FoolishOrange

Ren Essential Moroccan Rose Oil

2006-12-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most amazing natural bath oils I have used. It is a rich, sensuous and luxurious. Only a small amount of the Moroccan Otto Rose Oil in the bath will fill the room with this incredible smell. This rose oil really penetrates the skin during the bath leaving it soft as silk and with the beatiful scent of the rose oil

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Hymns and liturgical compositions

2005-04-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

“Pange, lingua, gloriosi” (1264); “Verbum supernum prodiens” (1264; “The Word of God Proceeding Forth”); office for the Feast of Corpus Christi (c. 1264), including the sequence “Lauda Sion Salvatorem” (“Praise, O Zion, thy Salvation”).

Roberts, Richard J.

2005-04-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Roberts received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Sheffield, Eng., in 1968. After postdoctoral research at Harvard University, he took a post at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York in 1972. In 1992 he

Alcázar De San Juan

2005-04-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

Town, Ciudad Real provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile–La Mancha, central Spain. It lies on the high Meseta Central at 2,135 feet (650 m) above sea level. Known to the Romans as Alces, the town was renamed al-Qasr (“the Palace,” or “the Castle”) by the Arabs. It was conquered by the Knights of St. John (Spanish: San Juan) of Jerusalem (the Hospitalers) in 1186 and captured

Uttar Pradesh, Prehistory and mythology

2005-04-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

Archaeology is beginning to shed new light on the early civilization of Uttar Pradesh. The remains of several human skeletons, found in the southern district of Pratapgarh, have been dated to about 10,000 BC. Knowledge of the area prior to the 7th century BC has largely been gained through Vedic literature and the two great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which describe

Kirishitan

2005-03-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Christian missionaries led by Francis Xavier entered Japan in 1549, only six years after the first Portuguese traders,

Sábato, Ernesto

2005-03-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Educated as a physicist and mathematician, Sábato attended the National University of La

Vennberg, Karl

2005-03-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

Vennberg was a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm folk high school. His influential reviews and critical essays broke the ground for the radical cause of the 40-talslyrik (1947; “Poetry of the 1940s”), an anthology that he edited together with Erik Lindegren. His two volumes

Aum Shinrikyo

2005-03-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

A useful introduction to the sect can be found in Ian Reader, A Poisonous Cocktail?: Aum Shinrikyo's Path to Violence (1996).

Nitrate And Iodate Minerals

2005-03-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Small group of naturally occurring inorganic compounds that are practically confined to the Atacama Desert of northern Chile; the principal locality is Antofagasta. These minerals occur under the loose soil as beds of grayish caliche (a hard cemented mixture of nitrates, sulfates, halides, and sand) 2–3 m (7–10 feet) thick. The much rarer iodate minerals occur sporadically,

Peter Ii

2005-03-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

After the death of his father, John IV, in 1656, Peter's

'ayn Jalut, Battle Of

2005-03-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

Baghdad, the capital city of the 'Abbasid caliphate, had fallen to the Mongols under the Il-Khan Hülegü in 1258, and the last 'Abbasid caliph had been put to death. In 1259 the Mongol army, led by the Christian Turk Kitbuga, moved into

Middleton, Stanley

2005-03-25T01:46:00.000-08:00

Educated at University College, Nottingham (now University of Nottingham; B.A., 1940; M.Ed, 1952), Middleton served in the British army's Royal Artillery and in the Army Education Corps. He later taught English and became department

Nitra

2005-03-23T17:29:00.000-08:00

The centre of the Nitra principality in the beginning of the 9th century, it was later a stronghold and religious centre. The first Christian church in what is now Slovakia was established there in AD 830 and consecrated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Town privileges were acquired in 1248. The town's dominant

Palaung

2005-03-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Ta-ang, hill people of the Shan region and adjacent areas of eastern Myanmar (Burma), as well as southwestern Yunnan province of China. They numbered about 240,000 in the late 20th century and speak dialects of the Palaungic branch of Austro-Asiatic languages. The Palaung's language is quite distinct from the Tai speech of the Shan (see Tai), with whom they live closely intermingled. Their

Respiration, Human

2005-03-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

The process by which oxygen is taken up and carbon dioxide discharged.

