ParallelNerve

serviced offices

2006-11-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Office planet have a huge database of serviced offices throughout the UK. serviced offices provide an affordable and hassle free office solution

Sabinian

2005-03-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

Under Pope Gregory I the Great, he served as papal ambassador at Constantinople, trying to reconcile the Roman Church with Patriarch John IV the Faster, whose claim to the title of ecumenical patriarch was regarded by Gregory to be a threat to Christian unity. Elected in 604 as Gregory's successor, Sabinian seems to have been markedly

Briareus

2005-03-17T04:19:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, one of three 100-armed, 50-headed Hecatoncheires (from the Greek words for “hundred” and “hands”), the sons of the deities Uranus and Gaea. The gods called him Briareus; mortals called him Aegaeon. According to one legend, Briareus and his brothers successfully aided Zeus, the king of the gods, against the attack by the Titans. Another account made Briareus an opponent

Andersen, Hans Christian

2005-03-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Elias Bredsdorff, Hans Christian Andersen: The Story of His Life and Work, 1805–75 (1975, reissued 1994); Bo Grønbech, Hans Christian Andersen (1980); Sven Hakon Rossel (ed.), Hans Christian Andersen: Danish Writer and Citizen of the World (1996); and Jackie Wullschläger, Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller (2000).

China, The rise of Neo-Confucianism

2005-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

The rise of the particular school of Neo-Confucianism led by Chu Hsi takes on special meaning in this context. The Neo-Confucian upsurge beginning in the late T'ang embraced many exciting extensions of the Classical vision. Noteworthy during the Pei Sung was the emergence of a new Confucian metaphysics that was influenced by Buddhism and that borrowed freely from

Noord-brabant

2005-03-11T00:37:00.000-08:00

English North Brabant provincie (province), second largest of The Netherlands, extending northward from the Belgium border, between the provinces of Zeeland (west) and Limburg (east), to the Maas (Meuse) and Merwede rivers. It is drained by the Mark (Merk) and Dommel rivers and the Zuidwillemsvaart and Wilhelmina canals. Its capital is 's Hertogenbosch. Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Age remains attest

Sanka

2005-03-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Little is known of their history. Although they are mentioned in Japanese chronicles from

Orange Bowl

2005-03-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

The game was first played in 1933 to attract winter tourists to Florida a month

Douglas, Aaron

2005-03-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922, Douglas returned briefly to his native Kansas to teach art. By 1925 he had moved to New York City, where he joined a burgeoning arts scene in Harlem. He studied

Gauge

2005-03-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Railway Gauge, in railroad transportation, the width between the inside faces of running rails. Because the cost of construction and operation of a rail line is greater or less depending on the gauge, much controversy has surrounded decisions in respect to it, and a proliferation of gauges has developed throughout the world. A narrow gauge has, in addition to cost advantages, a capability

Dur-kurigalzu

2005-02-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Modern 'Aqarquf fortified city and royal residence of the later Kassite kings, located near Babylon in southern Mesopotamia (now in Iraq). This city was founded either by Kurigalzu I (c. 1400–c. 1375 BC) or by Kurigalzu II (c. 1332–08). Between AD 1943 and 1945, Iraqi excavations unearthed a monumental ziggurat, three temples, and a palace with painted wall decorations and an ambulatory with square pillars. The temples, dedicated

Clam

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

True clams, in the strict sense, are bivalves with equal shells closed by two

Technicolor

2005-02-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

(trademark), motion-picture process using dye-transfer techniques to produce a colour print. The Technicolor process, perfected in 1932, originally used a beam-splitting optical cube, in combination with the camera lens, to expose three black-and-white films. The light beam was split into three parts as it entered the camera, one beam favouring the red portion of the spectrum,

Land Of Ten Thousand Sinks

2005-02-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

In west-central Kentucky, U.S., area of numerous sinkholes and caves in the Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal) region. The area includes the interconnected caves of Mammoth Cave National Park and Flint Ridge Cave System. Abundant surface and underground water together with limestones deposited during the Early Carboniferous Epoch (360 to 320 million years ago) have combined to create

Presbyterian Church (u.s.a.)

