AngryToe

Pacific Ocean, Study and exploration

2006-01-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Andrew Sharp, The Discovery of the Pacific Islands (1960, reprinted 1985), summarizes the work of 121 explorers of the area and their contributions to charting the Pacific. J.C. Beaglehole, The Exploration of the Pacific, 3rd ed. (1966), and The Life of Captain James Cook (1974), are classics on the subject. Ernest S. Dodge, Beyond the Capes: Pacific Exploration from Captain Cook to the Challenger, 1776–1877 (1971), provides a thorough coverage of this important period.

Aurelian

2005-11-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Aurelian, born near the Danube River, had established himself as an army officer when, about 260, from outside pressure and

Brazil, Literature

2005-10-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

Brazil has had many world-renowned literary figures whose cumulative writings are regarded by many to be richer than those of Portugal because of their variety of ethnic and regional themes. Joaquim Machado de Assis, the son of a freed slave, was a leading voice of the 19th century with his romantic novels. In the 20th century the Northeast produced a particularly wide

2005-10-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

Paul Of Thebes, Saint

2005-07-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

According to St. Jerome, his biographer, Paul fled to the Theban desert during the persecution of Christians (249–251) under the Roman emperor Decius. Thereafter, he lived a life of prayer and penitence in a cave, dying at the reputed age of 113. Jerome considered

Sorbian Languages

2005-07-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Also called Lusatian, or Wendish, closely related West Slavic languages or dialects; their small number of speakers in eastern Germany are the survivors of a more extensive medieval language group. The centre of the Upper Sorbian speech area is Bautzen, near the border with the Czech Republic, while Cottbus, near Poland, is the centre for Lower Sorbian. The oldest written record of Sorbian dates from

Computer Virus

2005-07-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

A virus consists of a set of instructions that attaches itself to other computer programs, usually in the computer's operating system,

Hindenburg, Paul Von

2005-07-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hindenburg was the son of a Prussian officer of old Junker (aristocratic)

Indian Shaker Church

2005-06-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

Christianized prophet cult among Northwest American Indians; it is not connected with the Shaker communities developed from the teachings of Ann Lee. In 1881 near Olympia, Wash., John Slocum, a Squaxon logger and a baptized Roman Catholic, reported that he had visited heaven while in a coma and was commissioned to preach a new way of life. The following year his wife, Mary,

Côte D'ivoire, Flag Of

2005-06-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

In the mid-20th century Félix Houphouët-Boigny, an African from the French colony then known as Ivory Coast, served many years as a member of the National Assembly and then of the governing cabinet of France before becoming president of his homeland. He had great admiration for the achievements of French culture, and his country maintained close relations with France.

île-de-france

2005-06-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Région encompassing the north-central French départements of Val-d'Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne, Essonne, and Yvelines and roughly coextensive with the historical region of the Île-de-France. The capital is Paris. The région is bounded by the départements of Eure to the northwest, Oise and Aisne to the north, Marne, Aube, and Yonne

Gender Identity

2005-05-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

An individual's self-conception as being male or female, as distinguished from actual biological sex. For most persons, gender identity and biological characteristics are the same. There are, however, circumstances in which an individual experiences little or no connection between sex and gender; in transsexualism, for example, biological sexual characteristics

D Region

2005-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Lowest ionospheric region, at altitudes of about 70 to 90 km (40 to 55 miles). The D region differs from the other ionospheric regions (denoted E and F) in that its free electrons almost totally disappear during the night because they recombine with oxygen ions to form oxygen molecules. Hence, radio waves cannot then be reflected from it but pass through to the strongly reflecting

Race, Hereditary statuses versus the rise of individualism

2005-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Inheritance as the basis of individual social position is an ancient tenet of human history, extending to some point after the beginnings of agriculture (about 8000–10,000 BCE). Expressions of it are found throughout the world in kinship-based societies where genealogical links determine an individual's status, rights, and obligations. Wills and testaments capture this principle,

Benedetti, Vincent, Comte

2005-03-15T04:03:00.000-08:00

Benedetti studied law in Paris and in 1840 entered consular service. He served in several embassies in Europe and the Middle East between 1845 and 1864, when he was named ambassador to Prussia with instructions from Napoleon III to prevent

