OrangeBottle

Smilodon

2005-04-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Extinct genus of large carnivores known collectively by the common name sabre-toothed cat (q.v.).

Peter

2005-04-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

Until Peter's tenure as metropolitan, the centre of the Russian Orthodox Church had for many years been in Kiev, the ancient capital of Rus, and then for a while in Vladimir. When Peter became metropolitan, he, like his predecessors,

'ud

2005-04-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Oud, stringed musical instrument prominent in medieval and modern Islamic music. It was the parent of the European lute. The 'ud has a deep, pear-shaped body; a fretless fingerboard; and a relatively shorter neck and somewhat less acutely bent-back pegbox than the European lute. The tuning pegs are set in the sides of the pegbox. The gut strings, plucked with a plectrum, are fastened

Dandakaranya

2005-04-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Physical region in east-central India. Extending over an area of about 35,600 square miles (92,300 square km), it includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Eastern Ghats in the east. The Dandakaranya includes parts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh states. It has dimensions of about 200 miles (320 km) from north to south and about 300 miles (480 km) from east to west. The region derives

Bonanza Creek

2005-03-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

Stream in the western Yukon Territory, Canada, rising near Dawson and flowing 20 mi (32 km) northwest to the Klondike River. In it gold was found by George Washington Carmack on Aug. 17, 1896, setting off the gold rush of that year into the Klondike Valley. The creek, formerly called Rabbit Creek, was renamed Bonanza Creek to mark Carmack's strike. See also Klondike River.

Insurance, United States

2005-03-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

The first American insurance company was organized by Benjamin Franklin in 1752 as the Philadelphia Contributionship. The first life insurance company in the American colonies was the Presbyterian Ministers' Fund, organized in 1759. By 1820 there were 17 stock life insurance companies in the state of New York alone. Many of the early property insurance companies failed from

Grayling

2005-03-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

(Thymallus), any of several troutlike game fishes, family Salmonidae, found in cold, clear streams of Eurasia and northern North America. Graylings are handsome, silvery-purple fishes, which reach a length of about 40 cm (16 inches). They have rather large scales, large eyes, a small mouth with feeble teeth, and a saillike, brightly coloured dorsal fin, with 20 to 24 rays. They feed primarily

Harvard University

2005-03-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

Harvard's history

Goulburn Islands

2005-03-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Group of islands in the Arafura Sea off the northern coast of Arnhem Land in Northern Territory, Australia. They comprise South Goulburn Island (30 square miles [78 square km]), lying 2 miles (3 km) offshore across Macquarie Strait; North Goulburn Island (14 square miles [36 square km]), 10 miles (16 km) offshore; and some small sandy islets. Perhaps sighted in 1644 by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman,

Domesday Book

2005-03-26T00:48:00.000-08:00

The original record or summary of William I the Conqueror's survey of England. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as “the description of England,” but the popular name Domesday—i.e., “doomsday,” when men face the record from which there is no appeal—was in general use by the mid-12th century. The survey, in the scope of its detail and the speed of its execution, was perhaps

Low, Juliette Gordon

2005-03-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Juliette Gordon was born into a prominent Georgia family. She was educated at private schools in Virginia and New York City and for some years thereafter traveled widely. She married William M. Low, a fellow native of Savannah, Georgia, who was living in England,

Wright, Benjamin

2005-03-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

He was trained as a surveyor in his youth, and, after his family moved to the vicinity of Rome, N.Y., in 1789, Wright surveyed about 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) for farmers

Asaka

2005-03-22T21:29:00.000-08:00

City, Saitama ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Kurume River northwest of Tokyo. It was a post town known as Hizaori during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867); its name was changed to Asaka in 1932. The city has been a centre of the copper-rolling industry since the late 19th century. Connected by rail with Tokyo, it is now a residential suburb of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area.

