Mauritania: Coups of 2005 and 2008 and the return to stability: Mohamed Ould Chiekh Ghazouani, Chief of Staff of the National Army. In response the military promptly staged a coup and removed him from power. In December Ould Abdallahi was released after several months’ house arrest. With the continued failure of the military government to reinstate…

ghanīmah: …society, where the ghazw (razzia, or raid) was a way of life and a point of honour, ghanīmah helped provide the material means of existence. After the leader of the ghazw received a fourth or a fifth of the booty, the rest was divided among the raiders according to…

Gaza, city and principal urban centre of the Gaza Strip, southwestern Palestine. Formerly the administrative headquarters for the Israeli military forces that occupied the Gaza Strip, the city came under Palestinian control in 2005. Records exist indicating continuous habitation at the site for

Gaza Strip, territory occupying 140 square miles (363 square km) along the Mediterranean Sea just northeast of the Sinai Peninsula. The Gaza Strip is unusual in being a densely settled area not recognized as a de jure part of any extant country. The first accurate census, conducted in September

al-Ghazālī was a Muslim theologian and mystic whose great work, Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīnIḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn (“The Revival of the Religious Sciences”), made Sufism (Islamic mysticism) an acceptable part of orthodox Islam. Al-Ghazālī was born at Ṭūs (near Mashhad in eastern Iran) and was educated there,

date rape: …“date-rape drugs” such as Rohypnol, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), and ketamine. Such substances can be slipped into alcoholic or other drinks when a victim is not looking. The drugs are usually odourless and colourless, although Rohypnol, after it became notorious as a date-rape drug, has been altered chemically to change the…

historical school of economics, branch of economic thought, developed chiefly in Germany in the last half of the 19th century, that sought to understand the economic situation of a nation in the context of its total historical experience. Objecting to the deductively reasoned economic “laws” of

ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. As a cooking oil, ghee is the most widely used food in India, apart from wheat and rice. Ghee is produced as follows. Butter made from cow’s milk is melted over a slow fire and then heated slowly until the separated water boils off.

Ghee Hin, Chinese secret society that flourished in Malaya in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During the 1800s many Chinese migrated to Malaya, bringing their secret societies with them. The Ghee Hin had strong branch organizations in Penang. Its membership consisted primarily of Cantonese

Geel, commune, Flanders Region, northern Belgium, located in the Kempenland (Campine) Plateau, east of Antwerp. Renowned for its unique system of family care for people living with mental illness, it is linked with the Irish martyr St. Dymphna. According to tradition, in the 7th century she was

Albania: Ethnic groups: …subgroups of Albanians are the Gegs (Ghegs) in the north and the Tosks in the south. Differences between the two groups were quite pronounced before World War II. Until the communist takeover in 1944, Albanian politics were dominated by the more numerous Gegs. Renowned for their independent spirit and fighting…

Albania: Languages of Albania: There are two principal dialects: Geg, spoken north of the Shkumbin River, and Tosk, spoken in the south. Geg dialects are also spoken in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, and Tosk dialects, though somewhat archaic as a result of centuries of separation from their place of origin in Albania,…

Michel de Ghelderode was an eccentric Belgian dramatist whose folkish morality plays resound with violence, demonism, holy madness, and Rabelaisian humour. He has affinities with Fernand Crommelynck but is bleaker and more extreme in his visions. Ghelderode was the son of Flemish parents who

Ghent, city, Flanders Region, northwestern Belgium. Ghent lies at the junction of the canalized Lys (Leie) and Scheldt (Schelde) rivers and is the centre of an urban complex that includes Ledeberg, Gentbrugge, and Sint-Amandsberg. One of Belgium’s oldest cities and the historic capital of Flanders,

Ghent Altarpiece, large and complex altarpiece in the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent, Belgium, that is attributed to Jan van Eyck and his brother Hubert van Eyck and was completed in 1432. It has been called “the first major oil painting” and is regarded as marking the transition from the Middle

Ghent University, state-financed coeducational institution of higher learning with limited autonomy in Ghent, Belg. Founded in 1817 under King William I of the Netherlands, the university at first conducted its instruction in Latin; in 1830 the language was changed to French; in 1916, during the

