SuddenBranch

Insurance, Homeowner's insurance

2005-04-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Homeowner's insurance covers individual, or nonbusiness, property. Introduced in 1958, it gradually replaced the older method of insuring individual property under the “standard fire policy.”

Thompson, Kay

2005-04-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

Thompson early displayed a considerable talent for the piano, and at the age of 16 she appeared as a soloist with the St. Louis Symphony. The following

Régio, José

2005-04-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Régio began his literary career while still a student at the University of Coimbra with the publication of his lyric-dramatic Poemas de Deus e do

Faidherbe, Louis

2005-04-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

In full Louis-léon-césar Faidherbe governor of French Senegal in 1854–61 and 1863–65 and a major founder of France's colonial empire in Africa. He founded Dakar, the future capital of French West Africa.

Vendsyssel-thy

2005-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Danish Nørrejyske Ø (North Jutland Island), island at the north end of Jutland, Denmark, known as Vendsyssel in the east and Thy in the west. The Limfjorden separates it from the mainland, to which it was attached until 1825, when water erosion cut a channel through the narrow isthmus at Thyborøn. Several bridges, ferries, and a tunnel connect the island with the rest of Jutland. It is the second largest

Kathiawar Peninsula

2005-04-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Peninsula in southwestern Gujarat state, west-central India. It is bounded by the Little Rann (marsh) of Kachchh (Kutch; north), the Gulf of Cambay (east), the Arabian Sea (southwest), and the Gulf of Kachchh (northwest). From the northeast an ancient sandstone formation extends into the peninsula, which has an area of 23,000 square miles (60,000 square km). Most of the sandstone, however, is masked

Perfect Gas

2005-04-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Also called ideal gas a gas that conforms, in physical behaviour, to a particular, idealized relation between pressure, volume, and temperature called the general gas law. This law is a generalization containing both Boyle's law and Charles's law as special cases and states that for a specified quantity of gas, the product of the volume v and pressure p is proportional to the absolute temperature

Aerospace Industry, Commercial heavy aircraft

2005-04-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

The need for large-scale air transportation has been central to commercial aircraft manufacturing. As one of the world's most vital industries, airlines are key to many aspects of the world economy, from international business and tourism to routine movement of people and goods ranging from massive machinery to agricultural products and personal items. The United

Power, Balance Of

2005-03-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

In international relations, the posture and policy of a nation or group of nations protecting itself against another nation or group of nations by matching its power against the power of the other side. States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways: by increasing their own power, as when engaging in an armaments race or in the competitive acquisition of

Vyshny Volochyok

2005-03-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vyshnii Volochek , or Višnij Volocok city, Tver oblast (province), western Russia. The city's importance began in the 18th century as a result of its position on the highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It soon became important for its textiles and hosiery, and today it also has industries in the woodworking, paper, and food-processing fields. There is a textile college and a medical school. The city is often

Binyon, (robert) Laurence

2005-03-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

The son of a clergyman, Binyon was educated at St. Paul's School, London. At Trinity College, Oxford, he won the Newdigate Prize for his poem Persephone (1890). He combined his lifelong interests—books and painting—when in

Halton

2005-03-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

Unitary authority, geographic county of Cheshire, England. The unitary authority comprises Widnes and surrounding suburban areas, on the north shore of the River Mersey in the historic county of Lancashire, and Runcorn and its suburbs, on the south shore of the Mersey in the historic county of Cheshire. The name Halton is ancient, and the barony of Halton created after

Literature, Latin America.

2005-03-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Carlos Fuentes

Field Artillery

2005-03-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

Any large-calibre, crew-operated, mounted firearm designed for easy movement in the field. See artillery.

