CleanBrain

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

2006-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are a specialist in estate agent fitzrovia, amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

China, War between Nationalists and Communists

2005-04-04T23:34:00.000-07:00

In the meantime, the Communists had created 15 rural bases in central China, and they established a soviet government, the Kiangsi Soviet, on Nov. 7, 1931. Within the soviet regions the Communist leadership expropriated and redistributed land and in other ways enlisted the support of the poorer classes. The Japanese occupation of Manchuria and an ancillary localized war

Arcadelt, Jacob

2005-04-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

Arcadelt's reputation rests on about

Koussevitzky, Serge

2005-04-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Koussevitzky studied the double bass in Moscow, becoming a virtuoso, and in Russia, Germany, and England gave recitals at which he played his own compositions;

Insurance, Renewability

2005-03-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

An important condition of health insurance is that of renewability. Some contracts are cancelable at any time upon short notice. Others are not cancelable during the year's term of coverage, but the insurer may refuse to renew coverage for a subsequent year or may renew only at higher rates or under restrictive conditions. Thus the insured may become ill with a chronic

Christian Science Monitor, The

2005-03-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

Daily newspaper (except Saturdays and Sundays) published in Boston under the auspices of the Church of Christ, Scientist. It was established in 1908 at the urging of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the church, as a protest against the sensationalism of the popular press. The Monitor became famous for its thoughtful treatment of the news and for the quality of its long-range, comprehensive

Biblical Literature, The First Letter of John

2005-03-25T01:02:00.000-08:00

I John assumes a knowledge of the Johannine Gospel (the author of I John may be the ecclesiastical redactor of the Gospel According to John) and adds ethical admonition and instruction regarding the well-being of the church as it confronts heresy and stresses the lack of moral concern that springs from it. There is strong defense against the threat of a type of Gnosticism

God, Kingdom Of

2005-03-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Kingdom Of Heaven, in Christianity, the spiritual realm over which God reigns as king, or the fulfillment on Earth of God's will. The phrase occurs frequently in the New Testament, primarily used by Jesus Christ in the first three Gospels. It is generally considered to be the central theme of Jesus' teaching, but widely differing views have been held about Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom

Hohenlohe-ingelfingen, Friedrich Ludwig, Fürst Zu

2005-03-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

Hohenlohe entered the Prussian Army in 1768, distinguishing himself in the War

Punjab

2005-03-20T02:09:00.000-08:00

Province of eastern Pakistan. It is bordered by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the northeast, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, Sindh province to the south, Balochistan and North-West Frontier provinces to the west, and Islamabad federal capital area and Azad Kashmir to the north. Punjab is Pakistan's second largest province, after

Breckinridge, Madeline Mcdowell

2005-03-19T03:29:00.000-08:00

Née Madeline McDowell American social reformer whose efforts focused on child welfare, health issues, and women's rights. Educated in Lexington, Kentucky, and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, she studied intermittently during 1890–94 at the State College (now University) of Kentucky. In 1898 she married Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington

Butaritari Atoll

2005-03-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Makin Atoll, formerly Pitt Island, coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Located in the northern Gilberts, it comprises a central lagoon (11 miles [18 km] wide) ringed by islets, with a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 square km), which provides a good deep anchorage with three passages to the open sea. Occupied by Japanese forces from 1941 to 1943, the atoll served as a U.S. air and naval

Euro

2005-03-16T01:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Wallaroo, one of the largest species of kangaroo (q.v.).