Kirchhoff's Circuit Rules

2005-03-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

The first rule, the junction theorem, states that the sum of the currents into a specific junction in the circuit equals the sum of the currents out of the

Anatomy

2005-03-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

A field in the biological sciences concerned with the identification and description of the body structures of living things. Gross anatomy involves the study of major body structures by dissection and observation and in its narrowest sense is concerned only with the human body. �Gross anatomy� customarily refers to the study of those body structures large enough

Water Moss

2005-03-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Also called �Brook Moss, or Fountain Moss� (Fontinalis), genus of mosses belonging to the order Bryales, found in flowing freshwater streams and ponds in temperate regions. About 25 species are native to North America. A brook moss may have shoots 30 to 100 (rarely up to 200) cm (12 to 40 inches) long, and is usually attached to a stone or a tree root. The most common species, F. antipyretica, has long, slender branches covered with glossy,

Raymond Of Pe�afort, Saint

2005-03-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

He studied canon law at Bologna and taught there from 1218 to 1221. Among his works of this period were unpublished annotations

Amin, (muhammad) Al-

2005-03-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

As the son of Harun ar-Rashid, the fifth caliph, and Zubayda, a niece of al-Mansur, the second caliph, al-Amin took precedence in the succession over his elder half brother, al-Ma'mun, whose mother was a Persian slave. In 809, al-Amin succeeded to the caliphate, and al-Ma'mun was vested with the administration of the eastern Khorasan region. Relations

Monchique Mountains

2005-03-03T01:33:00.000-08:00

Portuguese �Serra De Monchique, � low mountain range forming the frontier between Beja and Faro districts, southern Portugal, near Cape Saint Vincent, the southwestern extremity of the Iberian Peninsula. A dissected igneous rock (syenite) massif, its highest point is La Foia (2,960 ft [902 m]). The range is famous for its wild and generally varied plant life, as well as for its spas with medicinal waters (Caldas de

Novella

2005-03-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

Short and well-structured narrative, often realistic and satiric in tone, that influenced the development of the short story and the novel throughout Europe. Originating in Italy during the Middle Ages, the novella was based on local events that were humorous, political, or amorous in nature; the individual tales often were gathered into collections along with

China, Formation of a rival southern government

2005-03-01T02:32:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, in July Sun Yat-sen, supported by part of the Chinese navy and followed by some 100 members of parliament, attempted to organize a rival government in Canton. The initial costs of this undertaking, termed the Movement to Protect the Constitution, probably were supplied by the German consulate in Shanghai. On August 31 the rump parliament in Canton established

Photography, Documentary photography

2005-02-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

At this same period, the documentary photographs of Eug�ne Atget first became known to the public. Beginning around 1898, this French photographer produced approximately 10,000 photographs of Paris and its environs that were direct, straightforward, and poetic in their sympathetic rendering of the very fabric of the city. He photographed shop fronts, buildings, wheeled

Hypothalamus

2005-02-27T02:29:00.000-08:00

The hypothalamus and pituitary

Carisbrooke

2005-02-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Locality on the Isle of Wight, historic county of Hampshire, England. It lies just southwest of Newport. The locality's chief landmark is a great castle on a steep hill that shows three main periods of building - Roman, Norman, and Elizabethan. The remnants of a 3rd-century-CE Roman fort became the site of a Norman castle in the late 11th century. Further walls were added over the

France, History Of, Economy, society, and culture in the 13th century

2005-02-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

The primary social fact of this period is the continued growth of population. All indicators suggest growth - e.g., expansion of old towns, founding of new villages, the rising price of land - but no exact measurements are possible. A register of hearths dating from 1328 has been estimated variously to point to a total population of 15 million to 22 million; the total was probably

Cond�, Louis-henri, 7e Prince De (7th Prince Of), Duc (duke) De Bourbon

2005-02-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

Cond� was the son of Louis III de Cond� and Mademoiselle de Nantes, an illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV. After the death of Louis XIV on Sept. 1, 1715, Cond� became duc de Bourbon and was appointed head of a council of regency by Philippe II, duc d'Orl�ans, regent for King Louis XV. Nevertheless,

France, History Of, Charles Martel and Pepin III the Short

2005-02-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

Pepin II's death in 714 jeopardized Carolingian hegemony. His heir was a grandchild entrusted to the regency of his widow, Plectrude. There was a revolt in Neustria, and Eudes, duke of Aquitaine, used the occasion to increase his holdings and make an alliance with the Neustrians. The Saxons crossed the Rhine and the Arabs crossed the Pyrenees.

