AwakeSnow

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

2005-04-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Mitropoulos studied in Athens, where his opera Soeur Béatrice (after Maeterlinck) was performed in 1919. Later in Berlin he studied piano under the brilliant pianist, composer, and teacher Ferruccio Busoni. An excellent pianist, Mitropoulos sometimes conducted from the keyboard (e.g., in 1930 and

Macau

2005-04-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Macao , Chinese (Pinyin romanization) Aomen or (Wade-Giles romanization) Ao-men special administrative region (Pinyin tebie xingzhengqu; Wade-Giles t'e-pieh hsing-cheng-ch'ü) of China, on the country's southern coast. Macau is located on the western side of the Pearl River (Chu Chiang) estuary (at the head of which is the port of Canton) and stands about 40 miles (64 km) opposite the special administrative region of Hong Kong, which is on the eastern side of the

Biblical Literature

2005-04-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

History is a central element of the Old Testament. It is the subject of narration in the specifically historical books and of celebration, commemoration, and remonstration in all of the books. History in the Old Testament is not history in the modern sense; it is the story of events seen as revealing the divine presence and power. Nevertheless, it is the account of an

Viseu

2005-04-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Distrito (“district”) northern Portugal. Framed by the Caramulo, Arada, and Montemuro mountains in the west, the district is drained by the upper basin of the Mondego and Vouga rivers. It is densely populated in the more humid western plateaus, with impressive flights of cultivated terraces on the deep valley slopes, which produce chiefly corn (maize), cabbage, grapes, and

Spitz, Mark

2005-04-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Like many other outstanding American swimmers, Spitz trained for several years at the Santa Clara (California) Swim Club. He served as captain of the intercollegiate swimming team at Indiana University, Bloomington (graduated 1972). At the 1968 Olympic

Jack

2005-04-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

The jack's effectiveness stems from the ratio of the load, or weight of the object

Cottonwood

2005-04-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Several fast-growing trees of North America, members of the genus Populus, in the family Salicaceae, with triangular, toothed leaves and cottony seeds. The dangling leaves clatter in the wind. Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides), nearly 30 metres (100 feet) tall, has thick glossy leaves. Perhaps natural hybrids between this and Eurasian black poplar (P.

Antarctica, History

2005-04-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

A thorough general account is in C. Hartley Grattan, The Southwest Pacific Since 1900 (1963). An interesting and thorough history is Walter Sullivan, Quest for a Continent (1957). Kenneth J. Bertrand, Americans in Antarctica, 1775–1948 (1971), recounts early U.S. explorations. Antarctica: Great Stories from the Frozen Continent (1985), offers a readable and profusely illustrated account of explorers from many nations, as well as a description of the physical environment. A complete list of expeditions, claims, treaties, discoveries, and meetings is found in R.K. Headland, Chronological List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Historical Events (1989).

Water Milfoil

2005-03-31T02:33:00.000-08:00

Any member of the genus Myriophyllum (family Haloragaceae), about 45 widely distributed species of submerged freshwater plants with whorls of feathery leaves and emergent, wind-pollinated flowers. Some species are cultivated in pools and aquariums, especially the parrot's feather, or water feather, (M. aquaticum) and the myriad leaf (M.

Checkers

2005-03-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Draughts, board game, one of the world's oldest games. Checkers is played by two persons who oppose each other across a board of 64 light and dark squares, the same as a chessboard. The 24 playing pieces are disk-shaped and of contrasting colours (whatever their colours, they are identified as black and white). At the start of the game, each contestant has 12 pieces arranged on the board. While

La Ceiba

2005-03-30T02:17:00.000-08:00

Developed in the late 19th century as a banana port, La Ceiba is one of the nation's major Caribbean ports. Besides bananas, the port handles pineapples, citrus fruits, coconuts, abacá fibre, fish, meat, coffee, and lumber. The Standard Fruit and Steamship

Interior Design, Early medieval Europe

2005-03-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

In the constant warfare that was waged in Europe in the early medieval period, material possessions dwindled to a minimum: a man did not own for long anything he could not defend and had little use or opportunity for interior decoration. If he possessed more than one house, his furniture and possessions would go with him from place to place. During this time, the arts

