WarmChess

Roubaix

2005-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Industrial town, Nord département, Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, northern France, just northeast of Lille. It is situated on the Canal de Roubaix in the plain of Flanders near the Belgian frontier and is united in the north with Tourcoing. Roubaix obtained its first manufacturing charter in the 15th century. After a long struggle in the second half of the 18th century, it obtained

Evans, Walker

2005-04-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

American photographer, important primarily for documenting the effects of economic depression in the American South and photographically interpreting American folk architecture. His approach to photography was largely formed by the documentary photographs of the French photographer Eugène Atget, whose influence

Tzu Ssu

2005-04-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zi Si, also called (Wade–Gile romanization) K'ung Chi Chinese philosopher, grandson of Confucius, native of the ancient state of Lu (present Shantung province), and according to tradition, the author of the Doctrine of the Mean. This classic, now part of the Li Chi (“Record of Rites”) and classified as one of the Four Books, reaffirms Confucius' interpretation of the mean as the state of equilibrium (chung yung) of the exemplary

Beskid Mountains

2005-04-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Czech Beskydy , Polish Beskidy discontinuous series of forested mountain ranges lying in the eastern Czech Republic, northwestern Slovakia, and southern Poland. The Czech sections at the western end of the Carpathian Mountains lie south and east of the Moravian Gate and are identified locally by smaller units. The Moravian-Silesian Beskid Mountains, which extend from the eastern Czech Republic

Arts, Central Asian, Dance and theatre

2005-04-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

Mircea Eliade, Le Chamanisme et les techniques archaïques de l'extase (1951; 2nd ed., 1968; Eng. trans., Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, rev. ed., 1964), a classic study of the rituals, costumes, and symbolisms of shamanic performances; Luther G. Jerstad (op. cit.), an analytical and descriptive study of 'cham as performed in the Tengpoche monastery of northern Nepal. Materials and translations of some morality plays have been published by Marion H. Duncan in his Harvest Festival Dramas of Tibet (1955) and More Harvest Festival Dramas of Tibet (1967); and a study of the “Moon-cuckoo” play of the Mongols has been published in Japanese by Hidehiro Okada. Information on the performing arts may be found scattered in various other publications, but it is usually descriptive in nature and deals with only one genre. As yet no scholar has carried out a comprehensive analytical study of the origins and interrelations of dance and theatre in Central Asian regions.

Beskid Mountains

2005-03-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

An abortive attempt by western European powers, with United States support, to counterbalance the overwhelming conventional military ascendancy of the Soviet Union in Europe by the formation of a supranational European army. The idea was originally mooted at the Hague Conference of 1948. Influenced by the Korean War, the French politician René Pleven evolved a plan

China, Unification

2005-03-29T21:51:00.000-08:00

Though a militarist himself, T'ai-tsu ended militarism as well as usurpation. Even his own coup was skillfully disguised to make it appear that the popular acclaim of the rank and file left him with no choice. Masterful in political maneuvering, T'ai-tsu, as emperor (reigned 960–976), did not destroy other powerful generals as had many previous founding rulers. Instead, he persuaded

Callahan, Harry Morey

2005-03-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

American photographer (b. Oct. 22, 1912, Detroit, Mich.—d. March 15, 1999, Atlanta, Ga.), experimented with the use of light, line, and space to produce images that portray ordinary scenes and objects in innovative, abstract ways. He felt that photographs had to have more significance than was apparent at first look; he focused on such favourite themes as his wife and daughter, landscapes, and

Seven Against Thebes

2005-03-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the seven champions who were killed fighting against Thebes after the fall of Oedipus, the king of that city. The twins Eteocles and Polyneices, who had been cursed by their father, Oedipus, failed to agree on which of them was to succeed to the Theban throne and decided to rule in alternate years. As Eteocles' turn came first, Polyneices withdrew to

Würm Glacial Stage

2005-03-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

Major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in Alpine Europe (the Pleistocene epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Würm glacial stage followed the Riss-Würm interglacial and is correlated with the Weichsel glacial stage of northern Europe and the Wisconsin glacial stage of North America. The Alpine glaciations of the Pleistocene

Selenite

2005-03-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

A crystalline variety of the mineral gypsum (q.v.).