Arrangement

2005-02-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

In music, traditionally, any adaptation of a composition to fit a medium other than that for which it was originally written, while at the same time retaining the general character of the original. The word was frequently used interchangeably with transcription, although the latter carried the connotation of elaboration of the original, as in the virtuosic piano

'antar, Romance Of

2005-02-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tales of chivalry centred on the black Arab desert poet and warrior 'Antarah ibn Shaddad, one of the poets of the celebrated pre-Islamic collection Al-Mu'allaqat. It was composed anonymously between the 8th and the 12th century, though the Romance itself credits the 9th-century philologist al-Asma'i with its authorship. Written in rhymed prose (saj') interspersed with 10,000 poetic verses,

Cort�s, Hern�n, Marqu�s Del Valle De Oaxaca

2005-02-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

Cort�s was the son of Mart�n Cort�s de Monroy and of Do�a Catalina Pizarro Altamarino - names of ancient lineage. �They had little wealth, but much honour,� according to Cort�s's secretary,

Akure

2005-02-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the southern part of the forested Yoruba Hills and at the intersection of roads from Ondo, Ilesha, Ado-Ekiti, and Owo. Akure is an agricultural trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), bananas, rice, palm oil and kernels, okra, and pumpkins grown by the Ondo branch of the Yoruba people. Although cocoa is by far

Saint Austell

2005-02-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Town, Restormel borough, administrative and historic county of Cornwall, southwestern England. St. Austell was originally called Trenance and takes its present name from a hermit named St. Austol. England's most important kaolin (china clay) deposits are dug in the area, then processed at St. Austell, and shipped from the nearby port of Fowey. Many people are employed

Tibet, Plant and animal life

2005-02-17T04:31:00.000-08:00

The windswept Ch'iang-t'ang is devoid of trees and larger forms of vegetation. Its arid climate supports little except grasses. The varied plant life of Tibet is found in the river valleys and in the lower, wetter regions of the south and southeast. Plant life includes willows, poplars, several types of conifers, teak, rhododendrons, oaks, birches, elms, bamboo, sugarcane,

X Ray

2005-02-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest applications

Apse

2005-02-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �apsis�, plural �apsides� in astronomy, either of the two points on an elliptical orbit that are nearest to, and farthest from, the focus, or centre of attraction. The line of apsides, connecting the two points, is the major axis of the orbit. The point nearest the focus is the pericentre, or periapsis, and that farthest from it is the apocentre, or apoapsis. Specific terms can be used for individual

Reid, Whitelaw

2005-02-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

U.S. journalist, diplomat, and politician, successor to Horace Greeley in 1872 as editor in chief (until 1905) and publisher (until his death) of the New York Tribune, which, during much of that period, was perhaps the most influential newspaper in the United States. He was minister to France from 1889 to 1892, unsuccessful candidate for vice president on the

Romano, Luis

2005-02-13T03:40:00.000-08:00

Romano's writings

Ryle, Sir Martin

2005-02-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

British radio astronomer who developed revolutionary radio telescope systems and used them for accurate location of weak radio sources. With improved equipment, he observed the most distant known galaxies of the universe. Ryle and Antony Hewish shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, the first Nobel prize

Nurhachi

2005-02-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Juchen (Jurchen) were a Tungus people who belonged to those border groups at the periphery of the Chinese empire that normally were under the influence of

Cinecitt�

2005-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

The studios were rebuilt after the war,

Han Hsiang

2005-02-09T23:53:00.000-08:00

Pinyin �Han Xiang, � in Chinese mythology, one of the Pa Hsien, the Eight Immortals of Taoism. He desired to make flowers bloom in an instant and to produce fine-tasting wine without using grain. When his uncle scoffed at the idea, Han Hsiang performed the impossible before his uncle's eyes: flowers suddenly appeared in bloom from a clod of earth. In addition, a mysterious poem of 14 golden characters

Densusianu, Ovid

2005-02-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

Educated at Iasi and later in Berlin and Paris, Densusianu was appointed professor of Romance languages at the University of Bucharest. Strongly influenced by western European Symbolism, he opposed the bucolic school

Caribou

2005-02-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

City, Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Aroostook River, near the New Brunswick border, 13 miles (21 km) north of Presque Isle. Settled in 1824, it developed as a lumbering centre and was incorporated in 1859 as Lyndon. It was renamed Caribou in 1877 for the woodland caribou once plentiful in the region. The city is the shipping point for a large potato-growing region.

