Moses, Robert (b. Dec. 18,1888, New Haven, Conn., U.S.—d. July 29, 1981, West Islip, N.Y.) U.S. public official. He began his long career in pub¬ lic service in New York City’s bureau of municipal research. In 1919 Gov. Alfred E. Smith appointed him chief of staff of the New York state recon¬ struction commission and, in 1924, head of both the New York and Long Island state park commissions. For 40 years in these and related positions, Moses supervised the vast expansion of the park system and the construc¬ tion of numerous roads, bridges, tunnels, and housing projects in and around the city, reshaping it on a grand scale in often controversial ways.
Moses de Leon orig. Moses ben Shem Tov (b. c. 1240, Leon—d. 1305, Arevalo) Reputed author of the Sefer ha-zohar, the most important work of Jewish mysticism. Little is known of his life, though he is believed to have lived in Guadalajara (the centre for Spanish adherents of the Kabbala) until 1290 and later to have traveled widely. He repre¬ sented the Zohar as an ancient book that he had discovered, but it is more likely a work of his own authorship.
moshav \mo-'shav\ (Hebrew: “settlement”) Israeli cooperative com¬ munity that combines privately farmed land and communal marketing, sometimes with light industry as well. The land on a moshav belongs to the state or the Jewish National Fund. The first successful moshavim were organized in the 1920s. New immigrants were directed to these settle¬ ments in the early years of the State of Israel. See also kibbutz.
Moshoeshoe Nmo-'shwa-.shwaV or Mshweshwe \em-'shwa-,shwa\ (b. c. 1786, near the upper Caledon River, northern Basutoland—d. March 11, 1870, Thaba Bosiu, Basutoland) Founder and first paramount chief of Sotho (later Basutoland; now Lesotho). In the 1830s and ’40s he carefully played off British and Boer interests against one another. Involved in a series of wars, he proved a skillful tactician. In 1868 the British annexed Sotho, and Moshoeshoe’s power waned. His descendant Moshoeshoe II (1938-96) was the first king of independent Lesotho.
Moskva \mas-'kva\ River or Moscow River River, flowing through Moscow province and part of Smolensk province, western Russia. The river is 312 mi (502 km) long and drains an area of 6,800 sq mi (17,600 sq km). It runs through the city of Moscow to join the Oka River just below Kolomna. The river flows southeast through the Volga basin. It is navi¬ gable from Moscow and is an important source of the city’s water sup- ply.
Mosley, Sir Oswald (Ernald), 6th Baronet (b. Nov. 16. 1896, London, Eng.—d. Dec. 3, 1980, Orsay, near Paris, France) English poli¬ tician and fascist. He served in the House of Commons (1918-31) as, successively, a Conservative, an Independent, and a Labourite. After a visit to Italy, he founded the British Union of Fascists in 1932. With his followers, he distributed anti-Semitic propaganda, conducted hostile dem¬ onstrations in the Jewish sections of eastern London, and wore Nazi-style uniforms. During World War II he was interned (1940-43) with his wife, Diana Guinness, a sister of Jessica and Nancy Mitford and friend of Adolf Hitler. In 1948 Mosley founded the Union Movement, an amalgam of right-wing book clubs.
mosque Islamic public place of prayer. The masjid jami\ or “congre¬ gational mosque,” is the centre of community worship and the site of Fri¬ day prayer services. Though the mosque—originally a sacred plot of ground—has been influenced by local architectural styles, the building has remained essentially an open space, usually roofed, with a minaret sometimes attached. Statues and pictures are not permitted as decoration. The minbar, a seat at the top of steps placed at the right of the mihrab, is used by the preacher ( khatlb ) as a pulpit. Occasionally there is also a maqsurah, a box or wooden screen originally used to shield a worship¬ ing ruler from assassins. The minaret, originally any elevated place but now usually a tower, is used by the muezzin (crier) to proclaim the call to worship five times each day. During prayer, Muslims orient themselves toward the qiblah wall, which is invariably oriented toward the Ka'bah in Mecca. The mosque has traditionally been the centre of social, political, and educational life in Islamic societies.