Biblical Literature, The revision of Theodotion

2005-03-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

A second revision of the Greek text was made by Theodotion (of unknown origins) late in the 2nd century, though it is not entirely clear whether it was the Septuagint or some other Greek version that underlay his revision. The new rendering was characterized by a tendency toward verbal consistency and much transliteration of Hebrew words.

Sorcery

2005-03-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

The practice of malevolent magic, derived from casting lots as a means of divining the future in the ancient Mediterranean world. Some scholars distinguish sorcery from witchcraft by noting that it is learned rather than intrinsic. Other scholars, noting that modern witches claim to learn their craft, suggest that sorcery's intent is always evil and that of witchcraft

Coleman, Ornette

2005-03-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Coleman began playing alto, then tenor saxophone as a teenager and soon became a working musician in dance bands and rhythm-and-blues groups. Early in his career, his approach to harmony was already unorthodox

Wafd

2005-03-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

In full Al-wafd Al-misri (Arabic: “Egyptian Delegation”), nationalist political party that was instrumental in gaining Egyptian independence from Britain. Organized by Sa'd Zaghlul on Nov. 13, 1918, as a permanent delegation of the Egyptian people, it demanded a voice in London and at the peace conferences following World War I. In March 1919 the British temporarily exiled its leaders Sa'd Zaghlul, Isma'il Sidq

Pigeon

2005-03-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Pigeons occur worldwide except in the coldest regions and the most remote islands. About 250 species are known;

Bohr Atomic Model

2005-03-20T23:18:00.000-08:00

Description of the structure of atoms, especially that of hydrogen, proposed (1913) by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr. The Bohr model of the atom, a radical departure from earlier, classical descriptions, was the first that incorporated quantum theory and was the predecessor of wholly quantum-mechanical models. The Bohr model and all of its successors describe the properties

Antares

2005-03-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Scorpii red, semiregular variable star, with apparent visual magnitude about 0.9, the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius and one of the largest known stars, having several hundred times the diameter of the Sun and several thousand times the Sun's luminosity. It has a fifth-magnitude blue companion. Antares lies about 400 light-years from the Earth. The name seems

Nigeria

2005-03-20T00:21:00.000-08:00

In 1999 Nigeria underwent major political change. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, interim leader since the death of Sani Abacha in June 1998, oversaw the transition to a democratically elected government and the establishment of a new constitution. Three parties participated in the national elections: the centre-left People's Democratic Party (PDP), the Alliance for Democracy

Permafrost

2005-03-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Arthur H. Lachenbruch, Mechanics of Thermal Contraction Cracks and Ice-Wedge Polygons in Permafrost (1962), is a classic paper on the quantitative interpretation of the formation of ice-wedge polygons in permafrost. Troy L. Péwé, Richard E. Church, and Marvin J. Andresen, Origin and Paleoclimatic Significance of Large-Scale Patterned Ground in the Donnelly Dome Area, Alaska (1969), discusses the origin of ice-wedge casts and relict permafrost in central Alaska and offers paleoclimatic interpretations. R. Dale Guthrie, Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe (1990), discusses fossil carcasses of Ice Age mammals preserved in permafrost. Troy L. Péwé, Geologic Hazards of the Fairbanks Area, Alaska (1982), a highly illustrated work, contains an up-to-date presentation of the greatest geologic hazard to life in polar areas: problems posed by seasonally and perennially frozen ground. G.H. Johnston (ed.), Permafrost: Engineering Design and Construction (1981), is a comprehensive book on construction problems in permafrost areas, with examples mainly from northern Canada. Troy L. Péwé, “Permafrost,” in George A. Kiersch et al. (eds.), The Heritage of Engineering Geology: The First Hundred Years (1991), pp. 277–298, provides an up-to-date, well-illustrated treatment of the origin, distribution, and ice content of permafrost and of engineering problems in permafrost regions.

