Ursula Burns: Mobil, Uber, and VEON. The latter, an Amsterdam-based telecommunications provider, named her executive chairman in 2017, and the following year she became chairman and CEO. In 2020, however, she stepped down from both posts. The following year Burns published the memoir Where You Are Is Not Who You…

Russia: The Uralic group: …Urals, while Karelians, Finns, and Veps inhabit the northwest. The Mansi (Vogul) and Khanty (Ostyak) are spread thinly over the lower Ob basin (see Khanty and Mansi).

Shota Rustaveli: …the author of Vepkhvistqaosani (The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, or The Lord of the Panther-Skin), the Georgian national epic.

Shota Rustaveli: …the author of Vepkhvistqaosani (The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, or The Lord of the Panther-Skin), the Georgian national epic.

Giuseppe Verdi: The later middle years of Giuseppe Verdi: …manner, Les Vêpres siciliennes (1855; The Sicilian Vespers), is a rather cold piece that has had only lukewarm success from its premiere on. The fault lay partly in the libretto—by Meyerbeer’s own librettist, the poet Eugène Scribe; Scribe merely refashioned an old piece he had written for Gaetano Donizetti.

Uralic languages: Smaller Baltic-Finnic groups: The five less-numerous Baltic-Finnic groups—Karelian, Veps, Ingrian, Votic, and Livonian—lie within Russia and the Baltic nations, largely in the general vicinity of the Gulf of Finland. The Karelians, Veps, and Livonians were among the original Baltic-Finnic tribes; Votic is considered to be an offshoot of Estonian, and Ingrian a remote…

international trade: Nontariff barriers: Another barrier is the voluntary export restraint (VER), noted for having a less-damaging effect on the political relations between countries. It is also relatively easy to remove. This approach was applied in the early 1980s when Japanese automakers, under pressure from U.S. competitors, “voluntarily” limited their exports of automobiles…

Benigno Aquino, Jr.: Fabian C. Ver, was responsible for the assassination. Ver and 25 other suspected participants in the plot were acquitted of these charges by three Marcos-appointed judges in 1985. However, that decision helped to set in motion the chain of events that culminated in Marcos’s downfall…

Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset: …comic narrative poem Ver-Vert (1734; Ver-Vert, or the Nunnery Parrot), describing with wit tinged with malice the adventures of a parrot who attempts to maintain his decorous convent background while on a visit to another convent.

Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset: …comic narrative poem Ver-Vert (1734; Ver-Vert, or the Nunnery Parrot), describing with wit tinged with malice the adventures of a parrot who attempts to maintain his decorous convent background while on a visit to another convent.

Prior to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia had already established a reputation as one of the most graceful and accomplished gymnasts the world has ever known. At the 1964 Tokyo Games she swept up three gold medals, including the all-around title, and at the

Emanuel Swedenborg: His theology: …the Vera Christiana Religio (1771; True Christian Religion), which was written when he was 83.

James Gregory: While in Italy he wrote Vera Circuli et Hyperbolae Quadratura (1667; “The True Squaring of the Circle and of the Hyperbola”) and Geometriae Pars Universalis (1668; “The Universal Part of Geometry”). In the former work he used a modification of the method of exhaustion of Archimedes (287–212/211 bce) to find…

Mike Leigh: …and best original screenplay for Vera Drake (2004), about a kindhearted woman in early 1950s England who clandestinely performs abortions. In his next two films Leigh explored relationships between characters with disparate emotional attitudes. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) presents the story of a free-spirited woman navigating the world around her, while Another…

Paraguay: Drainage: …south of Asunción, merges into Lake Verá; it is drained by channels of the Tebicuary and feeds the marshes of the Ñeembucú plain. Lake Ypacaraí, about 30 miles (50 km) east of Asunción, is the site of a favourite summer resort at San Bernardino.

On the Town: …and romance a dancer (Vera-Ellen), a cab driver (Betty Garrett), and an anthropologist (Ann Miller).

