MilitaryCord: August 2004

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Gonz�lez De Mendoza, Pedro, Cardinal

Mendoza, the fifth son of the poet I�igo L�pez de Mendoza, marqu�s de Santillana, studied at the University of Salamanca. After serving as chaplain to King John II, he

Monday, August 30, 2004

Field, John

Field first studied music at home with his father and grandfather and afterward in London with Muzio Clementi, under whose tuition, given in return for Field's services as a piano demonstrator and salesman, the boy made rapid progress. In 1802 Clementi took Field

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Nordstr�m, Ludvig Anselm

Born of a Swedish father and an English mother, Nordstr�m was much influenced by English writers, especially Charles Dickens, Thomas Carlyle, Laurence Sterne, H.G. Wells, and G.K. Chesterton. He most delighted his readers with

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus), bird of the family Accipitridae, the only eagle solely native to North America. Since 1782 the bald eagle has been the national bird of the United States. It is a sea eagle (Haliaeetus) that commonly occurs inland, along rivers and large lakes. The adult male bald eagle is about 90 cm (36 inches) long and has a wingspan of 2 m (6.5 feet).

Friday, August 27, 2004

Aerospace Industry, Between the wars

The world's aircraft industry fell into sharp decline following the Armistice. Within days most contracts were canceled. The wartime-oriented industry was overcapitalized, overstocked with raw materials, overorganized, and overmanned for peacetime needs. In Europe, national governments realized that maintaining a strong air force in case of war required an

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Algae, Diagnostic features

The classification of algae into taxonomic groups is based upon the same rules as for the classification of plants. The organization of groups above the order level has changed substantially since 1960. Research using electron microscopes has demonstrated new and important features of the flagellar apparatus, cell division process, and organelle structure and

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Yuscar�

Founded between 1730 and 1740, when gold and silver were discovered in the area, Yuscar�n was a prosperous mining centre during the colonial period. Mining halted in the 19th century but was resumed in the 1940s. The town, which preserves a colonial

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

France, History Of, Loss of prestige

Genuinely popular in the earlier years of his reign, Louis XV had become

Monday, August 23, 2004

Charlotte Amalie

Formerly �Saint Thomas� capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands and of St. Thomas Island, at the head of St. Thomas Harbour, on the island's southern shore. The largest city in the Virgin Islands, it is built on three low volcanic spurs called Frenchman Hill (Foretop Hill), Berg Hill (Maintop), and Government Hill (Mizzentop). There are several examples of Danish colonial architecture. Two castles, attributed

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Schrieffer, John Robert

Schrieffer was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Ahmed Vefik Pasa

Born into a family of diplomats, Ahmed Vefik was appointed (1849) imperial commissioner in the Danubian principalities and later ambassador to Persia and to France. He presided

Friday, August 20, 2004

Soho

It was an area of farmlands in the Middle Ages and was acquired by the crown in the 1530s. The community's development stems from the activities

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Esfahan, Great Mosque Of

Persian �Masjed-e Jame� ' (�Universal Mosque�), a complex of buildings in Esfahan, Iran, that centres on the 11th-century domed sanctuary and includes a second smaller domed chamber, built in 1088, known for its beauty of proportion and design. The central sanctuary was built under the direction of Nizam al-Mulk, vizier to the Seljuq ruler Malik-Shah, probably between 1070 and 1075. It stands at the south end of the courtyard.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Slavic Languages

Also called �Slavonic languages� group of Indo-European languages spoken in most of eastern Europe, much of the Balkans, parts of central Europe, and the northern part of Asia. The Slavic languages are most closely related to the languages of the Baltic group (Lithuanian, Latvian, and the now-extinct Old Prussian), but they share certain linguistic innovations with the other eastern Indo-European language

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Lilar, Suzanne

Lilar was of Flemish origins. She began her career as

Monday, August 16, 2004

Solomonid Dynasty

Also called �Solomonic Dynasty, � line of Ethiopian emperors who, according to tradition, were descended from Menilek I, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Makeda). Until Haile Selassie I was deposed in 1974, their rule was supposed to have been continuous but for two periods, the reign of the Zagwe dynasty (12th - 13th century) and the reign of Tewodros II (1855 - 68). Many scholars, however, trace the line back only as far

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Mindoro

A mountainous core extending for 100 miles (160 km) along the

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Castelnau, Michel De, Sieur (lord) De La Mauvissi�re