Abu Hanifah

2005-03-22T00:18:00.000-08:00

In full Abu Hanifah An-nu'man Ibn Thabit Muslim jurist and theologian whose systematization of Islamic legal doctrine was acknowledged as one of the four canonical schools of Islamic law. The school of Abu Hanifah acquired such prestige that its doctrines were applied by a majority of Muslim dynasties. Even today it is widely followed in India, Pakistan, Turkey, Central Asia, and Arab

Protein, Results of X-ray diffraction studies

2005-03-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Most knowledge concerning secondary and tertiary structure of globular proteins has been obtained by the examination of their crystals using X-ray diffraction. In this technique X rays are allowed to strike the crystal; the X rays are diffracted by the crystal and impinge on a photographic plate, forming a pattern of spots. The measured intensity of the diffraction

Rand, Ayn

2005-03-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Rand graduated from the University of Petrograd in 1924 and two years later immigrated to the United States. She initially worked as a screenwriter

Cavalcanti, Guido

2005-03-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Born into an influential Florentine family of the Guelf (papal) party, Cavalcanti studied under the philosopher and scholar

Hecht, Ben

2005-03-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Hecht was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants,

Tortoise

2005-03-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Any of the land-dwelling turtles of the family Testudinidae; in Great Britain the name refers to any nonmarine turtle. The land-dwelling tortoises are exclusively terrestrial, vegetarian reptiles. In folklore these animals represent slowness, determination, and long life. Tortoises are found in both the Old World and the New, but the majority of the 40-odd living species

Biblical Literature, The role of certain lesser judges

2005-03-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

The third section relates the exploits of the various judges. Othniel, a member of the tribe of Caleb, delivered the erring Israelites from eight years of oppression by Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. The king, however, was most likely an area ruler, rather than a king of the Mesopotamian Empire. Another judge, Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, delivered Israel from

Earth Sciences, The rise of subterranean water

2005-03-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

René Descartes supposed that the seawater diffused through subterranean channels into large caverns below the tops of mountains. The Jesuit philosopher Athanasius Kircher in his Mundus subterraneus (1664; “Subterranean World”) suggested that the tides pump seawater through hidden channels to points of outlet at springs. To explain the rise of subterranean water

Balance Beam

2005-03-16T01:08:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics apparatus used in women's competition. It is a wooden beam 5 metres (16.4 feet) long, 10 cm (4 inches) wide, and raised 125 cm (4.1 feet) from the floor. The performer begins the exercise by mounting the beam by either a vault or a jump and executes movements that must include steps, running, jumps, turns, sitting positions, and some held, or posed, positions. The duration of the exercise

Pantheism, Buddhist doctrines

2005-03-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Some 600 years after Buddha, a new and more speculative school of Buddhism arose to challenge the 18 or 20 schools of Buddhism then in existence. One of the early representatives of this new school, which came to be known as Mahayana (Sanskrit “Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism, was Asvaghosa. Like Sankara (whom he antedated by 700 years), Asvaghosa not only distinguished between the pure Absolute

Chain

2005-03-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Gunter's Chain, in surveying, a unit of length. See surveyor's chain.

Tasmania, The economy

2005-03-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

Tasmania is well endowed with mineral, forest, water, and tourist resources. It has a diversity of economic activity and fairly stable labour relations. Its economy, however, suffers markedly from the small scale of much of its resource base, from restricted local markets, and from problems of transport to external markets. The Tasmanian Development Authority seeks

Saint Anthony

2005-03-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

Town, north of the entrance to Hare Bay, on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, 306 miles (492 km) northeast of Corner Brook. An old fishing settlement with dry docks, ship-repair yards, and cold-storage plants, it is the home of the International Grenfell Association (a charity organization established in 1912 by Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the medical missionary) and is known

Západoceský

2005-03-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Západní Cechy , English Western Bohemia kraj (region), western Czech Republic. It is bordered by Germany on the north and west and by Severoceský, Stredoceský, and Jihoceský kraje on the east. It is surrounded by mountains on its external boundaries and contains a series of hilly ranges running southwest to northeast. The region's only lowland areas are the valleys of the Berounka River and its several tributaries

Traill, Thomas Stewart

2005-03-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

Traill graduated from the University of Edinburgh (1802) and for 30 years practiced medicine in Liverpool, where he helped to found, and was secretary of, the Literary and Philosophical

Tzaddiq

2005-03-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tsaddik, or Zaddik (Hebrew: “righteous man”), plural Tzaddiqim, Tsaddikim, or Zaddikim, one who embodies the religious ideals of Judaism. In the Bible, a tzaddiq is a just or righteous man (Genesis 6:9), who, if a ruler, rules justly or righteously (II Samuel 23:3) and who takes joy in justice (Proverbs 21:15). The Talmud (compendium of Jewish law, lore, and commentary) asserts that the continued existence of the world is due to the merits of 36 individuals, each of whom is gamur

