum garnet. See almandine.

Wailua River

2005-03-29T01:33:00.000-08:00

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

Defferre, Gaston

2005-03-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

Son of a lawyer (avocat), Defferre studied at the Faculty of Law in Aix-en-Provence and practiced law from 1931. During World War II he served in the resistance and was briefly mayor of Marseille near war's end. He was deputy to the National Assembly

Melbourne

2005-03-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

City, capital of the state of Victoria, Australia. It is located at the head of Port Phillip Bay, on the southeastern coast. Although the central city is the home of fewer than 100,000 people, it is the core of an extensive metropolitan area—the world's most southerly with a population of more than 1,000,000. In Australia it is second only to Sydney in population, and there is a good-natured

Orthodox Jewish Congregations Of America, Union Of

2005-03-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

The union was established in New York City in 1898 to foster Orthodox beliefs and practices. To pursue its goals, the union sponsors numerous elementary and secondary day schools oriented toward Orthodoxy

Sesostris Iii

2005-03-24T00:17:00.000-08:00

During the reigns of his predecessors, the provincial nobles of Middle Egypt had enhanced their power through royal favours and intermarriage with the families of neighbouring potentates. Around the

Free Jazz

2005-03-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

The main characteristic of free jazz is that there are no rules. Musicians do not adhere to a fixed harmonic structure (predetermined chord progressions) as they improvise; instead, they modulate (i.e., change keys) at will. Free

Ahmad Khan, Sir Sayyid

2005-03-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Sayyid also spelled Syad, or Syed, Ahmad also spelled Ahmed Muslim educator, jurist, and author, founder of the Anglo-Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, and the principal motivating force behind the revival of Indian Islam in the late 19th century. His works, in Urdu, include Essays on the Life of Mohammed (1870) and commentaries on the Bible and on the Qur'an. In 1888 he was made a Knight Commander

China, The armed forces

2005-03-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

The command of the armed forces was also arranged so as to avoid giving excessive powers to a single individual. General officers were usually appointed in pairs, and, in times of emergency or when a campaign was being planned with a defined objective, officers were appointed for a specific task; when their mission was fulfilled, their commands were brought to a close.

Hindu Kush, Animal life

2005-03-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

Well-adapted species of wildlife are found throughout the mountains. The Siberian ibex and the markhor (both wild goats) negotiate the high crags, while Marco Polo sheep and urial (another wild sheep) occasionally are found in the high pamir. Black and brown bears still exist in isolated valleys, and the Chitral valley wildlife preserve is a domain of the rare snow leopard.

Agriculture And Food Supplies, Company Developments.

2005-03-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

Nestlé SA of Switzerland retained its position as the world's largest food producer, its sales increasing by 3.4% in the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 1995. Nestlé sold Wine World Estates, which owned 2,630 ha (6,500 ac) of vineyards in California, to a newly formed U.S. consortium comprising Silverado Partners and Texas Pacific Group. Nestlé sold twice the amount of soft drinks in Europe as PepsiCo,

Analysis, Filtration

2005-03-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

This operation can be used to separate particles according to their dimensions. One application is the removal of the precipitate after selective precipitation. Such solid-liquid laboratory filtrations are performed through various grades of filter paper (i.e., those differing in pore size). The mixture is poured either onto a filter paper that rests in a funnel

Hoopoe

2005-03-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

(Upupa epops), strikingly crested bird found from southern Europe and Africa to southeastern Asia, the sole member of the family Upupidae of the roller order, Coraciiformes. About 28 centimetres (11 inches) long, it is pinkish brown on the head and shoulders, with a long, black-tipped, erectile crest and black-and-white barred wings and tail. The hoopoe takes insects

Oman, John Wood

2005-03-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Edinburgh University and the theological college of the United Presbyterian Church, Oman studied in Germany. After serving as an assistant pastor in Paisley, Scot., he transferred to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of England. In 1907 he was appointed

Canary Islands

2005-03-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

Spanish Islas Canarias comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Spain, consisting of an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the nearest island being 67 miles (108 km) off the northwest African mainland. The Canaries comprise the Spanish provincias of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as the insular councils of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, and

Dadra And Nagar Haveli

2005-03-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

Works dealing specifically with the west and west-central area prior to its annexation by India are mainly in Portuguese; see Henry Scholberg, Archana Ashok Kakodker, and Carmo Azevedo, Bibliography of Goa and the Portuguese in India (1982). See also M.N. Pearson, Merchants and Rulers in Gujarat: The Response to the Portuguese in the Sixteenth Century (1976); and K.S. Mathew, Portuguese and the Sultanate of Gujarat, 1500–1573 (1986). Ganesh Dass, Socio-economic Profile of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, ed. by K.D. Ballal (1974); and P.S. Lele, Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1987), provide useful overviews. S.S. Desai, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1976), is a study of the three union territories.