Radar, Electronically scanned phased-array radar

2005-03-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

An electronically scanned phased-array antenna can position its beam rapidly from one direction to another without mechanical movement of large antenna structures. Agile, rapid beam switching permits the radar to track many targets simultaneously and to perform other functions as required.

Mott, Sir Nevill Francis

2005-03-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

British physicist (b. Sept. 30, 1905, Leeds, Eng.--d. Aug. 8, 1996, Milton Keynes, Eng.), shared the 1977 Nobel Prize for Physics with Philip Anderson and John Van Vleck for research into the electronic properties of noncrystalline, or amorphous, solids. This work showed that amorphous materials, which are easier and less expensive to manufacture than crystalline substances, could be used in such

Fayette

2005-03-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., bounded to the north by Jacobs Creek; to the east by Laurel Hill, the Youghiogheny River, and Youghiogheny River Lake; to the south by Maryland and West Virginia; and to the west by the Monongahela River. It consists of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau that rises to the Allegheny Mountains in the east (including Chestnut Ridge).

Malacostracan, Excretion

2005-03-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Malacostracans excrete waste fluids mainly through the ducts of the nephridial glands, which are present in the body segments of the second antennae and the maxillae. The ducts open on the basal segments of those head appendages. Antennal nephridial glands are present in the adult stages of eucaridans, mysidaceans, and amphipods and in the larval stages of stomatopods

Rhythmic Mode

2005-03-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Rhythmic organization in triple patterns underlying all polyphonic (many-voiced) music of the late 12th and 13th centuries, beginning with the descant sections of two-part organa of the Notre-Dame school in Paris and culminating in the multilingual motets of the 13th century; the latter forms feature two or three rhythmic modes simultaneously in different parts of the

Elizabeth

2005-03-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1857) of Union county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S., on Newark Bay and Arthur Kill (channel; connected by bridge to Staten Island, New York City) and is adjacent to Newark, New Jersey, to the north. Settlement began in 1664 with the purchase of land from the Delaware Indians. It was named Elizabethtown to honour the wife of Sir George Carteret, one of the colony's first proprietors.

Sedimentary Rock, Origin of ironstones

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

The origin of ironstones also is not well understood, but most appear to be derived from the erosion and redeposition of lateritic (iron-rich, red) soils. Ironstones occur as thin (a few tens of metres at most) units interbedded with shallow marine and transitional carbonates, mudrocks, and sandstones. They generally have an oölitic texture. Cross-bedding, ripple marks,

Dam, Arch dams

2005-03-14T04:27:00.000-08:00

The advantages of building a dam curved in plan, utilizing the water pressure to keep the joints in the masonry closed, was appreciated as early as Roman times. An arch dam is a structure curving upstream, where the water thrust is transferred either directly to the valley sides or indirectly through concrete abutments. Theoretically, the ideal constant angle arch

Kakongo

2005-03-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

Former African state, founded about the 15th century on the Atlantic coast between the kingdoms of Loango (north) and Ngoy (south). It extended from what is now central Cabinda eastward into Congo (Kinshasa). The main town was Malemba, a port that grew in importance after 1700 as a centre for the export of slaves; port facilities were expanded from that time to handle increasing

Field Emission

2005-03-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Cold Emission, discharge of electrons from the surface of a material subjected to a strong electric field. In the absence of a strong electric field, an electron must acquire a certain minimum energy, called the work function, to escape through the surface of a given material, which acts as a barrier to electron passage. If the material is placed in an electric circuit that renders

