MaterialBrick

Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan

2005-11-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

Marjorie Kinnan graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1918. The next year she married Charles A. Rawlings, a newspaperman, and worked for periods as a reporter and feature writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal and the

Philemon And Baucis

2005-07-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

In Greek mythology, a pious Phrygian couple who hospitably received Zeus and Hermes when their richer neighbours turned away the two gods, who were disguised as wayfarers. As a reward, they were saved from a flood that drowned the rest of the country; their cottage was turned into a temple, and at their own request they became priest and priestess of it. Long after, they

Aerospace Industry, The space age

2005-07-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Both the Soviet and the American space industries had much the same origins and impetus. The development of intermediate-range and intercontinental missiles provided not only the critical electronic technologies but also the rockets necessary to boost small payloads into orbit. Thus, the launch of Sputnik in 1957 signaled not only Soviet technical leadership

Mondego River

2005-07-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Portuguese Rio Mondego, largest of the exclusively Portuguese rivers, rising at 4,675 feet (1,425 m) on the northern slopes of Mount Estrela and flowing southwestward for 137 miles (220 km) to the Atlantic Ocean. It has a drainage basin of 2,615 square miles (6,772 square km). A sandbar prohibits navigation above Figueira da Foz, though small craft can sail 52 miles (84 km) upstream to Foz Dão; the river is tidal to Montemor-o-Velho (12 miles

East Germany

2005-07-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Formally German Democratic Republic , German Ostdeutschland , or Deutsche Demokratische Republik European state (1945–90) that now constitutes the eastern portion of the Federal Republic of Germany. See Germany.

Tsutsumi Family

2005-07-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

Born into a peasant family, Tsutsumi Yasujiro (b. 1889, Shiga prefecture, Japan—d. April 26, 1964) graduated from Waseda University in 1913. He founded the Kokudo Keikaku land-management company in 1918 and began buying

Frederick

2005-07-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1748) of Frederick county, north-central Maryland, U.S., on a tributary of the Monocacy River 47 miles (76 km) west of Baltimore. Laid out in 1745 as Frederick Town, it was presumably named for Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, although it may have been for Frederick Louis, prince of Wales. The British Stamp Act received its first repudiation from jurists in the Frederick County

Lurie, Alison

2005-06-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Lurie graduated from Radcliffe College in 1947 and later taught English and then children's literature at Cornell University. One of her best-known books, The War Between the Tates (1974; filmed 1977), concerns the manner in which the wife of a professor

Traube, Isidor

2005-06-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

In 1882 Traube joined the faculty of the Technische Hochschule, Berlin, and there became professor of chemistry in 1900. He left Germany in 1939 and accepted a position

Violales

2005-06-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

The seeds of Hydnocarpus (Flacourtiaceae), found in the Philippines, China, and India, are a source of chaulmoogra oil, at one time important in the treatment

Porbandar

2005-06-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Town, Junagadh district, Gujarat state, west central India, on the Arabian Sea. The birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, it was controlled by the Jethwa Rajputs from about the 16th century. Porbandar was the capital of the former princely state of Porbandar (1785–1948) before it became a district. It is famous for its building stone, and it also produces a variety of manufactures. The town is served

Prosody, The Renaissance

2005-06-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Renaissance prosodic theory had to face the fact of an accomplished poetry in the vernacular that was not written in metres determined by “rules” handed down from the practice of Homer and Virgil. Nevertheless, the classicizing theorists of the 16th century made a determined attempt to explain existing poetry by the rules of short and long and to draft “laws” by which

Foltz, Clara Shortridge

2005-05-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Clara Shortridge taught school in her youth and in 1864 married Jeremiah R. Foltz, with whom she moved to California.

