WiseRing

Taurus

2005-04-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

In astronomy, zodiacal constellation lying between Aries and Gemini, at about 4 hours 20 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and 16° north declination (angular distance north of the celestial equator). The constellation's brightest star, Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), is of the first magnitude. The constellation

Chan Painting

2005-04-03T03:33:00.000-07:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ch'an school of Chinese painting inspired by the “meditative” school of Buddhism called, in Chinese, Chan (Japanese: Zen). Although Chan originated in China with an Indian monk, Bodhidharma, it came to be the most Chinese of Buddhist schools. The ideals of the school later frequently found expression in a special kind of art, typically composed

Silhouette

2005-04-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

An image or design in a single hue and tone, most usually the popular 18th- and 19th-century cut or painted profile portraits done in black on white or the reverse. Silhouette also is any outline or sharp shadow of an object. The word was satirically derived from the name of the parsimonious mid-18th-century French finance minister Étienne de Silhouette, whose hobby was the

Stadion (-warthausen), Johann Philipp (karl), Graf Von (count Of)

2005-04-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

After service in the imperial Privy Council (1783–87), Stadion was dispatched to the Austrian embassy in Stockholm. In 1790 he was sent to London, where he was influenced by the conservative philosophy of

Accompaniment

2005-03-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

In music, auxiliary part or parts of a composition designed to support the principal part or to throw it into relief. In secular medieval music and in much folk and non-European music, instrumental accompaniments for singers consist of unison or octave duplications of the melody (sometimes with slight differences, creating heterophony, the simultaneous performance

Lighthouse

2005-03-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

Structure, usually with a tower, built onshore or on the seabed to serve as an aid to maritime coastal navigation, warning the mariner of hazards, establishing his position, and guiding him to his destination. From the sea a lighthouse may be identified by the distinctive shape or colour of its structure, by the colour or flash pattern of its light, or by the coded pattern

Field Emission

2005-03-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Cold Emission, discharge of electrons from the surface of a material subjected to a strong electric field. In the absence of a strong electric field, an electron must acquire a certain minimum energy, called the work function, to escape through the surface of a given material, which acts as a barrier to electron passage. If the material is placed in an electric circuit that renders

Dennis, John

2005-03-29T03:24:00.000-08:00

Educated at Harrow School and the University of Cambridge, Dennis traveled on the European continent before settling in London, where he met leading literary figures. At first he wrote odes and plays, but, although

Field, John

2005-03-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

Field first studied music at home with his father and grandfather and afterward in London with Muzio Clementi, under whose tuition, given in return for Field's services as a piano demonstrator and salesman, the boy made rapid progress. In 1802 Clementi took Field

Deere & Company

2005-03-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

The company's origin dates to 1836, when John Deere (q.v.) invented the first steel plow that could till American Midwest prairie soil without clogging. The following year, Deere established a business to manufacture and market the plow, and his own company was incorporated

Carloman

2005-03-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Second son of Louis II and king of France or the West Franks (882–884). On Louis II's death (879) Carloman was associated with his brother Louis III as king of the West Franks, but both, as the children of a first marriage that had been unacceptable to their grandfather Charles the Bald, had difficulty in obtaining recognition. On Louis's death (882) Carloman became sole ruler. He died while

Typhoid Mary

2005-03-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

Mary was first recognized as a carrier of the typhoid bacteria during an epidemic of typhoid fever in 1904 that spread through Oyster Bay, New York, where she worked as a cook. By the time the disease had been traced

Adams, Ansel

2005-03-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Originally a student of music, Adams pursued photography as an avocation until 1927. In that year he published his first portfolio, Parmellian Prints of the High Sierras, photographs in the style

Hughes, Ted

2005-03-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

The dialect of Hughes's native West Riding area of Yorkshire set the tone of his verse. At Pembroke College, Cambridge, he found folklore and anthropology of

Powers, Hiram

2005-03-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

Powers first studied with Frederick Eckstein about 1828. Around 1829 he worked as a general assistant and artist in a wax museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his ingenious

Sanidine

2005-03-19T23:45:00.000-08:00

Because sanidine that occurs in the Earth's crust has cooled quickly (its structure is stable only above 700° C [1,300° F]), it has trapped a disordered distribution

Ambiguity

2005-03-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Use of words that allow alternative interpretations. In factual, explanatory prose, ambiguity is considered an error in reasoning or diction; in literary prose or poetry, it often functions to increase the richness and subtlety of language and to imbue it with a complexity that expands the literal meaning of the original statement. William Empson's Seven Types

