PhysicalArch

organic bed linen

2006-10-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

Livs range of soft luxurious bed linenis sourced ethically from India and using a fair trade policy. Liv also provide duvet cover set and bath towel set.

Alewife

2005-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Also called Sawbelly, Grayback, Gaspereau, or Branch Herring (Pomolobus, or Alosa, pseudoharengus), important North American food fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. Deeper-bodied than the true herring, the alewife has a pronounced saw-edge on the underside; it grows to about 30 cm (1 foot). Except for members of a few lake populations, it spends several years along the Atlantic coast of North America before

Zacatecoluca

2005-04-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

City, southern El Salvador. It lies in the Lempa River Valley, at the foot of San Vicente Volcano. A commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural area, it also trades in cotton goods, baskets, salt, and lumber and produces cement. An earthquake in 1932 caused severe damage to the city. Zacatecoluca was the birthplace of José Simeón Cañas, who fought successfully to end

Flores Island

2005-04-02T05:54:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Ilha Das Flores, westernmost island of the Portuguese Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic. It forms, together with the Ilha do Corvo, the Santa Cruz group. The island has an area of 55 sq mi (142 sq km), is volcanic in origin, and rises from sea level to 3,087 ft (941 m) at Morro Grande in its centre. It has numerous crater lakes that offer good fishing and is noted for its lush flora (whence its name). The economy

Nora

2005-04-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ancient site about 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Cagliari (Caralis) on the island of Sardinia. Although tradition ascribes its foundation to Iberians from Tartessus, the site, which lies on a triangular promontory ending in a steep cliff, is characteristically Phoenician. Apart from remains of a Sardinian nuraghe, or towerlike monument, the earliest antiquities discovered

Graf, Urs

2005-03-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

The son of a goldsmith, Hugo Graf, he probably studied first under his father and later at Basel, following the style of Albrecht Dürer and of Dürer's assistant, the German painter and draftsman Hans Baldung-Grien. Settling in Basel in 1509, Graf executed his masterpiece

Araguari

2005-03-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

City, western Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on the Jordão River, a tributary of the Paranaíba River, at 3,051 feet (930 m) above sea level. Formerly called Freguesia do Brejo Alegre, the settlement was made the seat of a municipality in 1882 and was elevated to city rank in 1888. Araguari's main source of income is from the large herds of cattle raised in the hinterlands, where rice, corn (maize), feij

Anthony Of Egypt, Saint

2005-03-28T03:13:00.000-08:00

A disciple of Paul of Thebes, Anthony began

Dahlmann, Friedrich (christoph)

2005-03-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

Dahlmann was appointed professor

Celluloid

2005-03-26T01:44:00.000-08:00

The first synthetic plastic material, developed by the American inventor John Wesley Hyatt in the late 1860s from a homogeneous colloidal dispersion of cellulose nitrate and camphor. A tough material, with great tensile strength, resistance to water, oils, and dilute acids, capable of low-cost production in a variety of colours, it found a great variety of applications

Berberidaceae

2005-03-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

The most important and largest genus is Berberis, with about 500 species, among which are many ornamentals, including

Arts, Central Asian, Painting: frescoes and temple banners

2005-03-24T01:16:00.000-08:00

Temple interiors are usually covered with frescoes and often hung with painted banners, or tanka (thang-ka). For the preparation of the latter, a taut cotton cloth is impregnated with a mixture of chalk and glue, rubbed smooth by some suitable object; for example, a flat polished stone. A religious painter trained in the tradition draws in the outline, often using printed

Scherzo

2005-03-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

Plural Scherzos, or Scherzi, in music, frequently the third movement of a symphony, sonata, or string quartet; also, in the Baroque era (c. 1600–c. 1750), a light vocal or instrumental piece (e.g., the Scherzi musicali of Claudio Monteverdi, 1607), and, in the 19th century, an independent orchestral composition. In symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets of the 19th century, the scherzo replaced the 18th-century minuet. Unlike the