General Council Of Congregational Christian Churches

2005-03-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

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

Turf

2005-03-19T03:49:00.000-08:00

In horticulture, the surface layer of soil with its matted, dense vegetation, usually grasses grown for ornamental or recreational use. Such turf grasses include Kentucky bluegrass, creeping bent grass, fine or red fescue, and perennial ryegrass among the popular cool-season types and Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, and St. Augustine grass among the warm-season

Thomas, Jess

2005-03-19T00:38:00.000-08:00

U.S. operatic tenor (b. Aug. 4, 1927, Hot Springs, S.D.--d. Oct. 11, 1993, San Francisco, Calif.), sang a number of lyric roles but became best known as a Wagnerian heldentenor. He participated in local musical activities as a child, studied psychology at the University of Nebraska (B.A., 1949) and at Stanford University (M.A., 1954), and worked as a high school counselor. A professor at Stanford, Otto Schulman, persuaded

Shoe

2005-03-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

Outer covering for the foot, usually of leather with a stiff or thick sole and heel, and generally (distinguishing it from a boot) reaching no higher than the ankle.

Enckell, Rabbe (arnfinn)

2005-03-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

Enckell studied art in France and Italy. His first collection of impressionistic nature poems, Dikter, appeared in 1923. In this collection and a sequel, Flöjtblåsarlycka (1925; “The Flutist's Happiness”), Enckell describes with

Xie He

2005-03-17T00:24:00.000-08:00

The “Six Principles” introduce Xie's Gu Huapin Lu (“Classified Record of Painters of Former Times”), which rates 27 painters in three classes of descending merit, each with three subdivisions. The “Six Principles” have inevitably

Voynovich, Vladimir

2005-03-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

After serving in the Soviet army from 1951 to 1955 and attending the Moscow Pedagogical Institute (1957–59), Voynovich worked as a skilled labourer and then as an editor of radio programs. He published such well-received fiction as the short story “My

Mole Cricket

2005-03-15T01:54:00.000-08:00

Any member of the orthopteran insect family Gryllotalpidae (about 65 species), sometimes considered part of the family Gryllidae. This cricket lives underground, its common name deriving from its molelike appearance and habits. The mole cricket has forelegs modified for shovelling, a cylindrical body, a pointed head, and a velvety coat of hairlike setae.

Tsukuba Science City

2005-03-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Tsukuba Science City was developed in the 1970s and 1980s to stimulate scientific discovery.

Restif, Nicolas-edme

2005-03-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

After serving his apprenticeship as a printer in Auxerre, Restif went to Paris, where he eventually set the type for some of his own works—books long prized by collectors for their rarity, quaint typography,

Dislocation

2005-03-13T04:25:00.000-08:00

Dislocations are caused by stresses forceful enough to overcome the resistance of the ligaments, muscles, and capsule that hold the joint in place. A dislocation is called simple when the joint surfaces are not exposed to the air; it is called compound when

China, The Tung (Eastern) Chin (317420) and later dynasties in the south (420589)

2005-03-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

During the whole medieval period it was the lower Yangtze region, the former territory of Wu, that remained the stronghold of a series of “legitimate” Chinese dynasties with Chien-k'ang as their capital. In 317 a member of the Chin Imperial family had set up a refugee regime at Chien-k'ang, consisting mainly of members of the exiled northern aristocracy. From the beginning,

Swaziland

2005-03-12T01:24:00.000-08:00

The name Swazi is the Anglicized name of an early king and nation builder, Mswati II, who ruled from 1840 to 1868. The administrative

Nicholas I

2005-03-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

A close associate of the controversial patriarch Photius of Constantinople, Nicholas began his career in the