Zakat

2005-03-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

Arabic Zakat, an obligatory tax required of Muslims, one of the five Pillars of Islam. The zakat is levied on five categories of property—food grains; fruit; camels, cattle, sheep, and goats; gold and silver; and movable goods—and is payable each year after one year's possession. The tax levy required by religious law varies with the category. Recipients of the zakat include the poor and

Cusp

2005-03-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

In architecture, the intersections of lobed or scalloped forms, particularly in arches (cusped arches) and in tracery. Thus the three lobes of a trefoil (cloverleaf form) are separated by three cusps. Cusped forms appear commonly in early Islamic work, as in the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun at Cairo (c. 879), and were especially common in the Moorish architecture of North Africa and

Djibouti, Language

2005-03-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

The republic recognizes two official languages: French and Arabic. However, Somali is the most widely spoken language, although it is rarely written and is not taught in the schools. The use of Afar is mostly restricted to Afar areas. Many Djiboutians are multilingual.

Arreola, Juan José

2005-03-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Mexican short-fiction writer and humorist who was a master of brief subgenres, such as the short story, the epigram, and the sketch. He published only one novel, La feria (1963; The Fair). His collection of stories Confabulario (1952) has been reprinted in several expanded editions and was translated into English as Confabulario

Tsumeb

2005-03-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

In 1851 Sir Francis Galton, a British explorer, made note of copper ore deposits in the vicinity of what later became the town of Tsumeb. An Anglo-German company acquired

Binkis, Kazys

2005-03-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

From 1920 to 1923 Binkis studied literature and philosophy in Berlin, where he became acquainted with the newest trends in western European literature. The poems he wrote during his connection with the “Four Winds” movement,

Natchez

2005-03-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Relations between the French

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-03-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

Byname Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (Arabic: “Victor for the Religion of Allah”) , in full 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hakam al-Rabdi ibn Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil first caliph and greatest ruler of the Umayyad Arab Muslim dynasty of Spain. He reigned as hereditary emir (“prince”) of Córdoba from October 912 and took the title of caliph in 929.

Kama-loka

2005-03-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

In Buddhism, the world of feeling. See arupa-loka.

Bazzaz, 'abd Al-rahman Al-

2005-03-12T03:31:00.000-08:00

From 1955 to 1956 Bazzaz was dean of the Baghdad Law School. Following the coup that overthrew the Hashimite monarchy of Faysal II in 1958, he became president of the Court of Cassation. In 1960 he fell afoul of the president, General 'Abd al-Karim Qasim, and was briefly imprisoned before

Fischer, Hans

2005-03-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Marburg (1904) and his M.D. from the University of Munich (1908), Fischer worked as a physician

Dionysius Of Alexandria, Saint

2005-03-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

A Christian convert, Dionysius studied in Alexandria at the catechetical school headed by Origen, whom in 231/232 he was elected to succeed. In 247/248 he became bishop of Alexandria. During the persecution (250–251) of Christians by the Roman emperor

Accordion

2005-03-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

The advent of the accordion is the subject of debate among researchers. Many credit C. Friedrich L. Buschmann, whose Handäoline was patented in Berlin in 1822, as the

Astor, John Jacob

2005-03-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Astor started a fur-goods shop in New York City about 1786 after learning about the fur trade while aboard the ship that brought him to the U.S. Benefitting

Kiderlen-wächter, Alfred Von

2005-03-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

After service in the Franco-German War (1870–71), Kiderlen studied law and entered the Prussian diplomatic service (1879). He was an exponent of the tough-minded post-Bismarckian German diplomacy and for a time enjoyed

Leng-hu

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

Pinyin Lenghu, town, northwestern Tsinghai sheng (province), western China. Leng-hu is situated in the northwestern part of the Tsaidam Basin, to the southwest of Tang-chin Pass, which leads from the Tsaidam into western Kansu province and to the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang. Leng-hu is one of the major centres of the oil fields developed in the Tsaidam Basin during the 1960s and

Lighter

2005-03-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Shallow-draft boat or barge, usually flat-bottomed, used in unloading (lightening) or loading ships offshore. Use of lighters requires extra handling and thus extra time and expense and is largely confined to ports without enough traffic to justify construction of piers or wharves. Lighters are also used in transporting freight for short distances, as around harbours.

Spoon

2005-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

An implement consisting of a small, shallow, bowl-shaped receptacle supported by a handle, used for eating, serving, and cooking foods. Spoons, together with forks, are known as flatware (q.v.).

