FlatStamp

Mahal, Taj

2005-11-18T07:50:00.000-08:00

Taj Mahal (the name came to him in a dream) grew up in a musical family. His father, of Jamaican background, was a jazz

Euripus

2005-10-16T04:05:00.000-07:00

Modern Greek Euripos, Evrípos, or Porthmós Evrípou, narrow strait in the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea), between the Greek island of Euboea (Évvoia) and the mainland of central Greece. It is 5 miles (8 km) long and varies from 130 feet (40 m) to 1 mile (1.6 km) in width. It has strong tidal currents (often reaching velocities of 12 knots) that reverse directions seven or more times a day. According to popular tradition, the ancient Greek

Pyroxene

2005-07-29T01:30:00.000-07:00

Any of a group of important rock-forming silicate minerals of variable composition, among which calcium-, magnesium-, and iron-rich varieties predominate.

Alcoholic Beverage

2005-07-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Alcoholic beverages are fermented from the sugars in fruits, berries, grains, and such other ingredients as plant saps, tubers, honey, and milk and may be distilled to reduce the original watery liquid to a liquid of much greater alcoholic

North Germanic Languages, Faroese

2005-07-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Prior to modern times literary activity in the Faroe Islands was minimal, but the local dialects continued to develop, though Danish was the official language. The Danish language scholar Rasmus Rask, who wrote the first Faroese grammar (1811), described the language as a dialect of Icelandic, but it is actually an independent language, intermediate between West Norwegian

Definite Proportions, Law Of

2005-07-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Statement that every chemical compound contains fixed and constant proportions (by weight) of its constituent elements. Although many experimenters had long assumed the truth of the principle in general, the French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust first accumulated conclusive evidence for it in a series of researches on the composition of many substances, especially

Henze, Hans Werner

2005-07-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Henze was a pupil of the noted German composer Wolfgang Fortner and of René Leibowitz, the leading French composer of 12-tone music. One of Henze's early works, the Violin Concerto (1947), demonstrated his mastery

Ireland

2005-06-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

The Irish economic boom that peaked in 1999–2000 finally petered out in 2002, which would be remembered as the year in which readjustments had to be made in light of new realities. Budget surpluses became a memory; spending for health and education was cut back; and infrastructure developments were scaled down or deferred. It became clear that in framing a budget for 2003, the government

China, Agriculture

2005-06-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Neofeudal land-tenure developments of late Sung and Yüan times were arrested with the establishment of the Ming dynasty. Great landed estates were confiscated by the government, fragmented, and rented out; and private slavery was forbidden. In the 15th century, consequently, independent peasant landholders dominated Chinese agriculture. But the Ming rulers were

Algeria, Mining

2005-06-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

The main mining centres are at Ouenza and Djebel Onk near the eastern border with Tunisia and at El-Abed in the west, the latter the source of most of Algeria's zinc and lead production. Nearly all of the country's substantial output of high-grade iron ore from the open-cut works at Ouenza is used to supply the domestic steel industry. About one-third of Djebel Onk's phosphate

Byrds, The

2005-05-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

American band of the 1960s who popularized folk rock, particularly the songs of Bob Dylan, and whose changes in personnel created an extensive family tree of major country rock bands and pop supergroups. The principal members were Roger McGuinn (original name James Joseph McGuinn III; b. July 13, 1942, Chicago, Ill., U.S.), Gene Clark (in full Harold Eugene Clark; b. Nov. 17, 1941, Tipton, Mo.—d. May 24, 1991, Sherman

Paraguay, The Guaraní

2005-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

Indian tribes speaking the Guaraní language occupied the region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers long before the arrival of Europeans. They were members of the Tupian language stock, which was widespread in South America, and in most respects resembled the other Indian tribes of the tropical forests. The women cultivated corn, manioc, and sweet potatoes,

Ikorodu

2005-05-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Town, Lagos state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies near the Lagos Lagoon, on the Bight of Benin, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Lagos. A traditional settlement of the Awori people (a subgroup of the Yoruba), it became important in the mid-19th century as a trading post of the Remo (Ijebu-Remo) kingdom on the trade route from Lagos to Ibadan. During the Ibadan-Ijaiye wars (1860–65), the Ikorodu traders,

Jacobi, Mary Putnam

2005-05-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mary Putnam was the daughter of George Palmer Putnam, founder of the publishing firm of G.P. Putnam's Sons, and was an elder sister of Herbert Putnam, later librarian of Congress. The family returned from England in 1848, and Mary grew

Alipur Duar

2005-03-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, just north of the Kalyani River. Connected by road with Jalpaiguri, the city is an important market centre for rice, tobacco, and jute; an annual agricultural produce and stock fair is held there. Rice milling is an important industry. Alipur Duar was declared a municipality in 1951. Pop. (1991) 65,421.

