WaitingWall

Wilkes Land

2005-04-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Region in Antarctica, bordering the Indian Ocean between Queen Mary and George V coasts (100°–142°20¢ E). The region is almost entirely covered by a featureless ice cap averaging from 6,000 to 9,500 feet (1,800 to 2,900 m) above sea level. First sighted (1838–42) by the U.S. naval commander Charles Wilkes, for whom the land is named, it was not explored until the late 1940s. Included in the region are the coasts of Clarie, Banzare,

Monad

2005-04-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

(from Greek monas “unit”), an elementary individual substance that reflects the order of the world and from which material properties are derived. The term was first used by the Pythagoreans as the name of the beginning number of a series, from which all following numbers derived. Giordano Bruno in De monade, numero et figura liber (1591; “On the Monad, Number, and Figure”) described

Antarctica, General works

2005-04-01T02:12:00.000-08:00

F.M. Auburn, Antarctic Law and Politics (1982), provides a comprehensive discussion of the legal aspects of the Antarctic Treaty, jurisdictional problems of crime, ecology, and tourism. Gillian D. Triggs (ed.), The Antarctic Treaty Regime: Law, Environment, and Resources (1987), discusses current aspects of issues raised by the Antarctic Treaty. Anthony Parsons, Antarctica: The Next Decade (1987), addresses the history of the Antarctic Treaty and its future as well as current and projected uses of the continental region.

Albertus Magnus, Saint

2005-03-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

English Saint Albert The Great , German Sankt Albert Der Grosse , byname Albert Of Cologne , or Of Lauingen , or Doctor Universalis (Latin: “Universal Doctor”) Dominican bishop and philosopher best known as a teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas and as a proponent of Aristotelianism at the University of Paris. He established the study of nature as a legitimate science within the Christian tradition. By papal decree in 1941, he was declared the

Constantine (ii)

2005-03-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

He was a soldier and—through the support of his brother Toto, duke of the bishopric of Nepi near Rome—was elected pope on July 5, 767, to succeed St. Paul I. Constantine's opponents, led by Christopher, the powerful chief of the notaries, fled to the Lombards. Constantine, failing to win support from the Carolingian king Pippin III the Short or from

Calabar

2005-03-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Formerly Old Calabar town and port, capital of Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. It lies along the Calabar River, 5 miles (8 km) upstream from that river's entrance into the Cross River estuary. Settled in the early 17th century by the Efik branch of the Ibibio people, the town became a centre for trade between white traders on the coast and natives farther inland. Fish, cassava, bananas, palm

Osler-rendu-weber Disease

2005-03-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Rendu-osler-weber Disease, or Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, a hereditary disorder causing bleeding from local capillary lesions. The disorder is classed as a type of purpura. In the disease, capillaries (minute blood vessels) in the fingertips and around the oral and nasal cavities are enlarged and have unusually thin walls; they fill with bright red (well-oxygenated) blood and are easily broken by accidental bumping or jarring,

Abraham, Karl

2005-03-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

While serving as an assistant to the psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler at the Burghölzi Mental Hospital in Zürich (1904–07), Abraham met the psychoanalyst Carl Jung and made his initial

Panchen Lama

2005-03-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

The title Panchen (a short form of the Sanskrit-Tibetan Pandita Chen-po, or “Great Scholar”) was that traditionally

Kama-dhatu

2005-03-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

In Buddhism, the realm of feeling. See arupa-loka.

Talking Heads

2005-03-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

In 1974 three classmates from the Rhode Island School of Design moved to New York City and declared themselves Talking Heads. Singer-guitarist Byrne, drummer

Block And Tackle

2005-03-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Combination of a flexible rope, or cable, and pulleys commonly used to augment pulling force; it can be used to lift heavy weights or to exert large forces in any direction. In the Figure there are four freely rotating pulleys, two on the upper block, which remains fixed, and two on the lower block, which moves up as the load W is lifted; one end of the rope is anchored to the upper

Arabia, History Of, Religious reform

2005-03-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

The Wahhabi movement, which introduced a new factor into the pattern of Arabian politics, was founded by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, a reformer influenced by the writings of the 13th–14th-century pietist theologian Ibn Taymiyah, of the strict Hanbali school of Islamic law. It was 'Abd al-Wahhab's intention to purify Islam of polytheism and to return it to an idealized primitive state.