Forbes, Steve

2005-03-14T05:21:00.000-08:00

Forbes graduated from Princeton University in 1970 with a B.A. degree in American history. He then went to work as a researcher for Forbes magazine, which was headed by his father, Malcolm S. Forbes, Sr. In 1973 he began writing a column for the

Daigak Guksa

2005-03-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

A son of the Koryo king Munjong, Uich'on became a Buddhist monk at age 11, and in 1084 he went to the Sung court of China and stayed a year and a half studying and collecting Buddhist literature. When Uich'on returned home to Korea, he brought with him the doctrines of the Chinese T'ien T'ai (Korean pronunciation

Isaiah, Ascension Of

2005-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Pseudepigraphal work surviving intact only in a 5th–7th-century-AD Ethiopic edition. Fragments exist in Greek, Coptic, Latin, and Old Slavonic. Three separate works comprise the total book, the final version by a Christian editor, which appeared in the 2nd century AD. The first section is entitled “The Martyrdom of Isaiah,” a Midrash on the Manasseh story in II Kings 21, possibly written

General Semantics

2005-03-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

A philosophy of language-meaning that was developed by Alfred Korzybski (1879–1950), a Polish-American scholar, and furthered by S.I. Hayakawa, Wendell Johnson, and others; it is the study of language as a representation of reality. Korzybski's theory was intended to improve the habits of response to environment. Drawing upon such varied disciplines as relativity theory, quantum

Laterality

2005-03-07T05:29:00.000-08:00

The most obvious example of laterality is handedness, the tendency to use one hand or the other to perform activities. It is the usual practice to classify persons as right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous (two-handed).

Algeria, Manufacturing

2005-03-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

The manufacturing sector was mainly confined to food processing, textiles, cigarettes, and clothing before independence. Since 1967, however, the main emphasis has shifted toward heavy industry. The state steel corporation, for example, completed its large El-Hadjar steelworks complex at Annaba in the early 1970s and has constructed a zinc electrolysis plant near the El-Abed

Saint David, Fort

2005-03-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

British stronghold near the town of Cuddalore, about 100 miles (160 km) south of Madras on the southeastern coast of India. The fort was sold by the Marathas to the English East India Company in 1690. It was named for the patron saint of Wales because the governor of Madras at the time, Elihu Yale, was Welsh. It was purchased because of increasing political instability in southern India,

Marie (-catherine) Leszczynska

2005-03-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Marie's father, Stanislaw Leszczynski, was elected King Stanislaw I of Poland in 1704. After

Yako

2005-02-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

The Yako are mainly yam farmers; subsidiary crops include cocoyams (taro), corn (maize), okra, and pumpkin. The main cash crop is palm oil. The Yako occupy compact villages divided into wards, each containing several patrilineal clans. Patrilineal

Butler, R(ichard) A(usten), Baron Butler Of Saffron Walden

2005-02-24T06:54:00.000-08:00

Educated at Cambridge (1921–25), Butler lectured at that university on French history until 1929, when he was elected to Parliament as a Conservative. During the 1930s he worked successively in the ministries governing Indian, labour,

Athol

2005-02-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Worcester county, north-central Massachusetts, U.S. It lies on the Millers River, north of Quabbin Reservoir. Settled in 1735, it was known by the Algonquian name of Pequoiag until it was incorporated in 1762 and renamed for Blair Atholl, the Scottish home of the dukes of Atholl. An early industrial centre, it had lumber, textile, and tanning mills. Its modern economy

Anius

2005-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of the god Apollo and of Rhoeo, who was herself a descendant of the god Dionysus. Rhoeo, when pregnant, had been placed in a chest and cast into the sea by her father; floating to the island of Delos, she gave birth to Anius, who became a seer and a priest of Apollo. Anius' three daughters, Oeno, Spermo, and Elais—that is, Wine, Grain Seed, and Oil—were granted

Alcamo

2005-02-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

Town, Trapani provincia, northwestern Sicily, Italy, 23 miles (37 km) west-southwest of Palermo. The name comes from that of the nearby Saracen fortress, Alqamah, on Mount Bonifato. The present town was founded by the emperor Frederick II in 1233. Notable churches include the 17th-century Assunta Church and the Church of San Tomaso with an elaborate 14th-century doorway. There is also

Briançon

2005-02-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

City, Hautes-Alpes département, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur région, southeastern France. Briançon lies at the confluence of the Durance and Guisanne rivers. Its location at a crossing point for commerce across the Alps made the city important historically. The upper city preserves 17th-century fortifications designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban; the lower city

Aiken, Howard Hathaway

2005-02-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

Aiken did engineering work while he attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After completing his doctorate at Harvard University in 1939, he remained there for a short period to teach before undertaking war work for the U.S.