Adams, John

2005-03-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

Early advocate of American independence from Great Britain, major figure in the Continental Congress (1774 - 77), author of the Massachusetts constitution (1780), signer of the Treaty of Paris (1783), first American ambassador to the Court of St. James (1785 - 88), first vice president (1789 - 97) and second president (1797 - 1801) of the United States. Although Adams was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the most significant statesmen of the revolutionary era, his reputation faded in the 19th century, only to ascend again during the last half of the 20th century. The modern edition of his correspondence prompted a rediscovery of his bracing honesty and pungent way with words, his importance as a political thinker, his realistic perspective on American foreign policy, and his patriarchal role as founder of one of the most prominent families in American history. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President John Adams.)

Preston, May Wilson

2005-03-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

May Wilson displayed marked artistic ability from an early age. In 1889, when she was barely out of high school, she helped found the Women's Art

Montgomery

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

Capital of the state of Alabama, U.S., and seat (1822) of Montgomery county, located in the central part of the state. The city lies near the point where the Alabama River is formed by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers. It was originally the site of Native American villages and was visited by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540. About 1717 the French built Fort Toulouse

Kames, Henry Home, Lord

2005-03-06T01:53:00.000-08:00

Kames was called to the bar in 1724 and was appointed a judge in the Court of Session in 1752. He became a lord of justiciary in 1763. He is best known for his Elements of Criticism, 3 vol. (1762), a work remarkable in the history of aesthetics for its attempt to equate beauty with what is pleasant to the natural senses

Mesopotamia, History Of, The classical and medieval views of Mesopotamia; its rediscovery in modern times

2005-03-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Before the first excavations in Mesopotamia, about 1840, nearly 2,000 years had passed during which knowledge of the ancient Middle East was derived from three sources only: the Bible, Greek and Roman authors, and the excerpts from the writings of Berosus, a Babylonian who wrote in Greek. In 1800 very little more was known than in AD 800, although these sources had served to stir the imagination

Fort Stanwix, Treaties Of

2005-03-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

(1768, 1784), cession by the Iroquois Confederacy of land in what are now western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New York, opening vast tracts of territory west of the Appalachian Mountains to white exploitation and settlement. Soon after the Proclamation of 1763 (see 1763, Proclamation of), which followed the last French and Indian War, British authorities recognized that

Furniture, Later Middle Ages

2005-03-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

In the 14th and 15th centuries there were many developments both in construction and design of furniture throughout Europe; a range of new types, among them cupboards, boxes with compartments, and various sorts of desks, evolved slowly. Most of the furniture produced was such that it could be easily transported. A nobleman who owned more than one dwelling place usually

Romanus Iii Argyrus

2005-03-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

He was an undistinguished Byzantine patrician, who was compelled by the dying emperor, Constantine VIII, to marry his daughter Zoe and to become his successor. Romanus showed great eagerness to make his mark as a ruler but was mostly unfortunate in his enterprises; and in his endeavour to relieve the pressure of taxation he disorganized

Anson, George Anson, Baron

2005-02-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

Anson entered the Royal Navy

Wolff, Christian, Freiherr (baron) Von

2005-02-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Wolff was educated at the universities of Breslau, Jena, and Leipzig and was a pupil of

Shikoku

2005-02-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is intensive in the

Cambridge Critics

2005-02-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

Group of critics who were a major influence in English literary studies from the mid-1920s and who established an intellectually rigorous school of critical standards in the field of literature. The leaders were I.A. Richards and F.R. Leavis of the University of Cambridge and Richards' pupil William Empson. In the 1920s the University of Cambridge was distinguished in many