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

2005-03-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

Arabic Sa'id Ibn Yusuf Al-fayyumi Jewish exegete, philosopher, and polemicist whose influence on Jewish literary and communal activities made him one of the most important Jewish scholars of his time. His unique qualities became especially apparent in 921 in Babylonia during a dispute over Jewish calendrical calculations. He produced his greatest

Arabian Sea

2005-03-11T03:48:00.000-08:00

Geology and hydrology of the Arabian Sea are dealt with in N.K. Panikkar and R. Jayaraman, “Biological and Oceanographic Differences Between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal as Observed from the Indian Region,” Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, 64:231–240 (1966); Henry Stommel and Warren S. Wooster, “Reconnaissance of the Somali Current During the Southwest Monsoon,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 54(1):8–13 (July 1965). Economic resources are outlined in J.H. Ryther et al., “Primary Organic Production in Relation to the Chemistry and Hydrography of the Western Indian Ocean,” Limnology and Oceanography, 11:371–380 (1966). A series of short reports in Science, 209(4456):588–603 (Aug. 1, 1980), summarizes the results of the Indian Ocean Experiment in 1979 surveying the Somali Current and the western equatorial Indian Ocean.

Abstract Art

2005-03-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

Also called Nonobjective Art, or Nonrepresentational Art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays no part. All art consists largely of elements that can be called abstract—elements of form, colour, line, tone, and texture. Prior to the 20th century these abstract elements were employed by artists to describe, illustrate, or reproduce the world of nature and of human

Pyrazine

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

Any of a class of organic compounds of the heterocyclic series characterized by a ring structure containing four atoms of carbon and two of nitrogen. The pyrazine ring is part of many polycyclic compounds of biological or industrial significance. The simplest member of the pyrazine family is pyrazine itself, a colourless, water-soluble solid with molecular formula

Aesthetics, Representation and expression in art

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

Various theories have been proposed in answer to these questions, the most popular being that the forms of art are similar to language and are to be understood as language is understood, in terms of conventions and semantic rules. A few examples of contemporary theories that have described art in this way include Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms, Susanne

Gabon, History Of

2005-03-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

Early history is presented in David E. Gardinier, “The Beginnings of French Catholic Evangelization in Gabon and African Responses, 1844–1883,” French Colonial Studies, no. 2 (1978), pp. 49–74, on the planting of Catholicism in Gabon, and “Les Frères de Saint-Gabriel au Gabon, 1900–1918, et la naissance d'une nouvelle élite africaine,” Mondes et Cultures, 46(3):593–606 (1986), on the education of the anticolonialist elite prominent in Gabon's political life since 1944. K. David Patterson, The Northern Gabon Coast to 1875 (1975), examines the economic and political evolution of northern Gabon. Brian Weinstein, Gabon: Nation-building on the Ogooue (1966), describes political development, especially from the 1940s to the early '60s. Charles F. Darlington and Alice B. Darlington, African Betrayal (1968), is an account by the American ambassador to Libreville who witnessed the coup of 1964 and the French intervention. François Gaulme, Le Gabon et son ombre (1988), traces the political, economic, and social evolution since 1960. Michael C. Reed, “Gabon: A Neo-Colonial Enclave of Enduring French Interest,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 25(2):283–320 (June 1987), focuses on the recent modern period. David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (1981), concentrates on the political evolution in the 20th century, with a large bibliography.