Chatham

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

Town, Northumberland county, eastern New Brunswick, Canada. It lies near the mouth of the Miramichi River opposite Newcastle, 84 miles (135 km) north-northwest of Moncton. Founded about 1800 by Francis Peabody, it was probably named in honour of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. It has pulp and paper mills, foundries, and shipyards and is a lumber-shipping and salmon-fishing port. In the

Annapolis Convention

2005-02-09T03:15:00.000-08:00

Growing out of an earlier meeting of representatives of Maryland and Virginia to discuss ways of improving navigation on the Potomac River, the convention of delegates

Giulini, Carlo Maria

2005-02-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

Giulini studied under Bernardino Molinari at Rome's Accademia di Santa Cecilia. As violist for that institution's resident orchestra, he observed the work of such notables as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, and Bruno Walter. His conducting

Chatoyance

2005-02-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

The property of some minerals to exhibit a wavy, luminous band with a silky lustre, reminiscent of the eye of a cat, in the centre of a cabochon-cut (polished, with a rounded, unfaceted convex surface) stone. The effect, caused by parallel fibres or by oriented imperfections or inclusions within the stone, is typical of cat's-eye, tigereye, satin spar, and bronzite. The fibres,

Hendricks, Thomas A(ndrews)

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

From 1863 until his death Hendricks was prominent in national Democratic politics. He was the vice-presidential running mate of Samuel J. Tilden in the disputed election of 1876, losing by the decision of a special Electoral Commission. In 1880 he expressed interest in becoming a presidential nominee but was unsuccessful. Nominated as vice president again in 1884, he was finally elected with Cleveland but died less than nine months after his inauguration.

Ramiro I

2005-02-01T23:30:00.000-08:00

First king of Aragon, who reigned from 1035. He was the illegitimate son of King Sancho III of Navarre. During his father's lifetime he governed this territory and was made king of it by his father's will. In 1045 he annexed the territories belonging to his brother Gonzalo upon the latter's death. Ramiro later conquered some territory from the Moors and made the Moorish kings

Maxim, Hiram Percy

2005-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Son and nephew of famous inventors, Maxim graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then in Boston, at age 16 and by 1890 was superintendent of the American Projectile Company plant at Lynn, Mass. While bicycling from Salem to Lynn,

Dolores River

2005-01-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

River in southwest Colorado, U.S., rising in the La Plata Mountains and flowing southwest through deep canyons, past Dolores, then northwest through Paradox Valley, at the north end of which it is met by its chief tributary, the San Miguel River. It continues on past Gateway and across the Utah border to join the Colorado River near Moab after a course of about 250 miles (400 km). Melting

Arsenide

2005-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Any member of a rare mineral group consisting of compounds of one or more metals with arsenic (As). The coordination of the metal is almost always octahedral or tetrahedral. In the former case, each metal ion occupies a position within an octahedron composed of six oppositely charged arsenic ions, whereas in the latter each of the metal ions is surrounded by six oppositely

Middle Rhine Highlands

2005-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Rhenish Slate Mountains , German Rheinisches Schiefergebirge mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The Highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of rugged relief, as in the Eifel and the Rothaargebirge in the region of Sauerland, though

Itapetininga

2005-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

City, in the highlands of east-central São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies at 2,200 feet (670 m) above sea level, near the Itapetininga River. Formerly called Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres de Itapetininga, it was given town status in 1770 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1771. Agriculture and industry both contribute to Itapetininga's economy. The principal crops in the region are

Bradford, Roark (whitney Wickliffe)

2005-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

Bradford had little formal education; instead, he found the substance for his career in the people around him. When he began work as a reporter in 1920, he met the colourful characters of various Southern

