AcidBoard

Eliot, Charles William

2005-11-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Eliot graduated from Harvard in 1853 and was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry there in 1858. In 1867 he sailed for Europe, where he made a study of European educational systems.

Eclecticism

2005-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

(from Greek eklektikos, “selective”), in philosophy and theology, the practice of selecting doctrines from different systems of thought without adopting the whole parent system for each doctrine. It is distinct from syncretism—the attempt to reconcile or combine systems—inasmuch as it leaves the contradictions between them unresolved. In the sphere of abstract

Daily Telegraph, The

2005-07-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier, the paper has consistently combined a high standard of reporting with the selection of interesting feature subjects and editorial presentation. Its appeal is a conservative and middle-class

Alemán, Mateo

2005-07-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Descended from Jews who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism, Alemán expressed many aspects of the experiences and feelings of the New Christians in 16th-century Spain. His most important literary work, Guzmán de

Valdemar I

2005-07-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

The son of Knud Lavard, duke of South Jutland, and a great-grandson of the Danish king Sweyn II, Valdemar gained sole possession of the monarchy, concluding

Hellenistic Age, Science and medicine

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

The three great areas of Hellenistic scholarship were medicine, astronomy, and mathematics. Alexandria attracted Herophilus (fl. 3rd century BC) from Chalcedon, who refused to stand in awe of the accepted medical dogmas and was distinguished in systematic anatomy, and the notable physiologist Erasistratus (fl. 3rd century BC) from Ceos, who realized that the heart is the

Mark

2005-06-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Former German monetary unit. In the 19th century the mark was a common small coin in the German states, but its value varied between states. In 1873, soon after the creation of the German empire, the gold mark, equal to 100 pfennigs, was adopted as the standard of value and the money of account for the empire. In 1948 the deutsche mark (DM; “German mark”) was introduced in West Germany, and in 1990 it

Saxhorn

2005-06-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Any of a family of brass wind instruments patented by the Belgian instrument-maker Antoine-Joseph Sax, known as Adolphe Sax, in Paris in 1845. Saxhorns, one of many 19th-century developments from the valved bugle, provided military bands with a homogeneous series of valved brass in place of the miscellany of valved instruments that had come into use since 1825 (such as flügelhorns,

Eimeria

2005-06-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Genus of parasitic protozoans of the spore-producing phylum Apicomplexa (previously Sporozoa). Eimeria, which causes coccidiosis in livestock and wild animals, infects mainly the cells of the digestive tract, although it also attacks cells of the liver and the bile duct. Symptoms of infection are diarrhea, weight loss, and general weakness. Eimeria is characterized

Sari

2005-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

Situated

China, The empire

2005-05-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Shih huang-ti made a number of important reforms. He abolished the feudal system completely and extended

Sunspot

2005-03-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Vortex of gas on the surface of the Sun associated with strong local magnetic activity. Spots look dark only by contrast with the surrounding photosphere, which is several thousand degrees hotter. The dark centre of a spot is called the umbra; the outer, lighter ring, the penumbra. Spots may be several times larger than the Earth or so small that telescopic observation

Chianciano Terme

2005-03-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

Town and mineral spa, Siena provincia, Toscana (Tuscany) regione, central Italy. It lies at an elevation of 1,500 feet (450 m), just southeast of Montepulciano. The mineral springs, which have been frequented since Etruscan times, are located about 1.25 miles (2 km) from the town; they are a popular tourist attraction, and there are numerous hotels for the accommodation of visitors. The town

Barabbas

2005-03-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 27:16, Barabbas was called a �notorious prisoner.� In Mark 15:7, Luke 23:19, and John 18:40, Barabbas was �among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection,� a

Tedder (of Glenguin), Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron

2005-03-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Marshal of the Royal Air Force and deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who contributed significantly to the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944) and the German defeat on the Western Front during World War II through his policy of bombing

Kaema Highlands

2005-03-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Korean �Kaema-kowon� tableland, northern North Korea. Called the roof of the Korean Peninsula, the Kaema Highlands are bounded on the north by Paektu Mountain (9,003 feet [2,744 m]), on the west by the Nangnim Mountain Range, on the east by the coast of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and on the south by the northern tip of the T'aebaek Mountains. The heights rise 3,300 - 6,600 feet (1,000 - 2,000 m) and are approximately 15,500 square miles (40,000 square km)

