ClearStamp

Dr Hauschka Natural Cosmetics

2006-10-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dr hauschka the Natural Cosmetics brand provide a huge range of Organic Cosmetics and Natural Cosmetics available online.

Hypocoly

2005-03-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

(Hypocolius ampelinus), Middle Eastern songbird believed by some authorities to be related to the waxwing (family Bombycillidae) but often separated as the sole member of the family Hypocoliidae (order Passeriformes). The hypocoly is a slim grayish bird, about 18 cm (7 inches) long, with a black mask and a slight crest. The wings are black, tipped with white. The beak is short,

Celesta

2005-03-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled celeste, orchestral percussion instrument resembling a small upright piano, patented by a Parisian, Auguste Mustel, in 1886. It consists of a series of small metal bars (and hence is a metallophone) with a keyboard and a simplified piano action in which small felt hammers strike the bars. Each bar is resonated by a wooden box or similar chamber tuned to reinforce the fundamental

Forché, Carolyn

2005-03-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Forché was educated at Michigan State (B.A., 1972) and Bowling Green State (M.F.A., 1975) universities. Thereafter she taught at a number of colleges and universities. Her first collection

Gregory, Cynthia

2005-03-18T01:10:00.000-08:00

Gregory began taking ballet lessons at the age of five. She later studied with Michel Panaieff, Robert Rossellat, and Carmelita Maracci, and while still a child she appeared in productions of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera and the Santa Monica Civic Ballet. In 1961 she joined

Tragedy, Corneille and Racine

2005-03-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Another attempt to bring back the ancient form had been going on for some time across the English Channel, in France. The French Classical tragedy, whose monuments are Pierre Corneille's Cid (1637) and Jean Racine's Bérénice (1670) and Phèdre (1677), made no attempt to be popular in the way of the Elizabethan theatre. The plays were written by and for intellectual aristocrats, who came together

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

2005-03-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

The fire started on the eighth floor of the Asch Building just east of Washington Square Park and quickly spread upward to the two top floors of the building. Some workers, having no way of opening the doors that

Film Festival

2005-03-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Gathering, usually annual, for the purpose of evaluating new or outstanding motion pictures. Sponsored by national or local governments, industry, service organizations, experimental film groups, or individual promoters, the festivals provide an opportunity for filmmakers, distributors, critics, and other interested persons to attend film showings and meet

Würzburg

2005-03-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Bavaria Land (state), south-central Germany. It lies along the canalized Main River. The site of a Celtic settlement, it was first mentioned as Virteburch in 704. A bishopric was established there by St. Boniface in 741/742, and the bishops had acquired ducal authority over eastern Franconia by the 12th century. Repeated revolts against the power of the bishops resulted

Tihamat 'asir

2005-03-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Coastal plain of the Asir region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the central southern section of the great Tihamah (coastal plain), running down the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is situated between the mountains of western Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea and is immediately north of Yemen. Approximately 40 miles (64 km) in width, its salty tidal plain is of limited agricultural

Puerperium

2005-03-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

Puerperal changes begin almost immediately after delivery, triggered by a sharp drop in the levels of estrogen and progesterone

Amberjack

2005-03-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Any of several popular sport fishes. See jack.

Natchez Trace Parkway

2005-03-10T00:11:00.000-08:00

Old road and one of the most scenic highways in the United States, about 450 mi (725 km) long, following an Indian trail, or trace, northeastward from Natchez, Miss., across northwestern Alabama to Nashville, Tenn. Originally an Indian trail, from 1800 to 1820 it was the most important highway in the Old Southwest—militarily, economically, and politically. With the advent of the river steamer

Insurance, Types of policies

2005-03-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hospitalization insurance indemnifies for room

Ender, Otto

2005-03-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

Ender served (1918–34) as governor of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the Swiss border, and after World War I he negotiated unsuccessfully for the incorporation of Vorarlberg in the Swiss confederation. Despite his

Earth, Crustal magnetization

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

Magnetic fields measured at the Earth's surface are not entirely produced by the internal dynamo. Radially outward from the Earth's core, the next major source of magnetic field is crustal magnetization. The temperature of the materials constituting the crust is cool enough for them to exist in solid form. The solids may become magnetized by the Earth's main field