Locoweed

2005-01-17T02:52:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of poisonous plants of the genera Astragalus and Oxytropis, in the pea family (Fabaceae), native to the prairies of north central and western North America. Locoweeds pose a danger to livestock, horses, and other grazing animals, because they contain a toxin that affects muscle control, producing frenzied behaviour, impaired vision,

Animal Disease

2005-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Concern with diseases that afflict animals dates from the earliest human contacts with animals and is reflected in early views of religion and magic. Diseases of animals remain a concern principally because of the economic losses they cause and the possible transmission

Websterashburton Treaty

2005-01-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

(1842), treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain establishing the northeastern boundary of the U.S. and providing for Anglo–U.S. cooperation in the suppression of the slave trade. The treaty established the present boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, granted the U.S. navigation rights on the St. John River, provided for extradition in enumerated nonpolitical criminal

Bacau

2005-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Judet(county), eastern Romania, occupying an area of 2,551 sq mi (6,606 sq km). The Eastern Carpathians and the sub-Carpathians rise above the settlement areas that are situated in intermontane valleys and lowlands. The county is drained southeastward by the Siret River and its tributaries. It was formerly included in feudal Moldavia. Manufactures of Bacau (q.v.) city, the county capital,

Béarn

2005-01-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Béarn's name can be traced to the town of Beneharnum (Lescar). Béarn was conquered by the Vascones (the ancestors of the modern Basques) in the 6th century and in 819 became a viscounty feudally

Anatidae

2005-01-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

Anserinae—tribes Dendrocygnini (see whistling duck, or tree duck) and

Azaïs, Pierre-hyacinthe

2005-01-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Philosopher whose optimism was rooted in the idea that human experience is imbued with a natural and harmonious balance between joy and sadness and that it is in this balance that meaning can be discovered. He advocated the idea in the work that first brought him fame, Des compensations dans les destinées humaines, 3 vol. (1809). In a following work,

Craigavon

2005-01-01T00:25:00.000-08:00

New town (built after 1966), Craigavon district, Northern Ireland, southwest of Belfast. Craigavon new town was developed under the New Towns Act of 1965 as a commercial, light industrial, and residential centre linking the older towns of Lurgan and Portadown. It was named after James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, the first prime minister (1921–40) of Northern Ireland. The new town's planning

Rare-earth Element, Ion exchange

2004-12-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

Ion exchange is a method of separation based on differential absorption and elution (washing off) of substances from certain solid supporting materials, often powdered or finely divided materials held in glass tubes. The technique was first used in the rare-earth field during World War II to separate fission products obtained from nuclear reactors. In December

Wa-fang-tien

2004-12-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

Formerly Fu-hsien, Pinyin Wafangdian, or Fu Xian, city in Liaoning sheng (province), China. The city is situated in the centre of the Liaotung Peninsula and is an important market centre for the agriculture and fruit industry of the area, which specializes in growing apples, pears, and grapes. It has developed industries producing various industrial chemicals as well as fertilizers and insecticides. It also has a

Jordan, Biblical associations

2004-12-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

Biblical accounts of the area, dating from the Middle Bronze Age onward, mention kingdoms such as Gilead in the north, Moab in central Jordan, and Midian in the south. At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites tried to pass through Edom in southern Jordan but were refused permission. They were at first repelled by the Amorites, whom they later defeated. The Israelite tribes

Arctic, Land transport

2004-12-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Land transport is less well developed. The expense of building a road or railbed is generally prohibitive in an area with such low population and such great distances between centres. In the American north there is only one railway, the Alaska Railroad, which runs from the port of Seward on the south coast to Fairbanks in the interior. There are more roads, chief among

Seto-guro Ware

2004-12-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Japanese ceramic ware created at Mino during 1573–96. A black ware, it stands in contrast to the contemporary pure-white Shino ware. Seto-guro (“black Seto”) was produced by a process that involved firing the iron-glaze ware in an oxidizing kiln from which it was suddenly removed and immediately cooled. The shade of black achieved was far richer than had been achieved in the earlier