Cabasilas, Nilus

2005-03-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

Cabasilas' principal

Dilleniidae

2005-03-04T04:53:00.000-08:00

Although tricolpate pollen is known from the Barremian and Aptian ages (124 to 113 million years ago) of the Early Cretaceous Period (144 to 97.5 million years ago), the record of those fossils recognized as Dilleniidae goes back no farther than the Cenomanian Age (97.5 to 91 million years ago) of the Late Cretaceous Period (97.5 to 66.4 million years ago). By this time, families in all parts of the subclass

Liguria

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

Shaped like a crescent reaching from the mouth of the Roia River to that of the Magra and from the French frontier to Tuscany, Liguria is dominated by the Maritime Alps as far as the Cadibona

Giancana, Sam

2005-03-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Born and reared in Chicago's �Little Italy� on the near southwest side, Giancana began working for Al Capone in the 1920s and, by 1966, had been arrested some 70 times and served five years

Christian Iv

2005-02-28T03:49:00.000-08:00

King of Denmark and Norway (1588 - 1648), who led two unsuccessful wars against Sweden and brought disaster upon his country by leading it into the Thirty Years' War. He energetically promoted trade and shipping, left a national heritage of fine buildings, and won repute as a plucky, hard-drinking man of grim wit and great

Literary Criticism, Criticism and knowledge

2005-02-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

The debate over poetic truth may illustrate how modern discussion is beholden to extraliterary knowledge. Critics have never ceased disputing whether literature depicts the world correctly, incorrectly, or not at all, and the dispute has often had more to do with the support or condemnation of specific authors than with ascertainable facts about mimesis. Today

Wright, Judith

2005-02-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

After completing her education at the University of Sydney, Wright worked in an advertising agency and as a secretary at the University of Queensland, where she helped publish Meanjin, a literary

Scandinavian Literature, The Icelanders', or family, sagas

2005-02-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

These sagas were about heroes who had supposedly lived in the 10th and 11th centuries. Their origins are unclear, and it is debatable whether they were faithful records of history. One theory is that they were composed in the 11th century and transmitted orally until written down in the 13th century; though researchers now reject this view, it is true that the sagas owed much

Actinide Element, Nuclear

2005-02-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

All of the actinide elements are unstable toward radioactive decay; the reason that actinium, thorium, protactinium, and uranium are found in nature at all is because some of their isotopes are unusually stable and others are being formed constantly by decay of the long-lived isotopes. It is convenient to divide the naturally occurring isotopes into families based

Nervous System, Human, Reciprocal innervation

2005-02-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Any cold, hot, or noxious stimulus striking the skin of the foot contracts the flexor muscle of that limb, relaxes the extensor muscles of the same limb, and extends the opposite limb. The purpose of these movements is to remove one limb from harm while shifting weight to the opposite limb. That is the first and immediate response, but a slower and longer-lasting reflex

Arnold, Matthew

2005-02-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

It was Arnold's expressed desire that his biography should not be written; there are, however, a number of monographs and biographico-critical works, among them Lionel Trilling, Matthew Arnold (1939), the best full-length study; J. Dover Wilson, Leslie Stephen and Matthew Arnold As Critics of Wordsworth (1939); Sir E.K. Chambers, Matthew Arnold: A Study (1947); J.D. Jump, Matthew Arnold, �Men and Books Series� (1955); G. Robert Stange, Matthew Arnold: The Poet As Humanist (1967).