David, Star Of

2005-03-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Magen David (“Shield of David”), Magen also spelled Mogen, Jewish symbol composed of two overlaid equilateral triangles that form a six-pointed star. It appears on synagogues, Jewish tombstones, and the flag of the State of Israel. The symbol—which historically was not limited to use by Jews—originated in antiquity, when, side by side with the five-pointed star, it served as a magical sign or as a decoration. In the Middle Ages

Kungur

2005-03-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

City, Perm oblast (province), western Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Sylva, Iren, and Shakva rivers, 45 miles (72 km) south of Perm city. Founded in 1648 as a fortress, Kungur became an important post on routes to Siberia. It also became a noted centre for handicraft industries, especially in alabaster and crystal. Kungur now has machine-building and light industries. In the vicinity

Aurangzeb

2005-03-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aurangzib , Arabic Awrangzib , kingly title 'alamgir , original name Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad last of the great Mughal emperors of India (reigned 1658–1707). Under him the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, although his policies helped lead to its dissolution.

Pen, International

2005-03-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

International organization of writers. The original PEN was founded in London in 1921 by the English novelist John Galsworthy, and it has since grown to include writers worldwide. The name PEN is an acronym standing for “poets, playwrights, editors, essayists, and novelists.” International PEN promotes international intellectual exchanges and goodwill among writers.

Uriburu, José Félix

2005-03-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Argentine soldier and statesman who led the military coup that in September 1930 overthrew the liberal regime of President Hipólito Irigoyen and restored the old landed oligarchy to the political power it had lost after the revolution of 1916. German militarist ideas and Benito Mussolini's corporate state idea were said to be

Seybouse, Wadi

2005-03-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

River of northeastern Algeria, rising as the Wadi Cherf at the eastern edge of the Sétif plains just east of Aïn Beïda. Meandering north to Guelma, the river turns abruptly east and rushes through a narrow gorge in Mount Nador of the Tell Atlas to Bouchegouf and its confluence with the Wadi Mellah. The Seybouse then bends sharply northward and flows through a tree-lined

Staffordshire Moorlands

2005-03-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Staffordshire, central England, directly east of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire Moorlands includes part of the Peak District National Park in the northeast, where it is characterized by many bleak gritstone and limestone moorlands. Within the southern extremity of the Pennines, the moorlands extend

Arabic Literary Renaissance

2005-03-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

After the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt (1798) and the subsequent establishment of an autonomous and Western-minded ruling dynasty there, many Syrian and Lebanese writers sought out the freer environment of Egypt, making it

Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann

2005-03-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

W.F. Bach's musical instruction was primarily from his father (who wrote for him, when he was ten, the charming Klavier-büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach of keyboard pieces). He also studied the violin. He matriculated

Rouen Ware

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

Faience (tin-glazed earthenware) and porcelain wares that made Rouen, Fr., a major pottery centre. In the 16th century faience was used as an element of architectural decoration and in apothecary jars. A Rouen potter, Edme Poterat, who opened a factory in Rouen in 1647, is credited with the invention of France's soft-paste porcelain. He also introduced the radiating festoon style

Waterford Glass

2005-03-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Heavy cut glassware produced in Waterford, Ire., from 1729. Waterford glass, particularly the early variety, is characterized by thick walls, deeply incised geometric cutting, and brilliant polish. The smoky, bluish gray colour of early Waterford glass was considered a drawback, and a clear crystal was produced after 1830. It is the darkened glass, however, that is most prized