Qarmatian

2004-12-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Qarmathian, Karmatian , or Karmathian , Arabic Qarmati , plural Qaramitah a member of the Shi'ite Muslim sect known as the Isma'ilites. The Qarmatians flourished in Iraq, Yemen, and especially Bahrain during the 9th to 11th centuries, taking their name from Hamdan Qarmat, who led the sect in southern Iraq in the second half of the 9th century. The Qarmatians became notorious for an insurrection in Syria and Iraq in 903–906 and for the exploits of two Bahraini leaders,

Aegospotami, Battle Of

2004-12-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

(405 BC), naval victory of Sparta over Athens, final battle of the Peloponnesian War. The fleets of the two Greek rival powers faced each other in the Hellespont for four days without battle, until on the fifth day the Spartans under Lysander surprised the Athenians in their anchorage off Aegospotami. Conon, the Athenian commander, escaped with only 20 of his 180 ships, and the 3,000–4,000 Athenians

Beaker Folk

2004-12-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age people living about 6,000 years ago in the temperate zones of Europe; they received their name from their distinctive bell-shaped beakers, decorated in horizontal zones by finely toothed stamps. (Their culture is often called the Bell-Beaker culture.) The graves of the Beaker folk were usually modest single units, though in much of western

Alkaptonuria

2004-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

Rather rare (one in 200,000 births) inherited disorder of protein metabolism characterized by an inability of the body to metabolize the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. In the normal metabolic pathway of tyrosine, homogentisic acid is converted to maleylacetoacetate in the liver by the enzyme homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase. This enzyme is not active in individuals

Watanabe Kazan

2004-12-10T01:23:00.000-08:00

The son of a poor retainer of a lesser lord, Watanabe studied painting to earn a living. In 1832 Watanabe, who was in the service of Lord Tawara of Mikawa,

Ancillon, Johann Peter Friedrich

2004-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Educated in Geneva, Ancillon acquired a chair in history at the Berlin Military Academy in 1792. After the publication of Tableau des révolutions

Alveolar Proteinosis

2004-12-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Respiratory disorder caused by the filling of large groups of alveoli with protein and lipid (fat) particles. The alveoli are air sacs, minute structures in the lungs in which the exchange of respiratory gases occurs. The gas molecules must pass through a cellular wall, the surface of which is generally covered by a thin film of fatty material secreted from the alveolar

Induration

2004-12-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Hardening of rocks by heat or baking; also the hardening of sediments through cementation or compaction, or both, without the introduction of heat. The classic example is the rock called hornfels, which is formed at contacts with igneous intrusions and in which heat and fluids from the intruding magma reconstitute the original wall rock into a hardened, flinty rock

Wu, Chien-shiung

2004-12-03T02:47:00.000-08:00

Wu graduated from the National Central University in Nanking, China, in 1936 and then traveled to the United States to pursue graduate studies in physics

Abbott, Edith

2004-11-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

Edith Abbott was the older sister of Grace Abbott, who would serve as chief of the United States Children's Bureau from 1921 to 1934. Both sisters were influenced by

Animal Magnetism

2004-11-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

A presumed intangible or mysterious force that is said to influence human beings. The term was applied by the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer to the hypnotism that he used in the treatment of patients. He believed that it was an occult force or invisible fluid emanating from his body and that, more generally, the force permeated the universe, deriving especially

Animal Magnetism

2004-11-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

ALS affects the motor neurons—i.e., those neurons that control muscular movements.

Nichiren Buddhism

2004-11-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

Nichiren believed that the quintessence of the Buddha's teachings was contained in the Lotus Sutra (Sanskrit: Saddharmapundarika-sutra; “The Scripture of the Lotus of the Good Law”). According to him, the other

Lahore

2004-11-23T14:06:00.000-08:00

Little is known of the history of the settlement prior to the Muslim period. Hindu legend attributes the founding of Lahore to Lava, or Loh, son of Rama, for whom it is said to have been named Lohawar. The city