Textile, Plain weave

2005-03-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Plain, or tabby, weave, the simplest and most common of all weaves, requires only two harnessses and has two warp and weft yarns in each weave unit. To produce it, the warp yarns are held parallel under tension while a crosswise weft yarn isshot over and under alternate warps across the width of the web. The weave unit is completed at the end of the second row, when the weft

Mon Kingdom

2005-03-13T06:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Hanthawaddy Kingdom, kingdom of the Mon people, who were powerful in Myanmar (Burma) from the 9th to the 11th and from the 13th to the 16th century and for a brief period in the mid-18th century. The Mon migrated southward from western China and settled in the Chao Phraya River basin (of southern Thailand) about the 6th century AD. Their early kingdoms, Dvaravati and Haripunjaya (qq.v.), had ties with the ancient

Biblical Literature, Deliberate changes

2005-03-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

Apart from mechanical alterations of a text, many variants must have been consciously introduced by scribes, some by way of glossing—i.e., the insertion of a more common word to explain a rare one—and others by explanatory comments incorporated into the text. Furthermore, a scribe who had before him two manuscripts of a single work containing variant readings, and unable

Giles, H.a.

2005-03-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

Educated at Charterhouse school, London, Giles joined the consular service and spent the years 1867–92 in various posts in China. Upon his return, he lived in Aberdeen, Scot.,

Celery-top Pine

2005-03-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Adventure Bay Pine (species Phyllocladus asplenifolius), slow-growing ornamental and timber conifer of the family Podocarpaceae, native to temperate rain forests of Tasmania at elevations from sea level to 750 m (2,500 feet). The tree is shrubby at high elevations but may grow to 18 m (60 feet) and occasionally 30 m (100 feet) in lower areas. The irregularly arranged branches bear

Syria, Railways

2005-03-10T01:42:00.000-08:00

Syria's railways are well developed. A northern line runs northeastward from Aleppo into Turkey and then east along the border to al-Qamishli, where it crosses the northeastern extremity of Syria en route to Baghdad (Iraq). The Hejaz Railway runs from Damascus to Amman (Jordan), and a third runs from Aleppo to Tripoli (Lebanon). Aleppo and Damascus are also linked by rail. Smaller

Peter Claver, Saint

2005-03-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

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

Romanian Literature

2005-03-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

In the period of national unity in Romania following World War I, the novel began to compete with lyric poetry. Writers took inspiration from society or recent events, principally the war. Liviu Rebreanu wrote of the peasants' need for land and independence and in Rascoala (1932; The Uprising) described the 1907 peasant uprising in Moldavia and Walachia. His best work, inspired

Mammal, Reproduction

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

In reproductively mature female mammals an interaction of hormones from the pituitary gland and the ovaries produces a phenomenon known as the estrous cycle. Estrus, or “heat,” typically coincides with ovulation, and during this time the female is receptive to the male. Estrus is preceded by proestrus, during which ovarian follicles mature under the influence of

T'aebaek Mountains

2005-03-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

Korean T'aebaek-sanmaek main ridge of the Korean Peninsula, stretching along the coast of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), north to Hwangnyong Mountain (4,160 feet [1,268 m]), North Korea, and continuing south as the Kyongsang Range to Tadae-p'o, a suburb of Pusan, South Korea. The T'aebaek range is 300 miles (500 km) long and averages 2,600– 3,300 feet (1,000 m) in height. Peaks include Kumgang (5,374 feet [1,638 m]), Sorak (5,604 feet [1,708 m]), Odae (5,128 feet [1,563 m]), and T'aebaek (5,121 feet [1,561 m]). The eastern

Grand Teton National Park

2005-03-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Spectacular glaciated mountain region in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. It lies just south of Yellowstone National Park (to which it is connected by the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway) and north of the city of Jackson; the National Elk Refuge adjoins the park's far southeastern boundary. In 1950 most of Jackson Hole National Monument (established 1943) was incorporated

Artificial Organ

2005-03-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

Any machine, device, or other material that is used to replace the functions of a faulty or missing organ or other part of the human body. Artificial organs include the artificial heart and pacemaker (qq.v.), the use of dialysis (q.v.) to perform kidney functions, and the use of artificial substitutes for missing limbs (see prosthesis).