Ulaanbaatar

2005-03-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ulan Bator, formerly Urga, or Niislel Khureheh, capital and largest city of Mongolia. It is situated on the Tuul River on a windswept plateau at an elevation of 4,430 feet (1,350 m). The city originated as a seasonal migratory abode of the Mongolian princes and in 1639 finally attained permanence on the present site with the construction of Da Khure Monastery. This building became the residence of the bodgo-gegen, high priest of the

Soter, Saint

2005-03-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Succeeding St. Anicetus as pope, Soter sent a letter and alms to the church of Corinth, whose bishop, St. Dionysius, replied in a letter that acknowledged Soter's affection and theological advice. Soter continued Pope Anicetus' attack against Montanism, a heresy overemphasizing prophecy and rigid moral

Bruch, Max

2005-03-28T01:25:00.000-08:00

At 14 Bruch wrote a symphony and won a scholarship enabling him to study at Cologne. His first opera, Scherz, List und Rache (Jest, Deceit, and Revenge, text adapted from a work by Goethe), was performed in 1858. He conducted orchestral and choral

Swan River

2005-03-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

Ephemeral river of southwestern Western Australia. It rises in the hills south of Corrigin as the Avon and flows 224 mi (360 km) northwest and southwest past Northam and Perth to the Indian Ocean at Fremantle. It is known as the Swan only along its lower 60-mi course. The rivers Helena (site of Mundaring Weir) and Canning are left-bank tributaries. Dry during much of the summer and

Aerospace Industry, Space launchers

2005-03-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Various companies build small ELVs capable of taking light payloads into space. In this market segment the American supplier Orbital Sciences

Squash

2005-03-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

With most of the world's top squash players participating at the Commonwealth Games, held on July 25–August 4 in Manchester, Eng., the singles events became something of an unofficial world championships. The men's final saw another duel between the number one and number two players, Peter Nicol of England and Jonathon Power of Canada. Nicol had taken the title four years

Vtol Airplane

2005-03-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

The first operational VTOL jet aircraft was the British Royal Air Force Harrier; its jet engines are

Nepal, Climate

2005-03-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Nepal's climate, influenced by elevation as well as by its location in a subtropical latitude, ranges from subtropical monsoon conditions in the Tarai, through a warm temperate climate between 4,000 and 7,000 feet in the mid-mountain region, to cool temperate conditions in the higher parts of mountains between 7,000 and 11,000 feet, to an Alpine climate at altitudes between 14,000 and 16,000 feet along

Tizi Ouzou

2005-03-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Algeria, in the Great Kabylie. It lies in a narrow valley of the Wadi Tizi Ouzou, separated from the Wadi Sébaou Valley by Mount Beloua. Named for the flowering broom (ouzou) that grows in the pass (tizi) connecting the two valleys, Tizi Ouzou was built by the Turks and enlarged by the French. The town is a regional trade centre noted for basketry; it is the

Haden, Charlie

2005-03-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

From the age of two Haden sang with his family's country music band on midwestern radio and television programs. He moved to Los Angeles and began to play jazz with Art Pepper and others. While working (1957–59) in pianist Paul

Graz

2005-03-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Bundesland (federal state) Steiermark, southeastern Austria. The country's second largest city, it lies on the Mur River between the Styrian Alps and a wide, fertile valley, the Grazerfeld. In the 9th century there was probably a fortress on the Schlossberg, a rocky cone (1,552 feet [473 m]) that dominates the city. The name Graz is derived from gradec, a Slavic word meaning

Gulf Stream

2005-03-21T00:58:00.000-08:00

The Gulf Stream is part of a general

Amanita

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

Among the deadliest of all mushrooms are the destroying angels

Dental Auxiliary

2005-03-20T03:51:00.000-08:00

Person qualified by training and experience to perform dental work under the direction and supervision of a dentist. Some of these auxiliary persons work directly for the dentist in his own office; others work in a separate office or laboratory, where they perform services to the dentist on the basis of work authorizations or prescriptions. There are three principal

Wind Instrument, The Classical period

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

The Classical technique of winds doubling strings emerged in scoring for opera orchestras in the mid-17th century and continued to be important through the next century in the compositions of Haydn and Mozart. (Most 18th-century orchestras included at least four winds, usually two oboes and two horns; by the 1770s, Mozart was writing for double flutes, oboes, and bassoons, a

Falange

2005-03-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

In full Falange Española (Spanish: “ Spanish Phalanx”), or (1937–77) Falange Española Tradicionalista Y De Las Juntas De Ofensiva Nacional-sindicalista (“Traditionalist Spanish Phalanx of the Juntas of the National Syndicalist Offensive”), extreme nationalist political group founded in Spain in 1933 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of the former dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera. Influenced by Italian fascism, the Falange joined forces (February 1934) with a like-minded group, Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista, and

Dahmer, Jeffrey

2005-03-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

While Dahmer was a teenager, he experienced fantasies of killing and mutilating men. He committed his first murder in Bath township, Ohio, in 1978. A second murder followed in 1987, and during the next five years he

Fish

2005-03-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

The term fish is applied to a variety of vertebrates of several evolutionary lines.

