Abacha, Sani

Many found it downright curious how in 1997 Gen. Sani Abacha, who had ruthlessly seized power in Nigeria in a coup four years earlier, was sending troops to Sierra Leone in an effort to defend democracy there. Earlier he had assisted peacekeeping forces in Liberia, and it was thought that Abacha was also providing economic aid to support democracy in that country. At home,

Cin�-club

Enthusiasts formed the first cin�-clubs in England in the mid-1920s to discuss

Kirov, Sergey Mironovich

A Bolshevik Party member and organizer, Kirov was arrested several times for his revolutionary activities before the October Revolution (1917) placed the Bolsheviks in power

Red Oak

Any member of a group or subgenus (Erythrobalanus) of North American ornamental and timber shrubs and trees of the genus Quercus, in the beech family (Fagaceae), that have bristle-tipped leaves, acorns with hairy shell linings, and bitter seeds that mature in two seasons. Black oak, live oak, willow oak (including water oak, laurel oak, shingle oak), and pin

Girder

In building construction, a horizontal main supporting beam that carries a vertical concentrated load. See beam.

Chile

Language and a common history have promoted cultural homogeneity in the country. Even the Araucanians and certain Aymara minorities in the north share the values of the Chilean identity, while continuing to cherish their own cultural heritage. Chileans have always displayed a high degree of tolerance toward the customs and traditions of minority groups, as

Aznar, Jos� Mar�

In 1975, during Spain's transition to democracy, Jos� Mar�

Jacana

The seven or eight species of the genus Jacana include the American jacana (Jacana

China, The Shih-kuo (Ten Kingdoms)

From the time of the T'ang dynasty until the Ch'ing dynasty, which arose in the 17th century, China consisted of two parts: the north, militarily strong, and the south, economically and culturally wealthy. Between 907 and 960, 10 independent kingdoms emerged in China, mainly in the south: the Wu (902 - 937), the Nan (Southern) T'ang (937 - 975/976), the Nan P'ing (924/925 - 963), the Ch'u (927 - 951), the Ch'ien (Former) Shu (907 - 925), the Hou (Later) Shu (934 - 965), the Min (909 - 945/946), the

Mental Disorder, Minor affective disorders

Dysthmic disorder, or depressive

Aalto, Alvar

Aalto, whose work exemplifies the best of 20th-century Scandinavian architecture, was one of the first to depart from the stiffly geometric designs common to the early period of the modern movement and to stress informality and personal expression. His style is regarded as both romantic and regional. He used complex forms and varied materials, acknowledged the character

Episcopacy

In some Christian churches, the office of a bishop and the system of church government based on the three orders, or offices, of the ministry: bishops, priests, and deacons. The origins of episcopacy are obscure, but by the 2nd century AD it was becoming established in the main centres of Christianity. It was closely tied to the idea of apostolic succession, the belief that

Metapontum

Greek �Metapontion, � ancient Greek city in Italy on the Gulf of Tarentum, near the mouth of the Bradanus (Bradano) River. It was founded by an Achaean colony from Sybaris and Croton about 700 BC. Pythagoras died at Metapontum c. 500. The city declined after 207 when its inhabitants, who had supported Hannibal in the years following his victory at the Battle of Cannae (216), followed the defeated Carthaginian

Sesshu

Original surname �Oda�, also called �Toyo, �Unkoku�, or �Bikeisai� artist of the Muromachi period, one of the greatest masters of the Japanese art of sumi-e, or monochrome ink painting. Sesshu adapted Chinese models to Japanese artistic ideals and aesthetic sensibilities. He painted landscapes, Zen Buddhist pictures, and screens decorated with birds, flowers, and animals.

Corbeil, William Of

Educated at Laon, he entered the order of St. Augustine at the house of the Holy Trinity, Aldgate, London, and became prior of the Augustinian foundation at St. Osyth in Essex. After a long conflict with Thurstan, archbishop of York, he was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury. Three years later,

Laguna District

The land, once used only for grazing, belonged to

Poseidon

In Greek religion, god of the sea and of water generally; he is to be distinguished from Pontus, the personification of the sea and the oldest Greek divinity of the waters. The name Poseidon means either �husband of earth� or �lord of the earth.� Traditionally he was a son of Cronus, an ancient chief god, and Rhea, a fertility goddess, and was brother of Zeus, the chief god, and Hades,

Cole, Nat King

Cole grew up in Chicago where, by age 12, he sang and played organ in the church

Cola

Genus of tropical trees of the chocolate family (Sterculiaceae, order Malvales) that bear fruits enclosing large kola, or cola, nuts containing caffeine, tannin, and theobromine. Though native to Africa, two species especially, Cola acuminata and C. nitida, are grown commercially in various tropical regions around the world, the dried kola nuts being used in manufacturing

Turfan Depression

The basin lies between

Solanales

Order of dicotyledonous flowering plants, a division of the subclass Asteridae. The order includes the Solanaceae and usually other families from the large 19th-century order Tubiflorae (see below Evolution). Botanists have differed as to which families should be included, but, however the order is construed, it includes some of the plants most important to human

Crusade, The institutions of the First Kingdom

The four principalities established by the crusaders - three after the loss of Edessa in 1144 - were loosely connected, and such limited suzerainty as the king of Jerusalem exercised over the others became largely nominal after the midcentury. Each of the states was organized into a pattern of feudal lordships by the ruling minority. The institutions of the Kingdom of

Irish Sea

Irish �Muir �ireann� arm of the North Atlantic Ocean that separates Ireland from Great Britain. The Irish Sea is bounded by Scotland on the north, England on the east, Wales on the south, and Ireland on the west. The sea is connected with the Atlantic by the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland and by St. George's Channel between the southeastern tip of Ireland and southwestern

Faberg�, Peter Carl

Of Huguenot descent, Faberg� was educated in Germany, Italy, France, and England. His father had by 1842 established himself in St. Petersburg as a jeweler, dealing also in fine decorative objects, a tradition Peter Carl continued after inheriting

Auckland

City, Auckland local government region, New Zealand, the country's largest city and its largest port. It occupies a narrow isthmus of North Island between Waitemata Harbour (east) and Manukau Harbour. It was established in 1840 by Governor William Hobson as the capital of the colonial government and was named for George Eden, 2nd Earl of Auckland, British first lord of the

Eyskens, Gaston

A professor of economics at the University of Louvain from 1931, Eyskens entered the Belgian Parliament in 1939 as a member of the Catholic (now Social

Biblical Literature, Habakkuk

The Book of Habakkuk, the eighth book of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets, was written by a prophet difficult to identify. He may have been a professional prophet of the Temple from the 7th century BCE (probably between 605 - 597 BCE). Containing three chapters, Habakkuk combines lamentation and oracle. In the first chapter, he cries out for Yahweh to help his people: �O Lord, how long shall I cry for

Palas

Plural �Palasy, � flat-surfaced handwoven floor covering from the Caucasus, Turkistan, or parts of Iran. In the rest of Iran, the Balkans, and Anatolia, the name for similar pieces is kilim. The Caucasian palas is a slit tapestry in technique. The Shirvan variety is designed without a border as a series of transverse bands carrying bold polygonal ornaments in vivid colouring. A Karabagh

Trichocyst

A structure in the cortex of certain ciliate and flagellate protozoans consisting of a cavity and long, thin threads that can be ejected in response to certain stimuli. Trichocysts may be widely distributed over an organism or restricted to certain areas (e.g., tentacles, papillae, around the mouth). There are several types. Mucoid trichocysts are elongated