Earth, Development of the Earth's structure and composition

2005-03-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

The origin of the Earth in its present form has been the subject of intellectual interest for centuries, but the decades since 1950 have seen major advances both in concepts and in measurements pertaining to this topic. The quantitative analysis by geochemists of the isotopes in meteorites and, in particular, the study of lunar rocks obtained during the U.S. Apollo program

Displacement Activity

2005-03-05T00:44:00.000-08:00

The performance by an animal of an act inappropriate for the stimulus or stimuli that evoked it. Displacement behaviour usually occurs when an animal is torn between two conflicting drives, such as fear and aggression. Displacement activities often consist of comfort movements, such as grooming, scratching, drinking, or eating. In courtship, for example, an individual

Allied-signal Inc.

2005-03-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

The corporation was formed in 1920 in the consolidation of several chemical manufacturers; the Barrett Company (founded 1903), supplying coal-tar chemicals and roofing; General Chemical Company (founded 1899), specializing in industrial acids; National Aniline

Shahadah

2005-03-03T03:07:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “testimony”), the Muslim profession of faith: “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.” The shahadah is the first of the five Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam). It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.

Sucksdorff, Arne

2005-03-02T04:07:00.000-08:00

Swedish motion-picture director important in the post-World War II revival of the Swedish cinema because of his internationally acclaimed sensitivity in photographing nature. His patiently photographed flowers, insects, birds, and animals are composed into films in which the rhythm of nature is dominant and man is only

Gonzaga, Tomás Antônio

2005-03-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

Gonzaga completed his law studies at the University of Coimbra (1768) and in 1782 was appointed a judge in Vila Rica, Brazil. There he fell in love with Marília, who was mentioned in his lyrics, but on the eve of their marriage (1789) he was arrested on a charge, undoubtedly

Porcupine River

2005-02-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

Major tributary of the Yukon River, in northern Yukon Territory, Can., and northeastern Alaska, U.S. Discovered in 1842 by John Bell of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Porcupine rises in the Mackenzie Mountains of west central Yukon Territory and flows for 448 mi (721 km) in a great arc, first north and then west across the international boundary and into the Yukon River near Fort Yukon,

Bradley, Tom

2005-02-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

The son of sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves, Bradley grew up in poverty. When he was seven years old, his parents moved to Los Angeles. Excelling at track

Gympie

2005-02-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Queensland, Australia, lying on Gympie Creek and the Mary River. It was first known as Nashville, after James Nash, who discovered gold there in 1867; its present name comes from gimpi-gimpi, the Aboriginal word for the stinging tree. Proclaimed a town in 1890, it was made a city in 1905. In addition to gold, which was mined until 1930, limestone and silver have been worked in

Nilus Of Ancyra, Saint

2005-02-25T05:03:00.000-08:00

A protégé of the staunchly orthodox and reform patriarch of Constantinople,

Biblical Literature, Arabic versions

2005-02-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

There is no reliable evidence of any pre-Islamic Arabic translation. Only when large Jewish and Christian communities found themselves under Muslim rule after the Arab conquests of the 7th century did the need for an Arabic vernacular Scripture arise. The first and most important was that of Sa'adia ben Joseph (892–942), made directly from Hebrew and written in Hebrew script,

Slave Dynasty

2005-02-24T01:23:00.000-08:00

The Slave dynasty was founded by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, a favourite slave of the Muslim general and later sultan Muhammad of Ghur. Qutb-ud-Din had been among Muhammad's most trusted Turkish officers and had overseen his master's Indian conquests. When Muhammad was assassinated in 1206, Qutb took power

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, General theory and history

2005-02-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

D.C. Allen, Mysteriously Meant: The Rediscovery of Pagan Symbolism and Allegorical Interpretation in the Renaissance (1970); C.H. Dodd, The Authority of the Bible (1958); A.S. Fletcher, Allegory: The Theory of a Symbolic Mode (1964); R.M. Grant, The Letter and the Spirit (1958); Edwin Honig, Dark Conceit: The Making of Allegory (1959); C.S. Lewis, The Allegory of Love (1936); Jean Pepin, Mythe et allégorie (1958); Rosemond Tuve, Allegorical Imagery (1966); Maureen Quilligan, The Language of Allegory: Defining the Genre (1979).