Andaman Islands

2005-03-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Island group, Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The Andamans constitute one of the two major groups of islands in the union territory. They include more than 300 islands (26 inhabited), with a land area of 2,474 square miles (6,408 square km). The three major islands are North Andaman, Middle Andaman, and South Andaman (closely

Biblical Literature, Books of ordinances

2005-03-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Other books of ordinances of the sect have been preserved, containing prescriptions and other material. Three such compositions are written on one scroll: the Manual of Discipline, the Rule of the Congregation, and the manual of Benedictions. The Manual of Discipline is the rule (or statement of regulations) of the Essene community; the most important part of this

Nepos, Julius

2005-03-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Born of a distinguished family, Nepos was sent by the Eastern ruler Leo I to govern Italy as augustus (emperor). He at once deposed the Western emperor, Glycerius, whom Leo regarded as a usurper. Nepos proclaimed himself emperor in June 474. A year later he was obliged to recognize the independence of the Visigothic kingdom

Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich

2005-03-19T01:13:00.000-08:00

Tsiolkovsky was from a family of modest

Adab

2005-03-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

The original sense of the word was simply “norm of conduct,” or “custom,” derived in ancient Arabia from ancestors revered as models. As such practice

Bream, Julian Alexander

2005-03-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

After studying with his father and performing locally from age 14, Bream attended the Royal College of Music while pursuing private extracurricular study of the guitar. He was much influenced by the styles of Andrés Segovia and

Becket, Saint Thomas

2005-03-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

Thomas was born to Norman parents of the merchant class. He was educated first at Merton priory, then in a City of London school, and finally at Paris. Deeply influenced in childhood by a devout mother who died when he was 21, Thomas entered adult life as a city clerk and accountant in the service of the sheriffs. After three years he was introduced by his father to Archbishop

Houdini, Harry

2005-03-17T01:25:00.000-08:00

Houdini was the son of a rabbi who emigrated from Hungary to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wis. He became a trapeze performer in circuses at an early age, and, after settling in New York City in 1882, he performed in vaudeville shows

Asher

2005-03-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times constituted the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the younger of two sons born to Jacob (also called Israel) and Zilpah, the maidservant of Jacob's first wife, Leah. After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua assigned territory to each of the 12 tribes. The

Maclaine, Shirley

2005-03-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

After graduating from high school, MacLaine, who had studied ballet since age three, moved to New York City, where she worked as a dancer and model. In 1954 she was hired as a chorus girl and understudy

Auer, Leopold

2005-03-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

Auer studied under the celebrated virtuoso Joseph Joachim. From 1868 he was professor of violin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory

Epistemology, Phenomenalism

2005-03-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

In light of these difficulties with realist theories of perception some philosophers, so-called phenomenalists, proposed a completely different way of analyzing the relationship between perception and knowledge. In particular, they rejected the distinction between independently existing physical objects and mind-dependent sense-data that direct realism

Fischer, Kuno

2005-03-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

With other writings on Gotthold Lessing, Friedrich Schiller, and J.W. von Goethe, Fischer contributed to the philosophy of aesthetics. Eventually he subscribed to Hegelian

Bothnia, Gulf Of

2005-03-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

Swedish Bottniska Viken, Finnish Pohjan Lahti, northern arm of the Baltic Sea, between Sweden (west) and Finland (east). Covering an area of about 45,200 square miles (117,000 square km), the gulf extends for 450 miles (725 km) from north to south but only 50 to 150 miles (80 to 240 km) from east to west; it is nearly closed off by the Åland (Ahvenanmaa) Islands (south). Its maximum depth is 965 feet (295 m) in the west-central portion; its average depth is only about 200 feet (60 m). Because

Ca River

2005-03-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

Vietnamese Song Ca, also called Lam Giang, river rising in the Loi Mountains of Laos and flowing southeastward through northern Vietnam to enter the Gulf of Tonkin near the city of Vinh after a course of 380 miles (612 km). The coastal riverine lowlands have relief features similar to those of the Red River; wide, level stretches of alluvium predominate with small undulation. There is a high population density in the