Daddy Longlegs

2005-03-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Also called Harvestman, any of the 3,400 species of the arachnid order Opiliones (sometimes named Phalangida). A daddy longlegs differs from all true spiders (order Araneae) by the extreme length and thinness of its legs and by the small size and spherical or oval shape of its body, which is not divided into two regions by a constriction. The body is 1 to 22 mm (0.04 to 0.9 inch) long; the slender legs, which easily break

Babashoff, Shirley

2005-03-17T19:45:00.000-08:00

At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Babashoff won silver medals in the 100- and 200-metre freestyle events and competed on the gold-medal-winning U.S. team in the 400-metre freestyle relay. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, she again

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

2005-03-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

The company originated in two earlier companies—Kwaishinsha Co. (founded in 1911 to produce Dat cars) and

Aragonite

2005-03-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

Widespread mineral, the stable form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) at high pressures. It may be distinguished from calcite, the commoner form of calcium carbonate, by its greater hardness and specific gravity. Aragonite is always found in deposits formed at low temperatures near the surface of the Earth, as in caves as stalactites, in the oxidized zone of ore minerals

Dzhezkazgan

2005-03-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

Kazak Zhezqazghan , also spelled Dzezkazgan city, central Kazakstan, on a reservoir of the Kara-Kengir River. The city was created in 1938 in connection with the exploitation of the rich local copper deposits. In 1973 a large mining and metallurgical complex was constructed to the southeast to smelt the copper that until then had been sent elsewhere for processing. The city has a rail link with Qaraghandy. Its urban area

Fain, Sammy

2005-03-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

Fain was a self-taught pianist who played by ear. He began working as a staff

Wicklow

2005-03-14T02:10:00.000-08:00

Irish Cill Mhantáin seaport and county seat, County Wicklow, Ireland, south-southeast of Dublin. St. Mantan built a church there in the 5th century; and the town later became a settlement of the Vikings, who renamed it Wykingalo (Vikings' Lough). After the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century, it was granted to Maurice Fitzgerald, who built Black Castle. From then until the 17th century the town

Neosho

2005-03-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1839) of Newton county, southwest Missouri, U.S. It lies in the Ozark Mountains, 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Joplin. Founded in 1839, its name, of Osage Indian derivation, meaning “clear and abundant water,” probably refers to the nine flowing springs (the largest of which is at Big Spring State Park) within the city limits. During the American Civil War, Neosho was the scene of many

Carlsberg Ridge

2005-03-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Submarine ridge of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The ridge is a portion of the Mid-Indian Ridge and extends from near Rodrigues Island to the Gulf of Aden, trending basically northwest to southeast. The ridge separates the Arabian Sea to the northeast from the Somali Basin to the southwest. The mean depth of the Carlsberg Ridge is about 9,600 feet (3,300 m) below sea level,

Jewelry

2005-03-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

It is probable that prehistoric

Fardd, Eben

2005-03-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

Fardd's best-known poems include Dinystr Jerusalem (“Destruction of Jerusalem”), an ode that won the prize at the Welshpool eisteddfod (1824); Job, which won at Liverpool (1840); and Maes

Cosenza

2005-03-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Latin Cosentia, city, capital of Cosenza provincia, Calabria regione, southern Italy, on the Crati River at its confluence with the Busento, north-northeast of Reggio di Calabria. The ancient Cosentia, it was the capital of the Bruttii (an Italic tribe) before it was taken by the Romans in 204 BC. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, died there in 410 and is said to have been buried, together with his treasure

Tsugaru Strait

2005-03-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Japanese Tsugaru-kaikyo, strait of the northwest Pacific extending east from the Sea of Japan to the open ocean between the Japanese islands of Honshu (south) and Hokkaido. It is 15 to 25 miles (24 to 40 km) wide. The strait takes the Tsugaru Current, a warmer and saltier flow that is an extension of the Tsushima Drift, and carries it into the Pacific. Hakodate is a port city on Hokkaido; Aomori is its complement