Earhart, Amelia

2005-05-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Earhart moved often with her family and completed high school in Chicago in 1916. She worked as a military nurse in Canada during World War I and as a social worker in Denison House,

Agulhas Current

2005-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Surface oceanic current that is part of the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current, which turns southward along the east coast of Africa and then eastward to join the flow from Africa to Australia. A small part of Agulhas water may, however, continue westward around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic. The Mozambique Current, between Madagascar and Africa,

Soka

2005-03-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

City, Saitama ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, on the Ayase River, north of Tokyo. During the Tokugawa period (1603 - 1867) Soka was a post station, noted for its leather and dyes. The Tobu Line (railway) arrived in 1899. Because of its proximity to Tokyo and available water and land, the city developed as an extension of the Keihin Industrial Zone after World War II. Major products are pulp, leather,

Aerospace Industry, Special requirements of military aircraft

2005-03-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

Military aircraft demand lightweight structures to achieve high performance. Moreover, the materials used must be able to withstand the temperatures created by air friction when the vehicle is flying at high speeds. These requirements have fostered the use of new metals such as aluminum-magnesium alloys and titanium, as well as composites and polymers for many

National Aquarium

2005-03-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

The facility houses more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of fishes in 54 individual display tanks ranging in capacity from 285 to

Liliidae, Phytochemistry

2005-03-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

As might be expected from so large a group, Liliidae are very diverse in their flavonoids. These compounds have systematic importance only at the generic level. The unusual steroid saponins, however, characterize Liliidae to a remarkable degree, although they are absent from several groupings - notably Lilium and its close allies as well as several genera with alkaloids

English Literature, Problems of dating

2005-03-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Few poems can be dated as closely as Caedmon's �Hymn.� King Alfred's compositions fall into the late 9th century, and Bede composed his �Death Song� within 50 days of his death on May 25, 735. Historical poems like �The Battle of Brunanburh� (after 937) and �The Battle of Maldon� (after 991) are fixed by the dates of the events they commemorate. A translation of one of Aldhelm's riddles is found not only

Alkmaar

2005-03-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

The English missionaries Willibrord and Adalbert preached Christianity in the district in the 8th century. A fishing village in the 10th century, Alkmaar (meaning �all marsh,� or �all sea�) was chartered in 1254 and was the capital of Kennemerland,

Christian I

2005-03-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

The son of Count Dietrich the Happy of Oldenburg and Hedvig of Holstein, Christian was elected to succeed Christopher

Florian�polis

2005-03-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

The first European settlement on the island was made in 1542 by Spaniards, but in 1675 control passed to the Portuguese, who established

Haedo Range

2005-02-28T00:17:00.000-08:00

Also called �Haedo Ridge,� or �Haedo Hills,� Spanish �Cuchilla de Haedo,� range of hills, north-central Uruguay. With the Grande Range (Cuchilla Grande) to the east, it defines the basin of the Negro River, Uruguay's major river. The range extends southward from a rugged highland area near the Brazilian border for approximately 125 miles (200 km) and terminates at the confluence of the Negro and Uruguay rivers, the Rinc�n de las Gallinas. It separates

Saint Anthony

2005-02-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

Town, north of the entrance to Hare Bay, on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, 306 miles (492 km) northeast of Corner Brook. An old fishing settlement with dry docks, ship-repair yards, and cold-storage plants, it is the home of the International Grenfell Association (a charity organization established in 1912 by Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the medical missionary) and is known

Vyadhapura

2005-02-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Its site is 120 miles (190 km) from the mouth of the

Mark

2005-02-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

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

Karasi Dynasty

2005-02-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Founded by Karasi, a frontier ruler under Seljuq suzerainty, the principality had two branches, with their respective centres in Balikesir and Bergama (Pergamum). Of the sons of Karasi, Demirhan was defeated by the Ottoman ruler Orhan, and Balikesir was annexed (c. 1345). The coastal region of �anakkale-Troy

Price, Vincent

2005-02-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

Price was the son of the owner of the National Candy Company and the grandson of the inventor of baking powder. He graduated from Yale University in 1933 and spent a year as a schoolteacher before, as Price himself put it, �I had the extraordinary experience

Bhanavara

2005-02-21T02:09:00.000-08:00

At first, different

Egypt, Ancient, The aftermath of Amarna

2005-02-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

Akhenaton had six daughters by Nefertiti and one or two sons, perhaps by a secondary wife Kiya or by his own daughter Maketaton, who may have died in childbirth and whose infant son is shown in the royal tomb at Amarna. His immediate, ephemeral successor was a woman, possibly his eldest daughter Meritaton. Either she or the widow of Tutankhamen called on the Hittite king

Talleyrand(-p�rigord), Charles-maurice De, Prince De B�n�vent

2005-02-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

French statesman and diplomat noted for his capacity for political survival, who held high office during the French Revolution, under Napoleon, at the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, and under King Louis-Philippe.