Veracruz, estado (state), east-central Mexico. Veracruz is bounded by the state of Tamaulipas to the north, by the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and by the states of Tabasco and Chiapas to the southeast, Oaxaca to the southwest, and Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí to the west. The state capital

Veracruz, city and port on the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz estado (state), east-central Mexico. The city is built on a hot, low, and barren sandy beach along the Gulf of Mexico only about 50 feet (15 metres) above sea level. Hernán Cortés founded La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (“The Rich Town of the

Ray Dandridge: …Mexico landed Dandridge on the Veracruz Blues, a team that featured other Negro League stars, including Willie Wells, Josh Gibson, and Cool Papa Bell. Dandridge played in the Mexican League for eight seasons—for both Veracruz and Mexico City—between 1940 and 1948, compiling a .347 cumulative batting average. Not only did…

Veracruz, estado (state), east-central Mexico. Veracruz is bounded by the state of Tamaulipas to the north, by the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and by the states of Tabasco and Chiapas to the southeast, Oaxaca to the southwest, and Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí to the west. The state capital

United States Occupation of Veracruz, (April–November 1914), the occupation of Veracruz, the chief port on the east coast of Mexico, by military forces of the United States during the civil wars of the Mexican Revolution. Victory for the United States in a one-sided battle resulted in U.S. troops

Veracruz, city and port on the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz estado (state), east-central Mexico. The city is built on a hot, low, and barren sandy beach along the Gulf of Mexico only about 50 feet (15 metres) above sea level. Hernán Cortés founded La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (“The Rich Town of the

United States Occupation of Veracruz, (April–November 1914), the occupation of Veracruz, the chief port on the east coast of Mexico, by military forces of the United States during the civil wars of the Mexican Revolution. Victory for the United States in a one-sided battle resulted in U.S. troops

Veracruz, estado (state), east-central Mexico. Veracruz is bounded by the state of Tamaulipas to the north, by the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and by the states of Tabasco and Chiapas to the southeast, Oaxaca to the southwest, and Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí to the west. The state capital

Veralden-radien, (Sami: “Ruler of the World”), the deity believed by the Sami (Lapps) to be closest to the starry heaven. Because the deity is associated with mailmen stytto, the pillar supporting the heavens, he is also responsible for the continued maintenance of life and is considered a

Veralden-radien, (Sami: “Ruler of the World”), the deity believed by the Sami (Lapps) to be closest to the starry heaven. Because the deity is associated with mailmen stytto, the pillar supporting the heavens, he is also responsible for the continued maintenance of life and is considered a

Hindu Kush: Physiography: …Putsigrām (13,450 feet [5,000 metres]), Verān (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), Rām Gol (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), and Anjoman (13,850 feet [4,221 metres])—are high, making transmontane communications difficult.

veranda, in architecture, most frequently, an open-walled, roofed porch attached to the exterior of a domestic structure and usually surrounded by a railing. The word came into English through the Hindi varandā, but it is related to the Spanish baranda, meaning “railing,” and thus most likely

Bad Bunny: Bad Bunny’s success continued with Un verano sin ti (2022; “A Summer Without You”), which also debuted at number one. As with his previous works, the album featured a blend of various genres, and a number of the songs were collaborations with independent artists. It earned Bad Bunny his second…

cardiovascular drug: Heart rate: Verapamil and diltiazem are important examples of this class of drugs. They reduce the influx of calcium ions through the cell membrane, which normally occurs when the cell is depolarized. This movement of calcium ions across the membrane appears to be important in the genesis…

Central America: Further conquest of the Indians: …province, which he called the Verapaz, was only partially successful, but it served as the basis for his arguments to the Spanish crown against abuse of the Indians. The resulting New Laws of 1542 began the suppression of the encomienda system of exploitation of Indian labour.

typography: France: …the hours, introduced by one Antoine Vérard, whose tastes ran to illustrated and heavily ornamented pages bound in deluxe editions, were important influences in these directions. It is estimated that Vérard published more than 200 of these editions in a little more than 25 years, beginning in 1485. They are…

Veratrum, genus of poisonous herbs of the family Melanthiaceae. The genus includes about 25 to 30 perennial species, among them the American hellebore and the European hellebore (see hellebore) and the false hellebore (see skunk cabbage). They bear flowers that are greenish white to brownish purple

hellebore: The genus includes European white hellebore (V. album), once used as an arrow poison, and American white hellebore (V. viride), also called itchweed. The plants have simple, parallel-veined leaves and terminal clusters of small flowers.

skunk cabbage: …(Veratrum californicum) is the poisonous corn lily, or false hellebore, which grows from New Mexico and Baja California northward to Washington.

hellebore: …as an arrow poison, and American white hellebore (V. viride), also called itchweed. The plants have simple, parallel-veined leaves and terminal clusters of small flowers.

