EarlyFork

Nanshe

2005-10-16T03:10:00.000-07:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian city goddess of Nina (modern Surghul, Iraq) in the southeastern part of the Lagash region of Mesopotamia. According to tradition, Nanshe's father Enki (Akkadian: Ea) organized the universe and placed her in charge of fish and fishing. Nanshe was also described as a divine soothsayer and dream interpreter. Although at times overshadowed

Breckinridge, John C(abell)

2005-07-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

The common fig (Ficus carica) is cultivated for its pear-shaped, edible fruits, which

Irish Potato Famine

2005-07-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

Also called Great Potato Famine, Great Irish Famine, or Famine Of 1845–49, famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845–49 when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop failures were caused by late blight (q.v.), a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant. The causative agent of late blight is the fungus Phytophthora infestans. The Irish Potato Famine was the worst famine to occur in Europe in the

Cartan, élie-joseph

2005-07-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

In 1894 Cartan became a lecturer at the University of Montpellier, where he studied the structure of continuous groups introduced by the noted Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie. He later examined theories of equivalence

Reflex

2005-06-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

Many reflexes of placental mammals appear to be innate. They are hereditary and are a common feature of the species and often of the genus. Reflexes include not only such simple

Qadi

2005-06-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Cadi, or Kadi, Arabic Qadi, a Muslim judge who renders decisions according to the Shari'ah, the canon law of Islam. The qadi hears only religious cases such as those involving inheritance, pious bequests (waqf), marriage, and divorce, though theoretically his jurisdiction extends to both civil and criminal matters. Originally, the qadi's work was restricted to nonadministrative tasks—arbitrating

Rhizopod

2005-05-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Any member of the protozoan superclass Rhizopoda. Three types of pseudopodia (cytoplasmic extensions) used in locomotion and digestion are found in members of this superclass: (1) long, thin reticulopodia, which fuse into a network; (2) nonfusing filopodia, similar to reticulopodia; and (3) blunt and fingerlike lobopodia (the pseudopodia formed by Amoeba). Tests (protective

Bondi, Sir Hermann

2005-05-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Bondi received his M.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge. During World War II he worked in the British Admiralty (1942–45). He then taught mathematics at Cambridge (1945–54) and at King's College, London (1954–85; emeritus 1985); he served as master of Churchill

Kwangsi, Resources

2005-05-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

The region has sufficient coal and iron deposits to support moderate industrial development. Coal is mined north of Kuei-lin and south of Liu-chou. Iron is mined in the area near the Kwangtung–Hunan border as well as in southeastern Kwangsi. Other exploited mineral resources include tin (of which Kwangsi is a major producer), tungsten, manganese, and antimony. Moderate

World War I, The Serbian campaign, 1914

2005-05-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

The first Austrian invasion of Serbia was launched with numerical inferiority (part of one of the armies originally destined for the Balkan front having been diverted to the Eastern Front on August 18); and the able Serbian commander, Radomir Putnik, brought the invasion to an early end by his victories on the Cer Mountain (August 15–20) and at Šabac (August 21–24). In early September,

Elgin, Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl Of

2005-03-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

He was the son of the 8th earl and was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford. In politics a Liberal of right-wing tendencies, Elgin was first commissioner of works under William Gladstone in 1886. Emulating his father, whom he succeeded in 1863, he became viceroy of India in 1894. His viceroyalty

Devils Postpile National Monument

2005-03-14T00:49:00.000-08:00

The monument's most notable feature is the Devils Postpile

San Andr�s Tuxtla

2005-03-11T05:28:00.003-08:00

Also called �ringtail � any of two to seven species (depending on the authority) of small, nocturnal carnivores constituting the genus Procyon (family Procyonidae) and characterized by bushy, ringed tails. The typical North American raccoon, or �coon� (Procyon lotor; see photograph), is a stout animal with short legs, pointed muzzle, and small, erect ears. It is 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) long, including

San Andr�s Tuxtla

2005-03-11T05:28:00.002-08:00

San Andr�s Tuxtla

2005-03-11T05:28:00.001-08:00

San Andr�s Tuxtla

2005-03-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

La Fontaine, Jean De

2005-03-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

La Fontaine was born in the Champagne region into a bourgeois family. There, in 1647, he married an heiress, Marie H�ricart, but they separated in 1658. From 1652 to 1671 he held office as an inspector of forests and waterways, an office inherited from his father. It was in Paris, however, that he made his most important contacts and spent his most productive years as a writer. An outstanding