Arabia, History Of, Qatabanians

2005-03-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

The heartland of the Qataban people was Wadi Bayhan, with the capital, Timna', at its northern end, and Wadi Harib, immediately west of Bayhan. As in the case of Ma'in, the earliest references are in Sabaean inscriptions; native Qatabanian inscriptions do not seem to antedate the 4th century BC. Timna' was destroyed by fire at a date not easy to fix; pottery evidence has been thought to suggest

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-03-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

If taken when young, the grizzly can be tamed quite easily and is not uncommon in circus acts. Unfortunately, man has come to picture the bear as being quite tame and harmless, with the result that the bear is viewed without the respect that this potentially dangerous creature deserves. The grizzly is the most dangerous of the bears to man, of the most interest economically

Rydberg, Viktor

2005-03-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

Rydberg grew up among strangers, with no home of his own; his mother had died in a cholera epidemic, and his father became an alcoholic. He had to break off his studies for lack of money. In 1855 he began to work for the liberal newspaper

Fell, John

2005-03-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ordained in 1647, Fell was deprived of his fellowship at Oxford in 1648 for having fought with the Royalists against Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil Wars. Despite

Bon

2005-03-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

The original features of Bon seem to have been largely magic-related; they concerned the propitiation of demonic forces and included the practice of blood sacrifices. Later, there is evidence

Insurance, Underwriting principles

2005-03-09T11:43:00.000-08:00

Underwriting has to do with the selection of subjects for insurance in such a manner that general company objectives are met. The main objective of underwriting is to see that the risk accepted by the insurer corresponds to that assumed in the rating structure. There is often a tendency toward adverse selection, which the underwriter must try to prevent. Adverse

Valencia

2005-03-09T02:07:00.000-08:00

Capital of Valencia province and the autonomous community (region) of Valencia, and of the former kingdom of Valencia, eastern Spain. Located on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the Río Turia (Guadalaviar), it is surrounded by orchards in a region known as the Huerta de Valencia. The earliest mention (Valentia) is by the Roman historian Livy, who states that the consul

Fairchild, David Grandison

2005-03-09T01:21:00.000-08:00

In 1888 Fairchild graduated from Kansas State University of Agriculture, Manhattan, and, after some graduate work at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and at Rutgers College (now the State University

Dalai Lama

2005-03-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

The first of the line was Dge-'dun-grub-pa (1391–1475), founder and abbot of Tashilhunpo monastery (central Tibet). In accordance with the belief in reincarnate lamas, which began to develop in the 14th century, his successors were conceived as his rebirths and

Atholl

2005-03-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Mountainous traditional region covering approximately 450 square miles (1,165 square km) in northern Perth and Kinross council area, historic county of Perthshire, Scotland. Enclosed by several ranges of the Grampians, which exceed 3,000 feet (900 metres) in elevation, the Atholl basin, with an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 metres), is entered by the passes of Drumochter in the north and Killiecrankie

Mitchell, Sir Thomas Livingstone

2005-03-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

As a soldier in the Peninsular War in Spain (1811–14), Mitchell worked in topographical intelligence. He became a major in 1826 but was placed on half pay. In 1827 he went to New South Wales as assistant surveyor general to John Oxley at Sydney.

Carloman

2005-03-07T02:24:00.000-08:00

Eldest son of Louis II the German and father of the emperor Arnulf. Carloman rebelled against his father in 861 and 863 but in 865 was entrusted by Louis with a share in his authority, being granted jurisdiction over Bavaria and Carinthia. After this he remained loyal to his father, even helping to suppress the rebellion of his two younger brothers

Selene

2005-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. She was worshiped at the new and full moons. Her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister Eos (Dawn); and her husband Zeus. She is most identified with Endymion, whom she loved and whom Zeus cast into eternal sleep in a cave

Madagascar, Plant and animal life

2005-03-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Much of the island was once covered with evergreen and deciduous forest, but little now remains except on the eastern escarpment and in scattered pockets in the west. The plateau is particularly denuded and suffers seriously from erosion. The forest has been cut in order to clear rice fields, to obtain fuel and building materials, and to export valuable timber, such