Nagaland

2005-02-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

Verrier Elwin, Nagaland (1961); Prakash Singh, Nagaland, 3rd ed., rev. (1981); and Murkot Ramunny, The World of Nagas (1988), are overviews. Majid Husain, Nagaland: Habitat, Society, and Shifting Cultivation (1988), discusses the human geography of the area. On the people, see Julian Jacobs, The Nagas: Hill Peoples of Northeast India (1990). Swabera Islam Saleh, Nagaland's Economy in Transition Since 1964 (1989), examines economic developments. Hokishe Sema, Emergence of Nagaland (1986), is authored by a former chief minister of the state. B.B. Ghosh, History of Nagaland (1982), provides a brief historical survey of the region. M. Horam, Naga Insurgency: The Last Thirty Years (1988), is a personal account of the Naga Underground Movement.

Stracittà

2005-02-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

An Italian literary movement that developed after World War I. Massimo Bontempelli was the leader of the movement, which was connected with his idea of novecentismo. Bontempelli called for a break from traditional styles of writing, and his own writings reflected his interest in such modern forms as Surrealism and magic realism. The name stracittà, a type of back-formation

Kadesh, Battle Of

2005-02-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

(1275 BC), major battle between the Egyptians under Ramses II and the Hittites under Muwatallis, in Syria, southwest of Hims, on the Orontes River. Seeking to recapture the Hittite-held city of Kadesh in Syria, Ramses II invaded Syria with four divisions and an auxiliary force. Muwatallis gathered a large alliance among his vassal states and, hiding his army behind the city mound,

Alien

2005-02-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

In early times, the tendency was to look upon the alien as an enemy and to treat him as a criminal or outlaw. Aristotle, probably reflecting a common view in the ancient world, saw non-Greeks as

Mountain, Crustal shortening

2005-02-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

In most mountain belts, terrains have been elevated as a result of crustal shortening by the thrusting of one block or slice of crust over another and/or by the folding of layers of rock. The topography of mountain ranges and mountain belts depends in part on the amount of displacement on such faults, on the angles at which faults dip, on the degree to which crustal shortening

Malatya

2005-02-16T00:46:00.000-08:00

City, east-central Turkey. It lies in a fertile plain watered by the Tohma River (a tributary of the Euphrates) and is surrounded by high ranges of the eastern Taurus Mountains. The modern town was founded in 1838 near the sites of two earlier settlements: the ancient Hittite city of Milid, on the site of the present-day Arslantepe, 4 miles (6 km) north, and its successor, the Roman and

Packard, David

2005-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

After receiving his B.A. from Stanford University in 1934, Packard worked for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, N.Y. In 1938 he returned to Stanford,

Iran, Ancient, Xerxes I

2005-02-14T03:50:00.000-08:00

Xerxes (reigned 486–465 BC), Darius's eldest son by Queen Atossa, was born after his father had come to the throne; he had been designated official heir perhaps as early as 498, and while crown prince he had ruled as the king's governor in Babylon. The new king quickly suppressed the revolt in Egypt in a single campaign in 484. Xerxes then broke with the policy followed by Cyrus and Darius of

Faridpur

2005-02-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

City, central Bangladesh, on the west bank of the Mara (Dead) Padma stream, a tributary of the Padma. It serves as a rail terminus for the branch line connecting Goalundo Ghat with Calcutta and is linked by road with Kushtia, Meherpur, Khulna, Barisal, and Jessore. The city takes its name from the Muslim saint Farid-ud-Din Mas'ud, whose shrine is located there. Constituted a municipality

Sea Islands

2005-02-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

Low-lying chain of sandy islands off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, U.S., between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns rivers and along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The Spaniards claimed and partly occupied the islands in 1568. By the end of the 17th century, the English had made them part of the Carolina colony. In 1717 they were granted to Sir Robert

Rye

2005-02-11T00:32:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Rother district, administrative county of East Sussex, historic county of Sussex, England, on a hill by the River Rother. The community's cobbled streets and timber-framed and Georgian houses attract many tourists. Originally a seaport, Rye was incorporated in 1289 and became a full member of the Cinque Ports (a confederation of English Channel ports) in about

Jacobs, Harriet A.