Anderson, Viv

2005-03-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

Anderson began his professional football

Philipon, Charles

2005-03-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Philipon settled in Paris in 1823, took to lithography, and began to draw caricatures for a living. He was an excellent draftsman with a fertile and irrepressible sense of satire. Moreover, he had vigorous political opinions, an

Girodias, Maurice

2005-03-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

As a young man Girodias worked closely with his father, Jack Kahane, whose Obelisk Press published such classics of erotica as Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (1934) and Frank Harris's My Life and Loves, 3 vol. (1923–27). Girodias, who took his mother's non-Jewish maiden name during

Ankh

2005-03-08T00:24:00.000-08:00

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph signifying “life,” a cross surmounted by a loop and known in Latin as a crux ansata (ansate, or handle-shaped, cross). It is found in ancient tomb inscriptions, including those of the king Tutankhamen, and gods and pharaohs are often depicted holding it. The ankh forms part of hieroglyphs for such concepts as health and happiness. The form of the

Cabot, George

2005-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

After studying at Harvard, Cabot went to sea. He became a shipowner and successful merchant, retiring from business in 1794. Cabot was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention (1779–80), of the state Senate (1783), and of the Massachusetts convention that ratified the Federal

Arrastra

2005-03-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Crude drag-stone mill for pulverizing ores such as those containing silver or gold or their compounds. See patio process.

Finland, Settlement patterns

2005-03-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

Increased industrialization in Finland has steadily raised the proportion of the population living in urban areas; by the late 20th century about three-fifths of the total population lived in cities and towns. Farms are most commonly located in the meadowland regions of the southwest, where the fertile land is suitable for mixed farming. In the north farmers usually

Epistemology, Realism

2005-03-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

The realist believes that

Hachinohe

2005-03-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

City, Aomori Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. It was a castle town during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867) and served as a small commercial centre and port for the excellent fishing grounds off southeastern Hokkaido. The processing of marine products developed after the late 19th century, and industry (ammonium sulfate, steel, cement) was introduced after World

401(k)

2005-03-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

In the United States, a retirement savings program organized by employers but funded primarily by workers through paycheck deductions. Because employees generally do not make withdrawals from the fund until after they have retired, the 401(k) is considered a deferred compensation plan. As a result, the worker is not taxed on any earnings or gains made in the account

Hancock

2005-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

County, southeastern Maine, U.S. It is located in a mountain-and-valley region bounded to the west by the Penobscot River and to the south by several bays of the Atlantic Ocean and includes many islands. The rugged coastline was formed by a flooded mountain range; Mount Desert Island features Cadillac Mountain (1,532 feet [467 metres]), the highest Atlantic coast summit in Maine,

Middlesboro

2005-03-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Officially Middlesborough city, Bell county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S., about 61 miles (98 km) north of Knoxville, Tennessee. It lies in a valley (believed to have been formed by a meteor crater) at the western end of the Cumberland Gap near where the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet. Despite its location on the old Wilderness Road through a natural pass in the mountains, the site was not settled

Great Malvern

2005-02-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

Also known as Malvern town, Malvern Hills district, administrative and historic county of Worcestershire, England. Great Malvern was formerly the largest of several villages and hamlets on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills but has since grown to incorporate them. Malvern Chase, a medieval administrative entity, was granted to the earl of Gloucester by Edward I (reigned 1272–1307). Little

Aerospace Engineering

2005-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

C. Hart, The Prehistory of Flight (1985), covers early concepts of the nature of flight and early attempts to construct flying machines. Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, Flight Through the Ages (1974), surveys aeronautics from its early period to the age of space exploration. Tom D. Crouch, A Dream of Wings (1981), traces the history of U.S. aeronautics. P.A. Hanle, Bringing Aerodynamics to America (1982), focuses on the European influences that led to the establishment of the science of flight as an exact science in the United States. Roger E. Bilstein, Orders of Magnitude: A History of the NACA and NASA, 1915–1990, rev. ed. (1989), chronicles the growth of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jerome Lederer, “Highlights in the Development of Civilian Aircraft,” Automotive Engineering, 88(12):33–43 (December 1980), is a review that dwells on the prominent technical concepts and development of civil air transportation. John D. Anderson, Jr., Introduction to Flight, 3rd ed. (1989), deals with theoretical questions of aerodynamics and describes the design and construction of airplanes. Other useful works include J.H. Hughes, Jr., and J.S. Priamos, Aerospace (1977); Barnes W. McCormick, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics (1979); Leland M. Nicolai, Fundamentals of Aircraft Design, rev. ed. (1984); and Richard S. Shevell, Fundamentals of Flight, 2nd ed. (1989).