Pacification of Ghent, (Nov. 8, 1576), declaration by which the northern and southern provinces of the Low Countries put aside their religious difference and united in revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs. The declaration was the first major expression of the Netherlands’ national

Treaty of Ghent, (Dec. 24, 1814), agreement in Belgium between Great Britain and the United States to end the War of 1812 on the general basis of the status quo antebellum (maintaining the prewar conditions). Because the military positions for each side were so well balanced, neither country could

Ghent-Bruges school, group of manuscript illuminators and scribes active during the last quarter of the 15th and first part of the 16th centuries, principally in the Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges. Credit for founding the tradition that included such masters as Nicolas Spierinc, Liévin van

Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, waterway running 31 km (19 miles) south to north between Ghent, Belgium, and the Western Schelde estuary at Terneuzen, Netherlands. The canal was built in 1824–27 and was reconstructed in 1881. It was further enlarged during the early 20th century and reopened in 1910, and it

Oneşti, city, Bacău judeƫ (county), eastern Romania. The city was developed as a planned new town, begun in 1953 on the site of a 15th-century settlement. It was originally named for the communist leader Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and was renamed Oneşti in 1996. It developed as a consequence of the

Angela Gheorghiu is a Romanian operatic lyric soprano noted for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Gheorghiu early realized her love of singing, and she was supported by her family in working toward a career in opera. She left home at age 14 to study at the Academy of Music in

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej was the longtime head of the Romanian Communist Party, prime minister (1952–55), and president of Romania’s State Council (1961–65). Having become a revolutionary after World War I, Gheorghiu-Dej joined the then-outlawed Romanian Communist Party in 1930 and was sentenced to

yurt, tentlike Central Asian nomad’s dwelling, erected on wooden poles and covered with skin, felt, or handwoven textiles in bright colours. The interior is simply furnished with brightly coloured rugs (red often predominating) decorated with geometric or stylized animal patterns. The knotted pile

Gherardesca family, one of the foremost families of the Tuscan nobility, whose lands included the counties of Gherardesca, Donoratico, and Montescudaio, near Pisa. At the beginning of the 13th century, they led the pro-imperial Ghibelline party of the Pisan republic against the pro-papal Guelf

Romanian literature: The 20th century: The critic Constantin Dobrogeanu Gherea’s theories followed Karl Marx, although Western Modernism also influenced Romanian writers. Ovid Densuşianu clearly followed Symbolism, as did the poets Ion Minulescu and George Bacovia, while Impressionism was taken up by the literary critic Eugen Lovinescu and the poet Nicolae Davidescu, whose

gherkin, (Cucumis anguria), annual trailing vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), grown for its edible fruit. The plant is likely native to southern Africa and is grown in warm climates around the world. Gherkin fruits are served raw, cooked, or pickled, though the “gherkins” sold in commercial

Nicolas Ghesquière is a French fashion designer who, as creative director of Balenciaga (1997–2012) and as artistic director of Louis Vuitton (2013–), earned a reputation as the most original designer of his generation. Ghesquière was born in northern France but was raised in Loudun, in the western

ghetto, formerly a street, or quarter, of a city set apart as a legally enforced residence area for Jews. One of the earliest forced segregations of Jews was in Muslim Morocco when, in 1280, they were transferred to segregated quarters called millahs. In some Muslim countries, rigid ghetto systems

Matthias van den Gheyn was a Flemish organist, composer, and an outstanding virtuoso of the carillon, particularly known for his brilliant improvisations. He was born into a celebrated family of Flemish bell founders. He moved with his family to Leuven in 1726 and probably received his first

Andrea Ghez is an American astronomer who was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics for her discovery of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. She shared the prize with British mathematician Roger Penrose and German astronomer Reinhard Genzel. She was the fourth woman

Andrea Ghez is an American astronomer who was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics for her discovery of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. She shared the prize with British mathematician Roger Penrose and German astronomer Reinhard Genzel. She was the fourth woman

Pier Leone Ghezzi was an Italian artist and probably the first professional caricaturist. Ghezzi made religious paintings for Roman churches but was best known for penned and etched caricatures of Rome’s residents and tourists. He often portrayed a single figure with exaggerated anatomy and

greenhouse gas, any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat energy) emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiating it back to Earth’s surface, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases. (To

ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. As a cooking oil, ghee is the most widely used food in India, apart from wheat and rice. Ghee is produced as follows. Butter made from cow’s milk is melted over a slow fire and then heated slowly until the separated water boils off.

ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. As a cooking oil, ghee is the most widely used food in India, apart from wheat and rice. Ghee is produced as follows. Butter made from cow’s milk is melted over a slow fire and then heated slowly until the separated water boils off.

Ghibelline, in medieval Italy, member of the pro-imperial party, opponents of the pro-papal Guelfs. See Guelf and

Lorenzo Ghiberti was an early Italian Renaissance sculptor, whose doors (Gates of Paradise; 1425–52) for the Baptistery of the cathedral of Florence are considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian art in the Quattrocento. Other works include three bronze statues for Orsanmichele

ghibli, hot and dusty wind descending from the interior highlands of Libya toward the Mediterranean Sea. Although the wind may occur throughout the year, it is most frequent during the spring and early summer. See

Ion Ghica was a member of a great Romanian princely family, a prominent man of letters, an economist, and the prime minister of Romania (1866–67, 1870–71). Ghica was descended from the Walachian prince Grigore III Ghica. He figured prominently in the revolutionary activity of 1848 and was

Symbolism: Symbolist literature: Laforgue, Henri de Régnier, René Ghil, and Gustave Kahn; the Belgians Émile Verhaeren and Georges Rodenbach; the Greek-born Jean Moréas; and Francis Viélé-Griffin and Stuart Merrill, who were

Ghilzay, one of the largest of the Pashto-speaking tribes in Afghanistan, whose traditional territory extended from Ghazni and Kalat-i-Ghilzai eastward into the Indus Valley. They are reputed to be descended at least in part from the Khalaj or Khilji Turks, who entered Afghanistan in the 10th

Ghilzay, one of the largest of the Pashto-speaking tribes in Afghanistan, whose traditional territory extended from Ghazni and Kalat-i-Ghilzai eastward into the Indus Valley. They are reputed to be descended at least in part from the Khalaj or Khilji Turks, who entered Afghanistan in the 10th

Yemen: The arts: …ʿūd) and genres (such as al-ghināʾ al-ṣanʿānī, or Sanaani song) are quite unique.

Ghiordes carpet, floor covering handwoven in the town of Ghiordes (Gördes), northeast of İzmir in western Anatolia (now in Turkey). The prayer rugs of Ghiordes, together with those of Kula and Ladik, have long been especially prized in the Middle East, as well as in Europe and the United States.

rug and carpet: Materials and technique: The Turkish, or symmetrical, knot is used mainly in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Iran (formerly Persia), and Europe. This knot was also formerly known as the Ghiordes knot. The Persian, or asymmetrical, knot is used principally in Iran, India, China, and Egypt. This knot was formerly known as the…

berkelium: Thompson, Albert Ghiorso, and Glenn T. Seaborg at the University of California, Berkeley, as a product resulting from the helium-ion (alpha-particle) bombardment of americium-241 (atomic number 95) in a 152-cm (60-inch) cyclotron. The element was named after the city of

philosophy of physics: The theory of Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber: …forward in the 1980s by Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber and is thus sometimes referred to as “GRW”; it was subsequently developed by Philip Pearle and John Stewart Bell (1928–90).

philosophy of physics: The theory of Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber: The second proposed solution to the measurement problem, as noted above, affirms that wave functions are complete representations of physical systems but denies that they are always governed by the linear differential equations of motion. The strategy behind this…

Domenico Ghirlandaio was an early Renaissance painter of the Florentine school noted for his detailed narrative frescoes, which include many portraits of leading citizens in contemporary dress. Domenico was the son of a goldsmith, and his nickname, “Ghirlandaio,” was derived from his father’s skill

Domenico Ghirlandaio was an early Renaissance painter of the Florentine school noted for his detailed narrative frescoes, which include many portraits of leading citizens in contemporary dress. Domenico was the son of a goldsmith, and his nickname, “Ghirlandaio,” was derived from his father’s skill

printmaking: Italy: One of the exceptions was Giorgio Ghisi of Mantua, who in his isolated regional development escaped the corrupting influence of Rome. His 1550 visit to Antwerp made Ghisi an important link between Italian and northern engraving.