Pluton

2005-02-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Body of intrusive igneous rock the size, composition, shape, or exact type of which is in doubt; when such characteristics are known, more limiting terms can be used. Thus, plutons include dikes, laccoliths, batholiths, sills, and other forms of intrusions. Most plutons are thought to be the result of igneous activity in which a magma is involved; the controversial origin

Saisunaga Dynasty

2005-02-23T03:09:00.000-08:00

Sisunaga, or Susunaga, the founder, was of obscure origin and may have initially served as Magadhan

Jackson, Jesse

2005-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Marshall Frady, Jesse: The Life and Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson (1996); Lucius J. Barker and Ronald W. Walters (eds.), Jesse Jackson's 1984 Presidential Campaign (1989).

2005-02-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

After study at the University of Prague, from which he received a doctorate of philosophy in 1904,

Kusanagi

2005-02-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: �Grass-Mower�), in Japanese mythology, the miraculous sword that the sun goddess Amaterasu gave to her grandson Ninigi when he descended to earth to become ruler of Japan, thus establishing the divine link between the imperial house and the sun. The sword, along with the mirror and jeweled necklace, still forms one of the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. The

Amphibolite Facies

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

One of the major divisions of the mineral-facies classification of metamorphic rocks, the rocks of which formed under conditions of moderate to high temperatures (500� C, or about 950� F, maximum) and pressures. Less intense temperatures and pressures form rocks of the epidote-amphibolite facies, and more intense temperatures and pressures form rocks of the granulite facies.

Annelid, Critical appraisal

2005-02-18T02:01:00.000-08:00

Most authors accept the annelids as having three major classes: Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, and Hirudinea. Older systems would place the polychaetes and oligochaetes under the class Chaetopoda because both groups possess setae. Other systems would join the oligochaetes and leeches in a single class, called the Clitellata, because both groups possess a clitellum

Wellesley College

2005-02-17T04:37:00.000-08:00

Private women's college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., one of the Seven Sisters schools. A liberal arts college, Wellesley grants bachelor's degrees in humanities, including Chinese, Japanese, and Russian languages; in social science, including Africana studies, religion, and economics; and in science and mathematics, including computer science. More than a dozen

Astrophysics

2005-02-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

Branch of astronomy concerned primarily with the properties and structure of cosmic objects, including the universe as a whole. See astronomy.

Toots And The Maytals

2005-02-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

Formed in 1962 as a ska group fronted by the charismatic Hibbert, the Maytals (originally known as the Vikings, then as

Alumbrado

2005-02-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Italian �Illuminato, �plural �Illuminati, � a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could neither advance nor retrogress. Consequently, participation in the liturgy,

Carteret, Sir George, Baronet

2005-02-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

A British naval officer and lieutenant governor of Jersey, Carteret made the island a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil Wars and privateered in the Stuart cause, thereby winning a knighthood (1644) and a baronetcy (1645). After the capture

La Motta, Jake

2005-02-12T02:11:00.000-08:00

La Motta grew up in a Bronx slum

Malabar Coast

2005-02-11T00:19:00.000-08:00

Name long applied to the southern part of India's western coast, approximately from Goa southward, which is bordered on the east by the Western Ghats range. The name has sometimes encompassed the entire western coast of peninsular India. It now includes most of Kerala state and the coastal region of Karnataka state. The coast consists of a continuous belt of sand dunes.

Lahbabi, Mohammed Aziz

2005-02-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

Moroccan writer and philosopher (b. Dec. 25, 1922, F�s, Morocco--d. Aug. 23, 1993, Rabat, Morocco), had influence in the Arab world through his many writings, some of which were translated into as many as 30 languages. Lahbabi was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and received a doctorate of philosophy. He taught philosophy at Muhammad V University, Rabat, and the University of Algiers and held other

Bae Systems

2005-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Major British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, and other aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of British Aerospace PLC (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems, formerly part of General Electric Company PLC. BAe, in turn, dates to the merger in 1977 of British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, and two other firms. Headquarters

Osh

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

City, southwestern Kyrgyzstan. The city lies at an elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) on the Akbura River where it emerges from the Alay foothills. First mentioned in writings of the 9th century, it was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century and subsequently rebuilt. In the 15th century, before the sea routes were discovered, it was an important post on the trade routes to China and India.

