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National Dialogue Quartet

(Encyclopedia)National Dialogue Quartet, informal grouping of four Tunisian civil society organizations formed in mid-2013 to facilitate political dialogue in Tunisia that would lead to consensus on the adoption of...

Juppé, Alain

(Encyclopedia)Juppé, Alain älăNˈ zhüpāˈ [key], 1945–, French politician, b. Les Landes. A member of the Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR), he entered the Inspection des Finances in 1972. A protegé of ...

World Council of Churches

(Encyclopedia)World Council of Churches, an international, interdenominational organization of most major Protestant, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox Christian churches; founded in Amsterdam in 1948, its headquarter...

Karan, Donna

(Encyclopedia)Karan, Donna, 1948–, American fashion designer, b. Forest Hills, N.Y., as Donna Faske. Daughter of a tailor and a garment saleswoman, she started to design clothes as a teenager and studied at New Y...

ray, in physics

(Encyclopedia)ray, in physics, term denoting the straight line along which light or other form of radiation is propagated from its source. It generally refers to the line of propagation of waves but is also applied...

spirit level

(Encyclopedia)spirit level, tool for determining whether a surface is horizontal. It consists essentially of a slightly bent transparent tube that is held in a frame. The tube contains some alcohol, ether, or simil...

versification

(Encyclopedia)versification, principles of metrical practice in poetry. In different literatures poetic form is achieved in various ways; usually, however, a definite and predictable pattern is evident in the langu...

Johnston, Gabriel

(Encyclopedia)Johnston, Gabriel, 1699–1752, colonial governor of North Carolina (1734–52). An efficient and popular Scot, he nevertheless had constant difficulties with the assembly over quitrents and other fin...

Hart, John

(Encyclopedia)Hart, John, 1711?–1779, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Hopewell Township, N.J. A prosperous farm and mill owner, he was a member of the pr...

Cortizo Cohen, Laurentino

(Encyclopedia)Cortizo Cohen, Laurentino, 1953–, Panamanian rancher and political leader. A member of the Democratic Revolutionary party, he studied business administration in the United States and served in the n...