Cabimas

2005-03-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Zulia estado (�state�), northwestern Venezuela. It lies on the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo and is an important centre for the Ambrosio oil fields. Just to the south of the city is La Salina refinery. Cabimas is linked by highway to other oil centres on the lakeshore and, via the General Urdaneta Bridge, to Maracaibo, 20 miles (30 km) to the northwest across

Rabbit

2005-03-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

Rabbits are ground dwellers that live

Eclogite

2005-03-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

Any member of a small group of igneous and metamorphic rocks whose composition is similar to that of basalt. Eclogites consist primarily of green pyroxene (omphacite) and red garnet (pyrope), with small amounts of various other stable minerals - e.g., olivine and diopside. They are formed when volcanic or metamorphic rocks rich in such mafic minerals are subjected to

Carnivore

2005-03-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Any member of the order Carnivora, literally �meat eaters.� The order includes 10 families of living mammals: Canidae (dogs, wolves, jackals, and foxes), Ursidae (bears), Procyonidae (raccoons), Mustelidae (skunks, mink, weasels, badgers, and otters), Viverridae (civets and mongooses), Hyaenidae (hyenas), Felidae (cats), Otariidae (eared seals), Odobenidae (walrus), and Phocidae (earless seals).

Omen

2005-03-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Observed phenomenon that is interpreted as signifying good or bad fortune. In ancient times omens were numerous and varied and included, for instance, lightning, cloud movements, the flight of birds, and the paths of certain sacred animals. Within each type of sign were minor subdivisions, such as the different kinds of bird in flight or the direction of flight in relation

Recidivism

2005-03-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

Tendency toward chronic criminal behaviour leading to numerous arrests and re-imprisonment. Studies of the yearly intake of prisons, reformatories, and jails in the United States and Europe show that from one-half to two-thirds of those imprisoned have served previous sentences in the same or in other institutions. The conclusion is that the criminal population

Arno River

2005-02-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

Italian �Fiume Arno, �Latin �Arnus, � principal stream of the Toscana (Tuscany) region, in central Italy. Rising on the slopes of Monte Falterona in the Tuscan Apennines, it flows for 150 mi (240 km) to the Ligurian Sea, receiving the Sieve, Pesa, Elsa, and Era rivers. Its drainage basin covers 3,184 sq mi (8,247 sq km). Navigation on the river is negligible. In its upper course the Arno flows generally south through the former lake basin

Selenga River

2005-02-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Delger rises in the Sangilen Mountains on the border between Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva, and the headwaters of the Ider lie in the Hangayn Mountains in

Johannsen, Wilhelm Ludvig

2005-02-26T02:37:00.000-08:00

Danish botanist and geneticist whose experiments in plant heredity offered strong support to the mutation theory of the Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries (that changes in heredity come about through sudden, discrete changes of the heredity units in germ cells). Many geneticists thought Johannsen's ideas dealt a severe blow to Charles

Choiseul, �tienne-fran�ois De Choiseul, Duc De (duke Of )

2005-02-25T00:36:00.000-08:00

Choiseul, the son of Fran�ois-Joseph de Choiseul, Marquis de Stainville, adopted the title Count de Stainville, entered the French army, and served with distinction against the British and Austrians in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 - 48). At the end of the conflict,

Manas Wild Life Sanctuary

2005-02-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

Also called �Kamrup Sanctuary, � wildlife sanctuary in western Assam state, eastern India. It is situated at the foot of the Himalayas on the eastern bank of the Manas River, 92 miles (153 km) west of Gauhati town. Established in 1928, it has an area of 151 square miles (391 square km) and lies in a dense, mixed semievergreen, evergreen, and wet-deciduous forest region. The southern part of the preserve is grassland. Wildlife includes

Plainview

2005-02-23T02:49:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1888) of Hale county, northwestern Texas, U.S. It lies on the Llano Estacado, a portion of the High Plains between Amarillo and Lubbock (40 miles [65 km] south). The site was surveyed in 1887 by Z.T. Maxwell and E.L. Lowe, who named it Plainview because of the unbroken view to the horizon. The settlement remained a trading post for cattlemen until the railroad arrived in 1907, when it was incorporated