Marsh Mallow

2005-02-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

(Althaea officinalis), perennial herbaceous plant of the mallow family (Malvaceae), native to eastern Europe and northern Africa. It has also become established in North America. The plant is usually found in marshy areas, chiefly near the sea. It has strongly veined heart-shaped or oval leaves. The pinkish flowers, borne on stalks about 1.8 m (6 feet) tall, are about 5 cm (2 inches)

Idku

2005-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Edkou, � town, northern al-Buhayrah muhafazah (governorate), Lower Egypt. It lies on a sandy strip behind Abu Qir Bay, in the northwestern Nile River delta. Immediately south is Lake Idku, a 58-square-mile (150-square-kilometre) lagoon that stretches some 22 miles (35 km) behind and parallel to the coast and has a maximum width of 16 miles (26 km). Drained by al-Ma'addiyah Channel, connecting with the Mediterranean,

Buys Ballot, Christophorus H(enricus) D(idericus)

2005-02-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

Buys Ballot studied and taught at the University of Utrecht, attaining

Andaman And Nicobar Islands

2005-02-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

The Nicobars - a group of 19 islands (12 inhabited) including Great Nicobar, Car Nicobar, Camorta (Kamorta), and Nancowry (Nankauri) - are situated between the Andaman Islands and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Wyndham, George

2005-02-03T02:09:00.000-08:00

Wyndham was an enthusiast of the British Empire,

Olympic Games, Antwerp, Belgium, 1920

2005-02-02T01:46:00.000-08:00

The city, plagued by bad weather and economic woes, had a very short time to clean up the rubble left

Orange

2005-01-31T11:34:00.000-08:00

The town has grown up around the Roman monuments for which it is famous. The semicircular theatre, probably built during the reign of the first Roman emperor, Augustus (27 BC - AD 14), is the best preserved of its kind. The tiered

Shad

2005-01-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

Any of several saltwater food fishes of the herring family (Clupeidae) that swim up rivers to spawn. Shad of the genus Alosa are rather deep bodied and have a notch in the upper jaw into which the tip of the lower fits. Young shad have small teeth, but the adults are toothless. The flesh of these fishes is considered very good to eat, though bony; the eggs,

Henley, William Ernest

2005-01-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

As a child Henley contracted a tubercular disease that later necessitated the amputation of one foot. His other leg was saved only through the skill and radical new methods of the surgeon

English Literature, Early translations into English

2005-01-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

But the earliest literary prose dates from the late 9th century, when King Alfred, eager to improve the state of English learning, led a vigorous program to translate into English �certain books that are necessary for all men to know.� Alfred himself translated St. Gregory I the Great's Pastoral Care, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, St. Augustine of Hippo's Soliloquies

Aristide, Jean-bertrand

2005-01-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

Aristide attended a school in Port-au-Prince run by the Roman Catholic Salesian order, and in 1966 he moved to the Salesian seminary at Cap-Haitien and began to prepare for the priesthood.

Adad

2005-01-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

Adad had a twofold aspect, being both the giver and the destroyer of life. His rains caused the land to bear grain and other food for

Iron Knob

2005-01-25T04:59:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, 247 miles (397 km) northwest of Adelaide by rail. It is the centre for one of the richest deposits of iron ore in the Southern Hemisphere. Mining rights were acquired in 1897, and in 1901 the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, Ltd. (BHP), began developing the deposits of iron ore in Iron Knob hill. The modern town lies in an extremely arid region

War Finance

2005-01-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Government efforts to finance major wars have frequently led to major changes in the tax system. In the United States, for example, the importance

Siddons, Sarah

2005-01-23T05:33:00.000-08:00

She was the eldest of 12 children of Roger and Sarah Kemble, who led a troupe of traveling actors (and were progenitors of a noted family of actors to a third generation, including a famous granddaughter, Fanny Kemble). Through the special care of her mother in sending

Alton

2005-01-22T03:36:00.000-08:00

Named for a son of Colonel Rufus Easton, a St. Louis lawyer who laid out the townsite in 1817, it became a busy river port by the 1830s and still has considerable river traffic. Its industrial growth was stimulated