Anne And Joachim, Saints

2005-03-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

The parents of the Virgin Mary, according to tradition derived from certain apocryphal writings. Information concerning their lives and names is found in the 2nd-century-AD Protevangelium of James (“First Gospel of James”) and the 3rd-century-AD Evangelium de nativitate Mariae (“Gospel of the Nativity of

Englische Komödianten

2005-03-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest English troupes to visit Europe

Heredia, José Maria De

2005-03-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

The son of a wealthy Spanish coffee plantation owner and a French mother, Heredia was educated at Senlis, near Paris. He claimed France as “the country of my mind and heart”; and, although he went home after finishing his schooling, he quickly returned to Paris and studied at the

Lenau, Nikolaus

2005-03-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

Severe depression and dissatisfaction characterized Lenau's life. He began, but never completed, studies in law, medicine, and philosophy. A legacy in 1830 enabled him to devote himself to writing.

Albertus Magnus, Saint

2005-03-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

English Saint Albert The Great , German Sankt Albert Der Grosse , byname Albert Of Cologne , or Of Lauingen , or Doctor Universalis (Latin: “Universal Doctor”) Dominican bishop and philosopher best known as a teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas and as a proponent of Aristotelianism at the University of Paris. He established the study of nature as a legitimate science within the Christian tradition. By papal decree in 1941, he was declared the

Papp, Joseph

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

Papp studied acting and directing at the Actor's Laboratory Theatre in Hollywood from 1946 to 1948, when he became its managing

Hoosac Tunnel

2005-03-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

The first major rock tunnel built in the United States. The tunnel runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills, east of North Adams, Mass., and was built to provide a rail connection between Boston and upper New York state. Though only 4.75 miles (7.6 km) long, the tunnel took 24 years (1851–75) to complete, partly because of slow and laborious rock-tunneling techniques in use when construction

Sackbut

2005-03-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

The sackbut answered the need for a lower-pitched trumpet that composers of the time sought. Its telescoping slide mechanism is retained in the modern trombone.

Leafy Liverwort

2005-03-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

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

Scandinavian Literature, Swedish literature

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

Swedish literature proper began in the late Middle Ages when, after a long period of linguistic change, Old Swedish emerged as a separate language. The foundations of a native literature were established in the 13th century. The oldest extant manuscript in Old Swedish was the Västgötalagan (“Law of West Gotland”), part of a legal code compiled in the 1220s. These legal documents

Agra

2005-03-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Uttar Pradesh state, north-central India, on the Yamuna (Jumna) River. Founded by Sikandar Lodi in the early 16th century, it was the Mughal capital during some periods of their empire. In the late 18th century the city fell successively to the Jats, the Marathas, the Mughals, and the ruler of Gwalior and, finally, to the British in 1803. It was the capital of Agra (later North-Western)

Serlio, Sebastiano

2005-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Trained by his father as a painter, Serlio went to Rome in 1514, where he studied architecture under Baldassarre Peruzzi, one of the initiators of the Mannerist style of architecture. With the sack of Rome

Calendar, The French republican calendar

2005-03-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

In late 18th-century France, with the approach of the French Revolution, demands began to be made for a radical change in the civil calendar that would divorce it completely from any ecclesiastical connections. The first attacks on the Gregorian calendar and proposals for reform came in 1785 and 1788, the changes being primarily designed to divest the calendar of all its Christian

Ha

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

Also called Abaha, or Waha, a Bantu-speaking people belonging to the Interlacustrine Bantu ethnolinguistic family who live in western Tanzania bordering on Lake Tanganyika. Their country, which they call Buha, comprises grasslands and open woodlands. Agriculture is their primary economic activity. Sorghum, millet, corn (maize), cassava, yams, peanuts (groundnuts), and other crops were cultivated

Bottom Water

2005-03-03T17:44:00.000-08:00

Dense, lowermost layer of ocean water that can be distinguished clearly from overlying waters by its characteristic temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Most bottom waters of the South Pacific, southern Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, and portions of the North Atlantic are formed near Antarctica during the southern winter. The partial freezing of seawater