Blackfish

2005-02-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Name given to various dark-coloured fishes, including the tautog (see wrasse), bowfin, Alaska blackfish (qq.v.), and black sea bass (see sea bass). Also known as blackfish are the pilot whale (q.v.), a mammal; Orthodon microlepidotus, a California minnow; the black ruff (Centrolophus niger), a European deep-sea rudderfish; and several Australian food fishes.

United States, Bank Of The

2005-02-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

Central bank chartered in 1791 by the U.S. Congress at the urging of Alexander Hamilton and over the objections of Thomas Jefferson. Extended debate over its constitutionality contributed significantly to the evolution of pro- and anti-bank factions into the first American political parties—respectively, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Antagonism

Lizard, Locomotion and limb adaptations

2005-02-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

The majority of lizards are quadrupedal, with powerful limb musculature. They are capable of rapid acceleration and possess great ability to change direction of motion rapidly. The racerunners (Cnemidophorus) can attain speeds of 24 kilometres (15 miles) per hour, which, in terms of their own body length, puts them in a class with fast terrestrial mammals. A tendency toward

Tsimshian

2005-02-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chimmesyan, Indians of the North Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the mainland and islands around the Skeena and Nass rivers and Milbanke Sound in what is now British Columbia and Alaska. They speak any of three Tsimshian dialects: Niska, spoken along the Nass River; coastal Tsimshian, along the lower Skeena and the coast; and Kitksan (or Gitksan), along the upper Skeena.

Eliot, John

2005-02-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

Eliot graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1622 and emigrated to Boston in 1631. From 1632 to his death he was pastor of the church at nearby Roxbury.

China

2005-02-24T01:39:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a critical one for China. Domestically, it was a year of political transition to a new generation of leaders; internationally, significant changes in geopolitical alignments had major repercussions for the country. The 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), after some delay, was convened in early November. China's “Three Represents” doctrine

Fahd

2005-02-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Fahd was the first son of Hassa Sudairi after her remarriage to the founder of the kingdom, Ibn Sa'ud. Court educated in religion, chivalry, and politics, Fahd was named minister

Onsager, Lars

2005-02-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

His early work in statistical mechanics attracted the attention of the Dutch chemist Peter Debye, under whose direction Onsager studied at the Federal Institute

Scherchen, Hermann

2005-02-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Scherchen was musically self-taught. Early in his career he played the viola, and for a time he toured with the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg. Interned in Russia during World War I, he returned to Berlin after

Gainsborough, Thomas

2005-02-22T03:16:00.000-08:00

Portrait and landscape painter, the most versatile English painter of the 18th century. Some of his early portraits show the sitters grouped in a landscape (“Mr. and Mrs. Andrews,” c. 1750). As he became famous and his sitters fashionable, he adopted a more formal manner that owed something to Anthony Van Dyck (“The Blue

Arnim, Harry, Graf (count) Von

2005-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

After studying

San Clemente

2005-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

City, Orange county, southern California, U.S. It lies along the Pacific Ocean, midway between San Diego and Los Angeles. Founded in 1925 as a real-estate development, the site was named for offshore San Clemente Island, which was named by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno to honour St. Clement. Chiefly residential, the city gained national prominence in 1969 when President

Ayrer, Jakob

2005-02-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

A lawyer by profession, Ayrer spent

Alemanni

2005-02-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alamanni, or Alamani, a Germanic people first mentioned in connection with the Roman attack on them in AD 213. In the following decades, their pressure on the Roman provinces became severe; they occupied the Agri Decumates c. 260, and late in the 5th century they expanded into Alsace and northern Switzerland, establishing the German language in those regions. In 496 they were conquered by Clovis and incorporated

Colet, Louise

2005-02-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Daughter of a businessman, she married a musician, Hippolyte Colet, in 1834, and published her first poetry, “Fleurs du Midi,” in 1836. Her Paris salon became a meeting place for literary lights, notably Gustave Flaubert, with whom she had

Ocean, The subpolar gyres

2005-02-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

The subpolar gyres are cyclonic circulation features. The Ekman transport within these features forces upwelling and surface water divergence. In the North Atlantic the subpolar gyre consists of the North Atlantic Current at its equatorward side and the Norwegian Current that carries relatively warm water northward along the coast of Norway. The heat released