2005-02-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Born into slavery, Jacobs still was taught to read at an early age. She was orphaned as a child and formed a bond with her maternal grandmother, Molly Horniblow, who had been freed from slavery.

Welti, (friedrich) Emil

2005-02-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

Political leader and Landammann (chief executive) of his native canton of Aargau in 1858, 1862, and 1866, Welti entered the federal Ständerat (council of cantons) in 1857 and subsequently served as assembly president (1860, 1866). Elected to the federal executive (Bundesrat)

Ogooué River

2005-02-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ogowe, stream of west-central Africa, flowing in Gabon for almost its entire course and draining an area of almost 86,000 square miles (222,700 square km). It rises in Congo (Brazzaville) on the eastern slopes of the Massif du Chaillu and flows northwest through Gabon past Franceville and Lastoursville; it then turns west and southwest past Booué, Ndjolé, and Lambaréné, collecting water from

France, History Of, The restoration of the empire

2005-02-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

When by the end of the 8th century Charles was master of a great part of the West, he reestablished the empire in his own name. He was crowned emperor in Rome (Christmas Day, 800), by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne's powers in Rome and in relation to the Papal States, which were incorporated, with some degree of autonomy, into the Frankish empire, were clarified. Although his new title did

France, History Of, Charles VII

2005-02-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

Charles VI's son, Charles VII (ruled 1422–61), for his part, did not fail to claim his inheritance, though he had no proper coronation. Residing at Bourges, which his adversaries pretended was the extent of his realm, he in fact retained the fidelity of the greater part of France, including Berry, Poitou, Lyonnais, Auvergne, and Languedoc. For a time the Valois cause suffered from the

Puerto Barrios

2005-02-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Guatemala, on Amatique Bay, off the Gulf of Honduras. Until the 1970s it was the principal port of Guatemala, used primarily for shipping agricultural commodities. It was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as the Caribbean terminus of the railway built by foreign contractors from the coast to Guatemala City, which realized a century-old

Carracci, Lodovico

2005-02-04T00:39:00.000-08:00

The son of a butcher, Lodovico was the older cousin of the painters Annibale and Agostino Carracci. After working under the painter Prospero

Hull, Clark L.

2005-02-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

In full Clark Leonard Hull American psychologist known for his experimental studies on learning and for his attempt to give mathematical expression to psychological theory. He applied a deductive method of reasoning similar to that used in geometry, proposing that a series of postulates about psychology could be developed, from which logical conclusions

Triathlon

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

The sport debuted in San Diego, California, on September 25, 1974, when a race organized by local athletes Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan was dubbed a triathlon. The event

Springfield

2005-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1818) of Clark county, west-central Ohio, U.S., on Buck Creek and Mad River, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dayton. The original settlement by James Demint and migrant Kentuckians in 1799 was on the site of the village of Old Piqua (birthplace of Tecumseh, the Shawnee Indian chief). It was laid out in 1801 and named by the wife of Simon Kenton, an Indian scout who had settled there, for the springs

Zanni

2005-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Plural Zanni, or Zannis, stock servant character in the Italian improvisational theatre known as the commedia dell'arte. Zanni were valet buffoons, clowns, and knavish jacks-of-all-trades. All possessed common sense, intelligence, pride, and a love of practical jokes and intrigue; they were, however, often quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, spiteful, vindictive, and treacherous. The term is thought

Smith, Sir Keith Macpherson; And Smith, Sir Ross Macpherson

2005-01-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Keith Smith flew as a pilot in the Royal Air Force (1917–19), while Ross started with the Australian Light Horse in Gallipoli and Sinai until he learned to fly in Egypt