Agostino Di Giovanni

2005-03-03T03:49:00.000-08:00

Agostino is first heard of in Siena in 1310 and again lived there in 1340–43. After 1320 he was active with Agnolo at Volterra, where they executed a number of scenes from the lives of SS. Regulus and Octavian. The work of the two sculptors cannot be clearly differentiated. Between

Atacamite

2005-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Green, brilliant halide mineral, basic copper chloride [Cu2(OH)3Cl]. It is a secondary mineral, formed by the oxidation of other copper minerals, particularly under arid conditions; it is widespread as brittle, transparent to translucent crystals in Atacama Province, Chile; in Boleo, Mex.; and in South Australia. For detailed physical properties, see halide mineral

Jacob's Ladder

2005-03-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Greek Valerian, any of about 25 species of the genus Polemonium of the family Polemoniaceae, native to temperate areas in North and South America and Eurasia. Many are valued as garden flowers and wildflowers. They have loose, spikelike clusters of drooping blue, violet, or white, funnel-shaped, five-petaled flowers and alternate, pinnately (featherlike) compound

Biplane

2005-03-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Airplane with two wings, one above the other. In the 1890s this configuration was adopted for some successful piloted gliders. The Wright brothers' biplanes (1903–09) opened the era of powered flight. Biplanes predominated in military and commercial aviation from World War I through the early 1930s, but the biplane's greater maneuverability could not offset the speed advantage of

Mutualism

2005-03-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Association between organisms of two different species in which each is benefited. Mutualistic arrangements are most likely to develop between organisms with widely differing living requirements. The partnership between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and leguminous plants is an example, as is the association between cows and rumen bacteria (the bacteria live

Mascarene Islands

2005-02-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

French Îles Mascareignes, collectively, the islands of Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, which are situated in a line along a submarine ridge, the Seychelles–Mauritius Plateau, 400 to 500 miles (640 to 800 km) northeast from southern Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. All are volcanic in origin. The name Mascarene is taken from the 16th-century Portuguese explorer Pedro de Mascarenhas. The islands now form

Franca

2005-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

City, in the highlands of northeastern São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies at 3,314 feet (1,010 m) above sea level. Known variously as Vila Franca del Rei and Vila Franca do Imperador, it was given town status in 1824 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1856. The city has one of the largest sugar refineries in Brazil; coffee, rice, corn (maize), cotton, and feijão (beans) are also grown locally.

Jacobi, Carl

2005-02-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Jacobi was first tutored by an uncle, and, by the end of his first year at the Gymnasium (1816–17), he was ready to enter the University of Berlin. Because the university would not accept students younger than 16, he had to bide his

Lena River

2005-02-27T00:52:00.000-08:00

The Lena is navigable by small boats in sections below Kachug and below Ust-Kut by larger vessels. The most important ports are Bulun, Zhigansk, Yakutsk, Vitim, Kirensk, Osetrovo, Zhigalovo, and Kachug. The major navigable tributaries are the Kirenga and Vilyuy on the left bank and the Vitim, Olyokma, and Aldan on the right bank. Timber, furs, gold, mica, industrial products,

Bioethics

2005-02-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

The discipline dealing with the ethical implications of both biological research and the applications of that research, especially in medicine. The first bioethics study institute, the Hastings Center, was established in June 1969 and is now located in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., U.S. In 1971 Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., established The Joseph and Rose Kennedy Institute

Jackson, Howell E.

2005-02-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

Jackson practiced law in the towns of Jackson and Memphis, Tenn., until the outbreak of the American Civil War, during which he served the Confederacy as a receiver of sequestered property. He gained prominence in his practice after the war and in 1880 was

China, Establishment of the People's Republic

2005-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

The Communist victory in 1949 brought to power a peasant party that had learned its techniques in the countryside but had adopted Marxist ideology and believed in class struggle and rapid industrial development. Extensive experience in running base areas and waging war before 1949 had given the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deeply ingrained operational habits and proclivities.