2005-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Presbyterian Church traces its beginnings to the earliest Presbyterian

Biblical Literature, Exodus

2005-02-18T05:21:00.000-08:00

The title (in the Greek, Latin, and English versions) means “a going out,” referring to the seminal event of the liberation of Israel from Egyptian bondage through the wondrous acts and power of God. The book celebrates and memorializes this great saving event in song and story and also the awesome revelation and covenant at Mt. Sinai. The contents of the book may be summarized

Bridge

2005-02-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

In stringed musical instruments, piece of elastic wood that transmits the vibrations of the string to the resonating body. Bridges are of two kinds. In the pressure bridge, the string is fastened at one end to a tuning peg or a wrest pin and at the other to a pin or a tailpiece; it passes over the bridge (or bridges), which may be glued to the soundboard (as in the piano) or held

Ghatam

2005-02-15T04:05:00.000-08:00

Large, narrow-mouthed earthenware water pot used as a percussion instrument in India. Unlike other Indian percussion instruments, such as the tabla and mridanga, the ghatam does not have a membrane over its mouth. Ghatam produce a distinctive metallic sound and are made in several sizes, each size having a different pitch. As used in Carnatic music, the ghatam is positioned

Lens

2005-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

In optics, piece of glass or other transparent substance that is used to form an image of an object by focusing rays of light from the object. A lens is a piece of transparent material, usually circular in shape, with two polished surfaces, either or both of which is curved and may be either convex (bulging) or concave (depressed). The curves are almost always spherical, i.e.,

Keats, John

2005-02-10T02:33:00.000-08:00

English Romantic lyric poet who devoted his short life to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a philosophy through classical legend.

Easement

2005-02-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

An easement may be created expressly by a written deed of grant conveying to another the right to use for a specific purpose a certain parcel of land. An easement may also be created when one sells his land to another but reserves for himself

Sawhaj

2005-02-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sohag, or Suhag, town and capital of Sawhaj muhafazah (governorate) in the Nile River valley of Upper Egypt. The town is located on the Nile's western bank between Asyut and Jirja, immediately across from Akhmim on the eastern bank. It has cotton-ginning, textile-weaving, and food-processing factories. Automobile parts are distributed, and it is a centre for vehicle repair. The Sawhaj Institute

Science, Museum Of

2005-02-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

In Boston, Mass., major American museum of science and technology, founded in 1830. Its exhibits include rocks and minerals, plants, mounted animals, models of manned space capsules, medical topics, electricity, and other topics. The Charles Hayden Planetarium is on the museum grounds, and there is an extensive science library. Publications include a monthly

Peninj Mandible

2005-02-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Natron Mandible, an almost perfectly preserved fossil hominid jaw containing a complete set of adult teeth. It was found by Kamaya Kimeu at Peninj, a locale to the west of Lake Natron, about 50 miles (80 km) from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania in 1964. About 120 artifacts belonging to the Acheulian industry, including stone cleavers and hand axes, were also unearthed near the fossil. The sandstone in

Teófilo Otoni

2005-02-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

City, east central Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on the Rio Todos os Santos in the Rio Mucuri Valley, at 1,047 ft (319 m) above sea level. It was given city status in 1878. Teófilo Otoni is a trade centre for an agricultural hinterland in which coffee is the principal crop. Livestock raising is also of some importance, and the city has manufacturing and food-processing plants. Extensive mining

Badminton

2005-02-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

On the men's side Indonesia came through its preliminary round-robin group without losing a single

China, The National Government from 1928 to 1937

2005-02-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

The most serious immediate problem facing the new government was the continuance of military separatism. The government had no authority over the vast area of western China, and even regions in eastern China were under the rule of independent regimes that had lately been part of the Nationalist coalition. After an unsuccessful attempt at negotiations, Chiang

Essex, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2005-02-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Devereux

Jackson, Andrew

2005-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Jackson approached the problems of the presidency as he had approached all other problems in life. He met each issue as it arose, and he exhibited the same vigour and determination in carrying out decisions that had characterized his conduct as commander of an army. He made it clear from the outset that he would be the master of his own administration, and, at times, he was so strong-willed and decisive that his enemies referred to him as “King Andrew I.” In making decisions and policy, Jackson relied on an informal group of newspaper editors and politicians who had helped elect him; they came to be known as his "kitchen cabinet."