Saint Pius V ; canonized May 22, 1712; feast day April 30) was an Italian ascetic, reformer, and relentless persecutor of heretics, whose papacy (1566–72) marked one of the most austere periods in Roman Catholic church history. During his reign, the Inquisition was successful in eliminating

Theodore I Lascaris: …the Seljuq sultan of Rūm, Kay-Khusraw, who had given asylum to the emperor Alexius, failed to persuade Theodore to abdicate, he invaded Theodore’s territory in the spring of 1211. Theodore, however, defeated and killed Kay-Khusraw in battle and also captured and imprisoned Alexius.

Anatolia: Seljuq expansion: …his eldest son Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Kay-Khusraw II (1237–46), who reached the throne by killing his two half brothers and their Ayyūbid mother along with many military commanders and dignitaries. Although he initially obtained some successes in the southeastern part of his realm by annexing Amida (Diyarbakır), thus pushing the boundaries…

Anatolia: Division and decline: …enthroned the child Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Kay-Khusraw III (1265–84) in his father’s place.

Anatolia: Division and decline: …was occupied by Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Masʿūd II (1285–98, 1303–08), a son of ʿIzz al-Dīn Kay-Kāʾūs, who had come from Crimea to claim his patrimony. However, he made Kayseri, not Konya, the seat of his government. His reign marks the definitive rise to power of the Turkmen frontier chieftains, especially the…

Anatolia: Division and decline: …of his son Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Masʿūd III, who assumed the rule in 1307, is obscure. Though some sources mention the existence of Seljuq scions in later years in various parts of Anatolia, Masʿūd III may be considered the last member of the dynasty to have exercised sovereignty. In 1328 the…

India: The Tughluqs of India: …who ascended the throne as Ghiyāth al-Dīn Tughluq (reigned 1320–25), had distinguished himself prior to his accession by his successful defense of the frontier against the Mongols. His reign was brief but eventful. He captured Telingana, conducted raids in Jajnagar, and reconquered Bengal, which had been independent under Muslim kings…

Muʿizz al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Sām: Muʿizz al-Dīn’s elder brother, Ghiyāth al-Dīn, acquired power east of Herāt in the region of Ghūr (Ghowr, in present Afghanistan) about 1162. Muʿizz al-Dīn always remained his brother’s loyal subordinate. Thus Muʿizz al-Dīn expelled the Oğuz Turkmen nomads from Ghazna (Ghaznī) in 1173 and came as required to his…

India: The Tughluqs of India: …who ascended the throne as Ghiyāth al-Dīn Tughluq (reigned 1320–25), had distinguished himself prior to his accession by his successful defense of the frontier against the Mongols. His reign was brief but eventful. He captured Telingana, conducted raids in Jajnagar, and reconquered Bengal, which had been independent under Muslim kings…

Humāyūn’s Tomb: …was designed by Persian architect Mīrak Mīrzā Ghiyās̄. The structure inspired several other significant architectural achievements, including the Taj Mahal.

Omar Khayyam was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet, renowned in his own country and time for his scientific achievements but chiefly known to English-speaking readers through the translation of a collection of his robāʿīyāt (“quatrains”) in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1859), by the

al-Kāshī was among the greatest mathematicians and astronomers in the Islamic world. The first event known with certainty in al-Kāshī’s life is his observation of a lunar eclipse on June 2, 1406, from Kāshān. His earliest surviving work is Sullam al-samāʾ (1407; “The Stairway of Heaven”), an

Muʿizz al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Sām: Muʿizz al-Dīn’s elder brother, Ghiyāth al-Dīn, acquired power east of Herāt in the region of Ghūr (Ghowr, in present Afghanistan) about 1162. Muʿizz al-Dīn always remained his brother’s loyal subordinate. Thus Muʿizz al-Dīn expelled the Oğuz Turkmen nomads from Ghazna (Ghaznī) in 1173 and came as required to his…

Öz Beg was a Mongol leader and khan of the Golden Horde, or Kipchak empire, of southern Russia, under whom it attained its greatest power. He reigned from 1312 to 1341. Öz Beg was a convert to Islām, but he also welcomed Christian missionaries from western Europe into his realm. Öz Beg encouraged

