Vieques Island

Spanish �Isla de Vieques � island and municipio (�municipality�), Puerto Rico. It lies 13 miles (21 km) east of the main island, fronting south on the Caribbean Sea and north on the Vieques Sound, which connects the Caribbean with the Atlantic Ocean. Composed mostly of volcanic and granite intrusives, the generally hilly island is 21 miles (34 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide, and it is 52 square miles (135 square km) in area. Isabel

Diplomatics

The study of documents. The term is derived from the Greek word diploma, meaning �doubled� or �folded.� Besides the documents of legal and administrative import withwhich it is properly concerned, diplomatics also includes the study of other records such as bills, reports, cartularies, registers, and rolls. Diplomatics is therefore a basic and not simply an auxiliary

Diplomatics

The study of documents. The term is derived from the Greek word diploma, meaning �doubled� or �folded.� Besides the documents of legal and administrative import withwhich it is properly concerned, diplomatics also includes the study of other records such as bills, reports, cartularies, registers, and rolls. Diplomatics is therefore a basic and not simply an auxiliary

Allen, Elizabeth Anne Chase Akers

Elizabeth Chase grew up in Farmington, Maine, where she attended Farmington Academy (later Maine State Teachers College). She is said to have had a poem published in the Boston Olive

Aethelweard

Also spelled �Ethelwerd � English chronicler and ealderman of the western provinces (probably the whole of Wessex), a descendant of King Alfred's brother Aethelred. He wrote, in elaborate and peculiar Latin, a chronicle for his continental kinswoman, Matilda, abbess of Essen. In the printed version of the text, the chronicle stops in 975, but fragments of the burned manuscript show that it continued

Auerbach, Berthold

Auerbach prepared for the rabbinate, but, estranged from Jewish orthodoxy by the study of the 17th-century Dutch philosopher Benedict de Spinoza, he turned instead to literature. Spinoza's life formed the basis of his first novel (1837); a translation

Stalingrad, Battle Of

(summer 1942 - February 2, 1943), unsuccessful German assault on the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the Russian S.F.S.R. during World War II that marked the farthest extent of the German advance into the Soviet Union. As a major industrial centre, Stalingrad was an important prize in itself, and control of the city would have cut Soviet transport links with southern Russia via

Allende, Isabel

Allende worked as a journalist in Chile until she was forced to flee to Venezuela after the assassination (1973) of her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende Gossens. In 1981 she began writing a letter to her terminally ill grandfather

Nahmanides

Nahmanides earned his livelihood as a physician and served successively as rabbi at Gerona and then as chief rabbi of Catalonia. He also attempted to mediate disputes between the followers and opponents of the philosopher

Coihaique

City, capital of Ais�n Region in southern archipelagic Chile, 50 mi (80 km) inland of Puerto Ais�n and 25 mi (40 km) west of the Argentine border. Founded in 1912 by a small group of German colonists, it is situated among grassy steppes between the Coihaique and Simpson rivers, in a densely forested and extremely wet coastal region of Patagonian Chile (rainfall reaches 58 in. [1,485 mm] annually). Although

Astruc Of Lunel,

Although Astruc revered Maimonides, who had attempted to reconcile Aristotle's philosophy

Interior Design, Other components

The detailing referred to in connection with the handling of doors is one of the most important factors in interior design. Every architectural component must be detailed well. Poor details make for poor design. The meaning of detailing in a design sense is more than the graphic explanation of certain components on a drawing. It means the way materials are put together,

Obscene Publications Act

In British law, either of two codifications of prohibitions against obscene literature adopted in 1857 and in much revised form in 1959. The earlier act, also called Lord Campbell's Act (one of several laws named after chief justice and chancellor John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell), not only outlawed obscene publications but empowered police to search premises on which obscene

Moscow Academic Art Theatre

Also called �(until 1939) Moscow Art Theatre, �Russian �Moscovsky Akademichesky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, or Moscovsky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, �abbreviation �Mkhat, � outstanding Russian theatre of theatrical naturalism founded in 1898 by two teachers of dramatic art, Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko (qq.v.). Its purpose was to establish a theatre of new art forms, with a fresh approach to its function. Sharing similar theatrical experience and interests, the cofounders met and it was agreed that Stanislavsky

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The (zaire)

On May 25, 1998, Pres. Laurent Kabila promulgated a decree that established a national constituent and legislative assembly. This apparent move toward democracy was, however, belied by a series of arrests of people believed to be critical of the government, including,

Rabat

The history of Rabat is closely connected to that of neighbouring Sal�, the site of which was first occupied by the Roman settlement of Sala (Shella). During the 10th century, Sal� was established by the Zenata Berbers, who were orthodox

Moro, Aldo

A professor of law at the University of Bari, Moro published several books on legal subjects and served also as president of the Federazione

Biblical Literature, Second introductory discourse

The second discourse, also ascribed to Moses, again refers to the Covenant at Horeb and sets forth the Ten Commandments, which the people are admonished to obey rigorously, emphasizing the mediating function of Moses at Horeb between the awesome divine presence and the awestruck people. Israel is further admonished to obey the law through wholehearted love of

Z Particle

The concept

Cambon, Jules

Educated in law, Cambon entered the prefectorial administration after service in the Franco-German War (1870 - 71). In June 1878 he was

Alba Iulia

German �Karlsburg, �Hungarian �Gyulafeh�rv�r, � city, capital of Alba judet (county), west-central Romania. It lies along the Mures River, 170 miles (270 km) northwest of Bucharest. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, the site was selected by the Romans for a military camp. The remains of Apulum, an important city in Roman Dacia mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC, are 6 miles (10 km) from Alba Iulia, and the Regional Museum has a rich

Iran, The growth of social discontent

Petroleum revenues continued to fuel Iran's economy in the 1970s, and in 1973 Iran concluded a new 20-year oil agreement with the consortium of Western firms led by British Petroleum. This agreement gave direct control of Iranian oil fields to the government under the auspices of the NIOC and initiated a standard seller-buyer relationship between the NIOC and the oil companies.

Music, Western, Monophonic secular song

Secular music undoubtedly flourished during the early Middle Ages, but, aside from sporadic references, the earliest accounts of such music in the Western world described the music of the goliards; these people were itinerant minor clerics and students who, from the 7th century on, roamed the land singing and playing topical songs dealing with love, war, famine, and

Allen, William

Educated at the University of Oxford, Allen became principal of St. Mary's Hall there in 1556. After the accession of Queen Elizabeth

Szczecinek

Szczecinek is the commercial centre for the surrounding district; its industry includes dairying,

Water Mold

Also spelled �water mould� any of about 150 species of fungi belonging to the order Saprolegniales within the class Oomycetes. Many of them live in fresh or brackish water or wet soils. Most species are saprobic (i.e., they live on dead or decaying organic matter), although some cause diseases in certain fishes, higher plants, algae, protozoans, and marine invertebrates. The mycelium (filaments composing

Puerto Su�rez

Town, extreme eastern Bolivia. It is situated on the marshy shores of Lake C�ceres, just west of Corumb�, Brazil, and is connected to the Paraguay River by the Tamengo Canal. Puerto Su�rez was once an isolated port and trading centre for rubber, coffee, and other local products, but the town has grown rapidly since the late 20th century, when a natural gas pipeline was built

Walker, Alice

Walker was the eighth child of African American sharecroppers. While growing up she was accidentally blinded in one eye, and her mother gave her a typewriter,