Agostino Di Duccio

2005-02-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

Agostino's name is associated mainly with the wealth of sculptured decoration for the Tempio Malatestiano at Rimini, a building

Temple, Shirley

2005-02-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

At age three Temple was picked from her dancing class to appear in Baby Burlesks, a series of one-reel comedies. In 1934 she gained recognition in her first feature film, the musical Stand Up and

Moral Re-armament

2005-02-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

In 1922 Buchman resigned his position

Henderson

2005-02-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

Dairying, livestock raising, and feed are important to the economy, and tobacco is the major crop in the area.

Mercer, Joseph

2005-02-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

Mercer overcame spindly legs and bad knees to become an outstanding left-half with Everton (1931 - 46), the champions of Britain's Football League in 1939. That year he was selected to play for England, and while in the Army

Saint Austell

2005-02-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

Town, Restormel borough, administrative and historic county of Cornwall, southwestern England. St. Austell was originally called Trenance and takes its present name from a hermit named St. Austol. England's most important kaolin (china clay) deposits are dug in the area, then processed at St. Austell, and shipped from the nearby port of Fowey. Many people are employed

Peter I

2005-02-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

The son of Afonso IV and his consort Beatriz of Castile, Peter was married in 1336 to Constanza of Castile; but she died in 1345, and Peter is chiefly remembered for his tragic amour with In�s de Castro (q.v.), whose death he savagely avenged after his accession to the throne. Even so, some of his acts, designed to curb abuses and to enhance

Constantia

2005-02-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Residential area, Western Cape province, South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located in Constantia Valley, famous since the 18th century for wines produced on both government and private farms. The Groot Constantia homestead there was built about 1685 by Governor Simon van der Stel and named for his wife, Constance; a fine example of Cape Dutch architecture, it has been restored

Bar Kokhba

2005-02-08T01:30:00.000-08:00

During his tour of the Eastern Empire in 131, the Roman emperor Hadrian decided upon a policy of Hellenization to integrate the Jews into the empire. Circumcision was proscribed, a Roman colony (Aelia) was founded in Jerusalem, and a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus was erected over

Afghanistan

2005-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

Landlocked, multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen

Trade, Board Of

2005-02-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

The first grain futures exchange in the United States, organized in 1848 in Chicago. The Board of Trade began as a voluntary association of prominent Chicago grain merchants. In 1849 it received a charter from the Illinois legislature, and in 1859 it was incorporated by a special legislative act. At first grain was sold by sample, but soon a system of inspection and grading was introduced

Gaunilo

2005-02-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

Gaunilo's Liber pro insipiente (�In Defense of the Fool�) was a critique of the rationality of Anselm's assertion that the concept of �that than which nothing greater can be thought� (i.e., God) implies God's existence. Gaunilo

Quicherat, Jules (-�tienne-joseph)

2005-02-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Quicherat

Ya-an

2005-02-02T01:15:00.000-08:00

Established as the seat of a county under the Ch'in (221 - 206 BC) and Han (206 BC - AD 220) dynasties,

Hanamichi

2005-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

An integral part of the Kabuki

Bernicia

2005-01-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

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

Kebbi

2005-01-28T01:28:00.000-08:00

State, northwestern Nigeria. It was created in 1991 from the southwestern half of Sokoto (q.v.) state. Kebbi borders the nations of Niger to the west and Benin to the southwest, and it borders the Nigerian states of Sokoto to the north and east and Niger to the south. Kebbi's area consists of short-grass savanna that is drained southwestward by the Niger River and its tributary,