Coving

2005-02-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

Rococo architecture exploits

Aleixandre, Vicente

2005-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Aleixandre was the son of a railway engineer. He studied law and business management and from 1920 to 1922 taught commercial law. He became seriously ill in 1925 and during

Paraguay, Relief

2005-02-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

The Regi�n Oriental, with an area of about 61,700 square miles, is an extension of the Brazilian Plateau and

Yana

2005-02-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

There were four Yana divisions - Northern, Central, and Southern Yana, as well as

Aunis

2005-02-18T02:24:00.000-08:00

Ancient province (pays) of western France, corresponding to the northern part of the modern d�partement of Charente-Maritime with the southern part of Deux-S�vres. Subjected, from the 10th century on, to the counts of Poitiers, Aunis shared the political fortunes of neighbouring Poitou. In the pre-Revolutionary period it constituted, together with the islands of R�

Culmann, Carl

2005-02-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

In 1841 Culmann entered the Bavarian civil service as a cadet bridge engineer with the Hof railway construction division. He was eventually appointed professor of engineering sciences at the

Aristarchus Of Samos

2005-02-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

Aristarchus' advanced ideas on the movement of the Earth are known from Archimedes and Plutarch; his only extant work is a short treatise, �On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon.� The values

Mammal, Reproductive system

2005-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

The testes of mammals descend from the abdominal cavity to lie in a compartmented pouch termed the scrotum. In some species the testes are permanently scrotal and the scrotum is sealed off from the general abdominal cavity. In others the testes migrate to the scrotum only during the breeding season. It is thought that the temperature of the abdominal cavity is too

Earlham College

2005-02-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Richmond, Ind., U.S. It is affiliated with the Society of Friends (Quakers). A four-year liberal arts college, it offers bachelor's degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, religion, fine arts, and natural sciences. About three-fourths of the students spend a term in an off-campus study program, including

Lockwood, Belva Ann

2005-02-13T03:06:00.000-08:00

Belva Bennett attended country schools until she was 15 and then taught in them until her marriage in 1848 to Uriah H. McNall, who died in 1853. She then resumed teaching and continued her own education. She graduated from Genesee College

Elgin, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl Of, 11th Earl Of Kincardine

2005-02-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Third son of Charles Bruce, the 5th earl (1732 - 71), he succeeded his brother William Robert, the 6th earl, in 1771 at the age of five. Entering the army in 1785 and rising later to the rank of major general, Elgin began his diplomatic career in 1790. Envoy at Brussels

Byron Bay

2005-02-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated on Cape Byron, easternmost point of the Australian mainland, which shelters Byron Bay and was discovered in 1770 by Captain James Cook, who named it after Commodore (later Admiral) John Byron, grandfather of the poet Lord Byron. Founded in 1860 as a timber port, Byron Bay was declared a town in 1896 and a shire in 1906. Before

Balassi, B�lint

2005-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Balassi was born into one of the richest Protestant families of the country and lived an adventurous life, fighting against the Turks and against his own relatives, who sought to despoil him of his heritage.

Yakovlev, Aleksandr Sergeyevich

2005-02-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

After graduation from the Air Force Engineering Academy in 1931, Yakovlev immediately began to design aircraft, both piston- and jet-engined. Just before World War II he designed the Yak-1 fighter. His first jet