Mosque of Omar See Dome of the Rock
mosquito Any of 2,500 dipteran species in the family Culicidae. The females of most species require a blood meal to mature their eggs.
Through bloodsucking, females of various species (genera Aedes,
Anopheles, and Culex ) transmit human diseases, including dengue FEVER, ENCEPHALITIS, filariasis, MALARIA, yellow fever, and elephantiasis. The adult has a long proboscis, a slender, elongated body, and long, fragile legs. The males (and sometimes the females) feed on plant juices. The female’s characteristic sound is made by the vibration of thin membranes on the thorax. The females lay their eggs on the surface of a body of usu-
Mosquito (Theobaldia anulata)
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ally stagnant water, and the eggs hatch into aquatic larvae (wrigglers). In the far north larvae pass the winter frozen into ice. The wrigglers are eaten by fishes and aquatic insects, the adults by birds and dragonflies. Control measures have included elimination of breeding sites, application of sur¬ face films of oil to clog the larvae’s breathing tubes, and use of larvicides.
Mosquito Coast or Miskito Coast Region along the coast of east¬ ern Nicaragua and Honduras. It comprises a lowland about 40 mi (65 km) wide that skirts the Caribbean Sea for about 225 mi (360 km). It was vis¬ ited by Christopher Columbus in 1502, but Europeans had little contact with the area until the rise of the buccaneers in the 17th century, after which England established a protectorate there. It is named for the Miskito Indi¬ ans. Spain, Nicaragua, and the U.S. disputed England’s protectorate until the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850). In 1894 the region was incorporated into Nicaragua, but the northern part was granted to Honduras in 1960 by the International Court of Justice. The chief town is Bluefields, at the mouth of the Escondido River in Nicaragua.
moss Any of at least 12,000 species of small, spore-bearing land plants in the bryophyte division, found worldwide except in salt water. Mosses are simple and ancient plants that have survived nearly unchanged since the Permian Period (290-248 million years ago). Commonly found in moist, shady locations (e.g., forest floors), mosses may range in size from microscopic to more than 40 in. (1 m) long. They prevent erosion and release nutrients from the substrates on which they grow. The life cycle shows clear alternation of generations between the sexual gametophyte, with stemlike and leaflike structures that produce eggs and swimming sperm, and the sporophyte, a raised stalk that ends in a spore case (spo¬ rangium). Mosses also reproduce asexually by branching. The economi¬ cally important genus Sphagnum forms peat. Many so-called mosses are not bryophytes, including Irish moss (a red form of algae); beard moss, Iceland moss, oak moss, and reindeer moss (all lichens); Spanish moss (a name used variously for a lichen or an air plant of the pineapple family); and club moss (an evergreen herb of the family Lycopodiaceae).
Moss, Stirling (b. Sept. 17, 1929, London, Eng.) British Formula One racing driver. He won his first event in 1950 in England and went on to win scores of races, including the British Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix (three times). In 1962 an accident ended his career. In all he won 16 Grand Prix events and is considered the greatest driver never to win a world championship.
Mossad \mo-'sad\ Hebrew Mossad Merkazi le-Modiin U-letafkidim Meyuhadim ("Central Institute for Intelli¬ gence and Security") Most important of Israel’s major intelligence agencies. The Mossad carries out foreign espionage and covert political and paramilitary operations. Its director reports directly to the prime min¬ ister. It has enjoyed considerable success in operations against the coun¬ try’s Arab neighbours and Palestinian organizations, and it has an excellent reputation internationally for its effectiveness. Its secret agents are credited with the apprehension of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina, the execution of the killers of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, and the rescue of Israeli hostages in the Entebbe incident. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Mossad was criticized for its treatment of detainees, many of whom were allegedly tortured and killed while in custody, and for its efforts to assassinate some Palestinian political leaders.