Basel, Council Of

2005-03-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

A general council of the Roman Catholic church held in Basel, Switz. It was called by Pope Martin V a few weeks before his death in 1431 and then confirmed by Pope Eugenius IV. Meeting at a time when the prestige of the papacy had been weakened by the Great Schism (1378–1417), it was concerned with two major problems: the question of papal supremacy and the Hussite heresy. (The Hussites were

Adalbert, Saint

2005-03-04T23:17:00.000-08:00

Descended from the Slavník princes of Bohemia, he was trained in theology at Magdeburg (Germany). At his confirmation he received his name from St. Adalbert, first archbishop of Magdeburg. As bishop (elected 982), Adalbert promoted the political

Huggins, Sir William

2005-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Huggins built a private observatory at Tulse Hill, London, in 1856. From 1859 he was one of a number of astronomers who began to apply Robert

Huggins, Sir William

2005-03-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

The GFWC had its origins in 1890, when Sorosis, a women's literary

Tieck, (johann) Ludwig

2005-03-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

The son of a craftsman, Tieck was educated at the Berlin gymnasium (1782–92) and at the universities of Halle, Gö

Pippin

2005-02-28T23:46:00.000-08:00

Given the title of king of Italy in 781, Pippin took part in campaigns against Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria from 787 and led an army against the Avars in 796. His Venetian campaign (809–810) enabled Charlemagne later to come to favourable terms with the Byzantine Empire. As early as 806, Charlemagne, in planning the division

Fairfax, Edward

2005-02-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

English poet whose Godfrey of Bulloigne or the Recoverie of Jerusalem (1600), a translation of Gerusalemme liberata, an epic poem by his Italian contemporary Torquato Tasso, won fame and was praised by John Dryden. Although translating stanza by stanza, Fairfax freely altered poetic detail. The poem influenced the development of the couplet.

Cookson, Catherine (dame Catherine Ann Mcmullen Cookson)

2005-02-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

British author (b. June 20, 1906, Jarrow, Durham, Eng.--d. June 11, 1998, Jesmond Dene, near Newcastle upon Tyne, Eng.), penned almost 100 popular novels, which she set in the industrial region of northeastern England, frequently dubbed "Cookson Country." She was intimately familiar with the physical and emotional lay of this land, having been raised in the Tyneside docks area in poverty. Her early

Ma'mun, Al-

2005-02-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of 833 al-Ma'mun decided to require adherence to Mu'tazilah from all his subjects. As the caliph was then on an expedition against the Byzantines in the region of Tarsus, he entrusted this task to his representative in Baghdad, the prefect of police Ishaq ibn Ibrahim. The latter first called together the qadis (judges) to urge them to recognize the Mu'tazili doctrine;

Metamorphic Rock, Amphibolite facies

2005-02-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

The amphibolite facies is the common high-grade facies of regional metamorphism, and, like the greenschist facies, such rocks are present in all ages from all over the world. Their characteristic feature is the development of the most common amphibole, hornblende, in the presence of a plagioclase feldspar and garnet. The rocks are normally highly foliated or schistose.

Larionov, Mikhail Fyodorovich

2005-02-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Larionov's early work was influenced by Impressionism and Symbolism, but with the painting “Glass” (1909) he introduced

Arnim, Hans Georg Von

2005-02-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Soldier and statesman prominent in German affairs during the Thirty Years' War. He served (1613–17) with the Swedes under Gustaf II Adolf, with the Poles (1621), with Wallenstein's imperial army (1626) as a field marshal, and with the Saxons (1631–35, 1638–41). A strict Lutheran, Arnim resigned his imperial commission in protest against the Edict

Weather Satellite

2005-02-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of Earth satellites designed to monitor meteorological conditions (see Earth satellite).