Pyrogallol

2005-02-25T00:46:00.000-08:00

Pyrogallol was first obtained in 1786 from gallic acid, obtainable from galls and barks of various trees. It is converted to pyrogallol by heating with water under pressure. Pyrogallol is the oldest photographic developer, its rapid deposition

Sanka

2005-02-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

Little is known of their history. Although they are mentioned in Japanese chronicles from

Channel-port Aux Basques

2005-02-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

Town on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, Canada. It is the terminal for car ferries across Cabot Strait from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and is the connecting point for the 570-mile (917-kilometre) semicircular final stage of the Trans-Canada Highway to St. John's (east). Fishing and fish processing are local industries. A monument commemorates those who died when the ferry

Pitta

2005-02-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

(genus Pitta) any of about 23 species of Old World birds constituting the family Pittidae. All are stub tailed, long legged, and short necked. They have a rather stout bill and are 15–27 centimetres (6–10 1/2 inches) in length. Pittas faintly resemble thrushes and are sometimes known as jewelthrushes. The sexes may be alike or unlike in appearance. Most species are found in the Indo-Malayan region,

Kazak Language

2005-02-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kazakh, member of the Turkic language family (a subfamily of the Altaic languages), belonging to the northwestern, or Kipchak, branch. The Kazak language is spoken primarily in Kazakstan and in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang in China but is also found in Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. The so-called Kipchak-Uzbek dialect is closely related to Kazak and is considered

Cracow, Republic Of

2005-02-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Free City of Cracow , Cracow also spelled Kraków , Polish Krakowska Rzeczpospolita , or Wolne Miasto Kraków tiny state that, for the 31 years of its existence (1815–46), was the only remaining independent portion of Poland. Established by the Congress of Vienna at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars (1815), the free Republic of Cracow consisted of the ancient city of Cracow and the territory surrounding it. Containing a population of 95,000, it was placed under the joint protection of Austria, Prussia,

Saracoglu, Sükrü

2005-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Having studied economics and political science in Geneva, Saracoglu returned to Turkey in 1918 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I (1914–18). He joined the movement of Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk) to resist the Allied occupation

Bedmar, Alonso De La Cueva, Marqués De

2005-02-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

Nominated by Philip III of Spain as ambassador to the Venetian Republic (1607), he was made marqués de Bedmar in 1614. He used his diplomatic privileges to promote the plans of the Spanish viceroys of Naples and Milan and to increase Spanish power in Italy. Resolutely opposed

Statistics

2005-02-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

In an experimental study,

Ribera, José De

2005-02-20T00:53:00.000-08:00

He was born in Spain but spent most of his life in Italy. Little is known of his life in Spain, though he is said by the painter and biographer Antonio Palomino to have received his

Ahmed Hasim

2005-02-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

Born into a prominent family, Hasim developed his knowledge of French literature and his fondness for poetry at Galatasaray Lycée in Constantinople (now Istanbul). After briefly studying law, he worked for the government tobacco offices.

Melchior, Johann Peter

2005-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Modeller in porcelain, best known of the artists associated with the great German porcelain factory at Höchst. As a child he showed an interest in drawing, painting, and sculpture, and a relative apprenticed him to a sculptor in Düsseldorf. He became sufficiently well known to be named Modellmeister at the

Interest

2005-02-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

Interest may also be viewed as the income derived from the possession of contractual promises from others to pay sums in the future. The question may be asked, “What is the value today of a promise to pay $100 a year from now?” If the answer is $100, then no interest income is generated.

Jacotot, Jean-joseph

2005-02-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

Jacotot began his career as a teacher and mathematician and was appointed subdirector of the Polytechnic School in Dijon (1795), where he became, in succession, professor of the method of sciences, of Latin and Greek literature, and of Roman law. During the Napoleonic Wars he

Amicus Curiae

2005-02-18T01:17:00.000-08:00

An amicus curiae normally may not participate except by

Judaism, Sa'adia ben Joseph

2005-02-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

This belief in reason, as well as some of the tenets of Mu'tazilite theology, were taken over by Sa'adia ben Joseph, who was also influenced, either directly or through the intermediary of an Arabic philosopher, by the arguments of a Christian 6th-century philosopher, John Philoponus, against certain Aristotelian and Neoplatonic positions. Sa'adia's main theological

Ear Disease, Frostbite

2005-02-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

The exposed position of the outer ear makes it the part of the body most frequently affected by freezing, or frostbite. Humidity, duration of exposure, and, most of all, wind, in addition to degrees of temperature below freezing, predispose to the occurrence of frostbite. The frozen area begins along the upper and outer edge of the ear, which becomes yellow-white and waxy

Rama Iii

2005-02-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

Rama III was the eldest son of King Rama II by a royal concubine, and in his youth he was given responsibility for overseeing foreign trade and relations. On his father's