Mesolóngion

2005-03-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

Also called Missolonghi town and capital of the nomós (department) of Aetolia and Acarnania, Greece. It lies along the Patraïkós Gulf on the shore of a large, shallow lagoon, which is partly given over to fish hatcheries. Seat of a metropolitan bishop of the Greek Orthodox church, the town is notable for two heroic actions in the War of Greek Independence (1821–29) and for its association with the English

Carter, Mrs. Leslie

2005-03-05T03:13:00.000-08:00

Carter grew up in Dayton, Ohio (from 1870, after her father's death), and was educated at Cooper Seminary. In 1880, at age 17, she married Leslie Carter, a Chicago socialite. Nine years later, after her husband divorced her for infidelity,

Van Devanter, Willis

2005-03-04T04:16:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Cincinnati Law School in 1881, he initially worked for his father's law firm; but in 1884, he moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., to become a railroad attorney. There he became involved in territorial politics, serving on a commission to codify the Wyoming statutes in 1886, as city attorney

Augustine, Saint

2005-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

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

Grappelli, Stéphane

2005-03-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

French violinist (b. Jan. 26, 1908, Paris, France--d. Dec. 1, 1997, Paris), was one of the few notable jazz improvisers on violin and one of the first popular European jazz musicians; he played with a lilting swing and quick wit that made him an international favourite for over 60 years. With the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, he formed (1934) the first Quintette du Hot Club de France, a Paris-based

Hand Tool, Ax and adz

2005-03-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

The ax and adz are similar enough to be considered together. This is especially the case with ancient tools that were small and ineffective because they were made of brittle stone or had unsatisfactory hafting. The difference between the tools lies in the relation of the cutting edge to the handle. In the ax the cutting edge and handle are parallel, whereas in the adz

Brattain, Walter H.

2005-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

In full Walter Houser Brattain American scientist who, along with John Bardeen and William B. Shockley, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for his investigation of the properties of semiconductors—materials of which transistors are made—and for the development of the transistor. The transistor replaced the bulkier vacuum tube for many uses and was the forerunner

General San Martín

2005-02-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

Formerly San Martín, cabecera (county seat) and partido (county) of Gran (“Greater”) Buenos Aires, Argentina. It lies immediately northwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia. The county seat and county began as an early rural settlement centred on the 18th-century Chapel of Santos Lugares. In 1856 the settlement was formally declared a town, and eight years later the county of San

Philopoemen

2005-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

He was trained to a career of arms by the Academic philosophers Ecdelus and Demophanes. After spending some 10 years as a mercenary leader in Crete, he returned to Achaea and was elected federal cavalry commander for 210/209, when his reorganized

Earhart, Amelia

2005-02-27T03:50:00.000-08:00

Earhart moved often with her family and completed high school in Chicago in 1916. She worked as a military nurse in Canada during World War I and as a social worker in Denison House,

Monaco, Flag Of

2005-02-27T00:34:00.000-08:00

The complex princely

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hyenas form a relatively homogeneous family that includes two basic types: the true hyenas (two species of Hyaena and one of Crocuta) and the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus; see photograph). Hyenas are noted for their scavenger feeding and bone-crushing habits, although they do hunt live animals. Their food consists largely of the remains of artiodactyls,

Tribe

2005-02-24T02:12:00.000-08:00

In cultural anthropology, theoretical type of human social organization based on small groups defined by traditions of common descent and having temporary or permanent political integration above the family level and a shared language, culture, and ideology. In the ideal model of a tribe, members typically share a tribal name and a contiguous territory; they

National Assembly

2005-02-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

French Assemblée Nationale, any of various historical French parliaments or houses of parliament. From June 17 to July 9, 1789, it was the name of the revolutionary assembly formed by representatives of the Third Estate; thereafter (until replaced by the Legislative Assembly on Sept. 30, 1791) its formal name was National Constituent Assembly (Assemblée Nationale Constituante), though popularly the shorter

Indian Mutiny

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

To regard the rebellion merely as a sepoy mutiny is to underestimate the increasing pace of Westernization after the establishment of British