Essene

2004-11-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

The Essenes

O'shea, William Henry; And O'shea, Katharine

2004-11-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

William

Trafford

2004-11-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

Metropolitan borough in the southwest of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Most of the borough's area, including towns such as Sale and Altrincham, lies south of the River Mersey in the historic county of Cheshire, but the historic county of Lancashire encompasses the urban core of the borough north of the Mersey, including Stretford, the Trafford

Averroës

2004-11-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

Medieval Latin Averrhoës , also called Ibn Rushd , Arabic in full Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd influential Islamic religious philosopher who integrated Islamic traditions with ancient Greek thought. At the request of the Almohad caliph Abu Ya'qub Yusuf, he produced a series of summaries and commentaries on most of Aristotle's works (1169–95) and on Plato's Republic, which exerted considerable influence in

Nahant

2004-11-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Initially settled by fishermen and livestock herders in the mid-17th century, Nahant

Puebla, Battle Of

2004-11-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

The route taken by the French toward the capital

Bona Dea

2004-11-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

(Latin: “Good Goddess”), in Roman religion, deity of fruitfulness, both in the earth and in women. She was identified with various goddesses who had similar functions. The dedication day of her temple on the Aventine was May 1. Her temple was cared for and attended by women only, and the same was the case at a second celebration, at the beginning of December, in the house of a sovereign

Camargo Society

2004-11-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

Group credited with keeping ballet alive in England during the early 1930s. Named after Marie Camargo, the noted 18th-century ballerina, the society was formed in 1930 by Philip J.S. Richardson, the editor of Dancing Times, the critic Arnold Haskell, and other patrons to stimulate interest in creating a national ballet. For the next three years the group annually commissioned

Leah

2004-11-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

After Jacob had deprived his brother Esau of his birthright

Allegany

2004-11-02T04:53:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern New York state, U.S., bordered to the south by Pennsylvania and comprising a region of moderate relief. The principal waterways are the Genesee River and Rushford and Cuba lakes. Public lands include the Oil Spring Indian Reservation and state wildlife management areas at Hanging Bog, Rattlesnake Hill, and Keaney Swamp. The main forest types are

Baraita

2004-10-31T03:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Baraitha (Hebrew: “Outside Teaching,” or “Exclusion”), plural Baraitot, Baraitoth, or Baraithoth, any of the ancient oral traditions of Jewish religious law that were not included in the Mishna (the first authoritative codification of such laws). The Baraitot that are found dispersed singly throughout the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds are often recognizable by such introductory words as “it was taught” or “the rabbi taught.” Other Baraitot are found in independent

Wolf-rayet Star

2004-10-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Any of a class of extremely hot, white stars having peculiar spectra thought to indicate either great turbulence within the star or a steady, voluminous ejection of material. A typical Wolf-Rayet star is several times the diameter of the Sun and thousands of times more luminous. Only a few hundred are known, located mostly in the spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxy. The

Holocaust Remembrance Days

2004-10-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

Although Jews were the first group to seek a fitting commemoration

Sigismund Ii Augustus

2004-10-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

The only son of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, Sigismund II was elected and crowned coruler with his father in 1530. He ruled the duchy of Lithuania from 1544 and became king

Hughes, David (edward)

2004-10-23T03:31:00.000-07:00

Anglo-American inventor of the carbon microphone, which was important to the development of telephony. His family emigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. In 1850 he became professor of music at St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky. Five years later he took out a U.S. patent for a type-printing telegraph instrument; its success was immediate,

Yuzu Nembutsu

2004-10-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Japanese Buddhist sect that stresses the permeating effect (yuzu) of nembutsu, the invocation of the name of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha). Thus, the belief was that not only the person who chants the name but all humanity benefits from the practice of nembutsu. The sect was founded in the early 12th century by an evangelistic Tendai monk, Ryonin, and was a forerunner of the devotional

Furniture, Inlay and marquetry

2004-10-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Inlaid woodwork, in which decorative material such as wood or ivory is set into the surface of the veneer, has accompanied the art of furniture making for thousands of years. Ivory inlay can be seen in Egyptian furniture, particularly in small, meticulously executed toilet caskets, but it is difficult to locate in Greek and Roman furniture, today known almost exclusively