United Kingdom, The beginning of the Wars of the Roses

2005-02-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

The so-called Wars of the Roses was the struggle between the Yorkist and Lancastrian descendants of Edward III for control of the throne and of local government. The origins of the conflict have been the subject of much debate. It can be seen as brought about as a result of Henry VI's inadequacy and the opposition of his dynastic rival Richard, Duke of York, but local feuds

Eisenhower, Mamie

2005-02-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Although she did not change the job of first lady, Mamie Eisenhower was a favourite of many American women, who imitated her youthful style (known as the �Mamie style�) and what her husband called her �unaffected manner.�

Aldebaran

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

Also called �Alpha Tauri, � reddish giant star in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran is one of the 15 brightest stars, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.86. Its diameter is approximately 50 times that of the Sun. It is accompanied by a very faint (13th magnitude) red companion star. Aldebaran lies about 50 light-years from the Earth. The star was once thought to be a member of the Hyades cluster, but in fact

Luther, Martin, Luther's questioning of authority

2005-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Eck was able to go off to Rome with new prestige to give sharpness to the process of Luther's official condemnation. Luther had now to examine the further implications of his actions to date, in relation to the authority of the church, of councils, and of Scripture; his correspondence shows that he was reaching something like a crisis in his attitude to papal

Athabaska, District Of

2005-02-16T01:05:00.000-08:00

Part of the original Northwest Territories in Canada. The district was created in 1882 and enlarged by an eastward extension in 1895. It was abolished in 1905. Its area comprised the northern parts of present Alberta and Saskatchewan and a small portion of northwestern Manitoba.

Baram River

2005-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

River in northwestern Borneo. Rising in the Iran Mountains, it flows 250 miles (400 km) west and northwest, mostly through primary rain forest to the South China Sea at Baram Point. Above the lowest 100 miles, gorges and rapids make upstream navigation difficult. The Baram is Sarawak's second longest river; its tributaries include the Bakong, Apoh, Palutan, and Patah.

Hara Takashi

2005-02-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

Hara was the son of a high-ranking samurai family of northern Japan. After graduating from Tokyo University he became a journalist. In 1882 he entered the foreign service, upon which he rose rapidly

Xerxes I

2005-02-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

The basic work is still A.T. Olmstead, History of the Persian Empire (1948, reissued 1985), a complex work, but one that contains the essentials. Charles Hignett, Xerxes' Invasion of Greece (1963), deals only with the relationships between Xerxes and Greece. Peter Green, Xerxes at Salamis (1970), discusses the Greco-Persian wars.

Macedonia

2005-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Ethnic tensions were on the rise in Macedonia in 1997. Early in the year ethnic Albanian and ethnic Macedonian students demonstrated over the pros and cons of Albanian-language teaching at Skopje University's pedagogical faculty;

Karadzic, Vuk Stefanovic

2005-02-11T03:01:00.000-08:00

Karadzic learned to read and write in the old monastery Tronosha (near his native village). Mostly in the

Visscher, Anna (roemersdochter)

2005-02-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

Anna Visscher's poetry is rather stiff and impersonal; she wrote for the most part sonnets and lofliederen, cleverly devised odes to important personages.

Spokane

2005-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1879) of Spokane county, eastern Washington, U.S., at the falls of the Spokane River. Frequented by trappers when the North West Company built a trading post there in 1810, the site was settled in 1872 and laid out in 1878. Known as Spokane Falls (for the Spokane Indians, whose name means �sun people�), it developed after the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway. Abundant waterpower

R�o De Oro

2005-02-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

Southern region of Western Sahara. It has an area of 71,000 square miles (184,000 square km) and lies between Cape Blanco and latitude 26� N, near Cape Bojador. The climate is very arid, with virtually no rainfall, and there are extreme variations of temperature in the interior, ranging from nearly 32� F (0� C) at night to about 122� F (50� C) in the afternoon. Its principal town, Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros),

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

2005-02-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Also called �Jakarta Zoological Gardens�, Indonesian �Kebun Binatang Ragunan�, or �Kebun Binatang Jakarta� zoo in Jakarta, Indon., that is one of the world's notable collections of Southeast Asian flora and fauna. More than 3,500 specimens of approximately 450 animal species are exhibited on the 200-hectare (494-acre) park grounds. Among these are the orangutan, Sumatran serow, and various other rare animals of Indonesia. The zoo was founded in 1864 on a 4-hectare (11-acre) site and was moved to a new and much