Haley, Sir William

2005-01-29T05:09:00.000-08:00

Haley grew up on the island of Jersey and attended Victoria College there. In 1918 he began to study journalism, and in 1921 he secured his first newspaper employment

Platform Tennis

2005-01-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Platform Paddle Tennis, or Paddle Tennis, sport that is a combination of tennis and squash, devised in 1928 by American sports enthusiasts Fessenden Blanchard and James Cogswell at Scarsdale, N.Y. It is played on specially constructed platforms, 60 by 30 feet (18 by 9 m), surrounded by back and side walls of tightly strung wire netting 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The actual court measures 44 by 20 feet (13.4 by 6 m), and the net is 2 feet 10 inches (86 cm) high at its centre.

Saudi Arabia, Demography

2005-01-28T23:13:00.000-08:00

The major

Karamanlis, Konstantinos

2005-01-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Constantine Caramanlis Greek statesman who was prime minister from 1955 to 1963 and again from 1974 to 1980. He then served as president from 1980 to 1985 and from 1990 to 1995. Karamanlis gave Greece competent government and political stability while his conservative economic policies stimulated economic growth. In 1974–75 he

Aldrovandi, Ulisse

2005-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

After studying mathematics, Latin, law, and philosophy, Aldrovandi went to Padua in about 1545 to continue his studies. There he began to study medicine, the field in which he eventually earned a degree in 1553. On his return

Steeplechase

2005-01-25T05:38:00.000-08:00

The sport dates back to a cross-country race at the University of Oxford in 1850. As an Olympic track event (for men only), it was first run in the 1900 Games, and by the 1920 Games it was standardized at 3,000 metres, or about 7.5 laps on a 400-metre track. The steeplechase

Ramcaritmanas

2005-01-24T00:41:00.000-08:00

(“Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama”), version, written in a dialect of Hindi, of the Sanskrit epic poem the Ramayana, one of the masterpieces of medieval Hindu literature and a work with significant influence on modern Hinduism. Written in the 16th century by the poet Tulsidas (q.v.), the poem is distinguished both by its great expression of love for a personal god and by its exemplification

Nsukka

2005-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

University town, Enugu state, southern Nigeria. It lies in the Udi Hills at an elevation of 1,300 feet (396 m). Nsukka is an agricultural-trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), taro, pigeon peas, and palm oil and kernels produced by the local Igbo (Ibo) people. Weaving is a traditional local craft. Coal deposits have been discovered east of Nsukka around Obolo, a town on the main

Claudius Gothicus

2005-01-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Claudius was an army officer under the emperor Gallienus from 260 to 268—a period of devastation of much of the Roman Empire by invading tribes. Rising to the command of Gallienus' newly

Rudolf, Archduke And Crown Prince Of Austria

2005-01-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

The only son of the emperor Francis Joseph and the empress Elizabeth, Rudolf received an extensive education and traveled widely. Politically,

Dagger

2005-01-19T03:31:00.000-08:00

Short stabbing knife, ostensibly the diminutive of the sword, though in ancient and medieval times the distinction between a long dagger and a short sword was often obscure. From approximately 1300 the European dagger was consistently differentiated from the sword; in the 16th century a school of fencing developed in which a specially designed dagger with a large guard

April Theses

2005-01-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

During the February Revolution two disparate bodies had replaced the imperial government—the Provisional Government and

Italo-turkish War

2005-01-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

(1911–12), war undertaken by Italy to gain colonies in North Africa by conquering the Turkish provinces of Tripolitana and Cyrenaica (modern Libya). The conflict upset the precarious international balance of power just prior to World War I by revealing the weakness of Turkey and, within Italy, unleashed the nationalist-expansionist sentiment that guided government policy

Extraterrestrial Life

2005-01-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

The chemistry of extraterrestrial life, scientists assume, would require (1) a suitable medium for chemical reactions

National Botanical Garden Of Belgium

2005-01-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

French Jardin Botanique National de Belgique , Flemish Nationale Plantentuin van België botanical garden consisting of the plant collections at Meise, on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium. The garden has about 18,000 different species of plants. Originally founded in 1870 on a 17-acre (7-hectare) site in the heart of Brussels, the botanical garden was gradually transferred after the mid-1960s to a magnificent estate at Meise, the Domaine de Bouchout. The world's largest greenhouse,