Bouchardon, Edmé

2005-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

Bouchardon studied with Guillaume Coustou and in 1722 won the Prix de Rome. For the next 10 years he lived in Rome, executing marble replicas of antique statues as well as numerous

Tsuruga

2005-02-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

City, Fukui ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It faces Tsuruga Bay of the Sea of Japan. A flourishing port since early historic times, it was one of the main centres of communication with the Asian mainland and a major shipment centre for the former national capitals of Nara and Kyoto. Tsuruga's industrial base was developed after World War II with factories producing synthetic

Camp, Walter

2005-02-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

As an undergraduate and then as a medical student at Yale (1876–81), Camp played halfback,

Epistemology, Rationalism versus empiricism

2005-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

The second issue that emerges from considerations of the origins of knowledge focuses on the distinction between rationalism and empiricism. Though closely related to the issue of innateness versus learning, the question in this case concerns the nature of the source from which knowledge arises. The history of discussion of the issue indicates that two main

Baetic Cordillera

2005-02-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

Spanish Sistema Penibético, mountain system comprising the Andalusian mountains of southern Spain, of which the northern range runs about 360 miles (580 km) from Cape Trafalgar to Cape Nao. The central and southern ranges, the Baetic proper, extend a shorter distance from Estepona to Cape Gata. Separating the two systems is a complex series of structures, traceable in longitudinal corridors and high

Pollentia

2005-02-16T03:51:00.000-08:00

Decimus Brutus checked Mark Antony's retreat at Pollentia in 43 BC. The Roman general Stilicho

Iran, Housing

2005-02-14T01:23:00.000-08:00

The flow of population to the cities has created serious housing shortages, and it was only in the 1990s that the government began to address the housing crisis, largely by providing government credits for private sector development. However, most of the nation's energies have been devoted to urban developments—most of those in the larger cities, particularly Tehran

Burette

2005-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Buret, laboratory apparatus used in quantitative chemical analysis to measure the volume of a liquid or a gas. It consists of a graduated glass tube with a stopcock (turning plug, or spigot) at one end. On a liquid burette, the stopcock is at the bottom, and the precise volume of the liquid dispensed can be determined by reading the graduations marked on the glass tube at the liquid

Olsztyn

2005-02-12T03:11:00.000-08:00

German Allenstein, capital of Olsztyn województwo (province), northeastern Poland. It lies along the Lyna River in the Masurian lake district. The town serves as a trade centre, with major rail and road connections for the lake district. The Masurian Regional Museum and an agricultural school are located here. The Teutonic Knights built an imposing castle there in 1334, and the settlement

Chaumette, Pierre-gaspard

2005-02-11T23:26:00.000-08:00

Chaumette went to sea as a cabin boy, studied botany, traveled widely in France, and then settled in Paris as a medical student by 1790. As an active

Albany

2005-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

City, capital (1797) of the state of New York, U.S., and seat (1683) of Albany county. It lies along the Hudson River, 143 miles (230 km) north of New York City. The heart of a metropolitan area that includes Troy and Schenectady, it is a port city, the northern terminus of the deepwater Hudson River Channel, and a natural transshipment point between oceangoing vessels and the New York State Canal

Necker, Suzanne

2005-02-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Née Curchod Swiss wife of the French finance minister under Louis XVI, Jacques Necker; mother of Madame de Staël; and mistress of a brilliant Parisian salon. At first she was engaged to the English historian Edward Gibbon, but his father broke off the match. In 1764 she married Necker, then a banker, and encouraged him in his political career.

Landau

2005-02-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

In full Landau In Der Pfalz, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. It is picturesquely situated along the Queich River, at the slope of the Haardt Mountains. The settlement was first mentioned in 1106, and an Augustinian monastery was founded there in 1276. Landau became an imperial free town in 1291. It was occupied by the French (1680–1815) and granted to Bavaria in 1816. The city's Gothic Protestant

Afranius, Lucius

2005-02-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

In 60 BC, chiefly by Pompey's support, Afranius was raised to the consulship, in which office he proved himself incompetent to manage civil affairs. In the following year, while governor of Cisalpine Gaul, he obtained a triumph; and, on the allotment of Spain to Pompey (55 BC), Afranius

Andersen, Hans Christian

2005-02-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Unique master of the fairy tale whose stories are famous throughout the world; he is also the author of plays, novels, poems, travel books, and several autobiographies. While many of these works are almost unknown outside Denmark, his fairy tales are among the most frequently translated works in all literary

Ginsberg, (irwin) Allen

2005-02-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

American poet (b. June 3, 1926, Newark, N.J.--d. April 5, 1997, New York, N.Y.), was the poet laureate of the cultural movement in the 1950s whose members were known as the Beat Generation, disaffected antiestablishment writers whose lifestyle embraced alienation, nonconformity, and, often, drug use. His influence on art, music, and politics lasted throughout the following four decades, and such varied