Apur�mac River

2005-02-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

Spanish �R�o Apur�mac, � river in southern Peru. Owing to its lengthy Andean tributaries, it is the farthermost source of the Amazon River. Arising at roughly 17,000 feet (5,200 m) from the snowmelts of Mount Mismi in Arequipa departamento, Peru, it flows northwest through the Andes, descending to less than 860 feet (260 m) to join the Urubamba and form the Ucayali River. For most of its 430-mile (700-kilometre) length, it flows

Soto

2005-02-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

The sect was founded in China in the 9th century by Liang-chieh and Pen-chi, where it was known as Ts'ao-tung (after its monastic centres on the mountains Ts'ao and Tung). It was transmitted to Japan by Dogen, who founded the Eihei Temple

Ear, Human, Eustachian tube

2005-02-04T03:23:00.000-08:00

The eustachian tube, about 45 millimetres (1.75 inches) long, leads downward and inward from the tympanum to the nasopharynx, the space that is behind and continuous with the nasal passages and is above the soft palate. At its upper end the tube is narrow and surrounded by bone. Nearer the pharynx it widens and becomes cartilaginous. Its mucous lining, which is continuous with

Cole, Johnnetta

2005-02-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Among Cole's early influences in education were her mother, who taught college English, pioneering educator Mary MacLeod Bethune, and writer Arna Bontemps, who was the school librarian at Fisk University when Cole matriculated at age 15. She

Berdychiv

2005-02-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Russian �Berdichev, or Berdicev, � city, Zhytomyr oblast (province), northwestern Ukraine. Founded in 1482 as a Lithuanian fortress, Berdychiv was Polish from 1569 until 1793. The 16th-century fortress walls survive, as does the Roman Catholic church in which the French novelist Honor� de Balzac married Eveline Hanska, a wealthy Russian widow, in 1850 after an 18-year courtship. Before 1917 an important trading centre, Berdychiv

Piciform, Vocalizations

2005-02-01T04:05:00.000-08:00

The voices of Piciformes are rarely melodious and are often harsh or strident. The vocalizations of jacamars are squeaky, the notes sometimes being run together into a trill. Whistles or trills may be alternated or mixed, forming a simple song. Puffbirds are relatively quiet, producing thin whistles, peeps, and twitters. The vocalizations of toucans are loud and often

Adam, Robert

2005-01-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

Having nearly exhausted his money and anxious to return to England, Adam had to forgo the pleasures of further expeditions to Greece and Egypt. He returned to London in January 1758, his head full of details of Roman antiquities. Palladianism was losing its appeal, and the public was ready for a new architectural style. Adam lost no time in making his reputation, and by the

Bomu River

2005-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Also called �Mbomou, � in the Central African Republic, headstream of the Ubangi River. The Bomu River rises 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Doruma, Congo (Kinshasa), and flows 450 miles (725 km) west, forming, together with the Ubangi, the frontier between Congo and the Central African Republic. Its course takes it in a wide curve through savannas, past Bangassou, to join the Uele River at Yakoma, where it forms the

Rectocele

2005-01-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

Disorder in which the rectum bulges into the back wall of the vagina. It is caused when the muscles and connective tissues supporting the rectum and back wall of the vagina are weakened, usually due to repeated childbirth or to aging, and the rectum sags until it abuts the vagina. A rectocele often occurs together with an enterocele, which is a bulge of the small

Rourke, Constance Mayfield

2005-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

After earning an A.B. from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., (1907) and studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, Rourke taught English at Vassar. In 1915 she resigned, thereafter working as a research historian and free-lance writer devoted to defining the historical aspects

Philip I

2005-01-27T02:49:00.000-08:00

Son of Philip of Burgundy, he inherited the duchy upon the death of his grandfather, Eudes IV, and inherited the countships upon the death of his grandmother, Joan of France. His mother, Joan of Boulogne, who subsequently married the king of France, John II, ruled Philip's