Anne

2005-01-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

Queen of Great Britain from 1702 to 1714. The last Stuart monarch, she wished to rule independently, but her intellectual limitations and chronic ill health caused her to rely heavily on her ministers, who directed England's efforts against France and Spain in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14). The bitter rivalries between Whigs and Tories

Earth, The figure of the Earth

2005-01-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Recent standard works include G. Bomford, Geodesy, 4th ed. (1980, reprinted 1983); Weikko A. Heiskanen and Helmut Moritz, Physical Geodesy (1967); Wolfgang Torge, Geodesy, an Introduction (1980; originally published in German, 1975), a classical treatment; and Petr Vanícek and Edward J. Krakiwsky, Geodesy, the Concepts, rev. ed. (1986). See also International Association Of Geodesy, Systeme geodesique de reference 1967: Geodetic Reference System 1967 (1971).

K.c.m.g.

2005-01-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

Knight commander of St. Michael and St. George, member of the second highest rank of a British order of knighthood. See Saint Michael and Saint George, The Most Distinguished Order of.

Wanamaker, John

2005-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

Wanamaker began work at age 14 as an errand boy for a bookstore and served as secretary of the Philadelphia YMCA from 1857 to 1861. In 1861 he established with Nathan Brown the clothing firm of Brown and Wanamaker, a partnership that ended with Brown's death in 1868. In 1869 he founded

Balata

2005-01-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Also called Gutta Balata, hard rubberlike material made by drying the milky juice produced principally by the bully tree (species Manilkara bidentata) of Guyana and the West Indies. The tree is tapped by cutting zigzag gashes in the bark and collecting the latex in cups, to be coagulated in trays. Like gutta-percha, balata is inelastic, tough, leathery, and water-resistant, and it softens when

Chang Hsien-chung

2005-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zhang Xianzhong, byname Yellow Tiger Chinese rebel leader at the close of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Following a disastrous famine in the northern province of Shensi in 1628, Chang became the leader of a gang of freebooters. Using hit-and-run tactics, he and his men plundered widely throughout North China. Although his forces were bought off several times

Constructivism

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

Russian Konstruktivizm Russian artistic and architectural movement that was first influenced by Cubism and Futurism and is generally considered to have been initiated in 1913 with the “painting reliefs”—abstract geometric constructions—of Vladimir Tatlin. The expatriate Russian sculptors Antoine Pevsner and Naum Gabo joined Tatlin and his followers in Moscow, and upon publication

Ghat

2005-01-06T02:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gat, oasis, southwestern Libya, near the Algerian border. Located on an ancient Saharan caravan route, it was a slave-trading centre and the object of European exploration in the 19th century. Ghat lies west of the Wadi (watercourse) Tanezzuft in hilly sandstone country, near the Jibal Akakus (mountains) and the Tadrart plateau. A nearby offshoot of the mountains, Idinen, is a legendary

Zand Dynasty

2005-01-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

Following the death of the Afsharid ruler Nader Shah (1747), Karim Khan Zand became one of the major contenders for power. By 1750 he had sufficiently consolidated his power to proclaim himself as vakil (regent) for the Safavid Esma'il III. Karim Khan never claimed the title of shahanshah (“king of kings”); instead he maintained Esma'il as a figurehead. Karim

Kenite

2005-01-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

Member of a tribe of itinerant metalsmiths related to the Midianites and the Israelites who plied their trade while traveling in the region of the Arabah (the desert rift valley extending from the Sea of Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba) from at least the 13th century to the 9th century BC. The Kenites' name was derived from Cain, whose descendants they were believed to be. The Kenites

Elgin, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl Of, 11th Earl Of Kincardine

2005-01-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Third son of Charles Bruce, the 5th earl (1732–71), he succeeded his brother William Robert, the 6th earl, in 1771 at the age of five. Entering the army in 1785 and rising later to the rank of major general, Elgin began his diplomatic career in 1790. Envoy at Brussels

Cat Shark

2005-01-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

(family Scyliorhinidae), any of more than 80 species of small, mottled sharks (order Lamniformes). Although many bottom-dwelling species are rare and poorly known ecologically, representatives have been found in all major marine environments of the tropical and temperate regions. Most cat sharks are small (less than 90 cm [3 feet]), and many have bold body markings. They have