Cross River

2005-03-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

The Cross River, after which the state is named, rises from the Cameroon Mountains and flows southward, forming much

Orange River

2005-03-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

The high valleys of the Orange River's headwaters are uninhabited, though the adjacent plateaus are used by the southern Sotho (Basuto) people for grazing land. Between the Lesotho border and the town of Aliwal North, corn (maize) is cultivated, and this region is also used as pasturage for cattle and sheep. The dry shrub country farther downstream is in general suitable

Sporophyte

2005-03-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

In certain plants and algae, nonsexual phase (or an individual representing the phase) in the alternation of generations—a phenomenon in which two distinct phases (a haploid and a diploid phase) occur in the life history of a plant, each phase producing the other. (The alternate, sexual phase is the gametophyte.) In the sporophyte phase, a diploid plant body grows and eventually

Azov

2005-03-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Formerly Azak, or Tana, town, Rostov oblast (province), southwestern Russia. It lies on the left bank of the Don River, 4 miles (7 km) east of the Sea of Azov. The Greek colony of Tanais, the first known major city in the region, was founded there in the 6th century BC. It changed hands and was renamed several times over the ensuing centuries. It became the Genoese colony of Tana (established 1316–22), which in 1471 was captured

Offaly

2005-03-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Irish Uibh Fhailaí county in the province of Leinster, Ireland. With an area of 771 square miles (1,998 square km), it is bounded by Counties Westmeath and Meath (north), Kildare (east), Laoighis and Tipperary (south), and Galway and Roscommon (west). The River Shannon forms its western boundary. Offaly consists mainly of a large section of the central lowland, though its southwestern boundary runs along

Alcalá De Guadaira

2005-03-22T03:24:00.000-08:00

Town, Sevilla provincia, in the Andalusia comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southwestern Spain. It is just southeast of Sevilla city, on the Guadaira River. The town is popularly known as Alcalá de los Panaderos (Alcalá of the Bakers) because of its large number of bakeries and flour mills, which supply Sevilla with most of its flour. Olives are also exported,

Nabha

2005-03-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Punjab state, northwestern India. It is located some 16 miles (26 km) west and slightly north of Patiala. Nabha (founded 1755) was the capital of the princely state of Nabha, established in 1763 and composed of 12 scattered territories claimed by a member of the Sikh Phulkian family. In 1807–08 the raja gained British protection against threatened encroachments by Ranjit Singh.

Calendar Of 2002

2005-03-21T03:38:00.000-08:00

A fire starts in the Angeles National Forest in California and rapidly consumes about 4,450 ha (11,000 ac), forcing the immediate evacuation

Fibrocystic Disease

2005-03-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Fibrocystic disease of the breast, also called chronic cystic mastitis, or cystic disease of the breast, most often occurs in women between the ages of 30 and 50. It is characterized by benign, noncancerous

González, Julio

2005-03-20T05:20:00.000-08:00

González and his brother Joan received artistic training from their father, a sculptor and metalworker, as well as at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. González moved to Paris in 1900, where, through his old Barcelona friend Pablo

World War I, The Armistice

2005-03-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

The Allies' armistice terms presented in the railway carriage at Rethondes were stiff. Germany was required to evacuate not only Belgium, France, and Alsace-Lorraine but also all the rest of the left (west) bank of the Rhine, and it had to neutralize that river's right bank between The Netherlands and Switzerland. The German troops in East Africa were to surrender; the

Tachikawa

2005-03-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

City, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Chuo Line (railway), east of Tokyo city. In 1922 an army airfield was constructed nearby, and large munitions and aircraft factories were concentrated in the city. After World War II the military installations were taken over by the U.S. Air Force; the air base was returned to Japan in 1977. Tachikawa is now a commercial centre

British Indian Ocean Territory

2005-03-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

Colony of the United Kingdom in the central Indian Ocean, established Nov. 8, 1965, by the amalgamation of the Aldabra Islands and the Farquhar and Desroches islands (all purchased from the Seychelles) with the Chagos Archipelago (formerly a dependency of Mauritius). On June 28/29, 1976, the islands purchased from the Seychelles were returned to the newly independent Republic of Seychelles.

