Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sci- ureus).
© GERRY ELLIS NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
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INDIAN
OCEAN
Sinhalese groups has beset the country since the early 1980s, the Tamils demand¬ ing a separate autonomous state in northern Sri Lanka. In 2004 Sri Lanka was struck by a tsunami that badly damaged much of the coastline and killed tens of thousands of people.
Srinagar \sre-'n3-g9r\ City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 894,940), summer capi¬ tal of Jammu and Kashmir state, northwestern India. It lies on the banks of the Jhelum River in the Vale of Kashmir. Situated amid clear lakes and lofty mountains, it has long had a considerable tourist economy. Seven wooden bridges span the river, and the gondolas of Kashmir ply the adjacent canals and waterways. The floating gardens of Dal Lake are a famous attraction.
Srivijaya \ l sre-wi- , jo-y3\ empire (fl. 7th—13th centuries) Maritime and commercial kingdom in the Malay Archipelago. It originated on the island of Sumatra and soon came to control the Strait of Malacca. Its power was based on its control of international sea trade; it had relations with other island states and with China and India. It was also a centre for Mahayana Buddhism and a stopping place for Chinese pilgrims traveling to India. It was overcome by forces of the Cola dynasty in 1025 and lost power gradually thereafter.
SS German in full Schutzstaffel ("Protective Echelon") Para¬ military corps of the Nazi Party. Founded in 1925 by Adolf Hitler as a personal bodyguard, it was directed from 1929 by Heinrich Himmler, who enlarged its membership from fewer than 300 to more than 250,000. Wearing black uniforms and special insignia (lightning-like runic S’s, death’s-head badges, and silver daggers), the SS considered itself supe¬ rior to the SA, whom they purged on Hitler’s orders in 1934. The corps was divided into the General SS (Allgemeine-SS), which dealt with police matters and included the Gestapo, and the Armed SS (Waffen-SS), which included the concentration-camp guards and the 39 regiments in World War II that served as elite combat troops. SS men were schooled in racial hatred and absolute obedience to Hitler. They carried out massive execu¬ tions of political opponents, Roma (Gypsies), Jews, communists, parti¬ sans, and Russian prisoners. In 1946 the SS was declared a criminal organization at the NOrnberg trials.
St. Denis V.sant-'den-osN, Ruth orig. Ruth Dennis (b. Jan. 20, 1877, Newark, N.J., U.S.—d. July 21, 1968, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. modern- dance innovator and teacher. She was a vaudeville performer before devel¬ oping her dramatic dance act based on Asian dance forms. From 1906 to 1909 she toured in Europe to wide acclaim. In 1915 she and her husband, Ted Shawn, established the Denishawn dance company and school to present a new choreographic style of abstract “music visualization.” The company frequently toured until it disbanded in 1931 when St. Denis and
Shawn separated. Her interest in the use of dance in religion led her to found the Society of Spiritual Arts. She continued to perform, teach, and lecture into the 1960s.
stability In mathematics, a condition in which a slight disturbance in a system does not produce a significant disrupting effect on that system. A solution to a differential equation is said to be stable if a slightly different solution that is close to it when x = 0 remains close for nearby values of x. Stability of solutions is important in physical applications because deviations in mathematical models inevitably result from errors in mea¬ surement. A stable solution will be usable despite such deviations.
stabilizer, economic See economic stabilizer
stadium Enclosure that provides a broad space for sports events and tiers of seats for a large number of spectators. The name derives from a Greek unit of measurement, the stade (about 607 ft, or 185 m), the length of the footrace in the ancient Olympics. Shapes of stadiums have varied depending on use: Some are rectangular with curved corners; others are elliptical or U-shaped. As a type of long-span structure, the stadium played a significant role in 20th-century construction technology. The building of large stadiums has been greatly facilitated by the use of reinforced concrete, steel, and membrane structures, which have made possible daring new designs. The Houston Astrodome was the first major fully roofed sta¬ dium. Cables contributed significantly to speed of construction, lightness of roof, and economy in covered stadiums. The enormous Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis (opened 1982) was built using a cable system.
Stael Vstal\, Germaine de orig. Anne-Louise-Germaine Necker, Baroness de Stael- Holstein known as Madame de Stael (b. April 22, 1766, Paris,
France—d. July 14, 1817, Paris)
French-Swiss writer, political propa¬ gandist, and salon hostess. She early gained a reputation as a lively wit.
She first became known for Letters on the Works and the Character of J.-J. Rousseau (1788). The most bril¬ liant period of her career began in 1794, when she returned to Paris after the Reign of Terror; her salon, known for its literary and intellectual figures, flourished, and she published political and literary essays, notably A Treatise on the Influence of the Passions upon the Happiness of Individuals and of Nations (1796), an important document of European Romanticism. In 1803 Napoleon, who resented her opposition, had her ban¬ ished from Paris, and she made the family residence in Coppet, Switz., her headquarters. Probably her most important work is Germany (1810), a serious study of German manners, literature and art, philosophy and morals, and religion. Her other writings include novels, plays, moral essays, history, and memoirs.