Veraval, city and port, south-central Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies on the Arabian Sea coast of the southern Kathiawar Peninsula. Veraval’s fishing port, one of the country’s largest, also handles timber and agricultural products. Matches, textile bobbins, and bone fertilizer are

verb, a word that conveys action, occurrence, or state of being. It is one of eight parts of speech in English grammar. The primary function of a verb in a sentence is to provide information about the subject’s activity or state of being beyond the information inherent in the subject itself.

Indo-European languages: Verbal inflection: ’ Verbs without one of these two suffixes were marked for mood and tense by their personal endings alone.

linguistics: Chomsky’s grammar: …for Noun Phrase, VP for Verb Phrase, Det for Determiner, Aux for Auxiliary (verb), N for Noun, and V for Verb stem.

political science: Political culture: …culture was Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba’s The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations (1963), which surveyed 1,000-person samples in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Mexico. Almond and Verba identified three types of political culture: (1) participant, in which citizens understand and take…

agnosia: Types of agnosia: …to comprehend spoken words (verbal auditory agnosia) to the inability to recognize nonlinguistic sounds and noises (nonverbal auditory agnosia) or music (amusia). In young children, acquired verbal auditory agnosia, which is a symptom of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, may lead to mutism, or loss of the ability or will to speak.…

Noam Chomsky: Life and basic ideas: Chomsky’s 1959 review of Verbal Behavior, by B.F. Skinner, the dean of American behaviourism, came to be regarded as the definitive refutation of behaviourist accounts of language learning. Starting in the mid-1960s, with the publication of Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965) and Cartesian Linguistics (1966), Chomsky’s approach…

stipulatio, in Roman law, a form of contract based upon a simple question and answer. It had no parallel in other legal systems. Stipulatio developed, at first, with very strict rules. Although no witnesses were required, both parties had to be present during the entire proceedings, which had to be

fallacy: Verbal fallacies: These fallacies, called fallacies of ambiguity, arise when the conclusion is achieved through an improper use of words. The principal instances are as follows: (1) Equivocation occurs when a word or phrase is used in one sense in one premise and in another…

Christian fundamentalism: Origins: …of faith and morals) but inerrant (correct when it spoke on any matters, including history and science).

irony: …contradicting their actual meaning (verbal irony) or of a structural incongruity between what is expected and what occurs (dramatic irony).

Verbania, commune, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northern Italy. Verbania is a summer resort on Lake Maggiore (ancient Verbanus Lacus). Formed in 1939 by the union of the towns of Pallanza and Intra, it has botanical gardens, two 16th-century churches (San Secondo and Madonna di Campagna), and the

Lake Maggiore, second largest lake in Italy (area 82 square miles [212 square km]), bisected by the border between Lombardy (east) and Piedmont (west). Its northern end is in the Swiss Ticino canton. At an elevation of 633 feet (193 metres) above sea level, the lake is 34 miles (54 km) long, with a

mullein, any of the 360 species of the genus Verbascum (family Scrophulariaceae), large biennial or perennial herbs native to northern temperate regions, especially eastern Eurasia. The common mullein (V. thapsus) grows 0.6 to 2 metres (2 to 7 feet) tall, has a single, unbranched stem with large,

mullein: The common mullein (V. thapsus) grows 0.6 to 2 metres (2 to 7 feet) tall, has a single, unbranched stem with large, thick, densely velvety leaves, and has pale-yellow, slightly irregular flowers about 2.5 cm (1 inch) across in a crowded terminal spike.