Arnica

2005-02-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

One of the most important species (A. montana) is a perennial herb of northern and central European

Ust-kamenogorsk

2005-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Kazak Öskemen city, eastern Kazakstan. It lies in the foothills of the Rudnyy Altai Mountains and at the junction of the Ulba and Irtysh rivers. Founded as a Russian fort in 1720, it later became a centre of trade with Mongolia and China and the gateway to the mineral wealth of the Rudnyy Altai. Ust-Kamenogorsk is now a major centre of nonferrous metallurgy (lead, zinc, titanium, and magnesium)

Bachmann, Ingeborg

2005-02-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

Bachmann grew up in Kärnten during World War II and was educated at the Universities of Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna. She received a doctoral degree in philosophy from

Düren

2005-02-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. It lies along the Ruhr River, on the northeastern slopes of the Eifel Hills. A Frankish settlement first mentioned in 748, it grew from the Villa Duria of Pippin III the Short, the king of the Franks. It was subsequently the seat of diets and synods under Charlemagne and the base for several of his Saxon campaigns. After

Triton

2005-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a merman, demigod of the sea; he was the son of the sea god, Poseidon, and his wife, Amphitrite. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Triton dwelt with his parents in a golden palace in the depths of the sea. Sometimes he was not particularized but was one of many Tritons. He was represented as human down to his waist, with the tail of a fish. Triton's special attribute

Carter Family

2005-02-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Singing group consisting of Alvin Pleasant Carter, known as A.P. Carter (b. April 15, 1891, Maces Spring, Va., U.S.—d. November 7, 1960, Kentucky),his wife Sara, née Dougherty (b. July 21, 1898, Flatwoods, Virginia—d. Jan. 8, 1979, Lodi, Calif.), and his sister-in-law Maybelle Carter, née Addington (b. May 10, 1909, Nickelsville, Va.—d. Oct. 23, 1978, Nashville, Tenn.), a leading force in the spread and popularization of Appalachian Mountain folk

Triclinic System

2005-02-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

One of the structural categories to which crystalline solids can be assigned. Crystals in this system are referred to three axes of unequal lengths that are inclined at angles less than 90° to one another. If the atoms or atom groups in the solid are represented by points and the points are connected, the resulting lattice will consist of an orderly stacking of blocks,

Beach

2005-02-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sediments that accumulate along the sea or lake shores, the configuration and contours of which depend on the action of coastal processes, the kinds of sediment involved, and the rate of delivery of this sediment. There are three different kinds of beaches. The first occurs as a sediment strip bordering a rocky or cliffy coast; the second is the outer margin of a plain

Steffani, Agostino

2005-02-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

Steffani studied music in Venice, Rome, and Munich, where he served the Elector of Bavaria from 1674 to 1688, becoming by 1681 director of chamber music. He left Munich and entered the service of the Duke of Brunswick, later elector of Hanover, where he remained

Diffraction

2005-02-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

The spreading of waves around obstacles. Diffraction takes place with sound; with electromagnetic radiation, such as light, X-rays, and gamma rays; and with very small moving particles such as atoms, neutrons, and electrons, which show wavelike properties. One consequence of diffraction is that sharp shadows are not produced. The phenomenon is the result of interference

Doolittle, Hilda

2005-02-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

Doolittle was the daughter of an astronomer, and she was reared in the strict Moravian tradition of her mother's family. She entered Bryn Mawr College in 1904 and while a student there formed friendships with

Westminster Abbey

2005-02-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

London church that is the site of coronations and other ceremonies of national significance. It stands just west of the Houses of Parliament in the Greater London borough of Westminster. Situated on the grounds of a former Benedictine monastery, it was refounded as the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster by Queen Elizabeth I in 1560. Legend relates that Saberht

Theatre, Western, Great Britain

2005-02-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

World War II had left British theatre in a precarious state. In London's West End, about a fifth of the theatres were destroyed or damaged by bombing. Furthermore, production costs multiplied, an entertainment tax of 10 percent of gross receipts was imposed by the government, and theatre managements—many of them controlled by a monopoly known as The Group—tended to choose

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Renaissance

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

Romance and romantic forms provide the main vehicle for the entrance of allegory into the literature of the Renaissance period. The old Arthurian legends carry a new sophistication and polish in the epics of the Italians Boiardo, Ariosto, and Tasso and in the work of Edmund Spenser. By interlacing several simultaneous stories in one larger narrative, the literary

World Water Crisis: Is There A Way Out?