Baptist Federation Of Canada

2005-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

Baptist churches were organized in the Maritime Provinces in the latter half of the 18th century, primarily by Baptists who were loyal

Argentina, The return to democracy

2005-01-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

The subsequent process of democratization is discussed in Philip O'Brien and Paul Cammack (eds.), Generals in Retreat: The Crisis of Military Rule in Latin America (1985); Jimmy Burns, The Land that Lost its Heroes: The Falklands, the Post-War, and Alfons�n (1987); M�nica Peralta-Ramos and Carlos H. Waisman (eds.), From Military Rule to Liberal Democracy in Argentina (1987); Colin M. Lewis and Nissa Torrents (eds.), Argentina in the Crisis Years, 1983 - 1990: From Alfons�n to Menem (1993); and Peter Calvert, �Argentina: Decline and Revival,� in Jan Knippers Black (ed.), Latin America, Its Problems and Its Promise: A Multidisciplinary Introduction, 3rd ed. (1998).

Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank

2005-01-19T00:51:00.000-08:00

Among the businesses the bank developed were commercial banking

Amoco Corporation

2005-01-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1889 - 1985) �Standard Oil Company (Indiana), � American petroleum corporation that was founded in 1889 by the Standard Oil trust (see Standard Oil Company and Trust) to direct the refining and marketing of oil in the Midwestern states. The company's first refinery, outside Whiting, Ind., produced fuel oil, kerosene, and other petroleum products. Beginning in the late 1890s, the company's production of gasoline rapidly increased

Ibn Falaquera

2005-01-16T04:31:00.000-08:00

His numerous works include Dialogue Between a Philosopher and a Man of Piety; an ethical treatise known as The Balm of Sorrow; an introduction

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-01-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

'Abd al-Rahman succeeded his grandfather 'Abd Allah as emir of C�rdoba in October 912 at the age of 21. Because of his intelligence and character he had been the obvious favourite of his grandfather, who had designated him heir presumptive in preference to the other royal princes. In appearance he is described as having been light-skinned, handsome, thickset, and short-legged.

Vance, Cyrus

2005-01-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Vance received his bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1939. Following graduation from the Yale law school in 1942, he enlisted in the navy and served until 1946, after which he joined a Wall

Theatre, Western, Off-Broadway

2005-01-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

This phenomenon developed as a reaction to the commercialism of New York theatre. More experimental plays could be presented in smaller buildings outside the main theatre district. The artistic success of many of these productions meant that some writers (Edward Albee, for example), could graduate to Broadway. Off-Broadway also enabled black playwrights such

Monclova

2005-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

During the colonial period, Monclova served as the capital of Nueva Extremadura

Arts, Central Asian, Siberian tribes

2005-01-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

In the virtually contemporary metalwork of Siberian nomads, single animals of the cat family, such as panthers, carry the Altaic tendency of exaggeration further by twisting their bodies into a circle. In slightly later Siberian plaques, subtle openwork is used, a feature rarely present in Altaic or Scythian objects but frequently encountered in the more rounded

Anti-lebanon Mountains

2005-01-10T00:28:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Al-jabal Ash-sharqi, or Lubnan Ash-sharqi, �French �Anti-liban, � mountain range that runs northeast-southwest along the Syrian-Lebanese border parallel to the Lebanon Mountains, from which they are separated by the al-Biqa' Valley. The range averages 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, with several peaks exceeding 8,000 feet (2,400 m). As it runs south, the Anti-Lebanon range is interrupted by a broad shoulder (the Zabadani Saddle) of Mount Hermon, 9,232 feet (2,814 m) high,

Gobi, Animal life

2005-01-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

Animal life is varied, with such large mammals as the wild camel, the kulan (Equus hemionus), the dzheiran gazelle, and the dzeren (an antelope). Przewalski's horse, which once ranged in the western region of the desert, is probably extinct in the wild. Rodents include marmots and gophers, and there are reptiles.

Stratemeyer, Edward

2005-01-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

Stratemeyer worked as a store clerk and, on the side, began writing stories in imitation of those of Horatio

Wage-price Control:

2005-01-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Setting of government guidelines for limiting increases in wages and prices. It is a principal tool in incomes policy (q.v.).