Celestial Globe

2005-01-27T04:33:00.000-08:00

Some globes were made in ancient Greece; Thales of Miletus (fl. 6th century BC) is generally credited with having constructed the first. Probably the oldest in existence is the

Pox Disease

2005-01-26T00:13:00.000-08:00

Any of a complex of viral diseases in human beings and domestic animals, marked chiefly by eruptions of the skin and mucous membranes. Sheep pox and rabbit pox are spread by airborne infectious particles that are inhaled. Horse pox, fowl pox, and mouse pox usually are spread by skin contact. Cowpox (vaccinia) and pseudo-cowpox (paravaccinia), localized on the udder and

Existentialism, Manner and style of human existence

2005-01-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

Existentialism is never a solipsism in the proper sense of the term (that I alone exist), because every existential possibility relates man to things and to other men. Sometimes it is presented as humanism in the sense that it places human destiny in the hands of men themselves. But this version is rejected by all of the currents of the movement that, starting with Heidegger,

Industrial Ceramics

2005-01-24T04:22:00.000-08:00

Ceramics are broadly defined as inorganic, nonmetallic materials that exhibit such useful properties as high strength and hardness, high melting temperatures, chemical inertness, and low thermal and electrical conductivity but that also display brittleness and sensitivity to flaws. As practical materials, they have a history almost as old as the human race.

Salaj

2005-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), northwestern Romania. The Western Carpathian Mountains of Romania, including the Ses Mountains, rise above settlement areas in the valleys. The county is drained northwestward by the Somes River and its tributaries. Zalau (q.v.) is the county capital. Metal products, building materials, timber, and foodstuffs are produced in Zalau and Simleu Silvaniei. Lignite

Arts, Central Asian, Painting: frescoes and temple banners

2005-01-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

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

Dome

2005-01-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

In geology, any large or elliptical structure formed by the fractureless upwarping of rock strata. It is a type of anticline that lacks clear-cut elongation and that slopes outward in all directions from the highest point. Typical examples of such a dome can be found in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the western United States. Where strata plunge more or less uniformly

Biblical Literature, Hosea

2005-01-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

The Book of Hosea, the first of the canonical Twelve (Minor) Prophets, was written by Hosea (whose name means �salvation,� or �deliverance�), a prophet who lived during the last years of the age of Jeroboam II in Israel and the period of decline and ruin that followed the brief period of economic prosperity. The Assyrians were threatening the land of Israel and the people of

Durand Line

2005-01-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

Boundary established in the Hindu Kush in 1893 running through the tribal lands between Afghanistan and British India, marking their respective spheres of influence; in modern times it has marked the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The acceptance of this line - which was named for Sir Mortimer Durand, who induced 'Abdor Rahman Khan, amir of Afghanistan, to agree

Powerlifting

2005-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

Powerlifting was developed primarily in the United States and Canada by weight lifters whose concentration on power alone, they felt, was excluded from formal competition. In 1967 the Amateur Athletic Union began national supervision of the

Fibre

2005-01-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Fiber, � in textile production, basic unit of raw material having suitable length, pliability, and strength for conversion into yarns and fabrics. A fibre of extreme length is a filament. Fibres can occur naturally or can be produced artificially. See Man-Made Fibres; natural fibre.

Feline Leukemia

2005-01-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

Also called �Feline Lymphosarcoma, � viral disease of cats, one of the most serious diseases affecting small domestic animals. Symptoms include enlargement of the lymph nodes, depression, emaciation, and, frequently, diarrhea; there is no known treatment, and the outcome is usually fatal. A fluorescent antibody test developed in the 1970s produced evidence that the virus is present in many apparently healthy

Deutsche Blumen

2005-01-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

English �German flowers� in pottery, floral decoration consisting of naturalistically painted �German� (i.e., European) flowers appearing individually or in bouquets. Although Viennese potters had produced a type of naturalistic floral decoration about 1730, deutsche Blumen became popular only after they had appeared on Meissen porcelain, produced from about 1740. The flowers used to decorate