Argentina, Political parties

2005-02-05T01:37:00.000-08:00

The political party system in Argentina has been volatile, particularly in the 20th century, with numerous parties forming, taking part in elections, and disbanding as new factions evolve. Among the major parties are the Radical Civic Union (Uni�n C�vica Radical; UCR), a centrist party with moderate leftist leanings; the Justicialist Party (Partido Justicialista; PJ),

Stabile

2005-02-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

The increasing monumentality of Calder's stabiles contributed significantly

�lvarez, Juan

2005-02-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

A landowner of mestizo ancestry, �lvarez in 1811 joined Jos� Mar�a Morelos in an unsuccessful campaign for independence from Spain. He was prominent in Antonio L�pez de Santa Anna's revolt of 1822 - 23, which overthrew

Argentina, Cultural life

2005-02-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

The role of the church is discussed in John J. Kennedy, Catholicism, Nationalism, and Democracy in Argentina (1958); and Daniel H. Levine (ed.), Churches and Politics in Latin America (1980).

Carib

2005-02-01T07:09:00.000-08:00

American Indian people who inhabited the Lesser Antilles and parts of the neighbouring South American coast at the time of the Spanish conquest. Their name was given to the Caribbean Sea, and its Arawakan equivalent is the origin of the English word cannibal. Today the term Cariban is used to designate a linguistic group that includes not only the language of the

Shinran

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

Original name �Matsuwaka-Maru, �also called �Han'en, Shakku, Zenshin, or Gutoku Shinran, posthumous name Kenshin Daishi � Buddhist philosopher and religious reformer whose concern for the salvation of the masses apart from those endowed with self-enlightenment led him to establish (1224) the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land sect), the largest school of Buddhism in modern Japan. His monumental anthology Kyogyoshinsho (1224; �Teaching-Action-Faith-Attainment�) made an original contribution

Rybinsk Reservoir

2005-01-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

Russian �Rybinskoye Vodokhranilishche, � large artificial body of water on the upper Volga River, northwestern Russia, formed by two dams on the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna. The project began in 1935, the artificial lake began to form in 1941, and, when the project was completed in 1947, a lake of 1,768 square miles (4,580 square km) in area, a maximum width of 37 miles (60 km), and an average depth of 18 feet (5.6 m) had been formed. At that time, the Rybinsk

Tyndall, John

2005-01-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

Tyndall was born into a poor Protestant Irish family. After a thorough basic education he worked as a surveyor in Ireland and England (1839 - 47). When his ambitions turned from engineering to science, Tyndall

Usakligil, Halit Ziya

2005-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

He was educated at a French school in Izmir, where he became devoted to the works of the 19th-century French novelists. A journey to France also contributed to his knowledge of European culture,

Aleut

2005-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

The Aleuts hunted seals, sea otters, whales,

Production Management

2005-01-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

Also called �operations management, � planning and control of industrial processes to ensure that they move smoothly at the required level. Techniques of production management are employed in service as well as in manufacturing industries. It is a responsibility similar in level and scope to other specialties such as marketing or human resource and financial management. In manufacturing operations,

Egypt, Growth of Mamluk armies

2005-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

The only real security for Ayyubid Egypt lay in its independent military strength. This explains why one of the last sultans, al-Malik as-Salih Ayyub (died 1249), resorted to increased purchase of Turkish slaves - called Mamluks, a name derived from the Arabic word for slave - as a means of manning his armies. Although slave troops had formed an important part of Egyptian armies since

Nation

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

In medieval universities, a group of students from a particular region or country who banded together for mutual protection and cooperation in a strange land. In some universities nations were responsible for educating and examining students. Each one was governed by its own proctor, who was elected for terms varying from one month (at the University of Paris) to

Levitt, Helen

2005-01-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Levitt began her career in photography at age 18 working in a portrait studio in the Bronx. After seeing the works of French photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson, she was inspired to purchase a 35-mm Leica camera and began to scour the poor

Yamuna River

2005-01-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

The Yamuna then passes Delhi, where it feeds the Agra Canal. Near

Cimarron River

2005-01-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

River rising in northeastern New Mexico, U.S., near Capulin Mountain National Monument and flowing 698 mi (1,123 km) to enter the Arkansas River near Tulsa, Okla. From its source, the Cimarron flows east past Black Mesa, a peak 4,973 ft (1,516 m) high, through the northern Oklahoma Panhandle and bends northward through the southeastern corner of Colorado and the southwestern corner of Kansas.