Talented Tenth

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

(1903), concept espoused by black educator and author W.E.B. Du Bois, emphasizing the necessity for higher education to develop the leadership capacity among the most able 10 percent of black Americans. Du Bois was one of a number of black intellectuals who feared that what they saw as the overemphasis on industrial training (as evidenced, for example, by the plan proposed by

Waka

2005-03-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

The choka, “long poem,” is of indefinite length, formed of alternating lines of five and

Tobogganing

2005-03-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

The runnerless toboggan was originally an American Indian sled made of poles tied together with thongs. The modern version is usually built of thin, straight-grained

Kaganovich, Lazar Moiseyevich

2005-03-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

As a young Jewish shoemaker, Kaganovich became involved in the Bolshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (in 1911) and in 1920 was made head of the Soviet government of Tashkent. His success in consolidating Soviet

Dada

2005-03-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

Stephen C. Foster (ed.), Crisis and the Arts: The History of Dada (1996– ), is a multivolume exploration of the history of the movement. William S. Rubin, Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage (1968, reissued 1982); and Dawn Ades, Dada and Surrealism Reviewed (1978), are comprehensive exhibition catalogs. German Dada is discussed in Charlotte Stokes and Stephen C. Foster (eds.), Dada Cologne Hanover (1997). Francis M. Naumann and Beth Venn, Making Mischief: Dada Invades New York (1996), focuses on the New York movement. Richard Huelsenbeck (ed.), The Dada Almanac, 2nd ed. (1998), is an English translation of a large 1920 collection of Dadaist text. The role of female Dadaists is discussed in Naomi Sawelson-Gorse (ed.), Women in Dada: Essays on Sex, Gender, and Identity (1998, reissued 2001).

John (xxiii)

2005-03-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate of law at Bologna, Cossa entered the Curia during the Western Schism, when the papacy suffered from rival claimants (1378–1417) to the throne of St. Peter. Pope Boniface IX made him cardinal in 1402. From 1403 to 1408 he served as papal representative in Bologna. The Schism worsened with the hopeless deadlock between

Alexis

2005-03-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

After his mother, Eudoxia, was forced to enter a convent (1698), Alexis was brought up by his aunts and, after 1702, was educated by the tutor Baron Heinrich von Huyssen. Although he dutifully obeyed his father—participating in the

Hanafiyah

2005-03-06T01:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Madhhab Hanifah , English Hanafites in Islam, one of the four Sunni schools of religious law, incorporating the legal opinions of the ancient Iraqi schools of al-Kufah and Basra. Hanafi legal thought (madhhab) developed from the teachings of the theologian Imam Abu Hanifah (c. 700–767) by such disciples as Abu Yusuf (d. 798) and Muhammad ash-Shaybani (749/750–805) and became the official system of Islamic legal interpretation of the 'Abbasids, Seljuqs

Epiclesis

2005-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

(Greek: “invocation”), in the Christian eucharistic prayer (anaphora), the special invocation of the Holy Spirit; in most Eastern Christian liturgies it follows the words of institution—the words used, according to the New Testament, by Jesus himself at the Last Supper—“This is my body . . . this is my blood” and has a clearly consecratory character. The epiclesis specifically

Macarthur, John

2005-03-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

In 1789 Macarthur went to Australia as a lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps. By 1793 he had become a large landholder, having attained power as inspector of public works and paymaster

Fruit Spot

2005-03-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

Symptom of plant disease, usually caused by fungi and bacteria. A spot is a definite, localized area. Spots frequently enlarge and merge to form a rot, a softening discoloration and often a disintegration of tissue. All fruits are susceptible; infection commonly starts at a wound, the stem end, or the underside. Bacterial decays that are caused

Chacma

2005-03-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

Species of baboon (q.v.).