India: The Tughluqs of India: …who ascended the throne as Ghiyāth al-Dīn Tughluq (reigned 1320–25), had distinguished himself prior to his accession by his successful defense of the frontier against the Mongols. His reign was brief but eventful. He captured Telingana, conducted raids in Jajnagar, and reconquered Bengal, which had been independent under Muslim kings…

al-Akhṭal was a poet of the Umayyad period (661–750), esteemed for his perfection of Arabic poetic form in the old Bedouin tradition. Al-Akhṭal (“The Loquacious”) was a Christian but did not take the duties of his religion seriously, being addicted to drink and women. He was a favourite panegyrist

India: Bahmanī consolidation of the Deccan: …among Persian newcomers by Sultan Ghiyāth al-Dīn (Muḥammad II’s oldest son, who ruled for about two months) in 1397 was seen as a threat by the old nobles and Turks and was probably a major reason for his assassination. Later the addition of Hindu converts and Hindus to the nobility…

rondeau: …the long, fine songs of Hayne van Ghizeghem, written in the last years of the supremacy of the Burgundian dukes. The end of the 15th century saw the abandonment of the medieval formes fixes. The rondeau was the only form to have survived 200 years without any significant change; it…

Wael Ghonim is an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer who was one of the organizers of a social media campaign that helped spur mass demonstrations in 2011 in Egypt, forcing Pres. Hosni Mubarak from power. (See Egypt Uprising of 2011.) After being held in secret detention by Egyptian

South Asian arts: Folk dance: …dance of Rajasthan is the ghoomar, danced by women in long full skirts and colourful chuneris (squares of cloth draping head and shoulders and tucked in front at the waist). Especially spectacular are the kachchi ghori dancers of this region. Equipped with shields and long swords, the upper part of…

jacks: …of eastern Europe traditionally played ghop bagi with five bones. On the first play, from the bones scattered on the ground or carpet, one was tossed up and the other four garnered before it fell. In the second play of the set, three were on the floor and two in…

Jordan River: Physical environment: …that area, known as the Ghawr (Ghor), are cut here and there by wadis or rivers into rocky towers, pinnacles, and badlands, forming a maze of ravines and sharp crests that resemble a lunar landscape.

Medenine: The honeycomb-like aboveground granaries (ghorfas) that belonged to the Ouerghemma are features of the locality. The town is now a trade centre for dates, olives, cereals, and esparto grass and is a road hub with links to Gabès (Qābis), 40 miles (64 km) northwest.

Sri Aurobindo was a yogi, seer, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist who propounded a philosophy of divine life on earth through spiritual evolution. Aurobindo’s education began in a Christian convent school in Darjeeling (Darjiling). While still a boy, he was sent to England for further

India: Moderate and militant nationalism: …address of its moderate president-elect, Rash Behari Ghose (1845–1921). The division of the Congress reflected broad tactical differences between the liberal evolutionary and militant revolutionary wings of the national organization and those aspiring to the presidency. Young militants of Tilak’s New Party wanted to extend the boycott movement to the…

Zulfikar Ghose is a Pakistani American author of novels, poetry, and criticism about cultural alienation. Ghose grew up a Muslim in Sialkot and in largely Hindu Bombay (Mumbai) and then moved with his family to England. He graduated from Keele (England) University in 1959 and married Helena de la

Amitav Ghosh is an Indian-born writer whose ambitious novels use complex narrative strategies to probe the nature of national and personal identity, particularly of the people of India and Southeast Asia. He received the Jnanpith Award in 2018. As a child, Ghosh, whose father was a diplomat, lived

South Asian arts: Modern theatre: The actor-director-writer Girish Chandra Ghosh founded in 1872 the National Theatre, the first Bengali professional company, and took Nildarpan on tour, giving performances in the North Indian cities of Delhi and Lucknow. The instigatory speeches and lurid scenes of British brutality resulted in the banning of this…

Rachel Whiteread: next major project was Ghost (1990), which bumped the scale of her sculpture up to room size. For this work she chose a Victorian sitting room, complete with a window, a fireplace, and a door. In removing the plaster mold, she managed not only to transform the “roomness” of…

ghost, soul or spectre of a dead person, usually believed to inhabit the netherworld and to be capable of returning in some form to the world of the living. According to descriptions or depictions provided by believers, a ghost may appear as a living being or as a nebulous likeness of the deceased

