Cennini, Cennino (di Drea)
Late Gothic Florentine painter who perpetuated the traditions of Giotto, which he received from his teacher Agnolo Gaddi. He is best known for writing Il libro dell'arte (1437; The Craftsman's Handbook), the most informative source on the methods, techniques, and attitudes of medieval artists. Painting, according to Cennini, holds a high place
L�vka Mountains
Bearing a stream during the
Rymer, Thomas
Rymer left the University of Cambridge without taking a degree and began to study law at Gray's
Bulganin, Nikolay Aleksandrovich
Bulganin began his career as a Cheka (Bolshevik secret police) officer in 1918. Later, as manager of Moscow's leading electrical-equipment factory, he earned a reputation as an outstanding administrator. In 1931 he was made chairman
Massachusetts, The land
The Massachusetts coastline is about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in length, yet the cross-country distances are only 190 miles (300 km) from east to west and 110 miles (180 km) from north to south. The jagged coast winds from Rhode Island around Cape Cod, in and out of scenic harbours along the shore south of Boston, through Boston harbour and up the North Shore, swinging around the painters' paradise of Cape
Sch�uffelein, Hans Leonhard
In 1509 Sch�uffelein worked in the Tirol and later in Bavaria. There he painted the altarpiece for the Benedictine abbey
Gahanbar
In Zoroastrianism, any of six festivals, occurring at irregular intervals throughout the year, which celebrate the seasons and possibly the six stages in the creation of the world (the heavens, water, the earth, the vegetable world, the animal world, and man). Each lasting five days, the Gahanbars are: Maidhyaoizaremaya (Midspring), occurring in the month of Artavahisht,
Pyralid Moth
Cosmopolitan
Reformed Church In America
Church that developed from the Dutch settlements in New Netherlands (New York) in the 17th century. The Dutch Reformed Church was the first Reformed church of continental European background in North America. During the period of Dutch sovereignty over New Netherlands, it was the established church of the colony. When the English seized the colony in 1664, they gave assurances
Angus, William Douglas, 10th Earl Of
He joined the household of the Earl of Morton and then, while visiting the French court, became a Roman Catholic; in consequence, on his return, he was disinherited and placed under restraint. Nevertheless, he succeeded to his father's titles and estates in 1591, and,
Coral-bells
(Heuchera sanguinea), hardy garden perennial, of the saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae), native to North America from Mexico to the Arctic. Coral-bells is a compact, bushy plant growing in tufts, with flower stems about 45 centimetres (18 inches) tall. It has spikes covered with pendant coral-coloured flowers about the size of lily of the valley bells. The leaves
Shamanism, Forms of ecstasy
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
Alain-fournier
Robert Gibson, The Quest of Alain-Fournier (1953).
Shafi'iyah
Also called �Madhhab Shafi'i�, English �Shafiites� in Islam, one of the four Sunni schools of religious law, derived from the teachings of Abu 'Abd Allah ash-Shafi'i (767 - 820). This legal school (madhhab) stabilized the bases of Islamic legal theory, admitting the validity of both divine will and human speculation. Rejecting provincial dependence on the living sunnah (traditional community practice) as the source of precedent, the Shafiites
Mignet, Fran�ois
Educated at Avignon, Mignet became professor there in 1815; he returned to Aix for his law studies and was called to the bar in 1818. His first work, the Essai sur les institutions de Saint Louis, was acclaimed by the Academy of Inscriptions
Earth, Evidence for polar wandering, continental drift, and seafloor spreading
Polar wandering, continental drift, and seafloor spreading are all consequences of plate movements. Polar wandering is the movement of a continent relative to the rotational poles or spin axis of the Earth. Continental drift is the movement of one continent relative to another continent, and seafloor spreading is the movement of one block of seafloor relative
Insurance, Other provisions
Life insurance policies contain various clauses that protect the rights of beneficiaries and the insured. Perhaps the best-known is the incontestable clause, which provides that if a policy has been in force for two years the insurer may not afterward refuse to pay the proceeds or cancel the contract for any reason except nonpayment of premiums. Thus, if the insured
Alexander I, Saint
Fifth pope after St. Peter and successor to St. Evaristus. His 10-year rule (105 - 115 or 109 - 119) is attested by Pope St. Eusebius (309/310). Some Catholic writers ascribe to him the introduction of holy water and the custom of mixing sacramental wine with water, and he may have made additions to the liturgy. It is believed he suffered martyrdom, possibly by decapitation, under the
Digestive System, Vertebrate, Neurotensin
Secreted by the N cells of the ileum in response to fat in the small intestine, neurotensin modulates motility, relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, and blocks the stimulation of acid and pepsin secretion by the vagus nerve.
