PoliticalCushion: August 2004

Vald�s, Juan De

Juan studied under Spain's leading Humanists and developed religious views that closely followed the ideas of Erasmus of Rotterdam, with

Halden

Formerly �Fredrikshald, � town, �stfold fylke (county), southeastern Norway. It lies along Idde Fjord, which forms part of the border between Norway and Sweden, at the mouth of the Tistedalselva (river). The site was settled in ancient times, and the modern town, founded in 1661, was known as Fredrikshald from 1665 to 1928. Its 17th-century Fredriksten Fort was a strategic border stronghold that withstood many attacks

'brog-mi

'Brog-mi studied for one year in Nepal and for eight years at Vikramashila (Bihar, India). Coming under the influence of Atisa, an Indian Buddhist who arrived in Tibet about 1042, 'Brog-mi was a leader in the revival of Tibetan Buddhism. He founded a new and powerful order known as Sa-skya-pa. In 1073 his disciple Dkon-mchog rgyal-po established the

Leviathan

Hebrew �Livyatan, � in Jewish mythology, a primordial sea serpent. Its source is in prebiblical Mesopotamian myth, especially that of the sea monster in the Ugaritic myth of Baal (see Yamm). In the Old Testament, Leviathan appears in Psalms 74:14 as a multiheaded sea serpent that is killed by God and given as food to the Hebrews in the wilderness. In Isaiah 27:1, Leviathan is a serpent and a symbol of Israel's

Anheuser-busch Companies, Inc.

The company had its origins in a small brewery opened in St. Louis by George Schneider in 1852. This faltering enterprise was bought by the soap manufacturer Eberhard Anheuser in 1860, and the following year Anheuser's daughter married Adolphus Busch (q.v.), a brewery

Inductance

Property of a conductor (often in the shape of a coil) that is measured by the size of the electromotive force, or voltage, induced in it, compared with the rate of change of the electric current that produces the voltage. A steady current produces a stationary magnetic field; a steadily changing current, alternating current, or fluctuating direct current produces a

Spoils System

Also called �patronage system� practice in which the political party winning an election rewards its campaign workers and other active supporters by appointment to government posts and by other favours. The spoils system involves political activity by public employees in support of their party and the employees' removal from office if their party loses the election. A change in party control

Hydra

Genus of invertebrate freshwater animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The body of such an organism consists of a thin, usually translucent tube that measures up to about 30 millimetres (1.2 inches) long but is capable of great contraction. The body wall is comprised of two layers of cells separated by a thin, structureless layer of connective tissue called the

Nitisol

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Occupying 1.6 percent of the total land surface on Earth, Nitisols are found mainly in eastern Africa at higher altitudes, coastal India, Central America, and tropical islands (Cuba, Java, and the Philippines). They are perhaps the most inherently fertile of the tropical soils

Mitterrand, Fran�ois

The son of a stationmaster, Mitterrand

Mitterrand, Fran�ois

The son of a stationmaster, Mitterrand

Holgu�

Holgu�n, located on fertile, rolling plains, is now an important communications and trading centre in eastern Cuba. Sugar refining, cigar making,

Durham

Town (township), Strafford county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on the Oyster River just southwest of Dover. Settled in 1635, it was known as the parish of Oyster River until it was incorporated in 1732 and named for Durham, England. A series of savage Indian attacks began in 1675; in 1694 the town was burned, and more than 100 residents were killed or captured. During the American

Loren, Sophia

Before working in the cinema, Sofia Scicolone changed her name to Sofia Lazzaro for work in the foto-romanzo, popular pulp magazines that used still photographs

Calcite

The most common form of natural calcium carbonate (CaCo3), a widely distributed mineral known for the beautiful development and great variety of its crystals. It is polymorphous (same chemical formula but different crystal structure) with the minerals aragonite and vaterite and with several forms that apparently exist only under rather extreme experimental