Lancelot

2005-03-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Lancelot's name first appeared as one of Arthur's knights in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century romance of Erec, and the same author later made him one of the heroes in Le Chevalier de la charette, which retold an existing legend about

Abu Hanifah

2005-03-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Shibli Numani, Imam Abu Hanifah: Life and Work (1972), provides an introduction. Discussions of his work in its larger context can be found in Joseph Schacht, An Introduction to Islamic Law (1964, reprinted 1982); A.J. Wensinck, The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development, 2nd ed. (1979); and John Alden Williams (ed.), Islam (1961).

Houston

2005-03-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

The first settlement in the area, Harrisburg (1826), was

Judaism, Sa'adia ben Joseph

2005-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

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

Ear Disease, Cyst of the ear

2005-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

A cyst is a sac filled with liquid or semisolid material. A cyst of the ear is most often caused by a gland that lubricates the skin behind the earlobe, less often at the entrance of the ear canal. If the duct of this gland becomes stopped, the lubricating fatty material accumulates as a soft, rounded nodule in the skin. Infection of the cyst causes a tender abscess to form

Canasta

2005-03-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Canasta originated in Uruguay in the late 1940s. By 1948 it was the most popular game in the fashionable clubs

Maazel, Lorin

2005-03-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

Maazel grew up in Los Angeles and began his first musical instruction at age five. Although he began conducting as early as age nine, he made his adult debut in 1953 in Italy,

Qu Qiubai

2005-03-02T02:19:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Ch'ü Ch'iu-pai, original name (Wade–Giles) Ch'u Shuang, also called Sung Yang prominent leader and, on occasions in the 1920s and early 1930s, head of the Chinese Communist Party. In addition to being a political activist, he is considered one of the most important literary figures of 20th-century China. In the People's Republic of China today, Qu, who was an early mentor of Mao Zedong, is honoured as one

Gwinnett, Button

2005-03-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Gwinnett emigrated from England to Georgia

Chong Yak-jong

2005-02-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Born to a family noted for its scholarly background, Chong was converted to Roman Catholicism by the Chinese priest Chou Wen-mu (James

Hero And Leander

2005-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

The story is preserved in

Papias

2005-02-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

According to the 2nd-century theologian Irenaeus, Papias had known the Apostle John. The 4th-century

Folengo, Teofilo

2005-02-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

Folengo entered the Benedictine order as a young man, taking the name Teofilo by which he is known. He lived in the monasteries of Brescia, Mantua,

Devrient, Otto

2005-02-26T00:28:00.000-08:00

Grandnephew of the great Romantic actor Ludwig Devrient, Otto was trained by his father, Eduard Devrient, who was a director, a translator of Shakespeare, and a stage historian. His early engagements included Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Berlin, and Leipzig. In 1863 he returned to Karlsruhe to

Brachistochrone

2005-02-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

The planar curve on which a body subjected only to the force of gravity will slide (without friction) between two points in the least possible time (see Figure). Finding the curve was a problem first posed by Galileo. In the late 17th century the Swiss mathematician Jakob Bernoulli offered a reward for the solution of this problem. He and his younger brother Johann, along

Bernard, Tristan

2005-02-25T22:56:00.000-08:00

Bernard's merit consisted in limiting his literary ambitions to his capabilities. His works were characterized by a tone of light cynicism and a cross fire of

Wyss, Johann Rudolf

2005-02-25T01:22:00.000-08:00

Wyss became professor of philosophy at the academy at Bern in 1805 and later chief librarian of the municipal library. He was a collector of Swiss tales and folklore, published in Idyllen,

Jussieu, Antoine-laurent De

2005-02-24T03:12:00.000-08:00

Antoine-Laurent was brought in 1770 by his uncle Bernard to the Jardin du Roi, where he became demonstrator in botany. In 1773 his paper, presented to the Académie des Sciences, on the Ranunculaceae (crowfoot) family introduced his method