Aurignacian Culture

2005-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Toolmaking industry and artistic tradition of Upper Paleolithic Europe that followed the Mousterian industry, was contemporary with the Perigordian, and was succeeded by the Solutrean. The Aurignacian culture was marked by a great diversification and specialization of tools, including the invention of the burin, or engraving tool, that made much of the art

Syracuse University

2005-03-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher education, located in Syracuse, New York, U.S. It offers more than 200 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through 15 colleges and schools. Research facilities include the All-University Gerontology Center (established 1972), the Center for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering

Earth Sciences, The origin of the Nile

2005-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Speculations on the strange behaviour of the Nile were many, varied, and mostly wrong. Thales suggested that the strong

Capital

2005-03-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Two simple forms of the capital are a square wooden block called an abacus, placed

Sabine, Wallace Clement (ware)

2005-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

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

Paragonite

2005-02-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

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

Saxophone

2005-02-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

A saxophone has a conical metal (originally brass) tube with about 24 openings controlled by padded

Annaberg-buchholz

2005-02-26T01:32:00.000-08:00

Town, east-central Germany, high in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), near the Czech border. It was formed in 1945 by the union of Annaberg (chartered 1497) and Buchholz (chartered 1501), both of which were founded as silver-mining settlements. With the decline of mining and smelting in the 16th century, the pillow-lace industry was introduced in 1561 and became, with related manufactures, the principal

Pitoëff, Georges

2005-02-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Russian-born director and producer, noted for his popularization in France of the works of contemporary foreign playwrights, especially Pirandello, Shaw, Chekhov, Schnitzler, and O'Neill. He was a member of the Cartel des Quatre (Group of Four), a group including Louis Jouvet, Charles Dullin, and Gaston Baty, dedicated to rejuvenating the

Xirgu, Margarita

2005-02-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Xirgu made her professional debut in Barcelona in 1906 and five years later joined the Teatro Principal. She made her first appearance in Madrid in 1914, performing exclusively in the Catalan language. Over the next

Chettle, Henry

2005-02-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

Chettle began his career as a printer and associated with such literary men as Robert Greene and Thomas Nashe. He prepared for posthumous publication Greenes Groats-Worth of Witte (1592), with its reference to Shakespeare as an “upstart Crow,” but offered Shakespeare compliments

Marriage Law

2005-02-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

The body of legal specifications and requirements and other laws that regulate the initiation, continuation, and validity of marriages. Marriage is a legally sanctioned union usually between one man and one woman. At the beginning of the 21st century, marriage between people of the same sex was legally recognized in two countries, The Netherlands (2001) and Belgium (2003), and

Osceola

2005-02-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Osceola moved from Georgia to Florida, where, although not a chief, he came to be acknowledged as a leader

Gentil, émile

2005-02-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

A naval officer, Gentil led an expedition from the French Congo down the Chari (Shari) River to Lake Chad in 1895–97, establishing a French protectorate

Christian, Fletcher

2005-02-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

A member of a family that had moved from the Isle of Man to Cumberland, Eng., Christian had already served some years in the navy when, in 1787, he became master's mate on the Bounty, a discovery ship sailing (Dec. 23, 1787) from Spithead to the South Seas to collect breadfruit

Biblical Literature, The Qumran texts and other scrolls

2005-02-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Until the discovery of the Judaean Desert scrolls, the only pre-medieval fragment of the Hebrew Bible known to scholars was the Nash Papyrus (c. 150 BCE) from Egypt containing the Decalogue and Deuteronomy. Now, however, fragments of about 180 different manuscripts of biblical books are available. Their dates vary between the 3rd century BCE and the 2nd century CE, and all but 10 stem from

Ars Nova

2005-02-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

(Medieval Latin: “New Art”), in music history, period of the tremendous flowering of music in the 14th century, particularly in France. The designation Ars Nova, as opposed to the Ars Antiqua (q.v.) of 13th-century France, was the title of a treatise written about 1320 by the composer Philippe de Vitry. Philippe, the most enthusiastic proponent of the “New Art,” demonstrates in his treatise