Mughal Painting

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

Also spelled Mogul, style of painting, confined mainly to book illustration and the production of individual miniatures, that evolved in India during the reigns of the Mughal emperors (16th–18th century). In its initial phases it showed some indebtedness to the Safavid school of Persian painting but rapidly moved away from Persian ideals. Probably the earliest example of Mughal painting

Cypress Pine

2005-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

About 16 species constitute the genus Callitris; they are native to Australasia and grow best in arid localities. The mature leaves of the trees are borne in whorls of three; their tips are often thickened and curve inward. Callitris

Károlyi, Mihály, Count (gróf)

2005-03-04T02:27:00.000-08:00

In full Mihaly, Count Károlyi von Nagykárolyi Hungarian statesman who before World War I desired a reorientation of Austro-Hungarian foreign policy toward friendship with states other than Germany. He also advocated concessions to Hungary's non-Magyar subjects. After the war, as president of the Hungarian Democratic Republic in 1919, Károlyi was

Rambutan

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

Also spelled Rambotan, Ramboetan, Ramboutan, or Rambustan (Nephelium lappaceum), tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). It is native to Malaysia, where it is commonly cultivated for its tasty fruit, also called rambutan. The bright-red, oval fruit, about the size of a small hen's egg, is covered with long, soft spines and has a tasty acid pulp. The tree grows to about 10.5–12 metres (35–40 feet).

Land, Edwin Herbert

2005-03-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

While a student at Harvard University, Land became interested in polarized light, i.e., light in which all rays are aligned in the same plane.

Levinson, Salmon Oliver

2005-03-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

Levinson practiced law in Chicago from 1891 and became noted for his skill in reorganizing the finances of distressed corporations. In an article in the New Republic, March 9, 1918, he argued that violence by nation-states should be declared illegal.

Yunus Emre

2005-03-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Though legend obscures the facts of his life, he is known to have been a Sufi (Islamic mystic) who sat for 40 years at the feet of his master, Tapduk Emre. Yunus Emre was well versed in mystical philosophy, especially that of the 13th-century poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi. Like Rumi, Yunus Emre

Galaxy, Clusters of galaxies as radio and X-ray sources

2005-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Some clusters of galaxies contain a widespread intergalactic cloud of hot gas that can be detected as a diffuse radio source or as a large-scale source of X rays. The gaseous cloud has a low density but a very high temperature, having been heated by the passage of the galaxies of a cluster through it and by the emission of high-energy particles from active galaxies within

Aluko, T.m.

2005-02-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

A civil engineer and town planner by profession, Aluko was educated in Ibadan, Lagos, and London and held positions as director of public works for western Nigeria and faculty member at the University of Lagos. He first became known

Waldteufel, Emil

2005-02-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

In 1865 he became court pianist to Empress Eugénie and the following

Masham, Abigail, Baroness Masham Of Otes

2005-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

She was the daughter of Francis Hill, a Levant merchant, who was ruined by speculation;

Corvidae

2005-02-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Songbird family, of the order Passeriformes, that includes crows, jays, and magpies. The 100 species occur throughout the world; most are nonmigratory. Corvids are strongly built, stout-billed birds 23–71 cm (9–28 inches) long, some being the largest passerines. They have plain, often glossy plumage that may be monochromatic or contrastingly patterned. The sexes

Weaving

2005-02-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

In weaving, lengthwise yarns are called warp; crosswise yarns are called weft, or filling. Most woven fabrics are made with their outer edges finished in a manner that avoids raveling; these are called

Work, History Of The Organization Of, Textiles

2005-02-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

The same type of specialization is also implied in the making of textiles. Early protective garments were derived from animal skins. The development of agriculture cut into the supply of available skins and required a substitute material for clothing. To make textiles, yarn had to be spun; the earliest apparatus for this work consisted of a spindle and a distaff

Guadet, Marguerite-élie

2005-02-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

At the time of the outbreak of the revolution (1789), Guadet was a leading lawyer in Bordeaux. In 1790 he became administrator of the Gironde département, and in 1791 he was made president of the département's criminal tribunal. Later that

Kean, Edmund

2005-02-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

Though no official record of his birth exists, it has been well established that he was the bastard son of Ann Carey, who described herself as an itinerant

Allentown

2005-02-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1812) of Lehigh county, eastern Pennsylvania, U.S. Situated on the Lehigh River, Allentown, with Bethlehem and Easton, forms an industrial complex. William Allen, mayor of Philadelphia and later chief justice of Pennsylvania, laid out the town (1762), naming it Northampton. It was incorporated as the borough of Northampton in 1811 and was later (1838) officially renamed Allentown