Târgu-neamt

2005-02-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tîrgu-neamt, town, Neamt judet (county), northeastern Romania, on the Neamt River. It has long been a local market centre and a major focus of culture in Moldavia. West of the town is Neamt Monastery, founded by Stephen (Stefan) the Great in 1497. On the north bank of the Neamt River stands the ruins of the Fortress of Neamt, founded in the late 14th century. To the west is Agapia Monastery, founded in 1585. Textiles

Ari Thorgilsson The Learned

2005-02-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Icelandic chieftain, priest, and historian whose Íslendingabók (Libellus Islandorum; The Book of the Icelanders) is the first history of Iceland written in the vernacular. Composed before 1133 and covering the period from the settlement of Iceland up to 1120, it includes information on the founding of the Althing (parliament) and on the settlement of Greenland and

Farah

2005-02-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Farrah , or Ferah town, southwestern Afghanistan, on the Farah River. Usually identified with the ancient town of Phrada, it was once a centre of agriculture and commerce until destroyed by the Mongols in 1221; it later revived but was sacked in 1837 by the Persians. The building of the Kandahar-Herat road through Farah in the 1930s and of a bridge over the river (1958) restored some of the town's former importance.

Cohens V. Virginia

2005-02-19T02:21:00.000-08:00

(1821), U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court reaffirmed its right to review all state court judgments in cases arising under the federal Constitution or a law of the United States. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for mandatory Supreme Court review of the final judgments of the highest court of any state in cases “where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute

Arabia, History Of, The rise of Islam

2005-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

After Muhammad's entry into Mecca the tribes linked with Quraysh came to negotiate with him and to accept Islam; this meant little more than giving up their local deities and worshiping Allah alone. They had to pay the tax, but this was not novel because the tribal chiefs had already been taxed to protect the Meccan haram. Many tribesmen probably waited to join the winner.

Ernst, Paul

2005-02-18T03:07:00.000-08:00

Ernst studied for the ministry but quickly became disillusioned with theology. He became a militant Marxist and the editor of the Berliner Volkstribüne. He severed his

Legume

2005-02-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Also called pod fruit of plants of the order Fabales (q.v.), consisting of the single family Leguminosae, or Fabaceae (peas, beans, vetch, and so on). The dry fruit releases its seeds by splitting open along two seams. Legumes furnish food for humans and animals and provide edible oils, fibres, and raw material for plastics. Nutritionally, they are high in protein and contain many of the essential

Leucothea

2005-02-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

(Greek: White Goddess [of the Foam]), in Greek mythology, a sea goddess first mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, in which she rescued the Greek hero Odysseus from drowning. She was customarily identified with Ino, daughter of the Phoenician Cadmus; because she cared for the infant god Dionysus, the goddess Hera drove Ino (or her husband, Athamas) mad so that she and her son, Melicertes,

Gabrilowitsch, Ossip (salomonovich)

2005-02-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

After study with two of the outstanding pianists of his day—Anton Rubinstein in St. Petersburg and Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna—Gabrilowitsch toured widely in Europe and the United States. In 1909 he married Mark Twain's daughter, the singer Clara Clemens,

Charles, Thomas

2005-02-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Educated at the dissenting academy in Carmarthen and at Jesus College, Oxford, after holding curacies in Somerset, he settled in 1783 in the neighbourhood of Bala, his wife's home. He

Tibet, Food and drink

2005-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

The staple Tibetan food is barley flour (rtsam-pa), which is consumed daily. Other major foods include wheat flour, yak meat, mutton, and pork. Dairy products such as butter, milk, and cheese are also popular. The people in the higher altitudes generally consume more meat than those of the lower regions, where a variety of vegetables is available. Rice is generally restricted

Domovoy

2005-02-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

The domovoy is the guardian of the family and its wealth, but he is partial to conscientious and

Nestlé Sa

2005-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

Multinational manufacturer of food products. It is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and operates factories in more than 80 countries. Nestlé's chief products are condensed and powdered milk, baby foods, chocolate products, candies, instant coffees and teas, soups, seasonings and condiments, frozen foods, ice cream, and bottled water. The company also produces

Ch'i-chia Culture

2005-02-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Evidence of the culture was first unearthed in the small village of Ch'i-chia-p'ing, in the northwestern Chinese

Amboise

2005-02-12T03:53:00.000-08:00

The town was first mentioned in 504 as Ambatia, when on the isle of Saint-Jean (now Île d'Or), Clovis, king of the Franks, met