Hui

Also spelled �Hwei, �or �Hui-hui, �also called (Wade-Giles) �T'ung-kan, �or �(Pinyin)� Tonggan, �Burmese �Pathay, �Russian �Dungan, � Chinese Muslims, intermingled with the Han Chinese throughout China but relatively concentrated in western China - in the provinces or autonomous regions of Sinkiang, Ningsia, Kansu, Tsinghai, Honan, Hopeh, Shantung, and Yunnan. Considerable numbers also live in Anhwei, Liaoning, and Peking. The Hui are also found on the frontier between China and Myanmar (Burma) and

Earth Sciences, Crystallography

In the 19th century crystallographers were only able to study the external form of minerals, and it was not until 1895 when the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad R�ntgen discovered X rays that it became possible to consider their internal structure. In 1912 another German physicist, Max von Laue, realized that X rays were scattered and deflected at regular angles when they passed

Earth Sciences, Crystallography

In the 19th century crystallographers were only able to study the external form of minerals, and it was not until 1895 when the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad R�ntgen discovered X rays that it became possible to consider their internal structure. In 1912 another German physicist, Max von Laue, realized that X rays were scattered and deflected at regular angles when they passed

Ancient Rome, Barbarian kingdoms

Several barbarian kingdoms were then set up: in Africa, Gaiseric's kingdom of the Vandals; in Spain and in Gaul as far as the Loire, the Visigothic kingdom; and farther to the north, the kingdoms of the Salian Franks and the Alemanni. The barbarians were everywhere a small minority. They established themselves on the great estates and divided the land to the benefit of

Hughes Electronics Corporation

American provider of wireless telecommunication services and formerly a leading manufacturer of satellites. The company was formed in 1985 as GM Hughes Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation, and renamed in 1995 as Hughes Electronics Corporation. In 2000 Hughes sold its satellite-manufacturing business to Boeing Company. Headquarters are

Ribbonism

Also called �Ribandism� Irish secret-society movement that began at the end of the 18th century in opposition to the Orange Society, or Protestant Orangemen. It was represented by various associations under different names, organized in lodges, and recruited all over Ireland from the lower classes. The actual name of Ribbonism (from a green badge worn by its members) became attached to the

Ramazzini, Bernardino

A professor of medicine at the University of Modena (1682 - 1700), and an early student of epidemiology, he described outbreaks of lathyrism (1690; chick-pea poisoning) and malaria (1690 - 95) in Italy. A strong proponent of the use of cinchona bark in the treatment of malaria,

Earth, Paleoclimatological data

Alfred Wegener was a meteorologist who was particularly interested in the study of ancient climates (paleoclimatology). He noticed that sedimentary rocks indicative of having been deposited in warm climates are now found in cold climates and vice versa. He felt that these observations were best explained if the continents had moved relative to each other and

Nord-norge

English �Northern Norway� geographic region of Norway. It reaches from Nordland about 575 miles (925 km) northward to the North Cape (Nordkapp), the northernmost point in Europe. It includes the fylker (counties) of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark. An arm of the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, which flows past its coast, provides a relatively mild maritime climate. Commonly known as the �Land of the Midnight

Nicephorus I, Saint

Although his conservatively Orthodox

Kamehameha Iii

Only 10 years of age when he succeeded to the throne, he was initially under the regency of Kamehameha I's favourite wife, Kaahumanu, who had been regent ever since Kamehameha II had visited England in 1824 and died there. Converted to Christianity in 1824, she became known for her wise and beneficent

PoliticalCushion

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Vald�s, Juan De

Monday, August 30, 2004

Halden

Sunday, August 29, 2004

'brog-mi

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Leviathan

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Anheuser-busch Companies, Inc.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Inductance

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Spoils System

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Hydra

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Nitisol

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Mitterrand, Fran�ois

Monday, August 16, 2004

Mitterrand, Fran�ois

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Holgu�

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Durham

Friday, August 13, 2004

Loren, Sophia

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Calcite

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Hui

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Earth Sciences, Crystallography

Monday, August 09, 2004

Earth Sciences, Crystallography

Sunday, August 08, 2004

Ancient Rome, Barbarian kingdoms

Saturday, August 07, 2004

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Friday, August 06, 2004

Ribbonism

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Ramazzini, Bernardino

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Earth, Paleoclimatological data

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Nord-norge

Monday, August 02, 2004

Nicephorus I, Saint

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Kamehameha Iii

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