Chat-thrush

2005-03-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Any of the 190 species belonging to the songbird family Turdidae (order Passeriformes) that are generally smaller and have slenderer legs and more colourful plumage than true, or typical, thrushes. Chat-thrushes are sometimes treated as a distinct subfamily, Saxicolinae. They are found almost worldwide but are most common in the tropics, especially

Outer Space Treaty

2005-03-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Formally Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967), international treaty binding the parties to use outer space only for peaceful purposes. In June 1966 the United States and the Soviet Union submitted draft treaties on the uses of space to the United Nations. These were reconciled during several months of negotiation in the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and the resulting

Yang Ti

2005-03-05T01:38:00.000-08:00

He acceded to the throne in 604, and it is generally agreed that he did so after assassinating his father and his elder brother. Embarking on a costly program of construction and conquest, in 608 he built a great canal between the rice-producing areas

Sabin, Albert Bruce

2005-03-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Sabin immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1921 and became an American citizen nine

Mansehra

2005-03-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town is situated at the southern end of the Pakhli Plain on the Bhut Stream, a tributary to the Siran River, at an elevation of 3,682 feet (1,122 m) above sea level. It is a market town surrounded by pine-covered hills and has a flour mill, a woolen-yarn mill, and an agricultural research centre. The nearby Asokan rock edicts

Tachycardia

2005-03-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

In physiology and medicine, a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute. Tachycardia occurs normally during and after exercise or during stress and represents no danger to healthy individuals. In some cases, however, tachycardia occurs without apparent cause and is an arrhythmia, i.e., a pathological deviation from the normal heartbeat rhythm. Most arrhythmias are

Pug

2005-03-02T04:43:00.000-08:00

Breed of toy dog that probably originated in China and was introduced to England near the end of the 17th century by Dutch traders. The pug has a short muzzle and a tightly curled tail. It is a squarely built, muscular dog, with a large head, prominent dark eyes, and small, drooping ears. At maturity, it stands 10 to 11 inches (25.5 to 28 centimetres) and weighs about 13 to 18 pounds (6 to 8 kilograms). Its

France, History Of, Parisian revolt

2005-03-02T00:54:00.000-08:00

In fact, the king had by no means reconciled himself to this revolutionary act. His concession was a strategic retreat until he could muster the military power to subdue the patriots. Between June 27 and July 1 he ordered 20,000 royal troops into the Paris region, ostensibly to protect the assembly and to prevent disorder in the restive capital. The assembly's pleas to the king

Hoover, Lou

2005-03-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

The Hoovers retired to homes on both coasts—a house in Palo Alto, California, and an apartment in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It was in the latter home that Lou died suddenly in January 1944. She was buried in West Branch, Iowa, at the site of her husband's presidential library, a place as understated as was the approach of this reticent, independent woman to the job of first lady.

Jackson, A.v. Williams

2005-02-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

Jackson became an instructor at Columbia University soon after receiving his Ph.D. (1886). During a leave of absence in Europe, he continued to study Sanskrit,

Nanshe

2005-02-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian city goddess of Nina (modern Surghul, Iraq) in the southeastern part of the Lagash region of Mesopotamia. According to tradition, Nanshe's father Enki (Akkadian: Ea) organized the universe and placed her in charge of fish and fishing. Nanshe was also described as a divine soothsayer and dream interpreter. Although at times overshadowed

Alba Iulia

2005-02-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

German Karlsburg, Hungarian Gyulafehérvár, city, capital of Alba judet (county), west-central Romania. It lies along the Mures River, 170 miles (270 km) northwest of Bucharest. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, the site was selected by the Romans for a military camp. The remains of Apulum, an important city in Roman Dacia mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC, are 6 miles (10 km) from Alba Iulia, and the Regional Museum has a rich

Rocky Mountain Trench

2005-02-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

Geological depression extending north-northwest for about 900 miles (1,400 km) from western Montana, U.S., south of Flathead Lake, through British Columbia, Can., to the headwaters of the Yukon River. The trench parallels the steep western face of the Rockies, separating them from the older western ranges. Its rugged floor, which is 2–10 miles (3–16 km) wide and 2,000–3,000 feet (600–900 m) above sea level, forms a natural

Hui-neng

2005-02-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

As a young and illiterate peddler of firewood, Hui-neng heard the Chin-kang ching (“Diamond Sutra”) and traveled 500 miles (800 km) to the area in North China where the fifth Ch'an patriarch,