Creativity

2005-01-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Many creative people show a strong interest in apparent disorder, contradiction, and imbalance; they often seem to consider asymmetry and disorder a challenge. At times creative persons give an impression of psychological imbalance, but immature personality traits may be an extension of a generalized receptivity to a wider-than-normal range of experience and

Meletius Of Lycopolis

2005-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

For presuming to ordain clergy and bishops for Christian

Augsburg Confession

2005-01-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

Latin �Confessio Augustana, � the 28 articles that constitute the basic confession of the Lutheran churches, presented June 25, 1530, in German and Latin at the Diet of Augsburg to the emperor Charles V by seven Lutheran princes and two imperial free cities. The principal author was the Reformer Philipp Melanchthon, who drew on earlier Lutheran statements of faith. The purpose was to defend the Lutherans

B�rger, Gottfried August

2005-01-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

B�rger was educated in theology at the University of Halle and in law at the University of G�ttingen. It was in G�ttingen that he first

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Jude

2005-01-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Letter of Jude, after a salutation that attributes it to Jude, the brother of James, and addresses itself to the church as a whole, develops the theme of the short letter - a polemic against heretics who have abandoned the transmitted traditional faith and who will thus be judged by the Lord. They deny Christ, and punishment similar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah in the

Basalt

2005-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

Some basalts are quite glassy (tachylytes), and many are very fine-grained and compact; it is more usual, however, for them to exhibit porphyritic structure, with larger crystals (phenocrysts) of olivine, augite, or feldspar in a finely crystalline

Amiternum

2005-01-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

In ancient Italy, a Sabine town 5 miles (8 km) north of present L'Aquila in the Aterno (ancient Aternus) River valley. It was stormed by the Romans in 293 BC, but the fertility of its fields helped it to regain its prosperity under the empire (after 27 BC). The Roman historian Sallust was born there in 86 BC. Amiternum was located at the junction of four roads - the Via Caecilia, the Via Claudia Nova,

Marechal, Leopoldo

2005-01-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

In the early 1920s, Marechal was part of the literary group responsible for Mart�n Fierro and Proa, Ultraista journals that revolutionized Argentine letters. His first book of poems, Aguiluchos (1922; �Eaglets�), employed Modernista techniques in the treatment

Disciples Of Christ

2005-01-18T02:06:00.000-08:00

The Churches of Christ emphasize rigorous adherence to the New Testament as the model for Christian faith, practice, and fellowship. They

Skeletal System, Human

2005-01-17T02:39:00.000-08:00

The internal skeleton that serves as a framework for the body. This framework consists of many individual bones and cartilages. There also are bands of fibrous connective tissue, the ligaments and tendons, in intimate relationship with the parts of the skeleton. This article is concerned primarily with the gross structure and the function of the skeleton of the

Setter

2005-01-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

The English setter has served as a hunter for more than 400 years and has been bred in its present form since about 1825. Characteristically

Calamy, Edmund

2005-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

English Presbyterian theologian who contributed significantly to the writings of Smectymnuus (1641), the pen name under which was published the Calvinists' famous reply to the Anglican apology for bishops and liturgical worship in the church. The leader of the Presbyterian ascendancy in Parliament during the Commonwealth (1643 - 53), he

Strachwitz, Moritz (karl Wilhelm Anton), Graf Von

2005-01-14T00:34:00.000-08:00

After studying in Breslau and Berlin, Strachwitz settled on his estate in Moravia, where he did his writing. He was involved with a Berlin literary club, Tunnel �

Lenbach, Franz Von

2005-01-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

In 1857 Lenbach became a pupil of Karl von Piloty, with whom he traveled in Italy. The works of this first journey were painted from nature and were frequently attacked for their �trivial realism.� From 1863 to

Lahti

2005-01-12T22:27:00.000-08:00

City, H�meen (H�me) l��ni (province), southern Finland. It lies at the southern end of Vesi Lake, northeast of Helsinki. Founded in 1878, it was incorporated in 1905. A developing industrial centre linked to the rest of Finland by major rail, road, and lake routes, it produces most of the nation's furniture, as well as numerous other wood products, and has glassworks, breweries, and clothing