Quimper Faience

2005-02-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Tin-enamelled earthenware produced by a factory at Loc Maria, a suburb of Quimper in Brittany, Fr. The factory was founded in 1690 by Jean-Baptiste Bosquet, a potter from Marseille who had settled there. Both Pierre Caussy, who took over in 1743, and de la Hubeaudière, who bought it in 1809, expanded production. Quimper ware never developed a truly distinct style of its own, however, but

Niger-congo Languages

2005-02-19T04:17:00.000-08:00

In the 19th century, scholars began to attempt classification of the various Niger-Congo languages. Sigismund W. Koelle, a German missionary of the Church Missionary Society working among freed slaves in Freetown (now in Sierra Leone), produced his monumental work, Polyglotta Africana, in 1854. He obtained lists of 283 words in 156 languages and grouped them so as to reflect what

Einstein, Alfred

2005-02-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Einstein was born into a family of scholars (Albert Einstein was his cousin), and, as a young man, studied law for a year before completing his doctorate (1903) in musicology and composition at the University of Munich. As the first editor (1918–33) of the Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft (“Journal

Pinski, David

2005-02-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Reared in Moscow, Vitebsk, and Vienna, Pinski moved as a young man to Warsaw, where he became a friend of the leading Yiddish writer Isaac Peretz. It was also in Warsaw that Pinski began his lifelong associations with the Jewish workers' movement. His first short story, “Der Groyser

Cynric

2005-02-17T05:01:00.000-08:00

King of the West Saxons, or Wessex (from 534). By some accounts he also reigned jointly (519–534) with his grandfather (or father?), Cerdic, founder of Wessex. The period was apparently one of consolidating gains climaxed by the Battle of Mount Badon (520) rather than a period of further expansion, though Cynric is said to have routed Britons in battle at least once, at a place called Searobyrg

Köflach

2005-02-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

Town, Steiermark Bundesland (federal state), southern Austria, west of Graz. Köflach received market rights in 1170 but did not achieve town status until 1939. It is a rail terminus and has glass and porcelain works. Important lignite (brown coal) mines are nearby, and the Lipizzaner horses (originating from the former Austrian imperial stud at Lipizza, near Trieste; see photograph

Holliday, Doc

2005-02-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Holliday was reared in Georgia in the genteel tradition of the Old South, graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872, and, already consumptive, moved west for drier climes. He practiced dentistry briefly in Dallas but soon discovered

Great Basin National Park

2005-02-14T03:22:00.000-08:00

The park consists mainly of the southern part of the Snake Range, a chain of peaks that trend north-south and rise abruptly from the surrounding desert

Jacmel

2005-02-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

Town and port, on the southern coast of Haiti, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula. Situated on a hillside overlooking palm-fringed Jacmel Bay, the town flourished under the French as a port for transshipment of sugar, coffee, and cotton. It continues as a commercial centre for such products as bananas, cacao, and honey. After a good road was

Biblical Literature, Kings: the second book

2005-02-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Second Book of Kings continues the history of the monarchies of Israel and Judah and of the prophetic movement. Ahaziah fell from an upper chamber of his palace in Samaria and sought help from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Elijah met the messengers to castigate them for not seeking aid from Yahweh, the God of Israel, and told a third delegation that had been sent out

Peter Chrysologus, Saint

2005-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

About 433 he became archbishop of Ravenna, where, with the aid of Galla

Teamsters Union

2005-02-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Byname of International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America , formerly (until 1940) International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT) largest labour union in the United States, representing truck drivers and workers in related industries (such as aviation). The union was formed in 1903 when the Team Drivers International Union (1899) merged with the Teamsters National Union (1902). Local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers rose to predominance.