2005-02-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

According to British hydrologist J.A. Allan, a country that imports food crops is essentially importing the water that was used to grow the crops in the exporting country. This virtual water can amount to as much as 1,000 to 5,000 tons of water per ton of crop imported. Virtual water, acquired as food and agricultural products through global food trade, can actually help to overcome

Sevilla

2005-02-07T22:42:00.000-08:00

, also spelled Seville provincia, one of eight provincias forming the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. The provincia comprises the lower Guadalquivir River valley and has varied relief. It is bordered northwest by the Morena Mountains and south and southeast by the Sub-Baetic ranges of the Algodonales and Yeguas mountains. Between these

France, History Of, The political history of France (c. 8501180)

2005-02-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

The fragmentation of political power meant that the kings of France were forced into rivalries, alliances, and conflicts with the princes, who were for many generations the real rulers of France.

Lock Haven University Of Pennsylvania

2005-02-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

Public coeducational institution of higher learning in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education and comprises colleges of Arts and Sciences, and Education and Human Services. The university offers a range of bachelor's degree programs and several master's degree programs. It also offers a cooperative engineering

Ciliaris Muscle

2005-02-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Muscle of the ciliary body of the eye, between the sclera (white of the eye) and the fine ligaments that suspend the lens. It is composed of both longitudinal and circular fibres and serves to change the shape of the lens, enabling the eye to focus upon near or distant objects.

Haleakala

2005-02-05T01:45:00.000-08:00

The name Haleakala (Hawaiian: “House of the

Earwax Impaction

2005-02-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

Filling of the external auditory canal with earwax, or cerumen. Normally the wax produced by skin glands in the outer ear migrates outward. If the earwax is produced too rapidly, it may become hardened and accumulate, thus plugging the outer ear canal and preventing sound passage to the tympanic (eardrum) membrane. This hearing impairment is painless. Impacted earwax

Obi Islands

2005-02-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Ombi Islands, group of the northern Moluccas, Maluku provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. They lie south of the island of Halmahera, north of the island of Ceram, and east of the Sula Islands. The principal island of the group is Obi Island, 52 miles (84 km) long and 28 miles (47 km) wide, which contains the only major village, Laiwui, located on the northeastern coast opposite Bisa Island. Obi Island is mountainous,

Huitain

2005-02-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

French verse form consisting of an eight-line stanza with 8 or 10 syllables in each line. The form was written on three rhymes, one of which appeared four times. Typical rhyme schemes were ababbcbc and abbaacac. The huitain was popular in France in the 15th and early 16th centuries with such poets as François Villon and Clément Marot.

Mahallah Al-kubra, Al-

2005-02-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mahalla El-kubra, city, in the central Nile River delta of Lower Egypt, eastern Al-Gharbiyah muhafazah (governorate). It lies just west of the Damietta Branch of the Nile. Because the names of a large number of Egyptian places were compounded with mahallah (Arabic: “encampment”), exact references to the town by early Arab writers are uncertain. Al-Mahallah al-Kubra, however, was apparently an important

Greeley, Horace

2005-02-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

A printer's apprentice in East Poultney, Vt., he moved to New York City, where he became senior editor for a new literary magazine, The New Yorker (1834). A liberal Whig, Greeley caught the attention of New York political

Canary

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

(species Serinus canaria), popular cage bird of the family Carduelidae (order Passeriformes). It owes its coloration and sustained vocal powers to 400 years of selective breeding by humans. Varieties called rollers trill almost continuously, the notes running together; choppers have a loud trill of distinct notes. Well-known breeds include Hartz Mountain, Norwich, and

Smilax

2005-02-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Genus of plants in the family Smilacaceae, consisting of about 300 species of woody or herbaceous vines, variously known as catbriers and greenbriers, native to tropical and temperate parts of the world. The stems of many species are covered with prickles; the lower leaves are scalelike; and the leathery upper leaves have untoothed blades with

Carlsbad Decrees

2005-02-01T01:50:00.000-08:00

The occasion of the meeting was

Wade-davis Bill

2005-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

(1864), unsuccessful attempt by Radical Republicans and others in the U.S. Congress to set Reconstruction policy before the end of the Civil War. The bill, sponsored by senators Benjamin F. Wade and Henry W. Davis, provided for the appointment of provisional military governors in the seceded states. When a majority of a state's white citizens swore allegiance to the Union, a