Biblical Literature, The reign of Solomon

2005-01-14T06:01:00.000-08:00

David had reigned from about 1000 to 962 BCE, a period in which he consolidated a federation of tribes that had been united under the charismatic leadership of Saul, who had reigned for about two decades before David began to construct his minor empire. Solomon, who inherited a strong monarchy, reigned for 40 years. His reputation as a monarch centred about his great wisdom (chapter

Pittsburgh Glass

2005-01-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

American glassware produced from the end of the 18th century at numerous factories in that Pennsylvania city. Pittsburgh had the twin advantages of proximity to a source of cheap fuel (coal) and access to a good waterways system, which afforded an inexpensive means of distribution; thus, of the 50 glasshouses that sprang up in Pennsylvania between 1763 and 1850, 40 or more were situated

'ashar Min Ramadan, Madinat Al-

2005-01-12T01:58:00.000-08:00

Industries that have been established include factories that manufacture pharmaceuticals,

Italic Languages, Oscan

2005-01-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

Before Latin spread out, Oscan was the most widely spoken group of dialects of the Apennine Peninsula. It was used by the Samnites in Samnium and Campania; by the inhabitants of Lucania and Bruttium; and, with slight variations, by smaller tribes between Latium and the Adriatic coast: the Volsci, Marsi, Paeligni, Vestini, and Marrucini. (These distinct �minor dialects� within

Neo-confucianism

2005-01-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

In China, a rationalistic revival of Confucian philosophy in the 11th century AD that exercised profound influence on Chinese thought for the next 800 years. See Confucianism.

Encyclop�die

2005-01-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

In full� Encyclop�die, Ou Dictionnaire Raisonn� Des Sciences, Des Arts Et Des M�tiers� (French: �Encyclopaedia, or Classified Dictionary of Sciences, Arts, and Trades�), the 18th-century French encyclopaedia that was one of the chief works of the Philosophes, men dedicated to the advancement of science and secular thought and the new tolerance and open-mindedness of the Enlightenment. The Encyclop�die was a literary and philosophical enterprise with

'ayyar

2005-01-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

Though 'ayyarun were found fighting for Islam on the frontiers of inner Asia, the most thorough documentation of these warriors describes their activities in Baghdad in the 10th - 12th century, a picture that may not be typical of 'ayy

Interior Design, Kinds of interiors

2005-01-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

Although the foregoing sections have mentioned different kinds of interiors, in reference to both aesthetic and physical components of design, there has been no specific discussion of different design considerations for varying interiors. The aesthetic criteria suggested in earlier sections are subject to considerable variation, depending on the kind

Earth Exploration, Geothermal methods

2005-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

Temperature-gradient measurements are sometimes made to detect heat-flow anomalies; however, most exploration for geothermal resources (e.g., superheated water and steam) is done with indirect methods. Resistivity or seismic methods, for example, may be used to map the magma chamber, which is the source of the heat, or to detect faults or other features that control

Gulper

2005-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Any of nine species of deep-sea fish constituting three families, placed by some authorities in the order Anguilliformes (eels) and by others in a distinct order, Saccopharyngiformes (or Lyomeri). Gulpers range to depths of 2,700 m (9,000 feet) or more. The members of one family, Monognathidae, have mouths of normal proportions, but the other gulpers (Eurypharyngidae and Saccopharyngidae)

Eurocommunism

2005-01-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

The term Eurocommunism was coined in the mid-1970s and received wide publicity after the publication

Crab Plover

2005-01-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

(species Dromas ardeola), long-legged, black and white bird of Indian Ocean coasts, related to plovers and allied species of shorebirds. It comprises the family Dromadidae (order Charadriiformes). Crab plovers are tame, noisy birds about 40 cm (16 inches) long. They flock on beaches and reefs, where they hunt mollusks and crabs, which they then break up by pounding them with their

