stare decisis \,ster-e-di-'sl-s3s\ Latin "let the decision stand" In
common aw, the doctrine under which courts adhere to precedent on questions of law in order to ensure certainty, consistency, and stability in the administration of justice. Since no court decision can have universal application, the courts, in practice, must often decide that a previous deci¬ sion does not apply to a particular case even though the facts and issues appear to be closely similar. A strict application of stare decisis may lead to rigidity and to legal hairsplitting, whereas too much flexibility may result in uncertainty.
starfish or sea star Any of 1,800 echinoderm species (class Asteroi- dea) that have regenerable arms surrounding an indistinct disk and that inhabit all oceans. Species range from 0.4 to 25 in. (1-65 cm) across, but most are 8-12 in. (20-30 cm) across. Their arms, usually five, are hol¬ low and, like the disk, covered with short spines and pincerlike organs; on the lower side are tube feet, sometimes sucker-tipped, used for creep¬ ing or clinging to steep surfaces. Some species sweep organic particles into the mouth on the underside of the disk. Others either evert the stom¬ ach upon their prey for external digestion or swallow the prey whole. See illustration above.
Starhemberg Vshtar-om-.berkV Ernst Rudiger, prince von (b.
May 10, 1899, Eferding, Austria—d. March 15, 1956, Schruns) Austrian politician. In 1930 he became leader of the fascist Austrian Heimwehr, a paramilitary defense force, and in 1932 he helped Engelbert Dollfuss form the right-wing coalition called the Fatherland Front. Appointed vice chan¬ cellor in 1934, he sought to maintain a fascist Austrian state that was independent of Nazi Germany. Differences with Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resulted in Starhemberg’s expulsion from the government (May 1936). He fled Austria after the Anschluss (1938). Following a brief period of service early in World War II in the British and Free French air forces, he lived in Argentina (1942-55) before returning to Austria.
Stark, John (b. Aug. 28, 1728, Londonderry, N.H.—d. May 8, 1822, Manchester, N.H., U.S.) American Revolutionary officer. He served in the French and Indian War with Robert Rogers’s Rangers (1754-59). In the American Revolution he fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill and in New Jer¬
Principal features of a starfish. Water for the water vascular system enters through the madreporite and passes into a ring canal and on to radial and lateral canals, from which it enters the tube feet, which are connected to saclike ampullae on top. Contraction of the tube feet forces water into the ampullae, creating suction that allows suckers at the ends of the feet to hold to a surface. When the ampullae con¬ tract, water is forced into the feet, extending them and releasing the suction. These coordinated actions permit movement, attachment, and capture of prey. In many starfish, the cardiac stomach is everted through the mouth on the body's undersur¬ face to envelop prey, and digestion may begin outside the body before the stomach is drawn back in.
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sey. He commanded the militia that defeated the British at the Battle of Bennington, Vt. Promoted to brigadier general of the Continental Army, he helped force the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga and then served in Rhode Island. In 1780 he was a member of the court-martial that condemned Maj. John Andre, who had spied for the British. In 1783 he was made a major general.
starling Any of about 168 species (family Sturnidae) of songbirds of temperate Eurasia, Africa, and Aus¬ tralia. The best-known is Sturnus vulgaris, an 8-in. (20-cm), chunky, iridescent black bird with a long sharp bill. It has been introduced from Eurasia to most parts of the world, except South America. The millions in North America are descendants of 100 birds released in New York City in 1890. Starlings search the ground for a wide range of plant and animal foods and fly in a tight flock. They are vocal year- round, mimicking other birds’ notes and uttering wheezy sounds of their own.
Starling, Ernest Henry (b. April 17, 1866, London, Eng.—d. May 2, 1927, Kingston Harbour, Jam.) British physiologist. His studies of lymph secretion clarified the roles of different pressures in fluid exchanges between vessels and tissues. Starling and William Bayliss showed how nerve impulses control peristalsis and coined the term hormone. Starling also found that water and necessary chemicals filtered out by the kidneys are reabsorbed at the lower end of the nephron. His Principles of Human Physiology (1912), continually revised, was a standard international text.
Starr, Belle orig. Myra Belle Shirley (b. Feb. 5, 1848, Washington county. Mo., U.S.—d. Feb. 3, 1889, near Briartown, Okla.) U.S. outlaw. She grew up in Missouri and later moved to a farm at Scyene, near Dal¬ las, Texas. She bore a child by the outlaw Cole Younger (1844-1916) and another by Jim Reed, with whom she rustled cattle and horses in Texas in 1869. She fashioned herself the “bandit queen,” dressing in velvet and feathers or buckskin and moccasins. In 1880 she became the common-
Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris).
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1814 I Stars and Stripes ► stave church
law wife of Sam Starr, and their Oklahoma ranch became an outlaws’ hideout. Sam was killed in a gunfight in 1886, and Belle herself was later shot down near her ranch.
Stars and Stripes, The Newspaper for U.S. military personnel. It first appeared in single editions during the American Civil War and was revived as a weekly for troops in Europe at the end of World War I. Rees¬ tablished in 1942, first as a weekly and then a daily, it has been published since then in a European edition and since 1945 in a Pacific edition. It has carried the work of many outstanding writers, editors, cartoonists, and photographers. An authorized, unofficial publication of the Department of Defense, it is relatively free of military censorship and control.
START See Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
Stasi \'shta-ze\ officially Staatssicherheit ("State Security")
Secret police of East Germany (1950-90), established with Soviet help by German communists in Soviet-occupied Germany after World War II. It was responsible for both domestic political surveillance and espionage. At its peak, it employed 85,000 officers full-time. Using hundreds of thousands of informers, it monitored one-third of the population. Most of its foreign operations were focused on West Germany—whose governing circles and military and intelligence services it successfully penetrated— and West Germany’s NATO allies. The Stasi was disbanded after German reunification. In 1991 the newly reunified German government passed the Stasi Records Law, under which East German citizens and foreigners were granted the right to view their Stasi files. By the early 21st century, more than 1.5 million individuals had done so.
state Political organization of society, or the body politic, or, more nar¬ rowly, the institutions of government. The state is distinguished from other social groups by its purpose (establishment of order and security), meth¬ ods (its laws and their enforcement), territory (its area of jurisdiction), and sovereignty. In some countries (e.g., the U.S.), the term also refers to nonsovereign political units subject to the authority of the larger state, or federal union.
state, equation of Any of a class of equations that relate the pressure P, volume V, and temperature T of a given substance in thermodynamic equilibrium. For example, the equation PV = nRT, where n is the number of moles of gas and R is the universal gas constant, relates the pressure, vol¬ ume, and temperature of a perfect gas. Real gases, solids, and liquids have more complicated equations of state. See also thermodynamics.