France, History Of, France since 1815

2005-02-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Volumes 2 and 3 of the already mentioned Alfred Cobban, A History of Modern France, 3 vol. (1957 - 62, reprinted 1969), present the period from the First Empire to the Republics in a sophisticated synthesis; and Gordon Wright, France in Modern Times: From the Enlightenment to the Present, 4th ed. (1987), is an interpretive general survey. Appropriate parts of the massive collective work Histoire �conomique et sociale de la France, 4 vol. in 8 (1970 - 82), Fernand Braudel and Ernest Labrousse (eds.), provide coverage by some of the best French experts of economic and social developments up to the last quarter of the 20th century. Surveys of special topics on all or most of the period since 1815 include Ren� R�mond, The Right Wing in France from 1815 to De Gaulle, 2nd ed. (1969; originally published in French, 3rd ed., 1968; rev. French ed., 1982), tracing change and continuity of the political right; G�rard Cholvy and Yves-Marie Hilaire, Histoire religieuse de la France contemporaine, 3 vol. (1985 - 88), an analysis of the role of various religions; and Raoul Girardet, La Soci�t� militaire dans la France contemporaine, 1815 - 1939 (1953), on the changing role and composition of the military corps. The role of France in world affairs is emphasized in Pierre Renouvin, Le XIXe, 2 vol. (1954 - 55), on the developments of the 19th century, part of the series �Histoire des relations internationales.� Fran�ois Caron, An Economic History of Modern France, trans. from French (1979, reissued 1983), revises older views about France's rate of growth; Theodore Zeldin, France, 1848 - 1945, 2 vol. (1973 - 77), explores modern French society, stressing its complexity and continuity; and Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France (1976), argues that a sense of nationhood came to rural France only in the late 19th century. Period studies include Guillaume de Bertier de Sauvigny, The Bourbon Restoration (1966, originally published in French, 1955), the standard work on the period 1815 - 1830; David H. Pinkney, Decisive Years in France, 1840 - 1847 (1986), arguing that France changed fundamentally in these years; Roger Price, The French Second Republic: A Social History (1972), a thoughtful reevaluation; Ted W. Margadant, French Peasants in Revolt: The Insurrection of 1851 (1979), suggesting that leftist views remained vigorous after 1848; J.P.T. Bury, Napol�on III and the Second Empire (1964), a well-informed analysis; Michael Howard, The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870 - 1871 (1961, reissued 1981), a model study; and Stewart Edwards, The Paris Commune, 1871 (1971), a balanced reevaluation. Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant Garde in France, 1885 to World War I, rev. ed. (1968, reissued 1984), is a brilliant survey of Parisian culture of the period; and Charles Rearick, Pleasures of the Belle Epoque: Entertainment and Festivity in Turn-of-the-Century France (1985), describes the high life in Monmartre. D.W. Brogan, France Under the Republic: The Development of Modern France, 1870 - 1939 (1940, reprinted 1974), is a classic account; Jacques Chastenet, Histoire de la Troisi�me R�publique, 7 vol. (1952 - 63, reissued in 4 vol., 1974), remains the most detailed treatment of the period; David Thomson, Democracy in France Since 1870, 5th ed. (1969), offers a penetrating study of political and social aspects; and Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus (1986; originally published in French, 1983), provides a highly readable account of the great crisis. For the 20th century, see Eugen Weber, Action Fran�aise: Royalism and Reaction in Twentieth Century France (1962), a full analysis of this right-wing movement; Zeev Sternhell, La Droite R�volutionnaire, 1885 - 1914: les origines fran�aises du fascisme (1978, reprinted 1984), a controversial argument that fascism was born in France; Marc Ferro, The Great War, 1914 - 1918 (1973, reissued 1987; originally published in French, 1969), a good synthesis; Robert O. Paxton, Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order, 1940 - 1944 (1972, reissued 1982), a critical analysis of the P�tain regime; Jean-Baptiste Duroselle, La D�cadence, 1932 - 1939, 3rd rev. ed. (1985), and L'Ab�me: 1939 - 1945, 2nd rev. ed. (1986), two volumes of devastating analysis of French foreign policy before and during World War II; Charles de Gaulle, War Memoirs, 5 vol. (1955 - 60; originally published in French, 1954 - 59), and Memoirs of Hope: Renewal and Endeavor (1971; originally published in French, 2 vol., 1970 - 71), indispensable for an understanding of the Gaullist era; Jean Lacouture, Charles de Gaulle, 3 vol. (1984 - 86), a full and perceptive biography; Philip M. Williams, Crisis and Compromise: Politics in the Fourth Republic, 3rd ed. (1964, reissued 1972), an excellent account of that system of government; Pierre Viansson-Pont�, Histoire de la r�publique gaullienne, 2 vol. (1970 - 71, reissued in 1 vol., 1984), on the Fifth Republic's Gaullist phase; Stanley Hoffmann et al., In Search of France (1963), an analysis of postwar France; George Ross, Stanley Hoffmann, and Sylvia Malzacher (eds.), The Mitterrand Experiment: Continuity and Change in Modern France (1987), a study of the socialist years; and Alfred Grosser, Affaires ext�rieures: la politique de la France, 1944 - 1989 (1989), a penetrating analysis of postwar France's role in the world.