Cilea, Francesco

2005-02-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

While studying at the Naples Conservatory, Cilea produced an opera, Gina, which secured for him a commission from a publisher. His first important work, L'Arlesiana (1897), after Alphonse Daudet, was the vehicle for the tenor Enrico Caruso's first success. Cilea's

Domei

2005-02-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

Domei was formed in 1964 by a merger of three politically moderate federations that opposed the leftist stance of the larger and more militant union Sohyo. Unlike the majority of Sohyo members, who were public employees, most Domei members worked for private-sector firms. Domei was a supporter of the Democratic

Biblical Literature, Nature and significance

2005-02-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

General articles and notes in The Oxford Annotated Bible (1962), The Jerusalem Bible (1966), and the Genesis volume of The Anchor Bible, by E.A. Speiser (1964); E. H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, 12th rev. ed. (1972); Abraham J. Heschel, Man Is Not Alone (1951), a classic statement of modern Judaism; Erich Auerbach, Mimesis: Dargestellte Wirklichkeit in der abendländischen Literatur (1946; Eng. trans., Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, 1953), a classic work; William R. Mueller, The Prophetic Voice in Modern Fiction (1959), religious themes interpreting Joyce, Camus, Kafka, Faulkner, Greene, and Silone; Nathan A. Scott, Jr. (ed.), The Tragic Vision and the Christian Faith (1957), essays by 12 writers on faith and the tragic dimension of existence; James Barr, The Scope and Authority of the Bible (1981), questions the divine inspiration of biblical texts.

Aschelminth, Locomotion

2005-02-14T04:52:00.000-08:00

Nematodes have a characteristic sinuous movement in which waves travel along the body, which generally lies on its side, backward waves driving the body forward, forward waves driving it backward. These waves are brought about by successive contractions of longitudinal body wall muscles, in dorsal and ventral blocks, acting out of phase. The muscles increase the

Arginine

2005-02-13T23:43:00.000-08:00

An amino acid obtainable by hydrolysis of many common proteins but particularly abundant in protamines and histones, proteins associated with nucleic acids. First isolated from animal horn (1895), arginine plays an important role in mammals in the synthesis of urea, the principal form in which these species excrete nitrogen. Arginine is one of several nonessential

Gabon, Transportation

2005-02-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

The difficulty of building and maintaining all-weather roads led to an expansion of air transport

Shiga

2005-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Landlocked ken (prefecture), southern Honshu, Japan, containing Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. The lake and surrounding mountainous district form Lake Biwa Quasi-national Park. The prefecture's percentage of rice paddies is among the highest in Japan, and its Omi beef is well known throughout Japan. The textile industries at Otsu, the prefectural capital, Hikone,

Rambler, The

2005-02-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

A twopenny sheet issued twice weekly in London by the publisher John Payne between 1750 and 1752, each issue containing a single anonymous essay; 208 such periodical essays appeared, all but five written by Samuel Johnson. Johnson's intention in this project was that of a moralist aware of his duty to make the world better. This sense of responsibility determined the style of his

Lopes, Fernão

2005-02-11T04:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing certain is known of Lopes' early

Lithuania

2005-02-11T00:51:00.000-08:00

In the second round of voting in the presidential elections on Jan. 5, 2003, Rolandas Paksas (see Biographies), the leader of Lithuania's new populist Liberal Democratic Party, emerged the victor. The young and aggressive Paksas received 54.7% of votes, defeating the much more experienced centre-right incumbent, Pres. Valdas Adamkus, with 45.3%. Voter turnout was 52.6%. Late in the year, though,

Radiation Injury

2005-02-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

Tissue damage or changes caused by exposure to ionizing radiation—namely, gamma rays, X rays, and such high-energy particles as neutrons, electrons, and positrons. Sources of ionizing radiation may be natural (e.g., radioactive substances such as the element radium or the radioisotopes potassium-40 and carbon-14) or man-made (X-ray machines, nuclear reactors, particle accelerators,

Biblical Literature, Ezekielthe man and his message

2005-02-10T02:36:00.000-08:00

The man who wrote this book—at least the main body of the work—was undoubtedly one of the leaders of Jerusalem because he was among the first group of exiles to go into captivity—those who were forced to leave their homeland about 597 BCE in a deportation to Babylon on the orders of the conquering king Nebuchadrezzar. Belonging to the priestly class, perhaps of the line of Zadok,