Mineral, Cyclosilicates

2005-01-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

Silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons are linked into rings in cyclosilicate structures, which have an overall Si:O ratio of 1:3. There are three closed cyclic configurations with the following formulas: Si3O9, Si4O12, and Si6O18. The rare titanosilicate benitoite (BaTiSi3O9) is the only mineral that is built with the simple Si3O9 ring. Axinite [(Ca, Fe, Mn)3Al2(BO3)(Si4O12)(OH)] contains Si4O12 rings, along with

Gracchus, Gaius Sempronius

2005-01-05T06:04:00.000-08:00

Gaius Sempronius was the son of a Roman aristocrat whose family had regularly held the highest offices of state for the past century and was connected to the most

Arts, Islamic, The 'Abbasids

2005-01-04T03:12:00.000-08:00

It was not until the 'Abbasids assumed power in 750, settling in Baghdad, that the golden age of Arabic literature began. The influx of foreign elements added new colour to cultural and literary life. Hellenistic thought and the influence of the ancient cultures of the Near East, for example, contributed to the rapid intellectual growth of the Muslim community. Its members,

Biblical Literature, Prayer of Manasseh

2005-01-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

In some manuscripts of the Septuagint and in two later Christian writings, a pseudepigraphic Prayer of Manasseh is contained. This prayer was composed with reference to II Chron. 33:11 - 18, according to which the wicked Judaean king Manasseh repented and prayed. In the present form the prayer is Greek in origin, but it may have existed in a Hebrew version, of which the Greek is

Talas

2005-01-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

Oblasty (province), northwestern Kyrgyzstan, centred on the Talas River valley that follows an essentially east-west axis through the northern portion of the oblasty. Reconstituted in 1990, the oblasty was formed in 1944 and remained in existence until 1956. It was reestablished in 1980 - 88 and once again re-formed in 1990. The population of Talas includes a large concentration of non-Central

Xia Gui

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

For a time after his death, Xia may have suffered the same low esteem as other Southern Song academy painters in the eyes of proponents of the new literati, or scholar-amateur, school of painting, for whom professionalism was equated with empty technique and academicism. Zhuang Su wrote in 1298 in Huaji Buyi:He painted landscapes and figures, all very vulgar and debased.

Van De Graaff, Robert Jemison

2004-12-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

After working for a time as an engineer with the Alabama Power Company,

Akiba Ben Joseph

2004-12-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

The subject of numerous popular legends, Akiba is said to have been an illiterate shepherd who

Abbeville

2004-12-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1854) of Vermilion parish, southern Louisiana, U.S., on the Vermilion River, 20 miles (32 km) south-southwest of Lafayette. It was founded in 1843 by a Capuchin missionary, P�re Antoine Desire M�gret, who patterned it on a French Proven�al village. First called La Chapelle and settled by Acadians from Nova Scotia and Mediterranean immigrants, it was later named Abbeville (�Priest's

Bondoukou

2004-12-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern C�te d'Ivoire, situated at the intersection of roads from Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Abidjan, the national capital. An early trade centre of the Kulango (Koulango, Pakhalla, N'Gora) people, Bondoukou was captured in the late 15th century by the Brong (Abron), an Akan people from the west. The Brong were converted to Islam by Dyula traders from the north, who founded a

Wad Madani

2004-12-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

City, east-central Sudan. Wad Madani lies on the west bank of the Blue Nile, 85 miles (136 km) southeast of Khartoum, at an elevation of 1,348 feet (411 m). It owes its recent growth to the irrigated lands of the Jazirah (Gezira) irrigation scheme and is the commercial centre of the al-Jazirah cotton-growing area. Peanuts (groundnuts) and wheat are also grown in the area. The University of al-Jazirah

Edenbridge

2004-12-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

Town (�parish�), Sevenoaks district, administrative and historic county of Kent, England, south of London near the Surrey border, on the River Eden. It was enlarged after 1970 to accommodate overspill population from London, and light industries have been introduced. Nearby Hever Castle is a moated mansion of the 15th and 16th centuries, associated with the family of Anne Boleyn,

Luray Caverns

2004-12-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

Series of limestone caves in Page county, northwestern Virginia, U.S., near the town of Luray (headquarters of Shenandoah National Park). Covering 64 acres (26 hectares), the caverns, discovered in 1878, were formed millions of years ago by underground rivers and seepage of acid-bearing water through layers of limestone and clay. In time the clay was washed away, leaving only the limestone