Wankel, Felix

2005-02-25T04:24:00.000-08:00

German engineer and inventor of the Wankel rotary engine. The Wankel engine is distinguished by the presence of an orbiting rotor in the shape of a curved equilateral triangle that does the work done by the moving pistons in other internal-combustion engines. Advantages of the Wankel engine include light weight, few moving parts, compactness,

Fu

2005-02-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization fu type of Chinese bronze vessel used as a food container, it was produced largely from the middle Zhou period (c. 900–c. 600 BC) through the Warring States period (475–221 BC). Rectangular in shape and divided into two parts, the vessel was supported by angular feet at each corner; the lid was almost a duplicate of the bottom (in principle much like the dui). In ancient documents the vessel was also

Clam Shrimp

2005-02-24T01:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Claw Shrimp, any member of the crustacean order Conchostraca (subclass Branchiopoda), a group of about 200 species inhabiting shallow freshwater lakes, ponds, and temporary pools throughout the world. Clam shrimps are so called because their entire body is contained within a bivalve shell (carapace) that resembles the shell of a small mollusk. Inside the shell the trunk of the animal

Cilea, Francesco

2005-02-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

While studying at the Naples Conservatory, Cilea produced an opera, Gina, which secured for him a commission from a publisher. His first important work, L'Arlesiana (1897), after Alphonse Daudet, was the vehicle for the tenor Enrico Caruso's first success. Cilea's

Ma'amadot

2005-02-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew: “stands,” or “posts”), 24 groups of Jewish laymen that witnessed, by turns of one week each, the daily sacrifice in the Second Temple of Jerusalem as representatives of the common people. Gradually ma'amadot were organized in areas outside Jerusalem, so that the people could hold special services in their villages while their representatives were present in the Temple.

Elgin, Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl Of

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

He was the son of the 8th earl and was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford. In politics a Liberal of right-wing tendencies, Elgin was first commissioner of works under William Gladstone in 1886. Emulating his father, whom he succeeded in 1863, he became viceroy of India in 1894. His viceroyalty

Abzug, Bella

2005-02-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Russian-Jewish émigrés, Bella Savitsky attended Hunter College (B.A., 1942) and Columbia University Law School, where she specialized

Interior Design, Design procedure

2005-02-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

Professional interior-design assignments may range from the design of a small apartment to extremely large and complex jobs such as the planning and design of all of the floors in an office building or the design of all the spaces in a hotel or resort. The procedures vary somewhat from one job to the next and depend upon the size of the design organization, but the following

Furniture, 17th century: the Baroque style

2005-02-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

During the 17th century, the Baroque style had a marked effect upon furniture design throughout western Europe. Large wardrobes, cupboards, and cabinets had twisted columns, broken pediments, and heavy moldings. In Baroque furniture the details are related to the whole; instead of a framework of unrelated surfaces, each detail contributes to the harmonious movement

Nagorno-karabakh

2005-02-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nagorno-karabach, region of southwestern Azerbaijan. It occupies an area of 1,700 square miles (4,400 square km) on the northeastern flank of the Karabakh Range of the Lesser Caucasus and extends from the crest line of the range to the margin of the Kura River lowland at its foot. Nagorno-Karabakh's environments vary from steppe on the Kura lowland through dense forest of oak, hornbeam, and beech

Azhari, Isma'il Al-

2005-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Educated at Gordon Memorial College at Khartoum and at the American University of Beirut, al-Azhari became president of the Graduates' General Congress in 1940. At first concerned primarily with educational and social reforms, the

Ipiutak Culture

2005-02-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Eskimo culture of northwestern Alaska, probably dating from the 2nd to the 6th century AD. A Siberian origin has been suggested, based on similarities in burial practices and ceremonialism, animal carvings and designs, and some use of iron; but evidence is not conclusive. There seem to be links with the Kachemak culture (q.v.) as well as with some areas of southwestern and western