Zoroastrianism, Post-Islamic Iranian Zoroastrianism

2005-02-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

Islam won a decisive victory at al-Qadisiyah in 635 over the armies of Yazdegerd III, the last Sasanid. Islam, in principle, tolerated the ancient religion, but conversions by persuasion or force were massive in many provinces. Zoroastrianism fomented rebellion and brought persecutions upon itself. There were pockets of survival, notably in Persis, the ancient centre of the

Academy Of Venice, Galleries Of The

2005-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

The galleries occupy the former monastery, church, and school of Santa Maria della Carità. The core of the collection

Caucasian Languages, Grammatical characteristics

2005-02-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

In a number of languages (Lezgi, Udi) noun differentiation by classes has disappeared. The class of

Chaco Boreal

2005-02-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Region of distinctive vegetation occupying about 100,000 square miles (259,000 square km) in northwestern Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. The region is part of the vast, arid lowland known as the Gran Chaco (q.v.). The Chaco Boreal's land is flat and is marked by deciduous scrub woodlands to the west of the Paraguay River that include the quebracho, a tree valuable

Cozumel

2005-02-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Island, Caribbean Sea, approximately 10 mi (16 km) off the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, in the jurisdiction of Quintana Roo territory. With a total area of 189 sq mi (489 sq km), and measuring 29 mi (46 km) from northeast to southwest and averaging 9 mi (14 km) in width, it is the largest of the islands off the peninsula. Geologically similar to the peninsula, Cozumel is a plain broken

Reformed And Presbyterian Church

2005-02-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Name given to various of the churches that share a common origin in the Reformation in 16th-century Switzerland. Reformed is the term identifying churches regarded as Calvinistic in doctrine. The term presbyterian designates a collegial type of church government by pastors and by lay leaders called elders, or presbyters, from the New Testament term presbyteroi.

Standish, Myles

2005-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Standish fought in the Netherlands, where he probably met the English religious exiles who later became known as the Pilgrims. He sailed with them to America on the “Mayflower” in 1620, serving as their military leader when they established Plymouth in

Nuclear Family

2005-02-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Also called elementary family in sociology and anthropology, a group of persons united by ties of marriage and parenthood or adoption and consisting of a man, a woman, and their socially recognized children. This unit was once widely held to be the most basic and universal form of social organization. Anthropological research, however, has illuminated so much variability of this form that it is

Standish, Myles

2005-02-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

Organization formed in New York City in 1911 during a convention of state antisuffrage groups. Led by Josephine Dodge, the founder and first president, the NAOWS believed that woman suffrage would decrease women's work in communities and their ability to effect societal reforms. Active on a state and federal level, the group also established a newsletter, Woman's

Lajes

2005-02-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Town, northeast Terceira Island, Portuguese Azores. In 1941 the Portuguese government selected the town's site, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the city of Angra do Heroísmo, as an air base. It became a major Allied air installation during World War II and later a joint U.S. and Portuguese base within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The airfield is also an important weather-forecasting

Biblical Literature, Papyri

2005-02-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

The earliest New Testament manuscript witnesses (2nd–8th centuries) are papyri mainly found preserved in fragments in the dry sands of Egypt. Only in the latter decades of the 20th century have the relatively recently discovered New Testament papyri been published. Of those cataloged to date, there are about 76 New Testament manuscripts with fragments of various parts

Bréguet, Louis-charles

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

Bréguet built his first airplane in 1909, set a speed

Paleolithic Period

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

At sites dating from the Lower Paleolithic Period (about 2,500,000 to 200,000 years ago), simple pebble tools have been found in association with the remains of what may have been the earliest human ancestors. A somewhat more sophisticated Lower Paleolithic tradition,

Fabales

2005-02-01T04:11:00.000-08:00

The rationale for plant family classification derives not only from conspicuous morphological features but from numerous cryptic characters as well. Chromosome numbers are often useful in evaluating the relationship of plant taxa. The legumes are no exception. The legumes produce many kinds of chemical substances—e.g., alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and the

Tsao Shen

2005-01-31T21:04:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zao Shen, in Chinese mythology, the god of the kitchen (god of the hearth), who is believed to report to the celestial gods on family conduct and to have it within his power to bestow poverty or riches on individual families. Because he is also a protector of the home from evil spirits, his periodic absences are thought to make the house especially vulnerable to becoming haunted

Anders, William A(lison)