Coralli, Jean

2005-02-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

He was choreographer

Morón

2005-02-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

In the 16th century Morón served as a way station for travelers en route to the area that is now Chile and Peru. The present-day county was part of the Pago (country district) de las Conchas during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Waite, Morrison Remick

2005-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Seventh chief justice of the United States (1874–88), who frequently spoke for the Supreme Court in interpreting the post-Civil War constitutional amendments and in redefining governmental jurisdiction over commerce in view of the great expansion of American business. Reacting against the extreme nationalism predominant during

Nardini, Pietro

2005-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

The most famous pupil of the composer and virtuoso violinist Giuseppe Tartini, Nardini was solo violinist at the court at Stuttgart from 1753 to 1767. He then returned to Livorno and lived with Tartini during Tartini's last illness until his death

Celestite

2005-01-31T03:48:00.000-08:00

Mineral that is a naturally occurring form of strontium sulfate (SrSO4). It resembles barite, barium sulfate, but is much less common. Barium is interchangeable with strontium in the crystal structure; there is a gradation between celestite and barite. Celestite occurs in sedimentary rocks, particularly dolomites and dolomitic limestones, throughout the world

Emotion, Experiential relation to increased creativity

2005-01-30T02:54:00.000-08:00

Several studies have demonstrated that positive emotion facilitates creative problem solving. One of these studies showed that positive emotion enabled subjects to name more uses for common objects. Another showed that positive emotion enhanced creative problem solving by enabling subjects to see relations among objects that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Aswan

2005-01-29T08:09:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Assuan, or Assouan, Greek Syene, city, capital of Aswan muhafazah (governorate), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile just below the First Cataract. It faces the island of Elephantine (modern Jazirat Aswan), on which stand the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb. Aswan was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Its local quarries supplied granite for many ancient Egyptian monuments and are still operated. On the

Dante

2005-01-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Dante's years of exile were years of difficult peregrinations from one place to another—as he himself repeatedly says, most effectively in Paradiso [XVII], in Cacciaguida's moving lamentation that “bitter is the taste of another man's bread and . . . heavy the way up and down another man's stair.” Throughout his exile Dante nevertheless was sustained by work on his great poem,

Epistemology, Perception and knowledge

2005-01-27T22:58:00.000-08:00

To a great extent the epistemological interests of analytic philosophers in the 20th century have been concentrated upon the relationship between knowledge and perception. The major figures in this development have been Bertrand Russell, G.E. Moore, H.H. Price, C.D. Broad, A.J. Ayer, and H.P. Grice. Although their views differed considerably—Russell, Broad, and Ayer were phenomenalists,

Poznan

2005-01-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Beginning as a small stronghold in the 9th century, Poznan became the capital of Poland (with Gniezno) and the residence of Poland's first two sovereigns. The first Polish cathedral was erected there

Crocket

2005-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

In architecture, a small, independent, sharply projecting medieval ornament, usually occurring in rows, and decorated with foliage. In the late 12th century, when it first appeared, the crocket had the form of a ball-like bud, with a spiral outline, similar to an uncurling fern frond; but in the later Gothic period it took the form of open, fully developed leaves that by the

Cabinet

2005-01-24T21:09:00.000-08:00

In furniture design, originally a small room for displaying precious objects and later a piece of furniture composed of a network of small drawers commonly enclosed by a pair of doors. Cabinets were first used in Italy during the late Renaissance. In many parts of Europe, cabinets became the most sumptuous pieces of furniture, with great displays of marquetry, carving,

Arrhenius Equation

2005-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

Mathematical expression that describes the effect of temperature on the velocity of a chemical reaction, the basis of all predictive expressions used for calculating reaction-rate constants. In the Arrhenius equation, k is the reaction-rate constant, A and E are numerical constants characteristic of the reacting substances, R is the thermodynamic gas constant, and

Royal Courts Of Justice

2005-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

Within its confines are held sessions of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice, and the Crown Court. Prior to the opening of the complex in 1882, civil cases were decided