Caucasian Languages, Laz

2005-01-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Laz language (self-designation: lazuri nena) is spoken along the Black Sea coast from the Chorokh River (Georgia) to south of Pazar (Atina) in Turkish territory. The language is unwritten, Georgian being used as the literary language in Georgia and Turkish in Turkey. In view of the structural closeness between Mingrelian and Laz, they are sometimes considered as dialects

Scandinavian Literature, Iceland

2005-01-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

Húss-Postilla (1718–20; “Sermons for the Home”), by Jón Vídalín, bishop of Skálholt, is the best example of early 18th-century prose. Among important later writers, Eggert Ólafsson carried out a comprehensive geographical field survey (published in Danish, 1772; partial Eng. trans.) of Iceland's country and its people. In his poetry he expressed 18th-century Rationalism combined with Romantic

Rabelais, François

2004-12-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier French writer and priest who for his contemporaries was an eminent physician and humanist and for posterity is the author of the comic masterpiece Gargantua and Pantagruel. The four novels composing this work are outstanding for their rich use of Renaissance French and for their comedy, which ranges from gross burlesque

Farabi, Al-

2004-12-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Very little is known of al-Farabi's life. He was of Turkic origin and is thought to have been brought to Baghdad as a child by his father, who was probably in the Turkish bodyguard of the Caliph

Parks, Rosa

2004-12-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

Parks attended Alabama State College (now Alabama State University) and made her living as a seamstress. In 1943 she became

Interior Design, Late medieval Europe

2004-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

During the 12th and 13th centuries those who had taken part in the Crusades learned something of luxurious living in the Near East, and as a more secure way of life was becoming possible at home, they began to improve their own living conditions. The castle slowly evolved into the manor house. Household equipment became more elaborate and important, no doubt partly because

Ghelderode, Michel De

2004-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ghelderode was the son of Flemish parents who favoured bilingualism. His early education was cut short by

Wolf Creek Crater

2004-12-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

Huge meteorite crater 65 miles (105 km) south of Halls Creek, Western Australia. The crater is on the edge of a little-explored desert and was first sighted from an airplane in 1937. It is 2,799 feet (853 m) in diameter and 151 feet (46 m) deep, with a rim standing 60–100 feet (18–30 m) above ground level. Only decayed meteoritic fragments have been found. It is considered an explosion crater because of its size. The crater

Tsao Shen

2004-12-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zao Shen, in Chinese mythology, the god of the kitchen (god of the hearth), who is believed to report to the celestial gods on family conduct and to have it within his power to bestow poverty or riches on individual families. Because he is also a protector of the home from evil spirits, his periodic absences are thought to make the house especially vulnerable to becoming haunted

Land Crab

2004-12-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

Any crab of the family Gecarcinidae (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea), typically terrestrial, square-bodied crabs that only occasionally, as adults, return to the sea. They occur in tropical America, West Africa, and the Indo-Pacific region. All species feed on both animal and plant tissue. Cardisoma guanhumi, a land crab of Bermuda, the West Indies, and the southern

Dahlonega

2004-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1833) of Lumpkin county, northern Georgia, U.S. Gold was discovered in the locality in 1828, and the site was settled and incorporated in 1833 after one of the nation's first gold rushes; its name derives from the Cherokee taulonica (“yellow metal”). A U.S. mint operated there from 1838 until 1861, when Georgia seceded from the Union; Dahlonega-minted gold coins are now highly prized by

Delhi Zoological Park

2004-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

The collection includes good breeding groups of white tigers and brow-antlered deer. Many of the animals are displayed in barless, moated enclosures, while a colony

Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, Tunku (prince)

2004-12-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

After studies in England (1920–31), Abdul Rahman returned to Malaya to enter the Kedah civil service. In 1947 he returned to England, was called to the bar in 1949, and was appointed a deputy

Guatemala, Transportation

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

Two primary highways extend east-west across Guatemala.