Aiken

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

City, seat of Aiken county, western South Carolina, U.S. Aiken lies 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Augusta, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named for the railroad entrepreneur William Aiken. The city was originally a health resort. During the American Civil War the Confederate forces of General Joseph Wheeler defeated General Hugh J. Kilpatrick's Union troops in the town's main

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Paul to the Galatians

2005-03-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Paul's Letter to the Galatians is a forceful and passionate letter dealing with a very specific question: the relation of Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the church, the problem of justification through faith not works of the Law, and freedom in Christ. Paul probably wrote from Ephesus c. 53–54 to a church he had founded in the territory of Galatia in Asia

Talikota, Battle Of

2005-03-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

(January 1565), confrontation between the forces of the Hindu raja of Vijayanagar and the four Muslim sultans of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda in the Indian Deccan. The armies numbered several hundred thousand with large contingents of elephants. The battle seems to have been decided by the Muslim artillery and the capture and execution of the ruling Hindu minister

La Fresnaye, Roger De

2005-03-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

La Fresnaye studied

Music

2005-03-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

In 1994 several pioneers of free improvisation were especially newsworthy. Anthony Braxton (see BIOGRAPHIES) was one of two jazz artists to receive a MacArthur Foundation fellowship during the year. Only a fraction of his music had been documented on recordings, so the appearance of Composition No. 96 (Leo), played by an orchestra directed by Braxton, was welcome even if it

Sabine, Wallace Clement (ware)

2005-03-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Ohio State University in 1886, Sabine did graduate work at Harvard University, where he later joined the faculty. A brilliant researcher, he enjoyed teaching and never bothered to get his doctorate; his papers were modest in number but exceptional

Casserius, Julius

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

Casserius was a servant of Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente, professor of anatomy and surgery at the University of Padua. Instructed

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield

2005-03-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Canfield received a Ph.D. in Romance languages from Columbia University in 1904, a rare accomplishment for a woman of her generation. In 1907 she married John Redwood Fisher and, under the pen name Dorothy Canfield, published her first novel,

Kymi

2005-03-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

In full Kymen Lääni, Swedish Kymmene Län, lääni (province), southeastern Finland, bounded by the Gulf of Finland (south) and by Russia (east). The province has a land area of 4,145 square miles (10,736 square km) and includes the southern section of the Saimaa lake system, which is drained by the Kymijoki and Vuoksi rivers. Kymijoki valley industries include timber processing and wood products, iron and steel, textile milling,

Prosody

2005-03-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ancient critics like Aristotle and Horace insisted that certain metres were natural to the specific poetic genres; thus, Aristotle (in the Poetics) noted that “Nature herself, as we have said, teaches the choice of the proper measure.” In epic verse the poet should use the heroic measure (dactylic hexameter) because this metre most effectively represents or imitates

Hymenium

2005-03-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

A spore-bearing layer of tissue in fungi (division Mycota) found in the classes Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. It is formed by end cells of hyphae—the filaments of the vegetative body (thallus).

Beach Grass

2005-03-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

American beach grass (A. breviligulata) grows along the Atlantic coast and in the Great Lakes region. European beach grass (A. arenaria) has been

Ards

2005-03-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Irish An Aird district, Northern Ireland. Formerly within County Down, in 1973 Ards was established as a district with an area of 139 sq mi (361 sq km). It extends northward from just south of the village of Killinchy along the western shoreline of Strangford Lough (inlet of the sea) to the town of Newtownards and encompasses the peninsula of land east of Strangford Lough. Bordered by North Down

Cosmas And Damian, Saints

2005-03-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

According to Christian tradition, Cosmas and Damian were educated in Syria and became distinguished

Epistemology

2005-03-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

The study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. The name is derived from the Greek episteme (“knowledge”) and logos (“reason”), and accordingly the field is sometimes referred to as the theory of knowledge. Epistemology has had a long history, spanning the time from the pre-Socratic Greeks to the present. Along with metaphysics, logic, and ethics, it is one of the four

Palamás, Kostís

2005-03-09T04:33:00.000-08:00

Palamás was educated at Mesolongion and at Athens and became the central figure in the Demotic movement of the 1880s, which sought to shake off traditionalism and draw inspiration for a new Greek literary and artistic style from the life and language of the people.