Roman Catholicism, The nature of the church

2005-01-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

In 1965 M.-J. le Guillou, a Roman Catholic theologian, defined the church in these terms: “The Church is recognized as a society of fellowship with God, the sacrament of salvation, the people of God established as the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit.” The progress of Roman Catholic theology can be seen in the contrast between this statement and the definition still

China, Tung (Eastern) Han

2005-01-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Han house was restored by Liu Hsiu, better known as Kuang-wu ti, who reigned from AD 25 to 57/58. His claim had been contested by another member of the Liu house, Liu Hsüan—better known as Liu Keng-shih—who had been actually enthroned for two years, until his death in the course of turbulent civil fighting. Ch'ang-an had been virtually destroyed by warfare, and Kuang-wu ti established

Alum

2005-01-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of hydrated double salts, usually consisting of aluminum sulfate, water of hydration, and the sulfate of another element. A whole series of hydrated double salts results from the hydration of the sulfate of a univalent cation (e.g., potassium) and the sulfate of any one of a number of trivalent cations (e.g., aluminum). Aluminum sulfate can thus form alums with

Damsel Bug

2005-01-17T01:29:00.000-08:00

Each foreleg of the damsel bug is slightly thickened and has a double row of

Pavlova, Anna

2005-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Pavlova studied at the Imperial School of Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre from 1891, joined the Imperial Ballet in 1899, and became a prima ballerina in 1906. In 1909 she went to Paris on the historic tour of the Ballets Russes. After 1913 she danced independently with her own

Wolfe, Tom

2005-01-15T02:29:00.000-08:00

After studying at Washington and Lee University (B.A., 1951) and Yale University (Ph.D., 1957), Wolfe wrote for several newspapers, including the Springfield

China, Mongol government and administration

2005-01-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

After their initial successes in northern China in 1211–15, the Mongols faced the problem of how to rule and extract material benefits from a largely sedentary population. They were assisted by Khitan and Chinese and even Juchen renegades; these defectors were treated as “companions” (nökör) of the Mongols and were given positions similar to the higher ranks of the steppe

China, Expulsion of Communists from the KMT

2005-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

The climax of the conflict came after Nationalist armies had taken Shanghai and Nanking in March. Nanking was captured on March 23, and the following morning Nationalist troops looted foreign properties, attacked the British, U.S., and Japanese consulates, and killed seven foreigners. In Shanghai a general strike led by Communists aroused fears that Chinese might

France, History Of, The church

2005-01-12T02:10:00.000-08:00

Northern Ireland's oldest interdenominational party, a small, moderate party that represents middle-class interests primarily in the eastern areas of the province.

Canaanite Languages

2005-01-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Group of Northern Central or Northwestern Semitic languages including Hebrew, Moabite, Phoenician, and Punic. They were spoken in ancient times in Palestine, on the coast of Syria, and in scattered colonies elsewhere around the Mediterranean. An early form of Canaanite is attested in the Tell el-Amarna letters (c. 1400 BC). Moabite, which is very close to Hebrew, is known chiefly

Romanian Literature

2005-01-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

In the period of national unity in Romania following World War I, the novel began to compete with lyric poetry. Writers took inspiration from society or recent events, principally the war. Liviu Rebreanu wrote of the peasants' need for land and independence and in Rascoala (1932; The Uprising) described the 1907 peasant uprising in Moldavia and Walachia. His best work, inspired

Alessandria

2005-01-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Alessandria provincia, in the Piemonte (Piedmont) regione of northwestern Italy. The city lies at the confluence of the Bormida and Tanaro rivers, southeast of Turin (Torino). It was founded in 1168 by the towns of the Lombard League as an Alpine-valley stronghold against the Holy Roman emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The town was first called Civitas Nova,

Israel, Cultural institutions

2005-01-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Israel has a rich and varied range of cultural institutions, including major libraries, an art institute and artists' colonies, art museums, institutes for archeology and folk life, theatres, concert halls and performing arts centres, and movie houses. A thriving film industry has emerged. In 1953 the Israeli government established the Academy of the Hebrew Language

Tyard, Pontus De

2005-01-04T01:39:00.000-08:00

Tyard was seigneur (lord) of Bissy-sur-Fley and an associate of the Lyonese poets, especially Maurice Scève. In 1551 he translated León Hebreo's Dialoghi di amore (“Dialogues