Ha Long Bay

2004-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Vietnamese Vinh Ha Long (“Where the Dragon Descends to the Sea”),

Biblical Literature, The Psalms of Solomon

2004-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

Other Jewish apocalypses or books containing eschatological elements did not deal with the mysteries of celestial worlds but rather with the political aspect of apocalyptic thought and with the last days and the messianic age. This latter theme is one of the important motifs of the Psalms of Solomon, a book written originally in Hebrew; only the Greek translation

Hyde, Douglas

2004-12-11T03:01:00.000-08:00

Irish Dubhighlas de Hide ; pseudonym An Craoibhín Aoibhinn distinguished Gaelic scholar and writer and first president of the Republic of Ireland (Éire). He was the outstanding figure in the struggle for the preservation and extension of the Irish language from 1893, when he founded the Gaelic League (a nationalistic organization of Roman Catholics and Protestants), until

Afonso I

2004-12-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Alfonso VI, emperor of Leon, had granted the county of Portugal to Afonso's father, Henry of Burgundy, who successfully defended it against the Muslims (1095–1112). Henry married Alfonso VI's illegitimate daughter, Teresa, who

Jackson, Andrew

2004-12-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

In 1828 Jackson defeated Adams by an electoral vote of 178 to 83 after a campaign in which personalities and slander played a larger part than in any previous U.S. national election. Jackson and his wife, Rachel, despite their long marriage, had been vilified in campaign pamphlets as adulterers. The basis was that Rachel Jackson was not legally divorced from her first husband at the time she and Jackson were wed. When they discovered their mistake they remarried, but the damage had been done. Jackson's hour of triumph was soon overshadowed by personal tragedy—his wife died at the Hermitage on December 22, 1828. Retiring and religious, she had avoided the public eye, and the scabrous attacks had hurt her deeply. Jackson had these words inscribed on her tombstone: “A being so gentle and yet so virtuous, slander might wound, but could not dishonor.” She had dreaded becoming the hostess of the President's House, saying that she would “rather be a doorkeeper in the House of God than live in that palace.” Rachel Jackson's niece, Emily Donelson, the wife of Andrew Jackson Donelson, served as the president's hostess until 1836. At times, Sarah Yorke Jackson, the wife of Andrew Jackson's adopted son, also served as his hostess.

Nahuel Huapí, Lake

2004-12-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

Largest lake (210 sq mi [544 sq km]) and most popular resort area in Argentina's lake district, lying in the wooded eastern foothills of the Andes at an altitude of 2,516 ft (767 m). Nahuel Huapí (Araucanian Indian for “island of the jaguars”) was discovered in 1670 by the Jesuit priest Nicolás Mascardi, who built a chapel on the lake's Huemul Peninsula and established an Indian reducción (work mission).

Uaxactún

2004-12-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ruined ancient Mayan city of the southern lowlands, located in what is now north-central Guatemala, about 12 miles (20 km) north of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. Uaxactún was a ceremonial centre of only modest size, compared with Tikal, but it has been important in Mayan archaeology because intensive excavations made there by archaeologists of the Carnegie Institution

Papacy

2004-12-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

The office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, or the pope (Latin: papa, from the Greek pappas, “father”), who presides over the central government of the Roman Catholic church, the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The term pope was originally applied to all the bishops in the West and also used to describe the patriarch of Alexandria, who still retains

Elgin Marbles

2004-11-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

Collection of ancient Greek sculptures and architectural details in the British Museum, London. The objects were removed from the Parthenon at Athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to England by arrangement of Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin, who was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1799–1803). The removal created a storm of controversy in England that

Terman, Lewis M(adison)

2004-11-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Terman joined the faculty of Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. (1910), where he became professor of education in 1916, the year he published The Measurement of Intelligence, a guide for his Stanford revision and

Lear, William P(owell)

2004-11-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

The child of immigrant parents

Colbert, Claudette

2004-11-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Colbert moved with her family to New York City about 1910. While studying fashion design, she landed a small role in the Broadway play The Wild Westcotts (1923) after

Switzerland

2004-11-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

With its economy in good shape and a substantial budget surplus expected, Switzerland sailed through the year 2000. The nation's exports, particularly pharmaceuticals and watches, benefited from the strong dollar. While strains were experienced in some industrial sectors, average unemployment remained under 3%. Despite a sharp rise in fuel prices, long lines at filling

Nepos, Julius

2004-11-19T23:02:00.000-08:00

Born of a distinguished family, Nepos was sent by the Eastern ruler Leo I to govern Italy as augustus (emperor). He at once deposed the Western emperor, Glycerius, whom Leo regarded as a usurper. Nepos proclaimed himself emperor in June 474. A year later he was obliged to recognize the independence of the Visigothic kingdom