Wolfe, Thomas

2005-03-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

His father, William Oliver Wolfe, the Oliver Gant of his novels, was a stonecutter, while his mother, Julia Elizabeth Westall Wolfe, the Eliza of the early novels, owned a successful boardinghouse in Asheville, N.C., where Wolfe

Fibroblast

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

The principal nonmotile cells of connective tissue; fibroblasts are large, flat, elongated (spindle-shaped) cells possessing processes extending out from the ends of the cell body. The cell nucleus is flat and oval. Fibroblasts produce tropocollagen, which is the forerunner of collagen, and ground substance, an amorphous, gel-like matrix that fills the spaces between

Gabon, History Of

2005-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

By 1800 the British were becoming the leading traders in manufactures throughout the Gulf of Guinea. After 1815 the French sought to compete more actively in the commercial sphere and to join Britain in combating the slave trade. To these ends, Captain Édouard Bouët-Willaumez negotiated treaties with the heads of two Mpongwe clans, King Denis (Antchouwe Kowe Rapontchombo)

Turkey, Flag Of

2005-03-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

Various myths are associated with the symbolism of the red colour and the star and crescent, but none really explains their origins. Although the star and crescent are often seen as typical Muslim symbols, in fact they have a history long predating the rise of Islam. Ancient civilizations throughout the Middle East used a crescent moon as a religious symbol, and the

Ojin

2005-03-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

In full Ojin Tenno, personal name Hondawake No Mikoto semilegendary 15th emperor of Japan, who according to tradition flourished in the 3rd–4th century. Ojin is believed to have consolidated imperial power, spearheaded land reform, and actively promoted cultural exchanges with Korea and China. It is said that highly skilled weaving techniques were brought from Korea during his reign. Chinese scholars introduced

Computer Security

2005-03-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

The protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment, namely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms. The protection of information and system access, on the other hand, is achieved through other tactics, some

Ujung Pandang

2005-03-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

Already a flourishing port when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century, Makasar subsequently came under control of the Dutch, who built a trading station in 1607 and finally deposed the sultan in 1667. It was

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of Earth history

2005-03-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

The occurrence of seashells embedded in the hard rocks of high mountains aroused the curiosity of early naturalists and eventually set off a controversy on the origin of fossils that continued through the 17th century. Xenophanes of Colophon (flourished c. 560 BC) was credited by later writers with observing that seashells occur “in the midst of earth and in mountains.” He

Trade, Terms Of

2005-03-04T05:35:00.000-08:00

Relationship between the prices at which a country sells its exports and the prices paid for its imports. If the prices of a country's exports rise relative to the prices of its imports, one says that its terms of trade have moved in a favourable direction, because, in effect, it now receives more imports for each unit of goods exported. The terms of trade, which depend on

Chiabrera, Gabriello

2005-03-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Chiabrera studied philosophy in Rome, lived for a time in the household of a cardinal, and then returned to Savona, where civic and diplomatic posts and the protection of several princes gave him the leisure

O'brien, Edna

2005-03-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

O'Brien began to produce sketches and tales during childhood. She received

Albanian Literature

2005-03-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

The development of Albanian literature was seriously hindered by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Albania from the 15th to the late 19th century and prohibited publications in the Albanian language for most of that time. The oldest fragment of writing in Albanian

Biblical Literature, The fall of Israel

2005-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

After the death of Jeroboam II, however, Israel faced a period of continuous disaster; and no prophetic figure was able to arrest the steady internal decay. From 746–721, when Samaria finally fell to the Assyrians, there were six kings, the last being Hoshea, a conspirator who had assassinated the previous king. The Assyrian king Sargon II deported the leading citizens of Samaria

Bregendahl, Marie

2005-03-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

Danish writer of regional literature, who portrayed the life of the inhabitants of rural areas with sympathy and a deep understanding of their social problems. Bregendahl's father was a farmer in the Viborg district, and she lived most of her life in that area, making it the milieu of her books. Her marriage in 1893 to the folk poet Jeppe Aakjær

London, Tower Of

2005-03-02T03:08:00.000-08:00

Immediately

Nyoro

2005-03-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

In precolonial times, the Nyoro formed one of the most powerful of a number of kingdoms in the area. Until the 18th century the Bunyoro kingdom, as it is called, dominated the surrounding peoples, holding an empire over much

Lochnagar

2005-02-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

Scenic mountain of coarse red granite, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, south of the River Dee in the Grampian Mountains. The mountain ridge, popularized in the 19th century by Lord Byron's poem “Lachin y Gair,” has 11 summits with elevations greater than 3,000 feet (900 metres); the highest is Cac Carn Beag, at 3,786 feet (1,154 metres). The name Lochnagar (“Goat Lake”) originally applied only to the small loch

Puerto La Cruz

2005-02-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Anzoátegui estado (“state”), northeastern Venezuela, situated along the Caribbean Sea. The former fishing village has become a busy, thriving, populous port city with the development of the petroleum industry since the 1930s in the eastern Llanos (plains). Pipelines running from the Anzoátegui fields and from fields in neighbouring Guárico and Monagas

Uruguay, The arts

2005-02-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

José Enrique Rodó, a modernist, is considered Uruguay's most significant literary figure. His book Ariel (1900), which stresses the importance of upholding spiritual over materialistic values, as well as resisting cultural dominance by Europe and the United States, continues to influence young writers. Outstanding among Latin American playwrights is Florencio Sá

Essex, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2005-02-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Devereux

Paleo-siberian Languages, Phonological features

2005-02-26T23:42:00.000-08:00

Typical phonological features of the Paleo-Siberian languages are postvelar consonants (i.e., sounds that are formed farther back in the mouth than /k/ and usually represented as q), vowel harmony of various kinds (e.g., the alternation of e and i in the form for ‘my' in Nivkh ñe-rla ‘my harpoon' and ñi-rly ‘my sky'), consonant alternations (e.g., the alternation between b, v, and f in Nivkh bal

Madonna

2005-02-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

Born into a large Italian-American family, Madonna studied dance at the University of Michigan and with the Alvin Ailey American Dance

Mitre, Bartolomé

2005-02-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Buenos Aires under the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas, Mitre began a 15-year exile in 1837. Travelling to Uruguay, Bolivia,

Nyaya

2005-02-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Like the other systems, Nyaya is both a philosophy and a religion; its ultimate concern is to bring an

O'carolan, Turlough

2005-02-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

The son of an iron founder, O'Carolan became blind from smallpox at the age of 18. He was befriended by Mrs. MacDermott Roe, the wife of his father's employer, who apprenticed

Buchan, John, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

2005-02-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

A clergyman's son, Buchan was educated at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, where he began

Advocates, Faculty Of

2005-02-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

The members of the bar of Scotland. Barristers are the comparable group in England. The faculty grew out of the Scots Act of 1532, which established the Court of Session in Scotland. The advocates had, and still have, the sole right of audience in the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary. They constitute a self-governing faculty under annually elected officers. When

Juan De Fuca Strait

2005-02-22T05:29:00.000-08:00

From Cape Flattery and the open Pacific, the strait stretches 80–100 miles (130–160 km) east to join with Haro Strait and touches Whidbey

Breadalbane And Holland, John Campbell, 1st Earl Of

2005-02-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

The son of Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, 4th Baronet (d. 1686), he took part in the Royalist uprising under the Earl of Glencairn in 1654 and later encouraged the restoration of Charles II in 1660. Charles created him earl of Caithness and viscount of Breadalbane in 1677; but, when this