Baraboo

2005-02-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1840) of Sauk county, south-central Wisconsin, U.S. It lies on small hills 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Madison. Baraboo originated in the early 19th century as a trading post established by the French trapper Jean Baribault, who lived along the river that was named (somewhat phonetically) for him. Incorporated in 1882, the community developed as a distribution centre for dairy

Este, House Of

2005-02-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

Princely family of Lombard origin that played a great part in the history of medieval and Renaissance Italy. It first came to the front in the wars between the Guelfs and Ghibellines during the 13th century. As leaders of the Guelfs, Estensi princes received at different times Ferrara, Modena, Reggio, and other fiefs and territories. Members of the family ruled in Ferrara

Békésy, Georg Von

2005-02-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

As director of the Hungarian Telephone System Research Laboratory (1923–46), Békésy worked on problems

Orthodox Jewish Congregations Of America, Union Of

2005-02-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

Marennes

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

Popular edible variety of oyster (q.v.).

Arghezi, Tudor

2005-02-08T02:58:00.000-08:00

Arghezi, who left home at age 11, first published a poem at age 14. In 1899 he took holy orders in a monastery in Cernica, but he soon renounced them. After

Lochner, Stefan

2005-02-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

Little is known of his early life, but he is thought to have studied in the Netherlands, possibly under Robert Campin (tentatively identified with the

Mammal, Skeleton

2005-02-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

The mammalian skeletal system shows a number of advances over that of lower vertebrates. The mode of ossification of the long bones is characteristic. In lower vertebrates each long bone has a single center of ossification, the diaphysis, and replacement of cartilage by bone proceeds from the center toward the ends, which may remain cartilaginous, even in adults.

Cadmium Poisoning

2005-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

Toxic effects of cadmium or its compounds on body tissues and functions. Poisoning may result from the ingestion of an acid food or drink prepared in a cadmium-lined vessel (e.g., lemonade served from cadmium-plated cans). Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration usually occur within 15 minutes after ingestion and subside within 24 hours. Inhalation of cadmium fumes in

Chinese Cabbage

2005-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Either of two widely cultivated members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Brassica pekinensis, also called celery cabbage, forms a tight head of crinkled light green leaves. One type, Michihli, or Tientsin, forms slender cylindrical heads about 45 cm (18 inches) tall. It has long been grown in the United States as a salad vegetable. Napa is similar, but

Arts, East Asian, Architecture

2005-02-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

While little remains except walls and tombs, much can be learned about Han architecture from historical writings and long descriptive poems, fu. This was an era of great palace buildings. The first Ch'in emperor undertook the building of a vast palace, the A-fang or O-pang, whose main hall was intended to accommodate 10,000 guests in its upper story. He also copied the palaces

Spanish Literature, Poetry

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

Modernism heralded

Smith, Jedediah (strong)

2005-02-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

Smith probably made his first trip west while still in his teens. In 1822 he joined a fur-trading expedition to the Rocky Mountains and continued in the Rocky Mountain trade for the remainder of the

Benda, Georg (anton)

2005-02-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

The third son of Jan Jirí Benda and his wife, Dorota Brixi, both musicians, and brother of the violinist František Benda, he went with his family to Berlin in 1742. He played violin in the royal orchestra (1742–49) and for nearly 30 years (from

Clambake

2005-02-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Seafood picnic traditional in the New England region of the United States. Early settlers on the Atlantic Coast adopted and elaborated the practice from the coastal Indians, who steamed shellfish over hot stones under a covering of seaweed. Clambakes, best undertaken on a large scale, have long been a feature of civic and fraternal celebrations in areas where clams,

Amiel, Henri Frédéric

2005-02-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Swiss writer known for his Journal intime, a masterpiece of self-analysis. Despite apparent success (as professor of aesthetics, then of philosophy, at Geneva), he felt himself a failure. Driven in on himself, he lived in his Journal, kept from 1847 until his death and first published in part as Fragments d'un journal intime (1883–84; later enlarged editions;

Roman Curia

2005-01-31T15:18:00.000-08:00

Latin Curia Romana, the group of various Vatican bureaus that assist the pope in the day-to-day exercise of his primatial jurisdiction over the Roman Catholic church. The result of a long evolution from the early centuries of Christianity, the Curia was given its modern form by Pope Sixtus V late in the 16th century. The work of the Curia has traditionally been associated with the members

Amtrak

2005-01-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

Formally National Railroad Passenger Corporation federally supported corporation that operates nearly all intercity passenger trains in the United States. It was established by Congress in 1970 and assumed control of passenger service from the nation's private rail companies the following year. Virtually all railways, with the exception of a small handful, signed contracts with Amtrak. The corporation pays the