Moore, city, Cleveland county, central Oklahoma, U.S., a southern suburb of Oklahoma City. First settled in 1887 and originally called Verbeck, it was renamed for a conductor of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Its population remained small until the 1960s, when planned urban and

Madrid: Cultural life: The verbenas, special fiestas held in each quarter in honour of its patron saint, are regular public events, especially in warm weather, with San Isidro (mid-May) taking pride of place. The zarzuelas (light opera of mildly satirical flavour, indulging in topical comment and set by tradition…

verbena, any of several flowering plants of the genera Verbena and Glandularia in the family Verbenaceae, the majority of which are native to the tropical and subtropical Americas. Most are perennials, though a few are annuals. They usually have opposite leaves that are toothed, lobed, or

zarzuela: …century was Tomás Bretón’s one-act La verbena de la Paloma (1894; “The Festivities of Paloma”), which used stock characters to represent the diverse neighbourhoods of Madrid during the festivities in honour of the Virgin of Paloma, the patron saint of Paloma Street. Another favourite was Ruperto Chapí’s La revoltosa (1897;…

Verbenaceae, family of plants, in the order Lamiales, a worldwide but mainly tropical grouping of 30 genera and some 1,100 species, some of which are important for their flowers. Members of the family, sometimes known as Verbena or Vervain, have opposite or whorled leaves that are usually

verbena: The blue vervain (V. hastata) reaches a height of 1.5 metres (5 feet) and produces spikes of blue to purple flowers. The Eurasian species V. officinalis, the herb of the cross, was once considered a medicinal plant.

verbena: The common garden verbena (Glandularia × hybrida, formerly Verbena hybrida) is a square-stemmed creeping plant that bears flat heads of phloxlike flowers in a range of colours. Clump verbena, or rose verbena (Glandularia canadensis, formerly V. canadensis), is also sometimes cultivated for garden flowers.

verbena: The common garden verbena (Glandularia × hybrida, formerly Verbena hybrida) is a square-stemmed creeping plant that bears flat heads of phloxlike flowers in a range of colours. Clump verbena, or rose verbena (Glandularia canadensis, formerly V. canadensis), is also sometimes cultivated for garden flowers.

lemon verbena, (Aloysia citriodora or Lippia citriodora), tropical perennial shrub belonging to the family Verbenaceae, originating in Argentina and Chile. Growing more than 3 metres (10 feet) high in warm climates, it is also grown as a potted plant reaching a height of about 25.4 cm (10 inches).

Verbenaceae, family of plants, in the order Lamiales, a worldwide but mainly tropical grouping of 30 genera and some 1,100 species, some of which are important for their flowers. Members of the family, sometimes known as Verbena or Vervain, have opposite or whorled leaves that are usually

fetial: One member, the verbenarius, carried herbs gathered from the Arx on the Capitoline Hill. Another member, called the pater patratus, served as the group’s representative. Upon reaching the border of the offending state, the pater patratus first announced his mission and addressed a prayer to Jupiter in which…

Ferdinand Verbiest was a Dutch Jesuit missionary and astronomer who became an influential official in the Chinese government. At a time when the Chinese were impressed with Western astronomical knowledge, Verbiest, a trained astronomer, took the place of his Jesuit predecessor, Adam Schall von

duel: Most German universities have long-established Verbindungen (fighting corps) with strict rules, secret meetings, distinctive uniforms, and great prestige. In such duels, which involve a method of swordplay distinct from that of normal fencing, students can obtain scars on the head and cheek that are prized as marks of courage.

Campos, Haroldo de; and Campos, Augusto de: …what its proponents call “verbivocovisual expression,” incorporating geometric and graphic elements into the poetic act or process. Their experiments have included the use of ideograms as a substitute for verbal forms, the concept of a poem as a “layout” of black on white (or vice versa), and the attempt…

Samuel Fuller: Films of the 1950s: … for three films, beginning with Verboten! (1959), a drama set in postwar Germany about the romance between an American soldier (played by James Best) and a Berliner (Susan Cummings). In a typically forceful Fuller touch, actual footage from concentration camps was used to show the brutality of Nazism. The Crimson…

Western sculpture: Flanders: …though fantastic pulpits carved by Hendrik Frans Verbruggen, Michel Vervoort, and Theodor Verhaegen provide a remarkable parallel to those in central Europe.