Chambers, John Graham

2005-01-19T07:49:00.001-08:00

After a distinguished college career rowing for Cambridge, Chambers coached the Cambridge team from 1871 to 1874. In 1866 he founded the Amateur Athletic Club and was instrumental in organizing the

Chambers, John Graham

2005-01-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

After a distinguished college career rowing for Cambridge, Chambers coached the Cambridge team from 1871 to 1874. In 1866 he founded the Amateur Athletic Club and was instrumental in organizing the

Silk Spider

2005-01-18T03:12:00.000-08:00

Also called �Golden Silk Spider� (Nephila), any of a genus of the class Arachnida (phylum Arthropoda), so named because of the great strength of their silk and the golden colour of their huge orb webs. These webs often measure one metre (about three feet) or more in diameter and are suspended between trees by guy lines. About 60 species are known to live in the warmer regions of the world. Adult females are very

Woolley, Sir (charles) Leonard

2005-01-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

From 1907 to 1911 Woolley served with an archaeological expedition

Mander, Carel Van

2005-01-15T00:38:00.000-08:00

Born of a noble family at Meulebeke,

Bitis

2005-01-14T03:09:00.000-08:00

Snake genus belonging to the poisonous viper family Viperidae, including the puff adders (e.g., Bitis arietans; see adder), the Gaboon viper (q.v.; B. gabonica), and the rhinoceros viper (q.v.; B. nasicornis).

Bearden, Romare (howard)

2005-01-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Bearden studied at the Art Students League in New York City with George Grosz (1936 - 37) and at Columbia University (1943). His early paintings were realistic and often

Gorbachev, Mikhail

2005-01-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

In full� Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev � Soviet official, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1985 to 1991 and president of the Soviet Union in 1990 - 91. His efforts to democratize his country's political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. In part because he ended the Soviet

Lancaster, Sir James

2005-01-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

In 1588 Lancaster served under Sir Francis Drake as commander of the Edward Bonaventure against the Spanish Armada. On April 10, 1591, commanding the same ship, he sailed from Plymouth for the

China, Provincial separatism

2005-01-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

The post-rebellion settlement not only pardoned several of the most powerful rebel generals but also appointed them as Imperial governors in command of the areas they had surrendered. Hopeh was divided into four new provinces, each under surrendered rebels, while Shantung became the province of An Lu-shan's former garrison army from P'ing-lu in Manchuria, which

World War I, The Egyptian frontiers, 1915 - July 1917

2005-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Even after the evacuation from Gallipoli, the British maintained 250,000 troops in Egypt. A major source of worry to the British was the danger of a Turkish threat from Palestine across the Sinai Desert to the Suez Canal. That danger waned, however, when the initially unpromising rebellion of the Hashimite amir Husayn ibn 'Ali against the Turks in the Hejaz was developed by the

Porsgrunn

2005-01-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

Town, Telemark fylke (county), southern Norway, at the mouth of the Skienselva (river) on Frierfjorden. Established as a customs post in 1652 with the name Porsgrund, it received its town charter in 1842. An export and industrial centre, it contains the huge Norsk Hydro chemical factories, a factory that produces Norway's finest porcelain, shipyards, metalworks, and lumber mills.

Christian Ii

2005-01-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

After serving as viceroy in Norway (1502, 1506 - 12), Christian succeeded his father, John, king of Denmark and Norway, in 1513. He obtained office by agreeing to a royal charter that granted extensive privileges to the nobility,

Saigyo

2005-01-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Also called �Sato Norikiyo � Japanese Buddhist priest-poet, one of the greatest masters of the tanka (a traditional Japanese poetic form), whose life and works became the subject matter of many narratives, plays, and puppet dramas. He originally followed his father in a military career, but, like others of his day, he was oppressed by the sense of disaster that overwhelmed Japan as