Felling

2005-01-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

Town, Gateshead metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Tyne. The town grew rapidly at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century with the extension of coal mining and later with the expansion of riverside industries such as shipbuilding and the manufacture of glass and heavy chemicals. New

Eni

2005-01-29T04:30:00.000-08:00

Eni is an outgrowth of Agip (Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli), an oil and gas agency set up by the Italian fascist

Bruhn, Erik

2005-01-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Bruhn entered the training school for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1937, joined the company in 1947, and was promoted to soloist in 1949. To enrich his repertory, he took a leave of absence (1949–58) to dance with

Wad

2005-01-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Bog Manganese, black and earthy substance that consists mainly of hydrated manganese oxides; it is an important ore of manganese. It varies considerably in chemical composition and contains different impurities, often in large amounts. Wad is very soft, readily soils the fingers, and may be considered to be a mixture chiefly of pyrolusite and psilomelane. It results from the decomposition

Babcock, Harold Delos

2005-01-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

Astronomer who with his son Horace Welcome Babcock invented (1951) the solar magnetograph, an instrument allowing detailed observation of the Sun's magnetic field. With their magnetograph the Babcocks demonstrated the existence of the Sun's general field and discovered magnetically variable stars. In 1959 Harold Babcock announced

Amram Bar Sheshna

2005-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

Head of the Talmudic academy at Sura, Babylonia, traditionally regarded as the first Jewish authority to write a complete domestic and synagogal liturgy for the year, the Siddur Rav Amram (“Order of Prayers of Rabbi Amram”). Amram's work, forerunner in this field of those of Sa'adia ben Joseph and Maimonides, laid the foundations for the liturgies of both the Sephardim

Constantine

2005-01-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

Also called (after 1981) Qacentina , Arabic Blad el-Hawa , Phoenician Cirta city, northeast Algeria. A natural fortress, the city occupies a rocky, diamond-shaped plateau that is surrounded, except at the southwest, by a precipitous gorge through the eastern side of which flows the Rhumel River. The plateau is 2,130 feet (650 m) above sea level and from 500 to 1,000 feet (150 to 300 m) above the riverbed in the gorge. The cliffs of the gorge, at its narrowest, are 15 feet (4.5 m) apart and

Arts, East Asian, Painting and related arts

2005-01-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

Literature and poetry indicate that the walls of palaces, mansions, and ancestral halls were plastered and painted. Themes included figure subjects, portraits, and scenes from history that had an ethical or didactic purpose. Equally popular were themes taken from folk and nature cults that expressed the beliefs of popular Taoism. The names of the painters are generally

Electrical And Electronics Engineering

2005-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

Electrical phenomena attracted the attention of European thinkers as early as the 17th century. Beginning as a mathematically oriented science, the field has remained primarily in that form; mathematical predication often precedes laboratory demonstration. The most noteworthy pioneers include Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert and Georg Simon Ohm of Germany, Hans Christian

Adam De La Halle,

2005-01-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Adam's Jeu de la feuillée (“Play of the Greensward”) is a satirical fantasy based on his own life, written to amuse his friends in Arras upon his departure for Paris to pursue his studies. Le Congé (“The Leave Taking”) expresses his sorrow at leaving his wife and his native

Celosia

2005-01-23T05:51:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 60 species of herbaceous plants, of the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), native to tropical America and Africa and characterized by alternate leaves and showy flowers in spikes, which in cultivated forms are often fasciated and form compact or feathery clusters. Some species are called woolflower for their dense chaffy flower spikes

Cyprus, Church Of

2005-01-22T02:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Orthodox Church Of Cyprus, one of the oldest autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion. Its independence, first recognized by the third ecumenical Council of Ephesus (431), was reaffirmed by the Council in Trullo (692) and was never lost, not even during the occupation of the island by the crusaders. Under the feudal French dynasty of the Lusignans (1191–1489) and

Latimer, Hugh

2005-01-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

Latimer was the son of a prosperous yeoman farmer. Educated at the University of Cambridge, he was ordained a priest about 1510. In the two decades before 1530 he gradually acquired

Dissociation

2005-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, the breaking up of a compound into simpler constituents that are usually capable of recombining under other conditions. In electrolytic, or ionic, dissociation, the addition of a solvent or of energy in the form of heat causes molecules or crystals of the substance to break up into ions (electrically charged particles). Most dissociating substances