2005-01-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

U.S. astronaut who participated in the Apollo 8 flight (Dec. 21–27, 1968), in which the first manned voyage around the Moon was made. The astronauts, including Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell, remained in an orbit about 70 miles (112 km) above the surface of the Moon for about 20 hours, transmitting television pictures back to Earth and verifying that lunar landmarks could be

Smorgasbord

2005-01-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Swedish Smörgåsbord, in Swedish cuisine, buffet offering a variety of fish, cheeses, and hot and cold dishes. In the country districts of Sweden, it was customary for guests to contribute to the fare at large gatherings. The foods were set out on long tables from which the diners helped themselves. By the 18th century, festive meals were preceded by appetizers from a bannvinsbord, offering aquavit,

Indian Removal Act

2005-01-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

(May 28, 1830), first major legislative departure from the U.S. policy of respecting the legal and political rights of the American Indians. The act authorized the president to grant Indian tribes unsettled western prairie land in exchange for their desirable territories within state borders (especially in the Southeast), from which the tribes would be removed. The rapid

Alexis

2005-01-29T02:18:00.000-08:00

Alexis was a hemophiliac, and at that time there was no medical treatment that could alleviate his condition or lessen his vulnerability

Mclennan, John Ferguson

2005-01-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

McLennan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and he became a parliamentary draftsman for Scotland in 1871. His interest in survivals of practice and behaviour from earlier cultures

Canals And Inland Waterways

2005-01-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

Despite modern technological advances in air and ground transportation, inland waterways continue to fill a vital role and, in many areas, to grow substantially. This article traces the history of canal building from the earliest times to the present day and describes

'aqqad, 'abbas Mahmud Al-

2005-01-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

Born in modest circumstances, al-'Aqqad continued his education through reading when his formal schooling was cut short. He supported himself throughout most of his career by writing. An outspoken political commentator, he was

Aerospace Industry, Fabrication processes and materials

2005-01-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Fabrication involves the manufacture of individual components that make up larger assemblies or end products. This activity encompasses the working of metals and the incorporation of electrical and electronic devices into processors, circuit boards, and subassemblies for the components of navigation, communication, and control systems. Most of the basic

Biblical Literature, The medieval period

2005-01-25T02:52:00.000-08:00

In the early Middle Ages the fourfold sense of Scripture—developed from Origen's threefold

Saracen

2005-01-24T00:20:00.000-08:00

In the Middle Ages, any person—Arab, Turk, or other—who professed the religion of Islam. Earlier in the Roman world, there had been references to Saracens (Greek: Sarakenoi) by late classical authors in the first three centuries AD, the term being then applied to an Arab tribe living in the Sinai Peninsula. In the following centuries the use of the term

Natick

2005-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Boston. The first recorded settlement there was made in 1650, when the missionary John Eliot was granted the land for use as a plantation for his “praying Indians.” In 1663 Eliot published an Algonquian-language translation of the Bible, a copy of which the town historical society possesses. After

Szell, George

2005-01-23T02:28:00.000-08:00

A child prodigy on the piano, Szell was educated in Vienna. His conducting debut came at the age of 16 with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Torelli, Giacomo

2005-01-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of Torelli's early life. In 1641 he was a military engineer at Venice. Already known as an architect, he built two churches there. Having erected the Teatro Novissimo at Venice, he furnished it

Sea Kale

2005-01-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

(Crambe maritima), cabbagelike perennial plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to seashores and cliffs of Eurasia. Young or blanched leaves are cooked and eaten. The waxy, blue-green, coarsely toothed leaves are 30–90 cm (1–3 feet) long. Honey-fragrant, clustered sprays of white, four-petaled flowers rise from the basal leaves.

Khoei, Abolqasem Al-

2005-01-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

Khoei studied Persian poetry and religion as a child. At age 13 he was sent to study Islamic law (Shari'ah) at Al-Najaf, where he remained and became one of the most important Shi'ite clerics of his day,

Palacio Valdés, Armando

2005-01-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

After studying law at the University of Madrid, Palacio Valdés began his literary career as a critic but soon turned to the novel. His novels are largely autobiographical,