Grace, William Gilbert

2005-02-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

In his career in first-class

Agung, Abulfatah

2005-02-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Agung encouraged English and French trade but successfully opposed Dutch expansion into the area in the early part of his reign. In the 1670s, however, when he attempted to change the succession to his throne from his older son Sultan Haji to his younger son, Haji revolted and with Dutch help seized the throne. Haji

Furniture, Cupboard

2005-02-05T03:11:00.000-08:00

Strictly speaking, the cupboard is a derivative form of the chest. Early Renaissance cupboards resembled two chests placed one on top of the other, but they were opened from the front by means of doors. The design and construction of the cupboard's pronounced front have always provided ample scope for artistic composition, and it is no mere coincidence that the cupboard

Stealth

2005-02-04T03:42:00.000-08:00

Research in antidetection technology began soon after radar was invented. During World War II, the Germans coated their U-boat snorkels with radar-absorbent material. In the postwar era, researchers sought to discover the nature of �radar

Hokusai

2005-02-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

In full �Katsushika Hokusai�, professional names �Shunro, �Sori, �Kako, �Taito, �Gakyojin, �Iitsu�, and �Manji� Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (�pictures of the floating world�) school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukiyo-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, and surimono (�printed things�), such as greetings and announcements. Later he concentrated on the classical

Monarch

2005-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

In all monarchines

Yakima River

2005-02-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

River, south-central Washington, U.S., rising in the Cascade Range, near Snoqualmie Pass. It flows southeastward about 200 miles (320 km) past Ellensburg and Yakima to join the Columbia River near Kennewick in Benton county. The Yakima and its tributaries irrigate about 460,000 acres (190,000 hectares) in the river valley. The Keechelus Dam, near the river's source, is a major unit of the U.S. Bureau

Strain Gauge

2005-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

Until the 1930s most strain

Tlingit

2005-01-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

Northernmost Indians of the North Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the islands and coastal lands of southern Alaska from Yakutat Bay to Cape Fox. They were speakers of the Tlingit language, which is believed to be related to Athabascan. They were divided into 14 territorial groups, or tribes. According to tradition, some of their ancestors came from the south;

Zacconi, Lodovico

2005-01-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

Zacconi became a priest, later an Augustinian, and studied music with Andrea Gabrieli in Venice, where he was musical director for his order. He went to Vienna in 1585 at the invitation of the archduke Charles. In 1592 he published

Ribeyro, Julio Ram�

2005-01-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Short-story writer, novelist, and playwright, one of the Latin American masters of the short story, whose works display a rare mix of social criticism and fantasy, projecting a bleak view of Peruvian life. Ribeyro was the author of some eight volumes of short stories, the best-known of which is Los gallinazos sin plumas (1955; �Featherless

Ziyadid Dynasty

2005-01-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

The 'Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun transferred the rule of Yemen to the Ziyad family to offset the intrigues of the 'Alids - the Shi'ite opponents of the 'Abbasids - who had made southern Arabia their headquarters. The first Ziyadid, Muhammad ibn Ziyad, firmly established himself along the Yemeni coast (Tihamah) with

Habsburg, House Of

2005-01-26T02:14:00.000-08:00

To allay British and Dutch misgivings, Leopold I and his elder son, the future emperor Joseph I, in 1703 renounced their own claims to Spain in favour of Joseph's brother Charles, so that he might found a second line of Spanish Habsburgs distinct from the imperial; but when Joseph I died, leaving only daughters, in 1711, and was succeeded by his brother as emperor (Charles VI) and as

Indian Museum

2005-01-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

In Calcutta, oldest museum in India and one of the most comprehensive in the Orient; its collections depict the cultural history of India from prehistoric to Muslim times. The present building, opened in 1875, comprises sections devoted to geology, zoology, industry, archaeology, art, and ethnology. The coin room contains the largest collection of Indian coins in the

La Follette, Robert M

2005-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

Biographies and analyses of La Follette and the Progressive movement include Belle Case La Follette and Fola La Follette, Robert M. La Follette, June 14, 1855 - June 18, 1925, 2 vol. (1953, reissued 1971); David P. Thelen, The Early Life of Robert M. La Follette, 1855 - 1884 (1966), and Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit (1976, reissued 1985); Robert S. Maxwell, La Follette and the Rise of the Progressives in Wisconsin (1956, reprinted 1973); Fred Greenbaum, Robert Marion La Follette (1975); and Patrick J. Maney, �Young Bob� La Follette (1978).