Sabre-toothed Cat

2004-12-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Any of the extinct carnivores forming the subfamily Machairodontinae of the cat family, Felidae. Sabre-toothed cats are named for the pair of elongated, bladelike canine teeth they possessed in the upper jaw. They are often called sabre-toothed tigers or sabre-toothed lions, although the lion and tiger are of a different subfamily of felids, the true cats

Race, India's caste system

2004-12-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

India has a huge population encompassing many obvious physical variations, from light skins to some of the darkest in the world, from straight coarse hair to frizzled and crinkly hair, and a wide variety of facial features. In addition, the Hindu sociocultural system is divided into castes that are exclusive, hereditary, and endogamous. They are also ranked and unequal

9to5, National Association Of Working Women

2004-12-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

The group had its origins in 9to5 News, a newsletter that was first published in December 1972. About a year later, the newsletter's publishers announced the formation of Boston 9to5, a grassroots collective for women office

Asheboro

2004-12-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1796) of Randolph county, central North Carolina, U.S. It lies in the forested Uwharrie Mountains about 25 miles (40 km) south of Greensboro. Asheboro (originally Asheborough) was founded in 1796 on land that was once the home of Keyauwee Indians; a prehistoric Native American burial ground nearby was excavated in 1936. The name honours North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe (1725 - 1813). The community

Han T'o-chou

2004-12-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Pinyin �Han Tuozhou � minister to the Chinese emperor Ning Tsung (reigned 1194 - 1224) of the Sung dynasty (960 - 1279). Han tried to recover territory in northern China that had been taken from the Sung several generations earlier by the Juchen tribes of Inner Asia. The ensuing war proved disastrous. More Sung territory was lost and a large indemnity was demanded by the

Beja

2004-12-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Distrito (�district�), southern Portugal. It is the largest district in Portugal and produces olives, olive oil, wheat, rye, cork, dairy products, and leather goods. There is mining for copper, silver, lead, and zinc near Beja city at the Castro Verde project. In 1974 the Portuguese government initiated an agrarian reform program by which most of the estate holdings of the district

Eisenerz

2004-12-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

Town, Bundesland Steiermark (federal province of Styria), Austria, in the Erzbach Valley, at the northern foot of the Erzberg (Ore Mountain; 5,033 ft [1,534 m]), northwest of Leoben. Iron has been mined on the Erzberg by terraced open-pit methods since Roman times, and Eisenerz (�iron ore�) is the principal centre of Austrian iron mining, supplying most of the nation's total output. Notable

Moray, Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl Of

2004-12-17T04:47:00.000-08:00

Randolph was the son of one of Robert's sisters. When Robert revolted against the English and claimed the

General Council Of Congregational Christian Churches

2004-12-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Congregational churches developed from the churches established by the settlers at Plymouth,

Hyderabad

2004-12-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

The city, administrative headquarters of the district, lies on the most northerly hill of the Ganjo Takkar ridge, just east of the Indus River. The third largest city in Pakistan, it is a communications centre, connected by rail with Peshawar and Karachi and with Indian railways via the border towns of Khokhropar and

Macei�

2004-12-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Capital, Alagoas estado (�state�), northeastern Brazil. It is situated below low bluffs on a level strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Norte (or Munda�) Lagoon, a shallow body of water extending inward for several miles. Formerly called Macayo, the city dates from 1815, when a small settlement there was made a villa. In 1839 it became capital of Alagoas (then a provincia) and

Welles, Gideon

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

Born into a wealthy family, Welles was educated at private schools. He studied law but in 1826 became cofounder and editor of the Hartford Times. The next year, he became the youngest member of the Connecticut legislature and served there until 1835. An ardent

Osler-rendu-weber Disease

2004-12-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

Also called �Rendu-osler-weber Disease, or Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, � a hereditary disorder causing bleeding from local capillary lesions. The disorder is classed as a type of purpura. In the disease, capillaries (minute blood vessels) in the fingertips and around the oral and nasal cavities are enlarged and have unusually thin walls; they fill with bright red (well-oxygenated) blood and are easily broken by accidental bumping or jarring,