J.p. Morgan Chase

2005-01-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

The Morgan branch of the corporation traces its history to J.P. Morgan and Company, Inc. (established 1895), and Guaranty Trust Company of New York (1864), which merged in 1959. The bank was renamed Morgan Guaranty

Skadi

2005-01-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

Old Norse �Skaoi� in Norse mythology, the giant wife of the sea god Nj�rd. In order to avenge the death of her father, the giant Thiazi, Skadi took up arms and went to attack the rival tribe of the gods (the Aesir) in Asgard, home of the gods. The Aesir, wanting to appease her anger, offered her the choice of one of their number for a husband, with the stipulation that she choose a god by his legs (or feet)

Saratoga, Battles Of

2005-01-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

In the American Revolution, closely related engagements in the fall of 1777 that are often called the turning point of the war in favour of the Americans. The failure of the American invasion of Canada in 1775 - 76 had left a large surplus of British troops along the St. Lawrence River. In 1777 these troops were to move south and join forces with General Sir William Howe's troops along the

Uguccione Della Faggiuola

2005-01-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

A member of an old Ghibelline (pro-imperial) family, Uguccione had served as podest� (chief magistrate) and captain general in several Italian cities when the sudden death of Holy Roman Emperor

Albany, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke Of

2004-12-31T23:43:00.000-08:00

The third son of Robert II of Scotland, he was made high chamberlain of Scotland in 1382 and won a military reputation in campaigns against England.

Spalding, Henry Harmon

2004-12-30T03:59:00.000-08:00

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

Siculi

2004-12-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

English �Sicels�, Greek �Sikeloi� ancient Sicilian tribe that occupied the eastern part of Sicily. Old tales related that the Siculi once lived in central Italy but were driven out and finally crossed to Sicily, leaving remnants behind - e.g., at Locri. They are hard to identify archaeologically, although some words of their Indo-European language are known. The Siculi lived in independent towns; thus,

Indian Philosophy, Relation to the �Mimamsa-sutras�

2004-12-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

Along with Badari and Jaimini, Badarayana, a contemporary of Jaimini, was the other major interpreter of Vedic thought. Just as the Mimamsa-sutra traditions of Badari's tradition were revived by Prabhakara, a 7th - 8th-century scholar, and Jaimini's defended by Sabara and Kumarila, a 7th - 8th-century scholar, Baharayana's sutras laid the basis for the development of Vedanta philosophy. The relation

Arabia, History Of, The 1991 Persian Gulf War

2004-12-27T17:33:00.000-08:00

Following the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, President Saddam Hussein of Iraq faced massive economic problems, including debts owed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Iraqi president also viewed himself as the leader of Pan-Arab nationalism and socialism, two ideologies firmly opposed by the conservative monarchies that controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula outside

Furniture, 18th century: the Rococo style

2004-12-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

The influence of French furniture was predominant in Europe during the 18th century. In the second half of the century England played a leading role in establishing the Neoclassical style, and for supreme craftsmanship provided an inspiration to workshops in several countries; but in the diffusion of the two styles, the Rococo and the Neoclassical, French designs

Anastasius I, Saint

2004-12-25T01:43:00.000-08:00

Anastasius earned the praise of St. Jerome (Letter 127) for censuring (c. 400) the works of Origen, one of the most influential theologians of the early Greek church. In papal letters he condemned several Origenist writings and disapproved the spreading of Origen's teaching. Anastasius' virtues

Chase, Philander

2004-12-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Ordained a priest in 1799, Chase served several parishes in New York State, New Orleans, and Hartford, Conn., prior to his consecration as bishop for the new Ohio diocese in 1819. Because he felt the needs of the frontier West could

Wellingborough

2004-12-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire, England, situated east of Northampton along the River Nene. Wellingborough grew as a market town in the Middle Ages. After a fire in 1738, it was rebuilt on its present hill site. Wellingborough School, founded in 1595, was endowed with revenues from a suppressed medieval guild. Wellingborough's

Hokuriku

2004-12-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Industrial region, west-central Honshu, Japan, lying along the Sea of Japan. It is neither an administrative nor a political entity. The northeastern portion of the area, occupying parts of Niigata and Toyama ken (prefectures), specializes in heavy and chemical industries and has close economic ties with the Keihin (Tokyo-Yokohama) Industrial Zone. The southwestern