As a young man, Castelnau served under local commanders in Piedmont and in Picardy. After the Peace of Cateau-Cambr�sis (1559), he entered the king's service and was sent on diplomatic missions in 1560 to England, Germany, Savoy, and Rome. After

Friday, August 13, 2004

Alexander Balas

The pretended son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, he won the Seleucid throne with the help of mercenaries, challenging and slaying Demetrius I Soter, the direct Seleucid heir. With the support of the Roman Senate and the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, he ruled the remains of the Seleucid

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Gray, Dolores

American singer and actress (b. June 7, 1924, Chicago, Ill. - d. June 26, 2002, New York, N.Y.), had a rich contralto voice that gained her success in motion pictures and, especially, stage musicals. Her first, and perhaps greatest, triumph came in the London production of Annie Get Your Gun, which opened in 1947 and ran for nearly three years, playing to an audience that totaled more than 2.5 million. She followed

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Water Bloom

Also called �Marine Bloom, � dense aquatic population of microscopic organisms produced by an abundance of nutrient salts in surface water, coupled with adequate sunlight for photosynthesis. The microorganisms or the toxic substances that they release may discolour the water, deplete its oxygen content, poison aquatic animals and waterfowl, and irritate the skin and respiratory tract

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Regiomontanus

K�nigsberg means �King's Mountain,� which is what the Latinized version of his name, Joannes de Regio monte or Regiomontanus, also means. A miller's son, he entered the University

Monday, August 09, 2004

Rawi

One or more rawis attached themselves to a particular poet and learned his works by heart. They then recited and explained the poet's verse before a wider audience. Such an attachment often became an apprenticeship,

Sunday, August 08, 2004

Aghlabid Dynasty

Also called �Banu al-Aghlab� Arab Muslim dynasty that ruled Ifriqiyah (Tunisia and eastern Algeria) from AD 800 to 909. The Aghlabids were nominally subject to the 'Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad but were in fact independent. Their capital city was Kairouan (al-Qayrawan), in Tunisia. The most interesting of the 11 Aghlabid emirs were the energetic and cultured Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab (reigned 800 - 812), founder of al-Abbasiyya (2 miles

Saturday, August 07, 2004

Khakass

Also spelled �Khakas, or Hakas, � people who have given their name to Khakassia republic in central Russia. The general name Khakass encompasses five Turkic-speaking groups that differ widely in their ethnic origin as well as in their culture and everyday life: the Kacha, Sagay (Sagai), Beltir, Kyzyl, and Koybal. Before the Russian Revolution of 1917 the Kacha were seminomadic pastoralists raising cattle,

Friday, August 06, 2004

Ducetius

A Hellenized leader of the Siculi, an ancient people of Sicily, who for a short time welded the native communities of east Sicily into a powerful federation. He seized his opportunity during the confusion that followed the collapse of tyranny in Syracuse and other Sicilian states in 460. Enjoying the goodwill of the Syracusan democracy, he enlisted its help in driving

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Abzug, Bella (bella Savitzky)

American lawyer and politician (b. July 24, 1920, New York, N.Y.--d. March 31, 1998, New York), variously identified as "Battling Bella" and "Mother Courage," was a quintessential progressive known for her groundbreaking roles as peace activist, feminist, environmentalist, and early advocate for gay rights. Abzug was the daughter of Russian- Jewish immigrants. She earned degrees from Hunter

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Patron Saint

Saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated. The choice is often made on the basis of some real or presumed relationship with the persons or places involved. St. Patrick, for example, is the patron saint of Ireland because he is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people. In some cultures national or local

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Logau, Friedrich, Freiherr Von

Logau was of noble descent and became an orphan early. He spent his life in service to the petty courts of Brieg and Liegnitz. Logau resented the forced lowliness of his position, and he directed much of his satirical

Monday, August 02, 2004

Yako

The Yako are mainly yam farmers; subsidiary crops include cocoyams (taro), corn (maize), okra, and pumpkin. The main cash crop is palm oil. The Yako occupy compact villages divided into wards, each containing several patrilineal clans. Patrilineal

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Interactionism

In Cartesian philosophy and the philosophy of mind, those dualistic theories that hold that mind and body, though separate and distinct substances, causally interact. Interactionists assert that a mental event, as when John Doe wills to kick a brick wall, can be the cause of a physical action, his leg and foot moving into the wall. Conversely, the physical event of his

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