Stuttgart Ballet

German �Stuttgarter Ballett,� resident ballet company of Stuttgart, Ger., that emerged in the 1960s as an internationally prominent group. The modern Stuttgart Ballet evolved from the royal ballet that resided at the court of the Duke of W�rttemberg as early as 1609. A municipally supported company under the royal patronage from the 17th through the 19th century, it occasionally attracted such prominent

Masham (of Swinton), Samuel Cunliffe Lister, 1st Baron

In 1838 Samuel and his brother John opened a worsted mill in Manningham. He had worked on a machine to comb wool

Kabane

The imperial Japanese Yamato line arose as the most powerful members of this kabane system,

Irish Needle Lace

Lace made with a needle in Ireland from the late 1840s, when the craft was introduced as a famine-relief measure. Technically and stylistically influenced by 17th-century Venetian needle lace, it arose in several centres through the enterprise of individuals, especially the mother superiors of convents, who unraveled old examples to learn the technique and then taught

Irish Needle Lace

British honorary institution founded by Edward VII in 1902 to reward those who provided especially eminent service in the armed forces or particularly distinguished themselves in science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. The order is limited to only 24 members, although the British monarch can appoint foreigners as �honorary members.� The order carries no

Minamata

City, Kumamoto ken (prefecture), southeastern Kyushu, Japan, on Yatsushiro Bay. A company town of the Nippon Chisso Hiryo Company, its main products are chemical fertilizer, carbide, and vinyl chloride. Minamata was traditionally a fishing port and has regular sea-route connections to Amakusa-shimo Island, the main island of the Amakusa Archipelago. Hot springs are

'imad Ad-dawlah

One of the founders of the Buyid dynasty of Iran. 'Ali and his brothers Ahmad and Hasan were followers of Mardaviz ebn Zeyar of northern Iran. In 934 'Ali revolted against local Zeyarid rulers and conquered Fars province in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital, ruling there until his death. After Ahmad established control over the 'Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad

'imad Ad-dawlah

One of the founders of the Buyid dynasty of Iran. 'Ali and his brothers Ahmad and Hasan were followers of Mardaviz ebn Zeyar of northern Iran. In 934 'Ali revolted against local Zeyarid rulers and conquered Fars province in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital, ruling there until his death. After Ahmad established control over the 'Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad

Melchizedek Priesthood

In the Mormon church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the higher of the two priesthoods, concerned with spiritual rather than secular matters. See Mormon.

Laird, Macgregor

In 1832 Laird accompanied his Liverpool firm's expedition, commanded by the Cornish explorer Richard Lander, to the delta of the Niger River. Among the three ships was the Alburkah, a 55-ton paddle-wheeler designed by Laird and the first

Laird, Macgregor

In 1832 Laird accompanied his Liverpool firm's expedition, commanded by the Cornish explorer Richard Lander, to the delta of the Niger River. Among the three ships was the Alburkah, a 55-ton paddle-wheeler designed by Laird and the first

Eakins, Thomas

Although always respected for his ability, Eakins remained throughout his years something of an outcast. His contemporaries, rather than allowing themselves to be shaken by his frank statements of the human condition and his joyous appreciation of the human body, ignored him. He sold few pictures, but fortunately a small private income matched his modest needs.

Amyl Alcohol

Also called �Pentyl Alcohol, � any of eight organic compounds having the same molecular formula, C5H11OH, but different structures. The term is commonly applied to mixtures of these compounds, which are used as solvents for resins and oily materials and in the manufacture of other chemicals, especially amyl acetate, a solvent for nitrocellulose lacquers. Commercial amyl alcohols are colourless

World War I, The Western Front, June - December 1917

P�tain's decision to remain temporarily on the defensive after Nivelle's failure gave Haig the opportunity to fulfill his desire for a British offensive in Flanders. He took the first step on June 7, 1917, with a long-prepared attack on the Messines Ridge, north of Armenti�res, on the southern flank of his Ypres salient. This attack by General Sir Herbert Plumer's 2nd Army proved

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints

The largest denomination of the Mormon religion. See Mormon.