Hiiumaa

2005-01-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

German Dagö, or Dagden, Russian Khiuma, Swedish Dagö, island of the Muhu archipelago, Estonia. It lies in the Baltic Sea, northwest of the Gulf of Riga. Hiiumaa is the northernmost of the three larger islands forming the archipelago. It is separated from the island of Saaremaa to the south by Soela Strait and from the mainland to the east by Muhu Strait. Hiiumaa is a low-lying island of 373 square miles (965 square km), composed of limestone

Pacific Mountain System, Climate

2005-01-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

The orientation of the Pacific mountains has a profound effect on the climate of the western United States and Canada. Regionally, they act as a barrier to storms from the Pacific Ocean, which especially in winter bring large quantities of precipitation to the western slopes of the ranges. For example, the highest annual precipitation levels in the 48 coterminous

Parabolic Equation

2005-01-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of partial-differential equations arising in the mathematical analysis of diffusion phenomena, as in the heating of a slab. The simplest such equation in one dimension, uxx = ut, governs the temperature distribution at the various points along a thin rod from moment to moment. The solutions to even this simple problem are complicated, but they are constructed

Yanbu'

2005-01-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yenbo town, western Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea north of Jidda. It serves as the country's second Red Sea port, after Jidda, and is the main port for Medina, 100 miles (160 km) to the east. The economy of Yanbu' was traditionally based on the pilgrim trade and the export of agricultural products, especially dates. Its harbour is being enlarged and improved to ease the pressure on Jidda, and

Earth Sciences, William Smith and faunal succession

2005-01-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

In 1683 the zoologist Martin Lister proposed to the Royal Society that a new sort of map be drawn showing the areal distribution of the different kinds of British “soiles” (vegetable soils and underlying bedrock). The work proposed by Lister was not accomplished until 132 years later, when William Smith published his Geologic Map of England and Wales with Part of

Yenisey River

2005-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

The peoples of the Yenisey valley are diverse. Around the western headwaters (Great and Little Yenisey) Tuvans predominate in the rural areas, but they are joined by significant numbers of Russians in Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva. To the north of Tuva the Krasnoyarsk kray (territory) of Russia extends down the entire valley northward to the Kara Sea; its population comprises

Jonsson, John Erik

2005-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.), Jonsson worked in the 1920s for the Aluminum Company of America and the Dumont Motor Car Co. In 1930 he was appointed

Middleton, Thomas

2005-01-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

A popular playwright,

Philidor, François-andré

2005-01-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

The last member of a large and prominent musical family, Philidor was thoroughly trained in music, but at age 18 he turned entirely to chess competition throughout Europe. He was particularly well

Fakir

2005-01-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Arabic Faqir (“poor”) originally, a mendicant dervish. In mystical usage, the word fakir refers to man's spiritual need for God, who alone is self-sufficient. Although of Muslim origin, the term has come to be applied in India to Hindus as well, largely replacing gosvamin, sadhu, bhikku, and other designations. Fakirs are generally regarded as holy men who are possessed of miraculous powers, such

K'ang-ting

2005-01-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

Until the Sung period (960–1279) the area was beyond Chinese control.

Czechoslovak Hussite Church

2005-01-19T02:47:00.000-08:00

Formerly Czechoslovak Church, church established in Czechoslovakia in 1920 by a group of dissident Roman Catholic priests. Its forerunner was the Jednota (Union of the Catholic Czechoslovak Clergy), founded in 1890 to promote such reforms as use of the vernacular in the liturgy and voluntary clerical celibacy. The new church, formed when these demands were rejected by the Vatican in 1919, adopted a rationalistic

Wagonette

2005-01-16T03:54:00.000-08:00

Horse-drawn carriage designed to carry a large number of passengers who sat on long bench-style seats facing each other. The driver's seat was separate and mounted from the front, while passengers boarded the vehicle from a door in the rear. The first wagonette was built in England about 1843 and became a popular vehicle, partially because of the implied endorsement of