Babel, Isaak Emmanuilovich

2005-01-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

Born into a Jewish family, Babel grew up in an atmosphere of persecution that is reflected in the sensitivity,

Ba'al Shem Tov

2005-01-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

Dov Baer, Shivhé ha-Besht (1814), is the earliest collection of legends (in Hebrew) about the Ba'al Shem Tov. Dan Ben-Amos and Jerome R. Mintz (eds. and trans.), In Praise of Baal Shem Tov (1970), offers an English translation of Dov Baer's legends, based upon the 1814 edition. Meyer Levin, The Golden Mountain (1932); and Martin Buber, Die Legende des Baalschem (1932; The Legend of the Baal-Shem, 1955), retell with literary flair the legends of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Salomo Birnbaum, Leben und Worte des Baalschem (1920; The Life and Sayings of the Baal Shem, 1933), contains excerpts from the writings and teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov.

Steeplechase

2005-01-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

The sport dates back to a cross-country race at the University of Oxford in 1850. As an Olympic track event (for men only), it was first run in the 1900 Games, and by the 1920 Games it was standardized at 3,000 metres, or about 7.5 laps on a 400-metre track. The steeplechase

Ballad Opera

2005-01-29T17:07:00.000-08:00

Characteristic English type of comic opera, originating in the 18th century and featuring farcical or extravaganza plots. The music was mainly confined to songs or interludes interspersed in spoken dialogue. It was based at first on ballads or folk songs to which new words were adapted; later, tunes were borrowed from popular operas, or music was occasionally newly

Pharmaceutical Industry, Vaccines

2005-01-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

Vaccines, viral or bacterial preparations used to induce active immunity, may be divided into three groups: toxoids, bacterial vaccines, and virus vaccines. Toxoids, such as diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, can be prepared only from toxin-producing bacteria. To produce diphtheria toxoid, for example, diphtheria bacilli are cultured under artificial conditions in

Protist, Section I. Chromobionts (heterokonts or Chromophyta sensu lato)

2005-01-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Predominantly golden-brown, yellow-green, and brown algae plus some lower fungal groups and 3 nonpigmented zooflagellate taxa; tubular mitochondrial cristae; pigmented moiety with chlorophylls a, c, and d and chloroplasts located within rough endoplasmic reticulum, tubular mastigonemes on anterior flagellum, and food reserves stored outside plastids; ubiquitous;

Canals And Inland Waterways, Bridges, aqueducts, and tunnels for waterways

2005-01-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

Canals must frequently cross over or under roads and railways, rivers, and other canals. These crossings are made by a variety of bridges, sometimes carrying the road or railroad, sometimes carrying the canal. Most are fixed, though movable bridges are also used. On the Weaver River in England, four movable bridges, carrying main roads across the waterway, swing on

Pigalle, Jean-baptiste

2005-01-28T03:09:00.000-08:00

Born into a family of master carpenters, Pigalle began training as a sculptor at age 18 with Robert Le Lorrain and then studied with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. After failing to win the Prix de Rome in 1735, he studied independently in Rome at his own expense from 1736 to 1739. While there Pigalle

Carthage

2005-01-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Hancock county, western Illinois, U.S., near the Mississippi River. Laid out in 1833 and named for the ancient North African city, the community was hostile to the Mormons who had settled at nearby Nauvoo. On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and his brother Hyrum, who were in the Carthage City Jail awaiting trial on charges of treason, were shot to death

Joyeuse Entrée

2005-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Most famous is the charter of liberties, confirmed on Jan. 3, 1356, and called the Joyeuse Entrée, which was presented to the duchy of Brabant (in the Low Countries) by Johanna

Amir Ali, Sayyid

2005-01-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

Amir Ali, who traced his ancestry to the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah, took his law degree at the University of Calcutta, was called to the bar of the Inner Temple (1873) in England, and returned to practice

Kamanja

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

Also called kemanche , or kamanche stringed instrument of the fiddle family prominent in Arab and Persian art music. It is a spike fiddle; i.e., its small, round or cylindrical body appears skewered by the neck, which forms a “foot” that the instrument rests on when played. Measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) from neck to foot, it has a membrane belly and, commonly, two to four strings tuned in fourths or fifths. The musician,