Chiapas Highlands

2005-02-16T03:26:00.000-08:00

High-altitude region of dissected plateaus enclosing a central valley (Valle Central de Chiapas) in Chiapas state, southeastern Mexico. The highlands constitute the northwestern end of a mountainous region extending northward from the lowlands of Nicaragua to the Isthmus of Tehauntepec and are composed of three main features running parallel to the Pacific

La Guaira

2005-02-16T02:42:00.000-08:00

City, northern distrito federal (“federal district”), northern Venezuela. One of the nation's leading seaports, La Guaira lies in the narrow, arid coastal zone along the Caribbean at the foot of the central highlands. Although the city dates to 1577, extremely high temperatures and the lack of room for expansion long hindered its growth. With the modernization of port facilities,

Algebra, Commerce and abacists in the European Renaissance

2005-02-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Greek and Islamic mathematics were basically “academic” enterprises, having little interaction with day-to-day matters involving building, transportation, and commerce. This situation first began to change in Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries. In particular, the rise of Italian mercantile companies and their use of modern financial instruments for trade with the

Los Angeles

2005-02-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Los Angeles county, southern California, U.S. A semitropical metropolis of palm trees and swimming pools, television studios and aerospace factories, Los Angeles has become the second most populous city and metropolitan area (after New York) in the United States. The city sprawls across a broad coastal plain agreeably situated between the San Gabriel

Ado-ekiti

2005-02-14T04:23:00.000-08:00

Town, Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the Yoruba Hills, at the intersection of roads from Akure, Ilawe, Ilesha, Ila (Illa), and Ikare, and is situated 92 miles (148 km) east-northeast of Ibadan. An urban and industrial centre of the region, it was founded by the Ekiti people, a Yoruba subgroup whose members belonged to the Ekiti-Parapo, a late 19th-century confederation of Yoruba

Junee

2005-02-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Town, south central New South Wales, Australia, just north of Wagga Wagga in the fertile Riverina district. Founded in 1863 as Jewnee, it was known as Jewnee Junction or Loftus when proclaimed a town in 1883 and was gazetted a municipality in 1886. It became a shire in 1981. Its name is Aboriginal for “speak to me.” On the main southern rail line from Sydney (216 mi [348 km] northeast), Junee has large locomotive

David, Saint

2005-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Little is known of his life. According to the hagiography (c. 1090) by the Welsh scholar Rhygyfarch, he was the son of the chieftain Sant, who raped David's mother, St. Non. Educated at Henfynyw, Cardigan, he seemingly took a prominent part in the synod of Llanddewi-Brefi (in Cardigan) to suppress

Coster, Charles De

2005-02-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

De Coster lived most of his life in poverty and obscurity and took 10 years to write his masterpiece, La Légende et les aventures héroïques, joyeuses, et glorieuses d'Ulenspiegel

Mashriq

2005-02-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Mashriq comprises two major physical regions. One consists of barren

Hinduism, Sacrifice and worship

2005-02-11T00:13:00.000-08:00

Although the Vedic fire rituals were largely replaced in Puranic and modern Hinduism by image worship and other forms of devotionalism, many Hindu rites can still be traced back to Vedism. Certain royal sacrifices—such as the rajasuya, or consecration ritual, and the horse sacrifice (asvamedha)—remained popular with Hindu kings until very recently. Other large-scale

Holcroft, Thomas

2005-02-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

The son of a peddler, Holcroft worked as a stableboy, cobbler, and teacher before he was able to make his living as a writer. He is remembered for his melodrama The Road to Ruin (performed 1792, often revived); his translation of Beaumarchais's play Le Mariage de Figaro (Paris, 1784) under the title The Follies

Kirkcaldy

2005-02-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

First developed by Dunfermline Abbey nearby, Kirkcaldy was a flourishing port during the later Middle Ages. It was designated a royal burgh in 1450, and the royal charter was confirmed by King Charles II in 1662. In the course of the 16th century it became an important