Araki Sadao

2005-02-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

Japanese general, statesman, and a leader of the Kodo-ha (Imperial Way) faction, an ultranationalistic group of the 1930s. He strongly advocated the importance of character building through rigid mental and physical discipline, whereas the dominant Toseiha (Control) faction emphasized the importance of modernization along with

Byblos

2005-02-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Modern Jubayl , also spelled Jebeil , biblical Gebal ancient seaport, the site of which is located on the Mediterranean coast about 20 miles (32 km) north of the modern city of Beirut, Lebanon; it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the world. The name Byblos is Greek; papyrus received its early Greek name (byblos, byblinos) from its being exported to the Aegean through Byblos. Hence the English word Bible is derived

Mcnally, David Arthur

2005-02-23T02:11:00.000-08:00

American professional baseball player (b. Oct. 31, 1942, Billings, Mont.—d. Dec. 1, 2002, Billings), was a phenomenal left-handed pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles; he completed four consecutive 20-win seasons between 1968 and 1971, appeared in three All-Star games (1969, 1970, and 1972), and helped his team win World Series titles in 1966 and 1970. McNally also took part in the landmark 1975 arbitration case that ended baseball's “reserve

Priestley, J(ohn) B(oynton)

2005-02-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

Priestley served in the infantry in World War I (1914–19) and then studied English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1922). He thereafter worked as a journalist and first

Ear, Human

2005-02-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hearing is the process by which the ear transforms sound vibrations in the external environment into nerve impulses that are conveyed to the brain, where they are interpreted as sounds. Sounds are produced when vibrating objects, such as the plucked string of a guitar, produce pressure pulses of vibrating air molecules, better known as sound waves. The ear can distinguish

Vierzon

2005-02-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

City, Cher département, Centre région, central France. It lies along the Canal du Berry, at the confluence of the Cher and Yèvre rivers, northwest of Bourges. The city grew from a rail and industrial complex formed in 1938 from several small communes (Vierzon-Ville, Vierzon-Village, Vierzon-Forges, and Vierzon-Bourgneuf). Metals, glass, and agricultural machinery dominate local

Crockett, Davy

2005-02-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

His father, having little means, hired him out to more prosperous backwoods farmers, and Davy's schooling amounted to 100 days of tutoring with a neighbour. Successive moves west to middle Tennessee brought him close to the area of the Creek War, in which

Ruysdael, Salomon Van

2005-02-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

Originally named de Goyer, as was his brother Isaak (also a painter and the father of Jacob van Ruisdael), Salomon entered the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke in 1628. His first dated pictures are from 1627. He spent his whole life in Haarlem,

Ijsselmeer Polders

2005-02-20T04:12:00.000-08:00

The Zuiderzee project, which involved the construction of a dam (Afsluitdijk; completed 1932) enclosing the IJsselmeer

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Theological treatises

2005-02-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Scriptum super IV libros Sententiarum (1254–56); De veritate (1256–59); Summa contra gentiles (c. 1258–64; On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, 1955); Summa theologiae (1265 or 1266–73; incomplete); De potentia Dei (1259–68; On the Power of God, 1932–34); De malo (undated; On Free Choice); De spiritualibus creaturis (undated; On Spiritual Creatures, 1949); De anima (undated; The Soul, 1949); De unione Verbi incarnati (undated); De virtutibus (1269–72; On the Virtues in General, 1951).