Canary Islands

2005-01-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Spanish �Islas Canarias � comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�) of Spain, consisting of an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the nearest island being 67 miles (108 km) off the northwest African mainland. The Canaries comprise the Spanish provincias of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as the insular councils of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, and

Police, The

2005-01-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

British-American new-wave band that blended reggae, jazz, funk, punk, and world music influences into hook-laden pop-rock. Five best-selling albums, a bevy of hits, and aggressive touring - including stops in countries usually overlooked by Western pop musicians - combined to make the Police the world's most popular band in the early 1980s. The members were Sting (original name

Rupert's Land

2005-01-09T01:52:00.000-08:00

Also called �Prince Rupert's Land, � historic region in northern and western Canada. The name was applied to the territory comprising the drainage basin of Hudson Bay, granted by King Charles II in 1670 to the Hudson's Bay Company. Prince Rupert, cousin of Charles, was the first governor of the company, whence the name. Rupert's Land ceased to exist as a territorial entity in 1869, when the land became part of the Dominion

France, History Of, The Second Empire, 1852 - 70

2005-01-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

Posterity's image of Napoleon III and his regime has not been uniform. Some historians have seen him as a shallow opportunist whose only asset was a glorious name. Others have described him as a visionary reformer and patron of progress, a man who successfully attempted to reconcile liberty and authority, national prestige and European cooperation. The emperor's

Yacht

2005-01-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Early sailing yachts followed the lines of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century until the second half of the 19th century. The design of large yachts was first greatly affected by the success of America, which was designed by George Steers for a syndicate headed by John C. Stevens and was the boat for which the America's Cup (q.v.) was named

Weather Forecasting, Upper-air observations by means of balloon-borne sounding equipment

2005-01-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Once again technology provided the means with which to test the new scientific ideas and stimulate yet newer ones. During the late 1920s and '30s, several groups of investigators (those headed by Yrj� V�is�l� of Finland and Pavel Aleksandrovich Malchanov of the Soviet Union, for example) began using small radio transmitters with balloon-borne instruments, eliminating

Dubayy

2005-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Dubai� constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States or Trucial Oman). The second most populous and second largest state of the federation (area 1,510 square miles [3,900 square km]), it is roughly rectangular, with a frontage of about 45 miles (72 km) on the Persian Gulf. The capital, Dubayy town, the largest town of the federation, is on a small creek in the northeast part

Shamanism, Eskimo

2005-01-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Shamanism predominates in the religious life of the Eskimo. The chief prerogatives of the Eskimo shaman (angakok; plural ang�kut) are healing, the ecstatic underwater journey to the Mother of Animals for the purpose of assuring an abundance of game, and the aid he brings to barren women. Sickness is brought on by the violation of taboos or results from the capture of

'aflaq, Michel

2005-01-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

'Aflaq first saw nationalism as centring upon the issue of imperialism; he especially resented the French, who after World War I (1914 - 18) held a mandate over Syria and Lebanon. In 1929 - 34, however, he studied at the University

B�jart, Maurice

2005-01-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

After studies in Paris, B�jart toured with the Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit (1947 - 49), the International Ballet (1949 - 50), and the Royal Swedish Ballet (1951 - 52). In 1954 he founded Les Ballets

Radewyns, Florentius

2005-01-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Prague, Radewyns returned to Leerdam

Knappertsbusch, Hans

2004-12-31T09:15:00.000-08:00

At his family's urging, Knappertsbusch studied philosophy at the University of Bonn. However, he also pursued his interest in music and in 1908 began studying at the Cologne Conservatory under Fritz Steinbach

Russell, William Russell, Lord

2004-12-30T01:37:00.000-08:00

English Whig politician executed for allegedly plotting to murder King Charles II and his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York. Because the charges against Russell were never conclusively proved, he was lauded as a martyr by the Whigs, who claimed that he was put to death in retaliation for his efforts to exclude James from succession to

Tlalpan

2004-12-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

Delegaci�n, central distrito federal (�federal district�), central Mexico. At 1,425 feet (2,294 m) above sea level in the Valley of Mexico, it is on the northeastern slopes of the extinct Cerro Ajusco volcano. In the district are remains of a pre-Columbian town, and 1.5 miles (2.5 km) west of Tlalpan is the Cuicuilco Pyramid, considered to be the oldest man-made structure on the North American continent