Feed

2005-01-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

Animal feeds are classified as follows: (1) concentrates, high in energy value, including (a) cereal grains and their by-products (barley, corn [maize], oats, rye, wheat), (b) high-protein oil meals or cakes (soybean, cottonseed, peanut [groundnut]), (c) by-products from processing of sugar beets, sugarcane, and (d) animal and fish by-products; (2) roughages, including (a) pasture grasses, (b) hays, (c

Calendar Of 1995

2005-01-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

With near unanimous consent (292-15), members of Ukraine's Supreme Council (parliament) voted to oust the Cabinet of Pres. Leonid Kuchma. The vote of no confidence cast by numerous former communist legislators was generally interpreted as an expression of dissatisfaction with Kuchma's reforms. Some analysts, however, suggested that the president

Ozier Pattern

2005-01-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

In tableware, molded basket-weave pattern produced in Germany in the 1730s on Meissen porcelain tableware. It was probably one of the numerous inventions of the celebrated modeler Johann Joachim Kändler. There are four basic types of ozier molding: the ordinair-ozier (“ordinary ozier”), a kind of zigzag basket weave; the alt-ozier (“old ozier”), which has radial ribs; the neu-ozier

Abakanowicz, Magdalena

2005-01-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

A descendant of Polish nobility, Abakanowicz studied at the School of Fine Arts in Sopot, Poland (1949), and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1955). She began working as an independent artist in 1956 and initially earned success for large, three-dimensional

Racan, Honorat De Bueil, Seigneur De

2005-01-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Racan became a page at the court of Henry IV and served in the army. His works include the celebrated Stances sur la retraite (c. 1618; “Stanzas on Retreat”), which reflects his love of nature and his reluctance to adhere to the poetic discipline of his master, François de Malherbe, whose

Racan, Honorat De Bueil, Seigneur De

2005-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Of the two organizations, the AEU was larger and older, though both originated as unions of skilled craftsmen and only later opened their

Calculator

2005-01-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Machine for automatically performing arithmetical operations and certain mathematical functions. Modern calculators are descendants of a digital arithmetic machine devised by Blaise Pascal in 1642. Later in the 17th century, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz created a more advanced machine, and, especially in the late 19th century, inventors produced calculating machines

Ear, Human, Analysis of sound by the auditory nervous system

2004-12-31T03:34:00.000-08:00

Evidence of orderly spatial representations of the organ of Corti at the lower levels of the auditory pathway has been reported by many investigators. These patterns seem to be in accord with the place theory of the cochlear analysis of sound. Physiological evidence of tuning of the auditory system also has been obtained by recording with the electrical potentials

Kanye

2004-12-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

Village, southern Botswana. It lies along a main road southwest of Gaborone, the national capital. It is one of the country's largest villages and the traditional headquarters of the Bangwaketse people. Kanye is equipped with a mission hospital, an airfield, banks, and schools. Pop. (1984 est.) 23,000.

Monroe, Elizabeth

2004-12-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

After leaving Washington, the Monroes retired to their estate in Oak Hill, Virginia, where Elizabeth died in 1830. She and James, who survived her by less than one year, were buried beside each other in Richmond, Virginia.

Sun, Photosphere

2004-12-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

Although there are no fires on the surface of the Sun, the photosphere seethes and roils, displaying the effects of the underlying convection. Photons flowing from below, trapped by the underlying layers, finally escape. This produces a dramatic drop in temperature and density. The temperature at the visible surface is about 5,800 K but drops to a minimum about 4,000 K at approximately

Frederick

2004-12-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

County, northern Maryland, U.S., bounded by Pennsylvania to the north, the Monocacy River to the northeast, Virginia to the southwest (the Potomac River constituting the border), and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. It consists of a piedmont region bisected north-south by the valley of the Monocacy. Parklands include Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain

Teapot Dome Scandal

2004-12-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Also called the Oil Reserves, or Elk Hills, Scandal, in American history, scandal of the early 1920s surrounding the secret leasing of federal oil reserves by the secretary of the interior, Albert B. Fall. After President Warren G. Harding transferred supervision of the naval oil reserve lands from the navy to the Department of the Interior in 1921, Fall secretly granted to Harry F. Sinclair of the Mammoth Oil Company exclusive

Elizabeth Islands

2004-12-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

Chain of small islands in southeastern Massachusetts, U.S. They extend southwestward for 16 miles (26 km) from the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Administratively a part of Dukes county, the islands constitute Gosnold town (a township area settled in 1641 and incorporated in 1864). The larger islands are Nonamesset, Naushon, Pasque, Nashawena,

Mammal, classification

2004-12-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

Family Ornithorhynchidae:

Yung-lo

2004-12-16T00:07:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his reign, he seems to have been fascinated by the regions beyond China's southern borders, perhaps in part because of rumours that the emperor Chu Yün-wen had escaped overseas. In 1403 the Yung-lo emperor sent out three fleets under eunuch commanders to proclaim his accession throughout Southeast Asia as far as Java and southern India. More vigorously

Evans, Rowland

2004-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

American journalist (b. April 28, 1921, Whitemarsh, Pa.—d. March 23, 2001, Washington, D.C.), advocated conservative causes as a prominent newspaper columnist and television host. With journalist Robert Novak, Evans published a syndicated column, called “Inside Report,” from 1963 to 1993. From 1980 the pair served as cohosts of Cable News Network's political talk show Evans & Novak, which was renamed Evans,

Aerospace Industry, Civil aircraft

2004-12-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Builders of civil aircraft comprise two categories: producers of general aviation aircraft and producers of heavy aircraft. General aviation is defined as all aircraft activities not related to military, major airline, or air-cargo flying. It includes light planes and helicopters used for private pleasure flying, personal transportation, corporate travel,

Fujitsu Limited

2004-12-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu was established in 1935 when it broke away from Fuji Electric Company, a joint venture started in 1923 by the Furukawa Mining Company and Germany's Siemens to develop electrical equipment. Fujitsu

Byzantine Greek Language

2004-12-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

An archaic style of Greek that served as the language of administration and of most writing during the period of the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman, Empire until the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. During the Byzantine period the spoken language continued to develop without the archaizing tendencies of the written language. Byzantine Greek is still the liturgical

Caconda

2004-12-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

A Portuguese military post was established at Caconda about 1680 to facilitate expansion of the slave trade. In the late 18th century, a permanent

Mckay, Claude

2004-12-04T22:43:00.000-08:00

After attending Tuskegee Institute (1912) and Kansas State Teachers College (1912–14), McKay went to New

Sri Lanka, Relief

2004-12-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Central Highlands

Gwinnett, Button

2004-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Gwinnett emigrated from England to Georgia

Gwinnett, Button

2004-11-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Byname Rio Grande former American railroad chartered in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG). It began with a narrow-gauge line extending from Denver, Colorado, south to New Mexico and west to Salt Lake City, Utah. Conversion to standard-gauge track began in 1888. In 1930 the D&RG took possession of the Denver & Salt Lake line (formerly Denver, Northwestern & Pacific Railroad), thereby acquiring

Osaka-kobe Metropolitan Area, Cultural life

2004-11-26T03:24:00.000-08:00

Osaka and Kyoto long have been leading centres of culture—Osaka, famous for its cuisine, has a more bustling, democratic tone than Kyoto, which is one of the great centres of Japanese culture. Traditional and modern Japanese drama and music are performed at theatres and halls in the metropolitan area, as are Western music, operas, and plays. There are numerous museums, galleries,

Olomouc

2004-11-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Olomouc possibly originated as a Roman fort (Mons Iulii) and by the 9th century was an important stronghold. A bishopric, established there in 1063, was raised to an archbishopric in 1777. At the Peace