Adams, Walter (sydney)

2005-02-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

Born of missionary parents who returned to the United States when he was eight years old, Adams studied astronomy

Mosaferid Dynasty

2005-02-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Mohammad ebn Mosafer (ruled c. 916–941), military commander of the strategic mountain fortresses of Tarom and Samiran in Daylam, in northwestern Iran. With the increasing weakness of the Justanid dynasty that ruled the region, Mohammad increased his power and gained control of most of Daylam. After

Fustat, Al-

2005-02-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Al-fostat, capital of the Muslim province of Egypt during the Umayyad and 'Abbasid caliphates and under succeeding dynasties, until captured by the Fatimid general Jawhar in 969. Founded in 641 by the Muslim conqueror of Egypt, 'Amr ibn al-'As, on the east bank of the Nile River, south of modern Cairo, Al-Fustat was the earliest Arab settlement in Egypt and site of the province's first mosque, Jami' 'Amr.

China, Taoism

2005-02-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

The suppression of the Yellow Turbans and other Taoist religious movements in AD 184 had left the Taoist church decapitated. With the elimination of its highest leadership, the movement had fallen apart into many small religious communities or parishes, each led by a local Taoist master (tao-shih), assisted by a council of wealthy Taoist laity. Under such circumstances,

Xanthophyta

2005-02-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Division or phylum of algae commonly known as yellow-green algae (q.v.).

Alexander Ii

2005-02-16T01:33:00.000-08:00

Alexander came to the throne on the death of his father, William I (the Lion; reigned 1165–1214). When the English barons rebelled against King John (reigned 1199–1216) in 1215, Alexander sided

Nagaland, Cultural life

2005-02-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

Tribal organization varies from the autocratic angs (chiefs) of the Konyaks and hereditary chieftainships of the Semas and Changs to the democratic structures of the Angamis, Aos, Lothas, and Rengmas. A prominent village institution is the morung (a communal house or dormitory for young unmarried men), where skulls and other trophies of war formerly were hung. The pillars

Syria, The cultivated steppe

2005-02-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

This region constitutes the principal wheat zone; agriculture is intensively pursued along the banks of the rivers. Some of Syria's most important cities—Damascus, Aleppo, Hims, Hamah, and al-Qamishli—are situated there.

Dadu

2005-02-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

A cotton carder by profession, Dadu became a religious wanderer and preacher, settling for periods of time at Sembhar, Amber, and finally at Naraina, near Jaipur (Rajasthan state), which remains the centre of his following. Dadu rejected the authority of the Vedas (earliest Hindu

Guadalupian Stage

2005-02-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

In Guadalupian time the conditions

Châtelet

2005-02-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

In Paris, the principal seat of common-law jurisdiction under the French monarchy from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. Located on the right bank of the Seine River, the building was originally a small fort that guarded the northern approach to the Île de la Cité. Frequently rebuilt, it was known as the Grand Châtelet to distinguish it from the Petit Châtelet

Costa, Lúcio

2005-02-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the National School of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro, in 1924, Costa entered into a partnership with Gregori Warchavchick, a Russian-born architect and early advocate of modern architecture in

Radioactivity

2005-02-11T23:24:00.000-08:00

An unstable nucleus will decompose spontaneously, or decay, into a more stable configuration but will do so only in a few specific ways by emitting certain particles or certain forms of electromagnetic

Levi, Primo

2005-02-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Levi was brought up in the small Jewish community in Turin, studied at the University of Turin, and graduated summa cum laude in chemistry in 1941. Two years later he joined friends

General Stud Book

2005-02-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

In horse breeding, prototype of the breeding record of purebred horses, or studbook (q.v.).

Moline

2005-02-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

City, Rock Island county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies just above the upper rapids of the Mississippi River (there crossed by the Twin Bridges to Iowa). With East Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport (qq.v.), Iowa, it forms the Quad Cities. The site was laid out in 1843 by a milling firm. Its name is apparently from the French moulin (“mill”). John Deere, inventor of an improved steel plow,

Kylix

2005-02-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cylix, in ancient Greek pottery, wide-bowled drinking cup with horizontal handles, one of the most popular pottery forms from Mycenaean times through the classical Athenian period. There was usually a painted frieze around the outer surface (see photograph), depicting a subject from mythology or everyday life, and on the bottom of the inside a painting often depicting

Subiaco

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

Ancient (Latin) Sublaqueum town, Roma provincia, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies along the Aniene River, 1,345 feet (410 m) above sea level, about 45 miles (73 km) east of Rome. Its ancient name recalls its position below three small lakes where the emperor Nero built a villa. An inundation destroyed the lakes in 1305, and only traces remain of the villa. St. Benedict retired as a hermit (c. 494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (“Holy

Dagda

2005-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Eochaid Ollathair (“Eochaid the All-Father”) , or In Ruad Ro-fhessa (“Red [or Mighty] One of Great Wisdom”) in Celtic religion, one of the leaders of a mythological Irish people, the Tuatha Dé Danann (“People of the Goddess Danu”). The Dagda was credited with many powers and possessed a caldron that was never empty, fruit trees that were never barren, and two pigs—one live and the other perpetually roasting. He also had a huge club that had the power both to kill men and to restore

Over-the-counter Market

2005-02-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Trading in stocks and bonds that does not take place on stock exchanges; such trading is most significant in the United States, where requirements for listing stocks on the exchanges are quite strict. It is often called the “off-board market,” and sometimes the “unlisted market,” though the latter term is misleading because some securities so traded are listed on an exchange.

Spalding, Henry Harmon

2005-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

Spalding was educated at Plattsbury (N.Y.) Academy, Western Reserve College (Ohio), and Lane Theological Seminary (Cincinnati) and was ordained in the Presbyterian ministry

Karakul

2005-02-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Sheep breed of central or west Asian origin, raised chiefly for the skins of very young lambs, which are covered with glossy, tightly curled black coats and are called Persian lamb in the fur trade. The wool of mature Karakul sheep, classified as carpet wool, is a mixture of coarse and fine fibres, from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long, of colours varying from black to various shades

Houdon, Jean-antoine

2005-02-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Houdon began sculpturing at the age of nine and underwent the

Biblical Literature, Types of manuscript errors

2005-02-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

Since scribes either copied manuscripts or wrote from dictation, manuscript variants could be of several types: copying, hearing, accidental, or intentional. Errors in copying were common, particularly with uncial letters that looked alike. In early manuscripts OC (for hos, “[he] who”), for example, might easily be mistaken for the traditional abbreviation of God: QC (for

Binomial Theorem

2005-02-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

In which n! (called n factorial) is the product of the first n natural numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . n (and where 0! is defined

Middle Eastern Religion

2005-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Any of the religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices developed in the ancient Middle East (extending geographically from Iran to Egypt and from Anatolia and the Aegean Sea to the Arabian Peninsula and temporally from about 3000 to 330 BC, when Alexander the Great conquered much of the area). They have had an enduring influence on Western civilization. While this article treats

Aaron

2005-02-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Aaron continued to live as a symbol in Jewish religion and traditions, and the position of the priests was strengthened after the exile. Also, in the Qumran sect, a Jewish community that flourished in the era just before and contemporary with the birth of Christianity, Aaron was a symbol for a strong priesthood, as can be seen from the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of time,

Yamazaki Sokan

2005-02-01T03:01:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Sokan's life. According to tradition he served as a retainer to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa and became a monk after Yoshihisa's

Police Technology

2005-01-31T23:35:00.000-08:00

Throughout the 20th century, improvements and innovations have been made in police transportation, communications, weaponry, laboratory facilities, and other areas, but these have scarcely more than kept pace with the pressures generated by denser urban populations, greater sophistication

Bruce Peninsula

2005-01-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Saugeen Peninsula, extension of the Niagara Escarpment, southeastern Ontario, Canada. The peninsula juts northwestward for 60 miles (100 km) into Lake Huron, separating that lake from Georgian Bay. After rising abruptly from its rugged east coast to heights of 200–500 feet (60–150 m) above the lake, the peninsula slopes gradually to its western coast. Although it is poor agriculturally, it is a popular vacation

Scandinavian Literature, The mythological lays

2005-01-30T18:04:00.000-08:00

Mythological lays about the Norse gods made up the first half of the Poetic Edda. It is unlikely that any of these originated outside Norway, Iceland, and Norse colonies in the British Isles. The Völuspá (“Sibyl's Prophecy”) was a striking poem on the history of the world of gods, men, and monsters, from the beginning until the “twilight of the gods.” Many passages in the poem are

Geography, Aerial photography and remote sensing

2005-01-30T01:31:00.000-08:00

During the 20th century immense strides have been made in observing features on the Earth's surface, first by the development of aerial photography and later by satellite imagery. Aerial photography was first used extensively during World War I for reconnaissance. A new profession of photographic interpretation evolved in which the identification of both natural