's Hertogenbosch

2004-11-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Chartered in 1185 by Henry I, duke of Brabant, who had a hunting lodge nearby (hence the name, meaning “the duke's wood”), it was an important medieval wool centre and became a bishopric in 1559. The town saw many sieges

La Marmora, Alfonso Ferrero

2004-11-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the Turin Military Academy, La Marmora entered the army in 1823 and first distinguished himself in the Italian wars of independence against Austria, especially at Borghetto and Peschiera (May 1848). He also

France-soir

2004-11-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

(French: “Evening France”), daily newspaper published in Paris, one of the city's greatest independent dailies. It was founded as an underground paper during the German occupation of France in World War II, and after the war it emerged as a journal of mass appeal. France-Soir has ranked among the country's—and the European continent's—leaders in circulation since its start.

Racine, Jean

2004-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

In full Jean-baptiste Racine French dramatic poet and historiographer renowned for his mastery of French classical tragedy. His reputation rests on the plays he wrote between 1664 and 1677, notably Andromaque (1667), Britannicus (1669), Bérénice (1670), Bajazet (1672), and Phèdre (1677).

Saint Albans

2004-11-08T02:15:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Franklin county, northwestern Vermont, U.S., 24 miles (39 km) north of Burlington. St. Albans town (township), surrounding the city, is on St. Albans Bay of Lake Champlain. The area was part of the French seigniory of La Douville from 1664 to 1763. The town was chartered in 1763 and organized in 1788. St. Albans village, set off and incorporated in 1859, became a city in 1897. Its location near the Canadian

Género Chico

2004-11-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “little genre”), Spanish literary genre of light dramatic or operatic one-act playlets, as contrasted with the género grande of serious drama or opera. Developed primarily in the theatres of Madrid during the later 19th century, género chico works usually dealt with Madrid's lower classes, whose way of life was regarded with mingled sentimentality and satiric

Sa'ib

2004-11-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

Sa'ib was educated in Esfahan, and in about 1626/27 he traveled to India, where he was received into the court of Shah Jahan. He stayed for a time in Kabul and in Kashmir, returning home after several years abroad. After his

Philidor, François-andré

2004-11-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

The last member of a large and prominent musical family, Philidor was thoroughly trained in music, but at age 18 he turned entirely to chess competition throughout Europe. He was particularly well

Aubigné, Théodore-agrippa D'

2004-11-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

Major late 16th-century poet, renowned Huguenot captain, polemicist, and historian of his own times. After studies in Paris, Orléans, Geneva, and Lyon, he joined the Huguenot forces and served throughout the Wars of Religion on the battlefield and in the council chamber. He was écuyer (“master of horse”) to Henry of Navarre. After Henry's accession to

Ear, Human, Inner ear

2004-10-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

There are actually two labyrinths of the inner ear, one inside the other—the membranous labyrinth contained within the bony labyrinth (Figure 3). The bony labyrinth consists of a central chamber called the vestibule, the three semicircular canals, and the spirally coiled cochlea. Within each structure, and filling only a fraction of the available space, is a corresponding

France, History Of, Parisian revolt

2004-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

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

Acting

2004-10-26T02:11:00.000-07:00

Acting is generally agreed to be a matter less of mimicry, exhibitionism, or imitation than of the ability to react to imaginary stimuli. Its essential elements remain the twin requisites enunciated by the French

Tedder (of Glenguin), Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron

2004-10-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Marshal of the Royal Air Force and deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who contributed significantly to the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944) and the German defeat on the Western Front during World War II through his policy of bombing

Priestly Code

2004-10-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Also called Priestly Source, or P, biblical source that, according to the document hypothesis, is one of the four original sources of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). The priestly writings are so named because they emphasize the priestly tradition or interest, giving detailed explanations and descriptions of ritual laws and procedures.

Brune, Guillaume(-marie-anne)

2004-10-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

At first dedicated to a literary career, Brune became associated in Paris with the Revolutionary leader Georges Danton,

Alexander

2004-10-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Alexander was crowned co-emperor with his brother Leo VI in 879 after the death of their elder brother, Constantine, but he remained inactive in state affairs until after Leo's