Floriano

2005-01-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

City, west central Piau� state, northeastern Brazil, on the Rio Parna�ba, at 280 ft (85 m) above sea level. Floriano was elevated to city status in 1897. It is a trade centre with livestock raising and the extraction of carnauba wax as the principal economic activities. Chemicals and textiles are also produced there. Floriano is bridged to Bar�o de Graja�, just across the river in

Military Aircraft, Mach 2

2005-01-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

A fourth generation of fighters began to appear in the 1960s, capable of maximum speeds ranging from about Mach 1.5 to 2.3. Top speeds varied with the intended mission, and increasing engine power, aerodynamic sophistication, and more compact and capable radars and avionics began to blur the differences between two-seat, all-weather fighters and single-seat air-superiority

Fen

2004-12-31T02:15:00.000-08:00

Type of bog (q.v.), especially a low-lying area, wholly or partly covered with water and dominated by grasslike plants, grasses, sedges, and reeds. In strict usage, a fen denotes an area in which the soil is organic (peaty) and alkaline rather than acid.

Kermadec Trench

2004-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

Submarine trench in the floor of the South Pacific Ocean, about 750 mi (1,200 km) in length, forming the eastern boundary of the Kermadec Ridge. The two together comprise the southern half of the Tonga - Kermadec Arc, a structural feature completed to the north by the Tonga Trench and Ridge. The Kermadec Trench reaches a maximum depth of 32,962 ft (10,047 m).

Akkad

2004-12-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ancient region in what is now central Iraq. Akkad was the northern (or northwestern) division of ancient Babylonian civilization. The region was located roughly in the area where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are closest to each other, and its northern limit extended beyond the line of the modern cities of al-Fallujah and Baghdad. The early inhabitants of this region

Canaan

2004-12-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

Area variously defined in historical and biblical literature, but always centred on Palestine. Its original pre-Israelite inhabitants were called Canaanites. The names Canaan and Canaanite occur in cuneiform, Egyptian, and Phoenician writings from about the 15th century BC as well as in the Old Testament. In these sources, �Canaan� refers sometimes to an area encompassing

Theatre, Western, Native traditions

2004-12-27T22:27:00.000-08:00

In spite of the lack of originality shown by dramatists, there were in Italy a number of native comic traditions that helped to shape the style of Roman comedy. The Fescennine verses (fescennia locatio) were bawdy, improvised exchanges sung by clowns at local harvest festivals and marriage ceremonies. These are thought to have combined with a tradition of performances

Malayan Emergency

2004-12-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

After World War II the Federation of Malaya was formed through the unification of several former British territories, including Sabah and Sarawak. The negotiations included special guarantees of rights for Malays (including the position of sultans) and the establishment

Pragmatism

2004-12-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Pragmatism has been vulnerable to certain criticisms. It has often been portrayed as a rationalization of the American business ethos - a portraiture perhaps inspired, but not by any scrutiny of the writings of the philosophers themselves. Similarly, the Pragmatic theory of truth has been assailed. Concerning an idea or belief, James had held that one can say: � �It is

Duala

2004-12-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Douala, � Bantu-speaking people of the forest region of southern Cameroon living on the estuary of the Wouri River. By 1800 the Duala controlled Cameroon's trade with Europeans, and their concentrated settlement pattern developed under this influence. Their system of chieftaincy was partly founded on trading wealth. For much of the 19th century there were two political - commercial

Kidston, Robert

2004-12-23T02:27:00.000-08:00

Kidston studied botany at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1880 he became honorary paleobotanist to the British Geological Survey. In this first period

Brubeck, Dave

2004-12-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

Brubeck was taught piano by his mother from the age of four - and for a period of time he deceived her by memorizing songs rather than learning to read music. He worked as a pianist with

Taeuber, Conrad; And Barnes Taeuber, Irene

2004-12-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

Conrad Taeuber was educated at the University of Minnesota (Ph.D., 1931). He held a number of positions in

Dwarka

2004-12-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula, a small western extension of the Kathiawar Peninsula. Dwarka, or the �City of Many Gates� (Sanskrit: Dvaraka, or Dvaravati), is also known as Jagat, or Jigat. Dwarka was the legendary capital of the god Krishna, who founded it after his flight from Mathura. Its consequent sanctity