Marées, Hans Von

2005-02-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

In 1853 Marées went to Berlin, where he studied for two years. For the next eight years he worked chiefly in Munich, coming under the influence of the historical school, and in 1864 he went to Italy, where he lived for about 20 years. In 1873 he received his most important commission, the painting of frescoes

Handball

2005-02-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Any of a family of games played in walled courts or against a single wall, with a small rubber ball that is struck with hand or fist against the wall. The object is to cause the ball to rebound with variations of power or speed and at such an angle that the opposition cannot return it. There are three versions of handball: four-wall, three-wall, and one-wall. Each may be played

Aquaculture: Fulfilling Its Promise

2005-02-18T02:06:00.000-08:00

For 25 centuries fish farming (aquaculture) has been a mainstay of Asian agriculture. Throughout China, India, and Thailand, it prospered on traditional small-scale farms. In recent years, however, fish farming has begun to suffer from problems associated with rapid growth and careless stewardship. As the 20th century draws to a close, aquaculture must redefine itself

Spadebill

2005-02-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Any of six species of New World flycatchers (family Tyrannidae, order Passeriformes) whose triangular bill is very broad and flat. The white-throated, or stub-tailed, spadebill (Platyrinchus mystaceus), scarcely 10 centimetres (4 inches) long, is the most widespread species; it inhabits forest undergrowth from southern Mexico to Argentina in southern South America.

Pemba Island

2005-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jazirat Al-khudrah, island in the Indian Ocean, lying 35 miles (56 km) off the coast of East Africa, opposite the port of Tanga, Tanzania. The island embraces 380 square miles (984 square km) and is 42 miles (67 km) long and 14 miles (22 km) wide. As the Arabic name, which means “Green Island,” suggests, it is more fertile than its sister island, Zanzibar, which lies 30 miles (48 km) to the southwest. Pemba is the world's leading producer

Caribou

2005-02-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

In North America, a native species of reindeer (q.v.).

Aqaba, Gulf Of

2005-02-16T02:39:00.000-08:00

Arabic Khalij Al-'aqabah, northeastern arm of the Red Sea, penetrating between Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. It varies in width from 12 to 17 miles (19 to 27 km) and is 100 miles (160 km) long. The gulf lies in a pronounced cleft between hills rising abruptly to about 2,000 feet (600 m). Navigation is difficult because of the gulf's narrow entrance at the Straits of Tiran and its islands, coral reefs, and sudden squalls. The

Parable

2005-02-16T02:28:00.000-08:00

Short fictitious narrative that illustrates a moral attitude, a doctrine, a standard of conduct, or a religious principle. The term originally referred to a Greek rhetorical figure, a kind of extended simile, involving the use of a literary illustration. The parable differs from the fable in the inherent plausibility of its story and in the exclusion of anthropomorphic

Aidoo, Ama Ata

2005-02-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Aidoo began to write seriously while an honours student at the University of Ghana (B.A., 1964). She won early recognition with a problem play, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), in which a Ghanaian student returning

Ijtihad

2005-02-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

In Islamic law, the independent or original interpretation of problems not precisely covered by the Qur'an, Hadith (traditions concerning the Prophet's life and utterances), and ijma' (scholarly consensus). In the early Muslim community every adequately qualified jurist had the right to exercise such original thinking, mainly ra'y (personal judgment) and qiyas (analogical

Felix I, Saint

2005-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

Pope from 269 to 274. Elected to succeed St. Dionysius, Felix was the author of an important dogmatic letter on the unity of Christ's Person. He received the emperor Aurelian's aid in settling a theological dispute between the anti-Trinitarian Paul of Samosata, the deposed bishop of Antioch, and the orthodox Domnus, Paul's successor. Felix was buried in the

Stedelijk Museum

2005-02-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

The museum maintains fine collections of drawings, prints, applied arts, photographs, and

Biblical Literature, Historical criticism

2005-02-13T03:24:00.000-08:00

Historical criticism places the documents in their historical setting and promotes their interpretation in the light of their contemporary environment. This is necessary for their understanding, whether they are historical in character or belong to another literary genre. If they are historical in character it is important to establish how faithfully they

Maso Di Banco

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

Florentine painter who was the most talented of Giotto's pupils. Maso's work displays a style that effectively and intelligently incorporated the teachings of the master. It was the work of Maso that Ghiberti singled out in the 15th century for praise. Maso is mentioned in connection with the Bardi family in a document of 1341. It was a member of this family that provided