Jeffreys (of Wem), George Jeffreys, 1st Baron

2005-01-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Born into the Welsh gentry, Jeffreys was admitted to the bar in 1668, and in

Furniture, Spain: 17th century

2005-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

The Golden Age of Spain during the 17th century also left its mark on the chair. Paintings show a type of chair with a relatively crude wooden frame; a back and seat, nailed on, consisting of two layers of leather, with horsehair stuffing in between, stitched to produce a pattern of small pads. The front board and a corresponding board at the back could be folded after loosening

Mosher, Eliza Maria

2005-01-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

In 1869, over the objections of friends and family, Mosher entered the New England Hospital for Women and Children as an intern apprentice. After a year she was forced to suspend her education

Henlein, Konrad

2004-12-31T15:12:00.000-08:00

Henlein, educated at a commercial academy, became a bank clerk and later a

Myers V. United States

2004-12-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

(1926), U.S. Supreme Court case that voided a legislative provision restricting the authority of the president to remove or replace certain postmasters without consent of the Senate. In the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice William H. Taft, the court held that the provision was an unconstitutional restriction on the president's power to exercise control over

Aerospace Industry, Lean manufacturing

2004-12-30T19:49:00.000-08:00

Consistent with improving the economics of aerospace vehicles is the transition to a new paradigm for the entire industry, from concept development to operations. This approach involves all processes pertaining to the acquisition, design, development, and manufacturing of a product or system and has been variously called “lean,” “agile,” or “synchronous” manufacturing.

Biblical Literature, Additions to Daniel and Esther

2004-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

Two of the Old Testament Hagiographa (Ketuvim; see above The Hebrew canon)—Daniel and Esther—contain, in their Greek translations, numerous additions.

Mobile

2004-12-28T05:01:00.000-08:00

Abstract sculpture that has moving parts, driven either by motors or the natural force of wind. The word mobile was initially suggested by Marcel Duchamp for a 1932 Paris exhibition of such works by the American artist Alexander Calder. One of Calder's first mobiles consisted of coloured spheres motorized to move up and down curving wires at different speeds. Later, he

Level

2004-12-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

Device for establishing a horizontal plane. It consists of a small glass tube containing alcohol or similar liquid and an air bubble; the tube is sealed and fixed horizontally in a wooden or metallic block or frame with a smooth lower surface. The glass tube is slightly bowed, and adjustment to the horizontal is indicated by movement of the bubble. The device is on a

Obesity

2004-12-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Corpulence, or Fatness, excessive accumulation of body fat, usually caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. The excess calories are then stored as fat, or adipose tissue. Overweight, if moderate, is not necessarily obesity, particularly in muscular or large-boned individuals. In general, however, a body weight 20 percent or more over the optimum tends to be associated

Welch, Denton

2004-12-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Welch was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire. After a visit to China he studied painting at the Goldsmith School of Art. In 1935, while still at school, he was severely injured

Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Of, Marquess Of Douro, Marquess Of Wellington, Earl Of Wellington, Viscount Wellington Of Talavera And Of Welli

2004-12-24T00:37:00.000-08:00

Wellington's experiences abroad prevented him from ever becoming a party politician. Though he joined the Earl of Liverpool's Tory cabinet as master general of the ordnance, he exempted himself from automatically opposing a subsequent Whig government: “a factious opposition,” he argued, “is highly injurious to the interests of the country.” His identification with

Sporades

2004-12-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

Group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, lying northeast of Euboea (Évvoia) island, including Skíathos, Skópelos, Skyros, and Alónnisos, as well as neighbouring islets. In antiquity these were known as the Thessalian, or Northern, Sporades, while the Thracian, or Eastern, Sporades included the now-Turkish island of Imroz (Greek Imvros), Samothrace, Thasos, Lemnos, and Áyios

Eybeschütz, Jonathan

2004-12-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

As a rabbi in a number of European towns, Eybeschütz became a celebrated master of the Talmud (the rabbinical compendium of law, lore, and commentary),

Alapa

2004-12-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “conversation”), in the art music of India and Pakistan, improvised melody structured to reveal a raga and occurring principally in the introductory section of a performance. There the alapa is performed without rhythmic accompaniment and is free and rhapsodic in character. With only a drone (sustained-tone) accompaniment, the performer of the alapa gradually