Yeh-lü Ta-shih

2005-02-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Yeh-lü was a member of the imperial family of the Liao dynasty (907–1125), which had been established by the Khitan tribes and ruled much of Mongolia, Manchuria, and Northeast China. When the Liao dynasty was overthrown by the Juchen, who established the Chin dynasty, Yeh-lü fled west to Turkestan, where he

Densmore, Frances

2005-02-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Densmore conducted research in Indian music for the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1907. She subsequently worked

Dispersion

2005-02-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

The two disciplines most intimately intertwined with the study of dispersion are systematics and evolution. Systematics is concerned with the relationships between organisms and includes the classification of life into ordered groups, providing the

Indian Philosophy, Religious consequences

2005-02-06T04:57:00.000-08:00

The one religious consequence of the Samkhya-Yoga is an emphasis on austere asceticism and a turning away from the ritualistic elements of Hinduism deriving from the Brahmanical sources. Though they continue to remain as an integral part of the Hindu faith, no major religious order thrived on the basis of these philosophies.

Rye House Plot

2005-02-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

(1683), alleged Whig conspiracy to assassinate or mount an insurrection against Charles II of England because of his pro-Roman Catholic policies. The plot drew its name from Rye House at Hoddeston, Hertfordshire, near which ran a narrow road where Charles was supposed to be killed as he traveled from a horse meet at Newmarket. By chance, according to the official narrative,

Musa

2005-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mousa , also called Kankan Musa mansa (emperor) of the West African empire of Mali from 1307 (or 1312). Mansa Musa left a realm notable for its extent and riches (he built the Great Mosque at Timbuktu), but he is best remembered in the Middle East and Europe for the splendour of his pilgrimage to Mecca (1324).

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

2005-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Also called idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome , or hyaline membrane disease a common complication in infants, especially in premature newborns, characterized by extremely laboured breathing, cyanosis (a bluish tinge to the skin or mucous membranes), and abnormally low levels of oxygen in the arterial blood. Before the advent of effective treatment, respiratory distress syndrome was frequently fatal. Autopsies of children who had succumbed

Frederick

2005-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Tillman county, southwestern Oklahoma, U.S. With the opening of the Kiowa-Apache-Comanche reservation to settlement in 1901, the community grew up around a stop on the Blackwell, Enid, and Southwestern Railway. Initially known as Gosnell and renamed in 1902 for the son of railroad magnate J.C. van Blarcom, Frederick developed as a shipping point for locally produced

Caucasian Languages, Grammatical characteristics

2005-02-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

The Kartvelian languages exhibit a developed system of word inflection (e.g., the use of endings, such as English “dish, dishes” or “walk, walks, walked”) and derivation (word formation). Derivation is characterized by compounding, the combination of words to form new words, as well as by affixation, the addition of prefixes and suffixes—e.g., Georgian kartvel-i “Georgian,” sa-kartvel-o

Obaku

2005-02-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Chinese Huang-po, one of the three Zen sects in Japan, founded in 1654 by the Chinese priest Yin-yüan (Japanese Ingen); it continues to preserve elements of the Chinese tradition in its architecture, religious ceremonies, and teachings. Although the methods of achieving sudden insight as developed by the Rinzai sect are practiced by Obaku monks, invocation of the name of the Buddha Amida (nembutsu

Computers, The Intel 4004

2005-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Intel was one of several semiconductor companies to emerge in Silicon Valley, having spun off from Fairchild Semiconductor.