Saint Bernard

2004-12-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

Working dog credited with saving the lives of some 2,500 people in 300 years of service as pathfinder and rescue dog at the hospice founded by St. Bernard of Montjoux in Great St. Bernard Pass in the Pennine Alps. Probably descended from mastifflike dogs that were introduced from Asia to Europe by the Romans, the St. Bernard appears to have been brought to the hospice in the late

Mone, Jean

2004-12-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

Mone worked from 1512 to 1513 in Aix-en-Provence on sculptures for that city's cathedral. From 1517 to 1519 he collaborated

Swahili Language

2004-12-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

People who speak Swahili as their sole mother tongue are usually

Economic Affairs

2004-12-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

Amid a global financial crisis and intense efforts to prepare for the introduction of the European Union common currency (the euro) and the computer problem caused by the year 2000 date change, industrywide consolidation both within and across national borders continued to reshape the financial services landscape in 1998. At the same time, 1998 was marked by ongoing efforts

Benedetto Da Majano

2004-12-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

He was greatly influenced by the Florentine sculptors Desiderio da Settignano and Antonio Rossellino. His earliest surviving work is the shrine of S. Savino (1468 - 72) in the Faenza cathedral. Between 1470 and 1475 he was engaged on the

Farrukh Beg

2004-12-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

A Kalmyk of Central Asia, Farrukh Beg first worked at Kabul under Mirza Hakim, the half brother of the Mughal emperor Akbar. After Hakim died Farrukh Beg joined Akbar's service (1585). His earliest paintings are strongly Persian in character, and he continued to be a

Mohammed, Warith Deen

2004-12-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

The seventh son of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, Mohammed was marked for leadership of the society even before his birth. The founder

Christ The King, Feast Of

2004-12-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

Festival celebrated in the Roman Catholic church in honour of Jesus Christ as lord over all creation. Essentially a magnification of the Feast of the Ascension, it was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Originally, it was celebrated on the last Sunday in October, but in the revised liturgical calendar promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, it was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary

Reservoir

2004-12-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

Changes in weather cause the natural flow of streams and rivers to vary greatly with time. Periods of excess flows and valley flooding may alternate with low flows or droughts. The role of water-storage reservoirs, therefore,

Interior Design, Design relationships

2004-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

The real and conscious relationship between art, architecture, and design is of long standing. Though mural painting was largely neglected in the mid-20th century, in the past great murals have been the planned focal points of interiors and have in a way determined the architecture. Similarly, sculpture or sculptural forms, as fixed and permanent spects of buildings,

Light

2004-12-18T02:40:00.000-08:00

Electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. In terms of wavelength, electromagnetic radiation occurs over an extremely wide range, from gamma rays with a wavelength of 3 � 10-14 centimetre to long radio waves measured in millions of kilometres. In that spectrum the wavelengths visible to humans occupy a very narrow band, from about 7 � 10-5 centimetre (red light)

Insurance, Conditions

2004-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Homeowner's policies may include the following conditions: (1) Owners are required to give immediate written notice of loss to the insurer or the insurer's agent. (2) The insured must provide proof of the amount of loss. This suggests that owners should keep accurate records of the items in a building and of their original cost. (3) The insured must cooperate with the insurer

Watertown

2004-12-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Litchfield county, west-central Connecticut, U.S., on the Naugatuck River immediately northwest of the city of Waterbury. The site was settled in 1701, and in 1738 the community was organized as Westbury, an ecclesiastical society of Waterbury. It was separated and incorporated as Watertown in 1780 and includes the village of Oakville. Several 18th-century houses are

General Motors Corporation

2004-12-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

(GM)� American corporation that became the world's largest vehicle manufacturer in 1931 and maintained that status into the 21st century. It also ranks among the world's largest industrial corporations. GM was founded in 1908 to consolidate several motorcar companies and today operates manufacturing and assembly plants and distribution centres throughout the United States

Shansi, Industry

2004-12-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

Most of the province's industries are concentrated in the T'ai-y�an - Y�-tz'u region. The iron and steel industry produces ingot steel, pig iron, and finished steel products. Heavy machinery, industrial chemicals, and chemical fertilizers are produced, as are cement, paper, textiles, milled flour, and wine. Other iron and steel centres include Yang-ch'�an, Ch'ang-chih, Ta-t'ung