Vendôme

2004-12-18T03:58:00.000-08:00

Historic town and capital of an arrondissement in the département of Loir-et-Cher, Centre région, north-central France. It lies southwest of Paris and 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Blois. Vendôme stands on the Loir River, which there divides and intersects the town. To the south stands a hill on which are ruins of the 11th-century castle of the counts (later dukes) of Vendôme. The town

Enclosed Rhyme

2004-12-17T02:41:00.000-08:00

Also called enclosing rhyme in poetry, the rhyming pattern abba found in certain quatrains, such as the first verse of Matthew Arnold's “Shakespeare”:Others abide our question. Thou art free.We ask and ask—thou smilest and art still,Out-topping knowledge. For the loftiest hill,Who to the stars uncrowns his majesty,

Hadrian

2004-12-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Adrian , Latin in full Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus , original name (until AD 117) Publius Aelius Hadrianus Roman emperor (AD 117–138), the emperor Trajan's nephew and successor, who was a cultivated admirer of Greek civilization and who unified and consolidated Rome's vast empire.

Terneplate

2004-12-15T02:17:00.000-08:00

Steel sheet with a coating of terne metal, an alloy of lead and tin applied by dipping the steel in molten metal. The alloy has a dull appearance resulting from the high lead content. The composition of terne metal ranges from 50–50 mixtures of lead and tin to as low as 12 percent tin and 88 percent lead. The tin serves to wet the steel, making possible the union of lead and iron, which

Tien Lake

2004-12-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles Tien Ch'ih , also called K'un-ming Ch'ih , Pinyin Dian Chi , or Kunming Chi lake lying to the south of K'un-ming in Yunnan sheng (province), China. Tien Lake lies in the largest group of Yunnanese lake basins, in the eastern part of the province, to the south of the Liang-wang Mountain Range, which reaches an elevation of some 8,740 feet (2,664 m). The lake is some 25 miles (40 km) from north to south, 8 miles (13 km) wide, and about 25 feet (8 m) deep. The mountains rise steeply from the eastern

Wabana

2004-12-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Newfoundland, Canada, just northwest of St. John's, on Bell Island in Conception Bay. Located in the centre of one of the world's richest deposits of red hematite iron ore, the town grew after the beginning of mining operations in 1895 and had a population of more than 8,000 in 1961. But because of marketing problems and the high phosphorus content of the ore, mining operations

Australian Aboriginal Languages

2004-12-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Group of approximately 260 interrelated languages whose speakers once occupied the entire Australian continent as well as the western islands of Torres Strait, but apparently not Tasmania. Virtually all are believed to have originated from a single proto-Australian language. These languages are not known to be related to any outside language. The great majority

Ferdinand I

2004-12-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

Because his elder brother, Henry III, was an invalid, Ferdinand took the battlefield against the Muslims of Granada. When Henry III died in 1406, his son John II was an infant and the regency was divided between Henry's widow, Queen Catherine of Lancaster,

Agon

2004-12-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Debate or contest between two characters in Attic comedy, constituting one of several formal conventions in these highly structured plays. The Old Comedy of Greece, introduced into Dionysian festivals in 487 BC and surviving in the works of Aristophanes, adhered to a rigid structure within which some variation was allowed. The plays begin with a prologos, which outlines

Pius Vi

2004-12-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

He held various papal administrative positions before being ordained priest in 1758. Progressing rapidly, he became treasurer of the apostolic chamber under Pope Clement XIII in 1766, and in 1773 was made cardinal by Pope Clement XIV, after whose death a four-month

Manannán Mac Lir

2004-12-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

(Celtic: “Manannán, Son of the Sea”), Irish sea god from whom the name of the Isle of Man allegedly derived. Manannán traditionally ruled an island paradise, protected sailors, and provided abundant crops. He gave immortality to the gods through his swine, which returned to life when killed; those who ate of the swine never died. He wore impenetrable armour and, carrying an

Memory Abnormality, Hypnotic amnesia

2004-12-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

Memory of a hypnotic trance is often vague and fragmentary, as in awakening from an ordinary dream. This may be due in part to defect of registration during the period of altered consciousness. At the same time, very much more complete posthypnotic amnesia can be induced if an individual is told that, when he awakens, he will remember nothing of what went on during the