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Fable

2005-02-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Fable and parable are short, simple forms of naive allegory. The fable is usually a tale about animals who are personified and behave as though they were humans (see photograph). The device of personification is also extended to trees, winds, streams, stones, and other natural objects. The earliest of these tales also included humans and gods as characters, but fable tends

Nicholas Iii

2005-02-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

As emperor

Durham

2005-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

The historic core of the city is located on a peninsula in a bend of the River Wear. This natural defensive site, chosen by William the Conqueror (reigned 1066–87) as a fortress and bulwark against the Scots to the north, soon became a seat of the feudal prince-bishops of Durham, entrusted

Hume, John

2005-02-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

Originally

Egypt, Railways

2005-02-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Railways connect Cairo with Alexandria and with the Delta and canal towns and also run southward to Aswan and the High Dam. Branch lines connect Cairo with al-Fayyum and Alexandria with Matruh. A network of light railways connects the Fayyum area and the Delta villages with the main lines. Diesel-driven trains operate along the main lines; electric lines connect Cairo with

Clam

2005-02-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

True clams, in the strict sense, are bivalves with equal shells closed by two

Arabian Religion, South Arabia

2005-02-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

From the middle of the 2nd millennium BC a sedentary agrarian civilization developed in Yemen in the oases along the edge of the desert. The people of this civilization had gradually mastered techniques enabling them to accumulate water from seasonal mountain rivers and distribute it into extensive irrigation systems. At the end of the 8th century appeared the oldest

England, Theatre

2005-02-18T02:13:00.000-08:00

Theatre is probably the performing art for which England is best known. Theatrical performance as such emerged during the Middle Ages in the form of mumming plays, which borrowed elements from wandering entertainers, traditional and ancient folk agricultural rituals, and dances such as the Morris dance (with its set character parts). Under the influence of Christianity,

Catechetical School

2005-02-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

In early Christianity, a type of educational institution with a curriculum directed toward inquirers (especially those trained in the Greek paideia, or educational system) whose aim was to gain a greater knowledge of Christianity and eventually, perhaps, baptism into the Christian community. Located in such centres as Alexandria, the catechetical schools became

China, Pei (Northern) Sung (9601127)

2005-02-16T23:42:00.000-08:00

The Pei Sung (also known simply as the Sung) was the last major Chinese dynasty to be founded by a coup d'état. Its founder, Chao K'uang-yin (known by his temple name, T'ai-tsu), the commander of the capital area of K'ai-feng and inspector general of the Imperial forces, usurped the throne from the Hou Chou, the last of the Wu-tai.

Biblical Literature, The purpose and style of Acts

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

Although the title, Acts of the Apostles, suggests that the aim of Acts is to give an account of the deeds of the Apostles, the title actually was a later addition to the work (about the end of the 2nd century). Acts depicts the shift from Jewish Christianity to Gentile Christianity as relatively smooth and portrays the Roman government as regarding the Christian doctrine

Quince

2005-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Fruit tree of the genus Cydonia, of the rose family (Rosaceae). The much-branched shrubs or small trees have entire leaves with small stipules and bear large, solitary, white or pink flowers like those of the pear or apple but with leafy calyx lobes and a many-celled ovary, in each cell of which are numerous horizontal ovules. The fruits may be round and flattened or somewhat

Sotatsu

2005-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

In full Tawaraya Sotatsu Japanese artist of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) who combined the traditional themes of the indigenous school of Japanese narrative scroll painting, known as Yamato-e, with the bold, decorative designs of the great screen painters of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574–1600). He pioneered the use of such painting techniques as defining shapes and forms with colour rather than with ink

Gulper

2005-02-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Any of nine species of deep-sea fish constituting three families, placed by some authorities in the order Anguilliformes (eels) and by others in a distinct order, Saccopharyngiformes (or Lyomeri). Gulpers range to depths of 2,700 m (9,000 feet) or more. The members of one family, Monognathidae, have mouths of normal proportions, but the other gulpers (Eurypharyngidae and Saccopharyngidae)