Nam Viet

2004-12-19T04:10:00.000-08:00

The kingdom was formed in 207 BC, during the breakup of the Ch'in dynasty (221 - 206 BC), when the Ch'in governor of Y�eh (now Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces) declared his territory independent. His son Chao T'o (Trieu Da) expanded the new kingdom southward, incorporating

Aung San

2004-12-18T02:19:00.000-08:00

Born

Step Cut

2004-12-17T03:46:00.000-08:00

Also called �Trap Cut, or Cushion Cut, � method of faceting coloured gemstones in which the stone produced is rather flat with steps, or rows, of four-sided facets parallel to the girdle (the stone's widest part). Because the facets are parallel to the girdle, they are usually long and narrow, except at the corners of the stone. The angles that the main facets make with the plane of the girdle greatly affect the

Rocque, Fran�ois De La

2004-12-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

The son of a general, Rocque was from a long line of career officers. After graduating from the prestigious military academy of Saint-Cyr (1916), he served with distinction in World War I and was on the staff of Marshal

Pyromania

2004-12-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

Impulse-control disorder characterized by the recurrent compulsion to set fires. The term refers only to the setting of fires for sexual or other gratification provided by the fire itself, not to arson for profit or revenge. Pyromania is usually a symptom of underlying psychopathology, often associated with aggressive behaviours. Sigmund Freud, the founder of

Bioherm

2004-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

Ancient organic reef of moundlike form built by a variety of marine invertebrates, including corals, echinoderms, gastropods, mollusks, and others; fossil calcareous algae are prominent in some bioherms. A structure built by similar organisms that is bedded but not moundlike is called a biostrome. Bioherms and biostromes occur in sedimentary rock strata of all

Performing Arts, Great Britain and Ireland.

2004-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) was plunged into turmoil again when its artistic director, Adrian Noble, resigned on April 24, 2002. Noble's announcement came the week after his West End production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a new musical based on the 1968 movie, opened to good reviews and a healthy advance at the box office at the London Palladium. Cynics saw Chitty's flying car

Quincy

2004-12-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

City, Norfolk county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., on Boston Harbor, just southeast of Boston. In 1625 the site, which was settled by Captain Wollaston, was given the name Mount Wollaston, and a short time afterward, under the leadership of Thomas Morton, it was renamed Merry Mount; in 1627 Morton, an anti-Puritan, was exiled for celebrating May Day. Set off from Braintree and incorporated

Dandakaranya

2004-12-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

Physical region in east-central India. Extending over an area of about 35,600 square miles (92,300 square km), it includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Eastern Ghats in the east. The Dandakaranya includes parts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh states. It has dimensions of about 200 miles (320 km) from north to south and about 300 miles (480 km) from east to west. The region derives

Astrakhan

2004-12-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Khadzhi-tarkhan, � city and administrative centre of Astrakhan oblast (province), southwestern Russia. Astrakhan city is situated in the delta of the Volga River, 60 miles (100 km) from the Caspian Sea. It lies on several islands on the left bank of the main, westernmost channel of the Volga. Astrakhan was formerly the capital of a Tatar khanate, a remnant of the Golden Horde, located on the higher

Antiarch

2004-12-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Any of an order of extinct, mainly freshwater, jawed fishes, class Placodermi, abundant during Middle and Late Devonian times (387 to 360 million years ago). Members of such genera as Bothriolepis and Pterichthys were representative. Antiarchs were small and weak-jawed and had closely set eyes on top of the head. Armour shields covered the front part of the body, and armoured,

Salem

2004-12-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1851) of Dent county, southeast-central Missouri, U.S., situated in the Ozark Mountains between the Current and Meramec rivers. Established in 1845 on the site of an inn and trading post, it was named for Salem, N.C. The town was occupied by Federal forces during the American Civil War, except briefly in 1864, when raiders burned the courthouse and jail. In a battle that was fought