Vercelli, city, capital of Vercelli provincia, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northwestern Italy. It lies along the Sesia River, southwest of Novara. The chief city of the Libici (a Ligurian tribe), it later became a Roman municipium (town). The Campi Raudii (Raudian Fields) to the south were the

Vercelli, city, capital of Vercelli provincia, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northwestern Italy. It lies along the Sesia River, southwest of Novara. The chief city of the Libici (a Ligurian tribe), it later became a Roman municipium (town). The Campi Raudii (Raudian Fields) to the south were the

Vercelli Book, Old English manuscript written in the late 10th century. It contains texts of the poem Andreas, two poems by Cynewulf, The Dream of the Rood, an “Address of the Saved Soul to the Body,” and a fragment of a homiletic poem, as well as 23 prose homilies and a prose life of St. Guthlac,

Verkhoyansk, town, Sakha (Yakutiya), far northeastern Russia, on the Yana River near its confluence with the Sartang. Founded as a fort in 1638 and today a minor centre of tin and gold mining, Verkhoyansk is noted chiefly for its exceptionally low winter temperatures, with a January average of −56

Verkhoyansk, town, Sakha (Yakutiya), far northeastern Russia, on the Yana River near its confluence with the Sartang. Founded as a fort in 1638 and today a minor centre of tin and gold mining, Verkhoyansk is noted chiefly for its exceptionally low winter temperatures, with a January average of −56

Verkhoyansk Mountains, mountains of Sakha (Yakutiya), far northeastern Russia, extending for 700 miles (1,100 km)—in a huge arc parallel to and east of the lower Lena River—to the Laptev Sea. The range represents a major anticlinal structure, created in a period of folding. Its height generally

Vercingetorix was a chieftain of the Gallic tribe of the Arverni whose formidable rebellion against Roman rule was crushed by Julius Caesar. Caesar had almost completed the subjugation of Gaul when Vercingetorix led a general uprising of the Gauls against him in 52 bce. Vercingetorix was named the

Joseph Canteloube: …the operas Le Mas and Vercingétorix (performed at the Paris Opéra in 1929 and 1933, respectively), have been neglected. He also edited the Anthologie des chants populaires français (1939–44).

Vercors was a French novelist and artist-engraver, who wrote Le Silence de la mer (1941; The Silence of the Sea), a patriotic tale of self-deception and of the triumph of passive resistance over evil. The novella was published clandestinely in Nazi-occupied Paris and served to rally a spirit of

cave: Geographic distribution of karst terrain: In France the Vercors Plateau is pavement karst featuring many deep caves, including the Berger Shaft—one of the deepest in Europe. The Hölloch Cave, the world’s third longest at 133 kilometres, is found in the Swiss Alps. Individual limestone massifs capped with karst plateaus and abounding with deep…

Scotland: Roman penetration: At Housesteads, at about the midpoint of Hadrian’s Wall, archaeologists have uncovered a market where northern natives exchanged cattle and hides for Roman products; in this way some Roman wares, and possibly more general cultural influences, found their way north, but the scale of this commerce…

Spanish literature: Later drama: …serious moral purpose, and his Verdad sospechosa (1634; “The Truth Suspected”) inspired the great French dramatist Pierre Corneille’s Menteur (1643). Corneille’s famous Le Cid (1637) similarly drew upon the conflict between love and honour presented in Las mocedades del Cid (1599?; “The Youthful Exploits of the Cid”) by Guillén de…

Rabat: The nearby Verdala Palace (1586) was built as a summer residence for the grand masters of the Hospitallers (Knights of St. John of Jerusalem); it was subsequently used by the governors of the islands and, more recently, by the president of Malta. Pop. (2007 est.) 11,260.

Norn: Some sources name them Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, perhaps meaning “past,” “present,” and “future.” They were depicted as living by Yggdrasill, the world tree, under Urd’s well and were linked with both good and evil. Being frequently attendant at births, they were sometimes associated with midwifery. The name Norn appears…

São Francisco River: Physiography: …rivers—and its main right-bank tributaries—the Verde Grande, Paramirim, and Jacaré.

Phoenix: City site: … rise to the northeast; the Verde River flows to the west of the mountains, entering the Salt River east of Phoenix.

Cesário Verde was a poet who revived Portuguese poetry by introducing colloquial language and by exploring its capacity for expression. He dealt extensively with themes pertaining to the growth of urban life. Born into a well-to-do middle-class family, Verde studied at the faculty of arts of the

Cesário Verde was a poet who revived Portuguese poetry by introducing colloquial language and by exploring its capacity for expression. He dealt extensively with themes pertaining to the growth of urban life. Born into a well-to-do middle-class family, Verde studied at the faculty of arts of the

madrigal: …madrigal composers: Costanza Festa, Philippe Verdelot, Jacques Arcadelt, and Adriaan Willaert. Important works by Festa and Verdelot appear in the first printed book of madrigals (Rome, 1530).