Whoopi Goldberg: Ghost and The View: …as a disreputable medium in Ghost (1990), which also starred Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. The film was a box-office hit, and Goldberg won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress. She followed up with numerous performances in film and television. In 1992 she…

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, American screwball comedy, released in 1966, that was Don Knotts’s first feature film after he left the hit television program The Andy Griffith Show. Knotts played nervous Luther Heggs, a newspaper typesetter who, in the hope of being promoted to reporter, agrees to

Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Directing: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) was a classic romantic fantasy, with Tierney as a widow courted by the ghost of a sea captain (played by Rex Harrison).

ghost bat, some of the few bats known to possess white or gray fur; not every bat with white fur is called a ghost bat. Ghost bats are tropical, but only one, also called the Australian giant false vampire bat (Macroderma gigas), is found outside Central and South America. The four ghost bat

ghost bat: …(see sheath-tailed bat), whereas another New World ghost bat, also known as the Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba), is a leaf-nosed bat. The Australian ghost bat (see false vampire bat) is a larger, grayish bat of the family Megadermatidae.

ghost bat: …only one, also called the Australian giant false vampire bat (Macroderma gigas), is found outside Central and South America. The four ghost bat species of the New World belong to the genus Diclidurus.

ghost bat: Compared to other insect-eating bats, D. albus is medium-sized, with a length of about 9 cm (3.5 inches), a body mass of about 20 grams (0.7 ounce), and a wingspan of about 40 cm (16 inches). This species is widely distributed in tropical lowland forest and open areas throughout Central…

T Bone Burnett: Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a Southern gothic musical he created with Stephen King and John Mellencamp, premiered in 2014.

Sara Paretsky: …heroine with the publication of Ghost Country (1998), which features a pair of debutante sisters as amateur detectives, but she returned to Warshawski in Hard Time (1999). Subsequent books in the series included Total Recall (2001), in which Warshawski investigates a man claiming to be a Holocaust survivor, and Blacklist…

ghost crab, (genus Ocypode), any of approximately 20 species of shore crabs (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea). O. quadratus, the beach crabs noted for their running speed, occur on dry sand above the high-tide mark on the western Atlantic coast from New Jersey to Brazil. The crab, sandy or

Sidney Poitier: Poitier as a director: …for Poitier’s last directorial effort, Ghost Dad (1990), but the film failed to match their earlier successes.

Ghost Dance, either of two distinct cults in a complex of late 19th-century religious movements that represented an attempt of Native Americans in the western United States to rehabilitate their traditional cultures. Both cults arose from Northern Paiute (Paviotso) prophet-dreamers in western

Jim Jarmusch: …Young and Crazy Horse; and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) consisted of a collection of brief exchanges between various well-known actors and musicians as they smoked and drank coffee. Jarmusch won the Grand Prix at the 2005 Cannes film festival for Broken Flowers…

purgatory: Purgatory in world religions: The popularity of the annual Ghost Festival (rite in which offerings are made to ancestral ghosts), as well as the persistence of other seasonal, domestic, and esoteric rites for the care and feeding of the dead, demonstrates that responsibility for beings in “purgatory” is an enduring preoccupation of Chinese society—as…

scorpaeniform: Annotated classification: Family Hoplichthyidae (ghost flatheads or spiny flatheads) Small fishes with very depressed bodies. Scaleless; body with bony plates. Head with heavy spiny ridges. Vertebrae 26. Size to 43 cm (17 inches). Found in moderately deep water in Indo-Pacific region. 1 genus, Hoplichthys, with about 11 species. Family…

theatre: British theatre and stage design: …famous trap was a “ghost glide,” a sort of dumbwaiter that made actors appear to rise from the earth and glide through space.

René Clair: Transition to sound films: …went to England to make The Ghost Goes West, an effective merging of English humor with French verve that became an international triumph. He returned to France but soon left again, in 1940, when the Germans overran the country in World War II. He spent the war years in Hollywood,…

ghost gun, gun or rifle that is assembled by the owner, either from separately purchased pieces or as part of a kit. These weapons can also be made using 3D printers, though such firearms can typically fire only one bullet. These weapons are controversial, because ghost gun parts can be anonymously