Alimony

2004-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

In divorce law, compensation owed by one spouse to the other for financial support after divorce. Alimony aims at support of the one spouse, not punishment of the other. In some places, the term means simply a property settlement irrespective of future support. Alimony has traditionally been granted from husbands to wives but has occasionally been granted from wives

Korchnoi, Viktor

2004-12-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

As a youngster, Korchnoi lived through the World War II siege of Leningrad (1941 - 43). He became a Soviet master in 1951, an international master in 1954, and an international grandmaster

Merano

2004-12-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Merano, first mentioned in 857, is that part of the Tirol transferred from Austria to Italy in 1918. The city is dominated by the Gothic parish church (1367 - 1495) and the small Principesco

Saudi Arabia

2004-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

The coastal parts of the territory that was to become Saudi Arabia participated in the broad trends of Arabian Peninsula history in the Islamic period - the rise of Islam in western Arabia in the 7th century,

Huynh Phu So

2004-12-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Frail and sickly in his youth, he was educated by a Buddhist monk and at the age of 20 was apparently miraculously cured. He then set about

Bernicia

2004-12-16T04:44:00.000-08:00

In British history, a northern Anglo-Saxon kingdom that by the last quarter of the 7th century had become permanently united with its neighbour Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. Bernicia stretched northward from perhaps as far south as the River Tees, ultimately reaching the Firth of Forth and beyond the Solway Firth. It had a royal residence at Bamburgh on

East Dorset

2004-12-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Dorset, southern England, in the northeastern corner of the county directly north of the English Channel resorts of Bournemouth and Poole. Most of the district is part of the historic county of Dorset, but its easternmost section, including St. Leonards, is in the historic county of Hampshire. East Dorset district is a low-lying plain

Bear Market

2004-12-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

In securities and commodities trading, a declining market. A bear is an investor who expects prices to decline and, on this assumption, sells a borrowed security or commodity in the hope of buying it back later at a lower price, a speculative transaction called selling short. The term bear may derive from the proverb about �selling the bearskin before one has caught

Coney Island

2004-12-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Amusement area in the southern part of the borough of Brooklyn in New York, N.Y., U.S., fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly an island, it was known to Dutch settlers as Konijn Eiland (�Rabbit Island�), which was presumably Anglicized as Coney Island. It became part of Long Island after Coney Island Creek silted up to form a sandbar (about 5 miles [8 km] long and 0.25 - 1 mile [0.4 - 1.6 km] wide) between

Hilo

2004-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Hawaii county, northeastern Hawaii Island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies along Hilo Bay and is the island's business centre. The city is surrounded by sugarcane fields and supports a thriving orchid industry. Its deepwater harbour (once a whaling port) is protected by a breakwater and has bulk sugar-loading facilities. Exports also include orchids, anthuriums, macadamia

New Guinea

2004-12-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

Lagrangian Function

2004-12-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

One may think of a physical system, changing as time goes on from one state or configuration to another, as progressing along a particular evolutionary path, and ask, from this

Light-year

2004-12-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, the distance traveled by light moving in a vacuum in the course of one year, at its accepted velocity of 299,792,458 metres per second (186,282 miles per second). A light-year equals about 9.46053 � 1012 km (5.878 � 1012 miles), or 63,240 astronomical units. About 3.262 light-years equal one parsec (q.v.).

Problem Play

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

Type of drama that developed in the 19th century to deal with controversial social issues in a realistic manner, to expose social ills, and to stimulate thought and discussion on the part of the audience. The genre had its beginnings in the work of the French dramatists Alexandre Dumas fils and �mile Augier, who adapted the then-popular formula of Eug�ne Scribe's �well-made

Hay

2004-12-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

In agriculture, dried grasses and other foliage used as animal feed. Usually the material is cut in the field while still green and then either dried in the field or mechanically dried by forced hot air. Typical hay crops are timothy, alfalfa, and clover. The protein content of grasses and legumes decreases and fibre and lignified tissue increases as growing plants