Bjørn Lomborg: In Verdens sande tilstand (1998; The Skeptical Environmentalist), he maintained that, although the world faces many environmental problems, their severity is often exaggerated, and the proposed remedies are frequently inappropriate and costly. He suggested that the money might be better invested in alleviating poverty in the developing world. As societies…

optics: Development and examples of the theory: Marcel Verdet, a French physicist, realized in the 19th century that even sunlight is not completely incoherent, and two objects separated by distances of over approximately 120 millimetre will produce interference effects. The eye, operating unaided in sunlight, does not resolve this separation distance and hence…

Giuseppe Verdi was a leading Italian composer of opera in the 19th century, noted for operas such as Rigoletto (1851), Il trovatore (1853), La traviata (1853), Don Carlos (1867), Aida (1871), Otello (1887), and Falstaff (1893) and for his Requiem Mass (1874). Verdi’s father, Carlo Giuseppe Verdi,

Giuseppe Verdi was a leading Italian composer of opera in the 19th century, noted for operas such as Rigoletto (1851), Il trovatore (1853), La traviata (1853), Don Carlos (1867), Aida (1871), Otello (1887), and Falstaff (1893) and for his Requiem Mass (1874). Verdi’s father, Carlo Giuseppe Verdi,

jury: Size and unanimity: …jury, and many jurisdictions allow verdicts by less-than-unanimous votes. When the required number of jurors cannot agree on a verdict (termed a hung jury in the United States), the judge declares a mistrial, which means that the case, unless it is withdrawn, must be tried anew. Remarkably, hung juries occur…

Sidney Lumet: The 1980s: Prince of the City, Deathtrap, and The Verdict: …returned to the courtroom with The Verdict (1982), a widely acclaimed drama, with a powerful Oscar-nominated performance by Paul Newman as an alcoholic lawyer who rediscovers his pride—and his talent—when he takes on an unpopular case. Lumet and the film were also Oscar-nominated, as were David Mamet’s potent screenplay and…

Don Siegel: Early work: His first was The Verdict (1946), a solid Scotland Yard period piece that was the eighth and last movie to feature the popular on-screen team of Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Night unto Night was shot in 1947 but not released until 1949. The romantic drama featured Ronald…

Verdigris River, river rising southwest of Emporia, Kan., U.S., and flowing south and southeast past Neodesha, Independence, and Coffeyville and into Oklahoma to join the Arkansas River 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Muskogee, after a course of 350 miles (560 km). There are flood-control reservoirs

verdin, North American songbird of the family Remizidae

Alps: Physiography: …the deep cleft of the Verdon Canyon in France, the crystalline peaks of the Mercantour Massif, and the glacier-covered dome of Mont Blanc, which at 15,771 feet (4,807 metres) is the highest peak in the Alps. Rivers from these ranges flow west into the Rhône and east into the Po.

Verdon River, river, southern France. It is famous for its gorges, including its “Grand Canyon,” which may be seen from the scenic road that runs 12 miles (20 km) between Pont de l’Artuby and Aiguines, on the border of the Alpes-de-Haute Provence and Var départements. The Verdon River rises in Les

food processor: …food processor was invented by Pierre Verdon, whose Le Magi-Mix, a compact household version of his own earlier restaurant-scaled Robot-Coupe, was first exhibited in Paris in 1971. Carl Sontheimer, an American engineer and inventor, refined Verdon’s machines to produce the Cuisinart. The widespread success of the Cuisinart following its exhibition…

Belgian literature: After World War II: …Het verdriet van België (1983; The Sorrow of Belgium), paints an unflattering portrait of a Flemish collaborationist family in the years before, during, and after World War II, but it is also a Bildungsroman about a wayward adolescent who decides to become a writer.

Verdun, town, Meuse département, Grand Est région, northeastern France, on the Meuse River. Most of the town is on the left bank, near the Citadel. Practically destroyed in World War I, Verdun was rebuilt with wide streets. A cathedral, dating from the 11th century and rising on the highest point