Minaret

2005-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “beacon”), in Islamic religious architecture, the tower from which the faithful are called to prayer five times each day by a muezzin, or crier. Such a tower is always connected with a mosque and has one or more balconies or open galleries. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, the call to prayer was made from the highest roof in the vicinity of the mosque. The earliest minarets

ávila

2005-02-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

In full Ávila De Los Caballeros, city and capital of Ávila province, in the Castile-León comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), central Spain. The city of Ávila is situated on the Adaja River at 3,715 feet (1,132 m) above sea level and is surrounded by the lofty Sierra de Gredos (south) and the Sierra de Guadarrama (east). The city lies 54 miles (87 km) west of Madrid. A pre-Roman settlement on the site became part of Roman Lusitania

Bohemia

2005-01-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

Czech Cechy , German Böhmen historic country of central Europe that was a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire and subsequently a province in the Habsburgs' Austrian Empire. Bohemia was bounded on the south by Austria, on the west by Bavaria, on the north by Saxony and Lusatia, on the northeast by Silesia, and on the east by Moravia. From 1918 to 1939 and from 1945 to 1992 it was part of Czechoslovakia, and since 1993 it has formed

Talion

2005-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

In ancient Palestine, injury and bodily mutilation, as well as theft, were considered

Forbes, James David

2005-01-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Forbes became a professor there in 1833. Between 1836 and 1844 he published four series of “Researches on Heat” in which he described the polarization (alignment of waves to vibrate in a plane) of radiant infrared heat by the mineral

Marsh Mallow

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

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

Malatesta, Sigismondo Pandolfo

2005-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sigismondo was one of three illegitimate sons of Pandolfo Malatesta, who had ruled over Brescia and Bergamo from about 1404 to 1421. Sigismondo was legitimated by Pope Martin V, but he felt no loyalty toward the papacy, which deprived his family of many of

Manawatu-wanganui

2005-01-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

Local government region, southern North Island, New Zealand. It includes a major portion of one of the largest plains of the North Island and encompasses the Whanganui River valley. The region rises northward to the Kaimanawa Mountains and stretches along the Tasman Sea to include the Rangitikei River (noted for its steep-walled gorge) and the Manawatu River. The

San Fernando

2005-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Luzon, Philippines. Located on a bay of the South China Sea formed by a peninsula that ends in San Fernando Point, it served a tobacco- and rice-growing region as the northern terminus of the Philippine National Railway until the line was extended to Bacnotan in 1955. The town is on Luzon's main western coastal highway. Its outport, Poro, is the only national

Ahmadi, Al-

2005-01-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Kuwait. The oasis town was built after 1946 with the development of the oil field in which it is located. Al-Ahmadi is the headquarters of the Kuwait Oil Company. Pipelines link it with Mina' (port) al-Ahmadi, on the Persian Gulf to the east, where a refinery and tanker terminals are located. In 1991 the area's oil wells were set on fire by Iraqi troops, causing extensive damage

Pier

2005-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

In building construction, vertical loadbearing member such as an intermediate support for adjacent ends of two bridge spans. In foundations for large buildings, piers are usually cylindrical concrete shafts, cast in prepared holes, while in bridges they take the form of caissons, which are sunk into position. Piers serve the same purpose as piles but are not installed

Henley Royal Regatta

2005-01-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Annual four-day series of rowing races held the first week in July on the River Thames, at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Eng. The regatta was established in 1839; and in 1851 Prince Albert became its patron and gave the event its “royal” prefix. The regulation distance for the races is 1 mile 550 yards (2,100 m). Probably the most significant of the traditional Henley races are the Grand Challenge

Merano

2005-01-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

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

Talbiyah

2005-01-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

In Islam, the formulaic pronouncement labbaykah allahummah labbaykah (“at your service, O Lord, at your service”), recited especially during a pilgrimage when pious Muslims perform the tawaf—i.e., walk around the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah. The question whether the talbiyah is obligatory or merely a commendable tradition has been much discussed, but Muslim theologians have

Adam, Robert

2005-01-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Scottish architect and designer who, with his brother James (1730–94), transformed Palladian Neoclassicism in England into the airy, light, elegant style that bears their name. His major architectural works include public buildings (especially in London), and his designs were used for the interiors of such country mansions as Syon