Word: backgrounder
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Einstein's general theory of relativity transformed space and time from a passive background in which events take place to active participants in the dynamics of the cosmos. This led to a great problem that is still at the forefront of physics at the end of the 20th century. The universe is full of matter, and matter warps space-time so that bodies fall together. Einstein found that his equations didn't have a solution that described a universe that was unchanging in time. Rather than give up a static and everlasting universe, which he and most other people believed...
Within a few months, Omidyar was ready to take eBay up a notch. He brought in a partner with the business background he lacked: Jeff Skoll, a friend and Stanford M.B.A., then working in e-commerce for Knight Ridder. Together they began to bring in more employees--techies, customer-support staff, finance people. In those early days, eBay--operating then as now out of a bland San Jose, Calif., office park--was a goofily informal place to work. Decor ran to Star Wars figures and giant papier-mache Pez dispensers, a wedding gift when Pierre and Pam tied the knot...
First, some background. By the time you start experiencing a hangover, most of the alcohol is already gone from your system. That's one reason doctors speculate that hangovers are actually a mild form of withdrawal. Other factors that influence just how bad you feel range from the amount of sleep you got to whatever else you ate or drank during your night's carousing...
...passages that do not correspond at all to the generally accepted versions of the New Testament. To suggest that we can learn more about the life of Jesus, based on historical evidence, by reading this apocryphal "gospel" seems an insult to any well-versed Christian with a hermeneutical background. Didn't Jesus warn us against false prophets? TONI BASILIO Filderstadt, Germany...
...checkered era of government rule plagued by graft, corruption and sectarian strife. The takeover cannot be condoned, but it must be admitted that the general saved Pakistan from impending social disorder. For democracy to sustain itself there must be a sound socioeconomic base and political leaders with an unblemished background. To expect a Western-style democracy in the region is naive. What is needed now is a restructuring of Pakistan's economy, which is a shambles. For a citizen who lacks the basic necessities of life, a super democracy is not the most desired thing. He naturally looks for other...