Armour

2005-01-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

Types of armour generally fall into one of three main categories: (1) armour made of leather, fabric, or mixed layers of both, sometimes reinforced by quilting or felt, (2) mail, made of interwoven rings of iron or steel,

Wynyard

2005-01-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Tasmania, Australia, at the mouth of the River Inglis on Bass Strait. Founded in 1841, it was made a municipality in 1856 and named Table Cape for a high promontory (380 feet [116 m]) to the south. It was gazetted a town in 1861, when its name was changed to honour Major General Edward Wynyard, commander in chief in 1850 of British forces in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). Located on a rail line

Biogeochemical Cycle

2005-01-21T01:15:00.000-08:00

Any of the natural circulation pathways of the essential elements of living matter. These elements in various forms flow from the nonliving (abiotic) to the living (biotic) components of the biosphere and back to the nonliving again. In order for the living components of a major ecosystem (e.g., a lake or forest) to survive, all the chemical elements that make up living cells

Marshall Islands

2005-01-20T01:59:00.000-08:00

Officially �Republic of the Marshall Islands, �Marshallese �Majol, � country of the central Pacific Ocean. It consists of some of the easternmost islands of Micronesia. The Marshalls are composed of two parallel chains of coral atolls - the Ratak, or Sunrise, to the east, and the Ralik, or Sunset, to the west. The chains lie about 125 miles (200 kilometres) apart and extend some 800 miles northwest to southeast. The islands and islets number more than 1,200 and

Jacmel

2005-01-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

Town and port, on the southern coast of Haiti, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula. Situated on a hillside overlooking palm-fringed Jacmel Bay, the town flourished under the French as a port for transshipment of sugar, coffee, and cotton. It continues as a commercial centre for such products as bananas, cacao, and honey. After a good road was

De Baca

2005-01-18T02:57:00.000-08:00

In 1541 explorer Francisco

Halicarnassus

2005-01-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek city of Caria, situated on the Gulf of Cerameicus. According to tradition, it was founded by Dorian Troezen in the Peloponnese. Herodotus, a Halicarnassian, relates that in early times the city participated in the Dorian festival of Apollo at Triopion, but its literature and culture appear thoroughly Ionic. The city, with its large sheltered harbour

Uganda, Martyrs Of

2005-01-16T02:01:00.000-08:00

The first Roman Catholic missions to Bantu-speaking Africa were established

Qiryat Shemona

2005-01-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

Town, at the northwest of the 'Emeq Hula (Hula Valley), extreme northern Israel. The name Qiryat Shemona (�Town of the Eight�) commemorates the eight martyrs of nearby Tel Hay (q.v.). The town, the only urban settlement of the valley, was founded in 1950 as an immigrants' transit camp (ma'abara) on the site of the former Arab village of Khalasah. Metulla, the northernmost settlement of Israel

Tall Za'tar

2005-01-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

Also called �Za�tar, � former Palestinian refugee camp, Jabal Lubnan muhafazah (governorate), central Lebanon, north of Beirut, near Nabay. The camp was the last large Muslim outpost in the midst of the predominantly Christian inhabited area of north Lebanon and had a population estimated at 15,000 in the mid-1970s. During the Lebanese civil war (that began in the spring of 1975) between Muslims and Christians,

Ch'i-lien Mountains

2005-01-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

Wade - Giles romanization �Ch'i-lien Shan, �Pinyin �Qilian Shan, � rugged mountain range on the border of Tsinghai and Kansu provinces, west central China. It forms part of the Nan Shan, the eastern outlier of the Kunlun Mountains. Heavily glaciated in many places, the mountains rise to 18,194 ft (5,547 m), and most peaks exceed 13,000 ft. Snow covers the mountain tops; herds graze in the well-watered valleys. Impassable throughout, the range forms the southern

Anezaki Masaharu

2005-01-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

Anezaki started his academic

Endangered Species

2005-01-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

A number of agencies, both international and national, work to maintain lists of endangered species, to protect and preserve natural habitats, and to promote programs for recovery and reestablishment of these species. One such international agency is the Survival Service Commission of the International