France, History Of, The end of Gaul (c. 400c. 500)

2005-02-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

From 395 the division of the Roman Empire between an eastern and a western half caused acute internal political stresses that encouraged barbarian penetration of the Danube region and even Italy. The Rhine frontier was again neglected, and the seat of the Gallic prefecture was moved to Arelate. The result was Germanic invasion and civil war. By 418, Franks and Burgundians

Mclean, John

2005-02-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

After two terms in the U.S.

Gneist, Rudolf Von

2005-02-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

The son of a supreme court judge, he studied at Berlin University

Perfume

2005-02-12T22:57:00.000-08:00

Fragrant product that results from the artful blending of certain odoriferous substances in appropriate proportions. The word is derived from the Latin per fumum, meaning “through smoke.” The art of perfumery was apparently known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Egyptians, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. References to perfumery materials and

Khuzestan

2005-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

The area that is now Khuzestan was settled about 6000 BC by a people with affinities to the Sumerians, who came from the Zagros Mountains region. Urban centres appeared there nearly contemporaneously with the first cities in Mesopotamia

Korosten

2005-02-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Korosten ', city, Zhitomir oblast (province), north-central Ukraine. It lies along the west bank of the Uzh River about 80 miles (130 km) northwest of Kiev. The city, which was incorporated in 1926, is a small industrial centre, a railway junction, and an engineering centre. In addition, it manufactures equipment for the chemical industry and has woodworking, porcelain, food-processing, and clothing

Monashee Mountains

2005-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Southwesternmost range of the Columbia Mountain system, in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, extending for 200 miles (320 km) north from the Washington (U.S.) boundary between the Interior Plateau (west) and the Selkirk Trench (east), in which flows the Columbia River. Originally known as the Gold Range (a name now restricted to the narrow easternmost ridge), the mountains

Soga Emishi

2005-02-11T02:42:00.000-08:00

Under Emishi's father, Soga Umako, the Soga family had begun to dominate the imperial court. Umako had been content to remain unobtrusive in

Paragonite

2005-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mica mineral similar to muscovite, a basic silicate of sodium and aluminum; a member of the common mica group. It was thought to be an uncommon mineral, but experiment and investigation have shown that it is widespread in metamorphic schists and phyllites, in gneisses, in quartz veins, and in fine-grained sediments. It seems probable that much paragonite has been mistaken

Hui-yüan

2005-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Huiyuan celebrated early Chinese Buddhist priest who formed a devotional society of monks and lay worshipers of the Buddha Amitabha. The society inspired the establishment in later centuries (6th–7th) of the Ch'ing-t'u (“Pure Land”) cult, which is today the most popular form of Buddhism in East Asia. On his advice, the ruler of the Eastern Chin dynasty

Wright, Laura Maria Sheldon

2005-02-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Laura Sheldon played as a child with local Native American children, among whom she began holding prayer meetings at age 10. After

Christian Science

2005-02-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

A religious denomination founded in the United States in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910), author of the book that contains the definitive statement of its teaching, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875). It is widely known for its highly controversial practice of spiritual healing.

Paragonite

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

Arabic Munazamat Ad-duwal Al-'arabiyah Al-musaddarah Lil-bitrul Arab organization formed in January 1968 to promote international economic cooperation within the petroleum industry. Chairmanship rotates annually; meetings occur twice yearly. Member countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. (Egypt's membership was suspended in 1979, but it was readmitted in

Lowell

2005-02-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

City, Middlesex county, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies at the junction of the Concord and Merrimack rivers, 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Boston. It was the nation's first planned industrial town. The site was originally settled in 1653 as a farming community known as East Chelmsford. Beginning in the early 19th century, this village grew to become a major cotton-textile-manufacturing