Mashriq Al-adhkar

2005-02-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “place where the uttering of the name of God arises at dawn”), temple or house of worship in the Baha'i faith. The mashriq is characterized by a nine-sided construction, in keeping with the Baha'i belief in the mystical properties of the number nine. Free of ritual and clergy, the mashriq is open to adherents of all religions and offers a simple service consisting of readings

Wright, Sewall

2005-02-11T01:29:00.000-08:00

Wright was educated at Lombard College, Galesburg, Ill., and at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and, after earning his doctorate in zoology at Harvard University (Sc.D., 1915), he worked as a senior animal husbandman

Scandinavian Literature, Prose

2005-02-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Prose literature of the 14th century included several sagas. Among them were the Finnboga saga ramma (“Saga of Finnbogi the Strong”), about a 10th-century hero, and another telling the love story of its hero Víglundr. Sagas about bishops, already a theme in the 13th century, became more numerous, as did lives of foreign saints. A large collection of exempla (moral tales) was also made,

Biblical Literature, The Samaritan canon

2005-02-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

As has been mentioned, the Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch from the Jews. They know of no other section of the Bible, however, and did not expand their Pentateuchal canon even by the inclusion of any strictly Samaritan compositions.

Balard, Antoine-jérôme

2005-02-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

In studying salt marsh flora from Mediterranean waters, Balard, after crystallizing sodium chloride and sodium sulfate from the seawater, saturating

Rockefeller, Nelson Aldrich

2005-02-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

Rockefeller was also known as a collector and patron of art. He served as a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art and was the founder and president of the Museum of Primitive Art (in 1982 incorporated into the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Wing), both in New York City.

Metatarsalgia

2005-02-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Disorder in which the weight of the body, when standing, rests on the centre of the anterior arch of the foot (on the heads of the central metatarsal bones) instead of on the inside and outside of the foot. Pain when walking may be severe, callosities develop on the area of stress, and there is a tendency to fracture of the metatarsals. The cause of metatarsalgia may be developmental

Gisulph Ii

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

In 1052 Gisulph's father, Gaimar V, was assassinated in a revolt. Gisulph, held captive by the assassins, was rescued with the aid of Norman knights, who were rewarded by recognition of their territorial

Lupus Erythematosus

2005-02-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

Discoid lupus affects only the skin and does not usually involve internal organs. The term discoid refers to a rash of distinct reddened patches covered with grayish brown scales that may appear on the

Romance Languages, The reduction of inflectional endings

2005-02-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

The inflectional endings have been lost most in nouns and adjectives. The Classical Latin five-case declensional system has everywhere been replaced (with a couple of doubtful exceptions) by a two-gender system, in which normally masculine gender is marked by survivors of the second (-us) declension endings of Latin (Italian cavallo, Portuguese cavalu, Romanian cal

Indian Tobacco

2005-02-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Indian tobacco's leafy flower spike, about 1 m (3 feet) tall, begins blooming at the bottom

Valdosta

2005-02-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1860) of Lowndes county, southern Georgia, U.S., about 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida. Troupville, the original town and county seat (1828, as Franklinville), was moved 4 miles (6 km) east in 1859 to the present site to be on the right-of-way of the area's first railroad. The new town was named for Georgia Governor George M. Troup's plantation, Val d'Osta (for the Italian region Valle

Celsian

2005-02-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

An uncommon feldspar mineral, barium aluminosilicate (BaAl2Si2O8), that occurs as hard, light-coloured, glassy masses and crystals in association with manganese deposits in contact zones, as at Jakobsberg, Swed.; Tochigi prefecture, Japan; Rhiw, Wales; near the Omuramba Otjosondjou (dry riverbed), Namibia; and near Incline, Calif., U.S. It may be regarded as the barium equivalent

Babashoff, Shirley

2005-02-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

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