Interior Design, Special types of interiors

2004-10-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Michael Saphier, Office Planning and Design (1968), a clear overview of the field of business and office interiors; Betty Alswang and Ambur Hiken, The Personal House (1961), a photographic collection of very personal interiors primarily designed by the artist-occupants, rather than professional interior designers. The photographs and comments contained in the following works make them significant sources for the study and understanding of special interiors: William Wilson Atkin and Joan Adler, Interiors Book of Restaurants (1960); Henry End, Interiors Book of Hotels and Motor Hotels (1963); John F. Pile, Interiors Second Book of Offices (1969); Morris Ketchum, Shops and Stores, rev. ed. (1957); George Nelson (ed.), Living Spaces (1952); Mary Gilliatt and Michael Boys, English Style in Interior Decoration (1967).

Teagarden, Jack

2004-10-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Beginning on trombone at age seven, Teagarden was entirely self-taught. After drifting across the Southwest, he eventually arrived in New York City in 1927 and made his recording debut; from that moment he was the acknowledged

Ear, Human, Auditory nerve fibres

2004-10-13T01:16:00.000-07:00

The vestibulocochlear nerve consists of two anatomically and functionally distinct parts: the cochlear nerve, which innervates the organ of hearing, and the vestibular nerve, which innervates the organs of equilibrium. The fibres of the cochlear nerve originate from an aggregation of nerve cell bodies, the spiral ganglion, located in the modiolus of the cochlea.

Progressive Party

2004-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

(1924), in the United States, a short-lived independent political party assembled for the 1924 presidential election by forces dissatisfied with the conservative attitudes and programs of the Democrats and Republicans. The Progressive Party included liberals, agrarians, Republican progressives, socialists, and labour representatives. It chose as its presidential candidate Senator Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin, who in 1911 had organized what became an independent party formally called the Progressive but generally known as the Bull Moose Party (q.v.). The 1924 Progressives pledged a “housecleaning” of executive departments, public control of natural resources, public ownership of railways, and tax reduction. The party polled only some 17 percent of the popular vote and did not influence the election, in which President Calvin Coolidge and the Republicans won a majority. The Progressive Party dissolved when La Follette died the following year.

Procellariiform, Distribution

2004-10-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

The majority of procellariiforms breed in the Southern Hemisphere, but several species migrate thousands of miles north across the Equator to winter in the northern summer seas, where they molt, feed, and rest in preparation for the return home in the southern spring. Similarly, species that breed in the Northern Hemisphere also live in perpetual summer by migrating

Bottom Water

2004-10-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

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

India, The Deccan and the south

2004-10-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

In the northern Deccan the decline of the Later Calukyas brought about the rise of their feudatories, among them the Yadava dynasty (also claiming descent from the Yadu tribe) based at Devagiri (Daulatabad), whose kingdom (Seunadesa) included the Khandesh (now divided into Dhule and Jalgaon), the Nashik, and the Ahmadnagar districts. The kingdom expanded during the reign of Si

Regional Development Program

2004-10-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Any government program designed to encourage the industrial and economic development of regions that are stagnant or in which a large portion of the population is experiencing prolonged unemployment. The measures taken may include loans, grants, and tax incentives to private industries relocating in such areas; assistance in developing power, light, transportation,

Ramkhamhaeng

2004-10-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

On the death of his brother, King Ban Muang, about 1279, Ramkhamhaeng inherited his tiny kingdom of only a few hundred square miles. Over the next two decades—by careful diplomacy, shrewd alliances, and military

Crab Spider

2004-09-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

The body of the crab spider is gray or brown in colour and is about 12 mm (0.5 inch) long. Members of Misumena

Celebes Black Ape

2004-09-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Also called Celebes Crested Macaque (species Cynopithecus niger), arboreal monkey of the family Cercopithecidae, found on Celebes, Bacan, and nearby islands. The Celebes black ape is a stump-tailed monkey with overhanging brows, a hairless black face, and a long, flat muzzle. It is about the size of a baboon (55–65 cm [22–26 inches] long without the tail [1 to 2 cm]) and is covered with dark brown or black fur. The male, especially,