Aaron

2005-01-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

F.S. North, �Aaron's Rise in Prestige,� in Zeitschrift f�r die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 66:191 - 199 (1954), is a short study of Aaron's position. Roland De Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (1961, reissued 1973; originally published in French, 2 vol., 1958 - 60); and Aelred Cody, A History of Old Testament Priesthood (1969), include discussions of Aaron and his place in ancient Israelite life and cult. Walter Beyerlin, Origins and History of the Oldest Sinaitic Traditions (1965; originally published in German, 1961), focuses on the traditions behind the story of Moses and Aaron. H.H. Rowley, Worship in Ancient Israel: Its Form and Meaning (1967, reissued 1976), surveys the religious life in Israel, including Aaron and his role. Bertil E. G�rtner, The Temple and the Community in Qumran and the New Testament (1965), treats the religious cult in the Qumran society, in which �Aaron� was synonymous with the chief priest. Heinrich Valentin, Aaron: eine Studie zur vorpriesterlichen Aaron-�berlieferung (1978), analyzes the various interpretations of the biblical references about Aaron.

China, Relief

2005-01-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

The relief of China is high in the west and low in the east; consequently, the direction of flow of the major rivers is generally eastward. The surface may be divided into three steps, or levels. The first level is represented by the Plateau of Tibet, which is located in both the Tibet Autonomous Region and the province of Tsinghai and which, with an average elevation of

Papin, Denis

2005-01-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

Papin assisted the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens

Interior Design, Walls

2005-01-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

Every wall is a material in itself; and ideally no material, if it is properly used, needs to be covered up. Some elegant buildings constructed since 1960 have used concrete in its natural texture - i.e., showing the formwork left by wooden forms as a conscious expression of the material. During the 19th century, fakery in design was very popular, and part of the concern with the true

Nicholas

2005-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

The son of the emperor Alexander II's brother, the

General Sarmiento

2005-01-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Partido (county) of Gran (�Greater�) Buenos Aires, Argentina. It lies northwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia. The early settlement of the county centred on the agricultural plantation San Jos� del Pilar, established by Adolfo Sordeaux in 1862. This plantation settlement led Sordeaux to establish the towns of San Miguel and Bella Vista in 1872. In 1889 General

Musical Notation

2005-01-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Written notations are to be found in the musical cultures of the Far East, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West. Early examples survive from Ancient Egypt and Greece. Notation may be classified into two broad categories: phonetic symbols - words, syllables, abbreviations of these, letters, and numbers; and graphic signs - accentual signs for the rise

Epidermis

2005-01-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

In botany, outermost, protoderm-derived layer of cells covering the stem, root, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed parts of a plant. The epidermis and its waxy cuticle provide a protective barrier against mechanical injury, water loss, and infection. Various modified epidermal cells regulate transpiration, increase water absorption, and secrete substances.

Cleveland

2005-01-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1836) of Bradley county, southeastern Tennessee, U.S., about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Chattanooga. Established in 1836 following the agreement for the evacuation of the area by the Cherokee, the community was named for Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, a hero of the American Revolution. During the American Civil War, Union generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman

Heinrich Von Veldeke

2004-12-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

While at the court of the landgrave Hermann of Thuringia, Heinrich completed the Eneit, modeled on the French Roman d'Eneas rather

Yamasee War

2004-12-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

(1715 - 16), in British-American colonial history, conflict between Indians, mainly Yamasee, and British colonists in the southeastern area of South Carolina, resulting in the collapse of Indian power in that area. Embittered by settlers' encroachment upon their land and by unresolved grievances arising from the fur trade, a group of Yamasees rose and killed 90 white traders

Parallelism

2004-12-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

In rhetoric, component of literary style in both prose and poetry, in which coordinate ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording. The repetition of sounds, meanings, and structures serves to order, emphasize, and point out relations. In its simplest form parallelism consists

Tibet, Finance

2004-12-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

There were no banks before 1951. Small loans to be paid with interest could be obtained from local merchants, and the Tibetan government loaned public funds at interest as a means of collecting revenue. The Chinese have established branches of the People's Bank of China and have also extended agricultural and commercial credit and introduced Chinese currency.