Chase, Salmon P(ortland)
Chase received part of his education from his uncle Philander Chase, the first Episcopal bishop of Ohio
Nichinan
City, Miyazaki Prefecture (ken), Kyushu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Japanese (Obi) cedar has been cultivated in the area since the early 19th century and forms the basis of the city's shipbuilding, timber, paper, and pulp industries. Nichinan's two ports - Aburatsu and Oodotsu - are the main centres for coastal fishing (bonito, yellowtail, tuna) in southern Kyushu. Agricultural
Aluminum Processing
Aluminum, or aluminium (Al), is a silvery white metal with a melting point of 660� C (1,220� F) and a density of 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre. The most abundant metallic element, it constitutes 8.1 percent of the Earth's crust. In nature it occurs chemically combined with oxygen and other elements. In the pure state it is soft and ductile, but
Ilesha
Town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the Yoruba Hills and at the intersection of roads from Ile-Ife, Oshogbo, and Akure. The town is one of the oldest settlements in Yorubaland - according to tradition, it was founded by an owa (�king�) who was one of the 16 sons of the deity Oduduwa. Ilesha was an important military centre in the campaigns against Ibadan, 60 miles (97 km) west-southwest,
Canning Basin
Also called �Desert Artesian Basin� arid sedimentary basin in northwestern Western Australia. Occupying a largely unexplored area of about 150,000 square miles (400,000 square km), it extends south from the Fitzroy River to the De Grey River and from the coast southeast almost to 128� E longitude. The basin underlies the western section of the Great Sandy Desert (q.v.). Most of its interior is covered by parallel sand dunes,
Accent
In prosody, a rhythmically significant stress on the syllables of a verse, usually at regular intervals. The word accent is often used interchangeably with stress, though some prosodists use accent to mean the emphasis that is determined by the normal meaning of the words while stress is used to mean metrical emphasis. In classical prosody, which was based on a quantitative
France, History Of, Charles VII
Charles VI's son, Charles VII (ruled 1422 - 61), for his part, did not fail to claim his inheritance, though he had no proper coronation. Residing at Bourges, which his adversaries pretended was the extent of his realm, he in fact retained the fidelity of the greater part of France, including Berry, Poitou, Lyonnais, Auvergne, and Languedoc. For a time the Valois cause suffered from the
Ma-ubin
Town, southern Myanmar (Burma). The town is a river port on the west bank of the main Irrawaddy distributary and is protected by flood-control embankments. It is linked with Yangon (Rangoon), 40 miles (65 km) east, by the Twante Canal and is the site of a diesel electric plant. The surrounding area occupies a largely swampy portion of the Irrawaddy River delta. It has a southern coastline
Ammassalik
Also spelled �Angmagssalik,� town, southeastern Greenland, on the south coast of Ammassalik Island. The island is 25 miles (40 km) long and 12 - 20 miles (19 - 32 km) wide, with a high point of 4,336 feet (1,322 m). Although Europeans landed as early as 1472, the region was not explored until 1884, when Gustav Holm, a Dane, mapped the coast. A trading and mission station was established in 1895 to help sustain the Greenlandic (Eskimo) population with imported
Kidney Stone
Also called �Renal Calculus, �plural �Renal Calculi, � concretion of minerals and organic matter that forms in the kidneys. Such stones may become so large as to impair normal renal function. Urine contains many salts in solution and if the concentration of mineral salts becomes excessive, the excess salt precipitates as solid particles called stones. Kidney stones are classified as primary if they form without apparent