Fibula

2004-09-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Greek fibulae from the 7th century BC were elaborately decorated along the long catch plate: rows of animals, such as ducks, lions, and sphinxes, might be soldered on, or a frieze of animals might be worked

Absolutism

2004-09-24T01:01:00.000-07:00

The political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch. The essence of such a system is that the ruling power is not subject to regularized challenge or check by any other agency, be it judicial, legislative, religious, economic, or electoral. Louis XIV, who ruled France during the late 17th

Saarinen, Eero

2004-09-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

General Motors Technical Center, Warren, Mich. (1948–56); Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis, Mo. (1948–64); Milwaukee County War Memorial, Milwaukee (1953–57); Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind. (1953–58); Kresge Auditorium and chapel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. (1955); U.S. Embassy, Oslo (1955–59); U.S. Embassy, London (1955–60); Law School, University of Chicago (1956–60); Trans World Airlines terminal, John F. Kennedy Airport, New York City (1956–62); Thomas J. Watson Research Centre, IBM, Yorktown, N.Y. (1957–61); Deere & Company, Moline, Ill. (1957–63); Ingalls Hockey Rink, Yale University (1958); Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Va., serving Washington, D.C. (1958–62); North Christian Church, Columbus, Ind. (1959–63); Ezra Stiles and Morse College, Yale University (1962); Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City (1962–63); CBS Headquarters, New York City (completed 1964).

Frederick William Iii

2004-09-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

His policy of neutrality in the Wars of the Second

Asbestos

2004-09-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Any of several minerals that readily separate into long, flexible fibres. Chrysotile, the fibrous form of the mineral serpentine, is the best-known type and accounts for about 95 percent of all asbestos in commercial use. It is a hydrous magnesium silicate with the chemical composition of Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. The other types all belong to the amphibole group of minerals and include

CleanBrain

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

China, War between Nationalists and Communists

Arcadelt, Jacob

Koussevitzky, Serge

Insurance, Renewability

Christian Science Monitor, The

Biblical Literature, The First Letter of John

God, Kingdom Of

Hohenlohe-ingelfingen, Friedrich Ludwig, Fürst Zu

Punjab

Breckinridge, Madeline Mcdowell

Butaritari Atoll

Euro

Forbes, Steve

Daigak Guksa

Isaiah, Ascension Of

General Semantics

Laterality

Algeria, Manufacturing

Saint David, Fort

Marie (-catherine) Leszczynska

Yako

Butler, R(ichard) A(usten), Baron Butler Of Saffron Walden

Athol

Anius

Alcamo

Briançon

Aiken, Howard Hathaway

Chatham

Annapolis Convention

Giulini, Carlo Maria

Chatoyance

Hendricks, Thomas A(ndrews)

Ramiro I

Maxim, Hiram Percy

Dolores River

Arsenide

Middle Rhine Highlands

Itapetininga

Bradford, Roark (whitney Wickliffe)

Locoweed

Animal Disease

Websterashburton Treaty

Bacau

Béarn

Anatidae

Azaïs, Pierre-hyacinthe

Craigavon

Rare-earth Element, Ion exchange

Wa-fang-tien

Jordan, Biblical associations

Arctic, Land transport

Seto-guro Ware

Qarmatian

Aegospotami, Battle Of

Beaker Folk

Alkaptonuria

Watanabe Kazan

Ancillon, Johann Peter Friedrich

Alveolar Proteinosis

Induration

Wu, Chien-shiung

Abbott, Edith

Animal Magnetism

Animal Magnetism

Nichiren Buddhism

Lahore

Essene

O'shea, William Henry; And O'shea, Katharine

Trafford

Averroës

Nahant

Puebla, Battle Of

Bona Dea

Camargo Society

Leah

Allegany

Baraita

Wolf-rayet Star

Websterashburton Treaty