Desargues, Girard

Not much is known

Tso Tsung-t'ang

Pinyin �Zuo Zongtang� Chinese administrator and military leader, one of the scholar-officials who worked to suppress the great rebellions that threatened the imperial government during the second half of the 19th century. Tso's efforts helped revive the declining Ch'ing (Manchu) dynasty (1644 - 1911/12) and reestablished the Chinese position in

Petr�leos De Venezuela, Sa

By 1971 Venezuela had begun to take steps to curb the influence of the foreign concessionaires who, since their arrival after World War I, had been exploiting the nation's oil

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The land

The terrain of the Andamans is rough, with hills enclosing narrow longitudinal valleys. The highest elevation is 2,418 feet (737 metres) at Saddle Peak on North Andaman. Dense tropical forest covers the islands. No rivers and few perennial streams exist. The coral-fringed coasts of the Andamans are deeply indented, forming safe harbours and tidal creeks, often surrounded by

Arts, Central Asian, Shamanic ritual

Teachings that spirits are responsible for unexplainable phenomena, such as disease and death, and that these spirits can be controlled by an individual with special powers, such as a shaman, evolved in many primitive societies throughout the world, including those of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. The roles of the shaman include oracle, healer, sacrificer,

Middle East

The lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran and sometimes beyond. The central part of this general area was formerly called the Near East, a name given to it by some of the first modern Western geographers and historians, who tended to divide the Orient into three regions. Near

Cornucopia

Also called �Horn Of Plenty, � decorative motif, dating from ancient Greece, that symbolizes abundance. The motif originated as a curved goat's horn filled to overflowing with fruit and grain. It is emblematic of the horn possessed by Zeus's nurse, the Greek nymph Amalthaea (q.v.), which could be filled with whatever the owner wished.

Allodium

The anarchy that ensued in France after the decline of the Carolingian monarchy at the end of the 9th century allowed much land to be seized and held free, although a large part

Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Denomination organized in 1810 by a group of Presbyterians on the Kentucky - Tennessee frontier who left the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The immediate cause of the separation was a religious revival in the Kentucky area (1799 - 1802) that brought many converts into the church and led to a shortage of ordained ministers. The Cumberland Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in

France, History Of, The parceling up of the kingdom

Internal struggles resulted in the emergence of new political configurations. At the time of the partitions of 561 and 567, new political geographic units began to appear within Gaul. Austrasia was created from the Rhine, Moselle, and Meuse districts, which had formerly been the kingdom of Reims, and the areas east of the Rh�ne conquered by Theodoric and his son Theodebert;

Floodplain

Also called �Alluvial Plain, � flat land area adjacent to a stream, composed of unconsolidated sedimentary deposits (alluvium) and subject to periodic inundation by the stream. Floodplains are produced by lateral movement of a stream and by overbank deposition; therefore they are absent where downcutting is dominant. Any erosional widening of one bank is approximately equalled by deposition

Condensation Reaction

Any of a class of organic reactions in which two molecules combine, usually in the presence of a catalyst, with elimination of water or some other simple molecule. The combination of two identical molecules is known as self-condensation. Aldehydes, ketones, esters, alkynes (acetylenes), and amines are among several organic compounds that combine with each other and,

Calcitonin

Also called �Thyrocalcitonin, � a protein hormone secreted in humans and other mammals by parafollicular cells in the thyroid gland, and in birds, fishes, and other nonmammalian vertebrates by cells of the ultimobranchial bodies, which are discrete calcitonin-secreting glands. Calcitonin lowers the concentration of calcium in the blood when it rises above the normal value. It has the opposite

Buddhacarita

In full� Buddhacarita-kavya-sutra� (Sanskrit: �Poetic Discourse on the Acts of the Buddha�), poetic narrative of the life of Buddha by the Sanskrit poet Asvaghosa, one of the finest examples of Buddhist literature. The author, who lived in northern India in the 1st - 2nd century AD, created a loving account of the Buddha's life and teachings, one that - in contrast to other treatments such as the Mahavastu (�Great Story�) and

Vaduz

Capital of Liechtenstein, central Europe, in the Rhine Valley. The seat of one of the two former lordships (Schellenberg and Vaduz) that united to form the principality in 1719, Vaduz is a flourishing tourist centre and the residence of the ruling prince, whose castle overlooks the town. Mentioned in a document of c. 1322, destroyed in the Swabian Wars (1499), and rebuilt in the following

Gene Flow

Also called �gene migration� the introduction of genetic material (by interbreeding) from one population of a species to another, thereby changing the composition of the gene pool of the receiving population. The introduction of new alleles through gene flow increases variability within the population and makes possible new combinations of traits. In human beings gene flow usually comes