Uvarov, Sergey Semyonovich, Count

2005-01-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Uvarov served as a diplomat (1806–10), head of the St. Petersburg educational district (1811–22), and deputy minister of education (1832) before being named minister of education in 1833. In an important report to the tsar in 1833 he declared

Loren, Sophia

2005-01-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

Before working in the cinema, Sofia Scicolone changed her name to Sofia Lazzaro for work in the foto-romanzo, popular pulp magazines that used still photographs

Malolos

2005-01-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Luzon, Philippines. It lies at the head of the Pampanga River delta, near the northern shore of Manila Bay. During a revolt against U.S. administration, the insurgent congress met there in the Barasoain Church, where they framed the “Malolos Constitution” and proclaimed a republic on January 23, 1899. The insurgent leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, established his

Pinar Del Río

2005-01-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Pinar del Río provincia, western Cuba. Founded in 1775, the city is situated near the base of the Sierra de los Órganos. In 1800 it was officially named Nueva Filipina and was made capital of the western jurisdiction of Cuba. Its economic importance dates from about 1830, when the tobacco industry of the Vuelta Abajo region was developed. With the completion of the railroad

Roberts, Elizabeth Madox

2005-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

Educated in schools in Springfield, a village near her birthplace, Roberts taught school from 1900 to 1910. After 1910 she stayed for a time in

Wied, Gustav

2005-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

Wied was the son of a well-to-do farmer. He spent most of his life in provincial surroundings, which provide the usual background for his works. He was a private tutor for years, and then an actor, before he became

Thaw, John Edward

2005-01-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

British actor (b. Jan. 3, 1942, Manchester, Eng.—d. Feb. 21, 2002, Luckington, Wiltshire, Eng.), was a respected actor who starred in several British television series but achieved international recognition for one of his roles—the crusty, cerebral Chief Inspector Morse, the title character in a series of 33 two-part dramas based on the novels of British detective writer Colin Dexter. Thaw trained

Sillanpää, Frans Eemil

2005-01-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

The son of a peasant farmer, Sillanpää began studying natural science but in 1913 returned to the country, married, and began to write. His first short stories were published in journals in 1915. From 1924 to 1927 he worked for a publishing company in Porvoo. A new creative

Balakovo

2005-01-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

City, Saratov oblast (province), southwestern Russia, on the left bank of the Volga River. Founded in 1762, it long remained a small agricultural town. Its growth was greatly stimulated by the construction in 1967–70 of the Saratov hydroelectric station on the Volga. Balakovo is also the site of construction of a nuclear power station. A major chemical industry, developed in the 1960s

Cottrell, Frederick Gardner

2005-01-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

Cottrell taught chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1902 to 1911 and began his work on electrostatic precipitators in 1906. In 1912 he founded the Research Corporation, a nonprofit organization

Zanzibar

2005-01-21T02:06:00.000-08:00

Both Zanzibar and Pemba are believed to have once formed part of the African continent, the

F-16

2005-01-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

Also called Fighting Falcon, single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by the General Dynamics Corporation (now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation) for the United States and more than a dozen other countries. The F-16 originated in an order placed in 1972 for a lightweight, cost-effective air-to-air fighter; current models are also all-weather capable, and it is effective for ground attack as well.

Suboscine

2005-01-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

In general, any bird of the suborders Eurylaimi, Tyranni, and Menurae of the order Passeriformes (perching birds, or passerines) as distinguished from an oscine, or songbird (q.v.), a member of the suborder Passeres. The term suboscine implies, perhaps rightly, that birds of this group are more primitive in anatomy and behaviour than the oscines, which are usually considered

Tlazoltéotl

2005-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Ixcuina, or Tlaelquani, Aztec goddess who represented sexual impurity and sinful behaviour; she was probably introduced to the Aztecs from the gulf lowlands of Huaxteca. Tlazoltéotl was an important and complex earth-mother goddess. She was known in four guises, associated with different stages of life. As a young woman, she was a carefree temptress. In her second form she was the destructive

Ranaivo, Flavien

2005-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Educated at the Lycae Gallieri in Tananarive (now Antananarivo), Ranaivo worked in the information service

Sørensen, Rasmus Møller

2005-01-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

In the 1820s and 1830s Sørensen, serving as tutor on the estates of several progressive landowners, developed his ideas of peasant reform. He championed the opening of folk high schools for practical