Ecuador

2004-12-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

Officially �Republic of Ecuador, �Spanish �Rep�blica del Ecuador, � country of northwestern South America. It straddles part of the Andes Mountains and occupies part of the Amazon basin. Lying on the Equator, from which its name derives, it borders Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west; it includes the Pacific island group of the Gal�pagos Islands, or the Archipi�lago de Col�n. It is a relatively

Spanish Moss

2004-12-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

The silvery-gray plant often grows in large, beardlike masses. It has threadlike stems up to 6 to 7.5 metres

Gandak River

2004-12-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

Also called �Narayani River, � river in central Nepal and northern India. It is formed by the union of the Kali and Trisuli rivers, which rise in the Great Himalaya Range in Nepal; from this junction to the Indian border the river is called the Narayani. It flows southwest into India and then turns southeast along the Uttar Pradesh - Bihar state border and across the Gangetic Plain. It enters the Ganges River

Australian Aboriginal Languages

2004-12-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

Group of approximately 260 interrelated languages whose speakers once occupied the entire Australian continent as well as the western islands of Torres Strait, but apparently not Tasmania. Virtually all are believed to have originated from a single proto-Australian language. These languages are not known to be related to any outside language. The great majority

Kiev

2004-12-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian �Kyyiv�, Russian �Kiyev� chief city and capital of Ukraine and capital of Kiev oblast (province). A port on the Dnieper River and a large railroad junction, it is a city with an ancient and proud history. As the centre of Kievan Rus, the first eastern Slavic state, 1,000 years ago it acquired the title �Mother of Rus Cities.� It was severely damaged during World War II, but by the mid-1950s it was fully restored, and

Samoa

2004-12-22T20:22:00.000-08:00

The assassination of the minister of public works in July 1999 continued to produce legal and political consequences in 2000. The two cabinet ministers who plotted the murder (and the son of one of them who actually committed the deed) were tried and found guilty, but their mandatory death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. By-elections were held following the

Farlovian Stage

2004-12-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

Division of the Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian Period of western Europe (the Devonian Period began about 395,000,000 years ago and lasted about 50,000,000 years); the Farlovian Stage follows the Breconian and was named for exposures studied near the town of Farlow, in the English Midlands. Farlovian rocks consist of gray and yellow sandstones and shales that contain the primitive Upper

Jewel Cave National Monument

2004-12-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

The caverns consist of a series of chambers joined by narrow passages. They are noted for their jewel-like calcite crystals, including nailhead and dogtooth spar, which are found throughout the

Aesopus, Claudius

2004-12-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Claudius also spelled �Clodius � most eminent of the Roman tragedians, contemporary and intimate friend of Cicero, whom he instructed in elocution, and regarded by Horace as the equal of the great Roman comic actor Roscius. Aesopus became completely absorbed in his roles; the biographer Plutarch mentions that, while playing the part of Atreus deliberating revenge, Aesopus forgot himself

Algebra, The structural approach dominates

2004-12-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

After the late 1930s it was clear that algebra, and in particular the structural approach within it, had become one of the most dynamic areas of research in mathematics. Structural methods, results, and concepts were actively pursued by algebraists in Germany, France, the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The structural approach was also successfully applied to redefine

Rupp, Adolph

2004-12-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Rupp grew up on a Kansas farm and was hardly aware of basketball until he went to college. He was a member of the University of Kansas (Lawrence) Big Eight Conference championship team of 1923. After coaching five years

Hadfield, Sir Robert Abbott, Baronet

2004-12-16T00:18:00.000-08:00

The son of a Sheffield steel manufacturer, Hadfield took an early interest in metallurgy and at the age of 24 became head of the family firm. In 1883 he took out

Handke, Peter

2004-12-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Handke, the son of a bank clerk, studied law at Graz University from 1961 to 1965 and contributed pieces to the avant-garde literary magazine manuskripte. He came to public notice as an anticonventional playwright

Rabelais, Fran�ois

2004-12-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

Donald M. Frame, Fran�ois Rabelais: A Study (1977), is an excellent introduction. M.A. Screech, Rabelais (1979), is a study of his entire oeuvre; while Dorothy Gabe Coleman, Rabelais (1971), focuses on his prose fiction. Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World (1968, reissued 1984), makes a connection between Rabelais's imagery and folk humour. Religious aspects are discussed in Screech, The Rabelaisian Marriage: Aspects of Rabelais's Religion, Ethics

Kuala Lumpur

2004-12-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

Capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central West (Peninsular) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the federation's largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity