AwakeHouse

Botox treatment that really works

2006-12-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

There's a great new Botox treatment in Fulham I found. They are really professional and not a bad price either. My wife looks great now her botox treatment is finished. Our love life has improved dramatically. Say no more!

Ceremonial Object, Protective devices and markers of sacredness

2005-04-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Other objects, such as fans, flyswatters, parasols, and standards—analogous to the symbols of royalty—often complete the permanent furnishings of sacred places. In addition to their utilitarian role, they are endowed with a sacred character; fans used in Brahmanic and Buddhist cults may be compared to the flabella (“fans”) in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Cart

2005-04-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

Two-wheeled vehicle drawn by a draft animal, used throughout recorded history by numerous societies for the transportation of freight, agricultural produce, refuse, and people. The cart, usually drawn by a single animal, is known to have been in use by the Greeks and the Assyrians by 1800 BC (although it is generally assumed that such vehicles could have been used as early as

Ammann, Othmar Herman

2005-04-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

In 1904 Ammann immigrated to the United States, where he helped design railroad bridges. Joining the Pennsylvania Steel Company the following

Athetosis

2005-04-01T03:36:00.000-08:00

Slow, purposeless, and involuntary movements of the hands, feet, face, tongue, and neck (as well as other muscle groups). The fingers are separately flexed and extended in an entirely irregular way. The hands as a whole are also moved, and the arms, toes, and feet may be affected. The condition is usually caused by malfunctioning of the basal ganglia of the cerebrum. The movements

Biblical Literature, The Megillot (the Scrolls)

2005-03-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

The five books known as the Megillot or Scrolls are grouped together as a unit in modern Hebrew Bibles according to the order of the annual religious festivals on which they are read in the synagogues of the Ashkenazim (central and eastern European Jews and their descendants). They did not originally form a unit and were found scattered in the Bible in their supposed

Hand Tool, The Acheulian industry

2005-03-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

As the Pleistocene Epoch progressed, humans slowly developed the primitive chopper into a better instrument. About half a million years ago a superior implement finally appeared after nearly 2,000,000 years of effort. The industry, or style, is known as the Acheulian, and the typical implement was the flint hand ax (sometimes called a fist hatchet). Throughout the ages the plump

Fusaro, Lake Of

2005-03-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

Italian Lago Del Fusaro, coastal lagoon in Napoli provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy, west of Naples. The lagoon is separated from the sea on the west by sand dunes. As the ancient Palus Acherusia (“Acherusian Swamp”), it may have been the harbour of nearby Cumae in antiquity. In the first century AD, an outlet was dug at its southern end, with a tunnel under the hill of Torre Gaveta; another outlet

Scabies

2005-03-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

The female mite, which attains a length of about 0.35 mm (0.014 inch), burrows beneath the superficial layer of the skin to lay two to three eggs a day within a tunnel several millimetres long. These burrows

Arnow, Harriette

2005-03-28T02:05:00.000-08:00

Née Harriette Louisa Simpson American novelist, social historian, short-story writer, and essayist, known primarily for the novel The Dollmaker (1954), the story of a Kentucky hill family that moves north to Detroit during World War II. Arnow is an important writer who is often overlooked because of her regionalist approach to universal

Strachey, John

2005-03-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Early geologist who was the first to suggest the theory of stratified rock formations. He wrote Observations on the Different Strata of Earths and Minerals (1727) and stated that there was a relation between surface features and the rock structure, an idea that was not commonly accepted until a century later.

Jacob, Georges

2005-03-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

Born of a Burgundian peasant family, Jacob moved to Paris at 16 and is believed to have been apprenticed to Louis Delanois. He made chairs for Queen Marie-Antoinette

Priesthood, Hinduism

2005-03-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

In Vedic India, the early period of Hinduism, when the priestly caste (Brahman, or Brahmana) was vested in a particular tribe or special class, it occupied the primary place of importance in the segmentation of Hindu society. The king was subordinate in some respects to the Brahmans, though at one time both sometimes were chosen from the Ksatriya, or warrior caste. Nevertheless,

Zaharias, Babe Didrikson

2005-03-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

William Oscar Johnson and Nancy P. Williamson, "Whatta-Gal": The Babe Didrikson Story (1977); and Susan E. Cayleff, Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1995), examine her life and career.

Ekibastuz

2005-03-24T07:08:00.000-08:00

City and major opencut coal-mining centre in northeastern Kazakstan, on the Ertis-Qaraghandy Canal. Coal was discovered in the region in 1876 and was mined on a small scale. Only after construction of a railway in 1953 did large-scale exploitation of Ekibastuz' rich but low-grade coal seams begin. In the 1970s Ekibastuz was the third largest coal-mining centre in the Soviet Union,

Marsh Hawk

2005-03-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

Common name for the best-known harrier species. See harrier.

Palatinate

2005-03-22T04:26:00.000-08:00

German Pfalz in German history, the lands of the count palatine, a title held by a leading secular prince of the Holy Roman Empire. Geographically, the Palatinate was divided between two small territorial clusters: the Rhenish, or Lower, Palatinate and the Upper Palatinate. The Rhenish Palatinate included lands on both sides of the middle Rhine River between its Main and Neckar

Albany, Louise Maximilienne Caroline, Countess Of

2005-03-22T02:25:00.000-08:00

The elder daughter of Gustav Adolf, prince of Stolberg-Gedern, she entered the convent of Saint Waudru in Mons, where

Sorghum

2005-03-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Cereal grain plant of the family Gramineae (Poaceae), probably originating in Africa, and its edible starchy seeds. All types raised chiefly for grain belong to the species Sorghum vulgare, which includes varieties of grain sorghums and grass sorghums, grown for hay and fodder, and broomcorn, used in making brooms and brushes. Grain sorghums include durra, milo, shallu,

Wanganui

2005-03-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

City (“district”) and port, Manawatu-Wanganui local government region, southwestern North Island, New Zealand, near the mouth of the Wanganui River. The site lies within a tract bought by the New Zealand Company in 1840. The company established a settlement in 1841 and named it Petre. It was renamed in 1844, the present name deriving from a Maori term meaning “big mouth,” “big bay,” or “big

Activity Coefficient

2005-03-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, the ratio of the chemical activity of any substance to its molar concentration. The measured concentration of a substance may not be an accurate indicator of its chemical effectiveness, as represented by the equation for a particular reaction, in which case an activity coefficient is arbitrarily established and used instead of the concentration

Jungfrau

2005-03-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well-known Swiss peak (13,642 feet [4,158 m]) dominating the Lauterbrunnen valley and lying 11 miles (18 km) south-southeast of the resort of Interlaken. The scenic mountain separates the cantons of Bern and Valais and is in the Bernese Alps, two other peaks of which (the Finsteraarhorn [14,022 feet] and the Aletschhorn [13,763 feet]) surpass it in height. The first ascent was made in 1811 on the eastern or Valais

Kababish

2005-03-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

During the 19th century the Kababish not only carried trade goods between the Nile River and Darfur but

Stracittà

2005-03-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

An Italian literary movement that developed after World War I. Massimo Bontempelli was the leader of the movement, which was connected with his idea of novecentismo. Bontempelli called for a break from traditional styles of writing, and his own writings reflected his interest in such modern forms as Surrealism and magic realism. The name stracittà, a type of back-formation

Tacna

2005-03-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

Capital of Tacna departamento, southern Peru, on the Caplina River at 1,844 feet (562 m) above sea level, in the arid Andean foothills. When the Spaniards arrived at the site in the 16th century, it was occupied by Aymara Indians. Later, the Spanish town of San Pedro de Tacna was founded, and the surrounding fertile soil and cool climate, as well as proximity to the Pacific port of Arica,

Mace

2005-03-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

In the processing of mace, the crimson-coloured aril is removed

Pharmaceutical Industry, Vaccines

2005-03-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Vaccines, viral or bacterial preparations used to induce active immunity, may be divided into three groups: toxoids, bacterial vaccines, and virus vaccines. Toxoids, such as diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, can be prepared only from toxin-producing bacteria. To produce diphtheria toxoid, for example, diphtheria bacilli are cultured under artificial conditions in

Ikare

2005-03-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Town, Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the Yoruba Hills, at the intersection of roads from Owo, Okene, Kabba, and Ado-Ekiti. An agricultural trade centre (yams, cassava, corn [maize], okra, pumpkins, rice) for the local Yoruba people, it is also a collecting point for cocoa, palm produce, tobacco, and cotton (which is sent to the textile mill at Ado-Ekiti, 37 miles [60 km] west). The

Arnow, Harriette

2005-03-15T01:38:00.000-08:00

Haeja K. Chung (ed.), Harriette Simpson Arnow: Critical Essays on Her Work (1995); and Wilton Eckley, Harriette Arnow (1974).

Sanjo

2005-03-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

City, Niigata Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, on the delta of the Shinano-gawa (Shinano River). Sanjo was founded as a castle town in the 16th century. It was a river port and post town during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867), when the city first became known as a centre of metal tool production. Carpenter tools and household hardware are still produced in more than 2,000 small workshops. Pop. (1980) 85,275.

Skagen

2005-03-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

Also called The Skaw city and port, Nordjylland amtskommune (county commune), northern Jutland, Denmark, near the northern tip of the peninsula on the Kattegat strait. Chartered in 1413, it is one of the principal fishing centres in Denmark. It is also a summer resort and, from the 1870s, the site of an artists' and writers' colony. Notable are the Rå-bjerg Mile sand dunes to the south and the Old Church, which

France, History Of, The Directory

2005-03-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

The new regime, referred to as the Directory, began auspiciously in October 1795 with a successful constitutional plebiscite and a general amnesty for political prisoners. But as one of its final acts the Convention added the “Two-thirds Decree” to the package, requiring for the sake of continuity that two-thirds of its deputies must sit by right in the new legislature

Macdonald, John Sandfield

2005-03-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

Macdonald was called to the bar in 1840, and the next year he was elected to the Canadian Parliament for Glengarry, a seat he held for 16 years. He supported constitutional government and in 1849–51 served as solicitor general. He held the posts of speaker

Aranyakas

2005-03-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Books of the Forest”), a later development of the Brahmanas, or expositions of the Vedas, which were composed in India in about 700 BC. The Aranyakas are distinguished from the Brahmanas in that they may contain information on secret rites to be carried out only by certain persons, and more philosophic speculation. Thus they were intended to be studied only by the initiated,

Dysprosium

2005-03-13T01:29:00.000-08:00

(Dy), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table. A relatively hard and very reactive metal, it is oxidized by air and by water. Its high melting point and ability to absorb neutrons make it useful in control rods for nuclear reactors. Its compounds have been used for making laser materials, as components in some electronic equipment,

Babel, Isaak Emmanuilovich

2005-03-11T23:52:00.000-08:00

Born into a Jewish family, Babel grew up in an atmosphere of persecution that is reflected in the sensitivity,

Laing, R(onald) D(avid)

2005-03-10T23:31:00.000-08:00

Laing was born into a working-class family and grew up in Glasgow. He studied medicine and psychiatry and earned a doctoral degree in medicine at the University of Glasgow in 1951. After serving as a conscript psychiatrist in the British army

Turaco

2005-03-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Turacos are remarkable for their coloration. Some are predominantly gray, brown, and white, but the 10 species of the

Ear, Human, Vestibule

2005-03-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

The two membranous sacs of the vestibule, the utricle and the saccule, are known as the otolith organs (Figure 4). Because they respond to gravitational forces, they are also called gravity receptors. Each sac has on its inner surface a single patch of sensory cells called a macula, which is about 2 millimetres (0.08 inch) in diameter and which monitors the position of the head

Babashoff, Shirley

2005-03-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

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

Europe, History Of

2005-03-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

History of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates. Its western frontiers seem clearly defined by its coastline, yet the position of the British Isles remains equivocal. To outsiders, they seem

Gabor, Dennis

2005-03-09T05:01:00.000-08:00

A research engineer for the firm of Siemens and Halske in Berlin from 1927, Gabor fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and worked with the Thomson-Houston Company

Thoracic Squeeze

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

Because the lung tissue is elastic and interspersed with tubules

Gaddis, William Thomas

2005-03-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

American writer of complex satiric works who was considered one of the most important post-World War II modernist novelists and whose first novel, The Recognitions (1955), became an underground classic; he published only three more novels--JR (1975), Carpenter's Gothic (1985), and A Frolic of His Own (1994)--and had finished another, Agape Agape, which was to be published posthumously (b. Dec. 29, 1922, New

Carnatic Music

2005-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Karnatic Music, music of southern India (generally south of the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh state) that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions and was relatively unaffected by the Arabic and Iranian influences that, since the late 12th and early 13th centuries, as a result of the Islamic conquest of the north, have characterized the Hindustani music of northern India. In contrast

Abu

2005-03-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Mount Abu, city, southwestern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated on the slopes of Mount Abu, an isolated feature of the Aravali Range. The city is a noted hill resort, and the Jaina temples at nearby Dilwara, built of white marble, are famous. Tejpal temple, built about AD 1200, is known for the delicacy and richness of its carving, especially for that on the underside of its dome.

Xenophon

2005-03-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

As a writer of prose, Xenophon ranked with his fellow historians Herodotus and Thucydides in the opinion of literary critics of antiquity and had a stronger influence on Latin literature than either. His works were translated into many European languages in the 16th century, and, until comparatively recently, his reputation stood high. He was the first journalist

Austin

2005-03-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1857) of Mower county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies along the Cedar River, in a farming area specializing in corn (maize) and livestock. It was settled in 1853, laid out in 1856, and named for its first settler, Austin R. Nicholas. Austin Community College (1940) and the Mower County Historical Center are there. George A. Hormel and Company's meat-packing and food-processing plant

Qashqa'i Rug

2005-03-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

Qashqa'i also spelled Kashgai, floor covering handwoven by the Qashqa'i tribe, known as the best rug from the Shiraz district of Iran. They are the brightest in colouring, with rich blues and reds and some use of golden yellow. Usually their designs are geometric, perhaps with a row of three diamond medallions against a background replete with tiny forms of all kinds, including stylized animals and

Jam Master Jay

2005-03-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

American rap musician and producer (b. Jan. 21, 1965, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 30, 2002, New York City), was a member of Run-D.M.C., the first rap group to attract a worldwide audience. Jam Master Jay teamed with Joe (“Run”) Simmons and Darryl (“D.M.C.”) McDaniels to form the group in the early 1980s. The trio's debut album, Run-D.M.C. (1984), featuring the hit singles “It's like That” and “Sucker MCs,” became the first rap album to attain gold

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

2005-03-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Nechemiah Aloni, Ha-Egron (1969), an edition (in Hebrew) with extensive annotations; Israel Davidson (ed.), Saadiah's Polemic Against Hiwi al-Balkhi (1915), and The Book of the Wars of the Lord (1934), polemics against Sa'adia by Solomon ben Yeruhim (Hebrew edition with English translation)—the introductions to both editions require revision in light of later Genizah fragments; Joseph Derenbourg, Oeuvres complètes de R. Saadia Ben Iosef al-Fayyoûmî, vol. 3, Version arabe d'Isaïe (1896), and vol. 6, Version arabe des Proverbes (1894), Sa'adia's Arabic version of Isaiah and his version of the Proverbs—the Isaiah translation is accompanied by fragments of Sa'adia's lost commentary; Z. Diesendruck, “Saadya's Formulation of the Argument for Creation,” in Jewish Studies in Memory of George A. Kohut, 1874–1933 (1953), a profound article; Jakob Guttmann, Die Religionsphilosophie des Saadia (1882), traces the Greek and Arabic sources of Sa'adia's philosophy (the Arabic sources are not fully exhausted); Henry Malter, Saadia Gaon: His Life and Works (1921, reprinted 1969), the most comprehensive study on Sa'adia, although many aspects need to be revised in light of later studies; Harry A. Wolfson, “Saadia on the Trinity and Incarnation,” Studies and Essays in Honor of Abraham A. Neuman (1962), a very exhaustive study; Sa'adia anniversary volume, Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research (1943); Erwin I.J. Rosenthal (ed.), Saadya Studies (1943); Moses Zucker, Rav Saadya Gaon's Translation of the Torah (in Hebrew, with English summary; 1959), and A Critique Against the Writings of R. Saadya Gaon by R. Mubashshir (1955), an edition important for restoration of Sa'adianic material as well as for the study of the relationship of some of Sa'adia's contemporaries to his literary work.

Aegithalidae

2005-03-03T03:14:00.000-08:00

Songbird family that includes the long-tailed tits (or titmice) of the Old World and the bushtits of North America. Both groups are sometimes considered subfamilies of the family Paridae (order Passeriformes). The eight species are small, arboreal insect eaters with long, narrow tails; tiny bills; and silky, plain plumage. The nest is a thick-walled,

Paleo-siberian Languages, Phonological features

2005-03-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

Typical phonological features of the Paleo-Siberian languages are postvelar consonants (i.e., sounds that are formed farther back in the mouth than /k/ and usually represented as q), vowel harmony of various kinds (e.g., the alternation of e and i in the form for ‘my' in Nivkh ñe-rla ‘my harpoon' and ñi-rly ‘my sky'), consonant alternations (e.g., the alternation between b, v, and f in Nivkh bal

Eckhel, Joseph Hilarius

2005-03-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Eckhel was educated at the Jesuit gymnasium in Vienna, where he had entered the Jesuit order at age 14. He taught grammar at various collegiate schools, but because of poor health he gave up teaching to

Allah

2005-02-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “God”), the one and only God in the religion of Islam. Etymologically, the name Allah is probably a contraction of the Arabic al-Ilah, “the God.” The name's origin can be traced back to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for god was Il or El, the latter being an Old Testament synonym for Yahweh. Allah is the standard Arabic word for “God” and is used by Arab Christians

Frances Of Rome, Saint

2005-02-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

When she was only 13, Frances' parents married her to Lorenzo de' Ponziani, whose sister-in-law, Vannozza, helped Frances draft a rule of life for the new order. In

Breckinridge, John

2005-02-28T03:56:00.000-08:00

Breckinridge grew up on the Virginia frontier but nonetheless managed to attend William and Mary College for two years. While a student there he was elected to a seat in the Virginia legislature

Pacific Mountain System

2005-02-28T01:45:00.000-08:00

Series of mountain ranges that stretches along the Pacific coast of North America from northern British Columbia (Canada) to northwestern Mexico. They run for some 4,500 miles (7,250 kilometres) in the United States and extend northward into Canada for another 1,000 miles. The ranges may be divided into eight sections. Roughly from north to south they are the Coast Mountains of British

Armorial Ensign

2005-02-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

Heraldic symbol carried on a flag or shield. The term is much misunderstood because of the popular use of ensign as a generic term for flag. A grant of arms or a matriculation (registration of armorial bearings) may in its text use the term ensigns armorial to mean the heraldic design of the bearer's arms. See heraldry.

Pacific Mountain System

2005-02-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

Arabic Munazamat Ad-duwal Al-'arabiyah Al-musaddarah Lil-bitrul Arab organization formed in January 1968 to promote international economic cooperation within the petroleum industry. Chairmanship rotates annually; meetings occur twice yearly. Member countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. (Egypt's membership was suspended in 1979, but it was readmitted in

Kubitschek, Juscelino

2005-02-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Kubitschek attended the Diamantina Seminary, worked his way through medical school at the University of Minas Gerais (graduated 1927), and did internships in surgery in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. He became head of

Barataria Bay

2005-02-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, about 15 miles (24 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide, in southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Its entrance, largely blocked by Grand Isle and the Grand Terre Islands, is via a narrow Gulf channel navigable through connecting waterways into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system. The bay is indented and marshy with many islands. The surrounding low-lying Barataria

Monet, Claude

2005-02-25T22:18:00.000-08:00

Monet's life during the 1860s was precarious and itinerant, and he sold almost nothing; but several works were accepted for exhibition in the yearly Salons, most notably, and with great success, a fine but not yet Impressionist portrait of his future wife, Camille. Having already painted in Paris, Le Havre, Chailly, Honfleur, Trouville, and Fécamp and at other stations between

Kesey, Ken

2005-02-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

Kesey was educated at the University of Oregon and Stanford University. At a Veterans Administration hospital in Menlo Park, California, he was a paid volunteer experimental subject, taking mind-altering drugs

Armorial Ensign

2005-02-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

Byname European Liberal Democrats , formerly (1976–86) Federation of Liberal and Democratic Parties in the European Community , (1986–93) Federation of Liberal Democrat and Reform Parties transnational parliamentary group representing the interests of allied liberal and centrist parties in the European Parliament of the European Union (EU). The ELDR was formed in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1976 and coordinates the interests of its member parties. It is now composed of some 40 parties from EU countries, countries that have applied for EU membership, and other

Barataria Bay

2005-02-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

The massive body measured nearly 9 metres (30 feet) long and must have weighed four to five

Hookworm Disease

2005-02-23T23:51:00.000-08:00

Also called ancylostomiasis , or uncinariasis a parasitic infestation of humans, dogs, or cats caused by bloodsucking worms (see photograph) living in the small intestine—sometimes associated with secondary anemia. Several species of hookworm can cause the disease. Necator americanus, which ranges in size from 5 to 11 millimetres (0.2 to 0.4 inch), is responsible for about 90 percent of human hookworm infections

Canada West

2005-02-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

Canada West was settled primarily by English-speaking immigrants. The inhabitants nevertheless sought confederation with Canada East (which was populated largely

Object Language

2005-02-22T00:35:00.000-08:00

In semantics and logic, the ordinary language used to talk about things or objects in the world—as contrasted with metalanguage, an artificial language used by linguists and others to analyze or describe the sentences or elements of object language itself. The concept was developed by such 20th-century logical positivists as Polish-American Alfred Tarski and German-American

Tu Fu

2005-02-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

Born into a scholarly family, Tu Fu received a traditional Confucian education but failed in the imperial examinations of 736. As a result, he spent much of his youth traveling, during which he won renown as a poet and met the other poets of the period,

Modjadji V

2005-02-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

South African tribal ruler (b. 1936/37, Ga-Modjadji, Northern province, S.Af.—d. June 28, 2001, Pietersburg, S.Af.), was the revered Rain Queen of the Bantu-speaking Lovedu tribe, the latest representative of a 400-year-old matriarchal dynasty believed to have magical rainmaking powers, and South Africa's only reigning queen. As Rain Queen, Modjadji V served as the secular and religious leader of

Quimby, Phineas Parkhurst

2005-02-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Quimby employed hypnosis as a means of healing but discovered that he could also heal by suggestion. He held that all illness is basically a matter of the mind and that it results from the patient's

Saint, Judaism

2005-02-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

The cult of saints in terms of veneration was not a part of the monotheistic religion of Israel. Saintliness, however, was an ideal that many hoped to exhibit. The model of a pious person is depicted in the righteous one of Psalm 5, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” In the Hellenistic period (c. 300 BC—c. AD 300), when many Jews were susceptible to foreign

Requesens Y Zúñiga, Luis De

2005-02-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

Requesens's early career was as a government official

Schaffner, Jakob

2005-02-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Schaffner was orphaned at an early age. He described his life in four autobiographical

Vulcan Automatic Cannon

2005-02-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

To attain the requisite speed, six barrels are electrically fired and rotated in succession, an arrangement basically like that

Cro-magnon

2005-02-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

In 1868 in a shallow cave at Cro-Magnon in the Dordogne area of southern France, a number of obviously ancient human skeletons were found. The cave was investigated by the French geologist Louis Lartet, who uncovered five archaeological layers. The human bones found

Domino Theory

2005-02-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Domino Effect, theory in U.S. foreign policy after World War II stating that the “fall” of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the fall of noncommunist governments in neighbouring states. The theory was first proposed by President Harry S. Truman to justify sending military aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1940s, but it became popular in the 1950s when President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Paul V

2005-02-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

One of his first acts was to excommunicate the recalcitrant

France, History Of, John the Good

2005-02-16T05:26:00.000-08:00

John II the Good (ruled 1350–64) succeeded to a weakened authority and kingdom; he was a mediocrity whose suspicions and impetuosity were ill suited to the changed circumstances. John hoped to rally baronial loyalties to himself. But he failed to reconcile Charles the Bad, king of Navarre, whose strong dynastic claim to the throne (he was the grandson of Louis X) was matched by

Dubna

2005-02-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

City, Moscow oblast (province), western Russia. The city lies along the Volga River where it is joined by the Moscow Canal (completed 1937). Dubna is a new city, incorporated in 1956; in 1960 it absorbed the town of Ivankovo on the opposite bank. It is one of several planned “science cities,” its existence depending on the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, which employs scientists from

Forensic Medicine

2005-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

The primary tool of forensic medicine has always

Weser-ems

2005-02-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), western Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. Weser-Ems is bordered by The Netherlands to the west, the North Sea to the north, Bremen Land and the Regierungsbezirke of Lüneburg and Hannover (Hanover) to the east, and North Rhine-Westphalia Land to the south. The district occupies an area of 5,773 square miles (14,952 square km)

Brugge

2005-02-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

French Bruges, capital of West Flanders province, northwestern Belgium, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Zeebrugge, its port on the North Sea. Originally a landing place on the Zwijn estuary, into which the Reie River flowed, it was mentioned in the 7th century as the Municipium Brugense (a name derived from a Roman bridge over the Reie). After it was evangelized by St. Eloi, bishop of Noyon-Tournai,

Florence

2005-02-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

The

Futurology

2005-02-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

In the social sciences, the study of current trends in order to forecast future developments. While the speculative and descriptive aspects of futurology are traceable to the traditions of utopian literature and science fiction, the methodology of the field originated in the “technological forecasting” developed near the end of World War II, of which Toward New

Dacang Jing

2005-02-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ta-ts'ang Ching Japanese Daizo-kyo the total body of Buddhist literature deemed canonical in China and Japan and comprising works of the most varied character numbering more than 2,000 in the standard Chinese edition and more than 3,000 in the latest Japanese edition. Unlike canons of the southern Buddhist schools, this vast “storehouse” continued to expand for many centuries. It began with translations of

Moore

2005-02-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

City, Cleveland county, central Oklahoma, U.S., a southern suburb of Oklahoma City. First settled in 1887 and originally called Verbeck, it was renamed for a conductor of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Its population remained small until the 1960s when planned urban and industrial development began. Industries include the manufacture of aircraft parts, building

Myanmar (burma)

2005-02-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Myanmar's ruling military junta in 1993 ignored calls from the U.S., the European

Agri Decumates

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

In antiquity, the Black Forest and adjoining areas of what is now southwestern Germany between the Rhine, Danube, and Main rivers. The name may imply earlier occupation by a tribe with 10 cantons. The Romans under the Flavian emperors began annexing the area in AD 74 to secure better communications between the Rhine and Danube armies. According to Tacitus, the territory was

Ahimsa

2005-02-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

In Jainism, ahimsa is the standard

Dana, Charles A.

2005-02-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

In 1839 Dana entered Harvard College, but poor health and lack of money forced him to leave in 1841. From 1841 to 1846 he lived at the utopian Brook Farm community, where he was one of the trustees, but, when his ideals for social change were unfulfilled,

Lochgilphead

2005-02-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Burgh (town) and holiday resort, Argyll and Bute council area, historic county of Argyllshire, Scotland, situated at the head of Loch Gilp (a marine inlet of Loch Fyne) by the side of the Crinan Canal (built 1793–1801). The burgh developed from an older herring fishing village and is now a tourist centre and the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. Pop. (1991) 2,421.

Loyalist

2005-02-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Tory colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Loyalists constituted about one-third of the population of the American colonies during that conflict. They were not confined to any particular group or class, but their numbers were strongest among the following groups: officeholders and others who served the British crown and had a vested interest

Amendola, Giovanni

2005-02-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

As a young journalist, Amendola expressed his philosophical and ideological views in articles appearing first in La Voce (“The Voice”) and then in the newspapers Resto di Carlino and Corriere della sera. He urged Italy's entry into World War I in

Dana, Charles A.

2005-02-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

Any of the group of mammals that includes elephants and their extinct relatives such as mammoths and mastodons. Although only three species of elephant are extant today, more than 160 extinct proboscidean species have been identified from remains found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Most of these were called gomphotheres, which belonged to

Systole

2005-02-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

Period of contraction of the ventricles of the heart that occurs between the first and second heart sounds. Systole causes the ejection of blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Lasting usually 0.3 to 0.4 second, ventricular systole is introduced by a very brief period of contraction, followed by the ejection phase, during which 80 to 100 cubic centimetres of blood leave each

Shamanism, Forms of ecstasy

2005-02-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

The shaman may fulfill his obligations either by communicating with the spirits at will or through ecstasy. The latter has two forms: possession ecstasy, in which the body of the shaman is possessed by the spirit, and wandering ecstasy, in which his soul departs into the realm of spirits. In passive ecstasy the possessed gets into an intense mental state and shows superhuman

Disinfectant

2005-02-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

Any substance, such as creosote or alcohol, applied to inanimate objects to kill microorganisms. Disinfectants and antiseptics are alike in that both are germicidal, but antiseptics are applied primarily to living tissue. The ideal disinfectant would rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans, would not corrode surgical instruments, and would not

Nobel Prizes

2005-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

Chinese émigré writer Gao Xingjian was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature for “an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama.” Gao, the first Chinese-language writer to win the award, was a respected novelist, playwright, translator, and critic whose works had been banned in